Joe Beechnut OBN

Sea Ghost which is in Ukraine? 5.5 hours on batteries if they are 18650, 8 hours if the are 21700s. You can dive with it...with peace of mind, better potentiometers(?) and for me "much easier to work on". I would change out that M8 fitting to a M12, more hardy. I did ask for a price but nothing yet on that, that would be the final determining factor. A couple issues that concern me, heat... condensation since I hunt in cold water and what pots is he using. If I remember correct the TDI Surf Master had some issues with that? Almost the same design too. The stock AQ potentiometers can be a issue and they have had a poor history in the past with other machines they have been used on. Hoping the Sea Ghost has better.

Thank you, Learn something new everyday! Most of the gold I do find is older could be the reason? For Lack of Rhodium... Had some Great years, and a few slow years. Not as young as I once was for sure. 2026 is year 19 I think your doing Great, I did the same when I worked, I would drive two hours to the beach to hunt.. did vacations and some days off during the summer and fall. Once I retired (2013) it took me awhile to figure out where I lived was better to hunt, the Chesapeake Bay, instead of OC Md.

BOOM! A Beauty!! Very nice save!!

Your not going to find many with Rhodium for it cost is insane. 18 years and 931 gold rings.. only one was Rhodium coated. And it was a platinum diamond ring from the 60s. And it was marked Rhodium Plat.

Should be able to get 5.5 to 6 hours on those if they are 18650s ...if 21700s would be 8 hours. Also I have messaged with Sea Ghost and the Stock AQ Inside electronics ............ No potting compound used except the "control pots backs" are ..... the delay and mode adjustment are not. Information from another source said, the face plate on the early models were put together with a cement, the later ones possible silicon. So the early units will be a real challenge to get a part. And what Potentiometers using would be another big concern. I would have to trash that little M8* 5 pin connector for a M12 CTX 8 pin, a lot more durable. From what I can tell.. from the making of the case to removing the guts of the AQ and installing might cost as much as the AQ? A lot of work involved.

Just got conformation on the issue, it was parts. Just talked to my friend Jon who hunts northeast of me about getting a AQ, said he just ordered one from First Texas and will have it in a few weeks, he was told it was a parts issue. Even more interesting look at this baby! Considering have one of mine done come fall. No price yet but a few gold should cover it.

That's a good time out just to say you did it! And 7 hours in the water even!! The cold water would be no problem but those long hours would do me in!

Sorry.. I was referring to the AQ coil size, to big at 12.5 inches for the water.. Me.. I prefer the 9 or 10 for use on any (in the) water machine. Much easier to swing and much easier to get into a deep hole to pin point with a PI using the sides of the coil.

I would love to see a killer submersible to 100 feet Minelab PI. With gold climbing sooner or later the fresh drop gold jewelry is slowly going to fade at public beaches. And like the older beaches I hunt, some require as deep as I can get machine. My old hunting partner uses his Manticore in the water, submerged hunting for just about 2 years now and had to send it in for water issues last week. He used it a lot during the summer submerged and into the winter with two hours hunts a few times a week. 9" or 10" for sure! I do like the stock coil, think its 12.5" but much prefer the 10" coil.. and not a 8, to small...with the 8 may as well use a Manticore or excal. Have a Eric Foster 10 on my AQ PI, just got another from my friend Thomas in VB (Carolina) ..Love the 10"

WOW! I missed this one! 18k too!! Nice!

Thanks Buddy! I have been very Blessed. I agree, Would be nice to see a few bigger chains, I see the hunters in Florida digging some amazing gold chains. Most of those guys live on the beaches, I don't think I can do more then a few days a week now days. I do see some nice gold chains dug by the guys out west too. Like the one pictured above... Unfortunately I'm to old and settled to move South or West.

A real beauty and its High K!! Love finding chains but very rare for me.

October a friend of mine ordered his thru a dealer I know, got it. Recently, January, 2 more of my friends were going to order thru my dealer and he was told they were not available from his source. They did search around and found 2 machines in stock at a dealer. So I checked the First Texas site and found, they are sold out. Also FT no longer offers them on Ebay. Maybe they are out of parts? Which I am hoping, not a real popular machine but it is by far one of a kind and has been the machine that found me gold when nothing else could. Or is this the end? Guess we will find out in time.

I think he is talking about rescue tape?

Yes it can "weep" into the excal control pod causing saltwater damage to the board and weep into the coil... then damage the small PBC. Salt water is deadly to all, fresh water you can.. "sometimes" save all.