midalake

3 hours ago, dewcon4414 said:

Is that the same DOC out in Vegas?   Ive meteor  hunted with one of the older guys there quit a few years back.   Not a bad combo for the lowers with their length if you are a tall guy.  

Yep the same "Doc" in Vegas.  The rods work well being 6'4. Also a good amount of overlap makes the set-up solid as a rock.  Dave

26 minutes ago, dewcon4414 said:

Sorry, but that looks awkward with moving the handle forward and adding yours.   Its got to throw even more of the weight forward.   I assume you had to drill your own holes (as well as adjustment ones) and you added your cuff..... which was what $30.... but i guess you could have used the ML one.   You are getting awfully close to the Andersons price now..... and you get the cuff and all drilled and dont have that twist lock.   Hey but its an option just like Pluggers or making your own using the ML lower and cuff with a piece of CF...... for about $60.

Well no doubt different options. I had the cuff from other acquisitions. Also don't forget for the $115 TWO lowers and the carbon upper. No holes to drill for the cuff I had, it was set.  When I get a second coil I will have the other lower rod ready to go. The rods are complete with adjustment hole drilled and  twist lock. I did have to drill a hole for the Nox.

As for the pistol grip, it does not seem weight forward. With the stress of water/beach hunting I want to stay off the case with my big paw. 

The link below is what we purchased and just added another carbon upper to that order.

https://www.robsdetectors.com/carbon-fiber-bundle-set/

Free shipping and I had a 5% coupon off.    Dave

13 hours ago, Happa54 said:

May I ask.... Why do you use shoo goo & epoxy if you have a coil cover?

Thnx

Yes of course. I hunt the beach and I stopped using a coil cover because:

1. Sand migration underneath can and WILL effect detector performance.

2. Do not want to be bothered checking  and cleaning for sand issues under the coil. 

Dave

6 minutes ago, Sinclair said:

Tripple protection - I like

Other question:

I've often heard about Shoe-Goo or Goop - what is it technically? Over here in germany it seems way overpriced. I often used a car body sealant / adhesive, which seems to glue together anything you can imagine. I've even glued stainless steel on concrete with that stuff.. It doesn't need air to dry and it doesn't smell like it contains solvent.. if it even smells at all.

As the poster  Rick stated maybe like a synthetic  rubber. It acts like a 100% silicone product but tougher. I would of used 100% silicone as well but did not have any here. Shoe goo does not have a harsh smell.  Dave 

7 minutes ago, Sinclair said:

I hunt the beach exclusively, too.. buttom of the coil cover looks ok. I have some stony beaches + often hunt at night.. so here and there I hit something I think if I haven't had the coilcover with it's little protective edge on, my coil wouldn't be so healthy anymore. It really depends on the conditions you're hunting in.

Just for you. I just tried to put my coil cover on and it snapped on like a boss. So if one is careful and does not slop a lot of product over the sides one can still use the cover if deemed necessary. ?

2 minutes ago, dewcon4414 said:

Big boy....... side of a hill .... bad angle and possible leaning on the machine to dig.    As a water guy ....... many have that bad habit when using the scoop out there...... we love using the machine to balance ourselves while we are getting pushed around and dig.   Some have broken coil ears by allowing the lower shaft rubbers to wear ..... which wears that head......... which makes them crank down that bolt to much..... add that to water torque..... and it happens.

Hi Dew

Well we know the Nox coil is no Sov. coil. One would be pressed to break the  Sov. ears with a ball peen hammer. I do not use it as a crutch, however I do pin it under neath my arm to the bottom while digging. On this new set-up I got from doc's the rubber washers are much bigger and will put more contact to the ears.Larger washers, more contact = harder to wear out.  Any of us who hunt the sand know how the sand just eats those inside rubber coil washers. Yes water torque and 4-5 ft waves worry me. Dave 

6 minutes ago, Sinclair said:

Hmm, how's about the extra weight it adds? Where do you hunt most? I don't think the bottom needs extra protection, but the edges, as I often hit stuff lying around.

