Jeff McClendon

I really like the versatility of the small ear pad with puck setup.

The puck itself is capable of being used many ways when it isn't attached to those $12 back of the neck ear phones. No, ambient noise reduction is not good.

Those ear phones are fantastic in summer if your head likes them. My head is huge so I have to bend them to fit me and I glue a thin felt layer on the part of them that touches my head just above my ears so they won't create blisters.

I mount the puck on Quest aftermarket over the ear headphones when its colder, I sometimes stem mount it on the shaft system, I have worn it in the watchband configuration and often just put it in my pocket with the horseshoe audio adapter and use the wired earbuds or over the ear headphones of my choice.  

So the WS6 puck is actually a standalone mini remote that doesn't need the big remote to fully operate Deus 2. The Quest headphones that have a receiver for the WS6 puck are priced very reasonably and are well worth it.

I have used the XP WSA XL over the ear headphones. They are nice. They are just an audio controller and cannot control any other Deus 2 functions.

2 hours ago, phrunt said:

Thanks Jeff, I'm more talking about very low end 0.0X and more importantly 0.00X gram size gold which in your tough soils are probably a bit out of the question, the 0.XX stuff is considered big gold to me 🙂 the really tiny stuff is the only reason I can really justify using a VLF these days and I find it really fun finding those micro specs, a real challenge.

Either way, it's great they've done such a good job improving it to make it a genuine all-purpose detector, I will add one to my arsenal in 2024 sometime when I get sick of trying to justify another detector I've recently purchased.  

It seems the general consensus is the Deus 2 has a very stable tight target ID and that's only improving, and that's what I want in a coin detector.

Deus 2, 9" coil FMF Goldfield will hit 0.01 gram nuggets now at 1.5 to 2" air test. Before v2.0 software it struggled to hit 0.1 gram nuggets at 2" air test.

Deus 2 with the 13X11" coil has made all the difference for me as far as hitting deeper silver US dimes which are 18 mm, 2.5 gram coins. With that coil it is beating the Manticore with 11" coil by an inch on in ground wild targets. Target IDs really are very stable but that is after doing a ground balance at least in the dirt around here. So, target IDs can vary one or two numbers from day to day depending on ground conditions. That has been going on since the original software version so I am use to it.

I really no longer have anything bad to say about Deus 2 aside from the water antenna and the design build which marries a remote that is too bulky and heavy for the shaft system connection point that was not much of an issue with Deus 1 and the ORX with their smaller and lighter remotes. My Deus 2 remote is constantly falling off and the shaft cam locks are already getting loose and the entire detector is ridiculously unstable when on the ground and is constantly falling over. You already know this since you own a Deus. So, great performing detector that needs a thoughtful shaft upgrade/

35 minutes ago, phrunt said:

I appreciate this sort of testing, and the information you provide on the Deus 2, it might be time I jumped the fence and gave one a go.  The tight target ID's are the thing that perked my ears, I don't care about its gold prospecting deficiencies as I rarely use a VLF now for gold and when I do I'm very well taken care of with my current rigs so all I care about is coins and jewellery for its purpose.

Hi Simon, 

I just want to make this a clear as possible.

I complained loudly about Deus 2's Goldfield sensitivity deficiency for over a year. To my surprise, XP not only responded to my emails to them and the videos I sent them very cordially, but more importantly, they addressed that lack of sensitivity with the V2.0 software update.

At the moment my Deus 2 with 9" coil using the FMF Goldfield program is just as sensitive to small sub 0.25 gram gold as the modified Mono program running at 45.5 kHz which is the highest available single frequency setting in the Mono program. For the Mono program I lower discrimination to -6.4, use Pitch tones and a bit of threshold and otherwise use the same settings (Mono does not have Disc IAR) as FMF Goldfield. If there is a difference, I can't find it.

The only way that XP might improve Deus 2's gold prospecting performance is to offer Goldfield as a selectable single frequency option similar to how it is on Deus 1 and the ORX. Even then, the difference would be minimal.

I don't want others still thinking that FMF Goldfield is still messed up, hasn't been fixed or is lacking compared to Deus 1, the ORX or Deus 2 in its selectable single frequency Mono mode. It has been fixed, seriously.

