vferrari and others, no GAIN setting on the EQ???

[vferrari]

Ahahaha, well that idea didn't last long, confirmed and only 2 adjustments in 50 tones.

Chuck,

The Equinox does not make me want to bang my head and you should at least swing it an get frustrated with it before wanting to bang yours. LOL.


Avoid creating "paper" solutions that don't have a problem yet and getting frustrated when they get shot down on paper. Get out there, swing it, find out what is not working for you THEN start working the problem. That seated 2 bits is out there waiting for you...

 

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[vferrari]

One sec I'm setting up my oscilloscope, LCR meter, and BK Precision multi-meter. Okay, what? lol No I'm not kidding I broke out the gear. V your advice would be correct 99% of the time but that's not me bro. Before I take the EQ out for a single hunt I will have run all my normal tests, and sampled a bunch of different targets (coins, silver, gold, trash) in different orientations, in different modes, documenting my observations, and printing out laminated cheat cards for use in the field. Now that's over thinking it!

I can already tell you what you are going to see on that scope... Not much. Some prominences at odd frequencies and NO variations when you switch search profiles which will be weird. You will see the expected single frequency prominences when you switch through the single frequencies. The Multi IQ magic is not how the frequencies are combined and transmitted but how they are post-processed from the target. But do your due diligence. Will be interested in your observations. Best of luck. You can find me on the beach at 6am looking for more gold.

 

[Terry Soloman]

One sec I'm setting up my oscilloscope, LCR meter, and BK Precision multi-meter. Okay, what? lol No I'm not kidding I broke out the gear. V your advice would be correct 99% of the time but that's not me bro. Before I take the EQ out for a single hunt I will have run all my normal tests, and sampled a bunch of different targets (coins, silver, gold, trash) in different orientations, in different modes, documenting my observations, and printing out laminated cheat cards for use in the field. Now that's over thinking it!

Good for you! If that is what does it for you then oscilloscope, LCR meter, and BK Precision multi-meter until you pass out in ecstasy!

PS: I took my stuff elsewhere as suggested.

 

[Truth]

Lower volume the deeper they are seems to me.

Ditto

 

[Truth]

I don't recall talking about TID at all in my explanation just before your post. Thought I addressed in the answer that there is no similar adjustment and what I do to work around the lack of modulation. You will likely be disappointed in this respect of the Equinox if that feature is important to you. On the other hand both deep and shallow "keepers" will be obvious to you. What will not be obvious is that shallow large junk will not overmodulate the detector. I find that frustrating.

Yeah no overload was kind of a bummer I slowly found out the hard way.

 

[CharlesUpstateNY]

Yeah no overload was kind of a bummer I slowly found out the hard way.

Just lift your coil, still get a tone a foot off the ground well there you go.

 

[Truth]

Just lift your coil, still get a tone a foot off the ground well there you go.

Yeah I know that now. Lol But those deep aluminum cans 20-23 still get me. But then again it did get me this after digging 8 12” cans that where in my bag and I continued digging that set of deep vdi’s. I am glad I was just learning and keep digging everything over 18 and deep. My best relic ever. Thanks Equinox

 

[CharlesUpstateNY]

I can already tell you what you are going to see on that scope...

V man its not TX I'm interested in its RX. For example, is your coil a partially defective dud loser coil that only appears to work properly but in reality the performance is way off because its not balanced e.g. half defective and there's transmit signal riding on the receive winding? Scope it, I have purchased a few dud coils over the years enough that I know check all my coils.

For beach hunting where I'm pushing the machine to its limits I need to know what the true depth and detection footprint of the coil is BEFORE the signal is processed, on various types and sizes of sample targets. So with a scope I can tap into the coil's receive winding and observe the coil reacting to targets at extreme depths or way off to the side of the coil, and optimize the machine settings for those limits for those targets. This is quicker than years of experimenting with settings on targets in the field.

As for LCR and Multi-meter coil measurements, I have a small library of coil data I collected on all sorts of Explorer coils, I'll measure the EQ coil's resistance, inductance, capacitance, and Q mostly out of curiosity and add to my coil data. Should be interesting to see how it compares to Explorer coils.

