Nuke em

How cheap !

I am number 2 at my dealer so hopefully i will get mine quick . 

I also hope there is a manual in the box .

This morning i went to one of the beaches i go to with my Explorer XS. 

The weather was windy and wet last night and i thought "hoped" it would shift a bit of the beach off . But i was mostly unlucky .But i found an area of 200 ft by around 70 ft that was scuffed a bit so i got on with the job of hoovering up the coinage . I hoped for a Gold but no luck there , i did find an old Silver ring . I left after around 2 hours with the ring , £23.78 p in spendable coinage , 2 Euro's and for the Americans seeing this a US 5 Cent of 1993 . 

I might go again on Friday if the beach has a good pounding by the weather , but i doubt it will be .

I will set up to the highest settings possible . most beaches I search are very trashy too.

It collapses to the length of the longest stem part.

Going by the videos i have seen on Youtube they are like the Terra 705 tones . 

6 hours ago, Cabo Chris said:

Pops... If you want to hunt saltwater a used Excalibur would be a great option.  Black sand?  Then find a used Infinium.  I've dug gold rings some 20 inches is shallow water sand using the 8 inch mono and listening for ghost whispers of signals.  Both these machines like gold range targets and are built for water hunting!  You can also try a more expensive ATX, but it's heavy and you'll constantly be fighting sand sticking the shaft.  The CTX 3030 is good to some 10'.  As a water detector it was an afterthought.  The older units leak in the battery compartment.  If saltwater gets in, your machine is ruined!  I know what that feels like trice!  ML finally told me it was because sand gets on the seal because of extraction/contraction caused by temperature change of entering water, eventually causing a leak!  Their first fix was to tell me one had to clean the gasket every single time one came out of the water and before going back in-  even if you were in the water for only 5 minutes.  Now the newer model 3030s have the new sand seal battery compartment design.  So far mine has not leaked, even after hours of being in the water.  But still I worry as this is not the best design for a waterproof detector.  Heck, I know guys who actually silicone seal the CTX battery the night before!  Just something to think about.  If you're careful and clean diligently, you should be OK.  Now is a great time to buy a used 3030 on the Bay....  I think many are selling for an Equinox.

One other CTX observation... one really needs to tune the CTX for every beach.  That's if you want max sensitivity on gold range targets in the sea.  Higher the sensitivity the more gold I find with my 3030!  Sometimes one can get lazy and just use the last settings, not realizing one can crank up the sensitivity at the new spot.  I figured that out eventually as I would find gold ring after gold ring at one beach, then suddenly nothing at the next.  Started tuning, started finding more consistently.  If you learn a 3030 for general treasure hunting/Shallow water, you'll be happy.  The 3030 can hit gold chains- if everything is right!

The NOX is obviously a new animal.  If you intend only to hunt freshwater, then I would get on the list for a NOX.  Saltwater... well we all have to wait and see.  As a Multi-Frequency machine it should do well.  But ML said the NOX does not handle salt as well as FBS=CTX.  Plus it's not as sensitive to silver range either.  Their words.  I often skip silver in the sea in search of gold/platinum.  My concern in saltwater is how much one has to lower sensitivity for stability?  I suspect the NOX will work very good in salt... but when the AT Pro first came out, the factory told me it worked great in saltwater and it doesn't.  As a shallow water hunter my machine expectations might differ from you?  For me to keep the NOX it will have to be at least as good as BBS/FBS in the salt, or Bye, bye! 

The CTX really is not that difficult to learn, but I suspect the Equinox will be easier.  Also lighter and easier to handle underwater.  If you're a general treasure hunter, I suspect you would like the Equinox better than the CTX.  Plus the NOX costs less!  For a Simpleton detectorist, which sometimes is me... the Detector Pro Underwater 8 inch is a fun waterproof machine.  It likes small gold- which is surprising for the frequency it runs on- but it does!  It like most VLFs flounder in black sand- but if I could only have an Underwater- I'd have fun and find treasure on land and sea!  I have to tell you... the newer Underwater is built so much better than the early Headhunters!  Works better too, with a 50hour rechargeable battery inside!  It's a fast machine and one hunts with some disc, but mostly by ear with an UW.  One could go on a week long vacation with an UW and not have to charge the battery!  I choose Excaliburs and hope the Equinox becomes my new choice.  I view PIs as more of a specialty machine in bad ground.  I once had a customized for max gold sensitivity PI built.  It hit gold the HH PI dreamed of!  One it's maiden voyage the first target I hit was an 18K gold chain in ankle deep water!  Visions of gold danced in my head as I proceeded to dig every target.  After several hours and my pouch filled with junk, I swapped out for my Excal and proceeded to find gold as usual!  For me the PI was just too much fun!  Funny, on one black sand beach that gives our Excaliburs fits, I still find more gold there with Excal than with my Infinium!  Hope this helps.    

