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  1. Well it’s official. The Garrett GTI 2500, the flagship of the Garrett metal detector lineup, was over 20 years old in 2019. The GTI 2500 was introduced in 1999. Twenty years is an awfully long time in technology land, and I’d say it’s well past time for Garrett to do something about that. What would you like to see from Garrett in 2020? Garrett GTI 2500 Data & Specifications
  2. I love analogies. Maybe this one will help some people. Low recovery speeds magnify signals and fast recovery speeds truncate signals. Digital machines usually chop signals into discrete portions. A target is “grabbed” and then it is “released”. A new target cannot be “grabbed” until the last one is “released”. Imagine a conveyor belt going by with a line of wooden blocks. The blocks have anywhere from 9 to 16 sides. You are standing there blindfolded as the blocks go by. You can pick up a block and feel it for as long as you want to try and decide how many sides it has. The longer you roll it around in your hands, the better. Your chance of deciding if it is a thirteen sided block or a fourteen sided block is better if you have more time. However, you are being graded by how many blocks you identify correctly, and if you hold one too long some pass by before you can pick them up. The conveyor is passing 8 blocks per minute past you. If you have a recovery speed of 1 you hold each block one minute and you get a great “signal” on that block. But seven other blocks go by as you are taking your time identifying the one block. You increase your recovery time to three and now get 3 out of 8 blocks but have less time to hold each block. Less signal information. Still, you get them all right. Now you increase recovery time to 5 and are only missing three blocks. Your slower buddies are having a hard time keeping up now and making mistakes, misidentifying blocks, but you are doing great. You notice that people standing back are having to reach farther to grab a block and put it back. They are “going deeper” but it is costing them time. You step closer to the conveyor belt so you don’t have to reach as far, and are now a little faster by not reaching as far. You lose a little “depth” but gain some speed. You go to recovery speed seven and your arms are a blur. Your buddies all give up and stand back in awe as you pick up and put down blocks at lightning speed, and are still calling them right but you can tell you are at your limit. You finally go to 8 and still get almost all right it every now and then you have to put a block back down before you can tell what it was. You don’t have enough time, enough signal to work with. You also get to change the conveyor speed. You can swing your coil slower, and now you have more time to look at each target. That means you can lower the recovery speed and still keep up with the targets. Great for the slower workers (detectors) who have a hard time keeping up. That is a decent analogy for recovery speed and what it does for the ability of a detector to clearly examine a target versus how many targets it can process and how far it can reach. Slow detectors, slow conveyor workers, don’t have a chance. Only the fastest workers, the fastest machines, can pick up and process all the targets correctly in a short period of time. They are a rare breed. One of the biggest advantages you possess in Equinox is the lightning fast recovery speed. I see far too many people throwing that advantage away thinking a lower recovery speed gets “more depth”. No point in getting an Equinox then, just stick with the slower machine you already have. Give Equinox a real good go at the default higher recovery speeds before deciding to toss away what is perhaps the most important advantage the machine has - lightning fast recovery time coupled with accurate target id and minimal depth loss at those high speeds. That is the Equinox difference. Don’t waste it. Recovery Speed, Recovery Delay, And Reactivity
  3. Hey guys n girls I have a doozie of a question for anyone that may be in the know. I'm not sure how to ask this without being negative towards a great detector Minelabs GPZ7000 approx $9000 Australian dollars. I was watching some YouTube videos on the Ajax Segma 3d metal detector. It has an 8m depth. Finds all types of metals, water even under ground caves. The cost is A lot less than a GPZ7000 My main question is why have we not seen or heard more about this in Australia. I mean if not for general gold detecting, but for bigger companies using it to find the depth of the gold they need to mine. Check out the detector by Ajax and I think the other one is a company called Ger from Germany.