 

[CharlesUpstateNY]

Yeah I know that now. Lol But those deep aluminum cans 20-23 still get me. But then again it did get me this after digging 8 12” cans that where in my bag and I continued digging that set of deep vdi’s. I am glad I was just learning and keep digging everything over 18 and deep. My best relic ever. Thanks Equinox View attachment 1611418 View attachment 1611419

Dude that's like the coolest find ever, civil war??

 

[Truth]

Civil War regulation enlisted infantry kepi bugle ))))

I found out what it was when I showed my Today’s Finds on Tnet. I was showing of my best find, so what I thought, a liberty dime. Take and mind that a) I’m clueless as far as CW relics go. b) there a school est. 1901 2 blocks away from this park. This Park runs along the Bogue Falaya river which was the main waterway for the export of goods to and from New Orleans to my town. Well I’m bragging on the dime and mentioned with a picture of what I thought was maybe a 1950’s TUBA pin LOL that a high school band member lost. Well someone said, “Ah truth that not a tuba.” My minds be blown ever since. Yep in the display case. Third time swinging the 800. Being next to the river and the river has overflowed lord knows how many time the whole park is 1” grass 1 foot sand the Louisiana clay, so there deep cans that where just as deep as this was. This park never produced much but a barber dime and a SLQ nothing else. I used it as a quick fix hunt being it’s 5 mins from my house. Last two months of hunting it haven’t found anything since.

Charlie I have to learn everything on the fly and have trouble read long things manuals, books, research etc. It’s been a crutch for me in life but I’ve always had excelled in life with having I just work harder and longer than everyone else, so I get lucky.

So I wish you good luck and enjoy the journey [emoji4]

“I am a great believer in luck. The harder I work, the more of it I seem to have.” -Thomas Jefferson

 

[HighVDI]

Yeah I know that now. Lol But those deep aluminum cans 20-23 still get me. But then again it did get me this after digging 8 12” cans that where in my bag and I continued digging that set of deep vdi’s. I am glad I was just learning and keep digging everything over 18 and deep. My best relic ever. Thanks Equinox View attachment 1611418 View attachment 1611419

Ugh.....waiting for the "Equinox is a dig everything machine" comment after this!

 

[smokeythecat]

No, the Equinox should not be used as a dig everything machine. I don't think a dig everything machine has been made for years. However, it also does not walk on water nor has it made everything else obsolete.

 

[charlives]

I only half-read some of these replies but I think I'm in the same boat with you in that the nox lacks as good a "modulaton" of tones as I had on my T2. I would never go back though as this eqx doesn't seem to need it. It's like dummy proof. The nox rarely falses and with some hours practice you CAN hear size of targets in 5 tones. I'm starting to work with 50 tones but not good at it yet.

 

[HighVDI]

No, the Equinox should not be used as a dig everything machine. I don't think a dig everything machine has been made for years. However, it also does not walk on water nor has it made everything else obsolete.

I've yet to see anyone claim that it walks...or that it walks on water. The "obsolete" crap was started by a couple of youtube cheerleaders and people on the forums took the bait hook, line and sinker.

I am personally having great success with the 800 in pounded sites. To me, thats as real world as it gets. You were right from the start about the ergonomics. Terrible straight design and does put strain on the front of the shoulder.

 

[Terry Soloman]

I've yet to see anyone claim that it walks...or that it walks on water. The "obsolete" crap was started by a couple of youtube cheerleaders and people on the forums took the bait hook, line and sinker.

I am personally having great success with the 800 in pounded sites. To me, thats as real world as it gets. You were right from the start about the ergonomics. Terrible straight design and does put strain on the front of the shoulder.

The only folks bad mouthing the Equinox, are people that don't own one, or 65+ year-old's that can't understand the technology or how to use it.

 

[HighVDI]

The only folks bad mouthing the Equinox, are people that don't own one, or 65+ year-old's that can't understand the technology or how to use it.

Yep, totally what I see too.

 

[adamBomb]

No, the Equinox should not be used as a dig everything machine. I don't think a dig everything machine has been made for years. However, it also does not walk on water nor has it made everything else obsolete.

Depends on where you dig. As a beach hunter, you dig really need to dig every non iron target. So it doesn't matter if I am getting a 1, 15, 20, etc. - I am digging. I think all of my machines are dig everything but iron machines. Maybe I would disc out some things with the CTX but for most part it was dig everything as well.

