mn90403

Chase, I was answering questions at the other end of the thread before I read this question of yours. Your assumption was mine also about being hardwired. My first use I thought (or didn't think) that once wired then I was connected. I was muffled so I need to use the WM8 next time and turn on the headphones. As it turns out the 800 looks for the WM8 first then goes to bluetooth. I was just on the beach for about 3 hours and I used the bluetooth only. I don't know what the WM8 sounds like with the headphones turned on. Mitchel

Dave, The sound was coming through the headphones on the first use. I just had to turn up the machine volume to the limit. If you use a 3030 or 7000 with a WM10 or WM12 you don't have to turn on any headphones. As it turns out the headphones that come with the 800 will work without turning them on ... they are better when you do turn them on. haha Mitchel

I got my 800 from Bill on Thursday. It could have been Tuesday but that is another story. I charged it up and went out to my favorite beaches late in the afternoon. I put on my gear and headed for the wet area I normally hunt. I was using the WM8 with a wire to the supplied headphones. So ... where was the 'bang?' Where was the 'blow my socks off' sort of performance? It was muffled, hard to hear ... disappointing. What was I missing. I was already starting to write the new threads about the lack of 'wow power' I had seen and read about. I found a few coins and pieces but I was underwhelmed by this new detector. I called a friend and told him I'd bite my tongue a bit because it had to be me. I was doing something wrong. I made a couple of tentative posts until I could get out to my testing area with better knowledge. I did and WOW! I laid out some coins, a ring, some gold nuggets, keys and other stuff. This time I started without headphones and it was amazing. The sounds were loud and clear and the entire detector resonates when you get over a target. What had I done on my first trip? (I'll tell you later.) The recovery was fast and adjustments easy (although there are more) and switching between modes was good for the targets can sound different. One of my first tasks was to take my nugget chips I use for my 7000 and Gold Bug Pro and test in all the modes for them. No problem on these which got me excited. I could see these little nuggets in all the modes with all of the tone choices. Gold, single tone could be swung over little nuggets quickly and still sound off! This was just a surface test but it was strong, much stronger than Gold Bug Pro. I'll have to try with the 3030 and its coils. I placed a ring near a .1g nugget. It separates the signal in multi and single frequency. Oh my. My appraisal just went up higher. When I added the headphones then I was blown away. I had to turn the volume way down from my first day at the beach. Why? Well, in that session I had used the WM8 as I used the 10 and 12 before. Plug in the headphones and detect. I've added the JP booster recently and that helps (I didn't use it with the 800 as not necessary) but I forgot a KEY step. I'm embarrassed to say I used the headphones the first session without turning them on. Oh my goodness. No excuses, just plain stupidity. Now you know why I am blown away by what I can hear now. This is certainly a different type of detector for me and I'm looking forward to all of the different ways I can see the ground I'm working. Targets will be hard to hide. Steve's 'faith based' detector will blow some socks off I'm sure. It already has. I'm wondering where to go as we speak which is what a good, performing detector should cause us to think. When you get yours I think you will understand.

I see you have bagged up your control box to protect it from ?? Mitchel

I've never wave detected because I need a wet suit that I don't have and I don't know how to trust 'water proof' on the 3030 battery compartment. My wife dropped the SE Pro into some shallow water and it was just a matter of time before it ended its life. I know some of the best stuff is in the surf but I wait for the storms to bring it to me. Mitchel

Chase, The WM8 takes the small 1/8 pin. The WM 10 and WM12 take the 1/4 pin. If I use my 1/4 in headphones that did not come with the 800 or if I want to use JP's booster I have to use an adapter to make the 1/8 to 1/4. Those are a lot of additional devices and I think just using the bluetooth will be what I do with the 800 95% of the time. Mitchel

Chase, I have used this on my 3030 with limited success. I thought I had the right channel and setup one time. I went back and it was as noisy as ever. The best thing I could do with the 3030 was to go back when everything was off. I don't do that much any more. The first time under for me was just on Beach 1 and Beach 2 and was only about 5% of my hunt. I'm in need of basics right now. Mitchel

It is a jumpy threshold and target ID when in a certain area. If I get 20 yards away it smooths out and is not a problem.

I like the feel of the headphones also. They were on my big ears for over 4 hours and I didn't have the 'oh no, now it is time to peel them off' feeling! haha Now I'll have to use their volume adjustments in addition to the 800's.

I wired the headphones that came with the 800 to the WM8. I didn't have a problem with the sound still being on that way. I don't think I could use a wire directly to the control as I might get it wet. I'll have to see if my adapter works on the WM8.