Now, whether the entire Deus/Deus 2/ORX line of detectors is not as good at gold prospecting as some other versatile SMFs or dedicated gold prospecting VLFs.........that is another story and at least for me, is site dependent.

They were die cast metal whatever that is.

Judging from the opening on the slide and the relatively flat, thin, pivoting trigger I am going with a Kilgore cap gun or something similar. I am not an expert on "Saturday Night Special" pocket pistol automatics, but most of the ones I am familiar with have a totally different kind of trigger similar to a 1911 and they don't have slide shell casing ejection openings near the rear sights.

6 minutes ago, raziel900 said:

Same prog as 0.71....sensitive,disc 6,three tones, silencer 0, notch off, bcaps 0,sens 92,freq 40,audio response 4-5, react 2,audio filter 0.decrease the sens doesn't seem to solve, anyway it's just louder than with the update 0.71.....soils without mineralization, the coil produces sounds when it impacts with vegetation

Thank you for providing your settings.

Do you ground balance your Deus 2?

Have you tried different Silencer settings?

Does your coil make noise when you bump it against rocks, dirt or when you hit it with your hand?

25 minutes ago, raziel900 said:

Absolutely no mineralization "peaceful" soils.... I noticed this increase in chatter and I asked you at the forum for help, I hunt 90% in dense vegetation and that chatter could deceive me about a possible deep or weak target..... Of course I have the ground stabilizator on 2, would putting it on 3 help? What would I lose in terms of performance?

What program and settings are you using? Please list all of them.

Did you use the same program and settings before the update to V1.1?

Chatter can mean EMI, ground noise from mineralization, ground noise from moisture, ground noise from improper ground balance.

I have never thought of using the English word chatter to describe sounds produced by bumping the coil into vegetation or rocks. Does your coil produce audible responses when bouncing it on the ground or when tapping it with your hand?

53 minutes ago, Rattlehead said:

I'd be interested in seeing that comparison as well. When 1.0 came out, I updated, tried it a few times, got frustrated and went back to what I'm familiar with in .71. I may give 2.0 a shot, since .71 will may become unavailable in the near future.

There are several important changes from v0.71 to v1.0 and then some "fixes" to v1.0 that were done with v1.1. V2.0s change sheet for the RC update is very short. The change sheet for WS6 as master is longer. Before you make the switch to v2.0, you might want to review all of those change sheets on XPs website.

On 1/2/2024 at 7:18 AM, Mark T said:

Has anyone noticed any depth loss with 2.0 compared with previous versions?

 

I haven't noticed any depth loss after updating from V1.1 to V2.0.

Similar to Daniel Tn, my experience with Deus 2 through all of the software updates has been that Deus 2 is now a much better detector than it was running even V.71 especially in the soil conditions around here. Better sensitivity (especially with the improvements to Goldfield), better overall depth, handles tough ground conditions even better than before, still super fast and remarkably target ID stable.

This time last year I was wondering if I would keep Deus 2. Now a year later and a few software updates later......it's a keeper.

The Avantree Audition Pro over the ear headphones work really well with many current BT 5.0 APTX low latency transmitter equipped metal detectors. They have a well balanced tone range and plenty of volume and are very comfortable to wear. I hope you can keep making them for a bit longer since there are several very popular metal detectors that they work great with and are a big step up from the stock wireless headphones provided by Minelab. 

Nox 700 and 900’s have had extremely rare water ingress problems compared to the reports from  some 600 and 800 owners. 

8 hours ago, bklein said:

Continuing, the Equinox series and Manticore have all these settings for ferrous/iron this or that. CTX doesn’t - or at least simplifies it.  

——-Why does Multi IQ require “all these settings for ferrous/iron this or that”.  A little research on this site under Minelab Equinox Essential Information “Minelab Multi-IQ Technology Explained” might give you the answer. FBS does not process the return signals like Multi IQ does.

The CTX is missing the Prospecting mode and the higher Sensitivity capability. Wish it had it.  

———If It had those modes and capabilities, it would not be able to ignore the tons of miniscule trash and magnetic particles that help cause the Equinox and Manticore to be “outrageously noisy”

21 hours ago, bklein said:

So why doesn’t the CTX get as outrageously noisy like the Manticore and Equinox if the Sensitivity is maxed out? I often run mine full out. I set the volume limit back some to reduce the small trash targets (beach) but it seems either the CTX could have more Sensitivity/gain or the MC/EQ could use the volume limit function.

