GB_Amateur

Reverse matters!  Jaeger (seems link feature isn't working...) has 13 photos on p. 72 with the Indian Head although not all match yours.  Please post a photo of the reverse.

I looked up his nicknames and see one was "the Thumper".  Maybe that's what happens if you drop this on your toe....

Pretty interesting that putting the name of a person who has (AFAIK) zero to do with the product was expected to sell it, but then I'm the first to admit typical marketing makes little sense to me.

The condition of that detector appears that it was hardly ever used, if at all.  Maybe that turned out to be the case with those who 'fell' for the name on the box.  With the White's name (something that does make sense) this may well have been state-of-the-art in 1979.

3 hours ago, Yatahaze323 said:

Just saw a youtube vid from TNS saying you can go back to older versions.

Plug your manticore into your computer, open the update tool, and in the bottom right corner of the update tool screen are three dots.  Click those and you can get to the other version!

OK, retraction #1 by me if this can be confirmed.  (Update:  Appears Simon has confirmed.)  Once I'm confident I can get back to where I started, I'll upload and do some testing.  My baseline is the Equinox 800 which I know rather well in my soils.  I can at least say if the Manticore's performance with the update, relative to the 800, has changed (and of course if so, in which direction) in my moderately mineralized test bed.

I await hearing more about the update itself and if Andrew's experience is due (simply) to some kind of (rare) anomaly as opposed to a blanket effect of the update.

People sometimes get chastised for not updating to the latest software but it's these kind of inexcusable oversights (again, if that's what we are actually seeing) that makes some of us wary.  Squeeky wheel tends to get the grease and we've seen a fair amount of squeeking regarding iron handling and VDI stability when running the original software.

I had the Manticore out yesterday for a short 2 hour search in a well-hunted (by me) park.  Maybe partly influenced by the horror story I read here, but I was rather pleased how it was performing with the origninal software.  It's the typical incremental comfort that I experienced with the Equinox 800 five years ago.  The more hands-on hours I gain, the more subtlties (and I do mean 'subltle') that I seem to pick up.  Long way to go yet, just like with the 800.  However, with the 800 the updates did help me and I hope that will be the case with the Manticore.  Never take away; just add, PLEASE!

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

I have no doubt Daniel has a problem,...

Do you mean 'Andrew' = 'Andy' = abenson?

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

It would be good if Minelab put an initial release firmware on their website for people to roll back if they wanted to for whatever reason.

"Good?"  Understatement of the day..., no, make that 'month' at least.

4 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

I think it is a subscription link. All a quick Google turned up for me.

Yep.  Here's a screen shot of what it said:

I may be able to access it with my provider username+password.  If not, I'll find a way.

17 hours ago, longbow62 said:

This ground is really mild.

This seems to be a common theme for the Manticore since day 1 (actually maybe even before that -- going back to the September European Tour?).  Tom Dankowski who seems to hunt almost exclusively in beach sand (aka Florida Peninsula), and I can't fault him for that -- it's where he lives afterall, reported great performance early on.  Many posts here from beach hunters in general and dry land Floridians have indicated they've been impressed.

Good to hear serious reports like yours.  We need more, including (from my selfish viewpoint) more from difficult soils.  Andrew (abenson) has me concerned enough to not join in until ML provides us a way to back out of the update.

2 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Gold Rush: Mine Rescue with Freddy & Juan
S3 E1 - Old Dog, New Tricks
Freddy and Juan face a mine intervention at a 30-year-old Nevada claim.
 
https://go.discovery.com/video/gold-rush-freddy-dodges-mine-rescue-on-discovery-discovery-atve-us/old-dog-new-tricks

Missed it (Friday).    Might be able to finagle a way to see it.  (I tried the link without success.)  Does it require some kind of subscription?  (Maybe my browser software is just too out-of-date.)

Sometimes the specialized streaming route (e.g. Discovery+) as opposed to standard cable and its clones show these ahead of time which could give those of us still married to cable(-like) services a heads up.

I just Saturday mentioned to a friend who is more video saavy than I that I wanted to see if we could use his streaming services to find those two episodes (Freddy Dodge one and Todd Hoffman one) before I miss them on my old school cable.