  4. Just curious, how many prospectors are still swinging around a Minelab SD series, GP or even GPX4000?? These models hardly get a mention these days. For those that are swinging these older models, here's a few additional questions do get a bit of chatter happening....maybe Have you tried any of the new flat/spiral wound coils? Have you tried modern boosters, or aftermarket battery options? On a personal note, I still have a SD2100e and a GP3500 but they don't get any serious use. The 2100 is very sentimental model to me as it was the detector I found my first nugget with. The GP3500 was my baby, where Minelab added everything I wished for. It still has the best audio in any prospecting detector I've used to date (admittedly she's a bit on the quiet side).
  5. Hi All I've been hearing rumours of a new gold machine in the works ? Is there any truth in this and if so what are some of the rumours or truths about it. Cheers
  6. I’ll post link here. Folks can comment if they wish. Saves me time by not posting in detail on all forums. I like this forum very much. Hope I am not breaking rules here or am not upsetting anyone. http://www.dankowskidetectors.com/discussions/read.php?2,173272
  7. any thoughts on the use of a geiger counter instead of a metal detector for prospecting ....U , TH , TE , IN , RB , RE , PT
  8. Here is a good Sunday read for you. Reg wrote what is still the best introductory text on PI detectors. Recently he added extra chapters at the Findmall forum. Even if you read the original before it is worth reading again. Understanding The PI Metal Detector by Reg Sniff http://chemelec.com/Projects/Metal-1a/Understanding-the-PI-Detector.htm Deepest PI Detector by Reg Sniff Part One Link deleted since Findmall update broke old links Deepest PI Detector by Reg Sniff Part Two Link deleted since Findmall update broke old links
  9. Hello Guys, I'm new on this forum and like Alexandre Tartar, I live in north of France. I was a young prospector in the 90's and asked my father (electronic engineer with good knowledge in magnetic field theory) to build a PI to hunt the beaches. So we have made, in a few months, an home-made PI metal detector 25 years ago, based on the technology of the old White's Surfmaster PI (mono coil). I remember the use of FETs (Field Effects Transistors to make 200 volts pulses). It worked, but unfortunately, my father was afraid by a so powerful magnetic fields and has continued his research on VLF detectors, until today ! After this short presentation, here's my question : Is the Impulse AQ a bipolar detector ? Le Jag has explained us on the french forum "detecteur.net" this technology developped by Alexandre : Positive and Negative pulse are alternatively sent. The positive one light the gold ring but magnetize the soil. The negative one demagnetize the soil. What about it ?
  10. http://www.dankowskidetectors.com/discussions/read.php?2,172859
  11. From the Codan news release at http://www.codan.com.au/Portals/0/investorpubs/22 AXS Announcement - Minelab awarded $6.7m contract.pdf (copy below): "Cooperating with NIITEK Inc., the HDD will combine Minelab’s new Multiple Frequency Continuous Wave metal detection technology and NIITEK’s advanced ground penetrating radar." 31 August 2016 MINELAB AWARDED CONTRACT TO DEVELOP NEW HANDHELD DEVICE DETECTOR FOR THE AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE Minelab Electronics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Codan Limited, has been awarded a $6.7m contract by the Department of Defence to develop a new Handheld Device Detector (HDD). The funding received under this contract is to further develop a dual sensor metal detector which incorporates ground penetrating radar. It will partially offset the development costs of the product, and the project is expected to be completed by 2018. The development of the HDD builds on Minelab's success in technology development and product innovation for use in military programmes. Codan is particularly pleased to be of service to the ADF and to provide an enhanced capability that currently does not exist. Once the HDD enters into service with the ADF, we are confident that other militaries will seek the same level of capability, broadening our market for countermine products. The contract supports Codan's stated strategy of growing its profitability by improving and broadening our product offerings while ensuring our value propositions remain relevant and leading-edge. Previous to this award, in March 2014, Minelab was selected by the Department of Defence's Rapid Prototype Development and Evaluation (RPDE) programme to receive $1.0m in funding to further integrate metal detection and ground penetration radar technologies into a lightweight and compact mechanical platform. In December 2014, RPDE provided an additional $1.3m in funding, and Minelab subsequently produced an advanced prototype of the HDD. Cooperating with NIITEK Inc., the HDD will combine Minelab's new Multiple Frequency Continuous Wave metal detection technology and NIITEK's advanced ground penetrating radar. The HDD was designed taking into account the comprehensive requirements of the ADF, supplemented with feedback from Army User Groups. It will include advanced detection technologies as well as new standards of compactness and ergonomics. On behalf of the Board Michael Barton Company Secretary MORE INFORMATION ON THE NIITEK/MINELAB GROUNDSHARK Minelab Mineshark
  12. Show simple targets you swore were gold. These were 12" inches plus in depth (all lead)....... Found with a borrowed GPX 4500
  13. The GB knob on my Tejon is super loose now after the tons of hours I put on it and I get a little waver in the threshold. Trying to find who sells damping grease in really small quantities as the stuff is horribly expensive. Mcmaster has some at $111 + shipping, Amazon has some in the $30 range and all more expensive than the potentiometer itself. I could replace it but rather not start soldering in parts if I don't have to.
