glacialgold

Anecdotal, but I've been running the 1.10 betas here, exclusively on Park M3 (soil is soggy AF per rain/snow/melt), and it is hitting quite well. Clean signals, minimal chatter close to EMI sources, etc. Digging the soggy muck, however, is a brand new deal for me. Still yanked out a couple nickels today and a costume necklace on a brief hunt. Last week, did a 30 minute hunt between errands and 6/8 targets were coins. The two Al results I dug on that hunt were definitely iffy signals -- lots of variation, reading between 11 and 43 depending upon the angle of approach.

Welcome! Those are some dang nice finds for a newbie -- you've got me beat, for sure! Keep on learning and sharing what you find, and don't hesitate to ask questions because the folks here are super-friendly and helpful.

Excellent info and very comprehensive -- thanks!

This is the level I need to get to. Using the Legend (and at least in my area), the depth indicator tends to read deep on relatively shallow targets. I spent alot of time digging 6" - 8" starting holes for targets reading 3-4 bars deep, only to find them more like 2" deep. And especially true for actual coin targets. I don't see quite the same discrepancy with the Nox 800 on the same ground/targets. For whatever reason, foil, pull tabs, etc. tend to read more accurately on the Legend depth indicator for me with the settings I use. Those settings are mainly simple Park M1 or M3, 5 recovery speed 5, noise cx'd and ground balanced, and 15-25 on sensitivity depending upon how close to the power lines I am.

This is exactly what I keeping telling myself I'm gonna do... But seriously, I do need to start a Google Sheet project like this to better track finds. I have about 40 hours in now between the Nox 800 and Legend, and I'm expanding beyond just my yard, friends' yards, and local parks and schools. The finds are diversifying in terms of count and content, and it will be super-useful for reference and planning to formally track variables like machine used, weather, and time spent.

OK, so this totally lines up with what I've been seeing with the prior 1.09 update, switching to PARK M3 once the wet season hit -- cleaner and more repeatable signals, better seperation. If 1.10 improves, call me a happy, happy customer.

Like, for real. Curious to hear from anyone who has installed the 1.10 beta version and tested it out in the field? Thoughts, experiences, anticipations? I'm cooped up in the lab and am in bench-test only mode...few noticiable changes in the air test environment on my side. I'm especially intrigued by the PARK M3 update since 1) I detect alot in parks, and 2) M3 is supposed to be good for wet soil, and 3) my area finally started getting precipitation here in Nov. and I've been rocking PARK M3 for the most part ever since the wetness. Also quite curious about the Bottle Cap Rejection and Ground Suppressor adds. Man, also curious about the bass change in 60 tones, since that's what I've been running lately in PARK M3. From Nokta's software update page at https://www.noktadetectors.com/metal-detector/the-legend/#yzlm_gncelleme regarding the 1.10 updates: Updates Made: 1. M3 multi frequency in PARK mode has been updated to prevent coins from being masked by aluminum foil. 2. Bottle Cap Rejection setting has been added. When the device is in multi frequency, select the Recovery Speed setting and press the pinpoint button. When you navigate with the right and left buttons, you will see the letters "bC" appear on the right side of the screen. You can adjust the bC value between 1-8 using the + and – buttons. When the bC is 0, it means that it is off. 3. Ground Suppressor setting has been added. It is used to eliminate false ground signals in tough terrains. To access the setting, select the Recovery Speed setting and press the pinpoint button. When you navigate with the right and left buttons, you will see the letters "GS" appear on the right side of the screen. You can adjust the GS value between 1-8 using the + and – buttons. When the GS is 0, it means that it is off. It is recommended that you leave this setting at off position unless needed. 4. The audio emitted as the Tone Break points are changed while in 60-Tone, has been modified with increased bass. 5. Audio Gain setting has been activated in the Gold Field Mode. 6. Warning tones have been added to the buttons. The buttons will now emit a warning tone in the following cases: a) To indicate the minimum and maximum levels of settings. b) When an inactive setting in a specific mode trying to be activated. 7. The brightness of the Backlight Level 1 has been reduced. 8. Bluetooth Chip Version will now be displayed. When the Bluetooth headphones are paired with the device and the Bluetooth setting is selected, press and hold the Discrimination button. The Bluetooth chip version will be displayed in the clock section. When the button is released, the clock will be displayed again. 9. While in Automatic Ground Balance, the auto backlight will now be lit until the ground balancing is completed. 10. The loudness of the Volume Level 1 has been reduced in PARK, FIELD and BEACH modes. 11. A new level 9 has been added to the Iron Filter (IF) setting. There has been no change to the levels 1-8. Level 9 will become handy when trying to discriminate some unwanted mid-conductors such as shotgun cartridges as iron. 12. General improvements have been implemented.

