Chase Goldman

Yep manufactured in Malaysia but designed Down Under by this guy: So, built to be tough...

Same here. Using both screen protector and pod cover.

True unless you also have a CTX then you have to buy something additional for the Equinox when you have perfectly good phones (ML or third party) sitting there, that's all I was saying. If you are part of the ML family, then hand-me-downs would be a nice option. Not a big deal. Steve is right, anyway, the Equinox is over the top popular and just like the iPhone, that will spur third parties into action to provide some cool accessories since there will be a big market for them. The Equinox users win out in the end.

Do you remember what VDI it rang up as?

Clad - looks like you are going to have to hit that new yard hard. Watch out, any more finds like that and your son may be clamoring for his own Equinox. HH.

+1 for Tony E and a set of WP GG's I had sitting around collecting dust. Need the connection to work and not leak and don't need to cut back the cord any further because of my super questionable soldering skills ("skills" is really stretching the meaning of the word in my case). Can't wait. I, too, was wondering why ML did not just use the same 1/4" WP HP connector as the CTX. Besides the semi-cynical thought that it was an additional money grab on ML's part, I am wondering whether there was enough depth to accommodate the recessed 1/4" jack depth on the relatively thin control pod. It looks pretty iffy plus the longer, thicker plug would put a lot of torque stress on the entire assembly. So IMO it appears to be primarily a design decision helped out by the fact that ML could create an additional accessory universe (and income stream) built around the Equinox. If ML could marry their incredible in-house MD engineering expertise with a user friendly after market approach using universal, common accessories between detector lines, combined with their demonstrated willingness to crash through some longstsnding detector price barriers, they could be unstoppable.

Yep you don't need the WM08 if you are going to use BT wireless exclusively. One caution about the "any bluetooth headphones", however. If you want to use something other than the BT headphones that came with the 800, use APTX LL compliant BT headphones or an APTX LL compliant BT receiver and your favorite wired headphones if you want to minimize lag which becomes especially noticeable on quick coil swings over a target.

My apologies if I misquoted you, phrunt. Thought I highlighted it right off your post. I know it was a tongue in cheek statement but was using it more as a seque to highlight the listed temp specs. It appears we are in complete agreement that if it was a thermal issue it was due to a faulty component (failure or manufacturing issue) vs. a design issue, though it seems exposure to the higher than average ambient temps did appear to exacerbate the issue. Def not a design flaw or out of spec ops issue, but indicative of an isolated component failure. Thanks for the detailed info regarding modern printed circuit board fabrication techniques.

Not seeing the “Hungry” part, but I find it interesting the seller resides in Austria yet the phones are shipping from Hungary.

2 things folks: 1) When there are few choices and you need them ASAP to support travel and perhaps your only beach trip of the year (dunno Cabo's siuation) then you ARE at the mercy of what the market will bear, which in this case, results in a premium cost. 2) The devil is in the details...there are no US Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes in Hungary as far as I know... Looks like the ML WP phones are imminent, so it is worth waiting if you can.

I have seen positive and negative comments online regarding submerged coil drag with the Equinox stock coil. Haven't taken a dip yet, so was wondering what the experienced water hunters think about it. Thanks.

Cool ring. Design looks like it could possibly be old. Congrats.

Can’t tell if you were referring to my post or someone else’s above but just want to make it clear that I was intending with my "specs post" to soley address phrunt’s claim that the Equinox should handle 50+C degrees easily because the thing was designed in Austrailia. I never said I thought David was running the machine out of spec and did state previously it was likely a power connection issue (btw the battery appears to use wired clips and not pressure contacts, so it is not likely a simple seating issue) or a faulty component that was overheating on its own, not because of the detector ambient temp. Apologies for the defensiveness, especially if I was not the subject of your reply. But, regardless, there should not be any question whether Equinox can handle 20 - 30C, the specs in my post clearly show it should be a non issue, no “ifs” about it.

