sdbirder

I found the file on my old PC. Here it is if anybody needs it. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j552ccy47xAoh_Rv4dbIQb3TcuEOh9jx/view?usp=sharing BTS_Pro_6_9_5_LL.exe 1.15 MB (1,209,725 bytes) SHA256: 605D55D8235B1E85AF301A7FB1E0A792B7187171A8C7470CB08D9843893E0320 I also put in a tech support request, so they may send me a new & improved update file.

Does anyone have the BTS_Pro_6_9_5_LL.exe firmware update file? I just got a backup pair of headphones, but checked the original Dropbox link and it's now dead (404) ☹️ If someone could post a Dropbox or Google drive link, that would be great!

I was having a relatively slow morning detecting at La Jolla Shores Beach in San Diego today, about $1 in clad and a euro coin when a young woman came up asking for help finding a ring. She was frantic and her husband was second guessing, saying it must be at home and asking when was the last time she saw it? She kept insisting it was here right here, next to the seawall. With just a couple swipes of my Equinox 800/15" coil I had it in the scoop. She was ecstatic and gave me a big hug. I've always dreamt of finding a big expensive engagement ring whilst detecting. I've gotten a few gold bands but nothing like this! I obviously didn't get to keep it, but it seemed to bring some good karma to the day and I found two large silver rings shortly afterward. She insisted on getting my info and address so I might be getting a reward or thank you letter later. Here's a couple pics of the expensive ring, the happy owner and the two silvers I got afterward.

Here are the weights I captured of the whole detector with a calibrated A&D balance. Equinox 800 11" Coil: 1320g, 2.91 lb Equinox 800 15" Coil: 1485g , 3.274 lb Difference: 165g, 5.82 oz, 0.3638 lb My detector is a little dirty from a recent gold prospecting trip to the AZ desert, so the values may be slightly high. I didn't check for dirt under the 11" coil/cover, 15" is new and unused.

I got mine this week from Amazon. I kept the Amazon search bookmarked "EQX 15 Double-D Smart Coil", checked it regularly, it popped up and I pounced on it. Also, do searches using the part number: 3011-0335.

I've had a similar problem at a beach I like, making my Equinox almost unusable. It was a cellular phone tower. It got better as I moved further down the beach away from it. Another thing you may want to try is putting your phone in airplane mode and see if that helps.

I'd also say a 600 as well. Excellent value and only missing a few modes that most will never use. In my case when the wife and I go detecting, I get stuck with the old AT Pro and she get's the newest lightweight machine. Mainly because she's not used to swinging a detector regularly, so the lighter the better just to keep up. I may get a 600 just for this too.

I've noticed when I transition from submerged saltwater to bone dry beach my ground balance will shoot up into the 50-70's until the coil drys up. My quandary, should I trust this reading or manually set it at what I know the dry beach is (usually is 0 to 7)? I've tried both and it doesn't seem to matter much, but then there's always the fear of missing something due to an incorrect setting and I just wanted to confirm the best practice. Thanks in advance!

Now that the six-inch coils have hit the streets has anyone heard of an ETA for the Minelab Equinox 15" Double-D Smart Coils? This is what I'm really looking forward to! Thanks!

They sent a follow-up email asking how things were going and Emily's response didn't make any sense? Probably a copy and paste response. ---------- From: sdbirder Date: Fri, Jun 8, 2018 at 4:14 PM To: 66 Audio Support <support@66audio.com> Overall its working good with the aptX LL firmware. Occasionally it'll freeze up when I try listening to music on my phone or pc. Hooking it up to the charger snaps it out of the freeze. Please let me know if you release any further refined aptX LL firmware. Thanks, sdbirder ---------- From: 66 Audio Support <support@66audio.com> Date: Mon, Jun 11, 2018 at 11:48 AM To: sdbirder Hi sdbirder, Thanks for your message. We currently have no plans to support LDAC or aptX-HD. We’ve thoroughly ran audio listening tests and groups and the difference between our current aptX and aptX HD was non-existent. BTS Pro and PRO Voice uses the latest generation of Qualcomm aptX as well as our own 66 SoundEngine DSP which further enhances the audio profiles in numerous ways. Additionally, the headphones use very unique and high-end stereo drivers with optimal frequency response curves and low THD for the best listening experience. Let us know if you have any more questions. Best, Emily O. 66 Audio Support support@66audio.com M-F 10am - 8pm PST

The person who sent me the firmware was Caroline B. I had another exchange with an Emily O., who appeared clueless and just copied and pasted a long blurb about no plans to support LDAC or aptX-HD, and audio listening tests and groups and the difference between our current aptX and aptX HD was non-existent. I'd give it one more try and put ATTN Caroline B. Unfortunately I don't have her direct email, just support@66audio.com. If that doesn't work Amazon has great return policies. Good luck!

I'd definitely contact their support at support@66audio.com. They should be able to send you a firmware to enable aptX-LL. Here's what they sent me, might even work on your unit. Here's an update from our team! Please click this link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xqspc65hb2lcyas/BTS_Pro_6_9_5_LL.exe?dl=0 1. Connect headphones to a PC 2. Hold "<<" "66" and ">>” buttons until the LEDs turn off 3. Run the update, press y This should enable aptX LL on your unit. Let me know if I can help out with anything else!