  14. HOW MAKE A SERIOUS COMPARATIVE TESTS PROCEDURE First rule Blind tests are mandatory to be serious. Second rule if you do not agree refer to rule number 1 😊 The purpose of this playground, and not to take into account the feeling of the prospector. It is too easy for a participant to indicate that he is correctly detecting the target. But in general he does not detect it or he thinks to detect it. It often detects a ground effect. During our long experience and our meetings with prospectors at the beach, we realized that the prospector was often influenced by the pride placed in his detector. This is why we have implemented this drastic and non-falsifiable comparative tests procedure. Of course for this test you have to be 2 people. A person who hides targets and a person who tries to find them. The depth tests can be done simultaneously. It is obvious that here are static tests. The reality is even more difficult! See for yourself the catastrophic results .... Document here : ******************************* https://www.casimages.com/f/qyqU0eUlCSb ******************************* COMPARATIVE TESTS PROCEDURE.pdf
  15. The "holy grail" of metal detecting has been a detector that can offer VLF type discrimination to PI detector depth. Many years ago I put it as "a White's MXT that can detect as deep as a Minelab GP". I once offered $10,000 for such a detector, back when it seemed ludicrous to think detectors would ever reach such a high price. We have had a lot of progress in the last 30 years on sheer depth of detection, but really not much at all when it comes to how deep a target can be detected and identified with decent accuracy. When it comes to accurate target id at depth multi frequency units set the standard for performance in all soil types. The Fisher CZ and Minelab Sovereign both came out in 1991, and in my opinion other than refinements nothing has really changed since then when it comes down to the classic question of "how deep can you detect and correctly identify a U.S. dime?" For single frequency detectors my old Compass Gold Scanner Pro back in 1989 punched as deep on a dime as anything made today. We need some sort of real breakthrough. What this would really mean is a machine that handles and eliminates ground better to deliver depth as close to air tests as is possible while retaining good discrimination. The long rumored (since 2015) Fisher CZX promises "groundbreaking technology" in the form of a two frequency detector that is "deeper than current VLF, this detector will also see through red dirt, and highly mineralized soil." For even longer we have known about the White's Half Sine Patent that states "A new hybrid metal detector combines induction balance and pulse induction technologies. Target signals are generated from a transmitted wave that has both induction balance and pulse current inducing characteristics and uses pertinent sampling of the receive data. Combining the two data sources provides eddy current target identification while excluding ground permeability and remanence obscuration." Now, the Fisher price target was said to be in the $1000 - $2000 range. Frankly, that seems way too low for something that would knock the industry on its ear if it came to pass, but it may be we are all assuming the CZX to be more than it really is. The talk is mainly about being simple and handling bad ground well, but how well it can identify targets at depth is really not discussed. All the CZX may turn out to be is my long hoped for ergonomic detector that outperforms the White's TDI in the $1000 - $2000 price range. The Mosca machine mentioned on the same thread has different engineers involved and so these are probably two separate projects. OK, long lead in to the AKA Intronik STF as described at http://md-hunter.com/aka-intronik-stf-price-starts-from-12000-the-most-expensive-detector/ and said to be selling for $12,000.00. Another thread here states "AKA succeed working out VLF detector working 2 frequency at once. This detector sees no differance if ground is heavely mineralized or it's a non salty sand or even air, it's not being influanced by mineralisation at all. It's deep as Signum MFT but with right