Minelab Quattro MP . Why out of production so soon??

[CRAZY-TEXICAN]

Got one for a bargin ( $500) i think , but when i tried to find some reviews i found out it was just discontinued , is it a good detector? It was almost new when i got it and i have not had a chance to use it but i plan on taking of going to the local park to test it. Any advise?? did i pay too much for it??

Mondo..

 

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[Iron Patch]

Think the Safari is the replacement. The beef with the Quattro is the very slow recovery, at least that's what many users have said. So it's ok on the beach but not so good in some other places. I have never tried one, never had a reason too. I definitely would have spent that $500 on an Explorer.

 

[stasys]

I have heard that quatro slow ,but some how i suspect that its the same like all FBS Minelabs,just screen with numbers, thats all. i tested for deepness with explorer XS,SE and etrac--they all the same deep except coil capability. no changes in technology from early explorer S,, only faster procesor on Etrac.

 

[Keppy]

If yo go to .. google... and put in .. minelab quattro review ... you will come up on all kind of information and reviews for the quattro..........

 

[Iron Patch]

I have heard that quatro slow ,but some how i suspect that its the same like all FBS Minelabs,just screen with numbers, thats all. i tested for deepness with explorer XS,SE and etrac--they all the same deep except coil capability. no changes in technology from early explorer S,, only faster procesor on Etrac.

I suspect you're wrong given I have heard a much higher % of complaints for Quattro vs Explorer, not to mention Minelab dropping it.

 

[Captn SE]

....... some how i suspect that its the same like all FBS Minelabs,j ust screen with numbers, thats all. i tested for deepness with explorer XS,SE and etrac--they all the same deep except coil capability. no changes in technology from early explorer S, only faster procesor on Etrac.

Absolutely not!!

I have extensively tested the Quattro against the Explorer SE on real targets in the ground at my trashy, mineralized parks here in S. CA numerous times. My hunting buddy was using a Quattro at the time, and has many, many hours of turf time with his machine over the past few years.

Verdict? The Quattro will sound off on nearly every deep target that my SE/Pro Coil will, but unfortunately its tone is broken and choppy on these deeper (8+") signals. The Quattro will give repeated low, then high tones on these targets....it sounds just like junk in the ground...an extremely iffy signal to dig to say the least. On my SE, that same signal gives a nice, fluty, high tone with repeated Minelab wiggles over the target...no doubt about it, I would be digging that signal on the SE.

This has been proven over and over again here in S. CA. I hunted with my buddy at least once a week in the turf. I swapped coils with him, allowing him to use my Pro Coil on his Quattro, and the results were the same as before. Very iffy sounding (low tone, high tone) signals on deeper coin targets in trash/mineralized soils. And it didn't matter what mode he put his Quattro in either...Same Results.....in Coin mode or Coin/Jewelry mode, the Quattro is fixed on Conductive sounds. In Relic or All-Metal mode, the Quattro is fixed on Ferrous sounds.

I know Minelab left something out of the Quattro, and it wasn't just bells and whistles. The processor is cheaper and slower on a Quattro, probably making it not as good at analyzing deeper targets accurately . My buddy ended up getting an Explorer II, and has never picked up his Quattro again. Did he find silver/wheats at our trashy, mineralized parks with his Quattro? Yes, he did, but it's not as "easy" with that machine as it has now become with his Explorer. He has seen with his own eyes the differences between his Quattro and Explorer series. Probably a big reason why it went out of production so soon. Now the bigger question is......is the Safari simply a Quattro with a Pro Coil? I believe it has a faster processor than the Quattro had, but not sure how it would test on the real deepies, and if it would react, tone-wise, any differently than its predecessor.

HH,
CAPTN SE
Dan

 

[Iron Patch]

....... some how i suspect that its the same like all FBS Minelabs,j ust screen with numbers, thats all. i tested for deepness with explorer XS,SE and etrac--they all the same deep except coil capability. no changes in technology from early explorer S, only faster procesor on Etrac.

in Coin mode or Coin/Jewelry mode, the Quattro is fixed on Conductive sounds. In Relic or All-Metal mode, the Quattro is fixed on Ferrous sounds.


HH,
CAPTN SE
Dan

Never knew that. So a user starts to get used to the detector and wants to drop the disc., but also has to change the sounds? Talk about starting over! I assume this is just the programs and you can create your own screen to run low disc. in conductive? If not, that would be one of the most stupid things I've ever heard. I'm pretty sure you're going to tell me you can adjust but I have to ask.

 

[Captn SE]

....... some how i suspect that its the same like all FBS Minelabs,j ust screen with numbers, thats all. i tested for deepness with explorer XS,SE and etrac--they all the same deep except coil capability. no changes in technology from early explorer S, only faster procesor on Etrac.

in Coin mode or Coin/Jewelry mode, the Quattro is fixed on Conductive sounds. In Relic or All-Metal mode, the Quattro is fixed on Ferrous sounds.


