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steveg

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Posts posted by steveg

    Endings And New Beginnings

    in Minelab Equinox Forum

    Posted

    Steve --

    Since you were the only one that has HAD an Equinox, you were the only one who could answer any of our questions.  I expect that as we each begin to receive our machines and become familiar, gradually things will evolve to where we are all pitching in to help each other out.  I look forward to that.  (But, I am sure, not NEARLY as much as you do -- LOL!)

    Steve

    Endings And New Beginnings

    in Minelab Equinox Forum

    Posted

    Nothing I can say that others haven't.  With all the nonsense that is going on, on nearly ALL the other forums, regarding the Equinox, this site has been an informative, educational, drama-less breath of fresh air -- but only as a result of countless hours of obsessive hard work and monitoring and answering of questions on your part, Steve.

    THANK YOU!

    May that elusive gold coin be your reward for all you have done!

    Steve

    Deus Works Well On Saltwater Beach?

    in XP Metal Detectors

    Posted

    7 hours ago, BeachHunter said:

    I’m new to the Deus so I may be doing something wrong but I was under the impression I was in the stock dry beach mode. While detecting the sand I wandered into the wet slope and the Hf Elliptical Coil was very stable and hit on what I thought was a deep repeatable target. 

    As far as what frequency the stock dry beach mode was in, I don’t know. Best of luck and my apologies if I caused you concern.

     

    BeachHunter --

    NO reason to apologize!  And no, you didn't cause concern; as Chase said, it's just that your results differ from what would be expected, and what others have stated about the Deus, and so I was trying to clarify -- sort of like "how are you achieving that performance?!"

    That's all; no issues at all, it's just that the results you are seemingly getting with the Deus in the wet salt sand are surprising, and counter-intuitive.

    Steve

    Steve, Is There A Waterproof Plug For The Nox....

    in Minelab Equinox Forum

    Posted

    Steve --

    I'm discussing this waterproof issue on another forum with some posters, and what has come up is one point that I am not totally clear on.

    The wireless headphones supplied with the 800 also appear to come with an accessory cable, so that you could connect the wireless phones directly, using this supplied cable, to either the WM08 jack, or to the jack on the control box itself.  The point of clarification needed is, will the jack on that accessory cable -- the end that plugs into the unit (or WM08) create a waterproof connection?  I thought it did, but in a picture I saw, it does not look like a screw-in connector, so I'm not sure.  IF you plugged in your wireless phones, using the supplied cable, directly to the unit, would that connection be waterproof (even though the headphones THEMSELVES are not)?

    Steve

    Deus Works Well On Saltwater Beach?

    in XP Metal Detectors

    Posted

    1 hour ago, BeachHunter said:

    My Deus with the HF Elliptical Coil works very well for me at the beach, even on the wet sand.

    So I’ll be using the Equinox to compliment the Deus and vice versa.

    Wow, BeachHunter.  For me anyway, that seems rather counter-intuitive.  I wouldn't have expected a high-frequency coil or machine to be able to maintain stability AND deliver depth to any substantial degree, in a salty wet-sand environment.  You are getting stable operation AND good depth?

    Steve

    Why So Many People Not Sure Of The Equinox?

    in Minelab Equinox Forum

    Posted

     

    4 hours ago, Mountain Mike said:

    steveg

    That's a good point steve. I was not trying to Imply that one could go to a public location and snipe jewelry. I was gearing the post towards new detectorists. There seems to be a lot of folks with no or little detecting experience in line for this detector. I am just trying to help them understand why somebody like me with an etrac would want an Equinox or why one would want one more than another. I was just saying that the equinox will hit some targets that the FBS cant see. You cant dig it if you don't know its there. That is good info for new people to know that sniping jewelry is impossible.  If you want to find jewelry you just have to make up your mind to dig all non ferrous signals and realize its gonna be a long day with a pouch full of garbage and hope you get lucky. 

    Mike --

    Gotcha.  Understood.  I was "nit picking" a bit, I know.  I just wanted to clarify that while I would LOVE to target gold jewelry sometimes, it's not very easy in most environments -- even when you select a machine that can effectively "see " a higher percentage of the gold targets that are lost/in the ground, as compared to most other units.  But yes, your overall point as I mentioned is spot-on; there is NO DOUBT in my mind that the Equinox will hit targets that FBS does not have a prayer on...and as such, makes it worthy of being AT LEAST a "complementary" machine in the "arsenal" of many...

    Steve

    3 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

    Yep.  That would be relic hunting, as many desirable relic targets are mid conductors like brass.  Add to that improved performance in mineralized soils and high recovery for dealing with iron infested sites and you have a potential winner.  The Deus relic hunting community is already reaping the unanticipated benefits of the recently introduced HF coils which were also marketed as primarily prospecting coils.  Multi IQ potentially ups the game further and is generating excitement.

