mh9162013

What do you mean by trouble ground balance? I ask because I have the following question: Is it normal for the AT Max to be chattery while ground balancing? Generally, I need to keep my AT Max at around a 3-4 on the sensitivity to stop most of the chatter while detecting in my yard. Sometimes I can get to 5, but 3-4 is the norm. When ground balancing, an otherwise quiet AT Max will start getting chatty and jittery. This occurs even if I have the sensitivity at a 1 while ground balancing and it's completely quiet when just sitting still. In other words, is it normal to have all that noise while I pump the coil up and down until the "back and forth" sound (that you typically hear when ground balancing, but dies down as you pump the coil) goes away?

That makes sense. Right now, I'm leaning toward keeping the AT Max and selling my 540, as I still have a Vanquish 340 which I think should do just fine at a salt water beach or tot lot.

Update: I used the AT Max at a local tot lot and it did just fine in sand. I was also able to bump up the sensitivity to 6 with the machine still being usable (for finding dimes, pennies and quarters) and 7 worked too, although was a bit chatty and somewhat usable. At a tot lot, it's definitely not as quiet as my 540, but seems to perform as well in terms of being able to find the same coins (except nickels). I think it'll struggle more if I'm looking for jewelry or nickels. Might need to keep the sensitivity around a 1 or 2 instead of a 2 or 3. I look forward to doing more testing in the future.

I love having devices that use general battery types that are easily replaceable by the user. That's one reason why I like the AT, Vanquish and F70/75 series of detectors so much - they all use AA batteries. But I know this isn't the most efficient or practical way to operate a detector, especially one that's supposed to be waterproof. Therefore, I'm willing to accept an internal battery, as long as it's easily replaceable by the user (both in terms of labor and finding a replacement cell).

Yeah, that's the impression I'm getting. But I'm trying to quantify that concept to my conditions and in relation to the 540. I'm hoping that there's some "rule of thumb" I can rely on. For example, an AT Max with its stock coil and 4 sensitivity might be the rough equivalent of a Vanquish 540 using a V12 coil with its sensitivity set to 8. Based on some air testing indoors, my 540 needs to have its sensitivity set to 8 for it to be fairly quiet. There will be a blip or chirp every few seconds, but it will be faint. Even when set at 10, the 540 isn't so chattery that it can't be used, as solid targets can still be easily identified over the chatter. In contrast, my AT Max needs to be set at 4 sensitivity to achieve relative silence that's on par with the 540 at 8 sensitivity. However, when on max sensitivity, the AT Max is totally unusable. Also, when at a 4 sensitivity, its air test range is probably about 1/6 to 1/4 less than the 540 on 8 sensitivity. I know this is just a basic test, but I'll see how real world testing seems to compare between the two, both in soil and tot lot conditions (my tot lots have wood chips, ground up tires or sand which are almost like doing air tests, at least with my 540)

If my AT Max can outperform my 540 in my moderately mineralized soil (I get about 70-85 readings on my AT Max when ground balancing), then I'm willing to deal with some extra noise. Right now, I'm trying to see if "MIQ, but no GB" is better than "GB, but no MIQ." For shallow targets, I think the AT Max might be more accurate with its VDI...at least in some instances. For example, a copper penny rang up with a range of 23-28 on my 540 and about a 73-79 on my AT Max.

I checked the cable connection and did a factory reset. Still no difference. I also tapped the coil and didn't notice any change in performance or odd sounds. I was able to set the sensitivity at 5 and there was little to no chatter in my living room. But I had to use the "turn it on with a 1 sensitivity" trick. It appears that, like many others with an AT Max, I don't have a faulty machine. Rather, it's just super sensitive. But in making the necessary adjustments, I'm curious as to what kind of performance I'm getting. Like phrunt already alluded to, an AT Max on 5, 6 or 7 sensitivity might be equal to max sensitivity on the AT Pro. So running an AT Max on a 6 or 7 might give the equivalent depth ability as an AT Pro that's maxed out with its sensitivity. Thanks again for your help.

