Beyond the 800

[saanich2018]

Just started thinking in the middle of the night and had a question.

I know the 800 has only been on the market for a short while, but what was the time period between the 600 and the 800?

Are there any rumors or discussions about a new unit, maybe something like a 1000, in the near future?

Just curious - and I know it is dangerous to think about things in the middle of the night!!!

 

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[DeepseekerADS]

Just off the top of my head in response here, when I first thought of coming back to the hobby, the Etrac was the talk of the town. It was somewhere pushing 3 years later the CTX emerged and sent heads a spinning. And here 3 years later the EQ800 is quite popular. So, I'm thinking an EQ next generation will be out in about 2 more years. Corporations need to keep the harvest going.

 

[eman1000]

The 600 and 800 came out at the same time. I think Minelab is usually around 3-5 years (CTX) but I am not aware of any rumors of new detectors from them at least but I know Makro has some things in the works. (The 600 and 800 have only been out 1 year and they have already got a huge following)

Everyone is behind Minelab so they might stretch it as long as sales are good.

 

[Seabees]

Just off the top of my head in response here, when I first thought of coming back to the hobby, the Etrac was the talk of the town. It was somewhere pushing 3 years later the CTX emerged and sent heads a spinning. And here 3 years later the EQ800 is quite popular. So, I'm thinking an EQ next generation will be out in about 2 more years. Corporations need to keep the harvest going.

Yep. Next year they will follow up the the pro/ plus/ supper etc. and offer a new color and people will go bananas.

 

[saanich2018]

Yep. Next year they will follow up the the pro/ plus/ supper etc. and offer a new color and people will go bananas.

Yeah, this is what I wondering about

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Yeah, this is what I wondering about

New friend here, let's be real about this hobby.

I went crazy in the hobby in the 80's, I've owned 17 detectors and still have 7. Last time I went out was over a month ago.

What's important to you? Will you really get at it aggressively, or will you end up in my era buying every new thing that comes along?

Be safe in your future in the hobby.

Now I'm home, retired, and NOTHING is as important to me as just paying the bills

 

[saanich2018]

New friend here, let's be real about this hobby.

I went crazy in the hobby in the 80's, I've owned 17 detectors and still have 7. Last time I went out was over a month ago.

What's important to you? Will you really get at it aggressively, or will you end up in my era buying every new thing that comes along?

Be safe in your future in the hobby.

Now I'm home, retired, and NOTHING is as important to me as just paying the bills

I was just curious as to how often they bring out a new unit. I was not aware of the time frame between the 600 and 800.

Being new to this I was wondering if they bring out a new unit every year or two, like Apple!!!

I am getting ready to order my 800 later this month

 

[TexasRT]

Seems like Apple is more like every 6 months, lol

 

[RustyGold]

Two things:
I hope the new color isn’t neon green and no townhall meetings with a guy in a black turtle-neck.

 

[HighVDI]

I'm thinking minelab should do a gen 2 type of deal where they address the ergonomics, shaft wobble and twisting ect. Perhaps a few finishing touches of the software and more hotcakes off the griddle.

 

[RayinAlaska]

In my view all Minelab has to do is to release firmware and then software updates for a couple of years to keep the Equinox updated. All the changes to the detector's performance can be accomplished this way for a few years, and then a new Equinox model with more bells and whistles will enter the market.

It seems that the years of the "big control box" analog detectors are a thing of the past. New detectors are much like portable computers. In fact, all you would need is an app on your cellphone, and a sending/receiving Bluetooth (or similar) chip on the coil. Just an adjustable shaft with a handle, and a coil. Well, one would need to keep the cellphone battery charged, but then the shaft could very well include a battery to power the bluetooth chip on the coil.

In relation to ergonomics, Minelab could redesign the shaft with an adjustable handle. For the time being, angled-shims and longer/shorter screws would solve that problem without interfering with the battery.

By the way, if you happen to have a food vacuum sealer such as a Food Saver or another, you can easily build a transparent control box cover to protect the screen and control buttons. Take your time and wrap the clearer/thinner side of the bag over the entire screen and buttons (set the seam at the bottom of the control box). Just don't make it too tight around the control box since you will have to make some cuts for the cable.

