mh9162013

I've been debating whether to get a Fisher F-Pulse due to its greater sensitivity compared to my Garrett Carrot. But I wonder about its "closing range." What's that? Let me try to explain. Today, I tried using my Garrett Carrot for a full hunt, but had it on maximum sensitivity. I appreciated its extended range as it made it easier to determine if my target was in my plug or hole. However, I realized that the greater sensitivity isn't as useful as I had hoped given the amount of trash where I hunt. So while my Fisher F2 could discriminate out trash, during my dig, my Garrett Carrot might detect a piece of trash before it could get the actual target I was digging for. But I confirmed that the greater sensitivity of my Garrett Carrot isn't as useful as I had hoped because of the short "closing range" it had. What I'm referring to is its ability to change its beeping as the poinpointer gets closer to the target. For instance, the pinpointer might detect a target 3 inches out. But when it's still 1 inch away, the steadily increasing beeps have stopped and now it's a solid tone. And it stays this solid tone no matter how much closer you get to the target. Ideally, the steadily increasing beeps (what I'm referring to as its "closing range") will continue until the pinpointer is touching the target. I see tons of videos on a pinpointer's sensitivity. But none on its "closing range." I'm realizing that having a pinpointer with the ability to detect a coin at 4 inches, but only has a "closing range" of 2 inches may not be as useful as a pinpointer with the ability to detect a coin at 3 inches, but has a closing range of 2.75 inches (assuming this kind of pinpointer even exists). I also understand that the size of the target makes a big difference. With my ring, I may never get a solid beep from my pinpointer even when it touches my ring. Yet when next to a metal trash can, I get the solid beep when the pinpointer is 4+ inches way. So my question is: what pinpointer(s) have the best closing ranges? For example, the Fisher F-Pulse has the best (or among the best) range/sensitivity of most major pinpointers on the market. But does it have a correspondingly long closing range, too?

Commercial freeze dried pouches are nice due to taste and convenience, but they can be expensive. One cheaper option I've come across are Knorr Pasta Sides and Knorr Rice Sides. These cost about $1 USD and require you to add the contents to boiling water, then cook for 10 minutes. Or, you can put the contents in a heavy duty (freezer) resealable bag, add boiling water, then finish the cooking in 10-20 minutes in an insulated coozie (cozy?). Adding additional ingredients, such as fresh/dehydrated veggies, dehydrated/freezedried meats, instant mashed potatoes, ramen, etc. are also options. The only hesitation I have with this option is the use of boiling water in a plastic bag. I dunno if chemicals are being leached into your food, but a lot of people do this and seem to be ok with it... Some through hikers swear by the "ramen bomb" which has varying ingeredients, but basically consist of a cheap ramen brick, ramen seasoning packet, cut up hot dog and instant mashed potatoes. Quick, easy, high calorie...and cheap. Some even swear by the taste, too.

Thanks Monte. What you say largely parallels what Jeff told via PM.

Can you explain why you'd take an AT Max over the Apex, but not the AT Pro (sans waterproofing) over the Apex?

That makes me wonder, what if a detector had a simple boolean algorithm that, after every hole you dug, it asks you if it was a "good" find or "trash." After a few hundred digs, I bet it could do a darn good job of being able to figure out if its user is likely to dig the next time the machine gets a signal.

Just to add on what Steve said, today, you can buy a birthday or holiday card that plays music when you open it up. This card has more computing power than was available to the entire Allied armies of WW2. But today, when we're done with the card, we throw it away.

Thanks for doing that test. Is magnetite the the primary "ingredient" of black sand?

Low self-discharge (LSD) NiMH have very low battery drain. We're talking 30% over 10 years and roughly 5-15% over the first year or two. Assuming this is still faster than Lithium self-discharge, there is the practical limitation of not storing a lithium battery at or near full capacity (as your post already mentioned). Then there's the variable of parasitic draw, which many machines will have, regardless of the battery type it uses. So when it comes to long-term storage of batteries at full capacity, LSD NiMHs are the way to go, not (traditional) lithium.

