Chase Goldman

That is correct. Sensitivity is a global setting but setting to a profile to a higher individual frequency may reduce high conductive sensitivity. Could experiment with that.

My batteries run down after about 10 hours max. Ha Ha. That battery is a standard LiIon cell and I believe max capacity in that form factor (and probably determined the dimensions of the handle compartment) and I bet they chose it specifically to keep cost and weight down vs. going with a custom design. The reason I was asking about black sand or beach mineralization is that the Equinox, in the Beach Modes, will automatically throttle back transmit power if it senses mineralization above a certain threshold which can definitely affect depth, but so can mineralization, they are trying to balance things out so you don't get the high beams in fog effect. But that doesn't appear to be the issue you are having. Regarding Multi IQ depth vs. single frequency, the limited Multi IQ depth is something you directly observed baking the Equinox off against the Xterra, I take it. I know that FBS machines like the eTrac or CTX might be deeper than the Equinox on high conductors in mild conditions because that is what they are optimized for, but wasn't aware the Xterra would beat them at single frequency. Interesting. Thanks for insight.

Got it, it is sounding off so frequently so that is draining the battery quicker than what I was experiencing and going in the water an on board power bank is not an option. 14 hours straight. I would have to get paid more than beach coins and the occasional Gold ring to put in those kind of hours in one day. Ha Ha. Well I am sure battery technology will continue to improve so a bigger capacity battery in the same form factor may come along soon enough. As far as charging is concerned, I just plug it overnight in the same charging station that my cell phone is connected to. But a 9/10 ain't too bad. Hope you figure out a way to kick in that single frequency easier, but I am surprised that you are really eeking out that much more depth going single freaker, I know the lower frequency is theoretically deeper, but Multi IQ in beach mode is set up to be low frequency biased. Have you noticed whether you are getting the transmit power reduction symbol when you are in Beach mode in the really trashy areas? in black sand?. Maybe ML will see the light and give single frequency options to Beach mode in the future. HH, Nuke. Thanks for the reply.

I'd sell the CTX and get a second 600 or 800 and get all the accessories you want for both and then invest the remaining $1000 into a college fund for your grandkids. That way you don't have to swing such a slow and heavy machine while your grandkids are using that Equinox sports car when they come and visit. LOL. I know, I know, the CTX depreciated probably a good $750 since you got it earlier this year so you really won't have $1000 left over, but you know what I mean. Frankly, all I really want is some information out of ML on availability and price for the accessories. That would be good for me and getting those WP headphones on the market in time for the warm weather because this thing is not what it is advertised to be (all terrain) without them.

Fantastic Nuke! Glad the machine is finally coming around for you. Great finds, especially that ring. Let us know what you find out about the stone. I have a couple of comments on your legitimate concerns. ML made it explicit from the get go that they have no intention of providing single frequency operation for Beach Mode so your wait for a single frequency option may be a long time coming. In any event, I gather you are switching to a different mode for single frequency ops which is cumbersome. Are you using the mode button to do this? If so, I would suggest storing a 10 khz single frequency version of the most compatible non-beach mode with the User Profile button that way you can quickly switch back and forth at the touch of a button without having to flip through all the modes (I know the User Profile button is harder to get to though than the mode button so it is probably a wash in the time and effort needed to use it). Also, I wasn't quite sure exactly what your were using single frequency for ("dry tops"?) so there may be other ways to flush out the undesirable targets (e.g., AM mode?). Regarding battery life, how long are your detecting sessions? I can barely put a dent in the battery after 4 to 5 hours of detecting (including having the backlight inadvertently on) and I honestly don't know how long I can make it last, but I have about 13 hours on the detector and have not discharged it fully yet. Going to do some all day endurance sessions in relatively cold weather over the next few weeks so we'll see how it fares then. HH

You are absolutely right to be concerned about this, Boandtia, and it is not good that Minelab has not given us any indication whatsoever when the WP headphones will be available and for how much. Hoping with you that they arrive soon. The other suggested solutions might allow you to get things a little wet at least, in a manner that does not damage your equipment, but yes in one respect we are not yet able to use the machine to the fullest extent advertised. HH.

Great comments Skate. The analogy that sticks in my head is that the Equinox is like a universal golf club that any golfer can use regardless of the shot situation, no golf bag required. Driver - Park 1, Fairway Wood - Field 1, Mid-Iron - Park 2, Chip Shot - Field 2, Sand Shot - Beach 1, Water Hole - Beach 2, Putter - Gold Mode. OK I am stretching the metaphor a little too much, but you get the picture.

