My Tips On Nugget Detecting With The Minelab Equinox

[alexlopez]

Thanks Steve, your advice helps me to decide to buy an Equinox 800, because I have already saved all your instructions and now I will read the manual, while the detector arrives. Greetings from Venezuela, oh and I report you, here the detetocrists to deal with the magnetite, they use a magnet and every time the detector gives a signal, they pass the magnet to the ground and if it continues to sound it is gold, and if it does not emit again sound was iron or magnetite.

[alexlopez]

On 10/4/2020 at 5:08 PM, Allen M said:

Tengo un equinoccio 800 que compré hace 4 meses. Lo he estado haciendo durante unas 100 horas. No he encontrado oro. No sé si tengo los ajustes desactivados o simplemente encontré algo mal. 
Estoy usando el modo dorado 2 y he tenido como 30 objetivos de 12-13 en ese modo. Pero no he podido encontrar los objetivos ni desaparecer. 
Hoy hice un video con la configuración que uso y lo que sucedió. Cualquier ayuda o consejo será muy apreciado. 
 

 

Gracias 

Allen M

There is no gold, these things happen, I just spent three days digging land with a backhoe and passing a GPZ7000 and I did not find gold, where previous days we had grabbed 100g of gold. the gold goes by spots or by certain configurations of the terrain, you find it and it is lost again.

[Veisal]

Hi Steve Herschbach, I have a question about what threshold level you use on the EQUINOX 800, there are instructions in the manual explained neither strongly nor weakly, but in any case at a signal the tone of the threshold is interrupted. My question is how important is the threshold for you?
thank you in advance

For gold mode 1-2:

Frequency: Multi
Ground Balance: Automatic (ground pump method with manual adjustment)
Sensitivity: 16 - 25
Recovery rate 800: 4 - 6 (default is 6)
Recovery rate 600: 2 - 3 (default is 3)
Iron Bias: 0
Accept / Reject: Everything is accepted, count on tones (alternative rejection -9, -8 and -7 if there is too much feedback from the ground)
Threshold level: ...?

[Steve Herschbach]

On 11/19/2021 at 1:00 AM, Veisal said:

My question is how important is the threshold for you?

My answer from the original post in this thread. The setting depends on your hearing, and if you are using headphones, or the external speaker, plus personal preference, which is why I give no number other than the default.

On 9/6/2018 at 6:31 AM, Steve Herschbach said:

Threshold. The range is 1 – 25 with a default of 12. This is normally set to be just loud enough to hear, but no more. Just a barely discernible tone. However, the threshold can also act as a backend filter. Once all other tuning has been completed, the threshold can be set lower until it is silent, or set higher than normal. Running silent can suppress small variations in the ground signal but also the weakest gold signals. Running the threshold higher than normal can smooth out weak variations, again with a subsequent loss on the faintest gold signals.

I will add this however. I do not consider the Equinox to have a true threshold based mode. The Gold Modes are modified discrimination modes. The threshold, to my ear, is what is called a “reference threshold” that only seems to null when rejected targets are detected. It does not however seem intimately connected to the ground signal. A true all metal threshold rises and lowers in direct response to the ground, whereas the Equinox Gold Mode threshold stays rock steady, unless going over a rejected target, in which case it nulls.

In this one regard the Equinox is weak compared to a detector with a true all metal threshold based mode, and where I can eke out a tiny edge with something like the Gold Bug 2, which does have a true all metal mode. It’s a fine difference only discernible to a few, but real to me. With the Gold Bug 2, having a fine threshold let’s you hear every ground variation, and delivers the ability to find the weakest signals that stand out from the ground signal.

That long answer explains to you why having the threshold at any particular level is less important to me on an Equinox than it would be with a Gold Bug 2. I still run with a faint threshold out of habit, as it does offer one tidbit in the form of rejected signals, but other than that, it’s not giving me that direct connection to the ground that a true all metal mode offers. However, it more than makes up for this, in my opinion, by offering trash and hot rock handling one does not have in a true all metal mode. The gold missed, if any, is typically the smallest gold that can be found with a metal detector, and at some point I question time spent focusing too much on targets like that, when it’s gram type nuggets that are the real bread and butter.

