Dubious

On 9/22/2018 at 10:45 AM, Sinclair said:

People mostly tend to write, if something doesn't work as it should, or if they have the find of their lifes

I still like the F-Pulse, only wished it had firmware R2 on it. I got one of the first ones sold in germany and other than the firmware, I can't really complain about anything.

What's wrong with Firmware R1?  That's what my F-Pulse has, but I doubt that explains the problems I've experienced.  Fisher did respond, so I should soon know.  Meanwhile, I'm back to using my Whites TRX, which I prefer over the Carrot (the TRX is less stable but has better depth and I like that it's not side sensitive).

My Fisher F-Pulse definitely is defective.  Falses like crazy.  I've wasted a lot of time trying all the solutions posted here and elsewhere, without avail.  I'm trying to get Fisher to respond and allow me to return it for repair.  I would not advise anyone to buy an F-Pulse until Fisher works out its quality control problems--too much of a crap shoot.

3 minutes ago, Cal_Cobra said:

Very good report, thank you!  Two EQ800's, one with and one without the upgrade would be the ultimate test, I agree.  

Should start giving it a workout pretty soon at some sires I've been wanting to test it and the MMK at, it'll be interesting to see how it does.  I hope it's a button killer, I already know it's a coin killer. 

Cal

Hopefully, two guys with the Nox will get together, roll back the firmware on one of the machines, and do that comparison.  I haven't really noticed a difference, so far, but if the update did increase the Nox's liking for rusty nails, I would probably want to revert.

On 8/2/2018 at 1:41 AM, Dubious said:

My Sennheiser CX 6.00 BT earbuds have developed a problem--no sound on one side. Anyone else experience this?  Was satisfied with them until now.  Have a query in to Sennheiser; no response as yet.

I returned the Sennheiser CX 6.00 BT earbuds for repair under the warranty, after one side stopped working (no sound).  They apparently agreed with my diagnosis, as I have just received a sealed replacement unit (complete retail package). I'm happy.

I'd like a 6x8 SEF, but I doubt it will come, alas...

Does the Nox still like rusty nails?  Unfortunately, yes. But, I don't think I've been finding more nails after the update than before. Really, I don't think the update made much of a difference to anything operational--the Nox experience, at least for me, has stayed the same.  Pinpointing might be a tad less prone to "sticking" (and that would be good) but I'm not even sure about that.

I'm pleased we got the update, and kudos to Minelab for that, but I wish Minelab would provide us with an explanation of exactly what changes were made and why.  That way, we wouldn't have to waste time speculating and looking for things that aren't there.

I buy my gloves at auto parts stores and at hardware stores with a gardening section. A lot to choose from.

On 6/27/2018 at 1:39 PM, Mike Hillis said:

It helps that the tiny Turkey company gets government grant money for their projects and doesn't have to rely on sales to fund themselves.

HH
Mike 

Even if true, Nokta has been admirably responsive to consumer feedback and has developed some good machines. Also, I suspect the main U.S. detector manufacturers derive a lot of their funding from the government, one way or another.  I believe that for some of these companies, the military/security segment of the market is much more important than the hobbyist segment. 

On 8/28/2018 at 10:19 AM, GB_Amateur said:

If buying now, how do you know you're getting the 2nd version?  Is it simply trusting the dealer to know when you ask?  (Guess that argues for finding a knowledgeable dealer, and then sticking with him/her.)

Hold a coin to the tip while turning it on.  If it goes dead, it is apparently the 1st version software; if it does a beeping overload routine, it is the 2nd version.  Mine is apparently the 1st version, as it goes dead (I tested several times, and twice I had to loosen battery to reset after that). Still not getting along with mine (bouts of insane falsing) but after doing that secret reset will try to give it another tryout this weekend before sending in for repair.

My Whites TRX, almost as deep, has a quirk or two but overall works quite well; so if the F-Pulse doesn't pan out, I'll just stick with it. 

