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Slad74

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  1. Thanks for the responses and ideas everyone! I am just now seeing them, because I guess I didn't have this thread set as 'follow'. I went with the XP 240 pack for now, and I just take the Nox 700 apart. It still leaves an inch or two sticking out the top of the zipper. It suffices for now, but I may look into a skateboard bag in the near future. Thank again for the ideas and help!
  2. Hello All, So I think I've looked at just about all 50,000 backpacks on Amazon at this point. I've ordered 3 from there, 1 from dddetectors.com and returned every one of them. I'm getting mentally and physically exhausted looking for a backpack for my needs. I need help and advice here. My goal is to be able to take my newly purchased Equinox 700 into my place of employment every day. My 700 compacts to 28 inches long with the coil parallel to the shaft or 24" with it perpendicular to the shaft. I do NOT want to disconnect the coil cable and break down the detector to put it into my backpack, based on a previous issue I had with pins breaking on my Equinox 800. The Minelab site kills me, since it touts the 700 by stating "...packs down to a mere 61 cm (24 in) β€” throw it in your backpack, and you’re all set." That's kind of humorous to me, because I wish I knew what backpack they were 'throwing it into'...I've looked at them all I think. I even ordered the XP 240, but I had to send it back. It's only 25.5 inches tall and 6 inches deep. I need one either 28 inches tall, 11 - 12 inches wide, and 5 - 6 inches deep OR 24 inches tall, 11 - 12 inches wide, and 11 - 12 inches deep. I do not want to have to connect/disconnect my coil cable or even my coil every day that I want to go detecting on my lunch break. I also don't want a 70 liter hiking backpack with a hip strap, a rifle case, a huge military style bag, or a gym/duffle bag that I have to take in to work every day. Is there not just a normal backpack/travel backpack that will fit these dimensions for a 3 pound detector? Does anyone have any ideas on this? Does this not exist? Thanks for any and all thoughts or ideas on this!
  3. Hey All, I joined this forum a couple of weeks ago when I posted about an issue I had with my Equinox 800, but I never made an official 'new member' post. I'm from Mississippi and began metal detecting around 2015. Lately, I mainly go detecting on my lunch break with a co-worker of mine. I started out detecting with the Garrett ACE 250, then moved up to the AT Pro, and then transitioned to the Equinox 800. I just recently purchased the Equinox 700, but I haven't had the chance to use it yet. I may get the Legend as well, but I'm not sure of that yet. I'll probably be selling my (repaired) Equinox 800 real soon (hopefully). I enjoy all types of metal detecting, not just relic or coin shooting. As long as I get to dig up some history, I'm happy. Well, like I said, I just wanted to make my official 'new member' post. See y'all around on the forums!
  4. Update from the Detector Repair Center regarding my Equinox 800 repair: "Unfortunately, the control pod is going to need to be replaced. Cost for non warranty control pod replacements are $349.00 which includes labor. We are unable to remove the broken pins from the housing on the coil plug though the plug can be replaced. The cost is $23.00 for parts and a half hour of labor, at $85/hr. The alternative is a new coil for $229.00. Please contact us if you have any questions in regards to the repair of your equipment Detector Center Minelab Authorized Service Center" So I either pay them around $65 to get the coil plug replaced, or I buy a $3 plug from eBay and try to replace it myself? I also ordered an Equinox 700 today...probably will sell the 800 when I get the new pod sent to me and try to recoup a little of my money.
  5. Yeah, that would have been great. Minelab didn't even reply to my email about my issue for a couple of days. I found an old email where I had sent something to the "Detector Repair Center" before through my Minelab warranty, so I contacted them again. They are a Minelab authorized repair facility in Pennsylvania, but they are not affiliated with Minelab. I wasn't happy with M/L's customer service and let them know. It seems they've gone downhill in my opinion. Not long after I got my 800 in 2018, I had to return my original control pod because it wasn't syncing to my headphones, so M/L sent me a new control pod under my warranty. A couple years later, I had to send in my headphones to the DRC in PA (under warranty), and I got a new pair sent back to me. One of the speakers had gone out. Third time around (now), It seems I have to front the bill. If only everyone had the level of customer service that Garrett has! Anyway, the DRC told me they don't sell detectors, so I had no option of trading it in on a new machine. And M/L finally got back to me, but basically said sending it to the DRC was my only option now... I actually just ordered the XP 240 backpack and am looking at options to fit my gear in there without having to disconnect/reconnect my coil. I am talking to Steve at Steve's rods about a possible custom shaft for my 800, but I'm also looking at the Legend w/ the 9x6 coil. It collapses to less than 26", so I may be good there. The D2 looks like it would serve my needs great, but it's too expensive for me at the moment..
  6. They already told me that, on day one...$349 for a new pod w/ a three year warranty.
  7. I decided to bite the bullet yesterday and mail the 800 control pod and 11" coil back to the Detector Repair Center. I'll give another update when they tell me the cost on the coil cable plug repair...
