Chase Goldman

It’s why establishing a long term relationship with trusted dealer(s) is important if you intend to hop on the detector merry go round and indulge your sickness, I mean, hobby/business impulses.

Yep. Different back mark though. So likely made by a different button manufacturer.

That’s kind a of a flip statement considering that we’re not talking just submerging the coil in the wash. We’re talking making it watertight at the dive-rated depth of 60+ feet (20 meters) where the static pressure on the external battery connector is subjected to a pressure of nearly 30 psi which is conservatively like a 300 lb weight pressing down on the connector interface. I would say “no problem” is perhaps understating the design challenge XP is facing by exposing the connector directly to that static pressure rather than embedding the battery in the coil and letting the coil structure take the static pressure load. Of course XP has proved the HF coils can be dunked to a depth of couple meters, but 20 meters is a whole different ballgame to keep it dive rated as XP supposedly desires. Regarding the previous comment about shrinking the board, that’s true but only part of the design challenge as the SMF modes especially dive mode and Square Wave audio using the bone phones suck more juice, likely requiring more capacity (bigger volume) than is provided in the existing HF coil external battery. If XP gives up the dive rating requirement, then yeah, problem is likely solved though they have mentioned that shrinking this board is more difficult than first gen Deus. But like I said, they don’t appear inclined to take the easy way out for whatever reason.

Possibly, except sensitivity is one of the "universal" settings and not tied to a particular mode. Set sensitivity to a particular number in one mode and switch modes and the sensitivity setting does not change. So I don't think the setting increments change at all based on mode, it's simply a matter of how stable the mode is for the given environmental conditions that affects the sensitivity setting "breakpoint" where the mode becomes less stable.

You get what you pay for. A lot of compromises with the TDI, but great ergonomics (compared to GPX and ATX) and you can get the goods if know how to exploit its strengths. However, for relic hunting, it has definite drawbacks compared to the GPX 4500/4800/5000. I think if Nokta shoots for a budget but capable version of the forthcoming Garrett Axiom (similar to what they delivered in the Legend vs. the Equinox), they might find a good niche with relic hunters, beach hunters, and nugget chasers. But the question is when will it see the light of day and how many prospective buyers will not wait and jump on the Axiom bandwagon in the mean time.

I want that small coil too but I am not optimistic. XP balks at providing it because they can’t put a big enough battery in the coil body (remember the white HF coils have external connected batteries housed in the coil lower shaft). XP implies that they don’t want dive and non-dive rated coils and if an integrated coil battery is a no go for the small elliptical to enable it to be dive rated, they will not bother to produce the coil. If that turns out to be their final decision, I personally think that is a short sighted business decision because the demand would still definitely be there for a non-dive-rated small elliptical for the D2. I figure they just don’t want the hassle of dealing with the dummies who don’t pay attention, dive with the non-dive-rated elliptical and expect XP to just “make it right”. Could never get the D1/HF combo at high frequency to work stable in SALT water and I think it is important to be clear about whether one is talking salt or fresh water hunting. Anyway, whether or not XP does ever come out with a small elliptical, one thing they could easily do to improve micro gold target performance is to provide a mono frequency (4 to 40 kHz) variant of the gold field program as a companion to the SMF gold field and relic programs. If they can also push at least the 9” D2 round coil to a frequency greater than 40 kHz (say up to the mid-50’s like the 9” white coil), so much the better.

It’s surprising that such an incremental increase in sensitivity could overcome the inherent raw depth loss in Beach 2 due to the lower transmit power (to increase black sand stability) associated with that mode. Though ML has never actually quantified the magnitude of the transmit power reduction in Beach 2 (or Overload for that matter) compared to Beach 1 or the non-beach/non-gold modes (i.e., Park/Field). Can’t argue with field results, though. Dave, I’ve never known you to be someone who knowingly puts themselves at a settings “disadvantage” under real world conditions as you settle in on settings that work best for you after many hours of real world trial and error. One thing I have never really understood is what you describe as a “double hit” as a telltale for 100% ferrous targets. Does that happen with shallow/big ferrous due to coil edge sensitivity or what? (I do understand what you mean by 360 degree ferrous target breakdown). Further explanation would be helpful. Thanks.

