Search the Community

Kellyco has a small number of Fisher AQ Limited available for the price of $1999. No additonal batteries available at this time and yes that is a $500 price increase from the original price for the AQ Limited. My question is does this mean that this is it for the AQ or will the Fisher AQ Unlimited finally be offered for sale? Interesting, very interesting.

Was out detecting today and came across two others detecting. One with a Manticore and one with a Deus 2. The guy with the Manticore could walk right up and we could talk and not hear the other's detector. When the guy with the Deus 2 got about 30 feet away I started hearing his detector in the headphones and by the time he was 7 or 8 feet away I had to turn the AQ off until we were done talking and we got some distance between us. The guy with the Deus 2 said he was not hearing the AQ as he approached. Not a big deal ... just a data point.

Looks like Fisher was able to do some great iron discrimination with the Impulse AQ pulse induction detector on larger gold targets. Does anyone know if this ZTS technology is moving forward or if there was a problem with it's actual performance on in ground targets. I do like the presentation with the rings and nails together.

The new Fisher Impulse AQ is doing something new with pulse induction discrimination. I think I have a pretty good idea of what the engineers are up to and so want to pass on my thoughts in case it will help people have a better idea of what to expect. I have posted numerous articles in the past about coin detecting with ground balancing PI detectors. GBPI detectors split targets into two classes depending on the ground balance setting. The two target classes exhibit by different tones. All Minelab PI detectors do this, as do the Garrett Infinium and ATX, plus the White's TDI series based on the Eric Foster Goldscan. White's on the TDI labeled these as low conductors and high conductors but that is not actually accurate. They are items with a low time constant and items with a high time constant as measured on a pulse induction metal detector. For more on signal decay and time constants see the excellent primer by Reg Sniff Understanding the PI Metal Detector. If you could measure the time constant of the various targets and line them up you would see size has a lot to do with it, small items versus large items regardless of composition. White's TDI "Target Conductivity" switch (notice ground balance on required) I caught on to this fast with the Garrett Infinium in 2004 and Minelab GP 3500 in 2005 and when the time came it was I who suggested the tone switch be incorporated into the White's TDI to allow the user to choose between one of the two classes of targets. Plus the TDI allowed the operator to directly set the ground balance, creating a crude discrimination system for savvy operators. It is actually possible to coin detect with a TDI and dig almost no trash, but you lose its PI depth advantage by setting the machine that way. I preferred using the tones with full depth settings myself with excellent results. The two target classes vary depending on the exact ground balance setting, but generally one one hand you have low conductors and small ferrous targets, and on the other hand coins and large ferrous targets. This means if looking for small gold you dug all manner of small trash including small ferrous trash. Coins were better but you would still dig large nails and other large ferrous items. The TDI allowed a person to advance the ground balance to where most ferrous trash could be eliminated while still getting the coins, but the setting was so close to the coin range to do this that depth suffered as a result, and so was no better than a decent VLF. It's a long read but a lot can be learned by reading the following three links. Coin Detecting with the Garrett Infinium Beach Detecting with the Minelab GP 3500 Coin Detecting with the White's TDI Some Commentary On White's TDI Tuning & Discrimination It can be seen that as far back as 2005 I was predicting that high power PI detectors would find widespread use with beach hunters and relic hunters in particular. That prediction did later come true at Culpepper and other locations. It was obvious to me that this crude discrimination offered more room for improvement. I even emailed Carl Moreland at one time and made mention of the concept of using two ground balance controls to delimit another class of targets beyond the two created with a single ground balance point. But really it is not ground balance, it is just a setting that measures a certain time constant. And that folks, is basically what the Fisher Impulse is doing. It is using at least two dividing points to separate items into three classes, lowest time constant, middle (gold ring) range, and highest time constant The Impulse is eliminating the items with the shortest time constant and the longest time constant and focusing on the mid-range. This eliminates tiny trash and tiny gold, and large ferrous stuff and most coins. What is left is the sweet spot in the middle where gold rings occur plus a yet to be determined range of trash targets. There will be some, that is inevitable, but the vast majority of trash should be eliminated with this approach. This picture shows the result of using the Garret Infinium and separating the short time constant targets from high time constant targets in tot lots. Low constants (nickels and zinc penny plus trash) on left and high constants (copper pennies, dimes, quarters) on right. Notice very little trash with the coins if you dug that class only. But that is deceptive due to the location, which lacked any nails. Garrett Infinium targets separated by tone So take a look at this result from a park, this time only the long/high time constant targets with the TDI... coins and large nails. White's TDI low tone / high time constant targets OK, so let's combine the two to get a clearer picture.... Left of red line low time constant versus right side high time constant targets To reiterate, having only one point of separation presents issues. You get coins but you also get large nails. And the low time constant area is a mess, just way too much stuff including small ferrous. But in areas with few nails it actually works well for coins. The dividing line does vary with the ground balance setting but is roughly about zinc penny if ground balanced in moderate to high mineral ground. The Impulse AQ is basically blowing off the high end to get rid of the nails, and the high conductor coins also get tossed out. Most jewelry hunters will be fine with that - digging coins in the surf is a waste of my time and effort. The AQ is adding another separating point somewhere in that left hand low time constant area, that eliminates the tiny stuff including I assume most wire type ferrous items and foil. Rings due to the round shape with a hole read better than most of the misc trash in the photo. However, some of those items will read in the ring range so do not expect the AQ to be trash free. Trash that reads close to the nickel range will probably come through, like pencil eraser ends and some tabs that read like nickels. If you think of the AQ as a nickel detector that will probably not be far off the mark. My biggest area of concern is zinc pennies, especially corroded ones. I hate those things but I suspect we will be digging them with the AQ. All the above is just speculation based on everything I have learned using this class of detectors over the last 15 years. I have had no part in the AQ development. That said, I think most of what I am describing will prove to be pretty close to the mark as far as how the discrimination functions on the Impulse AQ. And just a reminder. The Impulse AQ will let you turn off the discrimination to run in pure pulse mode, presumably with no ground balance engaged. It should be at similar to but more powerful than the TDI Pro with ground balance shut off. This will not be good for nugget detecting in most areas as it will light up hot rocks, but for many beach detecting situations should be giving us a detector like the famed Eric Foster Deepstar in a much more ergonomic and affordable package.