The CTX and Etrac can have tons of sensitivity added but it won’t make much difference. That outrageously noisy aspect of the Equinox and Manticore even in the dry beach modes has more to do with operating frequencies and target recovery speed than sensitivity levels. Just my opinion from enjoying both FBS and Multi IQ.

52 minutes ago, CPT_GhostLight said:

While I agree with many points expressed here, I also think there would plenty of D2 owners in the US and overseas that would happily jump on a small elliptical FMF coil. Maybe a trial first run would show what the market would bear. I would be glad to beta-test one in my hot iron dirt! 😉   

I didn't say that there is no need for that smaller coil. I would absolutely buy one for Deus 2 if one became available (see next paragraph) especially if XP provided a Mono Goldfield mode along with that coil that could take a selectable single frequency higher than the current top end 45 kHz. 

Getting into tight spaces and hunting really trashy sites with that small elliptical coil no matter what I'm hunting for would, be fantastic.

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

Thanks Jeff, II never got around to watching it, I don't put much weight in videos as they are not in my location and soil conditions, I'm very confident which performs the best for me finding silver coins where I hunt, the CTX destroys all else and with ease in both ID accuracy and just finding the targets in the first place.  

You seem to have the absolute wrong soil type to benefit from the FBS type detectors, they appear to prefer mild soils, or beach sands and that in a way is probably their downfall and something I hope if they make a new version ever they are able to fix so you can experience what I do and why I like the CTX so much.

The video was made at a location with targets that have been planted for 3 years and the dirt around them has had almost continuous human habitation since at least the European Iron Age. So dirt conditions couldn't be much worse just like the dirt conditions couldn't be much worse due to Mother Nature where I often detect. 

That to me is the entire point. Why would Minelab spend a lot of time and effort "reimagining" a modernized FBS2 CTX 3030 when there are plenty of places and targets on this planet where it simply would not be the detector of choice or even on the list of capable and versatile Multi IQish detectors that is getting longer every day?

The same is true for wanting a reimagined E-Trac that is lighter weight and maybe waterproof. Why, for the same reasons. During the six weeks that I have owned and used the Manticore and E-Trac, the Manticore has beaten the E-Trac like a really big bass drum everywhere I have compared them. It's not even close on the milder to moderately mineralized locations that I have compared them AND I really like the E-Trac even more than I liked my former CTX3030.

I just don't see them going there since the higher end VLF metal detector market today seems to be focused on speed, versatility on every type of ground/beach/underwater conditions, competitive depth and full spectrum target detecting.

On 12/14/2023 at 3:31 PM, phrunt said:

I don't' have time to watch the full video right now but the CTX is clearly displaying it's accurate Target ID dominance in that video, rock solid whereas the Manticore is often all over the place.

I did watch the entire video very carefully and took notes.

I own and use an E-Trac and a Manticore.

Where both detectors had solid to slightly iffy target ID/audio responses their results were very similar and accurate as far as having the same responses across their differing target ID range platforms. The first 30 targets did not pose too many problems for these detectors. The second set of 30 targets were ugly especially for the CTX.

Here is the tally on these targets, with those settings, for those weather conditions and with his iPhone on airplane mode sometimes and sometimes not. Also, my Polish is pretty bad but the CC English translation was awful. I went by what the detectors told me and not the translation. The video maker's assessment and mine are pretty close.

CTX absolutely missed 14 of 60 targets and was very iffy on 4 others

Manticore absolutely missed 3 of 60 targets and was iffy on 6 others but cleary reading 3 of those iffy targets as iron. Those three were small gold targets that were dropping down into the iron range using the All Terrain High Conductor mode.

Pretty clear which detector won.

The video maker agreed at the end of the video.

It already “keeps up” with the 800/Legend enough where I wouldn’t hesitate to use it as is. 
 

If XP releases a small elliptical coil for Deus ll they will have to do a software update that allows for a much higher operating single frequency option than 45 kHz for there to be a major performance difference.

6 hours ago, phrunt said:

The lack of that coil is the primary reason I've never bought a D2 as I refuse to buy a multi-purpose machine that's not a gold prospecting one seeing that's half of my detecting if not more.  They've caught it up a little bit with the recent update, however it's still a long way behind current gold prospecting machines and that HF elliptical is the missing piece of the puzzle.

