Chase Goldman

I'm not because I have found no less than 7 BT headphone models that pair up just fine with Equinox in low latency mode (including BT 5.0 phones) ranging from $30 to $100, plus there is always the WM08 receiver option for the 800 that accommodates any wired MD headphone. People just need to be smart and read the specs when shopping for a replacement. I would rather have options on choice of headphones that comply with a commercial standard (BT APTX LL) rather than be locked into a MD manufacturer's limited proprietary wireless model that cannot be used for any other purpose.

Don't know if you missed it or not from his subsequent post, but he searching the crawl space under a house for a mason jar full of Krugers, so it is a completely different problem than what you may have first imagined, see below.

I must add to counter the pessimistic tone of my previous post (really just more realistic than pessimistic) - your task is not impossible but difficult and if it IS there and you manage to get the Vanquish coil over it, the Vanquish SHOULD sound off on it. Just not clear what tone or target ID will show due to the numerous variables involved, but I am betting it will be high just due to large pure metal mass. Good luck and let us know if you find the treasure. Rooting for your success. You have been given some good advice above.

I'm here to tell you your approach won't work if they are buried in a jar with a metallic lid. You can pretty much throw out target IDs because of 1) the mixed metal nature of your desired target and 2) the large amount of metal in the jar will likely simply overload the machine depending on the depth so it really doesn't matter what composition it is. You would actually do better with another detector because the modulation of the tones is small with the Vanquish. Anyway you are where you are. Practice with a jar full of any coinage and see what you get in an air test and in a buried configuration if you have the time to do so and remember that number, it will likely register high near the high 30's or 40, Try the different modes to see which one gives you the best or most distinctive signal. Then increase the the rejection settings to attempt to bracket that most distinctive signal (basically reject everything up a couple points below the lowest number you register). Scan the crawl space and look for any similar sounding and registering target signal and try for those first. If everything sounds loud, then lower the sensitivity setting of the detector as necessary such that you get some differentiation in the target signal intensity. Good luck, you are going to need it because it is going to really be a guessing game as to how that target will actually sound off and how you will be able to differentiate it against the other junk down there.

Welp, so much for my combo pinpointer/UV disinfecting wand/long range locater/TP roll holder side gig. Thanks for keeping the riff raff out (other than me), Steve.

Maybe the extra weight acts as some sort of Faraday Shield. . Seriously, good to know Whites is doing something right in the EMI department. Perhaps ML could learn a thing or two from Whites rather than the other way around. My Equinox sure likes to go unstable at the strangest times.

Well I guess you happened to be hunting in a spot that was 48 khz friendly. Not sure what coil you were using on the ORX but if it was an HF coil you should have been able to find a suitable quiet frequency. I believe the GK operates around 61 khz which could be a problem around 60 hz power lines. If you initialize the ORX with the Coil in the air at waist height, that can tend to knock down EMI, too. Yeah, after having owned the MX Sport, that is just not place I am willing to go back to (i.e., the VLF detector weighing just south of 4 lbs.)

Welcome to the forum, Sid. If you want a great beach detector with versatility, you can't go wrong with a Minelab Equinox 600 ($649) or 800 ($899). It uses simultaneous multi frequency (called Multi IQ) which gives it maximum stability in salt sand and salt water vs. single frequency metal detectors, is waterproof, uses wireless audio so you don't have to worry about headphone cables getting in the way but only the 800 includes the wireless phones in the box (unless you are actually submerging the detector fully in the surf, in that case you need to separately purchase wired waterproof phones), has multiple modes for beach, park, and field hunting. The 800 includes a high frequency mode suited for gold prospecting. It can be utilized effectively using the default settings but has advanced settings as you grow in your abilities. All that being said, if this is going to be your first metal detector, I would highly suggest the Minelab Vanquish. It too uses multifrequency (Multi IQ), but its settings are more limited than the Equinox, yet it has modes that are suitable for beach and inland hunting. I would suggest either the Vanquish 440 ($280) or the 540 ($370) which has wireless capability but you have to buy the headphones separately. The 540 Pro Pack ($500) comes with wireless headphones and an extra, smaller search coil ideal for trashy situations or for working in and around tight spots like around playground equipment on tot lots. Unlike the Equinox, the control housing is not waterproof, but the detector coils are waterproof so you can take it into the shallow surf wash or swing it in tide pools or surf cuts on the beach. I recommend the Vanquish because it performs well and probably handles 90% of situations the typical detectorist will encounter. The lower investment means that you are taking less of a risk if the hobby doesn't turn out to be all you imagined (you will dig A LOT more bottle caps, pull tabs, bear cans, fish tackle and other beach trash vs. coins, spanish treasure, and rings, though you will get better at recognizing trash signals you become more experienced but even a pro has trouble differentiating a pull tab from a gold ring or even a nickel - so set your expectations at a realistic level). You will also need to invest in a sand or water scoop and finds pouch (I recommend a scoop with a handle vs. a hand scoop, the constant bending over will get to you after awhile) and for land hunting a digging tool of some sort and a pinpointer (mini hand held metal detector) for recovering your targets from the dig holes (not really needed for beach hunting as your scoop sifts the sand from the target). Hope this Helps and Good Luck.