    Chase, I agree!  I should have worded my last sentence more clearly, to say that "it will be interesting to see how people who are TARGETING GOLD can effectively utilize the Equinox in other than beach and prospecting scenarios/sites."

    But like you said, if you utilize the Equinox's sensitivity to low and mid conductors in a relic-hunting mode, or in an "UK hammered coin hunting" mode, things like that, then yes -- there will likely be some very effective uses of the Equinox's so-called "gold sensitivity."

    I'm really interested in what's being said in various places recently, about using the very high frequencies (Deus, mostly) to effectively unmask non-ferrous targets in iron-infested sites.  A VERY interesting application of such frequencies, that is probably not what was primarily intended by the manufacturers/engineers...

    Steve

    Why So Many People Not Sure Of The Equinox?

    in Minelab Equinox Forum

    Posted

    Mike --

    While I largely agree with your post, and totally agree with you with respect to your sensitivity comparisons between FBS and what will likely be the case with the Equinox, I did have one comment.  You asked "would you rather find silver or gold," but I think that's an easier question to answer on the surface, than in practice. 

    Of COURSE I'd like to think that an average hunt at a local park could yield a gold ring or two (similar to how an average hunt at that same park might yield a silver coin or two).  But I think it's fair to say that the reason more folks target silver, as opposed to gold, is that one can set up a machine (and their mindset) to TARGET silver, and to minimize the junk digs -- thus managing to maintain a fairly good trash-to-treasure ratio.  If I pick a good site, I can come home with a couple of nice "treasures" at the end of the day, when targeting silver.  However, the inability to do that same thing with gold, is -- I believe -- why it's not targeted by more folks.  Multi-IQ, I am confident, WILL hit that very low-conductive bracelet of yours, and so theoretically, it will allow such objects to be found -- objects that FBS is simply BLIND to.  HOWEVER, while the Equinox will SEE the small gold items that FBS won't, I think it's fair to say that the Equinox will likely not make it any simpler than several other high-frequency machines to figure out WHICH of those signals are the gold bracelet or earring or whatever, and which ones are pieces of the myriad small trash objects buried in most areas.  Said another way, using either machine-based and/or "mental" discrimination is an effective way to significantly increase your chances of digging silver.  NOT SO, for gold, for the most part.  Unfortunately, discrimination does not exist yet that allows one to target gold anywhere NEAR as successfully as one can use discrimination (either "mental," or machine-based) to target silver.

    Beach hunting, where you "up your odds" a little, makes sense.  Nugget hunting also, where there are a higher percentage/ratio of "good" targets in the ground in some areas, makes sense.  I think the Equinox will do well in these areas.  But I have a hard time thinking the Equinox will allow me to effectively "park hunt" for gold, in a similar manner that one can effectively "park hunt" for silver...

    I'm still waiting for a machine that can allow me to target gold as effectively as I can target silver (i.e. a similar trash-to-treasure ratio), but that technology simply does not exist yet.  Obviously, there's WAY more to it, than just making a machine that is very good at "seeing" the gold.

    It will be interesting to see just how well people can utilize the Equinox's sensitivity to gold, in other than a prospecting or beach-hunting scenario...

    Steve

    Steve, Is There A Waterproof Plug For The Nox....

    in Minelab Equinox Forum

    Posted

    AHH.

    NOW I got it.  Sorry for being "dense" here, Steve.  Yes, I see where you said "when they wade and submerge the detector pod."

    My bad.

    And I now understand the purpose of the "waterproof" threaded fitting on the WM08 -- so as to allow folks with a set of waterproof headphones to attach them through the WM08, if they wished to, without having to have a different set of phones to do so...

    I got it now (bowing out of the thread red-faced...  :blush:  )  LOL!

    Steve

     

    EDITED TO ADD -- Steve -- please feel free to do some deleting of that part of my post mistakenly talking about the WM08 being waterproof, if you feel it would run the risk of confusing someone in the future, who might read my post and not your reply...

    Steve, Is There A Waterproof Plug For The Nox....

    in Minelab Equinox Forum

    Posted

    Steve --

    So, to clarify, the WM08 itself IS waterproof -- such that it can be submerged along with the detector AS LONG AS the 1/4" end of that Minelab "corded" adapter is above water level?  Interesting...I didn't realize the WM08 was waterproof.

    Chase --

    I am not sure what you mean, when you say that a plug-type adapter might suffer from more interference than the Minelab accessory adapter with the cord?  Why is that?