XP have actually caught it up to the point where amazingly enough, I no longer see the need for a 9X5 elliptical coil in order to up the sensitivity to small targets. I doubt that slightly smaller platform will make any difference. At the moment, Deus 2 Version 2.0 software using the FMF 9" coil is equal to Deus 1/ORX using its 9" HF coil whether Deus 2 is using its FMF gold prospecting mode or its Mono modes running at 45 kHz as far as small gold prospecting. From Deus 2 to the Legend I am seeing Deus 2 slightly less sensitive to small gold than the Legend with its 6" or 9.5X5" coil. Slightly means .5 inch or slightly less on targets smaller than .75 grams. Deus 2 runs much quieter and could be tweaked even more on your milder ground. The Legend and Equinox 800 using the same sized coils.......I don't see a difference. I don't have the Manticore M8 coil so I can't do a head to head yet.

So, I was getting ready to weigh a small Arizona nugget a few days ago in my office. It was late enough at night for me to know better but I managed to drop the little bugger, it hit the top of my bare right foot and that was the last I heard of it. My office has "Berber" type tufted carpet with lots of gold threads. I looked for that $8.00 or so tiny nugget for about 6 hours total on my hands and knees with a bright weapon light and with my 2.50 magnification reading glasses on. After moving all the furniture around, finding two of my daughter's long lost earring studs and getting frustrated several times, I finally got the idea to put a new bag in my vacuum cleaner, vacuum the carpet, and pan out the contents of the vacuum cleaner bag. While having that thought I decided to check my office chair one more time. It has five plastic rolling casters. I already had checked the casters themselves thinking that the tiny nugget could be literally stuck to one of the casters. I got my bright weapon light and just caught a glimpse of something gold INSIDE the housing that the metal pivoting leg to the caster wheel goes in. There it was.

What I won't do for gold...."My Precious".

On 12/18/2023 at 4:31 PM, Jeff McClendon said:

I know this topic has not been responded to in almost a year. 

Since that time the Manticore and Equinox 700/900 have gotten into a lot of users hands.

I have nothing further to say about the Equinox 700/900.

I am definitely enjoying the Manticore, Deus 2, Legend and the Equinox 800.

I recently picked up an E-Trac at a ridiculous price for nostalgic reasons and since I had never used one.

I do have some experience with the CTX3030 and Explorer ll and also a little time with the baby E-Trac, the Safari. 

I can see the attraction by some for those FBS/FBS2 detectors. In the right conditions they would probably work well as in milder soil and fairly normal to sparse target density. 

I have done three head to head comparisons in the last 3 days using E-Trac/Manticore, E-Trac/Legend and today E-Trac/Deus 2. I used the same park where there is enough sun to keep the ground thawed, and where target density is not too bad. Iron mineralization meter on Deus 2 is half to 3/4ths full. I searched an area about 20 by 60 feet each time.  I flagged 4 really deep high conductor targets using the newer SMF detectors that I thought were around 8" deep. I was correct in that assessment each time. I also subjectively counted the 2 way hit targets that I would have dug if I had time and was allowed to dig all targets. I was basically hunting with enough iron target IDs rejected on each detector to silence ground noise. All four detectors had 11" coils.

On all three plots the E-Trac usually got clean hits on around 30 targets. I had to redo the first comparison because I simply could not hunt this ground using Auto Sensitivity and had to switch to Manual. I had Auto Sensitivity on +3 and it never got over 12 on this ground. I could run Manual at 16 to 18 and I got a lot more target responses especially on the flagged deep high conductor responses. The 12 flagged targets turned out to be 10 deep US Wheat pennies and 2 thicker chunks of aluminum and they were in the 7 to 9" depth range. E-Trac hit half of those targets cleanly, gave very iffy responses on two more and was completely silent on 4 of the Wheat pennies. 

By comparison, Manticore, Legend and Deus 2 even running at conservative sensitivity levels hit between 60 and 80 targets in those 20X60' plotted areas. Since I used them to find the deep flagged targets, they obviously hit those well too.