Mr. McClendon, Humph. Anyone can just dig random holes at any trashed park and come up with a haul like that. It proves nothing about Legend’s supposed capability as a metal detector. Even a blind nut can find the occasional squirrel. You have done nothing to convince me the esteemed backyard testers with shaky GoPros have not uncovered a serious flaw with this machine. I refuse to go detecting with it until this mega issue is resolved, otherwise I will feel guilty about every illegitimate keeper I manage to stumble onto and drop into my pouch lest I feel the wrath and consequences of ill gotten gains. I do not see how you can sleep at night knowing what you know about this “can full of clad” Legend conspiracy scam you are trying to pull on the detecting community. Yours truly, Buford T. Poppycock

Welcome to the forum. The post right before yours said it was about a week turnaround time. Lots of great info here if you take the time to pour through it. Plus there's a pretty good search feature.

Read the following thread front to back and you will get up to speed - basically the Impulse AQ Limited was never offered for general public sale except through a special list so Fisher did not advertise it. The Impulse Gold might see the light of day at some point but no one is making any concrete promises... No one should really be holding their breath on this one based on how the AQ Limited paid beta program was (mis)handled by Fisher. Neither First Texas nor Fisher seem interested in a serious competitive run against other manufacturers and the recent Garrett Axiom announcement may have really taken out what little wind was left in Fisher's sails.

If it's just verdigris discoloration and/or even minor corrosion but the wire stays intact without any breaks, then it should be a non issue as they say. If it does break, you have a backup plan with a home brew replacement. If it were me, and it does break, I would pursue the warranty replacement as well. Hopefully, it just turns green and still works so you can use it on St. Patty's day. Thanks for posting the responses, Erik.

Erik, you didn't offend me...and I meant no (nor intentionally vaguely suggested any) offense to you. I just made a suggestion that you pursue it with XP rather than drop it because I think you have a legit case despite warranty mumbo jumbo and tried to explain why letting XP off the hook could have implications for others. Look I know you are probably fed up with dealing with all the D2 issues you have had to deal with so far with wonky bone phones etc., so I get you are not keen on dealing with another one. It's your call, just made the suggestion. You did the D2 users here a favor by simply pointing out the issue in the first place, you owe no one anything. You giving the D2 a thrashing is just what we need to shake out whether this is truly the Dive detector for the long haul XP says it is. So keep it up and make those reports. We'll see what comes of those emails, so thanks for doing that and it will be interesting to see how XP responds. I have my personal doubts about D2's long term reliability when being continuously exposed to submerged salt water conditions based on what has been reported by Erik and others - but even the purpose-designed and built submersible Minelab Excal II corrodes away in regular salt water usage despite judiscious fresh water rinses after dunkings. Something I'm sure you do after every dive, Erik. But even that is not going to get salt water out of every nook and cranny where rinse water can't flow freely, such as the antenna wire sheath. I agree with others, also, and have said this going back to D1, all the antenna claptrap needed to make a completely wireless system work is a PITA. There are other alternatives out there, so people have to decide if the underwater performance of D2 is worth the downside of this other stuff. I basically only go into the wash at the beach so I am not diving with mine. Given the light weight and D2 performance stability vs. Equinox under those conditions, I can live with the antenna and although I don't exclusively beach/water hunt, am just considering keeping it attached full time so as not to be caught without the ability to submerge the coil if the situation arises. As a human I have flaws and blind spots so feel free to PM me in private, Erik (or anyone else) if you have concerns. I personally am good, and have no hidden agendas, but if you're not, hopefully, they can be resolved there rather than subjecting forum members to unnecesary drama. Something Steve and I try to minimize as we have seen how it destroys other forums. But we also understand that a discussion forum by its very nature is a place where diverse opinions can be shared and discussed because that's one of the best ways people can learn and grow in this hobby. And sometimes it gets heated. So if anyone feels personally maligned or attacked, reach out to either one of us or both and we can try to help put the issue to bed. Most of the time it's just miscommunication or people reading between the lines when there's nothing there to actually read. Emoticons can only do so much to make written discourse simulate verbal debate, so assume the best rather than the worst in people if there is room to interpret the "true meaning" of a post. And if all else fails, you can always use the "ignore" feature.