     

    I have no problem buying the Minelab adapter -- EXCEPT that it makes for an even LONGER cord to deal with, when you include the headphone cord.  I understand (assuming the WMO8 is waterproof) why having the long cord adapter makes sense; as Steve said -- as long as the 1/4" end was "above water," you could submerge the WM08 and the 1/8" end.  And thus, that long cord -- waterproof at the 1/8" end, makes sense.  BUT, if not wading, and if you place the WM08 in, say, your shirt pocket, having such a long cord to deal with will be a bit of a pain (instead of it being a benefit, when trying to run waterproof).  You already have a long headphone cord -- much longer than it needs to be to plug into the wireless module.  So, using the Minelab corded adapter, you also have the additional length of the Minelab cable to deal with.  This, overall, makes for a VERY long length of cable from the WM08 to the headphones themselves.  Not an insurmountable or "no-go" type of issue, but certainly not ideal for someone who'd rather have a SHORTER attachment cable from the headphones to the WM08, rather than a longer one...

    Steve

    Steve, Is There A Waterproof Plug For The Nox....

    in Minelab Equinox Forum

    Posted

    Steve,

    To clarify, if we just wish to attach, say, a regular pair of SunRay Pro Golds to the WM08, without worrying about it being waterproof, the purchase of a "regular" or "standard" 1/8 stereo male to 1/4 stereo female adapter (i.e. not the proprietary screw-in fitting) WOULD work?  Is that correct?  I am confused (maybe I'm dense, not sure!) as to why you'd need a waterproof fitting on the WM08...the WM08 itself isn't waterproof, is it?

    Steve

    "Iron Bias" What Is It?

    in Minelab Equinox Forum

    Posted

    I'm trying to put this together in my head a bit.  I may be way off here, but...

    I'm going to "think out loud."  Consider say the CTX.  Instead of the normal 0-99 ID scale, where on a normal single freq. VLF unit both a steel bottle cap AND a quarter might read "89," we know that the CTX uses FE and CO numbers.  On this type of "scale," thanks to the FBS multi-frequency ability, a quarter and a steel bottle cap both might register "46" on the CO scale, but the quarter should read "12" FE, while the nail might read "35."  So, Minelab "does some things" in FBS that allow that different, additional "read" of the target to occur -- instead of one digit, there are two, one giving more of the "Ferrous reading," and the other the "Conductive."  And as such, steel bottle caps are "not a problem" on a CTX -- even though on a single freq. VLF they can be.

    Now, many of us have wondered why the Equinox went back to simple, single-digit CO numbers, and some have speculated that a 2-D, FE/CO readout and 2-D screen might be something to be included on a later "flagship" Equinox 1000 or something.  BUT -- here's what I am pondering.  I wonder if perhaps this "Iron Bias" adjustment might be using sort of that "2-D" approach, but in a "behind the scenes" way?  In other words, while we don't get to directly SEE the "FE/CO" info, I would expect it's still "in there" and "available;" after all, Multi-IQ IS Minelab multi-frequency (LOL), and I fully expect that Multi-IQ can "do the same thing," in terms of exploiting the FE and CO information from the receive signal.  SO -- maybe this "Iron Bias" adjustment will allow us to utilize what the machine already "knows" as far as an "FE" reading on a target?  Maybe it is allowing us to "tune out," say, a steel cap, USING the same information inside the machine as what would be displayed as an "FE" number on a CTX?  In other words, maybe it's the equivalent of applying "discrimination" to the "FE number" of a target whose FE number we aren't getting to see directly...

    This is just complete pondering and speculating on my part, and I don't even know if I was clear enough in my description of my thoughts for anyone to even understand.  But, I'm wondering...   This has me intrigued.

    Steve

     

     

     

    "Iron Bias" What Is It?

    in Minelab Equinox Forum

    Posted

    While, tnss, this IS an Equinox thread, I'd still be interested in hearing a brief description of what the "silencer" does, on the Deus.  While this setting on the Equinox may be NOTHING like the Deus "silencer," I think there's at least some chance it could possibly have a similar function, being that the Deus is one of the targeted competitors.

    I'm curious...

    Steve

    "Iron Bias" What Is It?

    in Minelab Equinox Forum

    Posted

    30 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

    Ha. Everyone was shining the bright light on Gold Mode and the other new mode descriptions, of course we latched on to that diversion.  Lol.

    I only noticed it when I was reviewing the guide again to recount the 600 vs. 800 feature deltas.

    Can I get a gold flake star on my forehead for being the first to notice.  Lol.

     

    You get one from me, anyway, Chase!  LOL!  Nice catch!

    Steve

     

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