Chase Goldman

7. Bring Tom Boykin back. (Hey, it was a dream scenario)

I am not familiar with the dfx so I can't help with settings. First of all, after a year, I would not necessarily assume it is sitting on top of the grass. I am assuming this is a mown lawn or similar ground cover? Rain and other forces associated with the grass renewing itself, frost heave, and other natural forces will almost definitely cause it to be sunk and buried perhaps a few inches not to mention people and wildlife walking over the site, this happens over a period of just a few days or weeks for similar size and mass coin targets. If the bullet did not sink into the ground before the grass was mowed, then it could be chewed up or spit out elsewhere on the site as a result of lawn mower action, so if that happened, then the bullet would have suffered some physical damage. I would not reduce sensitivity much but if you could get an identical bullet and place it in the same ground perhaps buried and inch or two to get an audible and visual ID reading, then you can notch out anything but a narrow swatch of target IDs to include the bullet ID you recorded in your field test. Also, I would use the largest (or longest if an elliptical) coil you have to maximize ground coverage while still enabling you to see a shallow bullet. Copper jacketed lead projectile in a brass casing should ring up higher up on the conductivity scale, not as high as silver but perhaps higher than a copper penny. Anyway, those are my initial thoughts. Be careful upon recover too. Take a big plug around the supposed pinpoint spot to prevent damage to the target from your digging tool. Good luck.

Tom - is that why you had to wear that Halloween costume that one year? BTW - You might not remember, but I met you at a DIV dig a few years back. I think you were testing a souped up TDI for Whites there and you gave me the relic shovel you were using as you were leaving the hotel because you couldn't pack out on the plane back to the west coast. Thanks for that and I still have it as my backup. It was nice chatting with you there.

Great, thanks I'll check it out. Thanks for the reference. If the AT MAX has a capability that other AT or non-AT detectors lack, I would be interested in that. If he is just trying to make lemonade out of a lemon (probably an over harsh analogy) or just knows the AT Max well or is so experienced he could be successful with a pinpointer on a stick, then that is another story - . Either way, I'll go figure it out for myself. Thanks again for the pointer.

Ok that doesn't make a lot of sense because the AT Max has the lowest operating frequency of the three AT series detectors (13.6 khz for the Max vs. 15 khz for the Pro vs.18 khz for the Gold) which would make it the least sensitive to gold overall. It is like taking a flat head screwdriver and saying it works better on a phillips screw because it has a bigger handle rather than just using the right phillips head driver for the job. In other words there are other tools more suited to the job of detecting small gold jewelry than just trying to use a detector with jacked up gain. Perhaps it works better than the Pro for that task but the right tool might be the Gold.

What's Turf Gold?

They also just released new firmware that reportedly ensures compatibility with the to be released accessory coils.

You had me scared there for a second...lol. Glad they worked out.

The latest firmware installer (which can still be downloaded) allows you to install the latest FW (2.0) OR roll back to any previous firmware version (i.e., the install utility contains the current and all previously released firmware versions). No need to keep the older installer that limits you only to the latest version (and all previous versions) issued up to that time.

You are telling him to do a factory reset every time he turns on the Equinox?!

I like the tic marks on the shaft. But what do you mean by the above statement - are you talking about the noise cancel channel setting or sensitivity - i.e., what are you "adjusting"?

Can you elaborate on this method, please (e.g., how much salt do you add to the vinegar?) Please post about it separately, then. Here's a recent thread on the topic, didn't see you post in it so share your knowledge if you are willing. Thanks.

From my testing, if you already have the 540 as a an Equinox backup, the Simplex is not going to bring anything new to the table other than different sounds and the ability to ground balance vs. the 540. The 540 tends to just bang on the targets in my test garden harder than Simplex. The Simplex All Metal mode is problematic for me, it seems to be the second worst mode on the Simplex next to Park 2 as far as target signal strength and ID at depth are concerned, which is weird and overall target ID stability and repeatabilty is low. OTOH - the features such as Ground Balance, Vibration Mode, Volume, Pinpoint muting, LED light and Ergo nomics are fantastic for a macine in this price range. And Nokta appears willing to readily address issues in their frequent updates. Anyway still testing and learning mre about it. My first Nokta machine.

They addressed this with the newest update: Nokta/Makro Simplex+ Software Update (2020.04.21) : System Software V2.77 Download : System Software V2.77 1. Mute Function has been added Press the Pinpoint Button once to mute your detector without going into settings. This will help eliminate the interference noise from pinpointers that operate at the same frequency. 2. Audio levels for wired headphones 2 sets of audio levels have been added when the device is used with wired headphones. Choose between Low (L1-L4) or High (H1-H4).

Yes, it sounds like you got shafted (sort of - you came away with $60 more than you had before you found that ring), but it was completely under your control if you had done your homework beforehand. I am really at a loss that you didn't do the website search BEFORE you went to try to sell it since you obviously knew how to do that research. Lesson learned. Information is power, go in armed with as much information as you can to protect yourself. BTW - The Equinox doesn't have 40 frequencies, but I am sure you don't need to get into a technical dissertation about how the Equinox really works at this point, all that is important is that it works for you.

