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I use a Garrett AT Pro for dry sand detecting, and when hit by EMF, usually from bar internet systems, the operating frequency of the AT Pro can be adjusted to try and eliminate it. There are four slightly different frequencies to choose from. Just wondering if Steve knows whether there are adjustments that can be made with the Equinox, apart from turning down the sensitivity of course, to alleviate interference from EMF. HH

Minelab Equinox 600 / 800 Brochure Minelab Equinox 600 / 800 Getting Started Guide Minelab Equinox 600 Product Page Minelab Equinox 800 Product Page Minelab Equinox 600 | 800 specifications (click for larger version)

I do a lot of relic hunting in Virginia especially in the mineralized fields near Culpeper. I am sure many of you are familiar with the organized hunts conducted in and around that area. Obviously, I have seen a number of vlf detectors struggle under these conditions (AT Pro, F75, MXT, Deus, and even the CTX). Just as with most of those who frequently hunt there, the PI detector is the detector of choice vs. a vlf. I personally use a GPX 4800 and have also used the Garrett ATX with good success. When hunting I carry along my Deus strapped to my daypack, because I can but also because it acts as a pretty good pinpointer on steroids if I get into a pit and can use it to quickly scan the tailings. Being single frequency, it is obviously limited there but under certain circumstances it is usable. But my question isn't about the Deus. It is about the CTX vs. Equinox. I have seen the CTX struggle there just as bad as the Deus or any of the other VLF machines. Sure, we will all get lucky and find a relatively shallow keeper target with our VLFs but not consistently. Target ID is non-existent. I consistently hear about how the Equinox should excel in mineralized ground. I am also hearing about CTX owners who are excited to get their hands on an Equinox because it should do better under similar mineralized ground conditions. Since the CTX is a multifrequency FBS machine that I have seen no fare well in the what can be considered very hot soil, what is it about the Equinox and MultIQ (or othewise) that is raising expectations that it can perform better than the CTX under these conditions. I am not expecting PI like performance under these conditions, but I just want to better understand the differences in the CTX and Equinox designs that will enable the expected improved performance. Thanks.

This one I got at a gun show this past weekend for 65 dollars.Got big pockets and a small compartment under the pockets to put other items if need. Was made for two gun but took the center out being not enough room for two detectors. I buy this type of case for all my detectors. Chuck

Steve I notice that there is no "Operators Manual" just a "Getting Started Guide" in the photograph of the carton contents it must be a case of having to go on the Minelab web site and downloading the manual and printing it off yourself.

After such a frustrating lead up to the Equinox I think Minelab would want to make sure everything is perfect and no recalls because it would make a lot of people jump ship from Minelab . I have 5 minelab machines and no other brand but if one screw up it will make me unstable on loyalty and I would test other brands . I have too much faith in Minelab and I guess I I am hoping my heart doesn't get broken .

Hi Steve, an interesting article on the Equinox, thank you and Happy New Year https://www.minelab.com/usa/go-minelabbing/treasure-talk/2018-year-of-the-equinox

Internal-Photos-3643443.pdf

I'm wondering if the Equinox battery charging terminals will be 'hot', ie. the detector's internal battery's voltage present at the terminals while detecting. Realizing the voltage is only around 5vDC, there isn't any real human danger with exposure. This is more a question of what happens if the terminals are 'hot' while detecting in saltwater. Could mineralized water provide a path for slow battery discharge, increasing battery drain? Is there any possibility of electrolysis that might cause damage to the charging terminals while detecting in saltwater?

Does anyone know the Equinox Battery mAh rating? ML says NOX battery lasts approx 12 hours, but doubt one could calculate the mAh, without knowing the usage draw rate? The Excalibur factory battery pack is rated at 1000 mAh, giving the Excal a 14-19 hour run time. Based on that might one deduce the Equinox battery mAh somewhere between 750 and 1000 mAh? Since lightweight was an objective, would ML have kept the NOX battery smaller? Or might there new battery technology used in the NOX?

Equinox 600 / 800 Full Instruction Manual (English pdf 5.59 MB) Equinox 600 / 800 Getting Started Guide (English pdf 847.71 KB) Equinox Battery Charging Recommendations And Warnings Minelab Equinox Parts & Accessories Page

I don't normally ask questions but one has me very curious. Concerning the Equinox: Does the machine loose depth if sweep speed is reduced or is there a sweet spot speed? Most all VLF machines I've had looses quite a bit of depth as sweep speed is slowed.

Well, linking directly to Facebook stuff can be challenging, so let's see if this works for people.... https://www.facebook.com/groups/157635448164052/permalink/173177819943148/

Steve, One of my favorite things about my first explorer xs back in 2000 was that with the 2D screen, I could easily identify bottle caps and not dig them. Over the years, whenever I've stepped away from my FBS detector and the 2D screen to use another conventional VLF detector, I'm always surprised when I start digging up bottle caps. In the few weeks before the freeze up that you were out enjoying your coin shooting with the equinox, I"m sure you had the opportunity to come across bottle caps. How does the equinox do? Rich (Utah)