Tom - Yep. That's why I relic detect in VA with a GPX but keep a Deus strapped to my back if I hit an iron patch or start digging out a hut or trash pit. Or just as a change of pace if my shoulder hurts or the GPX mojo is just not happening. Killer combo. #right_tool_for_the_job.

I know. He said it was hard to compete with social media, especially for sponsorships. Like you, it was primarily a labor of love but was starting to cause a drain financially. DIV has a new dedicated website with a dedicated webmaster but it is not clear if Donnie will archive the Spot's content or how much DIV content will move over to the new site. You can read about his announcement here. Sad times after 20 years.

Yep, that could be it too. Would have to see the patent diagrams to really know for sure. Even an engineer has trouble wading through all that patent legalese terminology.

Actually that sounds like the [dreaded] ATX coil/stem mechanism, albeit the ATX came out a few years before this patent was approved.

Not sure they really can do that without knocking out the AT series, other than brand loyalty to keep it viable, there is really nothing compelling anymore about the AT series features and performance compared to the immediate competition. Heck, the Simplex on paper meets or beats it on paper in every category except available accessory coils (and that is only temporary). So APEX really has no choice but to eat into AT series sales if it is to be competitive against Simplex and Vanquish.

Great QED info. Much appreciated.

Get to it while you still can. Donnie is shutting the site down for good around 20 May.

One game changer vs. Simplex at least (and any Garrett for that matter), is if the Apex included selectable single frequency a la the Anfibio and Multi Kruzer and if they were able to do it for less than say an Equinox 600, then that would fill a niche between Simplex and Equinox that was almost covered by Vanquish but which falls a little short because of its fixed ground reference and lack of even one single frequency mode. If I've learned anything from Equinox, it is that Multi IQ is NOT a panacea for all detecting situations and am thankful to have a selectable single frequency mode on the Equinox and on my Deus/Orx for that matter. Really comes in handy when interrogating some iffy targets and in some detecting environments it is actually preferred. I'm thinking a tweaked AT Pro/Max/Gold that fixes iron tone, focuses on pro mode, repackages the control box into the lighter weight cell phone on a stick style and intuitive control ergonomics, and has the ability to use 5, 10, 20 khz (of course with wireless audio and rechargeable Li battery tech). Not sure it can be done from a business case/value perspective (especially if it "obsoletes" the AT series, but I would argue other detector manufacturers have done that to a certain extent) but it would be a game changer IMO if they could pull that off and then follow it up with a simultaneous multifrequency in a similar package a year or two down the road. Their legion of brand loyal fans might be energized enough to dive in and "upgrade" their aging AT series detectors and the Ace crowd might also come along for the ride.

Good point. The only down side being available direct only from AU so you have to add in the shipping cost and a lack of iron rejection from what I can tell (correct me if I'm wrong QED experts) which is a nice feature to have when hunting in nail and farm junk infested relic sites (vs. Prospecting) which is what I assume is the OP's intended use.

The Apex will be announced on 15 May (we will finally be able to see its specs and form factor) but it is not clear when it will be released. We knew everything there was to know about the Equinox 3 full months before it was released. Don't get me started on the FT Impulse... And as impressed as I am with Nokta, in general, I also seriously doubt that the Nokta whatever it is going to be called first generation Multi machine will be as good as, much less better, than the Equinox which is Minelab's 3rd or 4th generation multifrequency machine. I wouldn't mind being proven wrong, though.

Yes. In fact, the 540 Pro Pack includes a set of the Equinox wireless phones sans the hard case.

Just don't get caught in the rain or set it down on tall wet grass with it attached. It is not weatherproof.

Impulse...That's what's taking so long. They are trying figure out how to get 1.21 gigawatts into the thing without you having to strap a Ghostbusters nuclear accelerator onto your back. They want to go from this To this... but somehow put it on a traditional s-shaft

Thanks, Tom. That means they are not APTX LL. Just means you can't guarantee the worst case latency of APTX LL. In some cases APTX latency is very noticeable and unusable. It is just important for people to know that their mileage might vary and the latency of aptx ll can't be guaranteed for these phones and that could be a deal breaker for some folks. Below is a good post comparing the various bluetooth protocol latencies. APTX LL is 30 - 40 ms, while APTX is 60 - 80 ms. I have a pair of vanilla APTX headphones and they are unusable for me due to the amount of lag. You basically get two different "beep" positions as you sweep he coil back and forth over a single target. It is maddening..

First Texas is working on that one...

Found them on Amazon for about about $50...https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-BT-300ANC-Wireless-Over-Headphones/dp/B07JZKJ8MR/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 so not as good a deal as Tometusns Problem is they say APTX in the Q&A but not in the specs and also not explicitly APTX LL. Tom, can you verify that they connect to Equinox in true APTX LL mode (i.e., with bluetooth symbol showing a "+" sign next to it on the Equinox control panel). Thanks.

There you go, from the guy who literally wrote the book on the topic.