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I always wondered why some targets have a tone roll and others are flat. I thought it might have a lot to do with target density and their conductivity so I plotted it out. This doesn't include size, shape, orientation or depth, just a raw comparison of metal types. You will notice when the 2 values are close the drop of on a target is quicker. What is really interesting is Aluminum is slightly overlapped. Also notice how extreme gold is. Keep in mind conductivity will translate to phase angle. Chart isn't in any particular order of metal type. Something to think about.

Just watching a vid of a guy showing the difference of low, mid, and high freqs on the same targets (all natural finds, not buried plants). Was demonstrating how 40 kHz was slamming these nickels and pulltabs, but 4 and sometimes 7 wouldn't touch them. It got me wondering. I've heard that if you run low freqs you will likely miss gold, especially small gold, but does the pendulum swing the other way? Lower freqs should hit silver better, right? Does that mean that in high freqs you are likely to miss silver? Just my musings on a typhoon filled day...

Anyone care to comment on whether the extra (initial startup) 0.5V is risky or whether this old circuit has some safety margin built-in.? I have 8x1.2v NiMH's which come off the charger at around 11.1v. I know they will soon settle down to nominal voltages after some run time. The lower and upper Voltages are 6.5v to 10.5v as per the schematic. I know I could use the 6 x AA alkalines but I'm trying to avoid these if possible. I could also take the batteries off the charger before they are fully charged.

Lots of people may think they have owned a Fisher, Tesoro, White's, or other brand detector, when in fact they really owned a Dave Johnson Detector. The companies came and went but the mind behind many of the best detectors ever made belonged to Dave Johnson. He was like a professional gunslinger that everyone hired at one time or another. From Interview with Dave Johnson at https://www.fisherlab.com.ua/downloads/documents/journals/Interview-with-Dave.pdf Many of the people reading this interview unknowingly own products of your design. Would you mind listing them? My first metal detector (in 1971) was a portable experimental vehicle detector for use on roadway loops. It discriminated between cars and trucks, but to become a practical product would have required a lot of development and nobody was interested in investing in it. Fisher in California: 1260, 1220, 1210, 1235, 1225, 1212, 1265, 1266, CZ6, CZ5, CZ20, original Gold Bug, Gold Bug II, Gemini, and industrial instruments including TW6, FX3, XLT-16, PF-18, and circuitry of the TW-770. Tesoro: Diablo MicroMax, Lobo SuperTraq. White's: GMT, MXT, analog circuitry of DFX, Beach Hunter and PCL-600 line tracer. Troy: X-5 and X-3. FTP Bounty Hunter: major revisions to existing platforms most of which originated with George Payne. The BH Junior, Platinum, Gold and security wand (sold under various trademarks) were new designs. FTP Teknetics: T2, Alpha, Delta, Gamma, Omega, G2. FTP Fisher: F2, F4, F5, F75, F70, new Gold Bug, circuitry of the TW-82 industrial line tracer. In the case of microprocessor-driven FTP products, the software was coded by John Gardiner and Jorge Anton Saad. Mechanical designs were done mostly by other people, but I engineered the ergonomics of the T2 mechanical design, which is also used on the F75. See also Detector Stuff Interviews FT-Fisher Engineers, David Johnson and John Gardiner at http://detectorstuff.com/detector-stuff-interviews-ft-fisher-engineers-david-johnson-and-john-gardiner/ Dave's detectors are more similar than not. There is a direct progression from the old analog with knobs 19 kHz Fisher Gold Bug, to the 17 kHz Tesoro Lobo ST, the 19 kHz Troy X5, the 15 kHz White's MXT, 19 kHz digital Fisher Gold Bug, and finally 13 kHz Teknetics T2 and Fisher F70/F75. Having used them all I can attest to a similar feel driven by the same ideas and methodologies of the mind behind the machines. Want people to know you own one of the Dave Johnson detectors listed above? Just download and print the attached logo and apply to your detector.