Yep, unabashed brand loyalty really blinds you to what can be and keeps you in a box. Sometimes people are happy not knowing what they don't know. So as long as their happy...perhaps more targets for me! I think XP may have something up their sleeve with respect to the HF coils, perhaps even something Multi IQ like since the coils are designed to work on a very wide bandwidth from 13 to 80 khz. Time will tell, but if it takes too much time, then they may lose their customer base. They are also going to have to bow to the realities of price competition since they can no longer claim that no one can touch them on recovery speed and using that to justify prices needed to subsidize the cost that comes with the manufacturing complexity of putting the smarts in the coil and the technical complexity of all-wireless, light weight design. Nokta/Makro are doing some interesting things, and if ML hadn't come up with the Equinox, I suspect that the Multi Kruzer might have been delayed until they could come up with their own simultaneous multifrequency technology rather than simply releasing a waterproof version of the venerable Impact, but their hand was forced to release the entire Kruzer series to compete not only with Garrett but also, now, with Minelab. Whites took a stab at simultaneous multi frequency and separately waterproof detecting. Neither took the detecting community by storm. They really need to marry the two, and up the performance of their high end detector while making the user interface actually user friendly such that you don't need an IT degree to run it.. I do not think they can continue to lean on their stalwart metal box detector designs like the TDI and MXT. Garrett just continues to tweak the AT series without really addressing the key shortcomings, terrible ergonomics (I need wrist surgery swinging that thing every day), mediocre recovery, and lack of even multiple individual frequency modes (you can get the Max or Gold but not both wrapped up into a single detector). There is some good programming under the hood, it is just that the entire chassis and gearbox needs to be redesigned and updated. First Texas - what can I say. Bounty Hunters are solid entry and mid-level machines. The best ergonomics in the business with the T2 and F75. CZ series is a niche market but a loyal one. Very good performance from the flagships. But no multi-frequency VLF machines, certainly no simultaneous multi frequency machines on the horizon that I know of, and no waterproof versions of their venerable F75/Tek flagships. They appear to have been lapped by Nokta/Makro at the moment. Tesoro is Tesoro. You know what you are getting and can depend on getting it. Great simple performers that kick butt at contest hunts and some good PI surf machines. But now even Terry Solomon has moved on. Well that's my unsophisticated take on the state of mid to high value, multi-purpose detector tech in 2018. But what do I know...I don't know.

Nailed it.

Wow what a turnaround, Nuke. Glad you have it dialed in now.

Good info, Mitchel. Way to change things up both in settings and technique to see what working and what is not and sharing it. I have fiddled with recovery speed and am finding (again) that Steve is absolutely right when he says this thing is built for speed so let it run fast. Keeping recovery speed right around the default (typically 6 for the 800) indeed seems to be optimal unless you are in the thick of it with targets and trash where bumping it up helps. This is another adjustment I have had to make in how I approach Equinox vs. Deus whos optimal recovery speeds are in the middle vice upper end of the adjustment range with Equinox.

I'd dig that field in the landscape background of your plate. You had me fooled. When I read the term "plate", this is what usually comes to mind. Lol

No problems, sir. Just poking fun. And like I said, if its good info, no harm in repeating it. Besides, my posts tend to get a little long winded (no, say it isnt so!) so its good the nuggets get out there by themselves sometimes. Lol. I really just wanted to get the info out there on the pouch and antenna, because gawd knows when ML is going to release some accessories. HH with that Equinox, Cal, it seems to be hitting on all cylinders so far.

Great finds and report.

You're welcome Dukester (good questions) and, by the way, welcome to the Forum (belatedly)!

Well, like Steve and I both posted, the issue is not water intrusion into the control pod, but corrosion of the connectors and water damage to non-water resistant headphones because there are internal seals on the backshell of the connector jack to prevent backleakage into the detector, by design. This was intentional on Minelab's part and they have designed a number of submersible detectors so they know how to do this. And like I said in my original post (and Steve reiterated), this is less of a concern for freshwater (which was Dukester's original question) but depending on impurities in the water, corrosion may still be an issue. Also, if you do use the Equinox pigtail 1/4" to 1/8" adapter extension like you mentioned, the end the that the headphones plug into is NOT waterproof either and is not designed for submersion so if it does get wet or submerged it may allow water intrusion into the contacts and connectors of the adapter possibly resulting in corrosion or damage to the adapter as well as the headphone connection. So that is not a foolproof solution by any means, either, plus it is about as available as the WP headphones, i.e., nowhere to be found. So while you won't wreck the control pod, the waterproof headphones which are currently unavailable, are your best bet. Just to be clear, I did not make this information up. Besides being the founder and moderator of the forum, Steve has been through this as an Equinox pretester and gets his information directly from ML or the ML documentation provided to him and all I did was re-link to it. With that level of credibility, I tend to take his information at face value and not question it. LOL. I am starting to get a complex because people keep repeating information I put in my OP. Anyway, I'll stop complaining because no harm in repeating good information and offer yet another possible solution to the dilemma of water hunting without the ML Equinox custom designed waterproof accessory headphones. Beside the BT APTX IPX rated sports buds Cal and I recommended, another possible solution for EQX 800 users is using the WM08 wireless receiver and putting it into a waterproof phone pouch with a built in mini-jack connector that is sealed and terminates on the outside of the pouch. You can keep the WM08 dry and safe in the pouch (and even double bag it) plug the internal mini-plug cable into the WM08 and then plug a pair of WIRED water resistant or IPX waterproof ear buds into the external connector. Again, you may be subject to corrosion if water gets into the plug connector but you have a better chance of keeping it stowed "high and dry" vs. the control pod connection. An example of a waterproof pouch below. Of course, just like the bluetooth suggestion this only works if you do not continuously submerge the control pod. The Deus water kit pouch linked by Steve above may also be a suited for this approach. https://www.amazon.com/Vansky-Floatable-Waterproof-Cellphone-Construction/dp/B016I8T1AW/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1521597338&sr=8-13&keywords=cell+phone+waterproof+pouch Finally, as Steve mentioned there may be a way, a la the Deus antenna method, to pull the RF signal up out of the water if you want to use wireless BT headphones or the WM08. Here is one possible solution I saw posted to another forum. Cut and paste the link below if you want view the video. Enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xbx-Ia-Smw

