Chase Goldman

The purpose of the Iron Bias question was just something I put out there as a placeholder for users to ponder and test from a performance standpoint once they got their detectors (e.g., how much of a performance difference is there between 2 and 3 on the 600  vs. the corresponding settings of 4 and 6 on the 800) as ML saw fit to provide different defaults for the same search modes on different models, I was not expecting an answer right away, or possibly ever, hence, parking lot.  Wasn’t so much a “why did they do that” question as a “what is the real difference” question.  It might be a tiny piece of the puzzle to help inform future Equinox buyers as to whether the the 600 or 800 is more suited to them.  Tried to keep it succinct so misunderstood as a literal “why did they do that” vs. a “let’s explore the differences when we get our machines.”  

Believe me, I would slow way down and probably be able to self answer a lot of questions with a machine in front of me, and putting it through it’s paces.  So what are you going to do in the mean time?  Ask a lot of questions, of course.  And they are not intended to all be directed solely at or be answered solely by you,  Steve because I know you have your hands full.  Lol.  Many are intended as setup questions as we transition to the new users out there.

But, yeah, this questioning approach is apparently not particulary productive or helpful, I got it.  Good feedback. Like I said, movin on from this thread, just trying to learn, and perhaps takin’ a back seat until I can be a useful contributor with an Equinox in hand.  At least that’s my hope anyways. 

Steve,

Many thanks.  Did you figure out that “important info” in the link regarding non-simultaneous WiStream/Bluetooth through your testing or was supplemental info provided?  I ask because I sure can’t find that in the manual.   My reading comprehension is bad and I have not read every word in the manual (in other words I may be overlooking something), but the closest I found the manual comes to alluding to the above is that it mentions that the Eq will attempt to pair with a WM08 module first and failing that will look for a BT device.  Your info is clear as crystal on that issue.  Apparently gotta keep that search button handy for your old info posts if I can’t find the answer in the manual.

3 minutes ago, canslawhero said:

The 'fire storm' will only be out if Minelab recognizes the amount of interest in their new detector and seriously ramps up production...personally I see this getting worse and worse as a few finally get out and the reports (of just how good/versatile it is) begin coming out....

so the fire storm really begins next week and will build as folks see how few have actually been shipped out....we're talking very large Worldwide demand here folks...

oh and Minelab, if you're listening, it's absolutely necessary to let us know exactly what you plan on doing to put this fire storm out....cheers....

What makes you think they are not ramping production to the max their infrastructure allows?  As I posted elsewhere, this is a $10M/yr company (detector sales revenue) vs. $360B/year (revenue) for Apple.  Only so much investment can go into production, R&D, and marketing.  They have no reason to arbitrarily hold back production and probably want the customers off their back as much as you want the machine, probably more so.

There are some questions, primarily related to instruction manual information or how unfamiliar features such as iron bias work, that I and others have asked in other threads that have gone unanswered or where the answer has been that we’ll find out when more people have Equinox in their hands, hence the Parking Lot to go back and refer to them in one spot.  I can see that if they actually can be answered before the majority have their Equinoxes in the coming months it can become unwieldy.  You’re  the boss, so that’s  why I asked what you wanted to do in the first post. Now I have my answer and will abandon the thread.  Bad idea. Thanks and sorry I wasted forum bandwidth.  Good intentions, bad execution.  Search function can be used for those older unanswered question threads that have fallen off the front page.  Movin’ on...

Can the Equinox support being paired to bluetooth headphones and a WM08 module at the same time?  Manual does not explicitly say yes or no that I can find.

1 hour ago, dewcon4414 said:

Another good thing about this machine is ...... the number of devices that can be blue toothed.   Add a pair or two of ear buds and the grand kids can take part i what you love to do.   Free diggers...... and they can even swing this machine.    I dont know how good wireless ear buds are.... but you always have an option of putting gun protector muffs over them.   The WM08 and wireless phones may become a problem on salt water beaches if you spend the time i do out there ..... salt water mist works on everything.

I like the multitude of audio connectivity options too.  But actually, Dew, you can only pair one set of bluetooth headphones at a time (The ones supplied with the 800, in turn, can be paired with both the detector and your phone).  The multiple paired wireless headphone option only works with the Wi Stream (i.e., not bluetooth) WM08 module (up to 4 simultaneously).  So if you want to do that, you have to purchase additional WM08 modules, unfortunately.  And if we knew price and availability of accessories, we could judge whether it is worth it if say you are teaching a detector class or using them as a source of clean wireless detector audio into your action cam.   See the online manual starting with p.55.  One thing that I haven't figured out (can't find it in the manual as a definitive yes or no statement) is whether you can pair the ML08 bluetooth headphones and a WM08 module simultaneously which would be a "free" way to do what you want to do with one of the grandkids or a detecting partner.  I put this question in my "Parking Lot" question thread, so if anyone has an answer post it here or there and I will link back to the post. HTH.

