midalake

4 minutes ago, schoolofhardNox said:

Look, this has morphed into something it was not supposed to be. I think the OP has all the information that he needs about PI's to make his decision. If I had the power to close this post, I would do it

Yup. 😎

23 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Guilty as charged. And I’ll admit I find your statement even more absurd. But I’m just an ignorant old schooler so what would I know.

Gosh Steve, I am not a name names kind of guy. But there is more than one old schooler that owns a forum website. You are NOT the person I am referring too.  I don't write books, nor do vids.......😎   

I am VERY old school myself, but still keep my ears open and try stuff. 

23 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Nickel, ring, brass casing, silver dollar, it does not matter. In extreme ground any VLF including a SMF falls on its face. Just because people have not experienced it they think it’s not true and won’t listen to people who know better.

Well yes! SMF can and does fall on its face in Black Sand.   But we can discuss some ways for SMF to cut it better. There are ways, and some do it better than others. 

8 hours ago, schoolofhardNox said:

There is something inherently wrong with MF when it comes to certain beach conditions and that is being experienced in other videos as well. A lot of people try and protect Minelab, but the evidence is out there. Trying to somehow say that the video posted was not the best test is absurd.

I am fighting through Black Sand conditions right now that might be close to that. I don't like that the poster did not show his settings. So easy to change the limits on a Manticore to notch a nickel. I was planning to start a full Black Sand discussion here and will, but I need a few more days of comparing machines and different modes. 

I know there are some old school people that will tell you to test a nickel when looking for gold. There is even one of these old schoolers that own their forum.  Testing today's MF machines on nickels and saying it is comparable to gold is the most absurd thing in the metal detecting community today.  Hopefully I can get this discussion going after the weekend. 

7 hours ago, glacialgold said:

and a solid 19 on the Nox 800. I would likely have not dug the target on the Legend, but it did land at the very bottom of my "penny" range on the Nox, which would have made it a "maybe" dig.

Gold on the Equinox can be 1-22, even 23-24 on big chunks. 

58 minutes ago, CalReg said:

On the heels of Tom's comments, I hunted Seabright Beach which is just across the way from the main Boardwalk Beach.

That is all crusty stuff....got to be more there!!!!!!

On 12/26/2023 at 8:54 AM, stephent said:

Just ordered a Nox 700, rated to 16'. Is that realistic?

Your water leaking is covered for 3 years. That is the realistic part.  

1 hour ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Why do VLF guys have to drop in on every PI thread to declare it’s not what they would use? Don’t. Nobody is telling you that you should. You obviously have never been in a place where your VLF gets 50% depth and calls anything past that as ferrous. If SMF was so great every gold prospector would be swinging one but fact is they are lackluster second cousins for performance compared to a good PI. The OP was asking for advice on a PI, not about anyone’s opinion on whether a PI is worth using or not.

A little bit of devil's advocate?  The OP sounds very experienced [maybe] Regardless, it is EASY to get set in a certain way. I have been guilty of that in the past. 

I debated a lot about my direction after GT Sovereign use. Even with my limiting Black Sand that requires me to run less sensitivity on both the D2 and Equinox [at times] . I would NEVER give up my MF machines!!! EVER. 

I learned from years of running the sovereign and digging EVERYTHING, I was wasting my TIME. 

Now focused on my 3–4-hour hunting sessions and being able to do my WHOLE length of beach daily puts more GOLD in my pouch than digging everything and doing 1/2 the beach in a day. 

I can confidently say this after 5 years of MF use compared to 25 years of Sovereign use. 

Of course, if you are young, healthy and think you need to dig it all.........Have at it!!! 

On 12/25/2023 at 3:54 PM, Gerry in Idaho said:

Merry Christmas followers and friendly competitors.  Boss said it’s time to check out and get on board. 

Great trip!!!  Yes, save the steaks for back home!!! LOL  Can't wait to get into that fresh Tuna sushi! 

I should be out for my first day Saturday, starting the winter season. Going to encompass New Years and Easter. Hope the gold gods are kind!!!!!!

5 minutes ago, Hard Prospector said:

Well my trusty Sand Shark finally died and well we all know Tesoro is no longer with us.  I need a new PI specifically for beach detecting wet salty sand, in tidal areas mainly looking for jewelry. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.........thanks!

Robert

Gosh

I came from YEARS of hunting with the Sovereign. In pinpoint all metal mode, this detector worked just like a PI.

NOW, that I have used the Equinox and Deus 2 for many years. there is NO WAY I am going back to a detector that is a dig all machine!!!   Recommend taking the leap to MF machines! 

3 hours ago, Timmysys said:

The small coil would be great for diving between rocks and littered freshwater beaches. I was hoping it would be more sensitive to gold chains. It would also be great for traveling, I would definitely buy it if it were released. I almost only use a small coil on the equinox.

2 hours ago, Doc Bach said:

There are a whole lot of us around the planet that would jump on a smalley right from the git go

The current D2 coil at 8 3/4" is not small enough??  The Detector with the best separation values in the world.   Not knowing any better, I might think it was April 1st.   Or do they need to make a 3" coil?  

