☠ Cipher

It was probably a couple years ago when I was interesting in testing, I got an email from marketing saying there was a big release imminent, followed by others. Never materialized. Even if true, it’s likely to neglect features we’re coming to expect like at home updates, wireless audio, pinpointer integration and so on. In the long run, if the base machine is a game changer in any way none of that will matter to me, but it may to others. I always want the best performing machines in any category, whether it has other limitations or lacks peripheral features won’t hold me back any.

I can keep a secret. How do I get Top Secret Clearance 😁? Any other machine, and I probably wouldn’t give it much of a thought, but my V3i is the centerpiece of my collection. Now that Whites is gone I’m treating it more like you would a classic car in some respects. Its fun to try to find a way in, but it kills me that it has functions I may never know about.

There are more hidden menus with hidden settings besides the factory reset and calibration. It’s a big mystery as to what they contain and how to access them. I’ve played around with some button combinations and long presses etc., but haven’t stumbled into it so far. At that time I had 3 units. Now I’m down to one and less keen on wearing out buttons or potentially getting it into the weeds. I’m looking for a spare though, especially now that Whites is out, and I’ll get back to experimenting. It’s funny to think that with all the unprecedented access to parameters whites gave us in the V3, there’s even more locked away in hidden menus. Of course, I think every machine has something like this, meant just for engineers and those servicing the units. Even the Minelab FBS machines had a hidden spectrograph. We know how to access that though I believe. It just sounded to my ear like there might have been some additional functionality that could be accessed with the V3.

Just as a follow up to the hidden menus, are we still keeping this a secret even though Whites is no longer in business and the V machines are in all likelihood out of production forever? (Worth a shot 😉)

As someone who is constantly watching the resale market, It seemed to me that even when the Safari was in production people either opted to buy a used Explorer or an Etrac. I think this is because safari lacked Fe:Co. It seemed to be a stripped down Explorer/E-trac. Most reviews I’ve seen from those who did buy one were favorable, particularly in stable target ID. The resale value continues to go down though. It used to be easy to get $500-$600 for one. Now, not so much.

One thing that has always impressed me, and which seems to be an indicator of just how complex SMF is, is the fact that to my knowledge and last I looked there’s not a single SMF DIY circuit in the wild. This tells me it’s not something just anyone can do. It takes a special kind of talent. One of the things that makes Minelab so effective at making these platforms is It’s their baby and they believe in it. They believe in it to such an extent that it’s becoming their entire VLF product line. Years ago when Garrett was dragging its feet on SMF and even recently from NM we’ve heard that SMF is not always the best solution and similar ways of minimizing the technology. If they don’t believe in it the way Minelab does, will they ensure they put everything they have into it? Idk. Reaction to the Apex seems to me to be lukewarm and not just because it’s not waterproof. It just seems like an “also ran” type of effort just to put something out there, and not something they really believed was better than current inventory. I think people are hoping for something better than Apex from NM. I just wonder if that’s possible right now, or if we will keep seeing more delays. These delays may not be like the relatively short delays of the past. Look how long this issue has had First Texas stumped and they have guys that have done this before and believe in it. Dave Johnson once thought it would completely overtake single frequency. We know Carl is enthusiastic about it. SMF is a whole different ball game. So much more can go wrong and so much more can be unforeseen, particularly if you’re not convinced you believe in it. I’m rooting for them though.

There’s a reason why many people still swing this detector and seek it out. This is a solid, well behaved machine with remarkably stable target ID. It’s a pleasure to hunt with. The SignaGraph is a useful tool that I wish today’s machines utilized. This machine is packed with features to customize search and performance patterns, yet it is simple and stable enough in factory settings that it could be handed off to a beginner. For such a remarkably stable machine it is able to detect targets at a pretty respectable depth. If you are an arsenal detectorist this is a nice addition to your collection, or if you’re new and simply want something that just works to learn and grow on, this is great. Just start from factory presets and work out from there. One piece of advice I would pass on though is look for a model near the end of production. These machines last and are still around, but the oldest models are now beginning to break down and fade at 25 years old, particularly LCD failure. If you can find one in that 2005-2010 span it should have plenty of life left in it. And as with any older whites detector be sure to check the battery compartment on any, but especially those claiming very little use or “closet queens.” This can be good as long as it wasn’t stored with a leaking battery pack. Check for corrosion hiding in the battery compartment.