Obviously Minelab left the buttom open to save weight. While it shouldn't be a problem to close those structures production-wise, they probably left it open, so the coil wouldn't float in the water. Still searchin for something lightweight that doesn't float to close those wholes...every gram counts

I hunt the beach exclusively now, but for years I hunted land and water with epoxied coils in fact I hunted land way before water. Holding the coil cover in my hand I doubt the dried product on the coil added much extra weight.  In holding my 10" sovereign coil and the Nox coil I can tell you the Nox coil is lighter hands down.

Other comments:

99% sure the work did not change the buoyancy of the coil.

The bottom most definitely needs protection in the form of cover or epoxy.

Minelab left the bottom open to cheap out.

Dave
 

The open spaces under the coil have been filled with Shoe Goo. The solid parts have been coated with marine epoxy.  Giddy-up.

43 minutes ago, NAGANT said:

How long are the uppers and does it come with that twist-lock?

The carbon fiber upper is 34" long and it fits in my check bag on an angle. The twist-lock is included,  Dave

I was looking for an option to do away with the 3 piece Minelab system. I came across the rods Doc makes for the gold hunters.  I might be the first one shipped to use on the Nox. I like the stuff gold guys have, they swing big coils and are in tough conditions.

This is a good price point on this 2 piece system. Also great for tall persons. I am splitting with someone but for $230  we received two fiberglass lowers and a carbon fiber upper each for a unit cost of $115.  Be aware this is for the rods  only.  I have added pictures   and in the pictures you can see I have added my own Minelab two piece alum. cuff with neoprene covering [i think one of the best cuffs made].  I have also added a separate hand hold and will not use the detector itself to swing the rod. There are no holes for the Nox arm cuff or control unit you will need to drill for these.  Dave

5 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

So you haven't had issues getting warranty replacements on epoxied coils? The epoxy won't help a flimsy design, especially weak coil ears, though.  Seems like a big chance to take water hunting with such a marginal, flimsy coil design with all the stress water hunting puts on coils.

Out of all the coils I have owned since about 10 years old the only failure has been of the outer sheath covering the coil wires.  Well this Equinox coils seems to have the flimsiest ears on a coil I have ever owned.....time will tell. 

4 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

It appears to not be up to the task overall for water work, I'd consider returning it.

Well just no time. If the coil goes down in the allotted warranty period they will get it back. Putting epoxy on the coil will make no difference. In fact it is an upgrade.

14 hours ago, flakmagnet said:

It really isn't very hard to take the coil cover off and get sand etc. out. I didn't like it at first, but as I worked it into my after-detecting routine, it has become normal.

 

I know how fast it took for sand migration to effect performance on the Sovereign. My guess the cover on the Nox coil and the open web  arms underneath the coils will only allow for a faster sand migration underneath. I fear many people will have issues within a 3-4 hr hunt  with how sensitive the equinox is. 

I will never have any of these issues. In my opinion minelab made a mistake by leaving open dirt/sand catch places on the bottom of their coils. They absolutely should have been filled.

Dave

5 hours ago, dewcon4414 said:

Welllllll you do know if you screw the pooch it could be years to get a replacement coil?  I use loctite marine epoxy on mine.   Its white and can easily be spread like peanut butter with your finger.  Hard as a rock when done.  The white color allows you to notice the ware better too.   So did you opt not to call ML?   They may well replace the coil for you.   I tried to get a replacement coil cover......... not available.

Dew

I did not call minelab, I have zero time before I head to Mexico with it . I did test the coil ahead of time and it seemed to test well. I did take the dremel to it and it easily sanded down. I think it is some sort of spacer that migrated to the surface when the factory put the bedding compound into the coil over the wires. My only concern is water migration at that point. However I will make sure there is an extra level of epoxy protection when I do it. My throwing the coil cover in the garbage phrase is a bit facetious.......

Dave

4 hours ago, dewcon4414 said:

One guy was walking a hillside and broke his an ear.    As a water guy we tend to want to use the detector as a crutch while digging..... dont do that.   They seem to be harder than you think to break.   You can always use a Large nylon washer on the outside big enough to have to grind the bottom off.  That can provides some support.    That appears to be a bubble in the epoxy.   IF you see a wire in that bubble id call ML.   They did a poor job of filling the coil.   We had that issue with the Xcal slimlines..... under filled coil casing lead to them splitting on the bottom.  What was happening was the lower rod head would wear and people kept cranking the bolt tighter and then leaning on their detector.