identification at any depth." Looks to be translated poorly from original Russian, or at least I hope that's the excuse for the butchered English! However, what the AKA Intronik is promising is a two frequency machine that ignores ground mineralization, and that sounds a lot like what the Fisher CZX is promising. The White's is a different beast but same basic result being discussed - a breakthrough in the ability to discriminate targets at depth. And in my book all that means is something clearly better than what we have, not results so close that endless videos and arguments on the internet produce no clear winners. We want something that when put up against a Fisher CZ and F75 and Minelab CTX everyone clearly agrees "this thing accurately sees a dime deeper" Many nugget hunters may be ignoring all this, but the applications for a detector that really can get the depth and identify trash better are huge. In fact, I am willing to bet many of the best finds remaining in the United States at least are in those areas that are full of so much trash that PI operators have barely put a dent in them. Clear open trash free patches have been pounded to death, but there are many places where the volume of deep nails alone continues to defeat even the most patient hunters. People are/were will to pay $8000 - $10,000 for a GPZ 7000. How much is a GPZ with discrimination worth? Quite a bit perhaps to many gold hunters. What I wonder however is what the limits are for the coin and relic hunters. My gut feeling was that the coin hunters were not as willing to spend big bucks as the gold hunters. It is easy to rationalize high price gold machines if you are the sort of person who is confident you can find enough gold to pay for your detector. The thing is I never thought the GPZ would sell very well because it as priced so high. Then I opened my eyes. There are people here in the U.S. buying GPZ detectors that have found little if any gold in the past with detectors. There are people that show up at outings with a 24 foot motor home pulling a side by side ATV behind. There are people for whom buying a $10,000 metal detector is no different than buying a high price set of golf clubs or a snowmobile or a boat. Yes, I understand many people have tight budgets, but it is also obvious many people have lots of money to throw at their pastimes and playthings. The GPZ 7000 shocked me with how many people bought them. I was honestly hoping the price would limit the numbers seen in the field for at least a year or two. The relic people seem to be the same way. There was little resistance to moving up to the GPX 5000 back east in the big relic hunts when it became obvious those machines would deliver the goods VLF detectors missed. The GPZ has not has made as much impact there simply because it is too sensitive to tiny trash so a relic hunter is normally better off with a GPX, which has more ability to deal with at least some trash. Lots of beach hunters are using GPX detectors now. And even some park hunters in the never ending quest for more depth. So I am wondering just how much more I would be willing to shell out to be the first kid on my block to have a real leg up on the competition with a machine that could make silver coins easy to find again in U.S. parks by offering better discrimination at depth. I then of course I figured I would ask you all the same question. What is the most you would shell out for such a machine if it really delivered the goods? Me, I looked at the $12,000 for the AKA Intronik and initially thought that was crazy. The more I think about it however I am not so sure - if it really worked. Sure, that would price many people right out of the thing, but oddly enough that would make others crave it even more. There is always something attractive in basic marketing 101 for people having possession of something other people can't afford. What say you forum members? Would you buy an AKA Intronik if it really performed as advertised and for such a high price? If not, what would it be worth to you? Please note - I am not saying the AKA Intronik does do what it says in any way. I truly have no idea. But if it does, what is the "right price"?
