New Nox User With Questions

[MCH2]

Hello everybody my name is Malcolm and this is my first post.  I am a new Equinox 600 owner and have a couple newby questions about my Nox.  My first questions is the pinpoint mode.  I am having problems getting it to pinpoint to within 6 inches of where I think the target should be.  I swing one way to mark and  then swing 90 degrees to cross reference the target.  I then have a what I think is a good starting point to use the pinpoint mode.  My problem is that my holes turn out to be wide enough to actually put the coil head down into and still am not finding the target in most cases.  Some of these holes are near 2 feet deep.  A lot of these signals are fairly strong and in the 18 to 25 TID range using park 1 mode.  I am ordering a hand held pinpointer as soon as possible, I am spending up to a half hour trying to locate the target if I find it at all.  Sometimes I can't locate the target and in frustration give up on it and fill the ugly voids back in.  I am sure the hand-held pinpointer will help tremendously but it seems that pinpoint mode is just getting me in the ballpark area of the target?  I use to have another detector so I am not a neophyte, but am having problems with targeting.  I am sure it's me but could use some "pointers." 

The other question I have is about Auto Tracking Ground Balance.  On page 41 of the Equinox manual it mentions that "Tracking Ground Balance is the default and recommended method for Gold Mode and can also be useful when using Beach mode 2 underwater at the beach in salt water."  Is there any reason not to use this in other modes like park 1?

Happy to be here, and hope to contribute in the future.

Thanks for any and all replies..

Malcolm

[chicoquadcore]

Put a coin on the ground and practice pinpointing to find out where your sweet spot is for full signal. Mine is right around the Q in EQX. 

A handheld pinpointer is almost required. Very helpful. 

[Norm S]

The pinpoint mode is spot on if you do it right and watch the meter and listen for the squeal. You may be 2" - 4" off at times but once you get used to it the most you'll usually be off is 2". 

Without a handheld pinpointer you're going to wear yourself out with frustration trying to find the target. 

I would set my discrimination  0 -11 reject 12-14 on 15 - 20 reject and 21 and above on.. You will hit a lot of tabs and bottle caps at 12 -14 but most nickels are a solid 13 with no bouncing of the signal. 32 will more often than not a can or some other non ferrous target but usually not a coin

The Equinox will not find a target at 2'. If you dig more than 12" you're wasting your time. 

[steveg]

MCH2 --

Don't run tracking ground balance, it's not needed unless you are in HORRIBLE dirt.  Just set a fixed GB using the "auto" ground balance method, and then start hunting.  Ground balance is not as critical on this machine, as on some...  

It sounds to me like you may be having trouble pinpointing POSSIBLY due to the target being shallow.  What I mean is, this machine's coil is VERY hot around the edges of the coil (not just down the center line), so when a target is shallow, you can "mistakenly" pick it up with the edge of the coil -- and thus when you pinpoint, you think the target is near the center of the coil -- but it was the edge of the coil you detected the target with!  Thus, you dig your hole in the wrong place (about 5-6 inches off).

As you learn the machine and its sounds, you'll start to know when you have a shallow vs. deep target, ESPECIALLY in pinpoint mode (just based on the modulated audio).  But, until then, there are a couple things you can do.  When you hit a target, take a couple of WIDE sweeps over it -- say, back and forth two feet or so, and then forward and backward two feet or so, and make sure you don't hear any "double" or "triple beeps."  Double or triple beeps mean "shallow target" that is getting picked up by the left side, then center, then right side of the coil.  You can also use the "wiggle back" method to double check, because in one of those cases where you may be detecting a shallow target with the edge of the coil, the "wiggle back" method would reveal that -- as you'd quickly lose the target tone as you start "wiggling back."  Whereas, if the target was actually in the center of the coil, then when you "wiggle back," you'll keep hearing the target until it passes beyond the toe of your coil.

Yes, hand-held pinpointers help a TON, when trying to find a target in the hole, or in your dirt pile!

Finally, do NOT get frustrated.  It's a great machine -- and I find the pinpoint to be extremely accurate on this machine.  NO -- you shouldn't expect it to be able to only get you "in the ballpark."  It will give you VERY accurate pinpoints, it's just a matter of learning the unit...  

Steve

[GB_Amateur]

Welcome to the forum, Malcolm!  You've come to the right place as you can see from the responses so far.

I suspect steveg nailed it when he talks about shallow targets pinpointing on the edge of the coil.  Another thing I've noticed (not just with the Eqx but also my Fisher F75) is that nearby iron will "pull" you away from your intended target.  I use multipe pinpointing techniques, particularly the wiggle method described by steveg.  Until I got the Eqx I used mostly the smaller coils (5 in or 6 in) which are a lot more forgiving in moderate to heavy trash.  But so far I've done well with the 11 in. on the Eqx using the "wiggle and walk" method and also the "changing angle of attack" (bringing the coil towards the target from different directions).  When the target is moderately strong (so as not to be pulled away by nearby iron) and/or far from trash, though, the 360 degree dial in Eqx pinpoint works great for me.

Definitely get a handheld pinpointer.   (See discussions here on this forum to help you select a model.)  IMO, the second best MD'ing tool ever invented, at least for coin/relic/jewelry hunters.

[TedinVT]

Be sure that your coil is lifted well up off the ground before pressing the pinpoint button then go ahead with pinpointing.  If you press the pinpoint button with the coil on or very close to the ground above your target you will desensitize or null out the target.  The pinpoint on the EQ is deadly accurate and on small targets you may only get a quick sound if you pass over too quickly so slow your sweep down a bit when you're directly over where you think the target is in pinpoint.  Or lift the coil a little off the ground.  The comments above about near surface targets, coil edge, etc. are important.  Learn to do the wiggle method for pinpointing.  It will take a little practice.  Worth the initial frustration and effort.

[MCH2]

Thanks for all the great insights.  I want my searches to be enjoyable and just need more user hours and better technique.  I'll be out there today and try to implement the suggestions posted here.  Thanks to all.

Malcolm

[Tometusns]

Good luck!