cjc

This kind of comparison needs to be grounded in a solid knowledge of the site and both detectors. A pulse in not a machine to scout around with--except in the cleanest of beaches. That Said, with some good basic pulse skills it's possible to have a decent level of accuracy. There's such a thing as a pulse that will give a lot of target information. Examples are the Barracuda, and the CS6PI. While these are not exactly mainstream detectors--they do the job of a pulse while offering some selectivity. The Fisher Impulse AQ also offers rudimentary tone ID and like the TDI--great audio. The idea of scouting and assessing with a VLLF is a good one though. As well there are situations where pulse is just overkill. The NOX is a great machine for picking though junk--especially in that you can select for "clean" metal using the F2 bias. The real skill in using multiple machines is in finding and recognizing situations where each can do what it does best. cjc

Last time my machine was in FT service told me that one batch of orange power jumpers was defective. I was given a new one but can't help wondering if that has problems too. I' ve been taught to diagnose detector problems by the best, but when there are multiple ailments it gets a lot harder. Heading down to the Caribbean to hunt Saturday, sadly, the Fisher Impulse AQ will be staying home. So far--it's beaten me. Thanks kindly for the suggestions! cjc

I think that there should also be an orange O ring on the machine side power connection--likely the cause of that damage if it's not there. My replacement came without it fortunately I had a spare. With this much power flying around these details take on much more significance. cjc

Thanks for the heads up, Joe. Hard to tell with these machines--what's build and what's platform...It's managed to exhaust me but will have to have another shot at getting one of these detectors that works as it should--they sound pretty good... cjc

The key is in knowing the theory. A "pure" on ferrous response "carries" in a much narrower field. A cap or spike is less distinct from the surrounding ground--how the machines struggles to separate it is your clue. There is some green on the power coil pins and female side--might be a cause for the instability. (This is after attempts to clean with contact spray and brush). It's a shame--I've had half a dozen Dual Fields with the same issue that just needed a damping change. cjc

Thats very interesting. I spent 3 weeks trying to get the stock coil to settle down in salt water conditions--even up on the sidewall at a resort beach. I even walked to the next resort that didn't have facility wide wi fi. No go. Hate to say it but I've been fiddling with pulse machines since 1989 and there was just no way to run this detector. Detuning produced less than VLF depth. Maybe somewhere far from civilization. Can't see this machine in it's present (performance) form being released. I have hope and like the platform--but it has stability problems IMHO. Cant see the environment I was in being all that exceptional. cjc

I reviewed the Anfibio favorably because by industry standards--it has no flaws....😁 This is why I continue to promote this detector and just last week encouraged a close buddy to buy one. Could be a bit lighter and better in fast salt but overall for what it does--a superb machine. It's 5 below here and mine's by the front door...😁 100% reliable--nothing falling off that baby...or seeping in... cjc

Thanks for your comments Phrunt. I feel like I have been working for FT as a field tester since I got my first defective unit--finally figuring out what was wrong with it (Sens control increase made targets quieter). The new one has a replaced brain but is unstable around salt water to the point of being unusable. I've fiddled with on and off it for 3 weeks of perfectly good vacation time but never managed a single hunt. Pretty good in fresh water but that's not where the money is. Looking for a repair or refund at this point. Any more tweaks and I'll be ready for "Faces of Meth". cjc

So I discovered that the reason this machine is shutting down after immersion is because the Souriel jack needed one more click and the aperture was filling with water. So, down it goes but does this solve the problem? No way. Still full toning never mind in water but even up on the side bone dry. But at the same time the depth is less than other pulse machines running 11.5 (or 15...) such as the Dual Field. This setting has less depth than an Equinox--faint past about 9". (Sens. 2.5 - 3, ATS full) Another thing Im noticing is that this jack in normal usage has moisture in the aperture. It's as if I missed an "O" ring in the box. How does a unit running this much power run with water on the pins? Unstable from the look of it.. cjc

