Knomad

Guys, I'm going to challenge the coil designers to Up Their Game. Frankly I think the industry has been stuck on often impractical round coils for far too long, the fact is round or only slightly elliptical coils are a very poor option in general based on coverage and weight, if a long narrow coil can be designed that has anywhere near the depth of a large round coil. For instance, if a 5 or 6 x 12 or 14 or even 18 inch coil can be designed that has even a little less depth but you can get into far more places than a similar depth round coil, and with the added coverage of a large round coil and likely lighter, why would someone NOT use it.? ! Large round coils are just not practical in all but the most wide open flat areas, in fact a long narrow coil even bigger in length than a round coil would often be usable when a round one is not. Think a Big Foot Coil, but with pointed ends to fit into the most places, the narrower the better as long as depth is not sacrificed too much. Sensitivity is no longer the biggest challenge, now we need usability and depth.

Whites, the Eagle SL was my favorite and first of my computerized detectors, I was amazed that it could accurately I.D with numbers not just sound. The Goldmaster GMT was and still is one of my favorite gold detectors and was great with the constant on screen probability of iron and magnetic sand readout, and analyze trigger, it still has the record for nugget size I have found at .9 oz. all models had great balance, something my EQ 800 can't say.

I had an early Whites 24K but only kept it a few days, I compared it side by side with my GMT and found it did not seem to offer any advantages over the GMT in the heavy black sand soil it was tested on, except it was much quieter on the noisy ground, but was virtually identical with size and dept detected, what I didn't like was the loss of the the simultaneous readout of magnetic black sand and probability of iron the GMT has, if you use the iron I.D and Sand Readout you can find more non ferrous in black sand by taking into account how high the magnetic sand reading is. I did like the lack of exposed knobs and slightly less weight, the balance on both machines is very good, and the 6x10 coil size is a great all around nugget detector size and is plenty sensitive, about the same on both machines. I returned the 24K and purchased an Equinox 800, it's just as good on small nuggets if setup right and of course is a great All Around Machine, Too Bad it doesn't have Whites generally great balance.

Unless it has some True new capability I suggest the name -- Point-Less. Lol.

I will just point out that The Equinox 800 gives you the ability to set Target Tones and Volumes for the different I.D Numbers, so you can to some extent invert volumes if you want, but larger targets are still in general going to be louder, but as long as it is not overloaded like with large iron you can set certain numbers your getting to a lower volume or tone. If Minelab is listening -- Please add at least some of the adjustments available in the other modes to the Prospecting Modes, At Least Two Tones for Plus and Minus Numbers.!

I can tell you for certain that in prospecting modes 1 and 2 ( the most sensitive of all the modes) that you will get bursts of strong interference from cell phones, it seems to be picked up by the control box as much if not more than the coil, and if I forget to turn off my phone and it gets near the box it can be startling when listening to a faint threshold. Note, even if you have notices etc turned off on your phone the phone still Checks Into the system now and then, and it's that transmitting burst of EMI that seems the worst. I have yet to update to 3.0 but will, just for those rare times when Multi is too noisy, would be nice to be able to eliminate or switch what frequencies are used in Multi, I suspect it is often only one causing the noise and hate to lose the advantage of Multi just because of one frequency interfering.

BTW, For those who don't know -- Value Engineering is the term often used for Making Something Cheaper, which is fine, But it rarely means Better, and if the original design was good it often results in ruining a good product to cut costs.

I'm sure you are correct, My suggestions are to bring in at least enough income to survive Via service and accessories and minor products while pursuing new technologies, I for one have worked for big corporations and as you may already know it is OFTEN hard to get Non Engineers in Management to take the time To Tinker With TRULY New Ideas, and corporate structures often feed into that by basing Management compensations like bonuses on Short Term Profits, so they resist investing in the future because it hits their bonuses Now, but one or two out of the box thinking Engineers can make a company if not a whole new industry.! Frankly I am not seeing but a very few if any product from Anyone that is Truly New Technology. Engineers Need Free Rein as much as possible to tinker with that Crazy out of the box idea that pops into their head.!! I am a self taught engineer myself, but know I lack training that would be helpful and am now too old to pursue, but that gives me perspective Outside The Box of A True Engineer, and my guess is a True Engineer that has been forced to work in a box would Love a chance to escape and truly create instead of working on Value Engineering while Bored To Death.!