That's because people seem hung up on buying and selling this stuff. Not my bag to sell or buy stuff of low intrinsic value I find in the ground. I say do what you gotta do baby, if it's all about the detector paying for itself mindset. People will obviously buy anything.

First Texas are not doing anything to try to seriously compete with anyone. Rumors of a land-based gold detecting variant of beach going AQ Limited Pulse Induction machine are out there and a minor "upgrade" of the well designed Tek-point/F-pulse pinpointer was recently fielded, but that's about it. First Texas appear content with resting on their aging existing successful designs (e.g., the F19, F70, and F75) and periodically repackaging them with new paint jobs and shuffling them through their three FT name brand product lines (Bounty Hunter, Teknetics, and Fisher). Sad, really, but would be glad if they totally surprised us. It collects dust now, but I am never going to sell my F75.

By "they" are you referring to ML or Australian gold detectorists? If ML, are you saying that ML doesn't care about Axiom competition in the US or other international markets outside of Australia? If talking about Australian detectorists, then I get it. Just worded a little ambiguously.

They're relics of history regardless of where they are found as they tell an unwritten story of human presence. Don't have to be tied to a historic battle or site (but it may mean more to a collector of such artifacts if they can be). Finding these out west is more about frontier pony soldier forts and western expansion than the Civil War and they are telltale to the presence of relic finds of potentially more collectable value such as uniform buttons, belt plates, and cartridge box plates because they represent the more personal aesthetic of the actual soldier. Frankly, I don't do detecting for money or profit, but for fun and relaxation. To me, it's an Easter egg hunt for adults and an excuse to socialize with detector nerds and history buffs (i.e., friends) who share common passions and an unlikely opportunity to perhaps find something of significant value. Nothing more, nothing less. For me its the thrill of the hunt, the culmination of research, getting together for outings with like-minded friends busting chops, and briefly holding history in your hand. Most of what I find has little monetary value over clad. I've never sold my finds. What I don't keep for scrapbook purposes I throw out or recycle as scrap. The more valuable or visually striking finds like gold coins, old silver, uniform accroutrements and rare projectile designs or those found at sites of high historic purpose (e,g., the English-made (ID-stamped) dropped, Enfield slug found in a gas station back lot in downtown Gettysburg) find their way into display cases. Others are stored in plastic bins. I primarily cherish the snapshots. My heirs will likely simply get rid of them after I'm gone. However, just like the joke on the show "The Detectorists" about selling "rare" ring pulls to dopes on eBay, people will buy just about anything. Or you can recycle any metal that isn't heavily corroded (think fishing sinkers, brass casings, etc). So if it's about money, you could certainly sell them for a couple bucks a piece on ebay by capitalizing on the historic cachet (embellishment is fair game) and recoup some cash or keep the hazardous heavy metal out of a land fill somewhere by bringing it to scrap metal reclamation center rather than just throwing them away. Get creative. You can create the mystique to make anything more interesting to a prospective collector. My hobbiest mindset is completely different mindset than the full time prospector toiling away to ultimately gain a net profit and eek out a living from from their investment of time, elbow grease, tools and machinery. That's work. Detecting for me is doing something completely opposite of work, i.e. play.

