Rick K - First Member

I got so excited and watching it I didn’t even notice that they have changed to a straight shaft and it looks like the shaft surface treatment is changed as well

It arrived yeaterday late afternoon. Just unboxed it - will edit the VERY short video I made and get it up today. Meanwhile here’s a teaser - if you saw pictures of the prototype, you might notice that there is an new mode “volcanic sand” and that the SAT knob is now marked ATS (it’s a Fisher thing) and the Iron Mask knob is now marked Reject

In all this discussion, it ought to be remembered that the AQ is very tightly focused on recovering gold jewelry at salt beaches. That doesn’t mean that it will not be useful for other applications, but to the extent it may prove not ideal for those, the answer will be that tight focus and optimization for a purpose means that other purposes may not be as well served.

We will have to differ on our opinions about s shafts vs straight ones. I found the balance excellent on the prototypes I handled. As far as your iron “chunks”. Detecting gold beneath iron depends on several factors includingthe size of the gold, it’s purity, the distance between them and the mass of the iron. The video will probably go on my Vimeo site and them a link will be provided to view it.

The discrimination function of the AQ works by comparing two samples of the return signal at different points in time from the cut off of the pulse. Targets which are present in the first sample but gone in the second are (in the iron ID modes only) marked as “high conductors”. MInd you, there is more than the type of metal, but also its mass, shape etc. involved. It is quite different from target ID in a VLF system based on phase shift of the returned signal. Now if you haven’t dozed off reading all of that...the short answer is that silver coins in the iron ID mode would likely be ID’s along with iron. But there is an all metal mode and silver hits just fine there (along with nails, bolts, etc.) The skill of using this detector will be in adapting its modes to the targets and ground environment you are detecting in.

Sorry, I have no solid info on the coils except that there seem to be more than one, perhaps several. One of Alexandre’s key skills is building high performance PI coils - he has done this for a number of “legacy” PI detectors. Only problem is that. Hand built coil on an engineers test bench can’t always easily be transformed into a high performance, low failure rate mass produced coil in a factory.

Happily, the connectors are stock industrial items - not proprietary.

The land version - “Terra” will be the “Fisher Impulse XXXX”. It is well along in hardware and software development apparently and so it seem reasonable to HOPE that it will appear in 2020.

Chase you are correct, but I added a bit to the post just now. ”All of this has no effect in the all metal position of the mode knob. So, it remains to be seen how useful the AQ will be for relic hunters. All metal performance will quite possibly exceed the GPX series of PI and the fact that many ferrous objects are valuable historical relics may make it a very useful tool at places like Culpepper. P.S. The details of Exactly how the AQ’s GB system works are still a mystery to me and if Alexandre explained it in detail, I’m not sure I would be allowed to share the “secret formula”!

Mark, I replied to Chase’s post you quoted, but re-reading my reply, I see I didn’t really answer his question. “What are the AQ limitations if used for relic hinting in highly mineralized soil like Culpepper VA?” Mark, you added your experience with the TDI. I’ll try agin - and address both of the posts at once The AQ penetrates mineralized soils containing high degrees of magnetite - beyond the top levels in a readout like on the F75. So it’s depth performance in Culpepper dirt should be excellent - exceeding the TDI by virtue of its greater power and far greater sensitivity due to extremely quiet circuitry. Where it differs from the TDI is that the GB system in the TDI divides high and low signal persistence targets (I didn’t say conductors for a reason) on either side of the “balance point” set via the GB control. The reason I didn’t say conductors is that it is not only conductivity of the target, but its mass, ratio of surface area to mass, and I believe shape which influence where the target return falls on either side of the balance point. Having gone to some pains to not say high and low conductors in the above sentences, we’ll just say high and low conductors in the rest of this piece - it’s a simpler term. The TDI’s Gb system established a kind of “Hole” in the response at the balance point so that the ground is not heard. The major result of this GB system is that, along with the production of two tones (one above and one below the GB point) the TDI allows you to switch off one of the tones or hear both. This can be valuable allowing the unmasking of, for example silver coins under nails, etc. The Impulse is a two channel machine, and the GB system works differently. There are no “holes” around an established GB setting and no way to hear only high conductors. The only GB adjustment is marked “Iron Mask” and the use of it ID’s (either by tone or by muting) high conductors when the mode knob is in the “tone” or “mute” positions. Because of some clever stuff Alexandre Tartar and his team have done to avoid a hole around a GB point, iron as well as targets more “conductive” than let’s say brass (or so) are then muted or give a low tone. The cool part of this system is that a low conductor - gold jewelry in the best case is heard as if the iron isn’t there. The bad part is that the silver coins and probably “plates” (because of their size) are gone too! All of this has no effect in the all metal position of the mode knob. So, it remains to be seen how useful the AQ will be for relic hunters. All metal performance will quite possibly exceed the GPX series of PI and the fact that many ferrous objects are valuable historical relics may make it a very useful tool at places like Culpepper. P.S. The details of Exactly how the AQ’s GB system works are still a mystery to me and if Alexandre explained it in detail, I’m not sure I would be allowed to share the “secret formula”!

Will do. the faceplate “look” is changed, I am told. Also there is a new Volcanic Sand mode which I know little about. The battery question is very important. To make world-wide shipment simpler, they have (I am told) for a Nimh pack instead of a lithium. It will be interesting to see what the run time is.

