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Why So Many People Not Sure Of The Equinox?


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I truly wonder what percentage of detectorists are actually able to pay for their machines with their finds.  To me, as a working stiff and family man, I cannot find enough time off to be able to detect as much as I would like to or would have to to be able to "pay for my detector."  If I had the time due to being retred but on a VERY limited income or even unemployed, it seems that more import life expenses would take priority.  If payback time were a factor in my detector buying decision I would be just paying off my Tek Delta.  I only ever cash in clad and selling "collectable" finds is not an option and I do not find enough unreturnable jewelry to really cash in.  Also, thinking about my detector that way smacks of work and getting as far away from the stresses of work is a primary reason why I detect.  Lol.

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I have preordered the EQ600 and it will be my first metal detector. It seems like a very exciting time to get into this hobby!  I can't wait for the exercise, being outdoors and the learning process that comes with this hobby. With all the new technology, I feel like a teenager getting his first car.....and it's a Vette!!!  

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You have made a great choice!  I think this machine will be a really, really good one for you.

The two things you must have, to stick with and become proficient in this hobby, are patience and persistence.  If you have these, and a love for history, you'll likely find it a really fun way to spend your leisure time!

Welcome!

Steve

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I saw where someone mentioned that minelab says FBS is more sensitive to silver coins than Multi IQ. For anyone with that concern I would ask would you rather find silver or gold? Its not that the EQ is not as sensitive as a FBS machine. Its that it is more sensitive to different targets. I have a gold tennis bracelet with diamonds that I can rub on the bottom of a CTX or etrac coil and they don't make a sound. They don't see it because its a really low conductor without anything round. FBS likes round objects. The only gold  that FBS detects well are rings and coins (round). Based on the gold nuggets I have seen the Equinox find I believe it will open up the possibility of finding other jewelry to me. It should hit the earrings, chains, and pendants that I have missed over the years. I love finding coins and deep silver with my Etrac but they are rarely valuable. I think the Equinox will give me an advantage finding more valuable targets. I can live with live with that even if I miss the occasional deep silver.

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Mike --

While I largely agree with your post, and totally agree with you with respect to your sensitivity comparisons between FBS and what will likely be the case with the Equinox, I did have one comment.  You asked "would you rather find silver or gold," but I think that's an easier question to answer on the surface, than in practice. 

Of COURSE I'd like to think that an average hunt at a local park could yield a gold ring or two (similar to how an average hunt at that same park might yield a silver coin or two).  But I think it's fair to say that the reason more folks target silver, as opposed to gold, is that one can set up a machine (and their mindset) to TARGET silver, and to minimize the junk digs -- thus managing to maintain a fairly good trash-to-treasure ratio.  If I pick a good site, I can come home with a couple of nice "treasures" at the end of the day, when targeting silver.  However, the inability to do that same thing with gold, is -- I believe -- why it's not targeted by more folks.  Multi-IQ, I am confident, WILL hit that very low-conductive bracelet of yours, and so theoretically, it will allow such objects to be found -- objects that FBS is simply BLIND to.  HOWEVER, while the Equinox will SEE the small gold items that FBS won't, I think it's fair to say that the Equinox will likely not make it any simpler than several other high-frequency machines to figure out WHICH of those signals are the gold bracelet or earring or whatever, and which ones are pieces of the myriad small trash objects buried in most areas.  Said another way, using either machine-based and/or "mental" discrimination is an effective way to significantly increase your chances of digging silver.  NOT SO, for gold, for the most part.  Unfortunately, discrimination does not exist yet that allows one to target gold anywhere NEAR as successfully as one can use discrimination (either "mental," or machine-based) to target silver.

Beach hunting, where you "up your odds" a little, makes sense.  Nugget hunting also, where there are a higher percentage/ratio of "good" targets in the ground in some areas, makes sense.  I think the Equinox will do well in these areas.  But I have a hard time thinking the Equinox will allow me to effectively "park hunt" for gold, in a similar manner that one can effectively "park hunt" for silver...

I'm still waiting for a machine that can allow me to target gold as effectively as I can target silver (i.e. a similar trash-to-treasure ratio), but that technology simply does not exist yet.  Obviously, there's WAY more to it, than just making a machine that is very good at "seeing" the gold.

It will be interesting to see just how well people can utilize the Equinox's sensitivity to gold, in other than a prospecting or beach-hunting scenario...

Steve

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steveg

That's a good point steve. I was not trying to Imply that one could go to a public location and snipe jewelry. I was gearing the post towards new detectorists. There seems to be a lot of folks with no or little detecting experience in line for this detector. I am just trying to help them understand why somebody like me with an etrac would want an Equinox or why one would want one more than another. I was just saying that the equinox will hit some targets that the FBS cant see. You cant dig it if you don't know its there. That is good info for new people to know that sniping jewelry is impossible.  If you want to find jewelry you just have to make up your mind to dig all non ferrous signals and realize its gonna be a long day with a pouch full of garbage and hope you get lucky. 

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1 hour ago, steveg said:

It will be interesting to see just how well people can utilize the Equinox's sensitivity to gold, in other than a prospecting or beach-hunting scenario...

Steve

Yep.  That would be relic hunting, as many desirable relic targets are mid conductors like brass.  Add to that improved performance in mineralized soils and high recovery for dealing with iron infested sites and you have a potential winner.  The Deus relic hunting community is already reaping the unanticipated benefits of the recently introduced HF coils which were also marketed as primarily prospecting coils.  Multi IQ potentially ups the game further and is generating excitement.

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My Deus with the HF Elliptical Coil works very well for me at the beach, even on the wet sand.

So I’ll be using the Equinox to compliment the Deus and vice versa.

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