Any updates on this? I bought mine on 2.77, and thought about going to 2.78 provided I could go back down to 2.77, but then I caught a video of Dilek advising not to go from 2.77 to 2.78 unless you were either new to detecting or unhappy with jumpy TID at fringe depths. Apparently 2.78 doesn’t limit the overall depth, but does limit the depth at which the machine will attempt to provide a TID. It attempts to provide one a little deeper in 2.77, which leads to a jumpy ID toward the end of its range. Newer detectorists were then reporting that the machine was unstable, particularly as compared to other entry level machines.

I agree 100%. If they could cram this into a CTX sized machine or less, I’d find a way to own one. Even if they could make it work with a phone app. Air Metal Detectors hopes to go there in the future, so NM certainly could. For a while NM had plans to sell the IPTU tracker separately for use with other machines. They seemed to have backtracked on further support for this, at least for now. I like the idea. For now it remains more of a utility for commercial and archeological purposes. Out of the reach of a lot of treasure hunters. update 9-8-21: In an interview with an Italian podcaster Dilek confirmed the company is looking at ways to make the platform accessible/affordable to hobbyists.

I’d be interested in some of those products if they were in black. There was a time where I was into camo, but grew tired of it. It’s also looked upon unfavorably among many detectorists, being associated with stealth hunting and night hawking. This is particularly true in the UK. It couldn’t hurt to have some color options anyway.

I already have what many would consider most of the best detectors on the market, but NM keeps putting out deals that are difficult to resist. From the moment it was announced I knew I would eventually grab one. For people like me, whether or not you hold onto it is about managing expectations. I don’t like to use the word “hype,” but this machine has seen a lot of it, and if you have a machine like the equinox, Anfibio etc and you’re expecting that much depth out of it, you’ve been slightly mislead. I did a lot of research prior to purchase and my expectations were that depth would be somewhere in between the AT Pro and the F-75. That’s nothing to scoff at, and I wasn’t disappointed that way. My opinion is you’re looking at upper mid to lower high end depth if that makes sense to you. Not bad at all for $254 (or buy for around $200 used at this point) I think this machine is a keeper no matter what you have or where you are in the hobby. There are always situations where you might not want to take a $1,000-$2,500 machine. After the Equinox and CTX breaches I really wanted a machine I’m not afraid to dunk in fresh water swimming holes. This fit the bill and I have to say I’m a fan of the vibration feature and also the built in LED feature for lighting up underwater and at night when it’s cooler to detect in the summer time. The Simplex is a great backup or spare. It’s also great to just get out and have some fun with a powerful but very simple machine on a nice day, on a rainy muddy day, or in the water. In park 2 this is a super fast machine. But again, manage expectations. Don’t expect a Deus or ORX. Definitely invest in the 5.5x9.5 inch coil if separation is important to you. The machine also seems to behave a little better with this coil. It will be exciting to see what other coils come out for this. I would imagine a 13” coil or larger would boost depth up even further up into higher end territory. If you’re completely new to the hobby or will be lending it to someone completely new, be careful not to try to max it out at first. Knock sensitivity down a couple notches. Just focus on recovering some shallow(er) targets and making nice plugs. This can make the difference between buying a closet queen and giving up in frustration or motivating yourself to continue on. Maybe even have someone, or learn, to set it up to cherry pick for a while. It made all the difference for me and nearly 10 years later I’m as enthusiastic as I ever was. I like the build quality and aesthetic look of this machine. It goes to show that you don’t have to make a big heavy monstrosity to be waterproof and premium looking. I like that NM took pride in their design on a $254 machine that looks better than another $950 machine I have. Some guys think there’s a little too much flex in the bottom shaft and I agree. I can live with a bit of flex but some guys may want to invest in the carbon fiber aftermarket lower shaft. The only other criticism I would offer, and I may be wrong on this, but it seems the mineralization meter is either off on this machine or the F-75. On this machine I have 0-2 bar dirt. On F-75 I had 2-3 bar dirt. Can’t both be right or perhaps they are meant to measure differently. Lastly, I love Apple products because of the continuity and coherence of one platform working seamlessly with the next in their walled garden. NM is building toward that. The machine works with their wireless headphones, and so does their Pulse Dive pinpointer in either configuration. I would only like to see more integration with the machine in the future, and something tells me we may.