  16. Hey everyone, Just curious, has anyone tried lowering the tone break T1 to negative numbers or all the way down to -9 on your hunts? Is it worth it, did anything good come out? Or is it just a recipe for headache? Reason being, I was playing yesterday with the coil and found an old button that is clearly non-ferrous, but gives negative TID in multi-frequency and positive/negative on some single freqs. Thank you
  17. A few afternoons back I went out to a local beach to do my normal searching. It has been a time of few waves and even fewer targets. Everyone hears this from me quite often but I've heard it from other detectorists as well. So, you relax, go slow and just enjoy the beach. A bit down from me I saw a group along the blanket line and there was something different. There was a little kid (older than mine) about 5 or so swinging a metal detector. It had a kinda orange coil and the kid just was playing with it a bit and then running around with the other kids. I decided to go up with my 800 in hand and have a little chat with him and maybe 'show' him how to find things. By the time I got up to where he was he was out near the water and the only one still around was his dad and his dad's friend or brother. We started up a bit of a chat and they said they had bought the detector off of Amazon for $60. I didn't recognize it but it was giving my 800 an EMI fit so I went to a different channel. I told them what I had in mind (quarter in hand) and they called the little boy over. I wish I had taken a picture of the detector but it was a short arm, adjustable with compression fittings, concentric coil detector of a brand I didn't catch. It had a screen that was discriminating and it did 'find' the planted quarter which the kid liked but didn't have that much interest in it. One of the really interesting parts of the story was the friend. He told me it was an Amazon purchase and thought that $60 should make it a very good detector. They didn't really have a clue. They asked me about mine and I told them and I could see their jaws drop a bit on now knowing that 'pros' like me were out with detectors from $500 to $900! It was way out side of their conception so they asked me what did I think of their detector. I didn't really pick it up but I told them there are these new little detectors that could be better than a lot of the detectors just 5 to 8 years old that sold for much, much higher prices. This is part of the new purchaser and market for the detector companies which provide higher end products like Minelab. It is a new reality of buyer and probably the reason for their low end detectors. When I came back and searched Amazon looking for this $60 detector I was flooded with many, many detectors from companies unknown. Minelab is not on Amazon it seems and many other searches for the average buyer. Some of you here see some advertising on this forum for the best metal detectors. I started a thread about it a couple of weeks back. One thing I did happen across when looking for the metal detectors were a few 'board detectors.' These were complete metal detectors on a circuit board that sell for less than $5.00! It becomes more clear that these detector circuit boards placed in a molded plastic handle become the brains for a $50.00 detector that wholesales for maybe $26. Components are cheap. Marketing and R&D are expensive! I didn't find much on the beach that day but I brightened the face of a little kid and I got a good story.
  18. I am looking for some objective non-partisan opinions on what detectors are in use right now. I am seriously not interested in people promoting their favorite brand but just hoping for some honest observations. At your club what are the most prevalent brands and models you are seeing? Same thing at the hunts. What are the top two or three models you are seeing? My last couple trips to the UK it was simple. Now these are groups comprised not of locals, but visitors from the U.S. I’d say 95% were swinging either a XP Deus or Minelab Equinox, plus a few CTX 3030. That seriously was about it. In my circle of the serious prospectors I know it’s pretty much a Minelab PI/GPZ world. For VLF prospecting units lots of Gold Bugs, Gold Monsters, and White’s Goldmasters/MXTs. Garrett AT Golds are pretty rare. But what about general coin and relic across the U.S.? Not the serious forum types but the folks at the clubs and hunts. I’m guessing some regional preferences, and I’d have to guess Garrett is still big with many club type hunters going by YouTube activity. But I honestly don’t know what the masses are using and thought you all might enlighten me on that? This is really nothing other then pure curiosity on my part. Thanks in advance for any comments.