Thank you both for the responses. I'll take them into consideration when I next tinker/use my AT Max.

I mainly run a Minelab Vanquish 540 and search for coins and/or jewelry. So it's a rare occurrence for me to hear it sound off on iron or EMI. I recently acquired a barely used AT Max and compared to my 540, it sounds like it's nuts, with chatter like crazy. Some of this appears to be EMI. But it also seems to be super sensitivity to faint signals, especially iron. I used it outside for a bit and I usually needed to set the sensitivity to 2, 3 or 4 (out of eight) to stop the chatter. My understanding is that I have 3 realistic options to reduce chatter. One, I can adjust the frequency/channel (F1-F4) and see if that helps. Two, I can reduce the sensitivity while the machine is on. This seems to work, but I'm afraid it's killing my depth (although I don't know by how much). Three, I can set the sensitivity to 1 and turn off the machine. Then, turn it back on and only then, adjust the sensitivity to as high as I can get away with. The higher the sensitivity is set when turning it off, the more chatter I get when I turn it on. Are there any of things I can do to get a less fritzy machine? Any insight or experiences will be appreciated. Most likely I'll sell either this or one my Vanquishes and right now, the AT Max is getting clobbered by the 540. But to be fair, I've used the 540 for probably 50 or so hours and the AT Max for less than 2.

That's what I figured. Buying a brand new coil for $230 then an Equinox 800 control pod for $225 (or even $350)? Definitely way too good to be true.

Oh, I didn't mean to impose! Your initial post has gone above and beyond already. 🙂

They are only available when trying to get out of warranty repairs completed, right? In other words, can we buy control pods a la carte?

Do you know how the batteries are wired? For example, are they all in series or parallel? Or maybe 2 are in parallel and series and the other 2 are in parallel and series?

The price you used to describe it made it clear what pinpointer you were talking about. The other one(s) they make are more expensive (as far as I know at least).

I've heard good things about the Nokta/Makro pinpointer. The only drawbacks I've seen is that it can be a little twitchy at max sensitivity and the button are at the back, which can make on the fly adjustments slower. The F-Pulse is good in hot ground, but not immune. But it's biggest advantages come from using AA batteries and its sensitivity. The Garrett "Carrot" is a solid choice (and one that I currently use), but I'm not happy with its ratcheting ability (aka: closing range). This refers to the pinpointer's ability to let you know when you're getting closer to a target, but haven't reached it yet. I like its max sensitivity ability, but when in that mode, its closing range is lousy. White's TRX has great closing range or ratcheting, but it's been discontinued. Based on my online research, the XP Mi-4 or MI-6 have ratcheting abilities that are close to the TRX and definitely better than the Garrett Carrot.

If you have the money, yes.

In a perfect world, sure. But there are probably economic reasons as to why machines that work well on a beach aren't at least weatherproof. I'm sure Minelab considered making a waterproof or weatherproof version of the Vanquish, but choose not to. Perhaps it would add $50 to the price of the machine, but they could only raise the price by $35? Or maybe it would sell like hotcakes, but cannibalize Equinox 600 sales?

From what I've heard, it's nowhere near as good as the Equinox, but it's not a fair comparison as the Apex is designed to be a middle-of-the-road machine while the Equinox is considered high-end. The difference b/w the 2 machines is most clear where there's trash and iron (from what I've read and heard). But at the beach, the Apex holds its own. I honestly wouldn't get the Apex given its price. I'd either save the money and get something cheaper, but 95% as capable or spend an extra $100 or so and get something far more capable. That's just me, though.