Crerngrerts!

This statement is not accurate with respect to water entering the machine through the headphone connector. Please see this post for more detailed info regarding the jack.

If the phones are too cheap, you might not be able to discern the tonal nuances on some targets, but that is really getting into the weeds. Bottom line is that you won't likely hurt the detector internals because there are inner O ring seals, but if you don't have the outer seal you will still need to be somewhat concerned about corrosion of the phone jack internals. Though that concern is minimal for freshwater use. Even if you plan to keep your head above water, any tumble you take or wave action that causes you to submerge your head will likely cause damage to the non-waterproof headphones that may prematurely end your detecting session. Suggest you use moisture resistant wired sports phones or ear buds but even those may not survive a dunking. Also, make sure the mini plug is compatible with the Equinox jack which is recessed to accommodate the watertight, screw-in headphone plug. Right angle plugs likely won't work without some kind of pigtail adapter. Alternatively, you can keep the jack plug sealed and use a pair of wireless BT sports headphones as long as you are not continuously submerging the control head. For minimal lag, use APTX or ideally APTX LL (low latency) IPX rated or sports rated ear buds. I have only seen APTX IPX rated sports buds for sale (i.e., no APTX LL IPX waterproof buds or phones) for around $20 to $30. Again, these might not survive a complete dunking. As usual YMMV. HTH

I agree that Tracking GB can have negative affects on the marginal target signals and should be used with caution.

Skate - totally get what you and the others in this thread are saying. My experience too, with masking. The rare beach wheatie masked by the steel wire I ran into the other day just blew me away. I was not walking away from that target even though it was "iffy" it still had enough of a "dig me" quality to it. Just can't explain it, but it was a great experience. I too was concerned about the lack of modulation for things like beer cans, but I am not sure that the Equinox can do what it does (give you a three dimensional tone feel that pops out at you from the junk tones) and yet still have the modulation on the "overload" targets we are used to. As mentioned elsewhere, I am working on ways to figure that stuff out using the pinpointer and AM button. I think if I have to "complain" about anything, it is all the tools at your fingertips that you can use to interrogate a target thoroughly before choosing to dig. The AM button, "thin" coil wiggle and circle target (sweet spot), pinpoint, mode switch, and single frequency scan are all viable tools that can be used separately or in conjunction with each other to thoroughly interrogate the target to make a dig decision. I "complain" about this because I may be spending more time trying to use the tools than just digging the damn target, but whatever, I like it. Only problem is that I am developing very bad habits if I should attempt to use this thing in a contest hunt where beep-dig is the ticket to success. Lol.

Wonder what was in the center of that bracelet. Great finds.

If you want Nickels and/or Gold, your best discriminator is your eyes and digging tool, unfortunately. If you are willing to pass on these, then notch out anything less than 19/21 or notch in Nickels 12-15, too. I am all in on all metal (Chase Goldman, right?), so I keep the aluminum recycling industry in business. Lol. Aluminum is a cruel joke by someone upstairs who didn't want to make it too easy for detectorists to find lost gold at parks and beaches.

Pretty much Beach 1 with default settings including GB, noise cancelled and sensitivity adjusted as needed but not too far +/- from 20 which indeed seems like the sweet spot.

Beauty! Nice save, Mitchel. I pretty much stopped ranting about bottle caps once I discovered the AM button and move on like you did if they’re thick (no digging required after the first couple get my ears tuned in). Now, about screw caps, don’t get me started...