  19. The art of detection shares common issues whether it be audio, optical, rf or electromagnetic. Some of the common issues are: A: Sensitivity B. Noise C. False signals and also the problems that filtering or mixing creates in trying to solve the above issues. A radar detector faces many of the same problems as a metal detector, and has up until this point in time used similar techniques to provide solutions. A radar detector manufacturer named Radenso has now applied AI to solving these issues. And some of their methodology could have applications in metal detecting. They are taking signal samples to identify good and bad targets and feeding them to a Super Computer, that then creates a signature which is programmed into the radar detector. So the super computer does the heavy lifting creating a library, and allowing the processor in the detector to simply do a lookup from a library. Some terms for those not familiar to aid in watching the videos: CW = continuous wave similar to a signal from a VLF metal detector BSM = Blind Spot Monitor are radar based collision and lane change units which emit radar and drive radar detector users crazy(think bottlecaps). Door Openers = Equal microwave(radar) motion detectors to open the automatic doors at retail stores etc https://www.vortexradar.com/2019/11/radenso-introduces-artificial-intelligence-in-radar-detectors/
  20. Will 2020 be the year of the cliche product? Will we see products capitalizing on the 'better vision' theme? Have you already seen them? haha 😋 What marketing slogan would you use for a new detector, coil, pointer, pick, pan, 4x4, etc., etc. ??? Here are a couple that come to mind ... White's Detectors ... clearly Better in 2020! Everyone will have 2020 nugget vision with the new Minelab ... New in 2020, glasses for your detector ... get our clear boost signal enhancer.
  21. Since I'm down and out with a broken ankle for a few weeks and have plenty of time on my hands. I decided to do a EX2 chest mount mod that I saw on You-Tube by IDX Monster, thank you sir for paving the way!! I have a bum shoulder that needs to be rebuilt next year, I needed to adapt my machine to extend my hunting time until then. I used a Teknetics S-rod for the stock 11" coil and a White's MX5 S-rod for the 8" coil. I'll be using a Go-Pro chesty to mount the control head and I bought a 3' extension cable to connect the control to the coil. I cut the battery housing from the handle, but, I have a more compact and lighter battery pack on the way. I ordered a 1/4" stereo headphone jack from Amazon and will run my phone cord under my shirt to keep it from getting in the way. This set-up is as light as feather to swing and I can't wait to heal up and take it on it's maiden voyage.
  22. I consider myself to be extremely fortunate due to the fact that the entire age of modern metal detecting has taken place over the course of my lifetime. I was too young in the 60's to be one of the many famous names that were there first on the ground with these new toys that go beep. That's good though for me as most of them are gone now and I'm still here. I got my first detector at the true dawn of the modern detecting age when I got my White's Coinmaster 4 in 1972. It was one of the first of the new "TR" machines that were the starting point for what most of us use today. Mine was as basic as a detector gets, no ground balance existed yet or discrimination. Just a couple inches depth and a beep, dig it up. So I have been involved in detecting now for 47 years. I started my business while in high school in 1976, and have been involved in metal detecting pretty much daily ever since. Anyone who followed my online presence starting in 1998 may see a pattern. I have been involved in some top end machines, some VLF, but basically almost every ground balancing PI made has been in my hands at some point. I had a vision in my mind based on my background in computers that told me what was possible and where we were headed. I was particularly incensed when an upstart company from Australia showed up the industry leaders at the time with the world's most powerful gold detecting PI machines. All the more so when I heard White's had a shot at it and passed. I made it my mission to jump on and foster anything that came along that might compete, and so I was involved with the Garrett Infinium, the first U.S. ground balancing PI. I had a lot to do with White's finally producing the TDI. Yet the fact is nobody ever seriously took Minelab on, and finally they won me over because they delivered when the rest just milked us. Minelab has been the sole company at the forefront of this technology since the SD2000 was introduced. All this time I have wanted two things. A vision in my mind of what a VLF could be. And a similar vision regarding a PI. Both those visions basically revolved around something a normal person could use both as