Dubious

Ah, Phrunt, but you've got all that beautiful scenery and gold within easy reach, and you don't even have to worry about snakes. I think I'd trade you the taxes, duties and shipping for that. . . But I hear you. It does seem strange that Whites can't find a metal detector dealer in New Zealand willing to carry its line. Ridge Runner, don't forget the Equinox 600, which is priced lower than the MX Sport and Multi Kruzer, I believe. The Equinox, at least in the 600, probably offers the most bang for the buck of the three, but users of the Multi Kruzer may disagree.

Quite a run up, all right. But the gold machines (and whatever is happening in the gold fields) probably also had something to do with it, as a lot of Minelab's profit lies there. Although I might prefer it to be an American company, I have to give Minelab credit for pushing the envelope with its VLF/PI machines, even though some models (those lacking real competition) appear outrageously overpriced.

I think the Equinox is the dual multifrequency metal detector. It has 5 available frequencies, and apparently transmits in 2 of them at a time, determined by the mode selected. If you meant hybrid--multifrequency VLF together with PI or something else--well, anything is possible and there are rumors of things coming, but I'm not going to hold my breath waiting.

Oh, I agree; the Nox works just as well as it did and I will enjoy it just as much, although I am irritated that Minelab misled us on the technology. But it is fun to speculate about some of the technicalities and to hear what others (who often know more than I do) have to say. As for the competition, though, is the Nox really selling that much better than other detectors in its price range? A lot of people really seem to like the Multi Kruzer, for instance, and the other manufacturers also have popular mid-priced machines. Also, many probably buy the Nox because it is wireless and waterproof in a svelte package. Multi-frequency machines probably are the future of VLF, but we're not entirely there, yet--not even as much as I had earlier thought with the Nox :)

Alluminati, ok, I missed that--more shades of FBS--although it is hard to see how unamplified harmonics could be enough here. As for the waveforms, I think we're both going to have to look for Geotech's screen shots. I'm not an engineer, but I think he's right that you can't voltage couple the signal.

Well, then, we need a detector with multiple frequencies, that uses 3 of them at a time, that has modes that can cover everything from deep silver to the smallest gold :) As for dividing the power, I had (apparently mistakenly) thought that the Equinox overcame the problem by transmitting bursts of sine waves at each frequency, each burst after the other. That is, five time slices, one for each frequency, so each burst of sine waves could be at full power, with the sequence repeating. But maybe this "sequential" approach wouldn't give the same multi-frequency effect.

LowTide, as I said, I took the phrase "obsoletes all single-frequency detectors" to be mere advertising puffery, not a statement of fact. But if you consider it a statement of fact, you can argue that it is true, in at least one sense. Even if Minelab deceived us about the Equinox using five frequencies simultaneously, it still selects 2 of 5 frequencies depending on the mode, allowing it to do the jobs of several single-frequency machines--all the way from using its lowest frequency to hunt deep silver to using its highest to find small gold. In that sense, in terms of flexibility it does "obsolete" a machine with only one frequency at its disposal. Much the same can be said for the Multi Kruzer with its user-selectable frequencies.

I think we're all more pragmatist than not. But, I'm mystified as to why Minelab even saw the need to mislead. I don't mind puffery--"obsoletes all single frequency detectors," "our machine is the best," etc.--but suggesting the Equinox is something new because it uses five frequencies "simultaneously" makes a specific claim. My cynical suspicion is that Minelab probably did try to do five frequencies simultaneously but somewhere during development found there just wasn't going to be enough horsepower under the hood (cpu speed, etc.) to do the processing effectively in anything approaching real-time, and had to reduce the number to two. Of course, this raises the question as to the degree (if any) that performance is curtailed as a result. Minelab itself states there is an advantage in using multiple frequencies because that produces more data points to analyze. Well, the Equinox still works, still has modern features, and still provides bang for the buck. But, Multi-Q now appears even more like FBS than it did. The main difference between it and FBS, which also apparently uses two fundamental frequencies at a time, may turn out to be that it just has a few higher fundamental frequencies from which to choose, allowing it to do better on some lower conductors.

Thanks, I'll find and read those threads.

Dan, I believe Surprise is not far from Morristown, AZ, where Nuggetshooter aka Bill Southern has a detector shop. He posts videos of his exploits with the Goldmonster on Youtube, and organizes events, and should be a good source of information for your area.

A decent coil. I have one on my Cibola.

So you saw only two frequencies for each mode? What method did you use for coupling the signal? Did you take any screen shots? I suppose two selected frequencies might do a pretty good job in each category, but disappointing (and puzzling) that Minelab would mislead so blatantly.