6 hours ago, Cabo Chris said:

I have been told by a person that i cannot mention yet that the machine will be just fine in beach 1 and that at 22 sens will be stable , it uses the lower freqs and the beach 2 uses the higher freqs . Thats less stable but then it depends where you are detecting .

As for Silver it will be better than the Terra and i had plenty of Silver with the 705 .

Stop comparing the Equinox with the ET or CTX . They are not in the same group of machines . But i bet on many sites the Equinox will leave the CTX way behind.  

I cant wait.  

 

I need to replace my Explorer's . I will keep the ET but my back and shoulders are wearing out and its time for a lightweight machine that does the ET thing . I also want a machine for land so if for any reason its not that good on salt i will use it there . 

If i like the Equinox i will buy another as backup later in the year but that depends on finds to pay for it.

I will be buying a Terra 705 too for the dry beach during the Summer searches when i search all night , might be old now but what a coin hoover.

I have decided that i am going to buy 1 Equinox and not 2 . I was going to buy 2 and have 1 as backup but the beaches i go to are mostly dry tops and can be rowdy at times so i will instead buy another 705 for the dry during the Summer months . 

The 705 did me very well over the last 6 plus years so i will buy that when i get my Equinox . With luck the Equinox will work perfect on the wet then i will sell 1 of my Explorer's , probably the XS . 

At least we now when the machine is being released . 

I read on another site the machine will be released at the end of January . Damn another month .

12 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

The 600 never was gone. It was just a "website down" situation that had nothing to do with Equinox. It just took a little while longer for the Equinox 600 page to reappear.

Must be a slower machine than the 800 then LOL

I have info on another forum by someone important that says the machine is fine on wet sand and is stable . Cant give details but its enough for me to not worry as beach detecting is 90% + of my detecting .

http://www.minelabowners.com/forum/showthread.php?32358-Equinox-on-the-beach

On 3/14/2017 at 3:27 PM, MikePfeiffer said:

I am writing this in hopes that some metal detector manufacturers will read this and see what is wanted by the people in the field.

What manufacturer to you think is on the leading edge? (why)

What manufacture do you think needs a wake up call?

What is your favorite all purpose detector? (coin, jewelry, and relic)

What is your favorite prospecting detector?

What do you wish the manufacturers would incorporate in new machines?

I am not going to answer the question as I do not feel my knowledge base is at the level of the people on this forum. I still use a 30 year old detector. Everything I have read shows that this forum has the highest knowledge base of ones I have seen. Add any additional question that you think may be of interest.

Minelab.

Not because of past heavy machines but because of target i.d./tones and multi frequency . They are by far the best for the beach and many land sites. They produce the best Gold machines too and produce Mine Countermeasures gear too. 

Minelab. 

I think since the E.Trac and latter X.Terra's were released they have been sitting idle and that has let in all kinds of competition , whether it be Garrett Ace / AT machines or the XP Deus .

Maybe the new Equinox will be the start of the recovery of the brand . I never classed the CTX as a successful machine , it smacked of old style weighty and unfriendly menu machines. Minelab tried too hard to please a few instead of pleasing the many .

Minelab.

If on the beach then the X.Terra 705 with the 10.5 inch DD coil 7.5khts . That machine when i used it was absolutely brilliant at pulling out the coinage and at a reasonably lightweight and not a bad battery life gave me great service. It is a bit poor in build quality i think , the stems suffer after a while from chips and the camlocks break , also had speaker issues and the battery springs aren't the best. But as a detector it really punches above its weight on beaches .

On Land i would rate the E.Trac high along with the Explorer and Fisher 75 . But it does depend on targets and your swing speed. If slow then these if fast then the F75 or similar or the Deus .