Any chance that Federal Building has a security system? I have tried my 800 in auto under a pier with rides above me and I had to turn down the sensitivity. I didn't try the single frequency. My 3030 will not tolerate that pier nearly as well as the SE Pro did. My first use of my 800 on the beach left me wanting because I didn't know enough about the adjustments to hear strong target signals. I dug some deep pennies which sounded 'weak' but got them at about 12 inches. They would sound better as I got closer and then out but without the lock I get on my 3030. Tomorrow is a long session of test garden and a few waves are coming Monday so I need to know what I am doing. Mitchel

It sounded louder to me without the headphones but I didn't have them set right. Have you used the WM8 or just the Bluetooth? I'll go out tomorrow after some reading.

I got mine yesterday (a couple of days late)! I'm a bit busy but charged it up and went out to my local beaches about 4 PM. I used the WM8 and the headphones clipped to my cap as I do the 3030 and 7000. I fumbled around and figured out how to connect and away I went. It was not my best effort. The sounds were strange to me but I heard a little one and my first target was a dime before I got to the wet sand. Ok, it's on I think. I swing and bring up the threshold to just audible and use Beach 2 and I hear another weak sound and I find an earring/hoop as my first wet find. Then I walked and walked and the signals were not jumping out at me like my 3030. I switched to Beach 1 and a bit nosier but signals are still unfamiliar. They all seem weak to me. Time for the next beach where I know there are more things. I didn't change my settings. I should have set up a test garden here and 'figured it out' but ... Later at the end of the hunt I looked at the earphones and I'll say I could have enhanced the volume with the volume control on them. I'll do that next time so I can use this better. Mitchel

AI brought to a detector on chips. Mitchel

I was just looking at my ring collection tonight. I'd like to find more. It might get me out park hunting. I don't do that with my 3030. Mitchel

I've ordered a few things from Kco and paid the Internet Tax. I can still buy from other dealers and save that tax. Here in Kali that is 10%+! Mitchel

I like his blog and I like what he does but I can't watch that show Curse of Oak Island. Mitchel

Ok, settled. Thanks Steve.

Reg, I know what you mean. I do use the GPS to my advantage when hunting the beaches. I sometimes forget how many rings I find in a particular area and then I look at my map and slow down and the boundaries of the wave patch are clear. The problem is that it only holds so many and then you have to save them on another device. All of that could have been easier. Mitchel

Vez, You are closer to gold than I would have thought! I read this article and thought about you. http://www.richlandsource.com/area_history/the-bellville-gold-rush/article_bdaeb902-0ab1-11e8-a485-ebd20572c36b.html You can also go to a GPAA chapter meeting: http://www.buckeyegold.com/goldrush.htm I hope you get out there with your family sooner rather than later! Mitchel

Once again I ask the question. If you use the new firmware and record GPS finds or waypoints this data should be in a data file, right? If you switch back to the old firmware that can interface with Exchange2 then it should look for the data file, right? I just don't know if it can see the data file on the GPZ so that it will transfer to the Exchange2 program. Once done the data is backed up. You could clear the data on the GPZ and then install the new version of GPZ firmware and repeat. I would like to do this and try but I had an 'issue' with using an Exchange2 that was/was not compatible with my 3030. I had installed different programs and then had a drive crash so ... I'm SOL. Too many other things on my plate right now to try it but in my mind if the data file uses the same extensions then it should be available for transfer. Mitchel

I'm keeping it for now. If I had an SE Pro board it would be ok. I don't trash things just because they don't work. haha

My SE Pro died (it got wet a couple of years ago) last summer and I was told it would take $500 to fix it. I really like that SE Pro but I can't justify putting that into a fix. This has more bang for the buck. If I really want an SE Pro then I think there will be a few for sale after the Equinox is out a bit. Mitchel

I like the show and I also like the Tucson show so you have to make it a two'fer. Mitchel

Oh ... one thing most of us forgot on this thread. Remember there was a meeting in Arizona between national and international Minelab dealers? A couple of pictures were posted here about comparisons of the Equinox to other detectors. All of the dealers came away from that meeting and didn't really give us any details about 'when' deliveries would be made. I know it is a small thing but it is an important thing if you are a Minelab dealer. What did they call that meeting? They called it a Partners Meeting. They are Partners with Minelab. They are a 'self-policing' body. If one dealer sells in a manner which can be shown to hurt other dealers they can be thrown out of the Partnership. There are territories for dealers which overlap here because we are on the internet. Small marketing areas become BIG. When I purchased my 5000 it was 'bundled' with many extras but the price was the same as other dealers/partners. They fight for market share all the time. Local vs internet vs training vs sales taxes ... I'm ready for the beach! Mitchel