Equinox ID Numbers?

[Truth]

What’s the weight of the Equinox?


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[sgoss66]

2.96 pounds, is what the brochure states, I believe...

Steve

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Hello darktower007,

Digging the foil signals will definitely increase your jewelry and Gold finds! The con is you will dig a lot of foil type junk, but its the only way to find the good stuff. Just set your Disc to just below foil and dig everything the machine hits on, you will be surprised at the goodies you find. For me, I run most of my machines (Minelab, Whites and Garrett) wide open and listen to the tones. On my Tesoro products, I place just a bit of Disc ON (middle of iron and foil and dig every "beep");Tesoro Discrimination is fantastic.

As a side note: I tried an experiment in my test garden with the Tesoro Outlaw trying to Disc out dimes and keep quarters. I was able to separate the two...amazing. I could not with my other detectors. So, one time I went to a school yard and set the Disc to only find quarters...guess what...I only found quarters and a few pieces of very high conducting junk...just amazing.

Sorry for the long post...

Doc

 

[cudamark]

The E-trac and CTX only have 50 conductive numbers to start with, so, I don't see reducing that to 40 as being all that meaningful. I mean really.......are there conductive numbers you don't dig? If so, you're missing some gold jewelry. Sure, you're going to be in some parks where you just can't dig everything without going crazy. You will still be able to disc out some of those targets, even with "only" 40 id numbers. Once we get some meaningful feedback from detectorists in real life hunts we'll know how various machines will compare with it. I think for the most of us, it will be a great turf machine. Even if it will only go down a foot, that usually is more than enough for most sites. I'm waiting to hear how it does at the beach for depth, both in the dry and wet. Personally, that's where I need the depth, and get it with the E-trac, CTX, and especially, the Excalibur. In that setting, all I need to know is if it's ferrous or not. Having 40 id numbers instead of 50 is meaningless to me there as all of them will be scooped anyway.

 

[Truth]

2.96 pounds, is what the brochure states, I believe...

Steve

Thanks Steve


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[Xraywolf]

I appreciate your take on this Steve, you express your self well and logically, probably more technical than I am.

We have seen alot of marketing hype, we have seen alot of educated guesses both pro and con ,, It remains to be seen how a production unit stacks up, and no one can accurately make that call at this point.
If its not a buggy, leaking flop I will likely end up with one myself, and I have until next spring to make that determination.

 

[sgoss66]

I appreciate your take on this Steve, you express your self well and logically, probably more technical than I am.

We have seen alot of marketing hype, we have seen alot of educated guesses both pro and con ,, It remains to be seen how a production unit stacks up, and no one can accurately make that call at this point.
If its not a buggy, leaking flop I will likely end up with one myself, and I have until next spring to make that determination.

Xraywolf --

I appreciate the kind words; my career is as a scientist, and my brain's natural tendency has always been to hone in on details and facts and such. That approach to things "spills over" into all areas of my life, not just my job. Of course, that brings some down sides with it; one, is that I can come across a bit cold or harsh at times (and don't mean to, but I am always a sucker for a good debate ), and secondly I tend to be "long-winded," hung up on the details! Ask my wife -- it drives her nuts sometimes!

I plan to be an "early adopter" of the Equinox as well. Hopefully the machine proves to be another solid Minelab design, and I really have a sneaking suspicion that it's going to be a good one...

Steve

 

[smokeythecat]

No doubt Minelab makes some good machines. And will for time to come. They are also legendary....for making most of them weigh more than tractor trailers. I've seen some of the larger ones in use in the red Virginia dirt, most of them were PI machines down there. I picked one up to try it out, they were being rented, and almost had to call 411 for a hernia. 2.9 pounds is no longer cutting edge for weight.

Note to all: getting a new detector won't necessarily mean you will find more good stuff in the ground.

The equation is have a working metal detector, as long as it's the over $99 type, it won't matter much, (with some exceptions), add research + permission + learning the machine + learning how to swing it + a LOT of time = good stuff. The brand won't make much of a difference (in most cases, nail pits excepted). Some of the folks I've seen swinging machines this past year at parks, at the beach and in fields-I wonder why they bother at all. Was watching one guy at the beach early this year swing the stupid thing a good 8" off the sand, and at the end of the sweep, raised it another 8". What I get a kick out of is the "cherry pickers" who take 4 whole minutes to let the machine tell them if they want to dig or not. I had four targets this year reading between 52 and 56 on the vdi. I assume most of you won't dig them, they are lots of times folded up foil or lowly nickels. These four were Confederate buttons. Two of my gold coins were found with a machine with no meter at all. One of my best rings read a 45. Go figure. Invest the time. Having six machine won't help much.