Nothing like that around here, alas.  Cool find!

On 9/5/2018 at 10:29 AM, Propjob said:

As I now have the EQ800 and also an Explorer XS and Garrett GTI 1500, should I consider selling the latter detectors and replacing with something else.  Trying to simplify things but would like to have a back up to the Equinox.  the battery on the XS is shot but I use with the alkaline pack and the Garrett is only alky's  I would be willing to consider something less all around and more coins and relics than the EQ.  I would be interested in hearing some thoughts  A DD coil would be preferable as I am getting use to the EQ11.

Jim

 

If it were me, I'd probably keep the Explorer XS as the backup, so long as it has no significant problems other than the rechargeable battery (you can replace that with a better aftermarket one or just go on using the alky pack, since it presumably won't get too much use as a backup). I consider my Etrac (essentially an updated Explorer) a good complement to my Nox (I prefer the Etrac over the Nox for most things), and there are a lot of reasonably-priced coils available for the Explorer/Etrac line (they use the same coils).

But if I were going to buy a new machine as a backup (and that is completely valid), it would probably be the Multi Kruzer. I've heard good things about it, and would find it interesting to try a new machine and compare it against the Nox. The caveat here is that if I used my detector a lot and considered it a necessary daily tool (not the case for me), I would instead buy another Nox as the backup just so there would be a seamless transition if my primary machine ever went down.  That's what I do with laptops since they are necessary tools for me. My two cents.

My TRX works fine with the Nox and is my favorite pinpointer.  F-Pulse falses way too much (nothing to do with Nox), but may be defective as some others really like it.

Good to know, thanks.  

Sweet!

At an even better price point than the Nox, and with pretty much the same feature set, the Kruzer has a lot going for it.  The availability of reasonably-priced coils is a big plus--I wish Minelab would pay attention, but it probably won't.

I remain disappointed with the Nox's pinpointing function.  The most irritating issue is "sticking" of which I experience two kinds:

1) The tone sometimes sticks and remains on even when the coil is raised high off the ground; switching back to search mode will reset. This is most likely to occur where there is a lot of iron junk nearby in the ground, so is triggered by some kind of overload.

2) The tone often sticks in one direction only; that is, if you do an "+" with only a target coin under the coil, the tone may work normally from the center to the left, but may stick from the center to the right, remaining on for a few feet in that direction. It's apparently a sensitivity to other objects in that direction; but, the problem doesn't exist for another detector, such as my Etrac, pinpointing the same object, even with a larger coil.

This second problem is irritating enough that I have considered sending the Nox 600 in for repair. Just not sure the problem is a malfunction rather than a bug, as in most other respects the detector works quite well.  

I am somewhat the same with my modified Cibola (I put in a 10-turn pot. for ground balance, so it's essentially a Vaquero).  I mainly use the Etrac and Equinox 600, but sometimes get out the Cibola.  It's light, and easy on the eyes and ears, and is a reasonably fast and deep machine. I also have a Tejon but generally prefer the Cibola. Even with all the advances in digital technology, there's still something to be said for the analog Tesoros.

Thanks for the test.  This is more like it.

On 5/8/2018 at 11:02 PM, Dubious said:

I also have and use the Sennheiser cx 6.00 earbuds and also the Avantree Audition Pro headphones.  I like them both, and no problems so far. 

My Sennheiser CX 6.00 BT earbuds have developed a problem--no sound on one side. Anyone else experience this?  Was satisfied with them until now.  Have a query in to Sennheiser; no response as yet.

Minelab's statement means little. Software tweaks are not particularly "complex" for the programmers who have been working with the Nox all along; but I'm sure that for some of the identified bugs there are tradeoffs involved in the fixes. ML probably is on top of the situation to a degree, cataloging bugs and deciding whether it wants to change the code in machines still being built; but whether that means existing users ever see firmware updates is another question. The Nox is apparently selling well as is, and ML does not have a great reputation in that department.

