Chase Goldman

Staffydog, I know you heard my response to you on another forum but for the benefit of folks here, this is my take: Once again, this time with feeling. This not demonstrating a problem but actually demonstrating exactly how the "1" and "2" modes should behave. There is nothing problematic about the "2" modes hitting harder on the smaller profile presented by an on edge target than the "1" modes. With their higher frequency weighting they are DESIGNED to do precisely that as they are tuned to hit harder on mid conductors and small conductors of any type vs. their lower frequency Park 1/Field 1 high conductor favoring counterparts. If you are afraid of missing the odd edge-on coin, then by all means hunt in Park 2. Of course, the tradeoff is losing a tad bit of depth performance on non-edge-on high conductors. "Fixing" this actually screws up what the detector was designed to do. Perhaps there is some tweaking that can be done, but frankly, I personally don't consider it broken and dread what may end up broken if ML attempts to "fix" it.

Thanks. Probably APTX then since the latency seems tolerable. I do notice it more on my APTX only earbuds since I am used to the ML supplied APTX LL phones. Some people can't even deal with the APTX LL latency. If it doesn't hinder your detecting, then go for it. That would be a good thing. It is only a problem if you notice it not just because someone tells you you should. HH

The 600 does not allow you to adjust tone volume, pitch, or breakpoints on anything other than the ferrous segment (T1).

So you are NOT getting the "+" symbol with the bluetooth symbol on the Equinox? Like I said previously, this is the way to tell with certainty that the earphones are or are not APTX LL, no guessing required. No "+" symbol, then they are not APTX LL. Any latency issues really show up when you are trying to fast wiggle across a known target as shown below: Y<------d------>X<------d------->Y The more quickly you wiggle over the target center X, with a lot of latency you will hear "apparent" phantom target signals Y to either side of the X and the distance d increases with increased latency or if you swing with a higher frequency (i.e., higher coil speed). The delay results in you hearing the target at each of the "Y's" vs. the X where the target actually is. It is really apparent and really annoying to experience it. With APTX I can tolerate this (i.e., the "d" is pretty small) but anything else is unusable for me. APTX LL, to me, doesn't give me a noticeable "d".

Thanks Tpayne. But wanted to point out a couple of things, not to nitpick but to make sure there is no confusion by others who might read these posts by clearing up what may be some misconceptions. As illustrated by the manual figure inset - On the 600, Recovery Setting 3 ALWAYS corresponds to Recovery Setting 6 on the 800, regardless of mode. The table shows that for the 800, DEFAULT setting is 7 in Field 2. This does correspond to a slightly higher default recovery setting on the 800 than the 600 because the 800 can be adjusted to a slightly higher recovery setting vs. the 600. So in Field 2 on the 600, "3" still corresponds to "6" on the 800, but the default setting of the 800 for Field 2 is indeed "one higher" at a setting of 7. Also, besides default 0, manual, and auto, the 600 ALSO has tracking GB mode just like the 800 which will continuously change GB to match the ground phase while you are swinging the detector. Tracking mode is not recommended for low mineralization conditions such as white sand beach hunding (mineralization changes are what "prompt" the tracking GB alogorithm to measure and change GB), nor is it recommended or even needed if you are at a site that has very little change in the overall ground phase reading due to uniform conditions (mineralization or otherwise) that determine the ground phase. Tracking is also good for rapidly changing salinity conditions such as when you are detecting in the surf at a salt water beach. HTH

Additional details on APTX LL, APTX, and otgwer BT latencies in this post. Note especially the difference in min latency between APTX and APTX LL. http://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/5096-what-are-aptx-low-latency-headphones/?do=findComment&amp;comment=54044

To bphill- They are likely not APTX LL which has significantly less latency than APTX. I have not found a set of waterproof APTX LL earbuds for sale anywhere. If you can verify that they actually give you the bluetooth symbol with the "+" sign when you pair them up with the Equinox (indicating they are actually APTX LL) that would be great info (along with the manufacturer and model number). APTX is barely useable from a latency standpoint. Regular non-APTX BT fuggitaboutit, not usable.

Nah. Stick with what is working, unless you're really curious to see if it makes a difference. I don't pay much attention to the ML Park vs. Field naming convention (I've used Park 2 in Fields and Field 2 in Parks, lol). So, other than the different user settings, I am really at a loss to explain what makes a Park mode versus its Field mode cousin different (i.e., Park 1 vs. Field 1 (both favor high conductors) and Park 2 vs. Field 2 (both favor mid-conductors and small targets)).

JustSwell, Bingo, you discovered a key point that is hard for many folks obsessed with depth to grasp (not saying you are in that category). Specifically, that when detecting, less is often more when it comes to sensitivity and filtering. If you know your targets are going to be shallow by natural ground conditions (e.g., a shallow "bottom" of hard clay or bedrock beneath the thin top soil layer) and/or if you are hunting amongst thick trash or natural undesirable "noise" type targets such as what you were encountering, it just makes sense to back off on sensitivity and filtering (such as iron bias that can mask nonferrous keepers hiding in thick Iron trash) and let Equinox take over with its superior recovery speed and target separation. It's OK to sacrifice depth to maximize your ability to recover those shallow targets in the trashy sites (in some cases, it is not even a sacrifice because the targets can't even naturally go deep). Steve H has stressed this several times regarding the Equinox, the Equinox is plenty powerful enough to get you a strong target signal under most conditions, but it's strength really lies when you are able to consistently set up the machine to run as quiet as possible such that you maximize the signal to the maximum extent while minimizing the noise. In other words, maximizing the Signal-to-noise ratio.

