Nox 800 Update No Good

[Trokair]

Just wanted to post my experience for information. My Nox 800 was great the last time out at my beach. Coins were loud, clear, and stable. I was able to find targets in the sand without using pinpoint. I had a killer day with it.

I ran the update a few days before going back to the same beach without any problems but the results were rather terrible. I worked in Beach 1 in the dry sand and Beach 2 down by the tide line/wet sand, all stock settings as before and the Nox was a mess on targets.

Pennies were running 16-22, Quarters 20-30, nickles all the way down to 6. I even dropped a quarter directly on the sand and it still bounced 20 through 30. Last time out coins were within a tight window and now they are all over the scale. That is when they even get seen. The dropped quarter on the sand was very unsure if there was a target or not. It sounded like half of the signal was being canceled mid swing. Did the same thing on an air test with no interference. I spent better than five minutes digging up a matchbox car at 5 inches because of how uncertain the Nox was on where the target actually was. I probably dug 10 false signals on a very clean beach. I turned the sensitivity down to 15 where I was running 20-22 last time. Not that that was the issue. The background was incredibly stable but when there was a target there it was a mess of different signals. I ran a factory reset in the middle of the day to try to get the device right and that did nothing. I cycled through the programs and they were all like that. Tried adjusting swing speed, ground balance, noise cancel, all with no effect.

A quick search showed me that reverting the update should be very easy to do and I plan to do some air tests tonight and then roll it back. I am hoping to get the old functionality back. It was a really great detector and I took care to clean and stow the Nox last time so I don't think it is some kind of damage or anything like that. The only thing I can point to is this update. I am going to test, roll back, and test again to see if that was it and I will update the thread with my results.

 

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[Tommybuckets]

Very interesting... That may answer some questions I didn't know I had. Like why the only silver coin I found Sat sounded so terrible and rang in at 18 Targets all sounded like they were in with iron and were bouncy unclean signals. Hmm that would suck if the update were a downgrade in performance. Keep us posted. I may do some preliminary air tests. I am running the 600 myself.

 

[sgoss66]

Strange, Trokair. Sorry you had such bad results. I've only hunted with it for a short while since the update, but my results were the opposite of yours -- very good, with a few minor improvements noted, at least so far.

Something doesn't sound right...

Steve

 

[GreenMeanie]

I would have to see the 6 on a nickle mine rang 13 all day long.
If you are getting a 6 something else would have to be in the ground besides the nickle.

 

[RustyGold]

I didn’t think the update improved TID for me either. I’ll use it a few more times and may roll it back myself.

 

[sprailroad]

Well, I feel ALITTLE vindicated here. I somehow also felt that things were slightly better before the upgrade? On Truth's thread, "Has anyone seen a difference since updating?" on Sept 8th, I did state that I was not so sure that it was, I did add that perhaps it was just me, and not the machine or the update itself, "Staffydog" was sure it was "just me". Perhaps not?

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I've not updated my 800 yet, perhaps lazy or just waiting to see the results of others. Mine works fine as is.

I'd say Minelab will introduce a 2nd update?

 

[nagant]

My situation is crowns are ringing 13 and ive haven't dug a nickle since i loaded 10.4. Also extremely sensitive to EMI and pinpoint sounds off in the air at times. Did a factory reset again and will test again.

 

[vferrari]

My situation is crowns are ringing 13 and ive haven't dug a nickle since i loaded 10.4. Also extremely sensitive to EMI and pinpoint sounds off in the air at times. Did a factory reset again and will test again.

10.4?

 

[Rawhide]

Sounds like you have a bad unit, you should trade with me for my used F75.........lol. Wish I could afford one, but have to just settle with my Etrac.

 

[doggoneitdignit]

Just like what I experience with MS updates. Maybe why I may wait and read more on the forumns before purchasing. Again why I like analog vs digital, not always good to update unless your forced too.

 

[doggoneitdignit]

Curious and maybe a stupid question does factory reset flush the firmware update back to the original firmware?

 

[toasted]

Dug a deep Buffalo the other day. VDI 11-12-13 just like before update. Really dont notice any difference on anything so far

 

[smokeythecat]

Not all updates are created equal. I can't tell what's going on, but if the old version worked better for you, I'd either revert to the old version or reload the new one. It may be the new version of turning the aluminum foil on the old TV antennae for better reception.

I have a Deus and have not and probably will not upgrade it. It works just fine like it is.

 

[toasted]

Not all updates are created equal. I can't tell what's going on, but if the old version worked better for you, I'd either revert to the old version or reload the new one. It may be the new version of turning the aluminum foil on the old TV antennae for better reception.

I have a Deus as have not and probably will not upgrade it. It works just fine like it is.

Im am so tuned in with full tones zero disc on my deus that I will likely never update from v3.2.

 

[smokeythecat]

I just don't need to bother. The old cat is getting OLD. I find plenty of stuff anytime I go, even in hunted out areas. My season will start up here pretty soon.

 

[Trokair]

I did some air tests prior to the roll back and I found that there is a break in the signal when any metal passes under the coil. I get a target hit, then a stutter, then another target hit. The two hits normally display another number and I was getting quarters from 19 to 29. Granted this is inside of a house so there may be some EM interference. I turned the sensitivity down to 10 for testing. Had the same stutter and similar results with a penny and dime.

Post roll back, the stutter is gone. A coin passed in the air below the coin gives a solid signal without the break. A quarter came in at 29-30. I even put it on the floor to see what it would register next to all the metal/nails in the floor and I got solid separation between nails and a very strong 29 on multiple passes. I am not in a position to test the pinpointing this evening but it appears that for my Nox at least, the original software is more stable than the update. Rolling back is as simple as running the updater and using the menu in the lower right hand corner. Took a few minutes and I feel it is back to where it was. I am planning another trip to the same beach soon so I can test it out. If a new update comes out between now and then I plan to air test after updating and to take my laptop with me to roll back on the beach if necessary.

I do not think anyone should use my experience as a reason not to get a Nox, just be aware that software updates can be finicky things sometimes. I didn't feel that my Nox *needed* an update as it was a very solid machine. I just wanted to share my experiences to add to the collective knowledge. I would personally say that if anyone installed the update and feels that their Nox is not as good as it was previously, load up the program and go to the menu on the lower right to roll back. Hopefully I will be able to update this thread with how it reacts at the beach in the next two weeks or so.

 

[vferrari]

Curious and maybe a stupid question does factory reset flush the firmware update back to the original firmware?

The update utility lets you easily roll back to the original firmware so there is no risk to doing the update. If you don't like the new software then just roll back.

Factory reset just puts all programmable settings/customizations back to their default values.

 

[HighVDI]

OP I wonder if you went back to stock then tried to update all over again. Free and only take 5 minutes to try?

 

[vferrari]

What I find interesting is that folks are lining up in two camps on the update - many love it and think it is a vast improvement while others hate it and think it degraded performance and want to go back. What I am not seeing is those that say it didn't make things better or worse.