 

[vferrari]

In my view all Minelab has to do is to release firmware and then software updates for a couple of years to keep the Equinox updated. All the changes to the detector's performance can be accomplished this way for a few years, and then a new Equinox model with more bells and whistles will enter the market.

It seems that the years of the "big control box" analog detectors are a thing of the past. New detectors are much like portable computers. In fact, all you would need is an app on your cellphone, and a sending/receiving Bluetooth (or similar) chip on the coil. Just an adjustable shaft with a handle, and a coil. Well, one would need to keep the cellphone battery charged, but then the shaft could very well include a battery to power the bluetooth chip on the coil.

In relation to ergonomics, Minelab could redesign the shaft with an adjustable handle. For the time being, angled-shims and longer/shorter screws would solve that problem without interfering with the battery.

By the way, if you happen to have a food vacuum sealer such as a Food Saver or another, you can easily build a transparent control box cover to protect the screen and control buttons. Take your time and wrap the clearer/thinner side of the bag over the entire screen and buttons (set the seam at the bottom of the control box). Just don't make it too tight around the control box since you will have to make some cuts for the cable.

Agree with ALMOST everything you said. Not a fan of the "cell phone detector". Every time someone tries to use the phone as a control extension for something other than playing music, tv remote control, biometrics, or taking photo/video (e.g., a golf swing analyzer or garage door opener or telescope controller) it is appears to be an exercise in frustration. Too much "control" on the cell phone just results in a device that tries to do to much at once. Jack of all trades, master of none. BTW - as it stands, the standard bluetooth built into most phones today has too much latency (delay) to be used for detecting. That is why ML went with niche low latency APTX BT for its audio transmission. This is a BT protocol that doesn't appear to be gaining much acceptance for general use. Therefore, like Deus and ML's WM08 a proprietary wireless solution with minimal latency is needed for detecting.

Much prefer a dedicated detector controller like Deus uses, with some limited integration with the phone to facilitate programming, firmware updates, and/or finds tracking.

 

[smokeythecat]

Yup, I'd go with a couple years from now. That's the way with most manufacturers.

 

[RayinAlaska]

Agree with ALMOST everything you said. Not a fan of the "cell phone detector". Every time someone tries to use the phone as a control extension for something other than playing music, tv remote control, biometrics, or taking photo/video (e.g., a golf swing analyzer or garage door opener or telescope controller) it is appears to be an exercise in frustration. Too much "control" on the cell phone just results in a device that tries to do to much at once. Jack of all trades, master of none. BTW - as it stands, the standard bluetooth built into most phones today has too much latency (delay) to be used for detecting. That is why ML went with niche low latency APTX BT for its audio transmission. This is a BT protocol that doesn't appear to be gaining much acceptance for general use. Therefore, like Deus and ML's WM08 a proprietary wireless solution with minimal latency is needed for detecting.

Much prefer a dedicated detector controller like Deus uses, with some limited integration with the phone to facilitate programming, firmware updates, and/or finds tracking.

A dedicated detector controller is not a bad idea, and I imagine that all "not too far into the future" detectors will have options to have a control box (a controller) that is detachable or movable. It does not have to be a cellphone, of course. But whatever is used, it will incorporate, like I mentioned in my previews post, some "Bluetooth (or similar)," mode to communicate with the coil. It will eventually incorporate some sort of technology to lock on GPS, and even to connect online wirelessly. It is a matter of time, because once one company starts the trend, other will follow.

P.S. I had a second thought: since there are only so many places we can detect over and over with all the detectors on the market that incorporate the same technologies, it leaves the door open for detector improvements that relate to target-detecting accuracy and depth. In other words, the detectors that have the capabilities of being more accurate on target acquisition or ID, plus superior target detecting depth may very well be more important to consumers than all the bells and whistles?

~Just wondering if reinventing the wheel is more important than improving it

 

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

Equinox 100 only Park1 and Beach2 options, only adjustments of sensitivity, auto GB and Noise Cancel, only MF, $299.99, no backlight. Wireless BT enabled, no Headphones

 

[vferrari]

See XP ORX - they made a "simplified" Deus but the price did not really come down that much for what you get.