Well as an engineer dweeb, I like to go right to the specs and fortunately, ML has provided the numbers. From the manual: Operating Temperature Range -10°C to +50°C (+14°F to +122°F) Storage Temperature Range -20°C to +50°C (-4°F to +122°F) Charging Temperature Range 0°C to +40°C (+32°F to +104°F) As I suspected, the LiIon battery is typically the weak link and although the above temperature limits are there to preclude damage while charging the battery, LiIon batteries also don't like to behave at extreme high and low temps and you need to be careful about thermal runaway or Lithium metal deposition that can cause premature loss of battery capacity. I would especially be careful about operating the battery under extreme cold conditions. Battery protection circuits should help preclude damage while charging, but not sure what protections are provided when simply operating the battery at extreme temps. Also, at extreme, high temps even within the safe operating range of the detector, variability in component characteristics can push an in-spec but "on edge" component over the edge, thermally. Also, failing electronic components tend to run hotter. In that case, the balky component may behave just fine at nominal or cooler temps, then misbehave at higher temps. As far as the temp limits are concerned, I would not worry about operating the detector a little bit outside the specified temp ranges but wouldn't push it too much at either extreme. On the high side I would be most worried about component thermal failure on the low side I am most worried about causing premature, permanent loss of battery capacity, requiring wholesale battery replacement sooner than expected. Operating within specified temperature ranges is important. Remember, a slightly cold O-ring seal (operating it just under 32F) caused a failure that brought down a whole space shuttle.

Norm knows you have an Equinox, what he is saying is that the next gen Equinox Mark II will be on the street before you wear out the Equinox coil by running it without a cover. Personally, I disagree with running without a cover plate because while it may not wear out the coil, it protects the bottom against bumps and scrapes which could damage the windings. Periodically dumping the sand seems like a minor inconvenience compared to protecting the coil potting from inadvertent damage. JMHO.

Sounds like a loose battery or power lead connection or a thermal problem with one of the electronic components. I would get it serviced.

Fred, do you mean tracking GB? Auto GB is like a manual ground grab but without having to hit the +/- buttons while you pump or sweep. If you meant continuous tracking, there are situations where continuous tracking does not work well, specifically when there is not enough ground mineralization to get a decent ground grab. In that case, the GB algorithm is essentially guessing what GB should be and may give you a bad reading. Under conditions of low mineralization it is best to attempt a single ground grab (manual or auto) or just set GB near the mode's GB default setting which is typically zero. Multi IQ does a pretty good job compensating for an imprecise ground phase setting, so unless ground phase is varying by more than 10 to 15 points (which typically indicates variations in ground mineraluza tion) there actually is no need to do frequent rebalancing. Let your ears decide whether you should rebalance as ground noise, especially in All Metal mode, will tend to increase if the machine's ground phase setting is significantly out of balance with the actual ground phase. For situations where there is highly variable ground phase due to mineralization, black sand, or variations in beach salinity, don't be afraid to put the machine in tracking GB. As long as there is enough mineralization or salinity variation for the machine to detect and grab onto, tracking works well with no noticeable downside. HTH

Nice save. Sounds like an interesting place to live.

I missed the data validating this statement. Which post was it in?

Lol. You lost me on the math. The US MAP for the coil is $179, so how did you figure at $172 equivalent $ pricing that is about $25 ABOVE MAP? Thanks.

Now that cable alone is worth $250 to me as you are SOL if your only charge cable breaks and you have to wait for a replacement before you can use your machine again. Lol.

You have a good point, Steve and it had crossed my mind, but I do occasionally use the WM08 myself. I suppose it is a seldom used niche accessory that most 600 users will never miss in any event and I suspect ML will definitely not sell many to 600 users, as a result, regardless of the price.

I have found that many successful detectorists also would make great puzzle solvers, detectives, and judges of human nature by seeking the answers to such questions as: Where are people most likely to lose things here (e.g., where there has been partying going on or gathering around that flat table-like rock)? Where would other detectorists not bother to search (e g., underneath that thorn bush or in the middle of that metal trash debris field)? Where were those found fired minie balls being fired from (e.g., the top of that hill). And that is where you will find the keepers other less inquiring minds failed to investigate.

It has a depth meter?

Cool. Keep us apprised.