I ve just seen this on the main French MD dealer site ( Maison de la Detection ). No control box , no cables , the detector is controlled from a smartphone via a dedicated app ... Looks like more to an entry level detector as its freq is limited to 7khz with a few settings , but the technology is innovative .. https://www.questmetaldetectors.com/product-page/quest-air Specifications WORKING METHOD* : VLF Single frequency 7.5kHz AUDIO OUTPUT* : 16Levels Volume By Smartphone SMARTPHONES COMPATIBILITY: Built-in V4.0 Bluetooth Module PROTECTION: Entire Unit IP68, Waterproof to 1M TELESCOPIC ROD: Fast Release Cam-lock 2 Sections Straight Rods Extendable from 80CM to 130CM HEADPHONES: Wired headphones connect to your smartphone. WIRELESS AUDIO: Optional Bluetooth WIREFREE VIBE/PRO HE DESIGN: Sleek, Flat-folding Design ARMREST: Position Adjustable Flexible Armrest Cup with Strap HANDLE: Position Adjustable, Grenade Textured Surface BATTERY : Built-in 750mAh Li-Po Battery for 10Hrs Operating RECHARGE PORT: Durable and Corrosion-Resist Magnetic USB System DETECTION COIL:9“ TurboD Performance Waterproof Coil METAL ID: 99 Metal I.D. Level for Target Identification GROUND BALANCE: Automatic(pump) or manually (selecting) PROGRAMS * : Discrimination/All Metal Programs GAUGE: Depth Reader,Metal ID Indication, Battery Status.etc SETUPS*: Recovery Speed , Threshold, Tones, Iron Audio WEIGHT: Lower to 2.5LB OPERATION TEMP RANGE: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C) NON-OPERATION TEMP: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)

This is a copy of a post I made elsewhere, expanded and updated. Do we really need a zillion controls? You know, one of the best detectors I ever had was the White’s MXT. Not a ton of settings, just three modes with some basic adjustments. Easy to understand and a good if not great performer, got the job done. There is a fine balance between features and usefulness. V3i went too far for many, and many who got a V3i went back to the MXT. Not because the MXT was more powerful but because the ability to easily master its control set inspired confidence. With V3i you honestly really never really knew if you were set up right. Maybe the elite here will take a pass on detectors with basic control sets, but trust me as a very successful detector seller in my day, the cutting edge is not where the bread and butter sales are. I sold about 50 MXT for every V3i that went out the door. Amazing thing about the MXT - the control set: On/Off and Gain (Sensitivity) Mode Switch - a. Coin & Jewelry b. Relic c. Prospecting Ground Switch - a. ground tracking b. salt (beach) c. locked at last tracked position Dual Control - a. disc in relic mode b. vsat in prospecting mode Threshold Pinpoint Trigger Just the basics, not even a volume control. You did that at the headphones. Yet it not only worked it worked extremely well because the three main modes were close to perfect as they were. Do you really need twenty adjustments for iron bias and tones etc. or do you need a detector designed to work properly out of the box with only a few controls? I think the MXT perfectly illustrates that more controls is not always better. The choice of course is an individual one. I like full tones for instance but does it make the detector find anything deeper or give it better separation? A person running two tones will find the same targets I find in full tones. I would say it helps me decide what to dig and what not to dig, better discrimination, and there is that. So I'm not saying any opinions on this are right or wrong but I do think a solid case can be made for detectors that are designed to run extremely well with minimal adjustments. The MXT was a best selling classic and it was largely because anyone could pick it up and go without getting a degree in metal detecting. Everything you needed to know was printed on the bottom of the control box! Minelab obviously bought into this philosophy in PI after the settings packed deep menu GPX 5000. The GPX 5000 is the V3i version of a PI detector. The SDC 2300 by contrast is a study in simplicity, and the Gold Monster plus GPX 6000 continue the idea of less being more. Food for thought.

I did not know where to place this topic? Mods can move it to where they think it should be. My background is writing software for mini-computers and later the Windows PC. We always developed on the same computer that the end user was running the programs. I stopped programming for a living in the late 80's. I would suspect the metal detector programmers developed the code on an emulator on the PC and then compiled the code to work on the actual metal detector chips. But these are just wild guesses for I don't have a clue and would be interested to know. I do know we have members who do know this information, so that is why I am posing the question. Thanks, John

Are all losers in the 21st century. Why are prospectors stuck with large bulky tip over devices when we know at this point the manufacturers can do better? Why have this? When we could now have something like this? 2.5 lbs, built in wireless headphone capability, fully rechargeable and runs for days on a single charge, completely dirt and water sealed, good range of coils at a decent price. The closest you can get to this is a Gold Bug Pro, which honestly is not half bad, but it's not as good at hitting gold as the other three up top, and the control box is still three times larger than the one at bottom. So how about it manufacturers, anyone interested in building a genuine 21st century VLF nugget hunter instead of continuing to sell us old boxes that really are so last century as to be sort of embarrassing at this point?

