F350Platinum

So... $180 for a WS6, $100 for the XP Lite shaft, $300 for the 9", and $32 for the RCDIGS WS6 mount... ... And you've got a Deus 2 for around 600 bucks. Better if you already have some of the stuff, but still a great deal. New the WS6 is $375. 👍

I probably go through one of those waveguides a year, so I just keep an extra one on hand, preferably the new black one: https://seriousdetecting.com/products/xp-aerial-antenna-with-115cm-cable-for-deus-ii-metal-detector?_pos=1&_psq=115cm&_ss=e&_v=1.0 They're cheap, and the black ones seem to last longer. They're also shorter so they don't have to be wrapped as much.

Today I got the RCDIGS V1 mount. I'm glad I did because I'm going to be giving it intermittent heavy use all this week. I'm headed to a beach campground. It's a pretty popular place but I've found the D2 can hit a lot of stuff others miss, however I'm going to have to dig for it. Just about every dig is 5 scoops or more down. 😵 I'm hoping that going a week later than last year will mean more warm days and fresh finds. My wife wants a diamond this year. 😬 This is the difference - V0 was solid, V1 is not. V0 had no way to use wired headphones, V1 has ample space to plug them in. You could probably even plug a transceiver in there. Next is the angle, I hope you can see it in the photo: It's much more comfortable to push the buttons. Could even be leaned back more. 🤔 Here is the new angle: And this is the old one. It's much easier to hold the button down for ground balancing. My hands are large but not huge. Below I have my 65mm (32.5 radius) circle of vinyl covering the WS6. You'll have to make your own. There are pilot holes for the screws, I recommend stainless. I'll be updating this thread more in the next few days from the beach, may just do a separate post. Ryan of RCDIGS.com has a real winner here! 👍

Excellent hunt, Ghound. 👍 Looks like a campground to me, for hunting and other activities. I've dug those aluminum tent pins before. Is that a big brass bell shard? I think it was NCToad that suggested otherwise regarding using the 11x13 with Tekkna, and posted a video with a theory about it. He's had some pretty stellar results using the big coil as well. It's on this page: I've used Tekkna with all 3 coils, but trash situations vary, so it's great to think outside the box. One of the places I used it I did better with the 9", but that big coil seems to do very well. 🤔 When relic hunting I keep one or the other coil (9" or 13") in a light fly fishing backpack vest with pockets for other stuff like spare bolts 😅 Congrats on the Walker, that is one of the most beautiful US coins. Best of luck to you if you return to that place. 🍀

It will be if the pins are strong enough, I snapped the center pin off just plugging it in and not turning the nut. 🤞 XP service in the US is fast, but I have 2 of everything just in case 😁

Nice, DC. I dug one too this year! Guess that's my oldest US coin too. 🤔

Hey @maxxkatt, Audio response gives the impression of depth, and can amplify deeper targets the higher you turn it up. A deep target will be just as loud as a shallow one. You should follow your posts when you ask a question. 🙂

Thanks DeWayne! 2 on the way, hope they get here before Myrtle Beach next week. Thanks man! 👍🥳 It's about time... 🤔

Let's find out: @steveg, will he be making them to fit your shafts?

Thanks Joe D, For sure this forum can make or break something from an individual or a corporation, or a single object. These 3 gentlemen are fine examples of aftermarket gear creators who are not just in it for a quick buck, we've all run across those. I used to solve big computer problems all the time, now that I'm retired it is a great pleasure to have a chance to "fiddle" with stuff. I don't ask for any compensation. I never thought for a moment that retirement would be boring. 🤣

Switch? Nah, but if you need another shaft for something you have another choice, by far the least expensive. 🙂 I couldn't find the D2 shaft weight anywhere either, but there is a lot of discussion about it here, maybe @Jeff McClendon did some weight comparisons. One thing I noticed was that the camlocks aren't quite as "lock-y" on the coil lower as the more expensive one, but that could be just the one I got. While I'm at this it bears mentioning the stand that you brought to everyone's attention, yet another person that makes quality stuff at a reasonable price. Can't thank you enough for that. Eric is a great guy and I chatted back and forth with him quite a bit. This is not the "lite" version stand that he makes, I wanted the large one that can hold the 13" from rolling and took tin snips and a file to the legs on the Lite shaft cuff feet to make it fit, they are wider but have the same curve dimension. 😅 I also added a Neoprene cuff insert I got somewhere and cut it to fit. The long one sometimes snags on my gear, but not having to chase my detector down the beach on a windy day is worth it. 🤣