So, I am going to once again give Minelab's Multi IQ all the credit it deserves. The recently made Manticore, Legend and Deus 2 would not exist in the form they are today if the Equinox 600/800 had not been released about 5 years ago. That detector changed my metal detecting life and truly made metal detecting both fun and very rewarding for me after cycling through SOOOO many VLFs trying to find even one that worked well enough for me to get even good results.

Had I used an E-Trac seven or so years ago, I think I could have done very well with it for shallower coin and jewelry hunting. But at least where I hunt, it simply cannot compete with the Equinox 600/800, Deus 2, Legend and Manticore.

Thanks Minelab for being willing to move on from BBS, FBS and FBS 2, to Multi IQ which is much more versatile and effective at least where I hunt and on the targets that I like to find from sub 0.1 gram nuggets to coins to relics and to jewelry both micro and honking big.

 

 

I know I am "quoting" myself but I thought I would give the E-Trac one more chance today at a park with dirt that is much less iron mineralized with only 2 of 10 bars on the Deus 2 iron mineralization meter consistently filled.

I was using the E-Trac, Deus 2 and Manticore today. My plan was to pick an area to grid with the E-Trac, flag 4 really deep targets and then go over the same area with Deus 2, check (not dig) those 4 targets I flagged with the E-Trac, while also flagging any additional deep targets that I did not decide or hear or chose not to flag when I passed over them with the E-Trac, and finally I would do the same with the Manticore and then recover any flagged targets with the Manticore and then just do a Manticore hunt elsewhere in the park.

I ended up flagging 10 targets, 4 with the E-Trac (11" coil), 4 more with Deus 2 (13X11"coil) and 2 more with the Manticore (11" coil). I recovered the E-Trac's targets first. Both Deus 2 and the Manticore did not care for 3 of the 4 flagged E-Trac targets and they were bent nails. I would not have dug them using the Manticore or Deus 2. The E-Trac's 4th target was a copper disk about the size of a US nickel with four very small wedge shaped indentations pressed into it at the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock position. No clue what that was but it was a full 11" deep. The other six targets were 1917, 1944 and 1945 Wheat Ear pennies, two very deep late 1960s clad dimes and a very deep 1961 US Jefferson nickel. This park was built in 1910 and it has not been heavily disturbed so finding these "older" coins in the 8 to 12" depth is very predictable. Digging those deep targets with a screwdriver..............whooh!

I then took the Manticore for its own little hunt. Ended up with a 1917S Mercury dime that was a full 11" deep, another 10" deep 1917 Wheat penny and a really nice 3 gram 14K really thin necklace that just happened to be balled up about 3" deep. I also dug a lot more clad and a few pieces of deliberately dug trash like aluminum screw caps and pull tabs and a bling necklace.

The Manticore absolutely loves to hit hard on US nickels. I thought the Equinox 600/800 was a nickel machine too, but not like the Manticore. Even using the Normal audio type setting, US nickels sound like a handball striking a wall at an indoor handball court. Totally unmistakeable sound quality even down to about 8" depth where I detect. Digging lots of nickels for me also means digging the occasional gold ring that has the same target IDs.

The first photo is the display while detecting the 11" silver Mercury dime. The next photo is the display with the coil over an 8" deep US Jefferson nickel with the target ID showing red number 25 even though the actual ID is a black number 25/26/27. Those red/black alternating numbers for US nickels reminds me of the 12-13 and 13-13 Fe-Co numbers that I sometimes get on US nickels using the E-Trac.  The last photo is a plate of finds for the hunt.

I really enjoyed using the Manticore today. I was hoping it would suit my needs and just plain old detect better than the Equinox 700/900 that I tried out a year ago. So far, I absolutely love the Manticore much like I loved the Equinox 800 and even though I am not crazy about the expanded target IDs, I am starting to believe that the Manticore really is a worthy successor to the Equinox 800. Thanks Gerry for making a deal with me on the Manticore and also.......thanks Minelab for correcting the mistakes made designing the shell for the Equinox 600/800 and coming up with the hopefully revolutionary Manticore.

Seeking advice for your next purchase without giving some more information about why you got rid of some good gold prospecting detectors would help. So would a detailed answer to Mike’s question about the GM1000. 
 

I can understand ditching the ATGold and the Gold Bug Pro based on transmit frequency reasons. The others…..???

