TallTom

I noticed that Nokta has posted the English language PulseDive User Manual on their website. https://www.noktadetectors.com/wp-content/file-download/pulsedive/pulsedive-user-manual-en.pdf It looks good! They asked me to edit it and I had very few corrections and suggestions for it. If you find any errors, let me know and I will pass them along to Nokta. They might not accept all user suggestions but they have been very good about that in the past.

The specs on the PulseDive say it's waterproof to 200 feet (60 meters). That should handle the rain just fine. The idea is that it can be used by SCUBA divers, not just shallow water hunters.

There's one more new model to keep an eye on now. Nokta announced its PulseDive a few days ago, saying it would ship to dealers and distributors on April 1. They announced it configured with a coil for $189 and without a coil (just a PI pinpointer) for $119. We don't know yet if the street price will be the same or lower. But at that price, the pinpointer is competitive (or better) with the others on the market. I'll be curious to see early reviews and user feedback. I hope to have one in my hands soon.

Just another instance to prove the world was not designed with some of us in mind. Oh, well. My brothers and I can easily find each other in a crowd. We just can't easily do other things, such as buy clothing that fits, squeeze into small cars, sleep in hotel beds, and walk on sidewalks that have low-hanging branches. (That's ALL sidewalks, by the way.) But I can extend all my Nokta/Makro detector shafts long enough to use them comfortably! (If I were two inches taller, maybe not.)

Dilek said 12 kHz in her announcement video. I was surprised, considering their preference for 14 kHz in other detectors.

As I recall, the Racer 2 can use the the Nokta/Makro proprietary wireless headphones, which does not use a standard Bluetooth interface. Details for using the Nokta/Makro headphones are in its manual, which is at: https://www.noktadetectors.com/wp-content/file-download/wireless-headphones/wireless-headphones-green-edition-en.pdf

Dilek made the product announcements at the show in Germany. Two products. Here's what I recall: 1. PulseDive -- $189 complete with coil, $119 for pinpointer only. Available to dealers and distributors on April 1. Pulse detector and pinpointer combo, waterproof to 60 meters (200 feet). Links with green wireless headphones already available. Available in yellow or black. 2. Simplex -- $299 -- "Hopefully available by summer". Entry level detector. "The only thing that's entry level is the price." Four detection modes (all metal, 2 tone, 3 tone, beach). Runs at 12 kHz. Weighs 2.9 pounds. Comes with 11 inch round DD coil. Waterproof to 3 meters (10 feet). Can use existing Nokta/Makro wireless headphones. Does automatic ground balancing and tracking, not manual. Someone please correct me if I got anything wrong. She didn't give any specs (that I recall) other than what I listed above. I'm sure specs will be coming soon.

On that web page, the photo on the right is clearly the PulseDive. I assume the picture on the left is the Simplex, although not much detail is visible.

Well stated, Jim! I'm not even a gold prospector (other than a time or two dipping my toe into some panning, so to speak), and I found the entire story fascinating and extremely well written. Steve has a real gift for writing, which is evident to anyone who has done a lot of writing and editing. His enthusiasm for prospecting, detecting, nature, and even flying, is a delight to read. So kudos to you, Steve! Your website is a model of how one should be designed, organized, and managed. Your writing ability and rational analysis of detecting and prospecting topics make your site a pleasure to read and participate in. Thanks for all your efforts. This story is just the latest example of how well you succeed. --Tom

Small technical point: The Kruzer is waterproof to 5 meters, about 16 feet.

But I thought the Equinox was a game changer, not a head turner!

Very interesting video. Thanks for posting the link. I'm looking forward to testing my incoming Kruzer at California beaches, among other places. This video will only make me go into the water sooner.

Those of us who read forums looking for rational, intelligent discussion and reviews of equipment can quickly recognize that that's what you provide, Steve. We like it. (At least I do.) I'm betting that any equipment manufacturer that wants objective, intelligent feedback about their equipment will continue to ask you to keep providing it in the future. But you could be right about manufacturers who only want "yes-man" feedback, not objective, critical feedback.

Kudos to you, TNSS, for doing all that work and documenting it. That was a big job and certainly indicates a lot of benefits from using Multi-IQ. Thanks for your efforts!

What you say about being a contrarian makes perfect sense, Steve. Only one problem. EVERYONE is buying an Equinox! You're not going to be a contrarian for long.