Even if you find you are having EMI issues with the pinpointer, simple fix: turn on the pinpointer and if youvare getting EMI from it on the EQX, simply run a noise cancel. Recommend the Garrett Carrot (Pro Pointer AT) as a reliable and popular model that is also waterproof and performs well. You really can't go wrong with any of the other waterproof models from the major MD manufacturers, Minelab, Garrett, Fisher/Technetics, Makro, Whites - and as I said before, easy to cancel out any interference to the EQX should youbencounter it. Note that If you switch EQX detecting modes, you may need to rerun tge noise cancel since noise cancelnandvground balance settings are specific To each EQX detect mode. HTH

Nice find. Noticed that you've essentially turned Field 1 into Park 1 (almost) based on the user settings you've selected. Still hard to tell the difference between the Park 1 and Field 1 Multi IQ secret sauce even though both supposedly favor high conductors based on the manual description. I know that if Park 2 and Field 2 are set up almost identically, you can still hear a difference between the two modes on the same target type.

If you really want the extra roughly 15ms of reduced latency the WM08 provides vs APTXLL (17ms vs. 30ms lag vs. 100+ms for non-APTX ) see if you can buy a used WM08 unit off an 800 user who does not use it and is willing to sell for much much less than the outrageous ML accessory price. You can probably get it for nearly the same cost as the Zlink that way and without all the claptrap hanging off your control pod headphone jack. Personally, I find APTXLL 30ms lag to be unnoticeable even on quick waggle swings but a lot of people tell me I'm ahead of my time, so that must be why.

Honestly, the Equinox has done no better than the Deus in coin shooting trashy, modern parks for me. I was not seeing anything special until I took it to wet salt sand and there the Deus cannot hold a candle to it. The gold, silver jewelry, deep nickels, and old deep coins I have recovered during the off season have blown my socks off. Add to that some spectacular relic and old silver finds in both mild and hot soil conditions, and the Deus has not come out to play recently except in small park/ball field coin shooting sessions where I don't need a lot of attention drawn to myself. After you get used to the Equinox, challenge it where the Deus has had issues and you might be surprised at what it can do. After all, the Deus can coin shoot in trash just fine and that is not what I got the Equinox for.

Welcome to the forum. Not sure if you are asking where the on/off switch is or if your machine does not turn on once you press it. A little more information will allow others to help you better without unnecessarily giving you overly basic information you may already know. Absent that, I will start with the absolute basics (no judgements. ? ) There is an on/off button on the upper left side of the control pod. Check back here once you've found it and someone can walk you through it after that. If your machine is not turning on, you should make sure you have charged the battery first. If it doesn't charge, then you may have a defective unit and should call Minelab for support. Also, for basics like turning on and off there is a quick start guide in the box, you shouldn't need the manual. If you are able to post to this forum then you can also easily download the user manual pdf to your computer or phone by following the useful links in the first thread on this forum. The manual is really good about teaching you how to do all the steps to set up the detector settings and even how to actually use a metal detector to find targets if you have never used one before. Good luck.

Yep, hammered silver typically appears as a mid conductor on detectors.

Uh, nope. Not speaking for anyone else on the forum, but I am personally not in the business of trying to convince folks to keep a detector I would rather not see someone else swinging next to me on the beach. I welcome rash overreactions like yours if it keeps Equinoxes off the street. Don't need the competition. Seriously, only you can convince yourself you should keep the machine. You seem easily swayed by videos, second and third hand accounts, rather than getting out there and getting some swing hours on it yourself. Words are cheap and finds are king. If you are not making saves with the machine then bail. You should not base it on what others tell you, or by videos, or forum posts. That may be what you need to hear to make a buy decision, but you have already done that. The machine is in your hands so go swing it and decide for yourself. The good news is that you can probably recoup your investment, so why does your head hurt? If you still need third hand proof, then check out the incredible finds pasted all over this forum. That should convince you to go out and at least get that new coil dirty. If your Equinox can't convince you on its own, then no one on this or any other forum is going to be able to either. HH

I would still call ML and see what they can do. They are eager to please and get these initial issues taken care of.

If I got an iffy signal like that I would definitely circle it and see if I could hit it one way and dig. The trick is getting the iffy signal in the first place.

You can get it fixed under warranty and have it back within a week. That's my suggestion.

20 or 40 khz might hit it harder than Multi.

In my opinion, no machine is a better value (performance for the price). So 800 plus a 600 (dedicated water machine) makes a lot of sense from a price and performance perspective. Plus you only have to be proficient at one machine vice two.

Agree that a coil like that would be ideal vs. the larger elliptical they plan on releasing. That would be great for coverage but they really need something between the 6" and 11".

Got it, you quoted Nuke em an Got it. You quoted Nuke em talking about his Xterra that's why I asked. Since you have moved on from the Equinox are you just checking back to see if ML has addressed the problem or are you just done with it now because of all the issues you had with it? Did it also have performance issues for you( when it was working)?

Just to clarify, are you referring to an Equinox of to an Xterra unit?

Just speculation: One possibility is that they may order the rod stock in bulk from multiple subtiers that manufacture them to a ML spec. The spec may have tolerances due to the machining process involved and one guy may either be making them not to spec, or cheating to the small side, who knows. ML may have revised the spec to tighten up on the tolerances or as ceased getting them from the guy who was making inferior product. Or it could be an issue with tooling inside of ML's own facility where one line had a machine that was undersizing the rods. There are a number of possibilities.