Nailed it here, GB. For me, it's about both the escape and the challenge...and with detecting, sometimes there is even a tangible, valuable reward during or after completing the escape/refresh and challenge. (Or at least the tantilizing promise thereof -- that's the biggest selling point of the hobby, IMHO.) Also 100% in agreement with (and 200% guilty of) the concept of "knowingness". Part of correcting that mind-set is a mixture of experience, humbleness, and open-mindedness. But dang it sure burns to feel like you really, really know something and have someone poke a hole in that balloon!

I've been having better results lately using Park M3, but maybe that's just because my area started getting precipitation within the last month after three months of drought. Running in M3, I felt like I dug less junk and had even clearer/stronger signals on viable targets. Should also note I've been running in 60 tones, which I feel gives more information about what is in the ground. That said, better results might not be so much due strictly to a particular SMF setting, and more associated with being a more experienced user with more hours on the machine itself. Regardless, I'm quite happy with it's performance! *For background, my detecting "training area" is the local elementary school one of our kids attends. It was built in 1959, so theorectically has the potential for dropped silver. Haven't found any silver there yet, but a decent amount of clad, costume jewelry, and other odds and ends (like a one hitter pipe meant for cannabis consumption!)...with pencial erasers and their little metal bands being the bane of my existence.

Anyone new to prospecting should read this post, read it again....and again as necessary....and be able to recite it from memory. Stellar.

Great point, and that's 100% my circumstance. There aren't any big gold deposits where I'm located, but I do have convenient access to creeks (right on bedrock at the trough) and those creeks source from the glacially-deposited gold-bearing material existing in this part of Indiana. After the floods recede each spring, I see old-timers on the same creeks I work scraping out those tiny crevices. I've personally found a few chunky flakes and pickers (which is like <0.05g to 0.1g from my perspective) panning, and they ring up just fine on the 800 and Legend in 2-3" air tests. Ground here isn't all that hot, and actually hot rocks are a significant indicator of a zone of interesting glacially-deposited source material. No expert here by any means, but I'm using (aka, playing around with) my VLF machines to hopefully find a target, but more so a good zone overall. I'd be over the moon if the target turned out to be an actual picker. More likely, however, is it's a place where I'm going to collect gravel to pan or sluice later. I've no use for a PI, as a result...but I'd love to play around on one those machines, regardless! My two cents, so feel free to take it with a grain of whatever. 🙂

Oh man, stealing chromies! That was a big fun thing for my friends and I for a hot minute back in the late 80s, age 10 or so. Riding bikes around the neighborhood, we'd scope out a target (usually a truck with fat custom chrome valve caps) and circle back later, pretending to stop and "fix" one of our bikes while parked immediately adjacent to the street-side tires. Two chromies quickly lifted and pedal away. I ceased personally re: that big fun ASAP one time after doing my lift and getting caught in the moment. Guy owning the truck was angry as hell, young, drunk/high, and FAST. Seeing me in the act of unscrewing his chromies, he bolted out of the house and hopped in his truck and chased me down before I could escape to the bike trails around the railroad tracks. He pulled a gun, I gave up the chromies, and never went back for another taste. What I got before that I put on my bike or traded...didn't think about burying them in a chromie hoard! 🙂

Welcome, HerrUU! I can attest to the Legend being a great machine with many advanced features -- especially at its price point -- and also being easy to use out of the box in stock settings. You reside in a very interesting and historical area, and I can't wait to see what kind of coins and relics you pull out of the ground!