Are there any Pulse AQ users here?

Just wondering if anyone has any ideas as to why the threshold pots on this machine keep going and what might be done to effect a permanent repair. cjc

EMI rejection seems to have an issue when moving from All Metal to Tone mode. [Major Edit] I removed two videos that were testing in my garage with too much EMI. Better depth discussions later.

hello, is it possible to adapt a detection disk for a minelab gpx on fisher's impulse aq, thank you

Who is your phone contact at First Texas if you want to discuss anything regarding the AQ you own? Edit: never mind, I finally got Felix by asking for "service". He explained there is no warranty carryover - which I expected. Let me know if any of you open this thing up (take photos!). I fully expect to maintain this all on my own if I can.

Has anyone had their control pod come lose on this detector? Pressed my thumb aganst the panel and noitced that it was moving and not secured. Doesen't seem to be any obvious fix although there's a screw visible at the side of the handle when you roll the foam down. Still works but only an impact away from disaster... cjc

Turned it on and All Metal mode was dead, Tone mode works, 12.5” coil. Tried8” coil and it works on both. Will show video later. Looked at connector pins and see some loose ones. Is this ok?

Curious if anyone knows the out of warranty repair cost for the AQ. As they probably just toss it (hermetically sealed) there likely is just one cost… I’m wondering how they test the delay settings function as I haven’t been able to see much difference and another user I talked with expressed the same opinion.

A reference collection of threads about the Fisher Impulse AQ, grouped into rough categories. Fisher Impulse AQ Limited Launch & Buyers Disclosure Fisher Impulse AQ Ltd Owner's Manual Official Impulse AQ Limited Color Flyer Official Facebook & Website Links Fisher Impulse AQ Ltd Data & Reviews Fisher Impulse AQ Data & Reviews Fisher Impulse Gold Data & Reviews Genuine Fisher AQ Ltd Spare Battery Part Number & Price Fisher Impulse AQ Rod Length Measurements Impulse AQ Rod Extension False Signals From Coil Connector Fisher Impulse AQ Discrimination Explanation Impulse AQ Audio Responses Impulse Tones & Discrimination Notes Impulse AQ and "No Holes" Impulse AQ and Mineralization Fisher Impulse Small Gold Sensitivity Impulse AQ First Field Report Homemade Batteries For Impulse AQ More On Homemade Batteries Homemade Headphone Dongle / Add Wireless How To Relax The Headphone Cable Fisher Impulse AQ - The Next Version Quick Link To ALL Impulse Threads - Latest User Reviews and Reports Fisher Impulse AQ Calibration Information

Do you guys experience a big difference in target response for delay settings? I’m trying to see if mine has an issue as on small air targets I just don’t see much difference with delay variation. It might have a loose wire to it. I tried an earring back and a 5 grain gold nugget. When using it for EMI optimization I do notice changes as I rotate it but I can’t say if the resulting behavior is optimized or not in normal modes.

Today I noticed on an air test I don’t here a faint target on the perimeter of the coil. I here a faint target in the center of the coil where it attaches to the lower rod. when it’s a surface target(loud target) I here it on the outside perimeter of the coil. is this normal. how do you guys have your coil cable coming off the coil to the lower rod. is it tight (straight) or do you have slack. I am trying to understand and learn this machine. But I still have not gotten a good deep target over a foot. Today I used the whites tdi pulse scan and got a deep target. Had to remove 2-3 inches of sand before the AQ herd it it was a clad nickel. Depth unknown guess 12-14 in

There are lots of notes on this thread about changes that are being made in the next version of the Impulse AQ. Key items: Battery system replaced entirely with four drop in 18650 rechargeable Li-Ion batteries Depth rating to be increased Lower rod made longer to accommodate taller users Headphone connection being relocated to back of pod An 8” accessory coil is in the works Refer to the thread above for details.