regards ergonomics and price, two areas we kept getting bent over on for 20 years. Long story short I am grateful to Minelab for allowing me to be involved in the machine that delivered on my first vision. The Minelab Equinox is the first machine ever that really can do any VLF metal detecting task and do it well. In any one area it may not be "the best" but no one machine delivers across the board like the Equinox. My VLF quest is over. I will use an Equinox as my primary unit until a detector comes along, probably a Minelab, that does what it does but better. No more VLF buy and try for me. Yay! In 2017 I laid out my vision for the PI I wanted. The price was kind of a set the bar high (with a low price) thing so there is a little wiggle room there. But not a lot... the machine price should be something most people can stomach. As far as I am concerned the GPX 4500 sets the standard at $2699 both for performance and price. The TDI wins on ergonomics but loses too much in performance for me. All I really wanted was a GPX performance in an ergonomic package, and we all know it can be done. That is what is so frustrating. It's one thing to introduce new tech but all I want is proven tech packaged right. Garrett has really been a disappointment not putting the ATX in a light box. They can do it but so far have refused. I would have been satisfied with that. Right now I am calling the Australian made QED as being the default winner of my challenge. The rough edges have been smoothed out, and it's got the ergonomics, coil selection, and price all right. I am not going to argue with anyone over performance. Based on what I know it's good enough for me to go find gold and easily beats the TDI and is competitive with GPX. Good enough for me and good job boys. The only niggle is no FCC approval for U.S. sales, no U.S. dealers or service. But by end of 2020 if there is nothing better I will have one anyway. But we have the Fisher Impulse AQ on the verge and a dry land prospecting version promised. I would be crazy not to wait and see what develops there. I sold my GPZ for many reasons, mostly because I was not going to be detecting much this year, but I resolved when I sold it I would wait until my vision appeared. I knew it was close. I decided I can have fun enough with Equinox until that happens. Put as simply as possible I want a reasonably powerful PI packaged like a good VLF that most of us can afford. Something that can get in and out of a small backpack with an hour of labor being involved. So I am tossing down the gauntlet. I have my magic VLF and am looking for a mate for it. Right now QED and Impulse are in the running. And it's up to Minelab, Nokta/Makro, and sure, let's toss Garrett and White's in there also. It's time to deliver as by the end of 2020 I am getting one. I prefer in the spring but if something is one the radar I may wait. By 2021 I will be using something that finally fulfills what this high school kid from Alaska has known would happen someday. And I got to be there and see it all from start to finish. As I said... a very fortunate soul! Interfacion QED PL2 Fisher Impulse AQ
  23. Book Excerpt: 14/ Modulation Modulated audio acts to reduce noise and response irregularity in a high gain audio platform. That’s a lot to manage. Modulation defines each tone and makes all signals sound better and more the same. This also represents an artificial, distorting influence--a kind of audio “no-man’s-land”where small objects sound bigger and large targets are “clipped down.” This is especially true in the “tone ID” modes. For the operator, modulation makes it harder to tell a deep faint response from a small surface one. In conjunction with Gain, modulation makes small responses more distracting--sounding fuller and more solid. Modulation also makes tiny mineral, seabed or black sand variations jump way up to sound more like good signals. Determining a response’s shape and distance from the coil are also harder. What you have is a digital representation of ground and targets--more of a measure of the relative differences between the two than an actual metal object reading. Another consequence of this is that big targets sound smaller--cans--sunglasses--all are modulated to often sound like they are (more) coin or jewelry-sized. I’ve had some particularly frustrating deep-water hunts with the Equinox giving tantalizing small indications on what turned out to be super-deep “rotten glasses.” This operating characteristic can be confusing for new hunters. This, in particular is an Equinox operating characteristic that is easier to make sense of and manage with some solid, basic instruction. For anyone--the “trade-offs” that derive from the Equinox’s heavily modulated signal are its most frustrating feature. 