8 hours ago, Bayard said:

I've had the Equinox for five months now.  I think I'm up to eight silver coins with it so far, plus multiple Buffalo nickels.  This has been a slow silver year for me, only 23 total, haven't been able to find any promising new sites plus the weather has been too hot to hunt much.

Yesterday I ran the Equinox over a small 30' by 30' patch that I have previously pounded with the Etrac.  Within minutes the Equinox found an eight inch deep wheat cent and a 1947 nickel at about the same depth. 

The eight inch deep wheat cent was a clear signal, albeit with reduced volume, and I was impressed with the find.  The nickel was a strong signal.  This machine loves nickels in Park 2.

Having used the Nox for some time now, do you prefer it over the Etrac for hunting coins?  I think I still prefer my Etrac for coins in most places, but that in places with a lot of old iron nails and trash I do better with the Nox. (I am generally searching for high-conductor coins, hoping for silver, and not digging nickels a/k/a pull-tabs.) Other non-performance factors, like weight and screen readability, also push me to grab the Nox sometimes when otherwise I might not.  If I were a relic hunter (I mainly hunt coins) I would probably prefer the Nox everywhere.  I have other machines, including 2 Tesoros and a Racer 2, but have hardly touched them since getting the Nox.

On 3/24/2018 at 8:14 AM, Steve Herschbach said:

Yes, the Horseshoe button is the same discriminate mode you are hunting in already. The only change when you push the button is all items are set to accept. Each item is still being discriminated (filtered) but is told that anything going through the filter is a good target.

A true all metal mode has no discrimination filter in the first place. Most gold nugget detector primary hunt modes are true unfiltered all metal modes.

Gold Mode is a simulated all metal mode in that it features VCO audio, a common feature in all metal modes, but you can still discriminate items, so obviously targets are passing through the discrimination filter.

The assumption is a true all metal mode is more powerful than a disc mode set to accept all items. I will be the first to question if that is true with Equinox. It’s disc modes are more powerful than most detectors unfiltered all metal modes.

All metal notes

Mixed Mode

Sounds like its a distinction without a distinction for the Nox.  That would make sense, as otherwise you would think ML would just have provided a true all-metal mode that bypassed the discrimination processing.  Might have something to do with speed.  With a lot of older machines, the time taken by discrimination processing is probably a concern; with the Nox, maybe not so much.

I bought the 600 way back when because the 800 simply wasn't available. I don't regret it, and probably won't bother trading it in for an 800, now that the 800 is available everywhere. I have better headphones than I would have had with the 800. I use 50 tone mode for everything, so the adjustable tones would not have helped. I am doubtful the extra speed adjustments would matter in any practical way. The LCD backlight adjustments might be nice, but I rarely need backlighting, anyway; and I would probably still find the backlighting too bright at night.

Buy whichever you like, and the accessories that come with the 800 are worth a good part of the difference in price, if you can use them; but anyone who thinks the 800 has snob appeal over the 600 is nuts.

I'll have to try something like that, if I can lay my hands on that much silver. I'm puzzled because my Nox seems to react appropriately to large chunks of other metals. I would have liked him to show us more about what happens with single coins scooted away from the pile, leaving everything else the same.

Assuming the test was what it appeared to be, I would say there's a serious bug in the programming. Some value for conductivity is going beyond the top and emerging on the bottom. That's the problem with modern digital machines; they have microprocessors that execute computer code, and if the code is not debugged thoroughly, and often even then, you run into situations where you get screwy results. I'll bet none of the Tesoros have this issue...

I am surprised Minelab did not catch this bug in the pre-release testing. I certainly hope a firmware update is released to address it (and some other issues). 

Has anyone used this method of avoiding iron? Any success?

"If you get a signal and you are not sure if it is iron or not, drop the frequency to 10kHz and swing over the target again, if the TDI numbers jump about, then it is probably iron, if it stays locked on the same number as in Multi, then it is worth a dig."

(reported by Bargeman in an overseas forum)