I guess I don't understand how that works. Google is the search engine but the ads are all over Your Website, I hope that You get paid for them to be here? Do you get paid Per Click perhaps? Just trying to help not be a Pest. Keep up the good work, maybe some day will will meet, would love to enjoy a few days detecting with another Enthusiast.

Steve, I looked over one of your advertisers web sites -- Wayrates, and may be interested in a few items, BUT, they have almost No specs for their clothing, I mean basic things like often not even the material something is made of.! For their sake and yours for ad revenue, Please make them aware that most guys like me and others will not even think of ordering something with only photos and almost nothing else as a description. Pants especially need info like -- Material type -- Cotton, Polyester, Nylon, Blend, Etc. weight of material would be great also. Details on Pockets -- Size, Number, Locations, Closer -- Zipper, Velcro, Button, None, Material - Mess, Etc. Leg Closers -- None, Draw String, Velcro, Button. Belt Loops -- Number and Size. Knees -- Plain or Double Layer, or Padded. I'm Not trying to be an Ass, Just hate when companies make basic mistakes.

I have been unable to locate the 1 inch by 1 inch magnets I originally used, no one seems to offer them now. The 1 inch Diameter by 1/2 inch are available and I have some on order but have not tried them, they should work but I wonder about the pull force, so will compare the two when I can. Four 1/4 inch thick ones stacked should also work but untested as well. I suspect several of the Websites are actually the same company based on their Website contents and layouts, the site I ordered the 1/2 in ones from was CMS Magnetics But they have slow shipping, was ordered on the 14th and may arrive tomorrow. It's a Great more useful setup than putting a magnet on the head, Often use it before even digging to clear hot rocks and clean up signal, and if signal disappears often find small wire or tin on the cover, AND a signal may change to Non Ferrous once the hot rocks or black sand are out of target area. Good Luck and Happy Hunting.!

The upgrades I had in mind are not generally software, and would give reasons to stay with the brand until the new models keep them. And the price of Robotics has come WAY down so production could greatly improve with low investment. As for no politics on the site, those were Facts regarding the politics of manufacturing , not politics for politics. SO, I guess No One has Contacts that have funds and like a Good Noble Challenge.?

Steve, Whites should still have a patent on a Combo VLF PI detector if the rumor was true, and they did still produce until recently anyway products, it's hard to believe their production cost are much higher than any other U.S based detector manufacturer, given they are in a little town with relatively low wages, the service side I see as mainly just a backup income for times like now and the natural economy fluctuations, the main worth of the company is a 70 year customer base, BUT that worth declines rapidly if they stay closed, so it needs to stay open until new models start selling, and Serious Upgrades for old models could bring in new revenue also. I would push to develop a new basic universal main control board to use on almost every unit to greatly cut costs, and justify retail costs between models by level of additional features in programming and clock speed, Pulse machines or their successor could also use that board with an added timing feature or a small separate board, but all interface work would be done by the universal board, the V3i has the technology, it just needs to use updated faster smaller electronics. My guess is other companies have already consolidated parts more then Whites, and certainly miniaturized more, like with the Nox. I am offering to head that effort, but only if someone has the funds and gonads to risk them, I'm not interested in a job, I already have a successful company, I would like to be a partner in saving a once great company that needs my help and is in a industry at the heart of a hobby I have been hooked on since building my first detector from old broken Transistor Radio parts in the 60's, pre High School. Covid could be a blessing if industry wakes up and sees they are far too dependent on imported parts, supplies and finished goods, most electronics manufacturing is now automated so wages are less of a factor in production costs. Gary.