Pinger, anything you can do to protect the screen, provided it doesn’t hurt functionality, is a good idea, just based on future resale value alone. Oddly enough it’s something most detectorists seem to look at when deciding if they want to buy a used detector. I confess I’m one of those guys. It’s not that I won’t buy one with scratches on the screen area, but it affects the value in my head and make me itch even after I buy lol. I was able to score a simplex with wireless headphones for half of retail because the previous owner knew he didn’t take care of his screen. If he had, he’d have gotten more for it for sure.

Pretty sharp looking detector man!

At 1:20-1:30 sounds like they’ve got you covered. Sounds like they will probably at least have the Bounty Hunter Time Ranger Pro covered too. I’d hope the BH LRP/Teknetics Liberator too because that’s a good performing machine and was very popular. I think it looks good overall. I’m more dubious about the wedge shape, but I liked the look of the SEF coils so I can get on with something like this. I’m glad to hear it’s more solid than it looks. That’s one thing that worried me on first sight. It sounds like I should’ve tried some aftermarket coils before parting with the F75. Having no point of comparison I just assumed it was good enough. I was still fairly green in those days, so coming from prior machines up to that point the F75 was a beast with any coil. If my budget weren’t so tight in the early days I would probably still have an F-75. Back then I had to get rid of one to get another one. These days things are better and I buy anything I think is a super good deal.

I can’t complain about the original 11x7. I’m one of those that think it looks pretty sharp on just about any of the First Texas machines. I don’t really have a point of comparison performance wise though. My Land Ranger Pro and F75 LTD Both came with it and never got to use any others. On the LTD it seemed to do its job. It hit crazy deep targets. I never took those machines in the water. One of the reasons I left the F-75 behind was I spend a good share of my summer in water nearly every day I can and wanted something waterproof even if I lost some depth. I probably place more of a premium on aesthetics than the average detectorist, but if that was the attempt, it failed to my eye. Disrupts the symmetry, and if it does nothing for performance, does nothing for looks either. In any case, it kind of reminds me of the Detech SEF coils without the cross supports. Aesthetics aren’t everything though I guess. Obviously not if I use an equinox and CTX, two fugly machines in my opinion. one overdone and the other underdone. Aesthetically, I’m more of an F-75 and V3i kind of guy. Simplex also payed attention to details Equinox didn’t.

If I could only have just one machine in that price range that could get wet it would be Equinox, preferably the 800. A whole lot of detectors have passed through my hands. Equinox has been one of only a hand full of keepers. The guys are 100% right on trash to treasure ratio. I also have a Whites V3i and CTX-3030; two of the best discriminators ever made. I still have to dig an awful lot of trash in the gold range, and while not as much in the silver range, still plenty more than anyone would like. Those machines are perfect examples of it not mattering how much you spend, there’s no getting around all the trash.

According to the comments on this, the first of next month

Check this coil out. Thought of this post when I saw it.

Apparently this information has been out there for a while as this video is about a month old. Check out this unique coil for the F-75 “…and a new machine we are going to be coming out with.” Of course it struck me later that maybe he could’ve been talking about the Impulse AQ, but you’d think he would’ve made that distinction as it was sitting right there next to the F-75, and has already been released in a LTD capacity.