Some of the most popular cable TV shows (e.g. Curse of Oak Island) will rebroadcast the previous week's episode the hour right before the new episode, but I don't think Freddy's & Juan's program is popular enough for that.  I'll figure out something.

19 hours ago, cuniagau said:

...All I need to do is get a straight 1/4 inch mono to stereo adaptor and my Black Widows or any other headphones with a 45 degree 1/4 inch plug will work with the 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch (Equinox/Manticore) Minelab headphone adapter cable, to the Equinox or Manticore control unit?

Maybe....  What you say makes sense but I'm not skilled/knowedgeable enough to answer for sure.  My typical action is to try things until I find a solution.

Regarding the CTX3030, since the Knowledge Base article I linked was specifically for that detector I think the solution that works on the Manticore will work on the 3030 and vice-versa.  But I don't have a 3030 so I can't answer for sure.

12 hours ago, UKD2User said:

That does sound like one of these mechanical 'plug not sitting properly in socket' kind of things. Hope you find a solution!

I've run into this issue multiple times myself.  It's even more annoying than the CTX3030 (and friends) special case jumping through hoops since 3.5 mm and 1/4 inch plugs and sockets should all conform to a tight mechanical standard when it comes to dimenions (lengths, diameters, etc.)  But unfortunately sometimes they don't and other hurdles need to be traversed.

1 hour ago, abenson said:

Just got off the phone with Minelab....

Thanks, Andrew, for doing the legwork that (hopefully) helps all of us out.

1 hour ago, abenson said:

...There is no way to go back to an older software version at this time.

Given the number of people who have never bought a Manticore but still think they have free reign to bitch about it as if they knew what the hell they were talking about, I (as an owner) hesitate to get too riled up, yet.  However, this first issue (irreversible update) gets a F grade in Computer Science 101.  Who is in charge over there, Bozo the Clown??

If in fact they actually (intentionally or unintentionally) reduced the depth for mineralized ground with this update, I'm at a loss to figure out how a company whose headquarters is on a continent with some of the worst mineralization on the planet (I realize Oceania isn't uniformly highly mineralized) and who design and build detectors for finding native gold -- often located in the worst ground -- doesn't have a test patch (or more than one) with heavy iron oxidation with which to test changes to ensure they work under varying extreme conditions.  Most of us don't live on a pristine white SiO2 beach.

I hope there's a simpler explanation that leads me to apologize for this rant.  Short of that I hope ML figures this out and fixes it.  In the least they need to allow people to revert to the earlier software version.  (For once my procrastination seems to have paid off...).

13 minutes ago, cuniagau said:

I know that there is another thread on headphones on the Manticore and it is basically about proprietary ML 105s and the chip sets to make it work.  I need some wired headphone advice.

I think you may have missed the thread below.  I'm pretty sure posts#1 and #3 (both mine) cover the issue you are having.  If that doesn't answer your question, re-ask.

14 hours ago, Dug D said:

I tried quite a few setting changes and I have to admit there is a difference in the sound, but the best dig signals came from no stabilizing filter and AT low conductors?

(Note; I've yet to install nor read the new manual, not over concern but just being busy....)  But you can still completely turn off the iron stabilizer feature -- effectively reverting back to pre-update?

14 hours ago, Dug D said:

The red numbers can be nice, but they add to the confusion when you see as many red numbers as black while swinging over where you have a coin buried.

Is there a way to turn that new feature off, too??

On 6/16/2023 at 9:51 AM, MikeT said:

I would recommend getting rid of that plastic wrapping around the body of the case.

Before doing anything significant, I agree with this as a great start.  Analog electronics are notorious for being temperature sensitive.  If White's wanted the control box sealed they would have done it themselves.  (In fact, they later did!  The TDI Beach Hunter version was waterproof.  But I wouldn't assume they used identical components.  It would make sense that they swapped out stock TDI components for some that are less temperature sensitive, possibly even adding some heat conduction paths.)