Problem is that ML got a lot of cost out by the material design of the detector, not by reducing features. So your reduced feature set Equinox 100 will still cost the same as the 600/800 to make.

The difference in features between the 600 and 800 is not what really drives the cost difference between the detectors. That is really driven by not including the wireless hardware in the box (bt headphones and the WM08 module) which ML sells separately for MORE than the cost difference between the two detectors. (800 to 600 cost difference is $250, the WM08 and BT headphones sell separately for a total of over $400!).

In the end, ML should not have bothered with the 600. The should have just sold an 800 variant with no wireless accessories and the the existing 800 package with a $350 price difference. I know which one I would have bought, in that case.

 

[vferrari]

A dedicated detector controller is not a bad idea, and I imagine that all "not too far into the future" detectors will have options to have a control box (a controller) that is detachable or movable. It does not have to be a cellphone, of course. But whatever is used, it will incorporate, like I mentioned in my previews post, some "Bluetooth (or similar)," mode to communicate with the coil. It will eventually incorporate some sort of technology to lock on GPS, and even to connect online wirelessly. It is a matter of time, because once one company starts the trend, other will follow.

P.S. I had a second thought: since there are only so many places we can detect over and over with all the detectors on the market that incorporate the same technologies, it leaves the door open for detector improvements that relate to target-detecting accuracy and depth. In other words, the detectors that have the capabilities of being more accurate on target acquisition or ID, plus superior target detecting depth may very well be more important to consumers than all the bells and whistles?

~Just wondering if reinventing the wheel is more important than improving it

XP has had the detachable/pocketable dedicated wireless (even to the coil) control box for the last 9 years now with Deus. No other manufacturers have followed suit. So I doubt it is going to catch on anytime soon.

GPS in the detector? See CTX. No one else is doing it since.

I think part of the problem is that when detector manufacturers put these more sophisticated cell-phone-like features in their detectors they tend to price the detector in the stratosphere.

Perhaps Equinox has broken the mold in terms of features at reasonable cost (i.e., value) and the multi IQ based version of the CTX (i.e., Equinox with CTX like target ID, and CTX bells and whistles) is around the corner at about $1500 less than the CTX cost today, but I am not holding my breath.

 

[saanich2018]

In my view all Minelab has to do is to release firmware and then software updates for a couple of years to keep the Equinox updated. All the changes to the detector's performance can be accomplished this way for a few years, and then a new Equinox model with more bells and whistles will enter the market.

It seems that the years of the "big control box" analog detectors are a thing of the past. New detectors are much like portable computers. In fact, all you would need is an app on your cellphone, and a sending/receiving Bluetooth (or similar) chip on the coil. Just an adjustable shaft with a handle, and a coil. Well, one would need to keep the cellphone battery charged, but then the shaft could very well include a battery to power the bluetooth chip on the coil.

In relation to ergonomics, Minelab could redesign the shaft with an adjustable handle. For the time being, angled-shims and longer/shorter screws would solve that problem without interfering with the battery.

By the way, if you happen to have a food vacuum sealer such as a Food Saver or another, you can easily build a transparent control box cover to protect the screen and control buttons. Take your time and wrap the clearer/thinner side of the bag over the entire screen and buttons (set the seam at the bottom of the control box). Just don't make it too tight around the control box since you will have to make some cuts for the cable.

If the units are waterproof, why would you need/want to do this?

 

[RayinAlaska]

If the units are waterproof, why would you need/want to do this?

Are you referring to 'building a screen cover"? If that's the case, a lot of Equinox users are buying screen covers that fit both the Deus and Equinox screens to protect the control buttons from sand and dirt-caused scratches. To me it does not make sense to buy a screen cover I can make myself with small "shrink wrap bags," or with a food vacuum sealer and bags. If you detect muddy fields and wet sand, sooner or later you are going to scratch the surface material of the control buttons.

 

[holepuncher]

There will always be something new to wait for but think about all the detecting you will miss waiting for the new and improved model.