I know with smf, turning sensitivity down and/or turning iron bias up helps. My single frequency detectors get zero false hits. I'm guessing the false hits come from the high frequency in smf? My Gold Racer at 56 khz hits great on smaller iron relics which I like. The Gold Racer is great relic hunter with great depth and absolutely incredible separation like nothing I've seen.

I remember the days where you installed your PC operating system and other programs like MS Word from floppy disks or CD-roms. In the metal detecting world you bought a new metal detector and what you see is what you get period for the life of the detector. Now our PC operating systems, software and metal detectors get updated for free for the many years the manufacturer chooses to support that software or metal detector. That is a very good added value built into products that can be updated.

We’ve got Minelab 6000, Garrett Axiom and now AlgoForce E1500 maybe sooner than we think it will be here in the US . The trouble is we have a door that has yet to be open bye Nokta Makro and I’m calling it door 4. I do believe when they swing that door open it will be a price point to shake up the two top PI detector companies we have now. To say if it will affect the third one on the list only time will tell. I’d be much surprised if Minelab don’t have something cooking right now on how they can throw a pipe in the works of AlgoForce . With Minelab I’d believe they can and will put out something selling at cost are at a loss for a while just to keep anyone off the top of the hill. With Garrett I see them sitting in a rocking chair and happy where they at but not to say they we won’t see the Axiom on sale from time to time. The best thing of all of this it’s going to benefit you and I the customer down the road. Right now I wish every detector company the very best because in the long run we the one’s they have to please. Chuck

Not to pleased with the video quality. Hoping to try a different camera next time. Oh and by the way, after several weeks of testing and experimentation I have some surprising information about both, the XP Deus 2 and the Minelab Manticore. Findings may ruffle a few feathers, about what frequencies they actually transmit. However, it doesn't change the fact they are great detectors.

Has anyone with the capability tried to check the TX frequencies Klz ranges on the different SMF modes for Garrett, XP, Minelab, & Nokta SMF detectors. Curious to know what they run as I believe this will show which ones excel on small and bigger targets better. Attached is a chart someone with an oscilloscope put together showing only two frequencies outputs on the Deus 2 SMF modes.

I think despite my initial disappointment I will be buying a Vortex. Main reasons are the 3 tiered target analysis and ability to see/display more than one target at a time. How many machines out there can display the ferrous and conductive properties of a target? Only the FBS machines and the Manticore as far as I know. Only the CTX and Manticore are waterproof (also $1700-$2000). How many machines out there can display more than one target at a time? Only the top of the line Minelabs can display multiple traces until the Vortex came along.

On Facebook a user is constantly spamming every post with the following information “In the United States, all commercial metal detectors are covered by regulations and laws that limit how much power they can produce, what 'frequencies' they can use, how deeply a particular type of coil can propagate, etc. *ALL* detectors fall within the same standards. There is no brand, make or model that is better than the others.” I’ve never seen such a law, though I know some laws exist as to interference. My understanding is EMI and ground effects come into play long before any limits placed by the FCC. If limits on coil propagation are what’s holding detectors back, what about 2-box detectors? Anyway, I’m curious of your input here from those who might be in the know.

This is quite an exciting offering from Garret's newest platform, would really like the other companies to do the same sort of offerings. A friend was just saying to me a few weeks back that having several options for uploads would be great for allowing the beginners and the professionals to have the options they want. I could see Minelab offering the GPX-6000 and GM-1000 with its super user-friendly package option for the foreign markets and for the people that just want a quiet turn on and go detector. And then there's the professional guys that want the GPX-5000 and Manticore's complexity of controls added to the 6000 and 1000 that would be willing to pay a lot more just to buy the upgrade and they also do not want to keep selling off their older detectors into the used detector markets for a huge loss just to buy the newer versions. Maybe we could even add more warranty time in the upgrade packages.