If after running the detector without the raincoat it continues to crap out after a while, and after checking battery voltage to ensure it's not low battery power (10 V and above are fine AFAIK), then IMO your best next option is the one Steve H. recommends -- getting it checked out by the experts.  After White's went belly up, Centerville Electronics (two locations -- East coast and West coast USA) took over their repair operation:

https://centrevilleelectronics.net/

It would help us some if you indicated your approximate location.  For example, if in the USA, name the state or at least the region of the country.

When my local ground is damp, my Garrett Carrot will be noisier when placed into the dug hole.  One thing that helps me in these cases is to turn it off, put the tip in the just exacavated pile of removed dirt, and then turn it back on.  (Checking that the dirt pile doesn't have any conductors first is a good idea.  😏)

You didn't mention if you did a ground balance before/during this latest challenging detecting session.  Maybe you did....  When I return to a site with my multifrequency detectors (ML Equinox 800 and Manticore) I typically don't do a GB if I know the current value set is consistent with what I've seen from that site, but recent environmental changes (such as the extra ground moisture you describe) make it a good idea.  Ground balancing in iron infested ground can be a challenge, too, but usually you can move some distance away, to a quieter (iron-wise) spot and be seeing the same ground.  Multifrequency detectors are more forgiving as they can effectively 'cancel' the ground signal internally by comparing in different frequencies.  Your X-Terra Pro, not being (simultaneous) multifrequency, is going to be a bit more sensitive to ground conditions, but people have been detecting with single frequency for more than half a century so it's manageable.

I don't think the small graphite pieces ("balls") will sound off on an IB/VLF although I'm not sure about what happens with 50 kHz and up frequency detectors.  Try a 'lead' (actually graphite) pencil to confirm.  Large graphite loaded rocks will hit about the ferrous -- non-ferrous breakpoint on an IB/VLF and even cause a handheld pinpointer to sound off, but I think the pulse decay is fast enough that a PI will remain silent even with those.  Both graphite and metals will read zero ohms on a multimeter so that won't distinguish.  However, if it shows resistance then that would likely rule out all of the above.

9 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

Also a question for Manticore experts regarding the new “red” target ID feature, if this only works with the discrimination pattern suppressed (i.e., in horseshoe mode), what is keying the Manti to display the red numbers?  Is it the invoked, custom upper and lower Ferrous Limits pattern profile?

Keep in mind I've only watched the Mark Dayton YouTube video (linked on the initial post of this thread), let alone possessing the 'expert' qualification.  😏  I have not uploaded the update to my MCore nor have I looked at the new user manual version.  With those caveats in mind, I don't see any other interpretation of this red numeral readout than what you have concluded -- specifically if a Ferrous+Conductive signal is in the (light) gray area Ferrous Mask of your 2-D screen while in "All Metal" mode, the Conductive VDI will be completely red.

This seems like a rather minor tweak since previously you got a dark gray VDI with a red underline.  I guess some people had trouble noticing the underscore??

So here's my question -- those new features which are assigned to the user option button(s), is it only the RH side button that accomodates this or can the front user assignable buttons also be activated for this?  I like the ability to clear the Target Trace hits quickly but if it means I'm required to do that with the awkward side button, I'll be more than a bit disappointed....

13 minutes ago, Chesroy said:

Looks like the update is geared more for the USA at present and your nail falsing issue's. 

Hopefully the next update will be geared towards inland hunting on ploughed farmland in Europe.

So if it's not iron falsing that is causing problems in you ploughed fields, what is the source?

28 minutes ago, okara gold said:

So far 2 large cents, 3 unidentified coins?

As with many of the early days of the USA mint, sizes of coins varied.  Best example is the Large Cent diameter which was anywhere from 26 to 29 mm over its lifetime (1793-1857) and some of that variation was even within the same design.  It seems their size was copied from the British halfpenny as reported in Q. David Bowers's reference work, (p. 2 of 2015 edition), at least with regards to coins minted prior to the 1792 created Philadelphia official federal mint:

After the Revolutionary War, several states had their own copper coins produced under contract....  These various coppers bore no denomination, were the size of British halfpence, and... were known as pennies.

As well as early USA cents and even possibly the more valuable pre-constitution ratification coins, it's not out-of-the-question you have some actual British coins from the first part of the 19th Century or earlier.  Be extra careful cleaning them as even water can cause the surface to flake off of some 100% copper coins that have been stewing in the ground for 1.5+ centuries.