HH,
CAPTN SE
Dan

Never knew that. So a user starts to get used to the detector and wants to drop the disc., but also has to change the sounds? Talk about starting over! I assume this is just the programs and you can create your own screen to run low disc. in conductive? If not, that would be one of the most stupid things I've ever heard. I'm pretty sure you're going to tell me you can adjust but I have to ask.

Yeah, IP, there are 4 "Save" Modes also on the Quattro. You have to first modify any of the 4 factory preset user modes and then save it in one of the 4 available locations to be a user-programmable mode. The discrimination screen on the Quattro is not like the Explorers. On the Quattro, there is a single set of ID numbers (one-dimensional). There's 51 to be exact....ranging from -10 to +40. Ferrous targets will have ID's in the -10 to -1 range, while non-ferrous will have ID's from 0 to +40. So, this scale is solely based on the "conductivity" of a target. Similar to a White's machine. That's it.

HH,
CAPTN SE
Dan

 

[Iron Patch]

....... some how i suspect that its the same like all FBS Minelabs,j ust screen with numbers, thats all. i tested for deepness with explorer XS,SE and etrac--they all the same deep except coil capability. no changes in technology from early explorer S, only faster procesor on Etrac.

in Coin mode or Coin/Jewelry mode, the Quattro is fixed on Conductive sounds. In Relic or All-Metal mode, the Quattro is fixed on Ferrous sounds.


HH,
CAPTN SE
Dan

Never knew that. So a user starts to get used to the detector and wants to drop the disc., but also has to change the sounds? Talk about starting over! I assume this is just the programs and you can create your own screen to run low disc. in conductive? If not, that would be one of the most stupid things I've ever heard. I'm pretty sure you're going to tell me you can adjust but I have to ask.

Yeah, IP, there are 4 "Save" Modes also on the Quattro. You have to first modify any of the 4 factory preset user modes and then save it in one of the 4 available locations to be a user-programmable mode. The discrimination screen on the Quattro is not like the Explorers. On the Quattro, there is a single set of ID numbers (one-dimensional). There's 51 to be exact....ranging from -10 to +40. Ferrous targets will have ID's in the -10 to -1 range, while non-ferrous will have ID's from 0 to +40. So, this scale is solely based on the "conductivity" of a target. Similar to a White's machine. That's it.

HH,
CAPTN SE
Dan

Ok, instead of just being a fail, it sounded like it could have been a super fail. There has never been much love for that detector except for maybe the odd beach hunter. I think for top unit from one of the big brands it might get the best worst vote for the 90s. Not that it won't find stuff, but what it's lacking like you describe.

 

[Captn SE]

Ok, instead of just being a fail, it sounded like it could have been a super fail. There has never been much love for that detector except for maybe the odd beach hunter. I think for top unit from one of the big brands it might get the best worst vote for the 90s. Not that it won't find stuff, but what it's lacking like you describe.

I believe the Safari is like this also, with respect to one-dimensional discrimination and display icons. There is a series of steps (my buddy told me) that's not talked about in the manual, but it's in Andy Sabisch's book about the Quattro/Safari. It's called cross-saving. It allows the operator to cross save a tweaked "Coin" program, for example, and save it in the "Relic" program. So you get Conductive Tones in "Relic Mode" without the standard conductive "Coin" Icons showing on the screen. You can do the opposite with Ferrous tones and save a tweaked Relic or All Metal program into the Coin or Coin/Jewelry program and then you have Ferrous Tones with visible "Coin/Jewelry" Icons. Really ridiculous!!

 

[Iron Patch]

Ok, instead of just being a fail, it sounded like it could have been a super fail. There has never been much love for that detector except for maybe the odd beach hunter. I think for top unit from one of the big brands it might get the best worst vote for the 90s. Not that it won't find stuff, but what it's lacking like you describe.

I believe the Safari is like this also, with respect to one-dimensional discrimination and display icons. There is a series of steps (my buddy told me) that's not talked about in the manual, but it's in Andy Sabisch's book about the Quattro/Safari. It's called cross-saving. It allows the operator to cross save a tweaked "Coin" program, for example, and save it in the "Relic" program. So you get Conductive Tones in "Relic Mode" without the standard conductive "Coin" Icons showing on the screen. You can do the opposite with Ferrous tones and save a tweaked Relic or All Metal program into the Coin or Coin/Jewelry program and then you have Ferrous Tones with visible "Coin/Jewelry" Icons. Really ridiculous!!

...and to think it was marketed as user friendly! My new Explorer motto.... Buy an Explorer! It's not a Quattro pain in the a$$!

 

[mpostma]

I hunt with a Quattro. I have found many coins over 8" down, and plenty of silver. I have pulled dimes at 11 to 12 inches.
The machine isn't as easy to learn, but when you do it does just fine. The biggest thing I've learned is to slow down and find the natural speed for the machine. As soon as you do the coins start showing up like clock work.

I agree it isn't an explorer, but it is a very capable machine. I have every intention of moving up to an explorer, but until I do I just keep on picking up Indians, nickels and silver with my Quattro. I hunt land only, not a beach hunter at all.