Gotta say, the responses here have been nothing short of awesome! I'm both awed and amazed at the length of experience users here have, along with the variety and depth of machines used. I'm still a rookie, but I am experiencing maximum fun running the Equinox 800 and Nokta Legend, testing them out against each other in my local parks and school yards. (I have some minor gold fields available which can yield flakes and tiny nuggests at shallow depth, but we'll get to that later.) No major finds so far, but I have dug out up some silver and jewelry. Cheers to detecting in 2023!

Is pretty good and contains a ton of detailed information specific to the Legend. I have his book for the Equinox, as well, and it's pretty clear that he's running off the same template for both books, so there is some redunancy in the more general information. Totally understandable, however.

I have it, and can confirm it covers the v1.09 update.

Oh man, interesting times in the metal detecting world! Have to say, I'm fascinated by all the developments. That said, oh did I ever enter the hobby for serious at the wrong time. I purchased an 800 early this summer, got hooked (having played around with an Ace 400 for a few years prior), and then added a Legend in early fall to play comparison. So, both in the pre-discounting timeline ☹️. Ah well, it's still been fun. While curious about the new models, I don't see myself upgrading to the 900...and the Manticore, D2, etc. are outside my bracket, both in terms of $ and experience.

$19.95 direct from Andy on ebay....and signed!

Oh yeah, it's easy peasy. The recharge cable is fitted with a USB connection to the AC adapter so you can plug it into a computer, as well. All one has to do is download the update from the Nokta website and plug your Legebnd in to the computer's USB port, and follow the file transfer instructions. Note, the updates are for Windows and macOS only, so a no go for Android devices...as I found out from personal experience. Still wasn't a problem since I had a spare Windows laptop hanging around.

Good question, and I can't really answer it concretely. But let me try. 😀 I'm pretty new to the Legend and am comparing it side-by-side with the 800 as a relatively novice user overall. I will say my home air tests (I know, I know) show the Legend and 800 both pick up small pickers/thick-ish flakes of gold at about the same 4" range when using 6" coils in their respective prospecting modes. I guess the Legend 1.09 software update pushed a "mineralization tracking" feature, which I look forward to using and trying to isolate black sand deposits in my local gold areas. I've also heard the 800 has a workaround option (and please, someone else feel free to provide better detail) using the threshold to accomplish a similar mineraliztion check, one where the threshold decreasing or nulling out indicates a higher mineralization level than the surrounding ground. While I prefer the 800 in actual use, if I had to pick one -- and especially if budget was an issue -- I'd definitely go with the Legend. My dos centavos, at least.

Glad you mentioned the Nokta Gold Finder 2000. Any experience w/that machine, or have you heard many first-hand reports? It's pretty lean on YouTube content-wise relative to the GM1000 (and its obviously Nokta's aim to compete against), but 61kHz is appealing vs. the GM1000's 45kHz for that tiny, tiny stuff...which is what I have in my vicinity, but the GM1000 seems to sound off just fine on 0.03g+ pickers near surface.

For background, relative novice here -- I've messed around lightly with an Ace 400 for a few years, and escalated the hobby with the Equinox 800 and Nokta Legend a few months ago. Tons of fun so far, and I'm ramping up my game finding coins, relics, and [knock on wood] tiny gold. I've also discovered I like comparing detectors and exploring their relative performance/outcomes and features. Anyways, question for the detecting veterans in this fine forum: What have been revolutionary detectors for you, and why? What changed the game after it hit the market? Best/worst quirks? What kind of history do you have detecting, etc.?

Yeah, I got one as soon as the entry price hit $635 w/the pro-pack + 6" coil. No regrets and having fun...still favoring the 800, but I need more time on the Legend to compare.

I have both the 800 and the Legend. Personally, I favor the 800 (at the moment) but that's just me. Both are discounted right now, and I see Amazon is running an offer on the Legend pro pack for $595. A great resource for comparisons is this guy: https://www.iratemetaldetectors.com/

Hi folks! Long time lurker, first time member here. I live down in the hills of south central Indiana and get to enjoy easy access to some of the better-known gold prospecting spots in the state. I've also started getting into the metal detecting hobby recently, and am really enjoying taking my Equinox 800 out to the local schools and parks, and to whatever private permissions I'm able to obtain. Can't say I'm an expert by any means, but I've booked a few pickers on the gold prospecting front and a little bit of silver on the detecting side. Looking forward to reading and learning from all the experienced posters here!