5 hours ago, F350Platinum said:

I log a lot of hours of "feel".

I simply notice a lot more high tones thrown in the mix when swinging over a well forged iron target like a really old nail. For some reason the 11x13 doesn't do it as much,

OK, that's good enough for me. I am engaging the 13" coil this season and was just wondering. I will give it some trials on iron compared to the 9"  I would love a coil that sounds off less on those bi-metal coins!!!  Thanks! 

8 hours ago, Van Rijn Stewart said:

I was using the Manticore

Outstanding, Van!  You have that Manticore humming!  Can't wait till we get detectors back on the beach together! Good luck today!   

2 hours ago, F350Platinum said:

but I like it a lot more than the 11" which falses on iron more.

A little more explanation???  The how's and why's! 

7 hours ago, TerryinHawaii said:

My dealer received from Minelab USA an email requesting how many M-8, M-9 and M-15 coil he wanted to order?  He ordered 2 each but he has not received any accessory coils yet.

Ya they are tough yet. 

Anyone waiting for Coiltek coils better not hold their breath. 

40 minutes ago, Skate said:

the Manticore with the 15 to see which machine I would use to find them. The 15 identified each different bracelet/chain by tone and TID, the nox and the 10x5 never even saw them.

In my testing the Manticore is a chain killer. 😎

On 12/19/2023 at 8:20 PM, Tony said:

I recall the M11 was set on 21-22 but the M15 was happy on 24-25.....wet but not saturated beach sand.

Hi Tony

It is odd to see a larger coil that can hold higher sensitivity. I have had larger coil options on many different detectors over the years.

My question is: have you fringe depth tested compared to the 11" coil?  

I would be concerned this coil may not be working correctly.  If you are for sure getting the same depths or better...........Don't ever sell that coil!!! 

22 hours ago, Tony said:

Love this machine....seriously impressed. Got some homework to do in regard to the Sensitivity setting on the Manticore......so easy using the Sens on the Excalibur (let it false slightly and then back off a touch).

With the modern machines, Equinox, D2, Manticore.....I have been setting my sensitivity where I know that fringe target will respond, and I can hunt comfortably without a lot of falsing.

Then if I need a better look at just that one target, I up my sensitivity, two points or more if I can. 

6 minutes ago, HardPack said:

The shape is easier the maneuver in tight areas such as in & around brush, cracks, etc. The XP Deus HF 9” frequency range from 15 to 55 kHz p; HF 9x5 15 to 80 kHz; higher frequency ranges: gold coin & nugget detecting.

Not buying any of that.

Except [maybe] for a specialty solo HF coil.  Which very few people would buy due to its limited application. 

17 hours ago, HardPack said:

Totally agree. Without a 9x5 coil offering current XP Deus owners have a weakened incentive to move up to the Deus II. A lot of real competition out there, ignoring customer requests not very wise of XP.

Do tell.......What can a D2 9X5 coil do that the current 9"coil cannot???    PS the 9" coil is actually 8 3/4" 

That is a beauty!!!  Awesome!!!  

Outstanding find!!!!!  Congrats!  Cannot wait till you post the whole wrap-up. 

2 hours ago, Dan(NM) said:

The little one hit at 82 on the Deus 2 and the one with the stone read 49, which is gold range. It was stained so bad I couldn't see any marking inside the band.

Outstanding Dan!!!!  But just so you know......82 is the gold range for rings too!!!😎

46 minutes ago, Lodge Scent said:

Yesterday I tried another approach. I ran with a negative Disc of -6.4. I had hunted with negative disc in the past and had good luck but didn’t know why it had helped.

I used -6.4 as a test program on fringe targets. I did not notice any extra depth. I had issues with MORE iron wrap around.

But we are no doubt hunting in different modes and environments. I was primarily in Beach and Beach sens. on a wet salt beach. 

I will run a new test once I update. 

28 minutes ago, Bill (S. CA) said:

Here's what really hurts.  I'm 5' 6".  Yeah, proportionality was not a consideration when I came off of the assembly line.

Where does that leave me with size 15???? 🤣   Now at 6'4" you know why I want a long detector rod 😎

On 12/11/2023 at 9:10 AM, Bill (S. CA) said:

had forgotten that I had done that because I have size 11.5 feet. 

JUST 11.5 size feet..............LOL........🤣     

10 hours ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

Hearing a ring that's not directly under the coil.  The signal on the older detectors is drawn out and longer.  The EQ and Manticore are short and fast.  I prefer the drawn out response. 

Of course, I know that, you know what I am writing. 

Can't speak for the Manticore much but on the Equinox with Horseshoe Mode on and lower recovery speeds this set-up acts more like a VLF detector on the elongated signals. One has to strike a balance with Recovery speed because of diminishing returns in a wet salt and mineralized environment if your recovery speed is too low. 

Edit: When I do run the D2 with the 9" coil I do find it fits the short and choppy definition.