 

[Truth]

Ugh.....waiting for the "Equinox is a dig everything machine" comment after this!

DIG IT ALL!!!! :laughing (hell wit that)

 

[CharlesUpstateNY]

Depends on where you dig. As a beach hunter, you dig really need to dig every non iron target. So it doesn't matter if I am getting a 1, 15, 20, etc. - I am digging. I think all of my machines are dig everything but iron machines. Maybe I would disc out some things with the CTX but for most part it was dig everything as well.

Negative ghost rider, I leave the pennies and dimes for the other guys and concentrate on gold and silver when beach hunting. Breaking News: Local club hunt reports they dug a bunch of targets this morning, but all pennies and dimes. No quarters, nickels, or gold.

 

[sgoss66]

Charles,

As a long-time Explorer user (as you know -- we've talked before over on another forum), I totally understand what you are saying, regarding that "7" gain setting. Exactly right -- it's the perfect setting on an Explorer. Soil mineral is a tiny, quiet signal, with a fringe-depth dime also a quiet signal, but louder than the soil mineral signal. Shallower dimes are louder -- and thus it's easy to hunt "deep" signals. I ran my Explorer at 7 at all times, for these reasons. I LOVE the modulation that "7" gain gives, on the Explorer.

The good news is, while not as pronounced, the Equinox DOES behave somewhat similarly. There is not a specific adjustment, and the modulation is much more subtle than you get when running that "7" gain on an Explorer. BUT -- when you've used it enough, there is INDEED a different, quieter signal that you learn to recognize on a deep coin. Hard to describe, but you'll learn it, and learn to recognize it. And the good news -- along with it being recognizable from the shallower coins -- is that it is also different from soil mineral reports. Again, not totally easy to describe, but trust me -- once you put the time in on the Equinox, and learn its audio nuance, you will be able to do what you want to do...differentiating deep coins from shallow ones, and deep coins from soil mineral. From Explorer guy to Explorer guy, I can tell you the ability to do what you want is very do-able on this machine. Like "Ragu sauce" says, "it's in there," in terms of the audio nuance giving you the ability to do what you want.

Try this -- Park 1, 50 tones, Recovery Speed 5, Iron Bias 2. That's the most "Explorer-like" settings I've found. Leave the volume adjustments alone -- BUT, hit the horseshoe button every time you turn the machine on (to remove all disc, and listen to the iron tones...)

Steve

Tom/vferrari actually no. Let me explain what Gain does on the Explorer and why I would want that on the EQ. Gain is nothing more than smart volume knob on the Explore. Its not about the TID of the target, its about the signal strength of the target. With the Gain set to 7 targets 0-6 inches in average soil are loud and clear and about the same volume. Soil mineralization false signals are tiny, because Gain is factoring in the strength of the signal and soil mineralization false signals are tiny, its volume is tiny, just barely audible.

A silver dime very deep or deep but on edge or a smaller silver coin like a 3 cent or half dime at depth, their signals are also small, stronger than a soil mineralization though so Gain increases their volume above soil falsing BUT still lower in volume than coins 0-6 inches. Drop the gain to 6 and the soil false signals are no longer audible, but neither are some of the deepest weakest coin signals. Increase the gain to 8 and it increases the volume on the soil mineralization false signals loud enough that you start wasting time on them. Increase the gain to 10 and ALL signals regardless of signal strength are increased the same loud volume.

So there is a sweet spot on the gain setting where you can banish soil mineralization falses and tiny bits of iron, etc. to barely audible background noise, while deep faint coins are still a bit louder, and coins 0-6 inches are even more loud. That's pretty good target information. Its quite easy to never look at the screen and concentrate on just those deep coin signals that are lower in volume and likely to be a deeper old coin. Depending on the soil of course, in some soils the Gain sweet spot is 6, others 8. In super low mineralization maybe even 9.

FYI Gain is also applied last, sensitivity, discrimination come first then whatever is left over of the signal is then amplified by Gain smart volume as described above.

On the EQ if all target signals large, small, and tiny are at the same volume this would be a step backwards for me vs Explorer. Maybe Minelab just programmed in smart gain to the EQ and its not user adjustable. A couple of guys are reporting a difference in volume depending on depth e.g signal strength. Maybe on the EQ Minelab selected the sweet spot for us.

Hope this helps to understand my question.