Fisher Impulse AQ Limited Launch!

[Steve Herschbach]

I have been following the pulse induction developments at Fisher Labs since January 2015. Things heated up in January 2018 with the Manta prototype that later became the Impulse AQ. I followed and posted every tidbit I could find about this detector from 2018 on.

Why my interest? Simple. I have a history of some pretty serious PI beach detecting. I've used every ground balancing beach detector made... though that's not saying much since there have only been a few. It has been my perception that this is still one of the most under-served, undeveloped portions of the metal detector industry and technology remaining to be exploited. Manufacturers have produced few waterproof detectors compared to other models, and really only the VLF multifrequency models have kept close to performing like dry land detectors. Ground balancing PI beach detectors have fallen far behind the technology available to gold prospectors for dry land use. The new Fisher model gained my interest not only due to the new potential performance benchmarks promised, but the ergonomic design, which looks to be far better than any other similar options.

Fisher Impulse AQ Limited

Anyone with any sense should know I've been trying to be first in line to get one of these. However, I have not attempted to get in extra early by being a beta tester. Frankly it is a lot of work and not worth it to me these days, even for a free detector. So my goal has been to get my hands on the first one I could purchase.

People who have been following the Impulse saga knows it has been a long, strange trail. The long story short is we are all aware of pictures and specs of a version of the machine that Fisher currently has in hand. The most recent photo is above. However, they have decided it needs more work. In particular, longer life batteries, and a redesigned battery system overall that eliminates some weaknesses that currently affect the waterproof rating and possibly the durability of the detector if mishandled.

Rather than put this off for more months and probably next year... honestly who knows, given how things have drug out... Fisher has decided to take the hardware they have on hand and produce a short run version of the Fisher Impulse AQ - the Fisher Impulse AQ Limited. The word is there will be no more than 100 of these made. In the meantime work will continue on a future release that addresses the items I mentioned above.

The limited production run is intended to target experienced beach hunters who A. know and acknowledge the limitations that exist in the current model and basically promise not to be complaining about what they have been told up front they were getting in that respect and B. people who will be able to offer good, solid, genuine, reliable reports about the detector and what it is capable of. Not sugar coaters, but people who can offer constructive feedback that can be incorporated into the ongoing development of the detector. So kind of like paying beta testers, but not exactly. I'll leave it to the copy of the Fisher disclosure statement I am posting for you to review and which explains the details to decide what it all means for yourself.

So why would you want a model that has a limited depth rating and short life battery? Killer price my friends, killer price. I have no idea what the final version of the detector will cost, but this one will be available for $1499.

To me even more important is the ability to hit the beach before anyone else with a machine that few will be able to get for some time. I am a "who knows what the future will bring, life is short" kind of guy. I'm going to grab one of these now while the grabbing is good.

What's my part in this? Well, not much. I have agreed to the terms and sent a check and have a detector coming soonish, whatever that means. I plan on some fresh water lake detecting and even a little nugget detecting, and will post my thoughts when I have any serious thoughts to post. I did not sign up to promote or do anything at all really except go metal detecting. I'm paying the same price anybody will pay and the terms to me are the same as you read below.

Frankly I feel weird posting this, but I asked three separate times and confirmed I can post a copy of this and that the price of $1499 is correct. I must emphasize that I am not a representative for Fisher and am not making a dime off any of this. I'm only passing on what I've been told so far and can only vouch that it is what I have been told. Since I’ve never held the detector I have no more idea than anyone how it will perform other than to say it is a pulse induction detector, and don’t expect it to act like a VLF, especially as regards discrimination. You have issues... don't come looking for me! I'm just a guy who has got my hands on this info and I have been cleared to show it to you. If in doubt, sit it out. That's it. I will post more information when I know it, and photos of my detector when I get it.

Fisher Impulse AQ Data & Reviews

Fisher Impulse AQ Operating Control Functions

Official Fisher Impulse AQ Facebook page

Official Fisher Impulse website

Click for larger versions....

[GaryC/Oregon Coast]

Very Exciting News!  GaryC/Oregon Coast

[Steve Herschbach]

Thanks Simon. I look forward to getting my hands on this detector and sharing what I can about it with you all. I think it is a good idea for Fisher, in that if they do this right they can use the feedback to get the final version dialed in properly. Lots of people have already pointed out the obvious limitations in this version, and Fisher listened to that and decided they are not done. They also don't want the work so far and money invested in the current version to go totally to waste. In my case I am honestly just fine with a wading version, which I am more inclined to do now with the locations easily available to me. A battery attached by a cable might even be better for me than a model with an integrated or attached battery of some sort. I will probably make a belt mounted 12 hour battery for my own use and having it connected via a cable actually makes that easy.

Most people are probably looking for videos and depth comparisons. I'm sure somebody will get on that, but I'm going detecting. My main plan is to use the discrimination features and go dig everything the machine says is good, and keep it all. We will find out just how good this much touted PI discrimination is in the real world and what junk it calls as good. There will be plenty; it is a PI after all and anyone expecting VLF type discrimination is going to be disappointed. For me though it is any possible technology advance in that regard that I am intrigued by. A PI that goes deep... I've used those. PI discrimination on the other hand is a long promised holy grail of the metal detecting world. What I'll be doing is going detecting and testing that by showing you what I find, the good and the bad.