All else being equal, with current battery tech, a lithium (poly or ion) cell will not be as durable or forgiving to abuse as a high quality NiMH cell. That doesn't mean lithium packs or cells will never be able to outlast or outperform nickel-based cells, though, as there are so many variables that determine how long a cell lasts and different levels of lithium and nickel cell quality.

In that case, avoid lithiums. They are more delicate, less forgiving to abuse and have a lower lifespan than a high quality NiMH cell.

IGNORE

Absolutely not true.

For Garrett!

Thanks for the explanation.

Was there no NDA or other legal agreement preventing you from doing that?

Ahhh, that makes sense. But if someone had an old Ace and wanted to upgrade, I still think the Apex could be a reasonable recommendation (depending on their specific needs, of course).

I don't understand. You say you want the best, but then you got a Vanquish 540 when you already had an Equinox 800. From a form factor perspective, I agree that Vanquish > Equinox, but from a technical capability perspective the Vanquish is inferior to the Equinox, right? I concur 100% with you that the Apex isn't that big of a jump from the old Ace line. But that doesn't mean it doesn't serve a particular group of detectorists. There are so many reasons why someone would want to buy the Apex. I'm a believer in that one should avoid the "muddle in the middle" as much as possible. For instance, if I wanted a SMF detector, I'd try to get either the Vanquish 340 or the Equinox 800. I'd avoid the Equinox 600 or the Vanquish 540/440 like the plague. My general philosophy is to go cheap or go all out; kinda like Yoda, "there is no try." If you can't afford the Equinox 800, but can afford the 600, just wait to buy the 800. If you can afford the Vanquish 540/440 but don't need the Equinox 800, get the 340 and save the left over money for other things, like a pinpointer, paying bills, buying another toy, etc. Of course, there are plenty of reasons to get a Vanquish 440/540 or an Equinox 600. Some of them may actually apply to me. But getting one of those machines goes against my general philosophy. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with what you buy or think, phrunt; I just don't follow your reasoning. I mean, I'm considering a Tesoro as my next detector. Why? Because I get to tinker with the knobs, not worry about my machine getting superseded by a newer model (that ship sailed a decade ago) and figure out how to replace its 9V battery power source. Yeah, those aren't the most practical or logical reasons.

Says the advanced metal detector user who purchased a Vanquish! Granted, you got a 540... But seriously, going from an old Ace to the Apex is a prett big jump, is it not? Even if Garrett's SMF tech works only have as well as Minelab's, it's still a nice upgrade. I guess for someone who wants to really push their metal detecting limits, in terms of areas to hunt and skills to develop, it may not be a big jump. But someone who wants to keep things casual and doesn't expect to go underwater, it's a nice upgrade.

Which is more than you can usually say for Minelab.

Great finds and thanks for sharing. I'm thinking my next machine will be the 340...

I have to give Garrett credit for actually producing and shipping a product they announced just a few months earlier. None of this announce/tease, then make people wait for years. And even if there were delays, it would be understandable, given this virus thing going around.

My Pro-Find 35, when I still had it, was particular about the 9V batteries it could use, i.e. alkaline only. Heavy duty batteries caused glitching.

Those are good choices, as they're PI devices and use AA batteries and have good sensitivity (from what I've heard and seen online). Another option is the Minelab Pro-Find 35.

I have multiple, and always carry one in my car. I also have a specialized first aid kit/survival kit combo in my metal detecting equipment bag. It's more like a first aid kit with a few survival gadgets inside. As for choice of equipment, I'd stick with name brand gear and avoid the no-name knock offs. I mean, if money was that tight where you had to choose between a low quality piece of equipment and nothing at all, I'll take the low quality stuff. But if you're going to do something you'll rely on with your life, buy some reasonably decent gear. For flashlights, I'm thinking of companies like Pelican, Fenix, Surefire, Streamlight, Maglite, Underwater Kinetics and Princeton Tec.

The lanyard I use looks exactly like that one.