On modern SMF detectors, does the control pod act as a conduit for EMI? If so, how much more suspectable is it to EMI compared to the looping large surface area of the coil's wires? I suggest that component shielding is simple, cheap, and very effective. I also suspect that modern SMF detectors have such pod shielding. As such, I can't see how a pod can be suspectable to EMI in way that's even remotely close to the susceptibility of the coil wires. Is that right or am I missing something?

Garrett puts out a more affordable option on the Axiom. Nokta announces 2 new pulse inductions are in the works and not far off. @Steve Herschbach announces that the steps to bring the algoforce to the states are being addressed as we speak. I'm honestly glad I don't have the funds right now to grab a new PI. By the time I can justify it, I will probably have a couple more choices to get what's best for me. It's a good time to be in this hobby.

I have been following the recent/current controversy about the new Rutus Versa & it’s performance. Iffy Signals standardized 3D separation/unmasking tests really lit a fire. I’m glad it did because it will benefit Rutus, the new Versa & anyone who is objective and thoughtful. I am not a big fan of Social Media but You tube has proved invaluable in speeding not only some hurt feelings, but reproof & useful information/instruction. I’m sure l would have eventually figured out how to correctly set up the machine to pass this test & more effectively unmask in iron trash. I already know to do this with the Legend, MXT, Anfibio, F5,,,well,,,all my other machines. Surprise? But the Versa is a little different in design for tone break/Disc/Iron volume and there is a lot of information detail lost in the translation of language. Are people too quick to put up videos? No, I want to see it in action. Are people to quick to give an opinion? No, I will consider the source & make up my own mind. Are the self appointed “experts” too quick to pass Final Judgment? Most certainly. We saw this same storyline with the Deus 2, Legend, Manticore, Equinox 900 and every other introduction. They have all been better explained/understood & improved upon, thanks to controversy and the reach & speed of Social Media and passionate users & responsive manufacturers. Dang, now l have to re-hunt those same areas where the Versa already pulled some masked targets out of that had been missed by my other properly adjusted machines.

Greetings to all! My name is Alexander, I am from Ukraine (Eastern Europe). I represent myself and my friends, we developed a portable type GPR many years ago and gave it the name EasyRad. We have developed a georadar and software for it. We would like to get in touch (get contact) with those people or organizations who need to search for gold in the United States and Alaska. To my regret, on forums of gold prospectors and forums of archaeologists there are no sections "georadars", there are only metal detectors. I would like to convey to the searchers the information that GPR is not expensive and it allows you to explore underground spaces quickly and with great interest ? We produce this GPR equipment, so we can answer all your questions. Our radar has a very affordable price for individual use, unlike other radars. See the web link below for examples. EasyRad GPR is a portable multi-purpose scanning ground penetrating radar of sub-surface probing for the problems of engineering geology, hydrogeology, archeology, ecology, field engineering as well as for search and rescue operations. https://www.easyrad.com.ua/index.php?r=index_en

Looks like everyone is having a different copy version made of all the older Minelab technology. A definite sign Minelab needs to start filling the demand for newer better detector technologies unless of course they have hit a wall. I doubt that is the case as they have the largest electronics engineering team ever known for hobby detector development and have had these engineers on board for a long time now. Surprising they have had no new releases for such a long time in the gold detector series. So what has happened in comparison to the early years when the SD/GP/GPX releases were quite frequent, seems every 2 years or sooner then. Even though they were mostly minor upgrades until the GPX series they were enough to get the buyers interested. The GPX-5000 is about 14 years old and has been still a great selling detector, now it’s not available in the U.S. and you can only get a fake on the knock off marketplace now. SDC-2300 is 12 years old and still no Platypus coil for it. ZED is 9 years old. GM-1000 is 7 years old and still single frequency. So other companies have had plenty of time to make similar designs in a lower price range. Seems like we should have had had an upgraded wide variety and selection of the above mentioned models out by now. Give me a GPX-5500 in a light package and includes the SD2200d or original GPX-4500 depth range and Micks mods incorporated into it and you would have the professional gold hunter market covered. The GPX-6000 should have been called the GPX-auto lite since it has no larger coil options and would of been a great entry level for beginners with a lower price point than the above professional option mentioned. Hopefully things change for the better with the current Minelab corporate leadership and that they get back into the top player market again.

I searched the internet but, still not sure What does SAT adjustment mean on a metal detector? What is SAT. Thanks, Joe