RayfromAK

I have always sealed the edges of the coil of all detectors that I have ever had. I used black-color RTV silicone on the two Equinox 800, and plan to do the same with the 8" and 11" coils of the new Manticore I purchased a few weeks ago. I did upgrade the firmware, but I have to wait until the snow melts and the ground thaws. This should happen past mid May or so. I just make sure to not get silicone between the coil and the cover, and that's about it. But it takes time and a good supply of tight-fitting Nitrile gloves, and rags. You can also use the blue color paper towels used at mechanic shops, but I just use cotton and other rags instead of terry cloths and towels.

If the OP has the time or desire, he may want to read the details about the Tom D's settings in the following link (below). Just pay close attention to ground balancing the detector relating to coil distances from the wet salt, and the distance between the coil and the water's surface. Also, read what he has to say about sensitivity and noise cancellation: https://www.detectorprospector.com/topic/24667-tom-dankowski’s-settings-for-the-minelab-manticore/ If you want the answers you seek, it will take a lot of time to read everything about the Tom Dankowiski's settings. There is enough information from "Nasa Tom" to be able to write a book about it: https://www.dankowskidetectors.com/discussions/list.php?2

That (above) is true. 👍 About the Freestyle settings in the video I posted (where the settings are written on paper), Neil Jones has updated or slightly modified those settings. He also uses the Stabilizer, and says in one of his videos that one has to be very careful with the Stabilizer, because it can affect detecting "depth." At the Tom Dankowski website: There is a great about of information about salt Beach detecting with both the M8 and 11-inch coils, about ground balancing properly, lots of data about Sensitivity and the difference in noise tolerance between the M8 and the 11" coil.

Yes, it is possible that the beach conditions that day allowed for high Sensitivity. About the "slow swing speed" talked about in the video: I believe that it may be true that one has to slow down some when one is detecting "iffy" signals. I don't know about the Manticore, but it usually is very possible to miss targets when one walks and swings the detector faster than slower. This summer, when I start using the Manticore I plan to use the factory presets and Modes while learning about it. That's what I did with my Equinox 800, before adjusting the settings to my liking. The primary reason why I purchased the Manticore is because of the 2D screen, but there are other things that I think I will enjoy, and that is its ability to handle noise from power lines, and so on. I will probably keep the Equinox and its 8" coil, although more than likely it will be collecting dust as a backup detector.

What Mr. Eberson posts about the soil conditions being different depending on the region of country you live at... is true. However, the only way one can learn is by doing it by oneself-without help from the experts, or by learning from others. For example: it does not hurt for one to try slowing down the detectors "swing" as shown by Mr. Neil Jones. If it does not work for you, then just don't do it. For all I know, by reading or course, is that lowering or increasing Sensitivity depends on where you are detecting. There is a lot of information about the Manticore in the Thomas Dankowski Forum (below), specially about the M8 use at the beach, and minimum/maximum Sensitivity numbers. The website is being changed, so it will be up to any of us to see what her has to say about the Manticore. I have not idea if he ( the person called "Nasa Tom") is involved in the design of the manticore or not, although it seems likely. https://www.dankowskidetectors.com/discussions/list.php?2 Since I haven't use my new manticore (the ice and snow should be thawing/melting by May where I live at), what I have done is to read all the information Nasa Tom has posted about the Manticore at that website above. One of the things he has said about detecting on wet-salt beaches goes as follows: if you do a Long Press of Noise Cancel, "it is critical that the coil is away from the wet-salt by approximately 1/2-Meter, and the coil be absolutely still/stationary. Then you can concentrate on Ground Balance. Then you can concentrate on high Sensitivity settings." But again, it is up to you as a Manticore user to explore the possibilities Nasa Tom is referring to. Maybe he's wrong? Yes, it could be the case, but what would anybody lose by listening to what he has written? There was a fellow in this forum who tried high sensitivity numbers. At least he's trying to figure something about his detector in the area he resides at. Could his Manticore be defective? Who knows?:

I am mostly interested in coin-shooting, and in the near future, prospecting. But I assume that the Neil Jones' "Freestyle" settings should work well for treasure hunters. What he shows in the video is that some good targets-inland in places that have been hunted many times- can still be found if one slows down the swing speed while listening to iffy signals plus looking at the Manticore's screen. He's digging pieces or lead and other metals, including coins, that are within 5-6 inches from the surface. Those coins should have been detected already, since they aren't very deep. He also says that one could very well "swing fast enough" when trying to figure a possible good site, but to come back to the same site right after the rain to look for for more targets that have been missed. In this case, if you find a place that may hold some good treasures, even a heavily hunted site, slow down the swing speed and don't miss the "good" signals found within the "iffy" signal. Do a slow cross-pattern swing over the iffy signal while watching the display. Since I am not experienced with the manticore nor any other detector relating to detecting salt beaches-nor anywhere else, there is lots of details available about the manticore and the M8 coil by a fellow called Nasa Tom. Maybe he's the person involved in the design of the manticore? I have no idea, but there is a "Low Conductor Mode Settings" where he uses a Disc. Upper -4 and Lower - 0, Nothing notched-out, Audio Theme = Prospecting. But this "prospecting audio mode is not the only one he talks about. He's providing lots of details to beach and water hunters. However, his instructions are too long and detailed for me to post in here. He talks about spending quite a long time to manage the use of high sensitivity, including past 30 to detect the smallest targets by the surface.

This are the "written" Neil Jones Freestyle settings for the Manticore. Just pause the video momentarily to give yourself time to write the instructions, and remember that there is nothing to lose by trying it in iron infested areas, although it is for you to decide 🙂

Yes, there is a lot to memorize (probably too much). However, The Neil Jones' "Freestyle Mode" for both the Equinox and the Manticore are talked about as being nothing but outstanding. The "Freestyle" Mode setting can be used at the salt beach, and inland, including prospecting. What I did was to search for the Neil Jones "Freestyle" Mode on printed form, and finally found it at Facebook. It is a video that scrolls slowly-where the settings are written. All you have to do is to pause write the settings, a few times. These are the detecting Modes I have so far (the ones I plan to try during the summer on land only. Not beach): Neil Jones' "Freestyle" Settings, and the Tom Danakowski's Open Low Conductor Mode Settings (if I decide to beach detect, but will have to give it a try on land). By the way, there is a Neil Jones video where he demonstrates the use cross-pattern. The idea is for him to prove wrong the notion that the "slow swing speed" is now "dead with the Manticore. He shows how numerous "iffy" signals aren't noticed at all or passed-by unnoticed if swinging the coil fast, then he slows down the swing speed, does a cross pinpoint, and several times digs a possibly good target out of the ground. I will repeat: None of the target "iffy" signal is noticed by the Manticore until he slows down the swing speed. It is an eye opener. Just be patient and watch this video:

In reference to the Manticore user's manual, I got Minelab USA to print the "pdf" user's manual on paper and mail it to me. However, one could easily "laser" print the entire manual at home, or at least as many pages as needed. Just like CoinShooter I will have to wait until the end of May before I can use my new Manticore. I bought it along a M8 coil from Alaska Mining & Diving in Anchorage Alaska, since they offer the Minelab 15% military discount. While I will use the basic inland modes for a few hours, I will create and save a custom mode based on the Neil Jones "Freestyle Mode." (Freestyle for beach, land, and so on). I just have to see with my own eyes if that mode is as great as a lot of people are saying.

Electrical flow does dissipate in heat, so whenever the detector is turned on and then used, it results in heat. The battery alone gets slightly warmer when being charged or discharged, but both any resistive circuitry in the control panel and the coil create heat. Even the LEDs for the light, and the screen create heat. However, these are minuscule amounts of heat that take hours to discharge the battery. By the way, I don't know anything about detectors, just about electronics (I worked as an aircraft electrician years ago). The amount of heat from a person standing in front (at a distance) from an aircraft's thermal camera will amaze you. A lot of the heat is lost from the head and crutch area, and if you pass gas, the plum rises like from a steam engine. Sorry about that, folks. I could not help but joke about it 🙂

