Lacky

My door bell is probably what the house came with in 1968. It let's me know when someone is there. What else does it need to do? It's always easier to add flashy bells and whistles than it is to functionally improve performance. My compound bow is 6 years old. The company has released 2 to 4 new models every year since it was made but none of them are functionally any improvement over the one I have, just a bunch of hype. Metal detectors detect metal. EM field science is pretty set and settled. It's much harder to functionally improve metal detectors. I dont even expect the simplex to do it. They are just taking lots of useful known specs and making them much more affordable. If it detects no better than a similer frequency machine from 10 or 20 years ago but is waterproof, has TID, and a simple to use notch function at a fraction of the price I'm happy. I really have no idea where I'm going with this and thought about deleting it. But after pecking it out with my one finger typing I dont really want to do that either. All I really wanted to say is my door bell is 50 years old and I couldn't care less.😀

True, but QED would then have to do the same program, or partner with someone to run it. Very different business model than just retail sales.

You left out all those poor Howard's building stuff in the garage. Course even when they do announce no one will believe them. Sometimes you just can't catch a break 😄

As far as I'm concerned minelab hasn't announced a product yet. Nokta has with the simplex, saying exactly what it is and what it costs and when its available. Until minelab gets to that point I dont really care. The videos are beyond worthless. I guess I'm just not very hype-able.

I went back today with my daughter on our adventure. I'm not certain I am finding the actual town site. I hunted around for other possibilites close by and hunted a spot with a fair amount of glass on the ground. I ended up digging 6 or 7 bullets. Everyone I showed my daughter she said "oh wow" immediately followed by "you need to dig the gold now dad". I'm pretty sure she is convinced I'm just confused on what the goal actually is. We moved back to the site downhill from the mine and honestly I think I'm giving up on that spot. It's just covered in sheet metal, from small peices to several square feet pieces at all different depths. If I lived closer I would hunt areas just outside the sheet metal zones but it's 4 hours round trip. I think for now I'll just go another direction. My kid had fun till the thunder and rain started. Then she said "we need to get out of here dad". It was her adventure so we headed home. A good day, and enough quartz crystals she felt like she found treasure.

"Al Hilali Group General Manager, Amged el-Rashid said the price for the different models of the detector devices ranges from $2300 to $12500." I'm always confused. When an Australian company, in Africa, partnered with Dubai, lists a price what currency is it in?

Still, using Garrett as an example, if the simplex compares favorably to the AT series, as it looks to, they will be needing to come out with an updated AT at half the price to compete. They can't be happy about that. Is brand loyalty strong enough in the detector market to make up for a 100% price difference?

You pretty much have to compete on technology or on price. If you dont compete on either you go the way of tesoro. Brand loyalty helps for a while, but in the end you have to be competitive. Nokta and Minelab have clearly chosen market share over profit margin per detector in the markets they are targeting with the equinox and the simplex. If the other companies dont respond in some way it's not going to go well (obviously assuming the simplex ends up being as good as it looks).

Makes me wonder if they sell any in the US. Shipping from Australia isn't cheap, but it sure ain't $1800. I'd just buy in Australia and have it shipped if I had a need.

Yeah, never heard of any of that phrunt, definitely not a thing in Idaho, and very likely not in the US.

I actually really like the included wireless headphones, but I have used the WM08 and earbuds about half the time. I run the earbuds underneath my shirt to the WM08 in my pocket, so nothing to snag. I also have low latency bluetooth earbuds and waterproof earbuds. I like all the easy options available with the equinox.

Same cell phone for 5 years, just cause it still does everything I need it to do. I chase the new model less than anyone I know though. All my cars are old, bikes are old, most of my hunting type clothes are a decade old etc. Not saying I never would, just basically not really expecting another game changer to come along in an all purpose detector at an affordable price anytime soon. That not to say a game changer won't come out at 3 or 4x the price, but that wouldn't interest me (well, more accurate to say wouldn't be an option for me).

I used my last compound bow for 17 years. Unless the "next big thing" is a quantum leap I imagine I'll be using my equinox for quite some time.

Hmm, never heard of it here phrunt, at least in residential. I know some industrial slows during high demand, but not sure how it's implemented.

Steve, thanks for all your efforts! Dumping the gallery is fine. I knew it was there but much prefer searching old posts and reading and seeing pictures in context. On a more sensitive topic, you might want to create a way for us to contribute toward the cost that pays the bill and give a few other people the ability to log into the control areas. I would absolutely hate for this to all die with you, which will happen someday. If we share the cost and maintenance load starting now it will prepare for that someday.

I'll just add make sure you are doing a noise cancel when you first turn on the machine at the location and redo if you change locations. You probably already are, just dont want to assume anything.

Well the good news is if I can replicate it under specific conditions directly from my phone it still means it should be an outside source of some kind of emi and not a detector problem.

If you want to look at cheaper options I bought this one https://www.amazon.com/Dune-Kraken-Stainless-Detector-Hexagon/dp/B073428DSQ I got the version with small holes so as not to lose targets, I like the choice in pure sand, but with gravel too I wonder if bigger would be better. I bought a $10 fiberglass handled shovel at walmart and chucked the blade in the trash. Was the cheapest fiberglass handle option and worked fine with a little sanding down. So $100 all in. I can't say how well it will hold up or how it compares to much more expensive ones, but it is sturdy and seems built well.

Nate, the reason we discuss problem and technique in public on the forum is so that others having the same issues months or years from now can look back on the conversation and learn from it. It's unlikely you will get better help by email than you will just asking your questions here.

Autistic daughter actually, and thanks. The reason the equinox sales are through the roof is exactly because it convinced people like me to buy. I wanted a ctx for years, but not THAT much. Bring out a detector that people actually prefer and use when they own both at 40% of the price and it gets people off the fence, both for the value and the obtainablility. My daughter randomly told me a couple days ago we needed to go out in the desert and dig gold and have adventures. No idea where it came from. So that's definitely going to happen! The main reason I dont get out of town more is watching her, so she's going to get all the adventure she will tolerate. She really likes going places so this might work out.

Price is my main requirement. They really dont target it at all it seems in the gold pi market. I have a normal job/income and a special needs kid. It doesn't matter how awesome a $7000 or $10000 metal detector is because I will never own one. You can't tell me with Mores law etc they can't make a solid performing pi at a profit in a $1500ish price range. Sure it won't be a Ferrari, but I'm never going to own one of those either. All I want is the opportunity to go looking with a reasonable chance at a price I can afford. That why I bought the equinox, not cause it's going to make me rich, but because it opens up the opportunity for adventures. If I can't buy something for me without taking away from my kids I have no interest in it. A $5000+ detector is exactly that situation.

Sorry, I tried to look it up first, but what is a sun baker?

Yeah, in the poker world the companies just hire players with good people skills. No idea why the detector companies don't do the same. It wouldn't cost much to hire a well respected detectorist as company rep. The benefit far out weighs the cost imho. And for the cost they also get someone sitting in on the planning stages letting them know what is important to their customers.

This is exactly what I was saying about Minelab being weird to me. A company rep having an online presence and answering questions and helping customers is the norm in online poker and is what I'm used to.

What size/type do you prefer for water hunting?