1/ The first, most basic method of managing a heavily modulated signal is to turn the volume down. Even going to “24” or “23” makes a huge difference. This makes for more audio distinction between weak and strong signals. Many CTX hunters discovered this after becoming frustrated with that detector’s tendency to bring up tiny conductors. With its high frequency weighting on several of the pre-set modes this is more so of the Equinox. While many of the underwater headphones that are available are quiet to begin with and don’t allow much of a margin for reduced volume--the stock 800 series wireless set do. 2/ Focus upon the more solid signals. This is a critical Equinox skill in any context. Even as a pulse hunter who has experience with fast Delay machines that hit running shoe eyelets loud and clear--the Equinox was initially exasperating to use for me because of these modulation-boosted targets. While I see some patient hunters getting good results “micro gold” hunting this is at highly specific types of locations. The solution is simple basics. Rather than digging endless tiny part-responses--use Pinpoint to check for solidity--and do a quick angled pass to see the consistency. (See “Pinpoint” below). With practice these small conductors will become more obvious in Discriminate as well. This is the way to offset the distortion of a modulated signal--but still get its benefits. This is where the above mentioned “correlation” comes in--looking for “sets” of target characteristics to double check what the audio is telling you. Even when examining tiny “earring-sized” sounds it’s possible to screen for solid targets and use this as a basis for gathering a full target profile. Each signal feature (size, strength, solidity, position in strata…) should confirm the others. The depth meter is also a good tool for offsetting the distortion of modulated audio. Signal depth and signal strength should be “in keeping.” (More on this type of method below). Modulation is more active in the Tone (break) ID modes (especially “5 Tone)” so using the more fluid “50 Tone” or just “Pinpoint” are good ways to compensate. One reason that many hunters have trouble adjusting to the Equinox is that again, this high Gain / high frequency / modulation combination reduces your ability to judge how far from the coil something is. This in turn throws off your sizing. The number of hunters I see on “YouTube” videos trying to ignore these simple target testing basics is laughable--with many trying to pass off this as some cool “dig everything” ethos. Again--not “everything” is “anything” and a machine like the Equinox will tell you when not to dig sometimes--loud and clear. From "Skill Building with the Minelab Equinox Series Metal Detectors" by Clive James Clynick (2019)
  24. I noticed a lot of the older threads had lost their attached "tags", probably due to an update somewhere along the way. I've been spending hours today working from the oldest threads forward retagging everything and also moving some threads to other more appropriate forums. Seems to be mostly 2016 and before stuff. Whatever, housekeeping. It has been interesting in seeing the large number of "gold found" threads created back in the 2015 - 2016 time frame especially. We had the double whammy of the SDC 2300 followed by the GPZ 7000. Both machines are good at finding gold missed by the earlier Minelab PI models. This created a mini gold rush in two ways. First, the machines actually do target gold the other models were weak on so they did find gold the others could not. But a large portion of it was simply new machines giving people confidence to go back and hunt old areas once again. Often there is knowledge from prior hunting that allows a focus on where the gold is known to be. Gold was also therefore found the earlier machines could have found but that was simply missed by earlier hunters. Well, four years on now and things have slowed down a lot. It's mostly the old die-hards still at it, but lots of people that were active back in 2015 have gone quiet. I'm sure I know why. There were many old "dead" patches I hit with the GPZ 7000 that came alive again. The problem now is it is back to eking out smaller and smaller returns for time spent. The sad fact is there is only so much readily available ground out there and we are once again hitting that depleted stage with existing technology. This can't go on forever as every nugget found is one less to find and they are not growing back. We need a new toy soon or things are going to get pretty quiet. Compared to 2015 they already are. We've seen this story many times before going back to when Minelab PI took over from VLF, and gold VLF machines taking over from the coin detectors prior to that. Forum threads tagged "gold found"
  25. As much as I enjoy using the gm1000, especially in the auto modes, I can see how a Gold Monster PI machine would be popular. Grab and go, auto modes, under 5 lbs. Sounds great to me???
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