While the much larger Manticore's 15" coil in the following video is used in iron infested grounds, in where I think is the UK, I wonder if what the person in the video is telling in relation to coil swing speed. I thought that this video could be quite informative to both manticore and Deus users, regardless of coil size:

A problem I see for a new user of the Manticore and other Minelab detectors is that Minelab does not include the detector user's manual, just two quick guides. For example, I just purchased a Manticore, plus the M8 coil, and had to search for the user's manual, just to figure the proper charging instructions for both the headset and the detector. While I already know what to do in relation of charging currents (I have other Minelab detectors), general instructions for both how to charge the detectors and headset, plus how to use the detectors, should be provided in printed form. It does not have to be a full version, just a booklet or something similar.

Kellyco offers it, and so a lot of other stores. The Sportsman Warehouse stores has Minelab detectors, and a few days ago I asked one of the store manager in Fairbanks, Alaska. She told me that they don't offer but a 5% military discount. I explained to her that there is 15% discount offered by Minelab and most stores, and asked her to check with the Sportsman Warehouse headquarters. Anyway, I called "Alaska Mining & Diving" in Anchorage (they sell prospecting and diving equipment, plus detectors), and they do offer the 15% discount. I bought the Manticore, and used the 15% discount to buy an M8 coil. The discount amounts to $254.85, and the coils costs $251.00 (no discount is offered for optional coils and things like that, just the detector).

It is the opposite for me since I will be buying a Manticore in the upcoming 2024 summer, sometime in May, I assume, since winters are long and cold in the interior of Alaska (tab the Weather app in your phone, and search for, "Fairbanks, Alaska"). The temperature is supposed to drop from -42º F to -52º F tonight 🙂 Anyway, I have a hardly used Equinox 800 with both an 8" and 11" coils that I may keep as a second detector. I have never immersed it in water, but I am looking forward to the 2-D screen of the Manticore. Will probably buy the 8" elliptical (?) coil. Will probably take advantage of the 15% military discount, too.

I don't have as much experience with detectors as some (maybe all) or you have, but in my view a tone that sounds a certain way to a person may not sound exactly the same to another. If fact, probably most of us as we age become partially tone-deaf. Each person has his or her own way to interpret the target sounds a detector makes, and this is something that takes time and practice. The ground composition, hello around the target, target metallic composition, and so on, may be different at one location compared to the next, or even in the same location depending on soil wetness versus dryness. Some of the analog detectors of the past incorporated a series of target tones. For example, the Teknetics 8500 produced from the late '70s to early '80s had rotary control knobs and switches plus a gage with a pointer, and also target tones much like the detectors of today. There were low tones from iron, all the way up to high conductive targets such as small silver coins or large ones. A soda can, specially one with the top or bottom up, would produce a high-pitch sound ? Back then when looking for silver coins in upstate NY, I would only listen to the high pitch sounds the 8500 made, although clad dimes, quarters, and dollars also produced high tones that were not as high as the ones for silver coins. I see certain similarities with the sounds the Equinox makes and the ones of the old Teknetics detector I used in the past. By the way, I felt that I was always learning new sounds whenever I detected new grounds with the 8500, and feel the same way when detecting with the Equinox. Summary: I don't think that a generic compilation of target sounds or tones I can listen to will help me much. Since I am old and don't have too much time to waste, I am better of by listening to what the Equinox has to say.

No. But pure RTV silicone is not affected by fresh nor salt water. The areas you are bonding with it must be clean and dry, just like when using it to seal the corners of tiled-showers. Long ago I used a Teknetics detector along the ocean beach when living in CA, and never had trouble with the RTV silicone I used. A final note: I don't see any trouble at all by having drain holes on the coil cover as long as one detects in the water, simply because the coils is being rinsed constantly.

I use RTV silicone, and don't fill the coil cover with it, just the gap between the cover and the coil. Never have had any leakage with any of the coils i have sealed this way. However, the coil and cover must be thoroughly cleaned before sealing.