Okay--Im going to qualify and retract the above because I'm now getting the sense that I have a second defective unit. The first got quieter on targets when you increased the Sensitivity. This one shuts down when and after being wet. It also fails the pinch test--the coil is live to interference. As tempting as it is to generalize--I know that others are getting stable results in salt water environments. cjc

I warned them about the Vishay pots. Eric used then on the Aquasearch. I've a bin full of ones that have had to be replaced. First machine got quieter as you increased the Sens. My current machine locks up in salt water and then will not take targets once it's been wet. Trying hard not to generalize. cjc

I've since gotten a response from Alexandre to my enquiry. He's suggested two things: 1/ that I run full ATS at Sens 2. I had tried 3 and 4 but am very hopeful that this will help. 2/ On my last test, I stopped running the cable straight and wrapped it. This could explain why I was not able to replicate okay sidewall performance once did not work a second time. Have two full hunt days left here would love to be wrong. A detuned machine is better than no machine. . cjc

Glad to see that Im not the only dog barking at the carriage. What's disturbing is the elegant array of denials--some unwitting--others not. Im kind of reminded of a concept in Group Dynamics--that of the "Abilene Paradigm. " With this--a group of people feel compelled to travel to Abilene for ice cream. But when the get there they realize that no one really wanted to go--problem being a lack of communication. Maybe a better metaphor would be that of a train that has travelled for quite a long distance at speed--but no one paused to check if the wheels were actually touching the ground. In this case the ground would be the simple basics of detector operation--ease of use and stability. Without them we're well beyond the "ugly baby" simile and into the realm of "le infante terrible." The term that comes to mind is "ass in the breeze" interference -wise. I get the sense that Alexandre was not able to replicate a broad enough spectrum (and ranges) of interference sources (mineral / salt, EMI) to produce a machine with a range of adjustment to allow for stability under a wider range of conditions. Although his efforts to look at salinity, sweep variation, tuning and other factors were valiant--the product lacked versatility. Ive never had a detector that I didn't quite know what to do with. this is that machine--squelching on my freshwater dream find--big 22k, and temperamental in salt. Im testing on a hotel strip beach and from the looks of it the amount of electricity in the ground precludes the use of this machine--after almost 3 weeks of fiddling. I've just finished taking it back to the one area of sidewall where I was able to take out a dozen or so deep coins--only to find that now--something had changed--even at 11.5 uSc--basically haywire--with severe sweep / response latency issues----OR stable at the lower delay ranges--but with no target response. Frustrating and bewildering. Noise when the coil jack is touched, noise when the coil itself is touched--"ass in the breeze"--no match whatsoever for a rough salt environment. The only suggestion I can offer is that FT need to quit this tap dance of excuses and recommended "tweaks" and send one of this detector to the master-- Eric Foster--free. Something along the lines of the Aquastar's coil ground pin might bring this machine successfully to market--where it deserves to be. Eric has also suggested to me that problems with the distribution of power throughout the charge cycle might be at fault. Tantalizing is exactly the word. Im very grateful to you Steve for your reply, deft "voice of reason" analysis, and reporting on this machine. cjc

No-one is a bigger fan of this detector than me. But I\'ve spend more time fiddling with it than hunting on this my second salt water trip. The first week with it I was unable to hunt at all with this detector. As a keen "student" of pulse machines I thought for sure that there would be a simple cause to be found: a non-linear ATS / Delay solution, electricity in the ground from hotels on shore--as stated "combination of salt and mineral'...Sensitivity or Delay too high....overall frequency...my methods are exhaustive and broad -based. I've even considered solar flares as a possible source of interference. Still looking, still waiting for my "secret weapon" to work. cjc

Thanks for your run down Okara. Defiantly an East / West machine--that downhill drag wrecks it. Certainly great on shore and Im in the process of testing a small coil but the overall shielding issue is still there. These tradeoffs are part of detecting but there has to be limits to how degraded the performance is under typical conditions. A simple machine like the Cuda has none of these problems. cjc