  8. Update here: For now, a co-worker and I have my 800 working again, temporarily. We couldn't get the broken pins out of the coil connector/plug, so we just pushed them further in for now (I was already looking at having to replace the connector/plug on the coil cable anyway) and then we put silver solder wire in those same two holes in the connector/plug and reconnected it to the control pod to try to get a connection again. It seems to have worked, because I'm getting high tones once again. I've since ordered some 20 gauge copper wire from Amazon, and when that comes in, we're going to try to put that in the connector/plug instead of the silver solder wire. I can do that for both coils that I have. If it works, it works, right? Save $349+ for now? But if I also get a new machine now that will fit in a backpack (so I don't have to keep connecting and disconnecting coil cables each day I go out on my lunch break to detect), I don't know if I should go with the newer Nox 700/900, or the Legend, or the D2. I mainly hunt house yards and some fields at lunch. Decisions, decisions...any suggestions between those models that I mentioned?
  9. That's odd, because I'm pretty sure the first one that broke was the one at 6 o'clock, and my machine still worked with it broken...Now, maybe it still made a connection at first when I plugged the coil cable back into the control pod (with the broken pin wedged into the coil plug). but when the other pin broke too, the machine quit registering high tones. Now, both broken pins are wedged too far into the control plug. I'll look into the fix you suggested, thank you for your update.
  10. Well, it's $349 for new new 800 control pod, and it's not refurbished...it's a new replacement pod. It comes with a 3 year warranty. This is the verbiage from the control center, ". Non-warranty replacements of Equinox 800 control pods are $349.00 including labor and return shipping." Yes, replacing the coil connector would be extra on top of that.
  11. Well that would explain why it worked fine with one pin broken, pin 6 was the first one to go. Too bad 7 broke as well. 😞 I'll have to look into what you're saying and try to digest it... I'm trying to decide if I should pay to ship it to the repair center, pay another $349 for a new 800 control pod, and also pay whatever $$ they charge to dig the 2 pins out of the coil cable socket, and maybe buy a new telescopic shaft for the 800 too...or buy a new nox 700 for around $675...or a Nokta Legend for less. See, I take my detector to work and use it on my lunch break. I don't want to leave it in my hot vehicle during the day. I live in the southeast US, and it gets really hot. So every day that I go detecting, I connect my upper end rod to the lower end rod, and then connect the coil cable to the control pod...when I'm done, I disconnect it all, and put the control pod and upper rod in a backpack and bring it inside work, so that it doesn't get too hot in my vehicle. I think this is why the pins broke, after all these years. Maybe a telescopic rod would compress small enough that I could put the whole detector in a backpack and no longer have to connect and disconnect the coil every day that I go detecting on my lunch break?
  12. It worked with 1 broken, but not with 2...I think they both became wedged too far up into the receiving end of the coil cable. It no longer picks up high tones.
  13. Update: I have sent Minelab multiple emails and have not received one, single response. I even emailed someone that helped me in the past. They used to be fast in their responses; I guess their customer service has gone down hill? I am not impressed with their lack of response. So I emailed the detector repair center in Pennsylvania myself, and talked to them personally. They said that my issue is not fixable and my best option is to ship them my control box and they will replace it with a new one for $349. I wasn't planning on dropping money on a detector any time soon, but I guess that is cheaper than having to buy a new one...I also spoke with the retailer that I bought my Equinox from, and he said the same thing. On another note, the two pins are now stuck inside the connector on the coil cable. I tried to get them out last night but proceeded to push them further in. It seems I always make things worse when I try to fix something. Anyway, the man I spoke with at the detector repair center spoke with some techs at his location and told me to send the coil in too, and they can replace the connector on the cable. He didn't have an estimate for that yet. So I guess that's the route I'm going to have to take...I'm still frustrated that Minelab is ignoring me, though. I always had such great experiences with Garrett's customer service.
  14. OK, thanks. 😞 I'll see what they say and let y'all know...
  15. If you notice, the pin on the bottom and the one next to it, on the bottom right, are both broken. I just noticed one was broken earlier today, when I was going detecting. When I finished detecting, I took the cable off again and noticed another one had broken! How? All these years, and now my pins are suddenly breaking?
  16. Hello all, first time poster here. I've had my Equinox 800 for a while now; I signed up for the waiting list to buy one before they were even released. I've already had a couple of items serviced under the warranty, but I know it's expired now for sure. Unfortunately, today, I noticed two of the pins on the back of the control housing actually broke off and are stuck inside the connector on the coil cable. I didn't do anything that should have broken them, other than disconnecting my coil cable...it's not like I'm jerking the cable out when I disconnect it. I sent Minelab an email about it for suggestions, so I will see what they say. I wanted to go ahead and reach out to this forum too, though, to see if anyone else has experience with this...am I in dire straits here, since it's the pins on the control housing? Am I looking at a new machine? I sure hope not! Please tell me it's a simple fix... Much thanks for any advice..
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