I am getting questions via PM instead of the forum.... “Why did they put an external speaker on the Equinox? Is there anyone that even uses them now days? I know a few that have had trouble with the speaker leaking on the CTX” and “I saw a post saying the Equinox may well have a true AM mode like the Xterra does for prospecting. Would this bring it to an equalizing depth against the Xcal and CTX in the salt water? Have you tried the all metal mode and IF you have, could you do a post on it (true all metal, threshold based, does it lock on when the button is pushed or do you have to hold the button). Curious as to if it is something that could be used like an Excal in Pinpoint or if it is just a quick push of the button to go to a non-notched mode of discrimination.” My perception of Equinox is that it is a general purpose all terrain detector intended to take market share from Garrett AT and Deus. It is waterproof to ten feet and does have a multifrequency beach mode. I think it will do well in salt water. I question whether it will replace a true diving detector like the Excalibur with the hardcore water crowd. For people like me who get in the water maybe three weeks out of the year it’s just great however. Whether it proves sufficient for the hardcore water hunters, only time will tell. The all terrain, all purpose intent of the Equinox pretty much demands it include a speaker. It is just a fact that people expect detectors to have an external speaker. The Fisher CZ-7 was an early attempt to make a detector without a speaker (it had a plug in accessory speaker). It was not a well received idea. The Minelab SD, GP, and GPX detectors have no external speaker, and people have been selling external speaker kits ever since. The vast majority of people think a detector should have an external speaker.. Again, we are talking an all terrain detector here that will see more use out if water than in it, not a dedicated diving machine like the Excalibur. The Equinox has four Detect Modes. Park, Field, Beach, and Gold. The Park, Field, and Beach modes are discrimination modes. Everything is discriminated visually by target id and/or tones. You can block or notch out specific target id numbers or ranges. You can also, at any time, by hitting the “Horseshoe” button, go to a wide open “All Metal” mode where all items are accepted, similar as to the way it is done on X-Terra and CTX. This is not a true non-discriminating all metal mode, but a discrimination mode set to accept all items. The discrimination filter is engaged. You can at any time engage the pinpoint mode, which activates when you press the pinpoint button, and turns off when you press it again. It might serve like the all metal pinpoint on the Excalibur but I am a bit doubtful of that. The pinpoint of the Equinox currently “ratchets” automatically to focus on and pinpoint targets. This is still being tweaked so I can’t say for sure, but I personally would not buy an Equinox thinking it will duplicate how the Excalibur acts as far as pinpoint mode goes. It might in the final version, but I would not want to bet on it. The Gold Mode on the Equinox 800 is somewhat like the Prospecting Mode on the X-Terra 705, a threshold based all metal mode. It operates at 20 kHz and 40 kHz plus MF (MultiFrequency) and is too hot for salt water or wet salt sand. It might be good on dry sand for micro jewelry, but that’s it. For wet salt sand or in salt water, the Beach Mode, which only operates in multifrequency, will be the go to mode for most people.

Steve Are you able to talk more in depth about the Gold Mode yet? Curious as to what if any type(s) of discrimination it employs since there appears to be no true all metal mode available in the lower single freq's. There are scenarios where I could use the 20kHz Gold mode with some form of disc. Tom

Steve---I just thought of another question. :)------Is there much glare on the screen of the Equinox?-----All the FBS detectors had that problem with the least being the CTX (in that regard).-----Don't remember the Xterras having that problem at all.

Steve, hello! I want to ask a question. Adjusting the volume of the tone of the iron will be available in all modes of audiotones: 1, 2, 5 and 50? In the 50-tone mode and the fully open discriminator (all metals), you can reduce the volume of the iron tone? From -9 to 0 one tone? Or 9?

Well, here we are with a new year around the corner. Unless somebody else pulls a real rabbit out of the hat, 2018 is shaping up to be the Year of the Equinox. In general, people have no idea just how good this detector is, and I expect things will get a little crazy once they hit the market and the word gets out. The main problem for some time will be a person getting their hands on one. I expect they will sell as fast as Minelab can crank them out for quite some time. Things are quiet right now, and will probably remain so for the next couple weeks, but by the middle of January I expect the floodgates will open and I will no longer be a lone voice in the wilderness. I look forward to stepping back a bit as others come to the fore and speak out more on Equinox. In the meantime, I will push the next few weeks to get out as many technical details as possible. I know there are still questions about many of the finer details of how the Equinox operates. All will be made clear soon. The one area everyone has to be patient about is waiting for Minelab to explain the underlying technology and what it is doing specifically as relates to the different modes. My focus is more on what Equinox does and how to best apply it in the field. Only the wizards at Minelab can really explain what is going on under the hood, so I won’t attempt that. I am really looking forward to 2018, if for no other reason that I can focus on just going detecting again. Equinox has rejuvenated my detecting interests especially as regards coin detecting and 2018 might just be my best coin detecting year ever. And that says a lot for a guy that has been detecting now for 45 years!

Here are the two images from here combined into one for clarity....

Due to the large number of orders that there seems to be. I wonder if Minelab after sending the first orders, will raise the price of the equinox?

I was told by a sales person in the local detecting shop that the Equinox would be out on the 1st of March. Hope it is true , then we have a time line to wait....I was asking about a coin machine and was told it would be out the 1st of March and I should wait for it to arrive......

Steve, I remember seeing in a video(Russian tester) that the pinpoint mode has a separate sensitivity adjustment. Now, I believe the Nox has modulated audio which can help to identify deeper targets from the more shallow ones. I'm thinking the pinpoint sensitivity could come in very handy to also help determine the depth of a target along with the modulated audio. Have you experimented with the pinpoint sensitivity yet and do you feel this a feature that has any real benefit to it?

Steve , have you given a thought to making and selling a dvd? In one of the other threads someone brought up about teaching classes. But for those of us far from Reno, it would be difficult to attend. A dvd could be worldwide. I'm sure making one would be a lot of work. But, maybe it could put you on easy street?

Steve-----This question may have been asked & answered before.---If it has, I apologize for asking again.------Does the Equinox have a "normalization" feature?------That it gives the same TID in any of the frequency modes?-----As in---a silver dime (or any coin) will give the same numeric read out in any of the modes?-----I think I said that right. :)-------------Del