Also started this more recent thread for the latest news/updates on thie LG24...or whatever it's going to be called.

Chuck, You're looking at it from the perspective of updating sold machines. Some people are holding off buying the rigs until these known issues are addressed. Now ML might lose those potential buyers to Axiom. So, it DOES make business sense for ML to keep the 6000 updated and it CAN impact their bottom line. So there's your answer to your question "why should they[?]"

They can continue to sell it wothout having to invest in updating it, because it still sells as it does one thing better than most (or despite the fact it only does one thing well - depending on your point of view) - i.e., it reliably, accurately ID's high conductors at depth in mild soil. An expensive one trick pony that still brings in revenue to ML. Their cash cow being the Equinox and their various gold machines. But count me in as one of those folks who would like to see a CTX update built around the Multi-IQ platform.

This year I pull a Sac dollar off a deserted beach. I call that supporting my optimism that people still do stupid things like bring a dollar coin to the beach (why?!) and promptly lose it despite it being a "cashless" society now. (It was a dry sand fresh drop). Didn't think I needed to provide explanatory captions... 😎 🤑 😜 To further my case for optimism found this fake the same day

The salt beach modes on Equinox, Deus 2, and Legend (Apex doesn't have tracking) utilize Simultaneous Multifrequency and ground tracking engaged with salt sensitivity features (either manual (Deus 2) or automatic (Equinox)) to smooth out that wet salt to damp/dry sand transition point without having to fiddle with settings and with minimal impact to target sensitivity loss other than the mid-conductive micro targets near the salt GB reference point that get zeroed out anyway.

I get that you have vastly limited real estate and history in New Zealand, Simon. And natural gold is obviously disappearing without replenishment, apps have replaced coinage and currency for today's commerce, and I'm finding a lot more CZ and tungsten carbide than diamonds, gold and silver jewelry at beaches and parks. So you make good points. But on the flip side, relic and old coin hunting is still going strong in the US with plenty of untapped private lands with plenty of history (you simply have to do your research and know how to ask landowners for permissions) and UK's deep metal history in pasture land and farm fields dating back two plus millenia is still popular and productive. Climate change effects on storm intensity are causing a lot more beach erosion presenting great opportunities to recover deep old drops for the vigilant beach hunter. So I tend to be optimistically glass half full when I look at detecting's future. At least in the US and UK. As long as I am still able to stumble across a Virginia farmer's hillside full of CW bullets and buttons in 2021 and or pull a gold coin out of a Pennsylvania farm that has been pounded to death or to find Spanish silver and Colonial buttons in my friend Bob's farm permissions that have been nighthawked and cherry picked to death for silver, I'm gonna keep digging and not worry about what the future holds.

Welp. Imagine an F75 as powerful as a GPX 5000. That ain't bad. Sort of comparing apples (PI) and oranges (VLF IB) though. Axiom doesn't really have Target ID like an F75 and other than low vs. high conductor audio and the iron check feature is not really like ferrous discrimination feature on a VLF.

Ditto for me.

Erik - Yep. Per Coiltek's own marketing, they intentionally weighed it down likely for water hunters (i.e., keeping it from becoming a floating cork, see the post below). Although I think their updated website marketing of the Nox series coils now downplays the intentional excessive weighting of the 14x9 and instead calls it "robust". Regardless, making it lightweight was definitely not a design consideration. That's why, as mainly a dry land hunter it was a hard pass for me. That Coiltek Nox10x5 coil, however, is just a dream to swing on the beach or relic hunting in cornfields. That coil does not come off my Nox. I think all these Coiltek Nox coils pinpoint really well and you seem to be reaping the benefits of that characteristic with the 14x9, Erik And this is my original post in that thread racking out the specs of all 3 of the Coiltek Nox coils (including pointing out the weight issue with the 14x9) and comparing them to the Minelab Nox coils. Perhaps useful for anyone else today exploring the Coiltek coils for use...FWIW.