To constantly upgrade a detector or simply buy newer better machine

[No gold in NY]

Some aluminum will fool any machine, like those blasted screw on aluminum caps...

Correct me if you think I am wrong....I hate aluminun caps and crown caps. When I get a hit, I put the carrot on it. If it continues with a signal along a 4 inch+ line, it turns out to be one of those caps. A coin seems to draw only a 2 inch line or less.

 

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[bigscoop]

Big scoop if I may ask, what are the drawbacks of the equinox 800 in conditions of your awareness

Look folks, cutting through all of the hype, the Equinox DOES NOT have the fantastic discrimination capabilities that so many like to tout, this being ever so apparent and ever so obvious simply by the machine’s very small VDI range of -10 through 40, and remember, 10 of these positions are dedicated to ferrous bearing objects. So let’s assume that we have 100 completely different non-ferrous targets, where are you going to place them all on this very narrow and very condensed scale? Obviously there’s got to be “a lot” of VDI sharing here. Now compare this to a quality machine with a 0 through 100 VDI scale, obviously “a lot” less VDI sharing is required. So, NO, the Equinox isn’t even close to having the incredible discrimination capabilities that so many are touting. “Oh, but it has a 50 tone option!” So does a piano without the peddles, so what, as each of these "standard individual tones" on the EQ are simply dedicated to each individual number on that very narrow VDI scale. 50 VDI numbers, 50 progressively standard tones, absolutely nothing gained here. So, per example, two or three completely different objects sharing the same VDI number will return “exactly” the same standard tone, no variance in pitch, one won’t be flatter then the others, they will all produce exactly the same tone from start to finish.

Now before Equinox lovers flare up there’s something you need to try for yourself. Simply grab a collection of sterling silver rings and pendants all of various designs and sizes and run them under the coil of your Equinox using whatever mode and discrimination pattern you desire, just as I have done on multiple occasions with my 800. Do this and you will suddenly learn that now sterling silver also falls into that same broad target ID spectrum as we have with gold jewelry, these sterling silver items now also showing up all over the ferrous side of the VDI scale. Heck, I even have some zinc pennies reading like dimes, a clad dime often sharing the exact VDI reading as a Merc. Better discrimination? No, not at all.

Now don’t get me wrong, I really like my Eq 800. But having said that, I also think we folks who are use to scooping up 100 non-ferrous targets a day on our local beaches and out in the water are a bit spoiled by the ease of it all, and the EQ will sniff out those non-ferrous targets quite well, no doubt about that. However, if you are someone who land hunts who wants to start finding more gold and silver jewelry, well, then the EQ is probably one of the absolute worst choices in machines simply because of its very limited discrimination capabilities and the very broad target ID spectrum that it allows for both gold and silver jewelry. BUT, the EQ is an “excellent” coin and relic machine and, just like on those beaches or in that water or wherever one is free to more aggressively chase all of those non-ferrous targets, then the EQ is top notch because it's good at sniffing out those non-ferrous targets in a wide variety of conditions and with reasonably good depth.

 

[smokeythecat]

Bigscoop, the lynch mob may be coming for you! Just kidding but everyone has their favorite beast!

 

[bigscoop]

Bigscoop, the lynch mob may be coming for you! Just kidding but everyone has their favorite beast!

Probably so. And like I said, I like and fully appreciate the upsides of the machine, but, I also think we need to be aware of the downsides as well, which often gets shielded by all of the hype over the upsides. Every machine has both......those downsides often being just as important as the upsides.

 

[ysabxe]

For someone who has light soil, midrange MDs on 10-15 kHz will work same as expensive MDs on most coins. But serching for low conducted targets in miniralised soil is not that easy task... than you need to find MD with better specs (to improve Discrimination and depth)

 

[smokeythecat]

Vferrari and I hit a spot near Culpeper, VA with the dirt from hell. It was tough. He was using one of those GPX monsters that weigh as much as my truck does, I used the Deus, slightly tweaked, something I almost never do. He was on the one tight lovely spot 7 hours (he put up a post on it) and got 81 minies. I was on the spot about an hour and 15 and couldn't do anymore, so just sat on my can and waited for someone to come along in a vehicle to whisk me out of there. I got 16. That is about the same take per time spent on the site. It was rough digging, dry ground, sloped, lots of roots. While I was waiting to get back to my truck, guys with Equinoxes, AT PRo and Max's, Simplexes, all kinds of stuff weaved in between us. (I didn't see any Apex's or Garrett Ace 300 or 400's. I don't think anyone got any minies where we were loading up. I had to use every trick in the book to get my 16. V helped because I switched to the "gold field" mode and had never used it before. The GPX had an easier time, and it has a much larger coil also. In our other site 5 miles away the GPX has been found to be utterly useless. Depends on the site and the operator.

 

[Rusty_L_Shackleford]

Technique and research will improve your finds rate more than anything. Research to find sites and to learn the ins and outs of you're machine. Technique: I see a lot of guys swinging high end machines, but not doing it effectively. I'd find stuff they literally walked over with just an ace 250. Walking fast making a single pass l, waving the coil 8" off the sand directly in front of them. Go slow and focus on making wide overlapping sweeps while keeping the coil low and parallel to the sand. And dig those questionable signals. I can't even count the number of times I got lucky on a signal I almost didn't dig. If you only cherry pick the best signals, you're gonna miss a lot. Also, being willing to hit locations other detectorists are unable or unwilling to hit. Learn to read your sites. Try to think about where people would congregate and what they would be doing there. I only beach hunt so that's my area of expertise, but: A shady spot on the beach, a washed up log that might be inviting to sit on, a spot between bushes to sit out of the wind, etc are good for coin spills. Check holes, and sandcastles, anywhere people might be digging with their hands. Those are easy ways to lose a ring. Near entrances and walkways where people stop to shake the sand out of their belongings. Under bushes where people stash their stuff while they swim, etc.

 

[pepperj]

In boating there's a term "2 footitis" Start with a X length of boat, get use to it, buy something 2 ft longer, repeat, repeat.
A person has to only look at what a lot folks use for a machine, and the listing of what's in the closet.
Starter machine, then a better, so on, so on.
By the time they get to one of the upper shelf machines they could of bought 2/3 of them.
Now I am just go out get the best being offered and stick with it, learn the unit.(1000hr).
The only real disappointment was the CTX3030 A HYPED UP ETRAC.
They could of cut a lot of crap out of the machine and had the same result. There was some good points, but not enough to make the justification of price.
Get to know the sounds, though sometimes it takes a lot of digging to get a few keepers.
It doesn't matter if you have a low end or high end you're going to be digging some iron and trash regardless.

Now Smokey you tweeked my interest when you said "Gold mode"?

 

[Trezurehunter]

I like my 800 with the stock coil. Have had it around 2 years now, and have made some excellent finds with it. The only "extra" that I have put on it, is a loop coil support to help support the tabs where the bolt goes thru to hold the coil on the shaft. That's not really considered an upgrade. It's probably considered preventative maintenance. Cost me $ 13.00 . I just dont have a need for any other coils on this detector. So, for the cost of the detector only, (and no intentions of upgrading anything) I'm doing well with it.