Skull diver

Sad story to read. Unluckily the market today is probably at the highest competition level and for sure there's no way today to make mistakes. No one can survive without to keep "fresh" projects and true alternatives to other's brands. Distribution, marketing and advertising also, is another big beast to fight. Personally, I hate to trust same persons talking about every new model eliminating the past one, for every brand! For my modest experience in the field I rarely found a machine to operate exactly like was announced. Can I trust today other's words? Can I wait for the local lobby, to obtain some clean news by the field? I subscribed to this forum in last January, cause finally here I can red things that make sense to me. After a small time participating to a marketing action for a dealer, making tutorial videos and all that noise around machines I was frankly tired. Especially to say what people like to hear, more than the truth. Closing my post, I think that the counterfeits are a direct result of dozens of steps between factory and customers! A straight delivery from factory to customer can solve lot of troubles. I can trust a bank check sent to the factory, I can trust longer times to have the product from overseas, but can't tolerate bullshits on pricing theories from hand to hand activities, taxes etc. If a product is stated as available, I can't buy it from where I want, for the price I can pay and still need to wait for the local dealer hardware's stock. I mean, to have a coil this is really too much for me. Way too worst if the machine is an instrument that I use to WORK.

I'd love to try this 26650 beasts to modify with only 4 of them my battery pack for the Tdi. Assuming a 535mAh / hour consumption this will last sooo long in it! At least 8 hours at full gain.

Actually, if You're able to keep 15uS and to hear a stable noisefree treshold with the 12'' dual field, You're doing pretty good. I mean, I (air) tested with higher delay rings of various shape and weight, whithout big signal difference till 25uS!.. In saltwater however You'll find Yourself to do a detuning, to use in the right way the machine unless You want to fight with boring noise. So the trade is between stability and sensitivity / depth on small stuff...I've seen gold chains captured underwater with Your machine, but the clasp was the reason! There's a point few people think about...Depth means also blind machines to environment's created noise and this thing almost doesn't exist unluckily... I'm a vlf user prevalently, and when I need depth, I go back on the same place with the PI to double check for less relevant things in terms of urgency... When a time window is open and I need to be fast, there's no way my Tdi can be the first weapon of choice...I ended up to quit with the idea to use the GB turned on, to obtain sound discrimination..The only way to use it efficiently is like a straight PI with GB off, otherwise loosing half of depth I can do the same with a CTX and leaving (not so much) deep stuff in a lot less time too.

Joe, are You using the M12 8 pin type to adapt a coil on the TDI bH? If You have any suggestion for a good one I'm all ears 😉

I own mine since 2013. I dive in the shallow with it. Outer speaker:broken and leaved as it was. Usb port:Never opened since the last update in 2015(more languages w.t.f?)... Also completely filled it with gel grease. Control box coil's connector:ruined and replaced with the entire rear end. Lower shaft: ruined trying to create the usual cut to allow less stressful cable passage.The shaft design is good to cut or ruin the cable as it is.Bought another one and mounted upside-down. Lithium batteries:leaked and destroyed 3 of them.Today I use Ni-Mh rechargeable switching two alkaline pods. 11"coil:sold it (terrible mistake). 6" coil: a killer, but really too little and useless 80%of times. 10x5"Coiltek:sweet coil but floated a lot..Sold it 14x9"Coiltek: really sensitive but unusable in manual underwater...Still prefer and want back again the original 11". Headphones:bought Grey Ghost underwater and leaved it after a month as the audio is next to a fart and bubbles are all what you can hear underwater.Replaced with yellow Koss Crap (at least at a volume of 30 and higher pitch you should hear something). My right arm is bigger than the left one thanks to its weight... To complete my review as a strong old user of this machine I can also say something no one talk about. Don't expect similar performance with last released ctx. Tried personally other 3 of them and was like to have half of the depth. Blind coil almost like an Excal with a gold chain at few Cm from it. It costed me a bunch of money in damages and I've been only lucky to have it back in finds during these years. I'll never burn again all that money in a similar thing. Lesson learned is to wait at least 2 years from Minelab release day.

Thanks to this map I confirmed my doubts! Regardless of a reduced gain, of a turned off GB and really slow coil movements, there's no way for me to keep my Tdi usable without 17uS delay minimum. I'm in the more higher salt concentration area! In this way, (underwater), forget tiny thin stuff, forget depth and forget to be effective, spending time in over digging activity. I'm also convinced that a smaller coil will change almost nothing to this machine reactions, unless a lower magnetic field impact. This is where I hope the AQ can make a difference. If I only will be able with it to keep 60 to 70% sensitivity and 11.5uS delay should be fine enough.

This is exactly what I was expecting from it. Due to the tough saltwater training with the Tdi Bh , I'm just waiting for this beauty to finally hear signals more than noise. I'd love to see soon an 8" coil too. Many thanks for your report! Really detailed for a first shot!

I've been able thanks to your topics on the GB, to use it like a "wall"point between dig/not dig signals...In fact, the depth loss is really consistent, to reduce the machine (TDI) to very similar performance of a VLF... Almost useless... I never hunt (or I try to),in sanded in places, so the depth is a so and so factor for me... However, If, and I repeat IF, the iron sound is really noticeable in all metal, compared to the gold signal, is already a success. Right now, due to my way to plan the action, a TDI or a Ctx is not so different...This is the main reason of my focus in this machine...You'll see answers to your questions in next hours, so all we are waiting for your report...