Well, that is not necessarily a good assumption. EMI can come and go depending on time of day, the weather conditions (can make power lines start sparking for example), and from sources that are not readily apparent such as nearby invisible dog fences, underground cables and pipelines, radio transmitters, wifi hot spots, cell towers, cell phones (you covered this one), and nearby detectors. Some of these sources are busy during the week and quiet during the weekend. Or they could be busy during the day and quiet at the end of the workday or vice versa. Atmospheric effects can change propagation paths such that EMI sourced several miles away and not bothering you one day can be load and clear the next. Also, you didn't mention whether you actually performed a noise cancel - presumed you had but no mention of it in your list of troubleshooting actions. Nevertheless, if it is doing it everywhere you go, then yeah, it's time to call Minelab.

There is also a PC version which looks identical but it is in red called the Recon 50. Note that the linked eBay sale is for a refurbed Recon 50P. Turtle beach sells the 50P New for $29.95 but shipping is extra. They sell the Red PC refurbed version for $24.95 on their site. So depending on the shipping charges, you might make out ordering direct from Turtle Beach vs. their eBay store. Either way, they look like a great value. BTW - Mark - you can get a replacement mic for about $9, so your grandson made out convincing Mom of the upgrade. You both got new headsets - Win - Win.

Microphone is good, Mark. You can sweet talk your detector into finding the best relics for you. Seriously though, those look great. Glad the mic is easily removed.

Oh, Chuck, believe me - I know that because they take every opportunity to make sure that everyone is reminded of that fact (their fans included).

Welp - that was a waste of time...just the Garrett CEO saying check out our website, join a raffle, and look for our new product announcement on 15 May. Duh.

The WM08 is very position sensitive vs. bluetooth. Blocking the transmission path between the control head to the unit even with your body (e.g., having the WM08 strapped to your belt on your left side but swinging the detector on your right side) can easily cause dropouts. A lot of people I know who use the WM08 use a very short audio cable to their headphones and clip it to their hat or to the headphones themselves to elevate the WM08 above any obstructions. In fact the Equinox user manual acknowledges this with the following note on page 56: I have only tested it once using regular headphones as a proof of principle on my Equinox but did not encounter scratchy audio (though I have encountered scratchy audio with certain models of BT headphones). If you are using an adapter to connect the headphones to the transceiver, make sure that that all connectors are fully seated or you will get ground loops or static. Test the unit with other BT sources and various headphones to see if the issue lies with the Equinox, headphones/earbuds or with the transceiver.

Simon, I agree with you, the story has nothing to do with the capabilities of the AT Pro but merely tells us the guy is experienced at reading the beach, has swimming skills, knows how to use something that beeps at metal and knows how to recover that metal while wearing a snorkel and flippers -which is impressive. We also didn't get a real look at his trash pile which I'm sure was just as impressive. But Garrett's facebook page is not unique. Similar posts can be found on Minelab's, XP's, or Nokta's pages or websites. People submit impressive finds and name the machine that did it (which again proves nothing other than the machine was turned on and they got the coil over the target) and the maufacturers will gladly link the pics for marketing publucity. It is up to the knowledgeable detectorist to realize that the machines actually matter little in the success equation next to intelligent site selection (see Dances' post), experience, good coil handling and ground coverage techniques, and knowing how to use the tool which all increase the favorable odds "chance" much more than the brand or model # stamped on the machine.

If you want to use your favorite headphones wirelessly with the Vanquish, just get a bluetooth APTX LL receiver/transmitter. They are the size of a matchbox and cost about $30. Plug in any headphones/earbuds that have a 1/8" mini jack or use an adapter to plug in 1/4" plug detecting phones. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EHSX28M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B4W40VC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm kind of surprised by this statement because you know your way around a soldering iron and circuit board like nobody's business. Wish I had that skill. I'm all thumbs and love to burn up electronic components if I try to dive in myself, but the throway nature of surface mount micro-electronics makes DIY repair hard these days. I'm in my latest 50's, so yeah, I might fit into your younger gadget demographic , but here are some headphone models I have found that work with Equinox just fine and that are still available out there(the $30 earbud models are admittedly hard to find now): https://www.kellycodetectors.com/catalog/pro-headphones?matchtype=&network=u&device=c&adposition=&keyword=&campaign={shopping}&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7qn1BRDqARIsAKMbHDajJK-O_Yzqs8ndhX3vp3376Zomq4bZ4rSWihl9685bufjvR2h6fncaAgn0EALw_wcB https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IEHIMLY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A0EAYDI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Another option for folks who have a 600 and didn't get a WM08 wireless receiver module is to go with a small bluetooth APTX LL transceiver into which you can plug your favorite wired cans: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EHSX28M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B4W40VC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I guess I will put in the YMMV disclaimer because of the myriad of compatibility issues that have been reported, but I can say these have worked with my primary and backup Nox's and I have paired some of these with the Vanquish (not a fan of the ML branded phones, they sound muddy to me, but maybe just because I had the Miccus phones for a time well before I got the Equinox so perhaps got used to how they sounded vs. the ML Equinox wireless phones).

Forget about model to model variations in TDI, I get mode based TID variations on the same targets in my test garden. That combined with variations due to ground condition, target condition, and target orientation in the field make it really a dicey proposition to thread the notch needle in the manner you are intending. I know you are having to deal with a lot of modern non-ferrous trash, but relying on air tests to set up your trash notch segments means you will never truly know how many good targets you are missing under real world conditions because they slid into your notch segments. Maxx, I know why you have to do what you are trying to do, but whenever you go down the route of notching, you are always rolling the dice on a highly variable proposition even with seemingly stable TID performers.. Good luck and glad the Vanquish gives you a better shot at success, but be realistic about what you might also be leaving in the ground. There really are no short cuts when it comes to detecting..