6 minutes ago, TedinVT said:

Transparency would go a long way toward tamping down the furor and frustration that Minelab has created.  I can see no credible reason why Minelab is not keeping the public around the world informed and showing their company in a better light than it is cast in now.  They may have some geniuses in their engineering department, but it ends there.

Ditto the comment above on accessories.

I feel your pain, believe me.  But all detector companies are the same when it comes to this aspect of the biz.  Garrett the marketing genius had a little trouble keeping the barbarians at bay (and I don't mean the Hoover Boys) during the AT Max slow rollout, ditto the Nokta Impact earlier in the year (that cured me of pre-paid pre-orders, never again!), before that it was the nightmare 2-year (from announcement to fruition) release cycle for the Deus HF coils and version 4.0 software, which was hilariously botched on release day when they uploaded the wrong version of the software to the server.  To work around the "slow release" issue in 2017, First Texas took the innovative step of repackaging a number of their previous detectors and creating a "new" Patriot series.  The year before it was firmware gate and faceplate gate for the Whites MX Sport.  It is indeed frustrating but nothing different than what all the other major detector manufacturers go through.  I honestly would be more upset with Minelab if I were not so heavily sedated.

On 1/29/2018 at 7:13 PM, Norm S said:

1/31/2018 they will be shipped out and some will receive them as early as 2/2/2018

 

 

Hmm, guess you knew something we didn't, eh Norm?

6 minutes ago, Tnsharpshooter said:

Sure, we can try to get together.

Is this the ultimate consequence of the Equinox?

Why Equinox?  I like the feeling of hopelessness, pain, and despair.

1 hour ago, Rick Kempf said:

Hopefully Steve is right, that this is just a logistics issue.

think about that for a minute.  Manufacturer builds device In Malaysia- it may or may not then go to OZ.  In any event, it comes to ML in the mid-west someplace.  Then it goes to distributors, then to dealers, then to me.

my iPhone X came direct from the factory in China to me - zip.

The whole manufacturer - distributor - dealer - customer model is doomed - IMHO. It will change.

Metal detectors are too small a volume of sales to support dedicated logistics and shipping infrastructure akin to a company like Apple.  Apple has sold 77 million iphones in the first quarter of FY2018 alone (Oct - Dec 2017) and has a total revenue in the quarter of $88B.  Compare that to the parent company of Minelab which in all of 2015 generated $21.5M in revenue (1/16000 of Apple) and only half of that was related to metal detector sales.   You can literally do the math and see what you envision is not happening anytime soon in metal detecting land, unfortunately.  Apple = SpaceX, Minelab = slow boat from Malaysia.  

Minelab transparency would be great, but it isn't going to make the detectors get here any sooner, unfortunately.

Not sure most of the targets are going anywhere either, so sit back, relax, detect with what  you have if you can or help us point out things in the manual we don't understand or complain about something really important like:  what's up with no Equinox accessory pricing or availability information.  

56 minutes ago, relicmeister said:

Didn't want to have any worries so I got a belkin ( top quality) charger. One port ,  2.1 amp. 10 watt ( 5 volt)   I got single port because I'm not sure if you have 2-port and charge another device at the same time as the equinox, that the amperage is or isn't divided between ports, lengthening the equinox full charge time.probably over-thinking the subject but there you are. 

Devil is in the details (specs), I think it varies and you have to dig into the documentation, if available, to be sure on multi port chargers, so at least this way you don’t have to guess.  Although a properly sized multi port charger would be convenient for charging the wireless headphones and/or the WM08 module simultaneously.

I was referring to theventire line, but point taken. 

16 minutes ago, relicmeister said:

Minelab is playing no favorites, if they were, the blokes down under would already be swingin' their noxes, and as yet they are not. 

We have a bloke right here in MS swingin his 'Nox, as you know.  How come no one in Australia has theirs?

I'm not talking about favorites but simply shipping distances from the factory, BTW.  Isn't that Malaysia?  Who knows.  Fuggedaboutit.  I'm no international shipping expert.  Just thought they were closer to the source.

11 minutes ago, phrunt said:

yes, we are 73 cents to the US dollar in New Zealand.  Well at least if I get one in April I will see how everyone likes them before I get one

It's strange the big delay though, as we are right next door to Australia.

 

That is exactly what I was thinking.  What, no ML love for the Kiwi's?

Take a look at the new thread I created as a Parking Lot for unanswered questions and tell me what you think.

The manual is awesome and is a great read while we are waiting for the Equinoxes to show up at our doorsteps.  However, the manual or other printed, posted, or visual information may raise questions in our minds that may not be able to be answered until a number of folks start getting Equinoxes in their hands are start to run it (and the instruction manual settings) through their paces.  Accordingly, I have established this thread as kind of a memory list where people can put down questions that may not necessarily be answerable now, but may become answerable once a critical mass of Equinox 600 and 800 users are out there.   This is not a wish list or suggestion box or a complaint desk.  Simply a place to park legitimate questions for things that are not entirely clear at the moment.  Have fun. 

