And Then There Were Two - D2s

[F350Platinum]

Well anyone who knows literary history will know where the title came from, no bears or canoes were harmed in the development of this story. ?

Got my CF Deus 2 shaft from SteveG today, I'll post my thoughts on that in another topic. ? While waiting for it I ordered a second WSA II backphone.

The intention was to create a WS6 Master rig using the original shaft and the 9" coil, and use the RC unit on the CF shaft with the 13" coil.

So, ~$400 later I have a second Deus 2!

I've set up the General program with my mods on it, paired the headphones, and now I truly have the lightest detector in the world. ? I also have a spare MI-6.

Of course it's not without one issue, however. ? The combination of WS6 module, the coil, and the WSA II backphones presents a trifling charging problem. You'd think, oh hey, I'll just use the D1 cable, that's great!

Nope. ? Attach the butterfly clamp to the coil, and the D1 3 USB-mini-B cable will not reach the WS6 module on the shaft. ? I guess the D1 had a shorter upper? At least you can remove the coil and lower shaft every time to get everything charging, and you don't have that cheesy PITA 5 pin DIN connector, just still have to deal with the butterfly clamp being backwards. ? It's that or remove the module, I'd rather wear out the camlock instead of the remote mount. Damaging the remote is pricey.

I know I'm gonna love this rig, especially for marathon hunts, I can stuff it in the 280 backpack and look like those cool guys in the original D2 videos. ? It seriously weighs next to nothing, I don't have a proper scale to measure it but it's light. Just fire it up in that big ol' iron patch... 

I could have done this by buying a new D2 shaft and I'd be in the same boat, but Steve's CF rig is so cool it deserves a post of it's own. ? You've already read ColonelDan's excellent post, I'm gonna use it in the field with the 13" coil. ?

[CPT_GhostLight]

What, no camo, F350? ? But serious, sweet looking rigs. Now you got my gears a-grindin'. ?

[F350Platinum]

3 hours ago, CPT_GhostLight said:

What, no camo, F350? ? But serious, sweet looking rigs. Now you got my gears a-grindin'. ?

Camo would have been a longer wait, we did of course discuss it. ? opted for the stock finish and the holes for passing the waveguide. Even if I don't use the passthrough, the holes are large enough to fill the shaft with water and allow it to escape quickly. Good for submersion.

In my opinion the counterweight addition wasn't necessary, with the 13" and centering device you can set the cuff to make it sort of "float", it's hard to describe but you know it when you get it set right, it feels like you don't need to grip the handle too hard.

One thing I will mention here is that the rear cuff shaft is much longer than the XP version, if you have long arms like me it helps.

I took the WS6 Master setup out in the yard for a test drive, it's comfortable and different from the large remote but when you learn the buttons it's fine. Almost all the power of the RC is there, I noticed I had "Ground Stabilizer" in the main menu with disc and reactivity instead of it being buried somewhere else in the RC. ?

[CPT_GhostLight]

8 hours ago, F350Platinum said:

Camo would have been a longer wait, we did of course discuss it. ? opted for the stock finish and the holes for passing the waveguide. Even if I don't use the passthrough, the holes are large enough to fill the shaft with water and allow it to escape quickly. Good for submersion.

In my opinion the counterweight addition wasn't necessary, with the 13" and centering device you can set the cuff to make it sort of "float", it's hard to describe but you know it when you get it set right, it feels like you don't need to grip the handle too hard.

One thing I will mention here is that the rear cuff shaft is much longer than the XP version, if you have long arms like me it helps.

I took the WS6 Master setup out in the yard for a test drive, it's comfortable and different from the large remote but when you learn the buttons it's fine. Almost all the power of the RC is there, I noticed I had "Ground Stabilizer" in the main menu with disc and reactivity instead of it being buried somewhere else in the RC. ?

I started thinking about that double rig setup recently because my detecting buddy just got his WS6 Master D2 and I thought it would be fun to have a WS6 Master to just grab and go when we detect together and the Steve's Detector Rod setup with the 13" coil when I want to sanitize a big sports field of all its metal. ? Then I saw your post and I'm thinking that's the way to go. Thanks again for all your insights! ?

[F350Platinum]

35 minutes ago, CPT_GhostLight said:

I started thinking about that double rig setup recently because my detecting buddy just got his WS6 Master D2 and I thought it would be fun to have a WS6 Master to just grab and go when we detect together and the Steve's Detector Rod setup with the 13" coil when I want to sanitize a big sports field of all its metal. ? Then I saw your post and I'm thinking that's the way to go. Thanks again for all your insights! ?

I'm out in the fields right now with the 13" on SteveG's CF shaft. I'd say it's a "touch" heavier than the original rig, but I've been swinging it for a few hours and it's same same. It'll be a lot easier to clean! ? I really think you will like that coil, and the WS6 rig will be field tested soon. ? The 13" does have some of the characteristics of the venerable Nox 10x5, stay tuned. ?

[steveg]

Guys and gals --

One thing to keep in mind.  I weighed my shaft, and it came in at 16.61 oz.  I think that's VERY close to the regular stock XP shaft, if not mistaken.

BUT -- and this is a BIG BUT -- the weight is redistributed.  In other words, it won't FEEL heavier to swing and SHOULD feel LIGHTER, if you are comparing apples to apples, coil-wise.

REASON BEING -- the D2 arm cuff weighs about 2 oz.  Mine weighs about 5 oz.  SO, what I did was essentially kept the overall shaft weight the same, but moved 3 oz. (nearly 1/4 of the shaft's total weight) to the very butt end of the shaft.  So, this means you have a much better-balanced (less nose-heavy) and thus more comfortable shaft.  Keep in mind, it's not ALL about absolute weight.  BALANCE matters...

Steve

[F350Platinum]

2 minutes ago, steveg said:

Guys and gals --

One thing to keep in mind.  I weighed my shaft, and it came in at 16.61 oz.  I think that's VERY close to the regular stock XP shaft, if not mistaken.

BUT -- and this is a BIG BUT -- the weight is redistributed.  In other words, it won't FEEL heavier to swing and SHOULD feel LIGHTER, if you are comparing apples to apples, coil-wise.

REASON BEING -- the D2 arm cuff weighs about 2 oz.  Mine weighs about 5 oz.  SO, what I did was essentially kept the overall shaft weight the same, but moved 3 oz. (nearly 1/4 of the shaft's total weight) to the very butt end of the shaft.  So, this means you have a much better-balanced (less nose-heavy) and thus more comfortable shaft.  Keep in mind, it's not ALL about absolute weight.  BALANCE matters...

Steve

I guess that's why I say you can get the 13" coil to "float" at a longer length than with the XP shaft. It's more of a feeling than anything, but thanks for the info!

Balance definitely matters. ? With that coil you have to "choke up" the XP shaft lower to compensate for the nose heavy feel. Without a centering device it's even worse.

I am probably even more impressed with this one Steve. I see the potential for being able to get a "convertible" model, one that can either be used as a straight shaft or an S. ?

[steveg]

F350 --

Yep, that's exactly right.  When you say "get it to float" at a longer length, that's exactly what you are noticing, maybe without knowing it.  You are sensing the improved balance.  Exactly right.

Thank you for all of the terrific things you've had to say about the shaft.  I LOVE happy customers, as I makes me feel I've done my job well.

Thanks!

Steve