To be fair--this is a very deep, sophisticated pulse detector that tells ferrous from non-ferrous--huge deal. You can also bring the coil into the edge surge. But whole machine submerged? I haven't learned the secret yet, anyhow. Still testing and tomorrow will run Eric Fosters small coil but There seems to be a an integral shielding problem. Also once submerged--there's noise as the water runs off. I know for sure Eric Foster could sort this out but FT is too proud to ask. Im also told that said circuit came from a post by Eric on Geotech--purloined. cjc

This is exactly the problem I continue to have and am working with the settings and asking around looking for a remedy. Even at the highest Delay and SAT speeds there's more noise than signal in salt with any current. I do have a small coil and have to say that although this machine is close to a workable stability level--I haven't found one yet. the videos are encouraging and I'm grateful for the time Alexandre has put in to making them--but at the same time--in my own experience--flat out--this machine is hard to tune. My worst fear was that it would be another TDI Pro--once de-tuned any advantage would be gone...certainly looking that way. I just hope that FT doesn't engage in the familiar "NOX rarely leaks" type behavior that we've all come to know and love... Shaping up as a great wet sander though. Call em as I see em. Guess that's why I never got a production model proto as had been promised at one point. clive

Thanks for clarifying that point, John. My format is small and light but that lets me ship worldwide and in quantity to buyers who want all 3. Lean and mean. Also, mines the one about finding gold...😁 Thanks for your ongoing support. Kind Regards clive

I'm doing well with the Anfibio lately--its good for going behind the army of NOX hunters--deeper and just as good at spotting quality responses. I let the junk beat these dig all guys. cjc

Thanks for your kind feedback, CPT. The Advanced book is actually the middle one of the series and my favorite for what that's worth. They are meant to be a set so I hope that the entire body of information is of good value to you over time. This machine has a lot of potential but it's easier to unlock that if you start with some solid basic skills and a bit of theory. Good Luck Detecting! clive

I'll say this. Thanks Max for helping to promote my books. I don't consider them to be definitive but they do reflect a lot of time swinging with all types for machines. One thing my top pro buddy said to me years ago that I believe to be true is that "You pay to learn" one way or the other--no exceptions. I also see a lot of hunters who say that they "dig everything". For the new hunter--this is the way to pay the most--with your time. While there are a lot of good specific tweaks and tips on the groups and YouTube, having some general theory under your belt lets you begin to learn on your own and at the actual places you hunt. Simple basic skills will also boost your accuracy and reduce frustration. These are all based upon the simple rules of detector physics. Nowhere in any of these posts and videos do I see any of these "old skills" mentioned but they are the bread and butter of learning to find treasure instead of junk. Just for the record, all of my books sell for $16.95. cjc

Question: When I turn my limited up--targets get quieter. Is there something in your settings that offsets this? Up at full there's practically no response. Thought maybe it was a "pulse in ground" thing but that's not true. Just wondering if I have a machine with problems. cjc

nice chunka PT!

Tony Im shocked thought you were a P.I purist for life. Mind you it's the conditions that dictate and when you know your grades and contours super depth is not necessary. At the same time Its good to have that option. This is why I like the Anchor Electronics Barracuda--very deep --even with a small coil and great in black sand. The Equinox is a good counterpart to the Excal too--just gives you a few more choices--you can knock out alloys, speed it up in fast surge, and run a gold box checker. Handy where you are competing with a lot of hackers--you head to the junk and let that beat them lol. The small SNPI Diver coil is very good too--be a good one to put on a DF. Where I hunt down south all the local pros run Excals and I can tell you--they miss a lot--especially where there are inclines--interference zones. The Excals flaw is that it holds threshold while losing depth. cjc

The TDI platform has a lot of punch but is hard to get the hang of. I n fresh and salt--you are learning to turn it down. The trick is not to wind up with a Dual Field--up at 12 uSc. Sorry you showed it the door--what will take it's place in the super depth category? clive