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Erik Oostra

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  1. Hopefully the Deus II arrives today.. These are my expectations: I’ve been using a PulseDive with a 8” coil for deeper dives but searching long stretches of seafloor is very time consuming, especially with a ‘dig it all’ detector which doesn’t punch very deep.. The 11” coil on the Deus II will be a bonus in deep water but I’m going to miss the Equinox with its larger coils in shallow water.. I’m sweeping the seafloor, not creek beds.. XP shows a 11x13’’ coil in the manual but I don’t think it’s on the market yet.. This coil will fill the gap a bit, but not by much.. I hope XP will make larger coils for the Deus II.. No need to go too wild (over 20’’) but a 15’’ coil would be a welcome addition.. A fully submersible coil similar to the Equinox’s 13x15’’ will also sway other sea hunters towards XP over Minelab.. Going by the manual and test reports by Calabash, the Deus II will stay waterproof deeper and longer than the Equinox.. I’m not saying I never expect it to leak (even with its whopping 20 metre depth rating), rather the likelihood of it leaking is far less.. This also reduces the worry about taking the detector deeper than its limit.. Right now I’ve got a depth gauge tied to the control box of the Equinox to make sure I don’t drop below 3 metres.. I’m sure it can go a bit deeper but I’ve never taken the risk.. I hope the Deus II takes away the ‘pain in the arse’ factor of forever worrying about leaks.. Having said that, I never treat the Equinox with kit gloves.. It works hard underwater and never leaked (even since I ‘broke the seal’ to replace the battery).. It’s just that I won’t have to worry about the Deus II leaking at 12 to 18 metres, the deepest parts of my search areas in bays or around old ship wrecks.. The manual says the screen can crack at 35 metres, so beyond that depth I’ll whip out the mighty PulseDive.. With the Equinox, I have to use sensitivity settings below 20 to stabilise it in seawater, otherwise it buzzes like mad and the target ID constantly jumps between 2-3-4-5 (especially with big coils).. I’ve used the 11” inch coil which is a bit more stable with the sensitivity on 18 or even 19.. But I hate lowering the sensitivity, when I get down to 15-16-17 to stabilise the Equinox underwater I start to worry about all the gold rings I’m missing, especially the small stuff.. At these lower sensitivity settings it’s also harder to get a solid hit on small targets - the target IDs become erratic or are drowned out by seawater static.. This is where the Deus II’s salt sensitivity settings (adjustable from 1 to 9) can make a difference.. I hope that by adjusting the salt sensitivity settings (only available in the diving and beach programs), the Deus II will be better than the Equinox at removing the false signals caused by seawater.. If the Deus II also runs more stable and hits hard on targets without jumping about too wildly, I’ll be a very happy diver! I also want to see if the multi-frequency ranges in program 11 - Beach work as good as promised in seawater.. From what I can make out, in this program the range of available frequencies are 4.08 to 4.76 kHz - 6.94 to 8.08 kHz - 10.39 to 15.15 kHz - 15.62 to 20.75 kHz - 22.06 to 28.57 kHz (topping out at 24 kHz) compared to the Equinox’s multi-frequency beach modes using 5, 10 and 15 kHz.. According to the manual, program 11 - Beach can also be used for diving.. If the detector is hard to stabilise or becomes less sensitive to small deep targets, I can switch to program 10 - Diving (with multi-frequency ranges up to 14 kHz).. The manual says that ‘’unlike some multi-frequency detectors that offer fixed multi-frequencies, the Deus II uses different high and low frequency combinations depending on the programs… These frequencies can then be subtracted to remove electrically-conductive soils or added together to help locate a wider range of targets’’.. I hope that the ‘Conductive Soil Subtraction’ in the diving and beach programs will give the Deus II another edge over the Equinox in seawater.. From what I can gather so far, the Deus II is not just a good all-rounder.. XP also has its multi-frequency in mind for the ocean, more so than Minelab throwing divers a bone with the Equinox.. Minelab did a great job with its PI scuba detector, the Excalibur, but I’ve got a feeling the Deus II will finally wipe out its already small share of the pie - especially with accurate target IDs and comparable coil depths.. Maybe the Equinox 1000 will be waterproof to 80 metres and feature salt settings or remove false seawater signals, but until it’s released I’m more than willing to jump ship to XP for a detector that’ll get the job done around the island.. And if it also turns out to be a capable nugget hunter, I’ll be doing even more back-flips with joy!