And I'm going to go find a gold nugget with it just to say I did it.

Finally, thanks Rick and thanks First Texas for once again allowing me to play with cutting edge technology! Kind of icing on the cake of 45 years of good times metal detecting. 

[matt]

Very exciting news! I hope I can get my hands on one and get out to Hawaii and Tahoe with it. If I do get one Steve I would love to meet up with you at Tahoe for some detecting if possible. I have access to a couple private beaches.

[Rick K - First Member]

Thanks Steve. Very kind of you to spread the word. I will spend a day or so getting organized .

Probably first I should disclose that I contacted Steve a couple of weeks ago and asked if he would like to borrow or buy an early AQ. He said he wasn’t interested in borrowing one and would only buy one of it were a case of - it’s for sale - to the public at a published price. It took a lot of back and forth (mostly between me and Fisher) to get everything sorted out, but over the last day or two I was able to send him an offer - based on a fixed price for all buyers and subject to a published disclaimer by Fisher. I told him that Fisher seems to have left the whole matter in my hands and that as a qualified buyer he was welcome to publish the disclaimer and any thoughts he had - he has done so “In Spades” in my opinion - Thank you Steve.

After going on three years posting on various forums about the (to me anyway) exciting Manta project which First Texas had “acquihired” - FINALLY there is something folks can use. The terms of the launch are unusual to say the least and me pretty much having been put in charge of it means I had better get my ducks in a row.

I am designated by Fisher to be the sole dealer for this AQ Limited detector. I have been given specific instructions in regard to selecting and qualifying buyers for this limited run of machines to assure Fisher of real world “Voice of the Customer” feedback from the most experienced and motivated beach hunters.

I have worked for some time to begin to build a list of “qualified” buyers. I started about a year ago. I combed the forums - all the various threads about the Manta/AQ and I noted folks who had expressed special interest, an open attitude, and actual beach hunting experience.

I then contacted each of them by PM - since I had no way to contact them outside the forums. I invited each of them to receive an ongoing email notice as I found out anything disclosable about the project and to share what I believed were reasonable suppositions about how this was progressing. I asked them in the PM’s that if they were interested to email me so that I could reach them as part of an email group. About 75% of the invitees signed up and they have received a number of group emails from me since then. Everyone was blind copied so no ones email address was shared with anyone but me.

As things progressed, I invited the whole group to let me know if they felt pretty committed to buying an AQ when it arrived - and if they did feel that way - to send me their full contact details, name, address, phone # and which forum and forum name (I needed that to figure out who was who). That list has grown to about 30.

I have never guaranteed thes folks that the list would be taken in order of sign up and with my new instructions for Fisher - I must do a certain amount of ”allocation”. I will however respect the list and all things being equal, they will have a certain priority.

I welcome prospective buyers to contact me. It will not be “First come First served” I will not be accepting any deposits or pre-payments. Again, my charter from Fisher is clear - find the buyers who will best judge the performance of this innovative machine and report on it.

I will be posting information on the process for all of this over the weekend.

In the meantime, please direct inquires to rickkempf@gmail.com - I will be using that address for this purpose.

If folks find this whole process unusual, or even objectionable - I can only offer that Fisher has decided for very good reasons that this is a REASONABLE way to proceed under unusual circumstances and a way to let the target market for this machine - die hard gold jewelry hunters - have advanced notice and opportunity to experience this move in the state of the art at an never to be repeated bargain price.

[CCadrin]

I can't wait to get my hands on one. I read the terms and have no issues with them. Most of us water hunters takes care of our equipment knowing how fragile they are to the harsh saltwater environment.

Rick, you already have my info.

[cobill]

I've also read the terms from Fisher and have no issues with them. Rick has my purchase request email and I'm looking forward to using this new PI technology with discrimination.

Bill. 

[Tony]

Personally, I would love to know the depth capability on a buried US Nickel in neutral beach sands. The signal needs to be a definite change in threshold that an average person should hear. Even better.....a blind test on a target that “might” be in a given small area. In real life detecting, operators don’t know where deep targets are so testing should replicate this.

Kudos to Fisher....they really got their act together after all and in difficult times 👍

Tony

PS....Benchmark for a buried Nickel as described in the test procedure above (where the operator does not know that a target even exists) is approximately 15” to 16” with the TDIBH @ 14.4v with GB off / GAIN at max / Delay at 10uS

[The Seeker]

This is some good news.  Thank you Steve and Rick for letting us know about it. I’m quite interested in getting one so I will cross my fingers and hope that I’m one of the lucky ones that gets picked 🤞

[Tony]

Funnily enough, the perceived restrictions on the AQ Limited (depth rating and battery life) would not bother me one bit because this is a tool that I would most likely use on the hard pan at low tide....no need to worry about depth ratings and a careful battery swap out after 3 hours is fine. I’m currently well over my retrieval abilities in deeper and rougher water with the Excalibur......let alone the TDIBH with that “too big a coil” for rough water. Boy oh Boy.....$1500 is a very good price 😋 and a smart move by Fisher. But as you all know....I’m unlikely to get the unit.......right 😇

Certainly would like to try one out down under......I’ve been using beach/water PI’s since my Goldquest SS back around the early 2000’s. Damn you Fisher for tempting me yet again !! 🤯