Wow NC, I hunt a new campground near the Outer Banks that was an old hunting lodge among other things, and have pulled hundreds of coins out of there as well as some silver jewelry. Even dug a large cent there, it's that old. With all the activity a camping area would have, there have to be a lot of great finds. Of course in my case there is also a lot of live ammo, some near the fire pits so they let me hunt the tent spots. 😬 Congrats on the gold! Looks like you're doing great with Tekkna. 👍

Thanks NC, The difference is the upper part is all some sort of tough composite plastic, it feels as solid and possibly more rigid than the standard XP shaft. It still has the aluminum mid rod and can be retracted the same way. The hand grip is also plastic, not rubber like stock, but is just as comfortable. You're not off topic at all really, I meant to feature the whole rig. I bought it not only because it is $25 cheaper than the stock shaft, but also because I was curious and wanted to have a different take should someone else review it. I like it. 👍

Couldn't agree more. Both are very serious about their creations and committed to the best quality of fit, form and function possible. 🙂 I have been very grateful to be allowed to contribute a few things, but they are the masters of the craft.

Recently @steveg asked for volunteers to test a new RCDIGS mount for the XP Deus 2 WS6 headphone puck that doubles as a Deus 2, often called the WS6 Master. I got the first prototype and am very impressed with it. I wish I had a photo of the mount before I installed it on the XP Deus "Lite" shaft I bought for it, I wanted the opportunity to create the lightest possible configuration, and I'm glad I did. The mount consists of the shaft mount portion, and a screw down cover to hold it in place. Here is the mount before putting the puck in, it has a slot at the bottom to hold the puck in position. The headphone adaptor when attached will also fit. Screw the bezel on and you're done, in this case you have a metal detector that weighs 1.8 pounds, and does most everything the Deus 2 RC can do. I took it out for a field test, and found a bunch of buttons, which was my last post. I had a few suggestions for Ryan, the creator of the mount: 1. The angle of the mount is the same as the standard XP mount, I thought for better access to the buttons it should be tilted back more toward the user. 2. Water/heat mitigation - the original mount is a solid enclosure. The WS6 might get hot in there, and if one got caught in the rain enough water might build up inside the mount to "drown" the WS6. It hasn't been warm yet on any of my hunts but I recalled when I first got my Equinox I put a cover over the control box, and at the beach it got so hot it blanked out the LCD. 3. The wired headphone adaptor - the enclosure is deep enough to fit the adaptor, but there was no exit for a cable to connect wired headphones or a transceiver to use other wireless headphones. Ryan changed the mount angle and just recently sent me a photo of the improved mount which I was very impressed with. He wrote that I could review it when it went live on his site, today is the day. 🙂 As you can see the back of the mount is now similar to the top of the RC RCDIGS mount, a hexagonal mesh that will allow air flow, and water will go right through it. 👍 Also note the notch for attaching a cable from wired headphones. It may also allow a transceiver to be plugged in. These mounts are very well made, one does have to consider that anything that is printed like this might be a little more fragile than something that is injection molded. I love my RCDIGS mount for my Deus 2 RC, and can't wait to get my hands on the V0.3 mount which I purchased from Ryan, I'll be taking it for a week at a beach where I will put it through a rigorous marathon of detecting. You can order it now on his website: https://www.rcdigs.com My apologies to Ryan for posting his prototype photo, but I don't have mine yet. Coming soon! 🙂 Here's another idea I came up with, I bought some 20 mil vinyl and a cheap circle cutter, and cut a 65mm circle to install over the puck when I screw the bezel on: It fits nicely and keeps me from scratching the WS6 face. GL, HH 🍀