 

[Keppy]

No doubt Minelab makes some good machines. And will for time to come. They are also legendary....for making most of them weigh more than tractor trailers. I've seen some of the larger ones in use in the red Virginia dirt, most of them were PI machines down there. I picked one up to try it out, they were being rented, and almost had to call 411 for a hernia. 2.9 pounds is no longer cutting edge for weight.

Note to all: getting a new detector won't necessarily mean you will find more good stuff in the ground.

The equation is have a working metal detector, as long as it's the over $99 type, it won't matter much, (with some exceptions), add research + permission + learning the machine + learning how to swing it + a LOT of time = good stuff. The brand won't make much of a difference (in most cases, nail pits excepted). Some of the folks I've seen swinging machines this past year at parks, at the beach and in fields-I wonder why they bother at all. Was watching one guy at the beach early this year swing the stupid thing a good 8" off the sand, and at the end of the sweep, raised it another 8". What I get a kick out of is the "cherry pickers" who take 4 whole minutes to let the machine tell them if they want to dig or not. I had four targets this year reading between 52 and 56 on the vdi. I assume most of you won't dig them, they are lots of times folded up foil or lowly nickels. These four were Confederate buttons. Two of my gold coins were found with a machine with no meter at all. One of my best rings read a 45. Go figure. Invest the time. Having six machine won't help much.

Very true post the cost of a detector and the ID screen in all actually. Will not get you more than... no screen and a low cost detector will get you Just know your detector. And 40 numbers is more than enough for me..

 

[Xraywolf]

My motto at the beach is "dig everything over 40", pretty much in the dirt too.
Just had a 20k gold ring ring up at 40, very uncommon but you never can really tell until you dig it.

Don't think I've ever had a good target under 40 [and I realize the rules change for relic hunting, which I have never done], but that doesn't mean they don't exist.
It means I have saved quite a bit of time and effort, and in the process may possibly, however slim the chances are, may have passed on something good.

VDI cherry picking is a tradeoff, and the more proficient you are on the machine, the less your odds are of passing something good.
There can be more to it than just reading a number, sounds plays its part as does estimated depth vs or + the feel you have if its a solid signal or not, and the size profile of the pinpoint. A nice shallow ring will always ring up more solid than a pulltab or foil, even on a ding/dong machine like the 400 - I swear, this thing has a "happy ding" that is not mentioned in the books.
For these reasons and more, reliance on VDI not recommended for newbies, or even a semi pro learning a new machine [As VDI's can and do change between brands, machines and freqs/coils].

I myself know the risks and am very comfortable cherry picking when I want to [pressed for time, bad weather/night closing in, or just plain lazy] ,, But for the sake of variety if nothing else, I ought to try all metal dig it all sessions too once in a while, maybe put some tape over the screen to avoid the certain temptation to take a peek.
[I spent my first 5 years detecting with an Ace 250, which has no VDI per se] No numbers, but it did/does have a cool little cursor that bounces around over a graph of objects [iron, nickels, foil, rings, dimes ect] to what it thought the object was.

 

[sprailroad]

Let me begin by saying that this has so far proven out to be one exceptional thread. Argument's put forth by Xraywolf, Smokeythecat and sgoss66 have been very, very good, and valid. Ace 400, AT's, ex-cal's, 30-30 etc. etc., all good machines, all different capabilities . The EQ 6 and 800? who knows yet. We all know that the bottom line is of course the operator, along with time and experience, AND no matter what the machine, the coil still needs to pass over that one cubic square inch of planet earth where that target is hidden. After 25+ years of detecting, I am STILL learning. I have read all the comments twice, and look forward to more of the same in the same spirt and style I've seen so far. Again, good comments by all. This is a part of T-Net I value.

 

[smokeythecat]

Sprailroad, you are dead on. I found a gold coin worth several thousand, at least that's what I was told, on TOP OF THE SAND at a beach now almost 6 years ago. Had a $299 machine and it sure as heck found it One last thing, if you are detecting, it's not a race. You can slow down some, just don't take a nap over any given target. (Now if the target is the top of a trash pit, you may have a nap.)

 

[b3y0nd3r]

Good points. I plan on making some videos as soon I as I get the machine. I have a CTX and will do some comparisons with the EQ 800.