Steve, and Others With Contacts. Whites has been around for so long with many thousands of machines still in use and many loyal customers who will still want to keep those machines and will need service and parts, yes I understand there is a service agent. It just seems to Me that someone could use that service and parts business base to sustain the company while going through unused ideas and patents to develop new products, such as a V3i and High Power TDI in a Sport case Etc. I have several ideas myself. MY Question To You -- Do you know of anyone with the financial means to just buy the operation outright with cash.? Yes it would be risky, But a true Detector Enthusiast that has money to risk could turn the company around and either keep it for the fun and maybe pass it to their kids, or sell it once recovered. I say buy for cash, because unless there was a mass amount of money thrown at it (not recommended) the secret would be to not have large overhead from company debt, then the repair business and minimal sales could sustain it until sales return. As For Me, I have a small Technical Troubleshooting Business in Arizona and do not have such cash, but what I would be willing to do is move to Sweethome and spearhead the Repair Business and General Recovery of the business, if you can find such an Enthusiast, I as another Life Long Enthusiast will supply my management and repair business expertise at a minimal cost for a stake in Saving An Industry Icon. Gary

I have never worn out a cap in the roughly 3 years I have used this setup, but am sure it could be done depending on the type of ground and how and how much it is used, But they are cheap. I have however lost a few, they don't just fall off by themselves it seems, usually it takes a hole or something that grabs it and I fail to notice it happened until too late to find it, lost I think 3. Most often I do what may be called Extreme Detecting, on steep hills and trekking through heavy brush and between rocks, Etc. So loosing things is not uncommon, the first was my mind long ago.! I mount the magnet with as big a screw as will fit the counter sunk hole, a #10 if I recall, and long enough to go into the handle at least an inch, 1 1/2 or 2 is even better, a Deck Screw into wood or plastic works well, its a good idea to put a little polyurethane or other good glue on the magnet base and screw to keep it tight, I did have one come a little loose and I didn't pay attention thinking it had at least an inch worth of thread before coming off, BUT what I didn't think of is rough use of the loose magnet flexed the screw enough and the screw broke.! Never happened since with glue.

MAGNET SETUP. For Trash and Small Hot Rocks. The magnet type and size is getting hard to find BUT here is My Favorite setup. --- A 1 inch Diameter Cylindrical magnet 1 inch long, with a countersunk hole through it for a mounting screw, AND a 1 inch Furniture Leg Cap to cover it, The Thin Plastic Kind, not the thick rubber ones. I can usually find the cap at an ACE Hardware in a pack of 2 or 4 for under $3. Some major Magnet retailers use to carry this magnet either in 42 or 52 grade, 52 is strongest, I just ordered a set of 1 inch diameter BUT only 1/2 inch long magnets with the hole and plan on stacking them to get the 1 inch length, because the 1 inch x 1 inch is getting hard to find. WITH THE COVER, You clean the magnet by just popping off the cover and it removes any iron and Black Sand stuck to it Quick and Easy, and it wears well and protects the magnet, you will likely lose it before it ever wears out if your not careful, (Usually something grabs it off the magnet and I don't notice it at the time). The screw hole allows it to be mounted almost anywhere, use as large a counter sunk screw as possible, usually a #10, I prefer mounting it on my digging tool Handle Rather than the dig head so I can get into smaller holes and clearly see on it if I picked up that Annoying Tiny Little piece of trash. I'm Primarily a Nugget Hunter, and find I can Greatly clean up the massive number of small hot rocks in the area by just dragging the magnet around, AND by doing so Greatly Clean Up any target signals that even effect Pulse Detectors, as well as my Nox 800. GREAT Time saver by using the magnet FIRST on the target spot to grab those small iron targets that Fool All Detectors.

Guys, As I read this they are NOT going out of business, Ken is Retiring, and with all that is going on and his retirement it is a Good Time to just stop and decide the future of the company. Yes I saw something coming after the old man died and they stopped innovating, But they still have a good customer base, so I suspect another family member will take it over or it will be sold, I only hope they get back to being cutting edge (that may take investment money they don't have) and retain their great customer service. I wish them all the best, from a Guy who has owned one or more Whites Detectors Continually for 35 years.