Minelab Manticore First Really Short Hunt

[Steve Herschbach]

5 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

The Equinox 800/'s 40 non ferrous target IDs versus the Manticore having 99 non-ferrous target IDs.......the Nox 800 will win that comparison every time.

Yup. In general the fewer id numbers, the greater the perception of stable results. High gain detectors are less stable than low gain detectors. Target depth, EMI, sensitivity setting, ground conditions.....

 

[Jeff McClendon]

The “perceived” target ID stability advantage of the Nox 600/800 over the Nox 700/900/Manticore is one of three pluses for the Nox 600/800. The other two are the situation with wireless audio options and the current available coil options for the Manticore specifically. Otherwise, I definitely prefer the Manticore over the 600/800 and the 700/900.

[phrunt]

A software setting to set the Manticore between legacy Nox 50 Target ID mode and Manticore's larger scale would be the ultimate firmware update for me.    I don't always want a large ID scale nor do I need it.  I guess I can do it in my head but the perceived more accurate ID's are just a nice thing to have, and for beginners they often make the detector easier to use/understand too than more bouncy ID's.

 

[Steve Herschbach]

2 hours ago, phrunt said:

A software setting to set the Manticore between legacy Nox 50 Target ID mode and Manticore's larger scale would be the ultimate firmware update for me.    I don't always want a large ID scale nor do I need it.  I guess I can do it in my head but the perceived more accurate ID's are just a nice thing to have, and for beginners they often make the detector easier to use/understand too than more bouncy ID's.

 

Use 5 tones and tape over the target id display 

[strick]

5 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

The “perceived” target ID stability advantage of the Nox 600/800 over the Nox 700/900/Manticore is one of three pluses for the Nox 600/800. The other two are the situation with wireless audio options and the current available coil options for the Manticore specifically. Otherwise, I definitely prefer the Manticore over the 600/800 and the 700/900.

 I agree its a head thing.... less numbers so perceived more stable...I've dug more twist off caps with the Nox 800 then I have with any other machine.....a lot of them will read 14-15 on one of the polluted beaches I hunt...the corroded ones ID will jump around a little but I still dig them because I've found some real big gold rings that were a 14-15 on the nox...  I once met a guy on a clean pollution free beach... we were both using our ctx 3030's...he claimed that every 12.09 he dug was a gold ring... always. Well maybe in his world but not in my aluminum infested parks...I have still used the nox 800 but only because of the small coils..it would be cool if Minelab or whoever would make a 6" round for the M-Core...someday

strick 

[phrunt]

A 6" round for the Manticore would be awesome.

2 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Use 5 tones and tape over the target id display 

Then I'd have to learn how to use it properly 🙂  I do normally have it set to 5 tones and the silver range tone always brings me to a stop but I just can't dig everything so I try to be very fussy digging the easy obvious coins to cause minimal damage seeing they're sports fields I'm targeting, perhaps if the coins run out and the soil is soft and the right time of year, I could be a bit more experimental with my digging while causing minimal damage.  I can't just pop out targets though, they're all way too deep, well any target I want is, I have to dig.

I need my ID's and so far for me the CTX followed by the Vanquish then the Nox are ahead of the Manticore for that 🙂   Once I get the big coil, I hope things improve, they're slightly better on the Nox with the 15x12" over the 11". 

It's very interesting to hear Jeff is finding it better with ID's in his soil though as not everyone finds it worse, my opinions on that are taking into account the extra ID range causing a bit more bounce too.  

I look forward to hearing how you go on the gold nuggets Jeff once you get it out there finding some.

[Jeff McClendon]

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

A 6" round for the Manticore would be awesome.

Then I'd have to learn how to use it properly 🙂  I do normally have it set to 5 tones and the silver range tone always brings me to a stop but I just can't dig everything so I try to be very fussy digging the easy obvious coins to cause minimal damage seeing they're sports fields I'm targeting, perhaps if the coins run out and the soil is soft and the right time of year, I could be a bit more experimental with my digging while causing minimal damage.  I can't just pop out targets though, they're all way too deep, well any target I want is, I have to dig.