 

[Jason in Enid]

The argument that "any detector" can find the same items is patently false. The finding of an expensive item near the surface with a cheap detector is a red hearing in that argument. Plenty of detectors can find coins and rings in the common depths. What it really comes down to is how well the detector can handle soil minerals and how well it can still give a valid ID on deep, on-edge targets.

I have hunted side-by-side with many high end machines and owners who knew them well. Finds were NOT the same. Cross checking targets before digging showed which detector had the best circuitry to find the ultra-deep and on-edge coins with a positive ID. Only one could give a reliable ID on coins mixed in heavy trash.

Anyone claiming a cheap detector is "just as good" is either delusional or trolling.

 

[vferrari]

I like VDI's, comes very much in handy when limited on time and don't have the time/inclination to dig it all.
I have got foil almost to a science on the 400 [often dig it anyways just to confirm/clean up], and have been finding alot of gold/silver rings lately [4 just yesterday] and actually call most of them in advance, literally. And this on a relatively cheap, low tech machine like the Ace 400 - Am I to believe that it will blow away a mid range Minelab on ID ?
Shaping up to be exactly the case.

That is from VDI, seems to me that simply could not be done with half the resolution, as there will be little difference if any between foil, rings and nickels.
Might or might not be a deal breaker for me, I'll wait for a healthy amount of reviews and debates before even considering it. Performance and pricepoint value is what matters - Its a given that its going to be a hobbled machine, just how hobbled remains to be seen.
Really, its only major selling point over other mid range detectors is multi freq, so we'll have to see how it stacks up against single freq detectors in the same price range that have not been intentionally hobbled by flagship legacy considerations.

Besides multi Freq, don't sleep on fast and adjustable recovery speed, like the Deus. Minelab even calls the adjustment "reactivity" just like the Deus terminology.

 

[darktower007]

Hello darktower007,

Digging the foil signals will definitely increase your jewelry and Gold finds! The con is you will dig a lot of foil type junk, but its the only way to find the good stuff. Just set your Disc to just below foil and dig everything the machine hits on, you will be surprised at the goodies you find. For me, I run most of my machines (Minelab, Whites and Garrett) wide open and listen to the tones. On my Tesoro products, I place just a bit of Disc ON (middle of iron and foil and dig every "beep");Tesoro Discrimination is fantastic.

As a side note: I tried an experiment in my test garden with the Tesoro Outlaw trying to Disc out dimes and keep quarters. I was able to separate the two...amazing. I could not with my other detectors. So, one time I went to a school yard and set the Disc to only find quarters...guess what...I only found quarters and a few pieces of very high conducting junk...just amazing.

Sorry for the long post...

Doc

Thanks for the tips!


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[Truth]

I detect practically everyday I’m done with the big coils I still wanna go deep but weight now I very important to me. So in the next 2 months I’ll decide Deus or Equinox? I’m DONE with big coils. NEL will miss me.


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[HighVDI]

The argument that "any detector" can find the same items is patently false. The finding of an expensive item near the surface with a cheap detector is a red hearing in that argument. Plenty of detectors can find coins and rings in the common depths. What it really comes down to is how well the detector can handle soil minerals and how well it can still give a valid ID on deep, on-edge targets.

I have hunted side-by-side with many high end machines and owners who knew them well. Finds were NOT the same. Cross checking targets before digging showed which detector had the best circuitry to find the ultra-deep and on-edge coins with a positive ID. Only one could give a reliable ID on coins mixed in heavy trash.

Anyone claiming a cheap detector is "just as good" is either delusional or trolling.

Agreed. Once you start actually honing in on the deep stuff you then realize just how many great targets are DEEP. Sure, you have your oddities where older goods are shallow. Certainly on the beach since it is ever changing! Same with a ploughed field. Old coins can come up. I swung an f2 for a while and found one silver rosie about 4 inches deep. Got an f75 and started unearthing 6+inch deep silver dimes that f2 would never sniff out even in perfect conditions.

 

[Truth]

Can someone tell me their opinion on which detector would be a easier transition from a ATP and F75 the Deus or the Equinox?


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[smokeythecat]

Truth 123, I can't answer that one for you except going from an ATP to the Deus was very easy. Haven't owned an F-75. One comment on all the discussion here. We don't really KNOW how it will preform. It's not out yet, so a lot of the speculation is fluff. With any machine, one little missed step or tweak could be the difference between having an Edsel or having a Porsche. It's a wait and see thing, and as I have said before, I will go to a dealer and test out any new machine from now on. No more buying sight unseen from an internet ad. And I might have to drive 200 miles to do it. Both dealers near me have closed down this year.