19 hours ago, okara gold said:

...Hunting in LC mode.

I assume you're referring to All Terrain (AT) Low Conductors (LC).  It's been discussed here a bit (and from the manual) that this mode is optimized for small targets.  I don't know if that's your optimum settings for the size targets you are finding.  AT High Conductors (HC) might be best and AT General would also be in my arsenal, particularly if I wanted the extra run time compared to AT-HC's 20-25% hit on battery drain.  It's not a huge deal but since you said the targets you're finding are deep you might actually be able to take advantage of those other modes' extra depth (under the right conditions, of course -- not a blanket statement for everyone, everywhere).

Obviously you're in a good spot when you find a USA Large Cent, so maybe even more oldies are lurking.  Hope you have more time to detect there before heading home.

11 hours ago, Geologyhound said:

My son found the metal disc which says distinguished visitor usite 72.

Just WAGging:

Red, White, and Blue; 1972 was an Olympics year (both winter and summer games).  Were any Olympic Trials held in your area that year?

OTOH '72' might not refer to a calendar year but rather the 72nd meeting of some organization.  The condition of the button you show seems pretty good for having been in the ground 50 years....

1 hour ago, CoinShooter said:

I detect mainly for silver coins and ALWAYS manually grand balance. It works for me. I remember reading a long time ago that if you auto grand balance and sweep your coil over and over a target it will stop ringing up nicely. This has proven true to me in the past and that is why I always manually ground balance.

It appears you are confusing terms.  Here are the correct/accepted term meanings:

Ground Tracking:  detector adjusts on the fly to ground conditions while the coil is being swung.  Other than setting the detector early on (e.g. at turn-on) in Ground Tracking, the detectorist does nothing.  This is where it's sometimes possible that the circuitry silences a weak but desirable target.

Auto Ground Balance (also called "Ground Grab" by First Texas):  The detectorist pumps the coil up and down in a spot where there are no targets, only ground minerals, and the detector decides what channel to set the ground balance point.

Manual Ground Balance:  similar to Auto except now the detectorist listens to the detector's audio while pumping the coil up and down, and the detectorist adjusts the ground balance channel until a minimum of ground noise is heard.

11 minutes ago, Jeff McClendon said:

Tax token was from 1935 to 1941.

That helps nail down a date range minimum lower limit for the site, IMO.  (Exception could be if this was a "show-and-tell" item from Grandma's droor.  😁)  A good find in its own right, regardless.  I'm even more optimistic that there are silvers awaiting if you can just get back there before it's too late.

Seven Wheats -- could be a silver dime or two awaiting, if you can get in another hunt before they backfill.  How old is the tax token?

I figured you'd have something objective to say about the new XP Deus 2 update.  👍  "Whole lotta internet noise goin' on...."

That's the third 1886 Liberty Head ("V-") Nickel posted on the forum in the past few months.  No wonder they are considered scarce/key -- they're all hiding in the ground!  Unfortunately it looks like yours is definitely "the worse for the wear."  Still fun (for me anyway) to find a key or semi-key coin regardless of the condition.

Permissions may be the last of the fertile ground in the USA.  Hope you get more of them.

On 5/20/2023 at 1:15 PM, Fell Wanderer said:

I like how the shaft can twist when collapsed, fitting easier into a backpack . However, there is a tendency for the shaft to twist while detecting, which for me is only a minor issue. I am trying to be careful by not over tightening the camlocks as I don't know what is to tight. Perhaps I am being to careful, hence the shaft occasionally twists because I haven't learned the sweet spot between under/over tightening of the camlock.

I understand your reluctance.  I suspect we've all been guilty of gorilla-ing a few times in our lives.  (Or more than a few...)  One of my two camocks was allowing the coil to easily get out of alignment so I did tighten the offending camlock a bit.  Now it's fine and nothing has failed so far.

You went from single frequency to several selectable frequencies and a full warranty.  Presumably with the ~$200 net you can get a coil or two to complement the X-Terra Pro stock coil.  "Screwed up" doesn't sound right to me and frankly I find some of the replies unnecessarily harsh.