On my first full week's salt water hunt with a working AQ and Im quite impressed with what this machine can do. I've always been a proponent of the "sifting" approach to gold hunting--that is --starting with being able to accurately separate ferrous from non-ferrous. The AQ does this quite well and hunting in an environment with lots of rusted out coins and iron shards its an effective weapon for alerting you to anything not pure iron. Still working on the tuning but overall this detector will stabilize in salt and still perform. What's needed is an awareness of when to turn it down. (Sens / Delay / ATS up)--what the conditions demand. I got one deep ring walking across an incline--a tuning challenge for any detector. Thought there was something wrong with the machine at one point then realized that it was responding poorly the the bleached out nickel tester I was using. I've sealed my power jack and coil connector with CoAxSeal to be on the safe side. Maybe not the detector for anyone new to pulse induction but for someone who is willing to take the time and learn some basics (signal selection especially) this is a powerful, smooth running pulse that will do a great job on gold. cjc

Getting ready to ramp up......what’s better than a AQ...... hmmmmm ....Two AQ’s Happy Trails jimpugh

I was curious to see if anyone would buy an AQ Limited if Fisher made it available or would you wait and hope for a Unlimited model to finally be produced? My thoughts are: If Fisher offers the Limited, I would be a buyer because I fear that the Unlimited version may never see the light of day. Watching OBN and Carolina produce with the AQ is a pleasure to see and a two year warrantee should take care of out of the box hiccups. My only fear about buying an AQ Limited is that Kellyco was correct when they stated that the AQ finished product would be released in 2022. What are your thoughts?

I am noticing that sometimes the AQ makes a dominant tone on each swing at the wet of the beach. I’m not able to reduce it- unless it reduces depending on the EMI setting chosen (I didn’t spend a long time testing this)... I had a long hunt today - 3 beaches 10am to 3pm. I was running on OBN’s short battery. Later in the day I was able to greatly reduce the tone. I’m wondering if it is a particular output voltage of the battery that made it work. The Fischer team says no the operating voltage is regulated. I’m wondering if it is really true.

Small gold ring from Last Friday using the AQ....Got 2 more gold Saturday but they were at a different beach and the excalibur. I'll post them later this week. Hit a bump in the road Sunday night, had to take a family member to the hospital ..she was in for few days and came home today... Thank God..all went very well. I was out twice last week with the shorty battery and it is now packed up and ready to go a few rounds with my friend Carolina...Give him a week with it and see what he has to say...I want his confirmation on the run time of 5 hours and 30 minutes and see if I need to make any adjustments...before I sell a few. Got rid of the m-8 headphone fitting and the battery is fitted with a M-12 8 pin CTX head phone fitting..(Very Common) and replaced the M-8 4 pin on the battery with a 90 degree molded cable that goes right to the end of the white shaft 4 pin power/headphone plug...So we got it down to One M-8 fitting..which the 90 degree is a Bulgin molded SS fitting..so it does not stick out like the stock...

It was pointed out to me by my buddy Jim that the AQ runs three different pulse FQ ranges--one for each mode. These go from highest in A/M (4.02-4.17) to lowest in volcanic. (1.54-1.56). Tone mode is in the middle at 3.04-3.12. I've come to recognise that each has its seperate turnng characteristics. Unlike most detectors--the A/M is easier to tune than the Tone mode. With Tone, you have the "back end" ground noise that warbles in and out. If you are overtuned, this will overwhelm your target sounds. The Tone mode needs to be run closer to preset Gain, with a lower Threshold and Volume. It also needs a slower sweep speed for deep targets to stand out. With Tone and Mute, targets sound wider and flatter--especially when you run low delay. As with any pulse, the low conductor sensitivithy of the low delay settings makes small targets sound bigger. A setting of 10 uSc or higher makes signals more defined. So while there are differences between the depth of the A/M and tone modes--the way to reduce this difference is with proper tuning. As you increase the Gain in Tone mode, the signal flattens out--and target sounds are weaker. For higher Gain settings, Mute has a lot of potential in that it has no "back end" ground noises. At the same time it can also be overtuned. A good way to become familiar with the responses of the AQ (or any detector) is to start witih the "extreeme" settings and learn to recognize how overtuning sounds in the threshold and target tones. Oddly enough, athough the REJ control is suppposed to only be active in tone mode, turning it right down increases the depth. Still testing this machine--it certainly has a lot of potential. cjc

Anything to watch out for trying a coil on the AQ? I have a Beach Hog Bigfoot style coil I’ve used with my GP Extremes. Don’t want to kill the AQ!

Will there ever be a waterproof version of the AQ are they still selling the limited AQ what up with this company are they saying anything

my AQ set up. Float to keep the back end up if you have to let go of it. the foam also acts to keep the lanyard positioned. the lanyard keeps the unit under control and clear of any of the jacks / cables. I also have a plastic power jack guard made from a shampoo bottle. I also wrap the power jack and coil connector with rubberized tape to be on the safe side. cjc