Slender forceps.

Is that the MXT Pro I sold you......get that baby fixed!!!!

I know this topic has not been responded to in almost a year. 

Since that time the Manticore and Equinox 700/900 have gotten into a lot of users hands.

I have nothing further to say about the Equinox 700/900.

I am definitely enjoying the Manticore, Deus 2, Legend and the Equinox 800.

I recently picked up an E-Trac at a ridiculous price for nostalgic reasons and since I had never used one.

I do have some experience with the CTX3030 and Explorer ll and also a little time with the baby E-Trac, the Safari. 

I can see the attraction by some for those FBS/FBS2 detectors. In the right conditions they would probably work well as in milder soil and fairly normal to sparse target density. 

I have done three head to head comparisons in the last 3 days using E-Trac/Manticore, E-Trac/Legend and today E-Trac/Deus 2. I used the same park where there is enough sun to keep the ground thawed, and where target density is not too bad. Iron mineralization meter on Deus 2 is half to 3/4ths full. I searched an area about 20 by 60 feet each time.  I flagged 4 really deep high conductor targets using the newer SMF detectors that I thought were around 8" deep. I was correct in that assessment each time. I also subjectively counted the 2 way hit targets that I would have dug if I had time and was allowed to dig all targets. I was basically hunting with enough iron target IDs rejected on each detector to silence ground noise. All four detectors had 11" coils.

On all three plots the E-Trac usually got clean hits on around 30 targets. I had to redo the first comparison because I simply could not hunt this ground using Auto Sensitivity and had to switch to Manual. I had Auto Sensitivity on +3 and it never got over 12 on this ground. I could run Manual at 16 to 18 and I got a lot more target responses especially on the flagged deep high conductor responses. The 12 flagged targets turned out to be 10 deep US Wheat pennies and 2 thicker chunks of aluminum and they were in the 7 to 9" depth range. E-Trac hit half of those targets cleanly, gave very iffy responses on two more and was completely silent on 4 of the Wheat pennies. 

By comparison, Manticore, Legend and Deus 2 even running at conservative sensitivity levels hit between 60 and 80 targets in those 20X60' plotted areas. Since I used them to find the deep flagged targets, they obviously hit those well too.

So, I am going to once again give Minelab's Multi IQ all the credit it deserves. The recently made Manticore, Legend and Deus 2 would not exist in the form they are today if the Equinox 600/800 had not been released about 5 years ago. That detector changed my metal detecting life and truly made metal detecting both fun and very rewarding for me after cycling through SOOOO many VLFs trying to find even one that worked well enough for me to get even good results.

Had I used an E-Trac seven or so years ago, I think I could have done very well with it for shallower coin and jewelry hunting. But at least where I hunt, it simply cannot compete with the Equinox 600/800, Deus 2, Legend and Manticore.

Thanks Minelab for being willing to move on from BBS, FBS and FBS 2, to Multi IQ which is much more versatile and effective at least where I hunt and on the targets that I like to find from sub 0.1 gram nuggets to coins to relics and to jewelry both micro and honking big.

1 hour ago, timbus59 said:

I sent my 11X7" DD in to Garrett last week for the same reason. Won't ground balance. With mine, I suspect a wire connection problem, based on how it would intermittently ground balance. Garrett gave me and RMA number right away. No fuss.  My only wish is that customer service would send me email as the coil moves through their process so I know something is going on. i.e. Package Recieved, Item in Test, Defect Found, Replacement Item Shipped (with tracking number) etc.  I know I can call them, but communication would make the experince even better...  But otherwise, they have been great!

I hope it is just a bad batch of coils. 

When I got my replacement 11X7" DD it also acted kind of weird as if the Axiom didn't recognize it as a DD coil or something even after several resets. It stayed on reset default 49/49 for several minutes while I tried to ground balance it. It wasn't noisy at all during pumping ground balance, but the numbers just stayed on 49/49. The DD I sent in for replacement was super noisy even on relatively mild ground during and after pumping ground balance in Fine and sometimes in Normal timings and the ground balance numbers were all over the place.

The next day I did another reset and the replacement coil has worked fine ever since and hopefully will stay that way.

I remember Carter Pennington making that video and a really good depth test video where he or someone dug a huge trench. Thanks for posting it.