Read it somewhere. I believe the explanation was that in all modes the Equinox transmits a sinewave in each of the five frequencies in turn, repeating the sequence over and over; and that the mode determines how the received signals are processed. Seems to make sense from an engineering point of view. If this is in doubt, it's a question someone with a multi-trace oscilloscope (which I lack at present) should easily be able to answer.

Isn't it established that the Nox always transmits 5 frequencies, and that the mode just determines how the received signals are processed and the frequencies weighted?

Good that Fisher stands behind its products. It also promptly replaced my F-Pulse with one that works properly.

12,000 to 3 million is quite a spread, but I suppose they'll soon have it pinned down. Well, a bit larger and we wouldn't be around to worry about things...

Ah, yes, that makes sense. Sorry, Buzzard, haven't seen those advertised separately. But, they must be available, as they are being supplied with one of the 24k packages. If the dealer from which you purchased the 24k can't sell you the 6" coil, you can probably get it directly from Whites. https://www.whiteselectronics.com/contact-us/

A very interesting thread that I had earlier somehow missed. Lots of good information and comments. Given the pricing of PI vs VLF machines and the ability of VLF machines to find small gold the PI detectors miss, VLF machines will probably remain in the game. Of course, some hardcore professional gold hunters, who have access to places with big, deep nuggets and do it as a living, may find that they do better time-wise using only PI detectors; but, that's really a different game. It will be interesting to see whether the dedicated VLF gold detectors can compete against the Equinox, which is shaping up to be the ultimate "cross over" machine. The dedicated machines were designed for gold hunting and offer features geared to gold hunting. But, if the Equinox's mix of frequencies proves able to do the work of two gold machines--finding the smallest gold like a 40khz+ detector but also finding deeper larger gold like a 19khz machine--that may not be enough.

I believe the 6" coil is in stock everywhere, now, although a good idea to ask before ordering, just to make sure. https://www.bigboyshobbies.net/minelab-equinox-06-double-d-smart-coil

The basic technology and ability of VLF machines to find gold may not have changed in decades, but there are convenience and other factors that come into play with the newer machines. For instance, the new detectors tend to have better LCD displays. The new Equinox and Gold Kruzer seem to be the only VLF gold machines that are waterproof and wireless. And much of the present discussion has dealt with the new auto ground balance/tracking systems of the 24K and GM1000. I have seen signs on this and other forums that at least a few experienced users of the GMT and Gold Bug 2 have traded their machines for a 24k or GM1000. Of course, that doesn't mean they will find more gold as a result but it does indicate they found some of the new features attractive.

Here's a link someone from Australia just posted on this site to a Gold Monster 1000 he is selling on an Australian site. https://www.prospectingaustralia.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?id=28497 He also links to an earlier account on this site of gold he found with the machine. Note that the GM1000 is a VLF machine and will not work in heavy mineralized ground (of which you apparently have a lot in Australia) that PI machines like the GPX 5000 cut right through. But many gold hunters have both types in their arsenal.

All I got out of it is that Nokta/Makro engineers are playing around with multi-frequency technology--but that's probably true of all detector companies. That said, Nokta will probably bring one out, if only to justify a new detector in its VLF line, but probably not until the Multi Kruzer has been out a few years. Assuming the Kruzer continues selling well, there's really no marketing reason to do it earlier.

Jimmy, I agree--in theory, anyway :) I generally prefer adjustability so long as it doesn't overwhelm the process of whatever I'm doing; and it sounds like the 24K strikes a great balance. But, as Bryan points out, there is also value in the GM1000's simplicity of operation. Others have also noted its "fun factor," and based on the enthusiasm from long-time gold hunters, ML apparently got something right with the machine. It's good to hear the 24K's tracking did hold its own against the GM1000 in those Brazil tests. The 24K came a bit after the other recent VLF gold machines, and hopefully White's was able to add a few refinements based on what it observed in those machines.

Amazing finds, for sure. Those Celts seemed to like gold. I envy detectorists who have access to England's (and Europe's) treasure fields. I believe certain North American Indian tribes did some work in gold and copper, but it just hasn't resulted in many artifact finds.

White's does state that the 24K tracks multiple ground points simultaneously, and that other VLF detectors track only "one ground balance point": "The Goldmaster 24k’s XGB is a new automatic ground tracking system that works by tracking multiple ground points simultaneously and quickly. Where other VLF’s track one ground balance point, the Goldmaster 24k tracks several, and can determine an optimal “ground window” based on ground history and strength." WhitesPaper_XGB.pdf However, White's doesn't really explain what "tracking multiple ground points simultaneously" means; and neither White's nor Minelab describe the algorithm used for tracking.