I dont do prospecting but the 705 did find me a Pound coin at maybe 15 plus inches in prospecting mode last year which did make me surprised .

As for new ideas . Common sense and just give the machine the tools it needs and not too much silly bling . Also needs to be weatherproof , not to heavy and not expensive to maintain .

In my opinion the new Equinox is very close to the perfect machine .

Maybe the new installment that might ? replace the ET and CTX will up on that .

But no silly bling and dont show off , thats what the CTX looked like . The CTX will never be a classic because of that . The Explorer is and maybe the ET will be? 

Cant comment on many other makes due to being hardwired to Minelabs , used many others but they never lasted and i doubt i will buy other makes any more 

Oh one other make that isn't made anymore i did like , RED HEAT . Made by an absolute genius from Peckham London who is detecting in the gardens of Heaven Vik Fiveash. His machines were like a combination of XP and Tesoro/Laser  . Incredible for small targets and brilliant in Iron . 

Look on Youtube and look up Red Heat Tornado or XD 17 . 

Wish i kept mine.

When the CTX came out i always thought it sounded like the Explorer , the ET sounds deeper to me and that could be the reason i think the Explorer is better for Silver .

When the Equinox was outed earlier this year i was wondering about selling my ET or even both Explorers or just 1 but lately i have decided that i will keep all of them . They may have mostly paid for themselves but they are now cheap detecting and i dont class them obsolete at all . 

I will keep the ET till Minelab bring out a replacement for it and that depends on the Equinox capability . 

The Explorer's will stay till they are not worth their weight in rust or if someone wants one at the right price , but they are in near mint condition as i dont use their stems or stands or even coils. I use the ET's spare Pro coil and stems.

And the Pro coil turns the Explorer's into formidable units.

Here in the UK an Explorer XS in very good condition could fetch £300 or more, the E 11 maybe near £400 and the SE around £500 for a very good machine .

I am glad my E 11 has paid for itself a few times over in case i sell it , the XS has only just started , The ET has covered most of its original value . 

Day 1 . Whichever day that was . Long time ago now !

11 hours ago, Mark Gillespie said:

I have always been drawn to the tones of the Minelab machines.  I loved my Etrac, but it became to heavy for the long hunts so I had to part with it.  Hope the Equinox has similar tone capabilities. 

Going by the tones i heard on Youtube the Equinox has similar tones to the Terra 705 . 

As for the Terra 705 , that depends if you detect land , dry beach or wet beach ? 

I used the 705 for over 6 years till early this year , i know that something was coming a couple of years ago but didn't know when . 

But the 705 for me was a very good machine , i didn't use it on land sites . I found it a bit weak for that and the ET or Explorer is much better for relic hunting .

But on the dry beach looking for coinage or rings it is a very good machine , since January 2011 i have had 14 Gold and many Silver rings and close to 5 figures in coinage with the 705 . I think its because its a good machine in air test and beaches on the dry tend to be airy , i search stony and some sandy beaches .

Never used the F19 but that is a high frequency machine which the 705 is not unless buying the 18 khz coil , i stayed with the 7.5 khz.

I also have it from another source that the Equinox works very well on the salt wet , i am unable to quote where from right now but will work well . Whether its as good as BBS or FBS is anybodies guess . Will see soon enough.

Though maybe Volcanic sand beaches might have issues , not being from those sorts of places i would not know.

On 12/4/2017 at 2:35 AM, Tnsharpshooter said:

So Steve, even using single frequency, Equinox has no true all metal??

 

The Equinox should be true all metal . It has prospecting mode and that has to have it . The X.Terra has it too.

On 12/15/2017 at 12:21 AM, steveg said:

Hey, Cabo Chris --

Talking about used machines, and Explorers...

I have an Explorer SE Pro up for sale as we speak; it was my primary, personal detector until I got a CTX (and will be getting an Equinox).  I have lowered the price several times due to lack of interest.  If you are in the U.S., I will ship it to your door for $399...

Let me know/send a PM if you have any interest...

Steve

 

Blimey thats cheap as chips . In the UK that would have gone yesterday or before you posted ! I think i will keep my older machines , they are all in too good a condition . Will just add the Equinox to the collective .

Strange they left the 600 out . Maybe they thought no body wanted one ?