(Steve - this could go badly or be great, who knows but feel free to repurpose, delete, move or otherwise alter as you see fit if you have a better idea on how to do this)

Example:  Why are the default iron bias settings different on the 600 ("2") and 800 ("6" which corresponds to "3" not "2" on the 600) (see p. 52 of the manual)?

Hard to remember everything that everyone has posted even in a single thread.  We were talking about study habits, too.  My apologies.

Hope we get a lot of 600 AND 800 users providing input because of things like iron bias and recovery speed settings are a little different on each machine and may slightly affect performance.  For example, I thought it was interesting that the default iron bias setting for the 600 for Park 1/Beach 1/Beach 2 was "2" vs. the 800 settings for Park 1/Beach 1/Beach 2 was "6" (which corresponds to a "3" vice "2" 600 setting per the comparative scale on page 52 of the manual).  I wonder if the default difference is because of who ML envisions using the 600 vs. the 800 or because of some performance differences between the two machines...or none of the above and is just what Minelab thought would be a good default point for each machine.

Even though Steve has provided us with A LOT of answers and clarifications, some of the mysteries of the manual will not be clarified until we are able to have the unit in front of us.  So it makes sense to hold off on calling for instruction manual changes or claiming manual errors, or even speculating too deeply on how things work until we have had a chance to run through it with a detector in hand and can understand it fully, I suppose.  I leave the above question in the "parking lot" so to speak, until we have a critical mass of new 600 and 800 users out there that can verify how the machine is behaving, including these slight performance differences.  That will be an exciting and crazy time.

12 minutes ago, Norm S said:

Ya'll are late to the party. I got mine. I promise not to use it until the rest of you starting getting them. It's still in the box under the tree. Such a darn pretty box I will hate it when I have to open it. 

Why don't you play with the new CTX instead, Norm,so we all don't feel so bad.  Now I know why you bought the CTX, it was a package deal that allowed you the privilege of buying the first Equinox.  

Apples and Oranges as far as I am concerned.  I have a Deus and have preordred an Equinox.  There are things a Deus can do that the Equinox cannot and vice versa.  I don't see the Equinox completely supplanting my Deus and Deus certainly cannot be considered enveloping what Equinox can do, especially on a salt beach.  Academically interested in just how much overlap and common ground there is between them but they will both have their special niche areas of utility in my arsenal.  The question will be which of them I will keep in my vehicle full time.  TBD.

7 minutes ago, jjm861 said:

nothing from Nokta or White's

Two Words "Makro Kruzer".  I know you are kidding around, but in fact Steve has been actively posting about it, just not in The Equinox Fan Club forum, for obvious reasons.  Folks should get some fresh air and venture into some of the other DP forums and take a well deserved break from Equinox before they suffer from 'Nox intoxication syndrome. 

The site is patient and will still be hunted out, if not more, when the 800 shows up.  I am sure you will make it back there with the 800 at some point and tell us whether it found stuff the Kruzer missed.  Can't  wait. 

I have a CW site like that a couple hours away.  My friend has been hitting it for years.  The Deus really opened it up in the past year but it really takes some patience due to ration can trash.  We were just there pondering how the 800 would do there.  We will find out at some point after it shows up and post some comparative information.

Think of it as yet another opportunity to hit the site again and metal detect.  Isn't that what we do?

Fred - First off welcome to the forum.  While there is not a tab grouping of info posts, Steve has put together a fairly comprehensive informational guide on the Equinox 800 here:

http://www.detectorprospector.com/gold-prospecting-equipment/minelab-equinox-800-gold-nugget-metal-detector.htm

Still a work in progress but a gold mine of info nevertheless.

3 hours ago, dewcon4414 said:

Chase..... no, thank you for correcting that..... my fingers didnt type what my brain told them too ..... again lol.  

No problem.  Most people would figure it out anyway, but just in case.  And your power port should be hefty enough to easily charge it at the maximum rate without having a heating problem.  Anker makes good USB power charging devices, I have a few myself, and recommend them for Equinox charging and on-the-go battery power banks.

1 hour ago, dewcon4414 said:

You will find the manual says........ if you use say a computer with a .5v output its going to take 13 hours to charge the battery fully.   It also says if it gets to hot it will shut down and may not charge fully.   I have one of those USB charger called an anker powerport 4.   Its 40w with an output of 2.4v...... but will charge faster.   It performs some tests on lith so its more likely to charge, fully charge, and not over heat.... both the battery and connections.

Yes you should be good with that.  BTW the output is 2.4A (current) not 2 4v (voltage), just so people don't get confused.  The USB output voltage spec is  5VDC and the minimum they were talking about in the manual is also amps (0.5 A vice 0.5 v).  Not trying to be a smarty pants engineer here, but since you have to supply your own power source, just want people to not get confused on the specs based on reading the posts.