It’s a pretty safe bet that a high end multi-IQ variant is in the works, and there are hints that it’s in the beginning stages of testing/development, but there’s nothing to indicate it will be in the hands of the public any time soon. Personally, I consider the equinox to be a high end product performance wise. It’s the build that needs some work/pride, and some visual discrimination tools like CTX as well. In terms of build I think Minelab could take cues from Simplex where pride is taken in the aesthetics no matter the price point. Every machine has had its build quality issues, even Simplex, but aesthetics matter, to me at least.

Who among you has experienced a coil ear breakage? Among those who have experienced a coil ear breakage, how many use or have used the coil/machine under water? I ask because I’m wondering if the added pressure of resistance under the water is the primary cause of breakage (aside from obvious design flaw). I use mine under water occasionally but haven’t had a breakage yet, and trying to avoid one until I buy a coil ear stiffener. Being aware of this issue I try not to over tighten too.

That’s exciting news too. I’d like to see a ridiculously huge coil for it. Once in a while I experiment with larger and/or deeper targets and once in a blue moon it works out to be something worth the dig. I have to play games with myself in spots I’ve cherry picked. I’ll go back with goals in mind I otherwise wouldn’t have, like to dig the first 5-10 signals no matter what they are, and/or dig one apparently deep target.

It took me so long to get a CTX-3030 that I’m half happy that it’ll remain where it is for another year. Truth be told I could’ve bought one sooner, but felt other machines were more important to have first, like equinox. Now having both, I’m split between wanting to enjoy being at the top of the line for a little while, yet, wanting to see a CTX with Multi-IQ. CTX-3030s still seem to be in demand, so it might take a significant drop off in sales to motivate them to wrap it up. Pretty sure that Tom Dankowski indicated he’s testing or helping development in some way with the next generation for Minelab, so unless I’ve misinterpreted him there’s working prototypes in the wild, but seemed to be in very early stages going by how he’s talking. It’s all a bit cryptic so don’t hold me to it. Im surprised the equinox hasn’t hurt CTX sales more than it has. In some ways it’s more capable than CTX. If I had to choose one of the two it would be tough, but not if I were paying retail. When I was in that situation I chose equinox. I just didn’t and don’t see the $2,500 price tag. I payed $1,100 for the machine and its accessories. Then for $250 more I bought the 13x17 coil and grey ghost waterproof headphones. I’m very happy at those prices, but not much more. I think it helps that Gary Drayton used one on Oak Island. Now everyone watching wants one or has bought one. That was the story behind mine and I see it come up again and again. Im going to speculate that even when the CTX with Multi-IQ comes out it won’t discontinue the CTX-3030. Either sit along side it as a different top of the line animal or drop it down a notch, but my gut tells me it will hang around a while more as long as parts remain available.

Looks like the new SP35 12.5”x13.5” coil is about to become available in the US according to Big Boys Hobbies. It’s been available in the UK for a bit now. Looks like a coil I might like to have. I grew very fond of the Detech Ultimate 13 for my V3i, and considered one for Simplex, but can’t get past the white color. Instantly I become annoyed at white coils for black machines and wonder what on earth for…. Anyway, that’s my own OCD issue. The SP35 looks like a reasonable alternative. Who else is considering it, and why?

I can’t speak for every dealer of course, but usually the customer base Bob has is either experienced and engaged, or under the tutelage of someone experienced and engaged. Experienced and engaged people generally are looking for features or a combination of features that you may find spread out across a product line, but not usually in one machine. Waterproof, wireless, multifrequency and/or multiple selectable frequencies, light and portable, updatable software. Fisher has some of these features, but spread out across the product line, and others haven’t so far been embraced. Everyone makes or has made a good single frequency dry land machine. It’s now down to features that enhance user experience and offering a range of frequencies has made do it all machines more effective and versatile.