Erik Oostra

Making the most of the very low tides we've been having, I had a looksee at the back of the stinger nets at Horseshoe Bay.. These nets usually float about 2 meters above the seabed but yesterday I could walk around the back of them.. I found 6 rings, amongst them was an 18ct gold/palladium wedding ring.. Finding the ring made me remember a Facebook message I received from a gentleman called Lachlan, who had seen a post on the Facebook page of my local metal detecting club in Townsville.. He first contacted me on 27/09/2021.. About three months ago! Anyway, here's his response to finding his wife's ring! (I left out a message which gave his address).. Lachlan Hi, someone sent me a screenshot of your post regarding Sunday markets, are you still on the island? I lost my wedding ring on the beach or in the water. G'day Lachlan.. yesterday I found a gold wedding ring at the back of the stinger net at Horseshoe.. did yours have an inscription of any kind? Lachlan It said You're my treasure. that's the one! Lachlan Holy fuck Lachlan When can i get it mate? are you on the island? Lachlan No, unfortunately I'm in Townsville Lachlan Mate you've just made my whole week I can send it to you.. be cheaper than catching a ferry.. Lachlan I like that idea. I like the idea of addressing it to my wife even better good move! Lachlan I'll be on the Island in a couple of weeks, I'd like to buy you a carton or something I'll send it on Monday.. glad you got the ring back.. a carton would be great! Lachlan What do you drink mate? Great Northern.. Lachlan Sounds good. You're a legend mate! This is a picture of the ring taken by the world famous ring-designer dude who creates them..

Did you use the Excal for these finds? your Equinox would've handled these depths and given you target id.. 😃

Another good point.. Has anyone tried this? Can you change programs (eg. from 'dive program' to 'beach sensitive program') underwater? surely if you can do it on land you must be able to change programs underwater.. 😁

Good point Skullgolddiver.. that's also another advantage of the Deus II over the Sea Hunter and Excalibur: a larger range of coil sizes!

I think XP's Deus II will take a huge slice of the scuba detector market.. I'd even go as far as saying it'll make Garrett's Sea Hunter and Minelab's Excalibur obsolete (maybe they'll find a niche market with marine archaeologists or as historical oddities).. The reason I'm so confident in my prediction is that the Deus II is water-proof to a whopping 20 metres! I know the Sea Hunter and Excalibur have depth limits three times that but when does the average scuba detectorists ever dive deeper than 20 meters? Jewellery, coins and other valuables are nearly always found in much shallower water.. A second reason I like the Deus II as a scuba detector is that unlike the Sea Hunter and Excalibur it has a target ID.. Time will tell if the Dues II in its multi-frequency ‘diving program’ (4 - 14khz) with a 13 x 11" coil will punch as deep as the PI detectors with their smaller coils, but in the meantime the ability to accurately sort out targets underwater will make a huge difference to people about to buy a scuba detector (and for those searching in areas with loads of junk).. This is besides the Deus's touted abilities on dry and wet sand.. I don’t think it’ll knock the Equinox of its perch as my main beach detector, especially with its 15” coil (but if XP made a 17’’ coil all bets would be off).. 😁 But whatever happens to its expensive big brand rivals, I can't wait to get my hands on a Deus II as my main scuba detector (sorry PulseDive, but you’ll always remain my favourite when I venture deeper than 20 metres)..

Dear Minelab, I've had a bit of a rethink about the 20" beach coil.. just make it 17".. that'll keep the doubters happy (those who say 15'' is pushing things) and it just about meets my needs (although I'd be happier with an 18").. I've also had a bit of a rethink about the name.. there's still time to change it from 'Beach Monster' to 'Deep Beach Beast'.. this rolls of the tongue nicely.. Equinox DBB Coil.. the crowd will go wild! Thanks again for your excellent customer service.. I love how you listen to everyone, no matter how few detectors or coils they've bought from you.. I also love your quick response, it makes my innovative ideas seem valued and respected.. So, just knock-off a couple of inches and rename the thing.. Win/Win.. Best regards, Erik Ps. please pass this message to Coiltek.. we also need to stoke a fire under their arse..

I used to have 9 of them.. the downside for me was that in Queensland scuba tanks have to be tested every year.. I lost a few perfectly good tanks because some zealous tank-tester was hell-bend on enforcing regulations.. these little pony bottles don't need to be tested.. Another downside is that the Island's diving centre won't fill my tanks unless I'm diving with a buddy.. My scuba certification checks out alright (I'm a PADI Master Instructor) but they have this stupid rule about diving with a buddy.. Hence the little fan-cooled compressor, it fills up my pony bottles (slowly).. I'm still saving up for the Porta-Hookah.. For my search area, it'll be a game changer! 😁

I did contact them by email.. they said they'd let me know when they were ready to make new coils for the Equinox.. they never did.. I was already after a bigger beach coil back then, they seemed to be able to fill a market gap for both smaller and larger Nox coils.. you're dead right, shame it never took off.. I was also ready to send them a spare coil to get the size I wanted.. If only to try a larger coil and see if it really made a difference or not.. I had a spare 11" coil which I was more than willing to sacrifice in the experiment.. 😁

Remember these guys? FOXMD a Russian coil maker.. at least for a while they were promising bigger and smaller coils for the Equinox but you had to send them a coil to get the chip and cable fitted.. http://foxmd.ru/

I'd happily settle for a 17 x 13'' coil for the Equinox.. I was a bit surprised Coiltek didn't jump on the chance to make a bigger coil for the Nox.. I guess you're spot on with the 15" coil getting beyond the point of its effectiveness in most locations.. but I still wonder if a bigger coil would work on the beach as the mineralization doesn't change much (even between wet and dry sand).. and in the Beach Mode (1 or 2) you'd still have accurate target IDs..

