Wireless Or Not Wireless, That Is The Question

[palzynski]

7 hours ago, phrunt said:

...  There is a part of the market they're missing out on having this wireless design, they may just not want them as customers but I bet they do.   ...

I dont think they really need an additional market , they have opened a second factory and from what I know they are already overbooked with the D2 production because of a strong demand ...

[palzynski]

6 hours ago, Zord said:

Speaking of wireless... Golden Mask 4 WCL is coming...

 

 

Great idea I like it thx for the vid  ... However I wonder if the CB is removable or not . If it is removable then it could be hipmounted for example  ... It would be a pity if the CB is simply screwed on the shaft 

[Carolina]

5 hours ago, phrunt said:

I was saying instead of their "silly" antenna that people are running virtually right up to the control box anyway and doing all sorts of mods to make it suitable

Hi phrunt, again thanks for all your inputs as most are very informative. I just have to agree to disagree with you on the Deus ll. I’m not really sure what the ratio of water hunters as myself there is to dirt diggers but I would say it’s heavily stacked in favor of dirt. Therefore the silly antenna as you describe it only comes into play for a low percentage. I myself use the antenna in the Atlantic Ocean with zero issues so I am well pleased. For those who discuss the charging, for myself, most of my spins are in the five hour range. When I return home after cleaning, I just install the charging cable on the coil, RC and the WS6 and plug into my 8 bank charger with a visual screen that shows the charge rate. As each device reaches peak they shut down and when all are done the charger shows 0.00 output and I’m done. My WSA ll XL phones charge with their supplied cable. The charger shows what bank is finished or not. Piece of cake. On another note, my friend Denny, has had some medical issues and has been unable to detect since the end of August 2022. He leaves his detector in his unheated garage. Yesterday he looked at the charge icons for the coil and RC to see how depleted the coil was since it’s been in standby mode. Below is the picture he sent me after six months of idle use and zero charging . It surprised me. Good luck everybody.

[Steve Herschbach]

I guess the reason the manufacturers have liked to work with me is instead of settling for what we have, I'm always looking for the opening to be better, and to identify and offer alternatives that people want. The world does not advance based on input from those satisfied with the status quo. This group is split between those satisfied with what they have, and those who would prefer another option. That means there is a business opportunity to be exploited by somebody, and trust me, it will be eventually. 

[Jeff McClendon]

9 hours ago, palzynski said:

Concerning the battery life issue , I charge my D2 every 2 or 3 outings  , always both the coil and headphones together . I have never had any charge issue with my D2 in the field . I didnt even know that the coil and headphones battery life were different ...

I have experienced four episodes where I arrived at a hunt site with a dead coil battery after checking battery life the day before and there was at least a half charge showing on the remote's or WS6's coil charge icon. My hunts usually last 4 hours, sometimes a little less. I always use wireless audio from the WS6 module and I have never used Deep HC or Diving modes. When I use a selectable single frequency it is 40 kHz which uses the least amount of battery power.

I am definitely not getting the optimal 12 hours of runtime of coil battery life suggested in the manual.

 

Also, I hunt in a wide variety of ground conditions including turf, woods, prairie, desert, mountains and occasionally fresh and saltwater beaches. I keep my coil cover on. I have sanded down the area on the lip of the coil cover where the butterfly charging clip attaches to make it easier to install and remove. It still takes a while to get it fully seated. 

I have knocked my remote off the stem too many times to count. I never had this issue with Deus 1 or the ORX. Thank heavens the Deus 2 remote is well protected by its robust housing.

I am not complaining or whining. These issues are real for me and I deal with them. I just report things that seem relevant. 

Wireless modularity and the many ways of using Deus 2 is something I really like about it. However being modular and wireless is also not a piece of cake for me when it comes to maintaining Deus 2.

Steve has said more than once in this topic and the Manticore vs Deus 2 topic that the Deus has always been famous for its outstanding handling of trashy sites. For me, to be specific, Deus and ORX have been outstanding at iron trashed sites while being just "fair" at aluminum trashed sites from my experience. Now Deus 2 with FMF technology has added aluminum trashed sites to its list of places where its performance is outstanding and best in class from my experience so far.