I am considering all of those machines and did extensive research on each. Right now, I'm using a Vanquish 540 because I basically got it for $170, so I couldn't ignore that machine for that price. I like it, but not having the ability to ground balance or adjust recovery speeds is a bit of a limitation that I don't like. I also don't like how it's not waterproof. Therefore, I think the Equinox 600 is a better option for me. But, is it more than $450 better? For now, no, especially given how the 540 is an S-shaft design and uses AA batteries (both are important factors for me). Ok, what about the F75/F75+/F75 Ltd? Well, I really want that machine too. It uses AA batteries, has an S-shaft design and is a fully loaded machine (can measure how hot the soil is, super fast recovery speed, back light, GB adjustments, etc.). Oh, and its ergonomics and coil selection are great! Basically, from my research, the F75 is the perfect single frequency VLF machine except: it's not water proof. To me, that's a major limitation, as I want to be able to use my machine if it rains, at the beach w/o worry of dropping it in the water or getting hit with a wave and have the ability to wash it down if it gets really dirty. So if I were to get a single frequency VLF machine, I'd probably get the Garrett AT Max, but I digress... Is Multi-IQ worth it? I think so, but mostly because it can handle more types of soils better, like salty beaches (where you said you presumably wanted to hunt). Having more consistent target IDs helps, too. From what I understand, the F75 can work on salt beaches, but only in the dry sand. If you want to get into the wet sand, you need the Equinox 600 or the Vanquish. Here's what I would recommend: Get the Vanquish 440. It should do just fine at the beach and homesites and parks. If you like it and get enough experience to understand what more features can do for you (and if it's worth the extra money to have those features), then get the Equinox 600 or 800. In my experience, the 540 is the perfect machine (for my needs) if it only had adjustable ground balance and was at least weatherproof. I'd also like adjustable and fast recovery speeds, but I understand that by asking for that, I'm almost asking for an Equinox 600... I love its ergonomics and batteries over the Equinox, but I'm starting to see its limitations in terms of recovery speed and ground balance handicaps.

Love it! It's always fun to try finding ways to reduce the weight of metal detectors.

What Chase and Rick said. Depending on conditions, there really is no way to reliably cut plugs to prevent at least some grass from dying. The only real way from what I've read to to avoid digging at bad times (hot and dry season). When I dig in an area where I'm concerned about killing grass, I will either only do it when it's not too hot and there's been a recent rain (or rain is forecasted within the next day or two) or I will carry water with me to pour over the plug after I've replaced it.

Given your hot ground, what do you think the difference maker was b/w your 800 and wife's 540? The 800's ability to ground balance?

I regret selling my Equinox 600. I got it for so cheap, although I needed the money at the time.

I metal detected my front yard, which has been heavily pounded with my Fisher F2 and Vanquish 540. Currently, I detect with my 540 in a modified coin mode, where it's basically the stock coin mode, but I've notched out some lower numbers. Basically, if it doesn't hit 16 or so, I won't/shouldn't hear it. All day Saturday it had been raining, although most of Sunday was sunny and dry. So the ground today was nice and moist, but not wet or soggy at all. When using my 540, it seemed like my entire yard came alive with a bunch of targets hitting 17 or more. Some of these were solid and some were iffy. To put it in perspective, normally when using my 540, I rarely get any strong signal in my front yard over 17 due to heavy hunting done so far. However, when I dug the strong signals, about half the time it was a medium-size rusty nail and half the time, it was a penny. So I have the following questions: 1. What's going on here? I've heard that wet or damp soil can improve the depth of your detector. But I went from barely any 17+ signals to tons of them. I was even able to find a dime in the curb strip in front of my house. Normally, unless I'm in all metal mode with my 540, hunting that area results in ZERO signals; pure silence. Now, I get a dime and some solid iron targets? It's almost as if I had never hunted that curb strip before. 2. Whatever is going on here, will getting an Equinox 600 help me handle it? On the one hand, getting 4 pennies and 1 dime in a heavily hunted area is great. On the other hand, I was digging up more iron than normal. My first thought was that my soil had mineralization whose effects were amplified by the recent rains. So would the Equinox's ability to ground balance make a difference here and if so, how much?

They know this too and, as far as rumors go, all 3 are in the process of doing just that.