Thanks, LT, but we have lots of pools here - heated in the winter. I didn’t get picked because I am the worlds best or most successful beach hunter. It was probably because I have been keenly interested in PI detector development for 15 years or so, following Eric Foster’s machines, sold in the US by Mr. Bill, the Whites DF PI, the TDI from the earliest rumors that Whites had acquired the Foster design and that Carl Moreland had gone there as Chief Engineer - I owed a DFPI and owned several TDI’s, ML Gp2100, SDS, Garret ATX. Two and a half years ago I was told that Fisher had acquired the Manta project and it’s development team. I had been following the Manta for a year or two before that one Carl Moreland’s Geotec forum. Interestingly, this is where Carl first became aware of Alexandre Tartar and the Manta and that is what led to Fisher acquiring/hiring the project. So, my plan is to wring out this PI as a detector. Sensitivity, threshold stability, depth on standardized targets in different soil conditions. Likely a trip to San Diego or higher up the SoCal coast after New Years. I am reasonably sure I can find some folks who want to play with my new machine. Dilek is a very talented and effective marketing executive and I’m sure she has better things to do than to send me mermaids - or whatever. I had prototype AQ machines at the beach in San Diego in October 2018 and in Norway in June this year. I know what it can do in salt water and black sand in San Diego 17-18” on a nickel when my Equinox could mange 7 - 8”.

I will take that as my first assignment - being in an unusual position - only AQ “in the wild” and no restrictions talking about it - as a device. There is no NDA attached. I do have some information based on 2.5 years or so of communicating with FTP about the program and I leave it to them to decide how and what of their proprietary info to share - but having said all that, my own interaction, experience and conclusions from handling a device which I own outright are mine to share as I see fit. As far as differences from prototypes, I have handled two - both for short periods - a couple of days. One in October 2018 which I took to San Diego and used a bit here in Gold Canyon and one in June this year which I had for a couple of days in Norway. The production machine, as far as I am informed is somewhat further developed, but I am not sure how relevant what I remember from the protos will be by comparison.

Chase. The Impulse platform is currently developed first for gold jewelry at salt beaches - it works fine in other situations but is sharply optimized for the beach. The “Terra” is the same basic PI platform but highly optimized for prospecting and nugget hunting. It will be along a bit later. Perhaps a generalized Relic model will follow as well

Per a conversation I had today with Tim Mallory - VP of marketing and sales at Fisher/First Texas - I am apparently “customer zero” for the AQ. For reasons of copyright protection (which I don’t understand) it was important to sell exactly 1 Fisher Impulse AQ in calendar year 2019. I guess because I am a PITA, I was invited to be it. It had to be a bona fide sale, so I am paying for it - cheerfully. Can’t discuss the price because that may or may not equal the eventual launch price. I am told it will ship Monday. Since I figured that I was “in the catbird seat” I asked them to include a Fisher cap to replace the one I lost a while back. My nearest US beach is in San Diego and I have no time to drive there soon. I will be doing an “unboxing” video and some stuff of using it inland here in Gold Canyon AZ - where there is no gold. Imay borrow some of my wife’s “minor” bits to practice with however.

Reg’s mods on my TDI made the threshold very smooth. Worth doing

No release date has been announced and it would not surprise me if they haven’t decided yet. LE.JAG will know when Fisher announces it, if he has any “inside” info, I am sure he will respect that it is competition sensitive information and keep it to himself - just like I would. It is coming - when - nobody who knows will say and anyone who says, doesn’t know.

I expect lots of folks will be surprised when they try the AQ on inland sites. Not only for gold nuggets with the option for iron ID, but for deep targets in rotten ground like Culpepper VA - where PI’s are now the choice of serious Civil War Relic hunters.

A good user manual is a joy to use - a bad one is hell on earth. It’s tough to walk the line between what is necessary and useful and what just adds bulk and confusion. Tech writers get paid good money to do this well. A supplementary book - full of background on where the detector came from and how PI’s differ from VLF - going on to info developed from usage in the field - those are also valuable, but very different than the user manual.

Somebody with access to early hardware would have to write it. There are several folks out there with a track record of producing “early books”. Andy S is an example of this.

The Andy S. plant visit story is apparently not true. Production units are being manufactured. I have no idea how many or at what rate. A spring launch is expected (by me at least!).

Responsible national scale sellers of high demand equipment like new models of cameras, etc. accept pre-orders for newly announced items. They do NOT bill the buyer’s credit card until the item ships. The will automatically ship the item when you become first in line and the item is available. For this reason they may put a “hold” of the price of the order on your credit card so that they are guaranteed that the funds will be available when they do ship.

About the sales tax. Per a Supreme Court Decision last year - any state can impose rules which determine whether an out of state seller has done enough business in a state to have created a “nexus” in that state. If this occurs, the seller must register for sales tax in the state, collect it from customers and then report and pay the tax to the state. Allmost all states have now passed enabling legislation and the determining factor is usually the annual total gross sales by the seller into the state in question. Most limits are $100k/yr, but some are as low as $10k a year. It an AQ ends up costing $2500, 4 sales would take the seller to the limit in that state!!

Dew - in answer to your... ”It concerns me when someone says we have made it quieter and lesssensitivity to ground effects. Did we dumb it down to do this?”” The answer is no. Careful refinement of circuitry and software result in a performance gain

Teknetics Direct has the Patriot (a re-badged Fisher F70), a Tek-point pinpointer and a pretty good digging tool for $399. You need to put in a discount code, but you can get a list to choose from by state - or you can use mine 1485 https://www.tekneticsdirect.com/products/promotions