Thanks for the tip on the coil. I just might use large plastic washers on the outside. There is no doubt this is the flimsiest coil I have ever owned.

On further inspection of the bottom, it appears to be some sort of small round graphite or carbon type material?  Defiantly not a bubble and has hard lines to it. This is why I asked. I thought it was part of the mfg process?  It sticks up about 1/32 to 1/16 above the very edge of the coil.  It is an issue because I am going to throw the coil cover in garbage and epoxy the bottom.  Well I am going to dremel it even with the coil so it does not act as a catch. Stay tuned.............Dave

I have hunted with both Sun Ray and Black Widows. For me on the beach hands down Black Widows.  With waves and boats/jet skis these keep sounds out and whisper targets heard.

Dave 

The coil ears seem very flimsy. Has anyone reported them breaking?  Also [see pic]  on the bottom of the coil where the coil wire comes into the coil I have a small round something? sticking out. Does anyone else have this on their coil? I have a picture but it will be grainy due to the close up. it sticks up on the outer rim.

Thanks Dave   

Wow.....had to put sunglasses on. Great job!

Dave

A couple of observations?  Why do you not have a magnet in your scoop?  All of your recoveries seem very shallow?

Dave

On 7/6/2018 at 2:34 AM, Nig the Dig said:

I silicone the edge of each coil on my CTX. Great idea until I went over to OZ. knowing how anal they are on bringing any soil into the country I scrubbed the CTX and coils but the silicone remained discoloured. I did expect hassle when I arrived in Sydney but they didn't even look at it. maybe it was because of the early hours of the morning, maybe not but I have not bothered to silicone my Equinox

I personally would never silicone a coil cover on that was or is used for beach hunting. OR used in water at all.....too many inches of caulk line to make sure zero water/dirt gets between the coil and cover. Also wear out a cover and you have a huge mess picking it all off.

I have seen detectors go nuts falsing/chatter after 15 minutes of use in water as well by sand/black sand infiltration.

Throw the coil cover in the garbage and use marine epoxy on the bottom of your coil. I have also used slow set JB weld with good results. This is probably the best recommendation I can give on my 20 years of Salt Water beach hunting. 

19 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

Bummer.  Hope they turn it around quickly.  Was it mounted on the stock shaft or did you transfer it to an Anderson or something like that?

Turn it around?  They are going to junk it. Saltwater in the case. IN FACT. If it was mine I would make a small mark on the case and make sure it does not come back.

Dave 

Can someone tell me how long the coil wire is? Coil through connector,

Thanks Dave

1 hour ago, Norm S said:

Getting my 2nd 800 tomorrow. Ordered on Monday.. That will make two 800's and one 600.  The 2nd 800 is my grandsons birthday. 

Wow! Do you need another grandson...........I am available! ?

16 hours ago, mn90403 said:

When you are digging everything to see what a machine can do then you dig everything.  After a period of time you decide not to dig such things and you setup the machine in a different way.  The Nox is an international seller.  Some English and Canadian coins I find here are definitely in my 'trash zone.'  How can you not dig a bit of trash in the beginning?

The picture below is from my hunt yesterday. I threw out the trash before your reply. The trash was minimal yesterday with a few small "hot" rusted iron objects, about 15 or so trash items in total. I understand about digging everything, as I use a Sovereign GT in all metal pinpoint mode. I get the fact that depth and sensitivity go hand-in-hand. But if the Nox is concentrating too much on small items at the beach this may actually be a drawback. So do not get mad at me but I would not rather see and dig little stuff...especially stuff that goes through my scoop holes.  By the way 367 pesos 151 coins in total and one lousy bracelet [no other jewelry].

18 minutes ago, schoolofhardNox said:

It's funny. The Equinox reminds me of an Etrac/GPX 5000 hybrid machine. It picks up small stuff like my GPX but has kind of an older Minelab multi frequency feel. Here's some of the small stuff it found at the beach that day. I had even smaller pieces but forgot to photograph them. 

With all do respect.......I do not want to find the items in your picture. 

Dave