  2. Thanks for your knowledgeable posts Ghostlight.. I've just bought the Deus 2 as a scuba detector to replace the Equinox.. I've never had the Equinox leak but I never trusted it to stay waterproof for long.. also the constant dread that one day the thing is sure to leak.. In shallow water down to 5 metres I'll happily plod away for 2 hours with my PulseDive (on a 12 litre tank), but there's no way I'd ever use an Equinox underwater for that long (or deeper than 3 metres).. Although I'm yet to take the Deus 2 for a dive (it should be here by Friday) it does seem far more waterproof for longer than the Equinox or even the Legend - Is anyone using a Legend as their main scuba detector? Has the Legend been released yet? Sorry about my ignorance but I've been consumed by all things XP.. Backing up their claim that the Deus 2 is waterproof to 20 metres with a 5 year warranty has won me over.. It'll open up much deeper waters and places.. I'm keen to take it for a dive near old jetties and shipwrecks around the island as well as deeper in the bays.. Even the Deus 2 manual shows they've tested the detector at depth, it says the screen on the control box could crack at 35 metres or that at depths greater than 20 metres you may notice the water pressure compressing the LCD.. I'm also trying to find out about just using the control box speakers (without headphones).. Is it loud and clear underwater? Is anyone diving with the Deus 2 using just the speakers? or are the bone-conduction head phones the way forward.. If I can hear the speakers underwater (I wear hearing aids) I don't think I'd use headphones, for the same reason I never wear headphones on land.. My hearing aids pick up the nuances in sound from the speakers very nicely and wearing headphones doesn't improve it.. If i can hear the Deus 2 speakers underwater that would be a bonus.. Thanks again for your posts, and everyone else.. I realise I'm playing catch-up here and I'm very thankful for your knowledge.. 😃
  3. Thanks Dogodog.. unfortunately there was no 'rest of the money'.. I sold the GPX for the price of a Deus.. I took a bit of a hit so the shark cage will have to wait.. The sharks are not too bad although the next island up from us is a tiger shark breeding ground.. not to mention the salt water crocks.. but they're all part of the show and it's amazing what you get used to.. And you're dead right about more spots opening up.. I've gone back to tanks instead of the hookah idea and was looking for a good scuba detector.. the timing with the Deus 2 just felt right, hope it all works out.. 😁
  4. Just reading the Deus 2 manual, had to laugh at this warning for diving deeper than 20 metres.. 😃 At a depth greater than 20 m, the screen may darken slightly in the centre due to the pressure exerted by the glass on the crystals. This can be reversed when ascending. However, the screen can break at a depth of about 35 m/115 ft, so be careful.
  5. I met him at the ferry terminal in Townsville.. he just handed me a bundle of cash, I deposited it at my bank on the mainland, went online at a mate's place and ordered the Deus! am back on the island now.. probably doesn't sound like much but it's always a bit of a mission when wheeling and dealing from here.. I'll start posting first impressions etc.. and also how it performs underwater.. 😃
  6. This morning I sold my GPX 5000 to a prospector who lives 3 hours away.. he was willing to make the 6 hour return trip for the price I asked for it.. I wasn't using it enough to justify its existence.. I was after a scuba detector and was looking at a secondhand Sea Hunter but when I saw the Deus 2 is now available in Australia (Detect-Ed) I ordered one straight away.. They said they would send it express post and I'll have it in my hand by the end of the week.. So today has been a bit sad for saying goodbye to the GPX but also looking forward to being able to dive with a (hopefully) reliable detector.. 😁 The Deus 2 will be another world altogether but that's always good..
  7. What you're saying here applies to Equinox update 3.0.. According to Minelab adding 4 kHz to the single frequencies "enhances the detection of large deep targets, particularly those found in parts of Asia".. I'm not sure why Minelab focuses on Asia, but it does reinforce their message that lower frequencies are for larger stuff.. Like you said: "It's all about size".. This does have me thinking about update 4.0.. if we ever get one.. maybe they'll go for a higher frequency next time? say 45 kHz for small shallow targets to bring the Equinox inline with the Gold Monster.. now that would be good.. I'd definitely get that update.. Thanks Steve for always explaining this stuff so well..
  8. It is a bit of a dilemma.. Even though I sterilised them with boiling water as soon as I got home, I won't be drinking from them.. I even washed my hands after handling them.. This might seem a bit over the top but since my son caught Covid I've been extra careful.. Strange days indeed.. 😳
  9. Sadly it was empty.. probably why they lost it.. 😳
  10. Although I didn't find these flasks with a metal detector, I did find them whilst metal detecting.. So I'm claiming them as part as my hoard! 😁
  11. I've got one of these.. very well made.. they are available on ebay but I'm not sure if they'll post it to Thailand.. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/334229364095?hash=item4dd19f5d7f:g:qoIAAOSwvwVe1Y5G
  12. Although I do believe climate change is a threat (I completed a Master of Sustainability and Climate Policy at university) this post was written with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek.. Like Steve I also started thinking about the possible benefits of climate change when a huge fire ripped through a nearby prospecting area.. For those who thought I was getting all political about the subject, I can only apologise.. Maybe my extremely witty sense of humour went straight over their head.. or got lost in translation somehow.. 😁
  13. I posted some movies yesterday, maybe they're more your cup of tea?
  14. I've found some movies featuring our great way of life.. some take the piss, some are downright porn and others are real tear jerkers.. all are cinematography at its finest.. Enjoy! 😁
  15. Thanks for your suggestion Cudamark.. but judging by the huge pubic response to Magnetic Island Ring and Jewellery Recovery, I think that soon Ring Finders will be begging to join my global enterprise.. I might even give them a 5% discount on the joining fee.. 😁 https://www.facebook.com/Magnetic-Island-Ring-and-Jewellery-Recovery-104572658783572/
  16. I've only just worked out how to take close-ups with a phone camera, hold a magnifying glass over the camera lens.. duh! I'm sorry about all my previous out of focus pictures.. it won't happen again.. 😁 Here's a close-up of the inscription on the wedding ring..
  17. This is not the first time I've received requests from the public to help them find wedding rings.. most get in touch via facebook messenger after seeing my posts in the Townsville Metal Detecting Group facebook page.. This is the first time I've managed to recover a wedding ring for someone who asked for help.. In response to this huge public demand I've just launched my own page on Facebook as a local service to recover lost rings and jewellery.. Fame and fortune await! 😁 https://www.facebook.com/Magnetic-Island-Ring-and-Jewellery-Recovery-104572658783572/
  18. 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..
  19. Did you use the Excal for these finds? your Equinox would've handled these depths and given you target id.. 😃
  20. 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.. 😁
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