So, I just tell it like I experience it. If that upsets other people's XP Deus 2 rosy reverie......sorry.

[Guest]

43 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

I'm always looking for the opening to be better, and to identify and offer alternatives that people want.

Be grateful for those customers who complain about what you do, and scared of those who do not. They complain to someone else.

[Chase Goldman]

41 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

This group is split between those satisfied with what they have, and those who would prefer another option. That means there is an business opportunity to be exploited by somebody, and trust me, it will be eventually.

Hasn’t Minelab already exploited that opportunity with Manticore?  Equivalent performance on the beach and in water without all the pesky wireless downside.  Too late XP, you blew it.

[Steve Herschbach]

47 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

Hasn’t Minelab already exploited that opportunity with Manticore?  Equivalent performance on the beach and in water without all the pesky wireless downside.  Too late XP, you blew it.

I don't think so personally, nor that XP has blown it. Do you?

If anything it appears to me that Manticore was well along when XP surprised out of left field with the Deus 2, leaving Minelab in the uncomfortable position of playing catch up. I'm not certain they have done even that. No, I'm thinking of a machine yet to be made, not Manticore. You and Palzynski insist it won't come from XP, and I do not disagree. Minelab possibly of course, but there are other players I think just as likely at this point. Time will tell.

[phrunt]

Never say never, XP appeared to surprise everyone with the Deus 2, nobody seemed to know it was coming.  Who knows what the future holds and they will want to remain as a big player, to do that you need to give the people what they want, not just your existing customers, you already have their money, you want to try take market share off the competitors   They maybe selling a lot of Deus 2 now, but that only lasts so long.  That's why new models have to come out, sales slow over time and they can fall off a cliff if a new model comes out from a competitor.   

Of course the Deus 2 works as an underwater detector, but would it have been better using a transmission cable between the control pod and the coil rather than an antenna? That's the question.  I guess we will see what happens with the Deus 3 in the future as the engineers will be looking at the flaws with the Deus 2 to improve them for the Deus 3.  Another advantage of the cable between method would mean you could charge one and it also charges the other at the same time, no need to charge individual items, it just gives end users more options. 

VLF manufacturers are getting to the point they're struggling to improve detectors and it's going to be harder and harder in the future so features and becoming more and more important as a point of difference. 

[F350Platinum]

9 hours ago, Carolina said:

When I return home after cleaning, I just install the charging cable on the coil, RC and the WS6 and plug into my 8 bank charger with a visual screen that shows the charge rate. As each device reaches peak they shut down and when all are done the charger shows 0.00 output and I’m done. My WSA ll XL phones charge with their supplied cable. The charger shows what bank is finished or not.

I just started doing this too, same type of charger that automatically shuts the port off when a full charge is reached. I am charging both the D2 and the WS6 Master, along with two MI-6 pinpointers and two pairs of WSA II headphones. 😀 I also periodically charge the 11" coil but I don't use it much, I keep it in the backpack as a backup. I'm pretty sure this charger will protect the LiPo batteries.

I've successfully got the WS6 Master working in shallow water with a couple bucks worth of coax and some zip ties.

Honestly I'm poorer having invested almost $3k in all this gear, but couldn't be more pleased with the stone cold accuracy of this machine, its resistance to EMI and water intrusion. Y'all have seen my posts, I don't think I have had more than half a handful of "skunk" days with this machine. With Chase's suggestions I've even been successful in Culpeper dirt. Gold, silver, 300+ year old relics and coins, you name it.

I'm neither jaded by the past nor afraid of the future. I like the modularity, the lightweight but insanely durable accessories, and the overall ability to use this rig non-stop for an entire day with no muscle cramps at all. The heaviest configuration is lighter than the lightest Equinox configuration. The lightest configuration is a dream for long distance scouting.

I only had a coil not charged once, and since then check the detector before going out for the day. Turn it on, wait a few seconds, check the battery levels and turn it off. You turn off the detector and the headphones and pinpointer shut down.

What could be better? Seriously? Do I want to struggle with EMI, water intrusion, broken coil ears, and literally no depth advantage?

Nah. I'm on the dark side now.