PSPR

I guess that's true, phrunt.  But a boat load of detectors  just arrived in the USA last week.  I doubt they were anything other than Manticores or Equinoxes.  I think they are holding them back myself.  After announcing the new Nox's just a couple days after saying the Manticores were shipping I don't put it past Minelab to do anything that is illogical.

Sorry, I'm just not happy about how they are running their business with the customer in mind - or out of mind.  Your own situation with waiting for a Manticore comes to mind.  I'm as upset with them over your situation as I am about mine and others here in America waiting for a Manticore.

Anyway, I'll get over it after they trickle in to everybody.  I've even thought about getting a Deus II but there are some features about that machine that I just don't care for.  And I'll stop moaning about it now.  

I think Minelab has embarked on a strategy to release a dozen or two Manticores at a time.  They must not want the market to get a flood of detectors then suddenly see all the existing orders filled and a sudden drop in demand. 

The distributor here in Texas told me they won't have any until January and unless I ordered by early September I likely wouldn't get one yet regardless of what my dealer told me!  (I ordered in early October  )

But, I've been told, by another dealer they may have one for me Tuesday after Christmas.  If so, two day air and I may have it by Friday while the weather here is good again.  I'll just have to see if this happens.  Any more I am skeptical.  

7 hours ago, UtahRich said:

badminton racket - hand/eye coordination.  🐞

I've got an electrified racket right next to my recliner.  Anything comes flying by had better keep moving before I can grab my racket!!  There is a very satisfying feeling after you hear that "ZAP".   

Maybe Minelab's next detector will be named after the Vinegaroon.  That thing is scarier than the Manticore.

When you see one in mid-flight you want to stop immediately and track it through the air lest it land on you or in your home or garage.  

2 minutes ago, dsb said:

I spent a few winters around Brownsville years back.  Everything wants to bite, stick or pinch a dumb Ioweegan😄  The first time i saw a Vinegaroon i think i sprained every muscle in my body!  Flying cockroaches you can have too, just ain't right! 

Palmeto bugs.  LOL

Yikes!!!  I grew up in Omaha so I know what cold winters are.  Well, there are worse places for cold but I lived in Florida for a few years, too.  Absolutely loved the winter in Florida but the summer humidity was unbearable if I weren't on the beach or in a pool (or in the A/C).  I didn't like the rats, the bugs and the mold growing on everything, though.  It's always a trade off.

23 F here NW of Dallas.  Got down to 9 last night with 40mph winds.  But....expecting 70 F plus by next Wed.

45 minutes ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

You answer to question #1.   I probably should not have used the term "Semi Target Size Imaging".  What I was getting at is that on occasion I could tell by the smear (which also falls under the 2D Identification (I think that's where I should have made the comments), the target was larger than a ring size target.

Another manufacture has a detector that shows "Target Size" and even though the Manticore capabilities are not quite as good as the other detector (hence me using the term "semi"), I'm starting to see improvements and yes there is semi size info presented provided you swing over the target a few times.  Just my own term and Minelab never mentioned it at all, so maybe I should have not said so?

Answer to question #2. Usually (not always), the gold coming out of the saltwater is pretty shiny.  What do the gold rings you find in TX water look like? 

Pic below is from a previous Cancun trip and the finds I made with CTX 3030.  Notice the gold or platinum (2 rows on right) is mostly pretty shiny.  That pic was taken from hotel room and I had not even had time to clean them up.

 

The pic below (taken in MX) before got home and cleaned them, shows 9 mostly shiny gold and or platinum rings.  Most need no cleaning.

I can show you more, but I think you get the idea now.  No worries, you're not the only one who wonders.  Remember, I'm a little different than the average detectorist.  Been swinging good 45+ yrs and detecting Cancun for 10+ yrs with most years 2x and on occasion 3x trips a yr. 

 

Thanks, Gerry.  I thought you were just tossing back the gold that didn't come out looking perfect.    I think the sand in the Mexico water must sort of tumble the gold and keep it clean.  Coming out of the ground here the one's I've seen are a bit tarnished although they usually clean up.

Is that the CTX or a White's that seems to have better 'target size' info?  I used to have a Garrett GTI 2500 that gave an approximation of target size.  I liked the features but couldn't get an depth with it.  They still sell that detector but I hope they have improved the depth.

6 hours ago, Geordiedan said:

Apparently Kellyco were showing 50 in stock last night according to a post on another forum

There website still shows out of stock on the Manticore.  I think they have a long waiting list.  But they do show 17 Eqx900's in stock.

I really don't understand how these machines are trickling in so slow.  Where's the bottle neck?  One distributor told me this morning that his backlog for Manticores has grown from 700 to 800 in the last week or two. 

There is a dealer in the UAE that shows 1105 Manticores in stock on their webpage!  

I got an email from another dealer saying they were getting a few today.  I'm waiting for their response if they have one for me.

4 hours ago, Hunterjunk said:

......  The pull tabs ID'd from 30 right through to 42 depending on size depth and orientation which is a bit more than I hoped for . On the plus side they signal with a very bright tone and doing 180 degree opposed swings most showed some irregularity on target trace so with experience most will be eliminated . Loving the adjustable screen lighting that goes to a much lower light level than the Nox . Noticed that Gerry in his great post did not mention any coil bolt loosening . Mine will come loose through coil movement so have used a small cable tie as per photo below.

I hope you are right on the pull tabs, Hunterjunk.  And unless you plan to change your coil out regularly you might try a little thread lock on the coil bolt from time to time.