I've found the same.. it doesn't punch any deeper on my local beaches..

Oh no! that's bad news and just before Xmas too.. my dream of a 20" beach coil has been well and truly shattered.. I just needed something that punches a bit deeper on the beach than the largest Coiltek and Minelab coils, as I'm sure there's deeper silver coins in a few places.. An Equinox coil made for use on wet and dry sand and large enough so you can cover long stretches of beach more efficiently and faster.. If coil manufactures came up with a clever name for such a coil (I'd go for 'Beach Monster') I'm still sure they'd be on a winner.. 😁 I do use my GPX-5000 on the beach with a DD 16 x 12" coil.. It does punch deep and is surprisingly stable even in wet sand but I like the target ID on the Nox as 24-26 are nearly always Australian pre-decimal silver coins, it just saves a lot of digging.. Some of the coins I'm after are on lawns that run alongside the beaches, where I can't dig great big holes (compared to the beach).. 😃

Dear Minelab.. You've probably never heard of me but I've bought quite a few of your detectors and coils.. So it's time to return the favour, I've supported your business and now I want you to make me a coil.. Just a one-off for now.. I need a bigger coil for my Foxy Noxy to detect on beaches.. I'm thinking about 20" round so it'll punch deeper than current options.. Not just for beach hunting but also to sniff out some deeper silver coins.. I'm not just thinking about myself here.. I'm sure creating a 20" coil for the Equinox will make you a lot of badly needed cash.. You'd be able to settle your huge tax debt in one swoop.. There's no need to thank me yet, we can discuss my share of the pie later.. For now, just knock me up a coil.. I'll give it a trail run and if I'm happy with it you can begin mass production.. Win/Win.. So get off your arse, I want to swing the 20" coil during the Xmas holidays.. Your sincerely, Erik

I'm not sure Northeast, I think it has to do with 'payable tax' and the amount of time it's taking to pay their taxes.. I was surprised to see Codan Limited on the ATO's name and shame list.. 😳

Household names: 168 Australian companies have paid no tax since 2013.. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/dec/10/household-names-168-australian-companies-have-paid-no-tax-since-2013

Courtesy of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).. Gotta love their naming and shaming of Australia's biggest tax-dodgers.. 😳

That's the beauty of detecting underwater, no one can see you.. when I eventually buy a PortaHookah I'll paint it marine camouflage for extra stealth 😃.. the little dive flag also has to go, I'll replace it with a pirate flag.. I'll leave a few rings for you.. and you're more than welcome to borrow the PortaHookah..

Thank you.. I thought the same but it's always nice to have someone confirm it.. 😁

The PulseDive is not too bad.. I usually have to dig with my hands a bit rather than just fan over the target.. the ring was also pretty small.. the edges of the coil are also sensitive, i wave it around on its side in between rocks/corals.. I've also have the PD pinpointer but haven't used it much as this method is working out pretty good to get into small gaps.. i guess this would be hard to do with a Seahunter..

Here's a PortaHookah for sale on ebay.. Looks just right for the job.. PortaHooka on eBay

First gold ring with PulseDive I’ve spent the last month extending my search underwater.. I’ve been using two small pony bottles which give me about 50 bars of air (the reserve of a 12 litre tank).. This lasts me about 20 minutes at 4-5 metres and to refill the little tanks takes about two hours with a small 12 volts scuba compressor (it overheats quickly even with a large fan on it).. This might sound like a waste of time and in many ways it is.. That’s why I’m saving up for a PotraHookah, which will give me 4 hours at a maximum of 10 metres, with a 4 hour battery recharge time (small lithium battery).. I’ve already found a lot of coins and even more bottle tops and other crap, that’s the beauty of a dig it all detector.. The ring was buried about 1’’ deep and gave off a weak signal which I nearly ignored as just more crap.. I guess I still have to put in a bit more time on the PulseDive to get in tune with it.. I don’t really mind learning the nuances of another detector as it’s a great pleasure to be back underwater, this time to combine two interests.. I’ve been scuba diving since 1986 when I got my FAUI diving licence and a PADI instructor since 1996.. I stopped logging hours underwater at 3500 hours, and that was about a decade ago.. The PulseDIve has turned out to be a great detector, especially with the 8” coil.. I just wish they made an even bigger coil for it.. I’ve thought about the Seahunter with a 14x10” coil but if I’m going to save up for a PortaHookha that’ll be a long way in the future, as they cost AU$ 1400.. In the meantime I’m sure the PulseDive will prove value for money, if only in terms of sheer enjoyment!

Valens Legacy you're a living legend! That's a great idea.. Phrunt, it could be worth a go.. you've got some great pictures and the whole story line is already like a movie, all the TV station has to do is find her.. 😁

Big flotilla of illegal gold dredgers in Brazil A great Sunday morning read.. the pictures give an insight into the lives of Brazilian gold dredgers.. https://apnews.com/article/business-environment-and-nature-caribbean-environment-brazil-61fe580eb23761117331c10e0b7cfde8

Well said.. I also thought the use of the word 'obsolete' was a marketing ploy.. But it's also an insult to old-school detectorists, it's like saying they're obsolete as well.. Even though these folk represent just a tiny part of ML's market-share, when they get a bee in their bonnet they'll start hollering.. ML knows this.. Like you said, it's a great way to draw people in.. That said, ML could do themselves a huge favour by emphasising the fact that the Nox also has single frequencies.. I don't know why ML seems to gloss over this, I'd make it part of the advertising campaign..