I've been out with guys using V3s, T2s, and Ace 250s, and the Quattro has out detected all of them most days.

If you take the time to learn the machine you will not be sorry.

Good Luck,
Mark

 

[Captn SE]

Hi Mark.

Yeah, I remember you getting that Quattro some time ago. I didn't know you still use it.

There's no doubt that the machine can find deep coins.....my buddy did very well with his....he consistently had 100+ silver years with it. And he hunted about as slow as a person can hunt....snail pace!! Any slower, and his coil wouldn't be moving....it was a must though in order to hear deeper targets mixed in with loads of trash signals in our old parks. It wasn't til I started hunting with him and comparing deep signals in our highly mineralized, trashy parks that the differences became more than obvious on the real deep targets.....the one's at the edge of the detecting limit with my SE. On the Quattro, those targets were never stable....sounded just like iron in the ground. On the SE, those same targets produced a smooth, fluty signal. The Quattro is definitely a very slow recovery machine next to any of the Explorers. I remember swinging his Quattro for a little, and I just couldn't get used to the lag/recovery in high trash areas.

The Explorer is a more stable, faster recovery machine, with better target ID/tone at the extreme limits of target depth.
You're right...it's not an Explorer. And with the introduction of the Safari, ML made the correct decision to stop production on the Quattro.

Good Luck to you!

HH,
CAPTN SE
Dan

 

[stasys]

Captn SE you know more details about quatro than me, thanks, but I did air test how deep quatro compare with my explorer xs with same 1050 coils and it was the same and my xs was the same like se and etrac, but I cant say about recovery speed. but why minelab should invent something after explorer and make it more slow-if explorer slow too? maybe its just wrong programing making it slow? but would be best to get secret clear from somebody in minelab. MINELAB PLEASE ANSWER!

 

[mpostma]

Stasys,
The Quattro was designed as a deep seeking turn on and go machine. It is the same niche the Safari falls in now.
A little lower cost than an explorer, all the depth and FBS, but without all the whistles and bells the Exlorer and E-trak have.

I've found many oldies and many silver coins with mine. It has outperformed a V3 and many other machines when I've hunted with other guys, so it is a capable machine. I really need to concentrate on slowing my swing down if I want to find anything though.
I think the Safari being the next generation really is an improvement, but I think it still frustrates many. I don't think many have really taken the time to learn the Quattro or the Safari, and it is very unforgiving if you don't know it well.

Good Luck,
Mark

 

[CRAZY-TEXICAN]

Thanks for all your opinions , i took it to the park and now i decided to make it my main machine , i did have to slow down the swing quite a bit but was digging up some pretty deep coins that my Whites XLT and the DFX missed , no silver yet but will keep trying .. Oh and i recovered a wheat penny at almost 10 inches ( a bit of an iffy signal), i don't remember having to dig that much in the past .. I might get an explorer some time in the near future but for now i will use the Quattro ..

Thanks again for your opinions ..

Mondo.......

 

[Dr.Jones]

I too have a Quattro. Good machine i think. Does not have all the bells and whistles as the Explorer or the E Trac but a decent machine. I hunt parks, beaches, cellar holes, etc.. and ill say this. I was at the beach this past weekend and pulled a dime out over 14 inches. It is a beast in the sand. Im def upgrading to an Etrac though as I have trouble in trashy areas such as parks. It does not discriminate as well as other more expensive models.

 

[kiwisouth]

Hi Mondo

I went to "Finds treasure forum" http://www.findmall.com/list.php?3 which has many forums for different detectors. This link will take you to the Quattro / Safari forum and Andy Sabisch himself goes there and adds his comments. He is coming out with a new book relating to both detectors and I'm looking forward to getting hold of it. His last book on the Quattro is out of print now but everyone who read it thought it was the bee's knees. He gave me some help as I though my quattro was the worst detector but patience and perseverence pays off. Swing low and sing slow, listen to the tones. As was described on another post, you can cross save your own settings so that you can quickly change from ferrous to conductive in a second. If you don't have the manual to show you how to do this, you can download it or you can visit the Quattro site and cast through posts to find out.

Down with nay sayers

Have fun

Dave

 

[Keppy]

I had one wish i would have never sold it. Good detector.... I still don't know what all the crying was about .............. There is always a cry baby then some others follow like sheep .............. You have a good detector........Then you have others that always say while i heard but i neve used one......... If i could get a good price on one today i would get one again............

 

[Olegrumpy]

Hi all,

Sweep the blue thing too.

Only issue to me is weight. It stops me to put a larger coil on it.

The iffy signals are indeed proof of an existing, very deep target. the depth being in relation with it's conductivity/shape.

I recently found a 22 ct pendant this way. It was 5 to 6" deep.

I also use a Sovereign GT, depending on the parts of the beach I hunt. The GT in stock configuration is deeper than the Quattro, but the Q finds smaller gold.

If I ever sold my quattro, the reason would be too heavy for me old bones.

HH