I need my ID's and so far for me the CTX followed by the Vanquish then the Nox are ahead of the Manticore for that 🙂   Once I get the big coil, I hope things improve, they're slightly better on the Nox with the 15x12" over the 11". 

It's very interesting to hear Jeff is finding it better with ID's in his soil though as not everyone finds it worse, my opinions on that are taking into account the extra ID range causing a bit more bounce too.  

I look forward to hearing how you go on the gold nuggets Jeff once you get it out there finding some.

So far, I am using AT General, 5 tones and I am seeing no more than a 4 target ID spread once the coil is properly centered over the targets on targets deeper than 5". The 8 to 10" high conductor targets I have dug have had slightly wider numbers but still stay within the high conductor 5th tone bin. My high tone bin starts at 77 for high conductor coins and jewelry.

I am going to totally defer to ABenson for any gold info since he has an 8" coil and is doing very well with it judging from his latest video of his trip to Nevada. 

I am trying to get down to Arizona the second week of November with the Axiom, Manticore, Nox 800 and Legend for a short gold prospecting trip if the weather cooperates. 

[Chase Goldman]

8 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

I am trying to get down to Arizona the second week of November with the Axiom, Manticore, Nox 800 and Legend for a short gold prospecting trip if the weather cooperates. 

Don’t forget the Deus 2 with its new V2 Goldfield mode.  Probably no room left in the car for it, though. 🤣

[Dug D]

I'm listening intently, my target ID spread is almost always + 10 and - 10 so a 62 average will almost always hit low 50s and low 70s I have often dug good targets with larger spread.  I ran the update for a while and switched back to original which seemed a bit better/deeper. 

But now I am ready to try the update again after I have gained more experience and have evolved my settings that I need to try.

I am pretty sure I have never dug an 8 inch penny, dime, or nickel with sensitivity less than 20.

Maybe I just haven't crossed good targets when at lower sensitivity and need to give it more time running less than 20 to help with the wide target ID spread.  

Thanks Jeff, your insight is giving me some hope that I still just need a little more patience. 

 

[Jeff McClendon]

1 hour ago, Dug D said:

I'm listening intently, my target ID spread is almost always + 10 and - 10 so a 62 average will almost always hit low 50s and low 70s I have often dug good targets with larger spread.  I ran the update for a while and switched back to original which seemed a bit better/deeper. 

But now I am ready to try the update again after I have gained more experience and have evolved my settings that I need to try.

I am pretty sure I have never dug an 8 inch penny, dime, or nickel with sensitivity less than 20.

Maybe I just haven't crossed good targets when at lower sensitivity and need to give it more time running less than 20 to help with the wide target ID spread.  

Thanks Jeff, your insight is giving me some hope that I still just need a little more patience. 

 

I have recovered around 100 US coins so far with the Manticore but have mostly been concentrating on copper pennies, clad dimes and quarters with around 10 nickels. Most have been in the 4 to 6" depth range but a few of the high conductors have been as deep as 8 to 10". At the 8 to 10" depth target ID spread will get wider in the dirt I hunt in but audio still stays mostly within the tone bin with an occasional drop below 77. Deeper nickels also have stayed in the 16 digit tone bin I set for them from 21 to 36. I basically discount the wild zinc penny target IDs if they have some depth and especially corrosion.

With these much more powerful, sensitive, and less stable simultaneous multi frequency VLF detectors like the Manticore, Deus 2, Legend and Nox 700/900, I really concentrate on coil control and on not fully deciding on dig/no dig on deeper targets until I have onboard pinpointed the target and centered the coil over the target. The Manticore's pinpoint function is outstanding and makes that really easy. I get pretty tight numbers circling deeper US high conductor coin targets after doing that so far. I have not dug any deep iron yet. Maybe I am being too conservative.