Did the Pro Voice model sync up ok with aptX-LL on the Equinox? I've been so swamped with my wedding, honeymoon, more traveling, a cold, etc... I haven't had a chance to take them on a nice long detecting session. I FINALLY got to take mine out for a six-hour beach session on Sunday. They didn't miss a beat, never disconnecting like the WM 08 wireless audio module does. They were loud and clear in the knee-deep surf and VERY comfortable with a sun hat and sunglasses. Easy to take on and off during breaks. I absolutely LOVE mine.

Congrats!

I have an older set of wired Bose QuietComfort 15 noise-canceling travel headphones and stumbled onto a clever, low profile Bluetooth upgrade for them. I just bought the BTunes Wireless Bluetooth Adapter on Amazon for $59 a couple weeks ago. They sound GREAT, have a better than the advertised battery life of 10+ hours (I'm on 12 hours now), easy to charge and best of all they sync up with my Minelab Equinox 800 in AptX low latency mode!!! I got the Bluetooth upgrade specifically for air travel but I figured some of you may want to know about this. Highly recommended! https://thebtunes.com/

Definitely not cheap, but around the same price as the ML 80's. Plenty of aptX LL offerings out there but I searched high and low and these were the only aptX LL I could find in stock that have the backphone design which are almost identical to the Deus WS4's. The 100 foot range should also eliminate any dropouts.

I'm a former XP Deus user and have been searching around for aptX LL headphones similar to my old Deus WS4 wireless backphones so that I can wear sunhats. I purchased the 66 AUDIO BTS Pro's last week and was pretty disappointed after syncing them up to the Equinox 800 and no aptX LL!!! I contacted their tech support and didn't hear anything for a couple of days. I boxed them up to return to Amazon and just as I was heading out the door to the UPS Store I received an email from them saying "We will send over a manual firmware update in 1-2 days to resolve the aptX-LL issue." Two days later (today) I got the firmware update. The update went smoothly on my PC, I synced up to the Equinox 800 and aptX LL now works GREAT!!! I tested them out around my garden and they're awesome. If anyone needs the firmware update file without having to wait four days send me a PM. These headphones sound great, loud, are comfortable and have some pretty impressive specs with a 40 hour battery and 100 foot range. https://www.66audio.com/bts-pro https://www.amazon.com/66-AUDIO-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headphones/dp/B01M8M4R7K

Heads up for anyone still needing an 800 Cabela's has them back in stock. Ships directly from manufacturer. Please allow 4 to 7 business days for delivery. https://www.cabelas.com/product/MINELAB-EQUINOX-MTL-DETE/2671944.uts

Here's a pic of my smallest saltwater gold find yet on the EQX 800. It took a while to recover as it kept falling through my scoop. Earring back, acid tested at 10k, .13 grams. VDI was 1 on Beach 1, 50 tones. I was amazed. I keep digging the VDI ones in hopes for a gold chain. Calculated Scrap Gold Value: $2.32

Did you try a factory reset?

Update. I tried out my new TROND BT-RX S Bluetooth receiver today. It worked well and synced up using aptX LL. It was even smaller than expected, about half the size of a Zippo lighter. My only complaint was difficulty adjusting to a comfortable volume with two volume controls, most of the time it was too loud. After 3 hours on the beach I switched to the WM 08 with my new frontside paracord necklace and it worked out great!!! With only one volume control on the EQX it was easy to set a comfortable volume. No dropouts! I kinda feel like a dummy as the EQX manual directly addressed my original problem. I guess that's the problem with making a really user friendly device, some people just don't RTFM (read the frickin' manual)... "Attach the WM 08 to the same side of your body as the detector to ensure the most reliable wireless signal." I'll probably stick with the WM 08 now, with better battery life and lower latency. I'm sure I'll find a good home for the TROND around my shack.

There's a video where a guy is test detecting a small chain in saltwater and his buddy's Excalibur II doesn't see it. His VDI was only a 1, after seeing this video I now dig all targets at the beach. Two weeks ago I found a tiny 2 grain 10k earring back at the beach, VDI 1. It took several minutes to find as it kept falling through my scoop. The Equinox 800 is also 6/10 the price.

This is what I ended up getting. A lot of the aptX low latency earbuds and receivers only had 6 hours battery life. 6 hours is about the maximum I'd be out detecting, but after the battery gets older I'm sure it would be less than that. This one does 10 hours and had some really good reviews. It's about the size of a Zippo lighter. TROND BT-RX S on $20 Amazon

A combination of both. They need to keep the power low for battery life/regulatory reasons and 2.4GHZ isn't the best penetrator. Penetration gets worse as you go higher in frequency. The newer 5GHZ Wi-Fi band (802.11ac) can only penetrate a couple walls and it slows significantly. In my case I'm getting saturated with 100W+ of Verizon's LTE Band 4 (2.147GHZ) at 150 feet away. It makes for great call quality, but not so good for detectors. The one at the beach Sunday was Verizon too. Life in the big city... Never had any problems with my Deus. I think they mesh the headphones and controller together so it's not really an issue to keep one on your backside.

Being an amateur radio operator I did a little more digging, opening up the unit (yes, I know). The WM 08 antenna is located in the front, underneath where it says: "WM 08". It can be seen while illuminating the board with a flashlight. Behind the antenna is a fairly large, flat Li-ion battery which would act as a shield in the direction of the clip, especially in 2.4GHZ ISM band. Sure enough I had the unit facing outwards in my CamelBak pocket, radiating away from my detector. Solution, I made a paracord necklace so it'll be at my front, closer to the detector and facing the right direction. Trying it around the house worked good. I heard a couple short dropouts, but I'm in close proximity to a high power cell site and it was 99% overall. Here's some photos. Antenna is underneath the white area on the circuit board.