It takes me from 20 to 30 minutes at the most to seal the gap between the coil and cover. What I do is to buy a 10-oz tube of silicone at Lowe's or Home Depot (costs around $2.00), and use a caulking gun to apply it. I cut just a little bit of the tube's nozzle so that a very narrow bead of silicone flows out, and immediately after push the silicone down into the gap with the tip of my gloved finger, and slide the fingertip along the line or bead of silicone. The next step is to clean the excess silicone with one of a few clean rags I have near, and then start the same process on the next spot. There aren't any open gaps or holes when I am done with it, and the silicone looks nice and shiny all around. Now, I can understand that if one detects in the water holes on the coil cover should not be a problem since both are easily rinsed. But if detecting dry sand, or muddy areas the holes can be a problem. But then, coil covers are relatively cheap. One can have a set with holes, and another one without for detecting dry sand or mud.

As I mentioned before, what I have done with the coil covers of every detector I have owned, and now the Equinox, is to seal the top edges of the cover with RTV silicone. Since the Equinox coil and cover are black, I used black color RTV silicone, making sure that none of it gets inside the cover. I wear tight-fitting latex or nitrile gloves, and next to me I have two or three clean rags for cleaning the mess after I am done. This is a lot easier to do with covers other than the ones for the Equinox since there are a lot of areas to seal. A reason why I never drill holes on the coil cover is as follows: The outer surface of the coil cover is not smooth, but instead a sort of satin finish, which in turn reduces drag when detecting wet sand. But having holes on the cover creates drag if you rub the coil/cover on the wet sand as it gets inside the holes. It also happens if you are detecting areas with mud. In this case, the mud-just like wet sand-gets inside. If you are detecting near water, then you can rinse the coil and cover whenever wet or dry sand get inside the coil. The choice is yours.

Have you noticed that all coil covers' bottom surfaces, not only the ones for the Equinox, aren't smooth? What I do with my coil covers for all the detectors I have had and now the Equinox, is to put a bead of RTV silicone all around the top edges of the coil cover, making sure that the silicone does not get between the cover and the coil. But the Equinox coil has numerous areas that have to be sealed, and this takes some time to accomplish. Anyway, the 11" coil has been sealed this way, and soon a 6" coil that I bought from Amazon.

I do have one of those. The EQ 800 came with the wireless headphones and the WM-08 receiver module. I just don't want to use Bluetooth all the time, but occasionally as a backup. Will be using the Minelab wired headphone (around $32.00 at Kellyco). But I would also like a set of wired earphones to use on hot summer days. There are some to be found at eBay, but I can wait until Kellyco or Amazon have them.

I purchased a Minelab wired headphones for my Equinox, and these work fine. I thought that the headphone receptacle where the jack plugs into was loose, but that was not the case. I figured that one has to push the jack into the receptacle quite firmly until it sort of snaps in place, at which point the jack is held securely without any play. I will also be looking for a set of good quality wired earphones for using during some of the hot summer days. I can still use the Bluetooth headphones now and then, but these will become a backup set.

Thank you, Mr. Goldman for your suggestions. I can give then a try and see how they work. During my years in the military working with aircraft (long ago), we took the warnings about RF and other types of radiation very seriously. I know that we are surrounded by all kinds of RF signals, including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. I am just trying to keep the transmitters and receivers a small distance from my brain. Thanks again.

I appreciate what you are saying, and completely understand. But what I am trying to avoid is having the Bluetooth radio frequency concentrated right on my head.

I don't have the Minelab wired headphones, just the wireless one. The wireless headphones work quite well, but I don't want to have a wireless receiver so close to my head for extended periods of time. What I would like to do is to wear wired headphones similar to the iPhone's, or at least one that has very small ear pads that do not get my ears sweaty during the summer. The Equinox headphone receptacle should be a lot tighter around the headphone jack. Because of its location underneath of the control box, the cable wiggles the jack around when one swings the coil. What I am planning to do is to buy the headphone waterproof adapter sold a Kellyco and Amazon, because the rubberized plug at the jack's end of this adapter can hold the jack securely in place. This should solve the problem I am having. Cable: https://www.amazon.com/Minelab-Detector-Headphone-Adaptor-Equinox/dp/B07NJ9NRWG?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-osx-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B07NJ9NRWG