11 hours ago, Cal_Cobra said:

Problem is that you'll be blinded by the light from the non red LCD screen and the .44 mag will be useless because you can't see 🙂   The F75 has an always on backlit LCD, not adjustable in any way, and it's blinding to hunt at night with it.  I used red gel screen to cover it and it worked pretty well, your eyes could handle the red glow, but the bright white light is blinding.

Yeah, Cal_Cobra, I'm aware of the military using red lights to save their night vision.  But I don't plan to hunt in the dark anyway and I just don't like that red backlight.  But I don't have to hit what I'm shooting at with the 44 Magnum.  If I just get in the general direction it is going to get knocked down just from the shock wave.  

That guy really knows his Deus II.  I was impressed with that as much as how good that dirt was!!  When you dig that deep in Texas you'll have 5 lbs of clay sticking to your digger.  

29 minutes ago, matt said:

Jeez just get out and use an equinox for a while....

I don't metal detect during a Polar Vortex.   ☃️

4 hours ago, strick said:

I guess you dont hunt salt water beaches?

It's about a 4 hour drive to the Gulf.  The dog and I rarely venture out more than 50 miles.  

2 minutes ago, phrunt said:

No the truck crash was a joke 🙂

Oh, I wasn't sure if you were joking about the joke!    So, where are your Manticores?  I find this all perplexing.

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

They only need to send about 30 detectors to NZ to cover the entire countries orders, we should be easy to sort out, and that's if everyone who wanted one originally continues on with their order and doesn't change their mind or decide on a Nox instead now that it exists.

I can only imagine that accident (that was real, right?) with the truck full of Manticores must have set them back weeks if not months over there.  I just don't understand what they are doing.  It's like the insane are running the asylum at Minelab.

Great report, Gerry.  I have two questions for you.

1.  You mention Semi, Target size Imaging before talking about the 2D Target Identification.  Exactly what are you referring to with Target Size Imaging?  And

2.  All those rings your found look brand new.  Are you sure you didn't visit the Cancun jewelry store and buy a few rings just to get us excited so you could sell more Manticores if they ever show up?   

Just now, jasong said:

If you go night hunting where predators are about, you'll understand the red light. 🙂 Your eyes adjust way faster looking up from it and out to the horizon. 

A lot of places in the desert are simply too hot to hunt in the daytime past May/June so night is really the only option. I'm guessing some places in Australia are the same and you want to keep an eye out for whatever variety of nightmarish venomous creatures crawl around in the dark out there.

Oh, I understand what you are saying.  I just don't expect I will be going metal detecting in the dark.  Should I somehow decide to do that, I'll strap on my 44 mag. right next to my pinpointer. 

11 minutes ago, jasong said:

The only advantage I see in terms of prospecting for the 900 is for people who own 800 coils already. And that red backlight is pretty cool for night hunting in the desert so your eyes don't get blown out by a bright white screen if you want to look out into the horizon for prowling cat eyes and whatnot. Add me to the thumbs up on that feature. 

I'm personally not going to buy a 900 on general principal because this is literally the exact marketing technique other tech companies are now using to extend out the now long gone Covid boom sales. I've seen this 15-20 times already over the last year and a half with things like crypto miners, graphics cards, etc.  1.) hype up a flagship but don't release stock, making people eager to buy something 2.) Release "surprise" midtier product with immediate stock and make sales to people who wouldn't normally buy one 3.) Wait unti mid tier product sales peak, then release stock of flagship out of the blue 4.) Make 2nd sales to impatient people who bought mid tier products instead of what they really wanted, and profit twice. I've watched this unfold in other tech sectors for the last year and a half, hard for me not to see the same pattern here, call me a conspiracist or whatever but I know what I've seen other places. 

I can't agree on your Red Light District Eqx back light but your 1, 2, 3, 4 marketing scheme to milk the customer base makes sense.

As inept as detector manufacturers are at getting new detectors to market, I am starting to believe these detectors are programmed in Jive.

Let's assume that the Minelab distributor is right and Minelab did not ship any Manticores the last week of November and they are expected to come by air cargo.

Then what are the 5000 lbs of detectors that arrived by ship Tuesday?  Winter is coming in North America and demand for recreational detectors beyond current unfilled Manticore orders are going to dry up for a few months.  I guess they could be a big shipment of more Equinoxes or mine detectors for the military but there are already extra Equinoxes available and Ukraine is the only place that has a hot war we care about right now.

So, I've just got to think this shipment is probably the Manticores that were shipped at the end of November.  If they are or they aren't we should know by early next week at the latest as dealers would be given word of their quotas they will be receiving.  If not, then this shipment is something else and the question is, "Where are those darn Manticores?"

2 minutes ago, UT Dave said:

Maybe...  The Manticore hasn't been manufactured in numbers yet?  Production delays?

I apparently know nothing either.  

Maybe Calabash has thrown a monkey wrench into the works with his iron falsing claim and Minelab has stopped production to fix the software.  I don't know.

What the distributor told me is making no sense.  I think what is happening is that Minelab is air-freighting the detectors from the U.S. port they arrive at to the distributor and that is why he thinks they are being air-freighted to him from Malaysia.  If Minelab was air-freighting the entire Manticore shipment they would have ALL been here weeks ago.

We'll know by next week if they start showing up at the distributor or Minelab tells them that they are getting a bunch and the dealers start getting notified of their allotments. 

UPDATE:  The distributor just emailed me and said the Manticores DID NOT SHIP the last week of November as Minelab said on their facebook page.