[HardPack]

Steve, 

Could you expand on the lack of a “true threshold” on the Equinox 800 in either Gold Mode 1 & 2. What are you listening for with the reference threshold “on” and “off” besides the blanking on rejected segments?
On the Xterra 705, I use the reference threshold set at 4 with headphones in coin mode with  segments -8, -6’ -4 & 48 rejected. I first sweep the area for coins while removing larger iron objects. When the reference threshold “ nulls or blanks” I switch to All metal to identify the iron… -8 & 48 hot rock, -6 small iron, -4 dig and remove.  Next I switch over to Prospect Mode with true threshold set at 12 with headphones listening for the “zip zip”.

Great write up on the Equinox. I also like the fine tuning. It appears be a great old mine site scouting machine. I plan to upgrade after the first of the year… that was for Gerry.

Happy Holidays

[Steve Herschbach]

1 hour ago, HardPack said:

Steve, 

Could you expand on the lack of a “true threshold” on the Equinox 800 in either Gold Mode 1 & 2. What are you listening for with the reference threshold “on” and “off” besides the blanking on rejected segments?
On the Xterra 705, I use the reference threshold set at 4 with headphones in coin mode with  segments -8, -6’ -4 & 48 rejected. I first sweep the area for coins while removing larger iron objects. When the reference threshold “ nulls or blanks” I switch to All metal to identify the iron… -8 & 48 hot rock, -6 small iron, -4 dig and remove.  Next I switch over to Prospect Mode with true threshold set at 12 with headphones listening for the “zip zip”.

Great write up on the Equinox. I also like the fine tuning. It appears be a great old mine site scouting machine. I plan to upgrade after the first of the year… that was for Gerry.

Happy Holidays

I did not say the Equinox does not have a "true threshold" but that it lacks a "true threshold based mode" and what I should really have said was "true threshold based all metal mode." Short answer - the threshold is not connected to the ground response, but is merely a disc based threshold that indicates rejected targets. The new White's Garret 24K is the same way, disc mode mimicking true all metal mode.

It's explained in great detail in the link at the post I made above yours. Here is the link again.

[907trouble]

   Good stuff Steve.  I was lucky and found a 2 oz. nugget last year with a borrowed Minelab Equinox 800 that had been tuned by the person who i borrowed it froms friend, and the settings saved as a preset.  Once i got home i rushed out and bought my own E800 and also the 6" coil.  My brother found a 1/2 ozer, with a Goldbug2, so good outing.

    My brother and i are going out to our dad's claims next week and bringing three detectors to try out.  The Minelab Equinox 800, a Minelab Gold Monster 1000, and a Fisher Gold bug II.  We will be climbing old dragline tailings mostly and relying on dumb luck, hunches and perseverance.  Any suggestions on where good opportunities might be, like how to tell where a sluicebox had been in relation to the tailings, which detector and coil might be best to use, and how to tell if a tailing pile was in the payzone vs. not?

[Jeff McClendon]

On 8/15/2022 at 7:17 PM, 907trouble said:

   Good stuff Steve.  I was lucky and found a 2 oz. nugget last year with a borrowed Minelab Equinox 800 that had been tuned by the person who i borrowed it froms friend, and the settings saved as a preset.  Once i got home i rushed out and bought my own E800 and also the 6" coil.  My brother found a 1/2 ozer, with a Goldbug2, so good outing.

    My brother and i are going out to our dad's claims next week and bringing three detectors to try out.  The Minelab Equinox 800, a Minelab Gold Monster 1000, and a Fisher Gold bug II.  We will be climbing old dragline tailings mostly and relying on dumb luck, hunches and perseverance.  Any suggestions on where good opportunities might be, like how to tell where a sluicebox had been in relation to the tailings, which detector and coil might be best to use, and how to tell if a tailing pile was in the payzone vs. not?

Great questions 907trouble.

I hope Steve or somebody answers them because I want to hear them too……..