Many thanks for your video showing us "the beast"at work in details! I only wait to have mine downhere in Italy🌡️

You're right! However the depth perception of this machine can help You if you're over a rocky bottom... I can't say how many times I found gold rings trapped under big rocks that I removed with a kick.That coil will find it from above it!!!!

I'm glad the headphones are in black! I hate that Yellow stuff saying people "helloooo look at me please"!

Curious to hear the tone mode now😉 I'm actually looking for a killer precise sound to be sure is worth to dig it... Big depth is already a terrible enemy for me with only my hand to move sand🤐

Joe:"Oh oh"..."Is a gold ring".... Me: Oh Lord! It works Soo good and I just can't have it😩

Found minutes ago... I'm happy he's involved in the beta phase🔝

This Year is not the time to go too far from home... Due to reduced people's presence on the beach right now, the lockdown fear for lot of them will cause for sure a lot less finds in next seasons. In my area the really old items are already gone forever... This week I'm hunting a silent eroded paradise...But completely cleaned! Fresh drops needed reeeeeeally sooon

Not the best of solutions, but I can Only suggest smaller coils..... Also, I'm not used to Xp machines, but ask someone details on iron rejection settings for first.

Yesterday, unless few more targets, It was even worst .... Found a real dreamland with red clay and 2 cm of sand above... Found the way to keep the Tdi quiet around 17uS-full gain and almost zero treshold... After 4 hours...Nothing more than coins and flying aluminium... In some places, I was forced to turn on GB due to hot rocks sounding like targets... Luckily I'm used to this sh.....:-)

Lovely "voice"... Hope to hear it soon in my headphones😎

Unluckily I've been not so fast to check... I'm sad waiting for your creation in Italy🤐

You can always switch between the two by pushing the accept/reject button... I suggest You to play a little doing some air test on good stuff checking also for different vdi reactions on iron and rust... From FE which was a little too scarce eliminating the garbage, FE2 can be a little too much... Set FE To 6 and FE2 to 3...You might want to check by Yourself what suit better against bad targets. Now You're using a sort of all metal pattern fully opened (I'm a fan of this way to use it and You of course can, being a really fast machine)...But if You don't want to begin crazy on iron and garbage littered ground, follow my advice... Cheers

I like to joke trying to be as funny as I can, but also transparent... I use detectors to bring home some money. (A dream for some people to do it like a work, a nightmare for others when You have childs and bills to pay: just a fact of different life's situations). Doing this with big motivation, push You to find the better solution in terms of quality for money. In over 15 years I'm still looking for the "perfect tool" to get the job done. After some Years, an old technology will be naturally outdated and this will be the case of TDI against the AQ. I don't know the man, I don't even know his face, but I believe in Alexander Tartar like the person that will add something new to the game, if not a total game changers for Us. All the Best!

Also, I don't own the Nox 800...I only tested it for a dealer, shooting the video underwater... I like it, is lighter than the Ctx, is faster than the Ctx, Is cheaper than the Ctx....A bit more fragile than the Ctx, a bit more noisy than the Ctx,a bit less ID stable and precise than the ctx...Owning a Ctx will I buy it?....Nope

Save Your money for the AQ.... and wait ....Trust me... I'm also thinking twice to modify it to obtain quieter operations. I do water hunting only and I'm not fine with the original coil...ok..... but I'm next to spend the same money the AQ is priced today (even if is only the first prototype) on a machine that is not so good for what I do. Pointless..... Just my 2 cents...

Pay attention to that video...The final advice for more depth is really valuable..But don't forget the 14.8V battery pack He's running! I don't have the technical knowledge to suppose that higher voltage is better or worst than usual 12V original battery, but I can say for sure that with full battery, when I'm approaching the water, the noise is even more than a couple hours after when the battery is going down... Voltage regulated is a thing and voltage driven, is another... So, I mean that a more sensitive machine cannot be only deeper, but also more sensitive to environment induced noise too...(The Impulse is been a project to go over this problem).... In conclusion, I'm now able to say that is better a little "blind"machine in saltwater, which can only sound a certain category of relatively bigger size and conductivity, than a super sensitive one, which force You to elevate to the stars your focus on signals that You can barely understand between noise... If I leave a broken chain of 4 grams, but I dig two 3.9 grams wedding bands in the same time passed looking for the chain, I'm perfectly fine!

Sorry, I was editing my post when You writed back... Thanks to my sore back, I'm doing at the same depth You want to hunt, not wading but snorkeling...This give me the option to go down when I hear a signal and dig it like when I scuba dive...(Useless air consumption looking for targets without clues and terrible weight effort eliminated!) You only need a dry snorkel type and believe me You'll love it! All I can say about the Tdi downthere is....Noisy! There's obviously the way to keep it stable and silent, but is only detuning gain, rising delay and threshold a bit OR turn off GB... If You keep the slightest treshold sound to hear the really faintest deep signals, You'll also increase the waves signals response by the coil...I mean every single movement of water on You, including the shaft swing to the left💀. Deep...for sure...but the price is patience! I can't compare it with a Sea Hunter however due to a couple things... The SH coils are generally blind to really thin targets, unless those really under the coil (seen on Youtube multiple videos)... The smaller inside coil of the dual field is for sure more sensitive, but I repeat...Cost You more noise! The depth is for sure another beast, I'll never found a thin band to sound at 35cm far from the coil...I can shoot the proof on camera, even if an air test is pretty useless...with GB off lowest delay and almost no treshold You can hear it!!!