EQUINOX AND DEUS COMPARED ON TARGETS

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Calabash Digger

Calabash Digger

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If it's that drastic I have some experimenting to do, but I honestly can't see how the detector can't see that on any freq.. That looks more like the ground balance being WAY off. It's wild because I would think you'd have to try hard to make it miss that target.

So I take back one part of what I said as I do think there is definitely something to learn here.

really comes into play with iron around it...
 

OutdoorAdv

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From what I've seen the nox is better by more than just a little.. it looks like an easy decision. I just ordered my deus with hf coil... before seeing all these tests.. and I'm ok with using the second best detector out there, until the 800 becomes readily available that is.. lol

I have at least 1,000 hours and probably closer to 2,000 hours on the Deus over the years. I have 4 hours on the Equinox! I can't say the Equinox is better yet, and I don't think anyone honestly can since its been out for a month. Once a get a couple hundred hours on the Equinox, then I might be able to make an educated opinion on which one I favor for my type of hunting. In my biased Deus favoring opinion though, you made the right decision! And all machines have pros and cons and some are a better fit for different types of hunting.
 

fastliketurtle

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I have at least 1,000 hours and probably closer to 2,000 hours on the Deus over the years. I have 4 hours on the Equinox! I can't say the Equinox is better yet, and I don't think anyone honestly can since its been out for a month. Once a get a couple hundred hours on the Equinox, then I might be able to make an educated opinion on which one I favor for my type of hunting. In my biased Deus favoring opinion though, you made the right decision! And all machines have pros and cons and some are a better fit for different types of hunting.
Well i have zero hours so... im just going off the videos ive been watching.. im excited to get started with the deus. Do u have a goto program u use most of the time for the deus?
 

OutdoorAdv

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Well i have zero hours so... im just going off the videos ive been watching.. im excited to get started with the deus. Do u have a goto program u use most of the time for the deus?

Everyone's going to have their own programs that work for them in the areas they like to hunt. I don't think there is a silver bullet program that fits all styles of hunting. I hunt mostly colonial and early 1800s house sites with very thick iron. I don't care about IDs, I dig it all and I love iron relics. So if that sounds just like how you hunt, then Program 3 (Deus Fast) is what I used for years, and I'll also knock it down to 12khz and lower the reactivity to 2.5. That's what works for me, but that wont work for everyone. If you're a park hunter or beach hunter and care about disc and IDs, those settings probably wont be best. All depends on the type of site and what works for you.
 

JccEldreth

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So, Calabash, no more how to get the best from your Deus videos? This makes me sad...
 

Iron Patch

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Try it on small lead with the deus run 7kh and 17kh and then try with a hf coil at 28 and 54 ...


I assume what you're saying is at 7kh it would suffer on small lead. Thing is in heavy iron you are not going to get very deep anyway, so I don't know why someone wouldn't be using 17kh. I actually stayed on 17 all Fall, didn't switch once, but now that it's going to stay my main detector I'll definitely play a little. But can't see why I'd drop it in heavy iron.
 

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Calabash Digger

Calabash Digger

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We know 17 will best the best for relics in iron. The question then becomes are there target the Nox will see in multi that the Deus wont in 17 kh.. Will take some more testing but my guess is yes from what I saw in the test I did today. Its really just a demo of how wide a range of targets multi will hit. Where as you might have to adjust the freq of the deus to get it to hit it..
 

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Calabash Digger

Calabash Digger

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I have at least 1,000 hours and probably closer to 2,000 hours on the Deus over the years. I have 4 hours on the Equinox! I can't say the Equinox is better yet, and I don't think anyone honestly can since its been out for a month. Once a get a couple hundred hours on the Equinox, then I might be able to make an educated opinion on which one I favor for my type of hunting. In my biased Deus favoring opinion though, you made the right decision! And all machines have pros and cons and some are a better fit for different types of hunting.

I have logged some serious time on the Deus too. I'm not saying the NOX is better or worse. I am saying this though I have seen it do some unmasking things with the 11 inch coil that the Deus cant do with the 9 inch coil unless the freq is changed to highest setting or lowered to lowest freq. The dime in the test video is the perfect example.
 

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Calabash Digger

Calabash Digger

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So, Calabash, no more how to get the best from your Deus videos? This makes me sad...
I'm just testing a new toy at the moment..... will still give deus tips...
 

toasted

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Just going on ergonomics alone, the Deus with 9” coil will remain my go to land machine. Its just so featherlight and my legs will tire out long before my arms do. Ive only used my Nox 600 once on a site I had pounded with various machine and no I did not find a gold coin or really anything at all. I will continue to try it out on pounded sites just for the fun of it but I would much rather move on to some virgin ground with my trusty Deus in hand
 

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Calabash Digger

Calabash Digger

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You know I hunt the thick iron ... the nox has some unmasking capabilities that have peaked my interest big time...
 

OutdoorAdv

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I assume what you're saying is at 7kh it would suffer on small lead. Thing is in heavy iron you are not going to get very deep anyway, so I don't know why someone wouldn't be using 17kh. I actually stayed on 17 all Fall, didn't switch once, but now that it's going to stay my main detector I'll definitely play a little. But can't see why I'd drop it in heavy iron.

IP, nice to see you swinging a Deus man. I hunted on 18khz for 2 years before I ventured out and messed with 12khz. 18 worked so well for me I didn't see a reason to change it. I was digging more tiny items like cufflinks than ever before and I was digging deep coppers too.

I have logged some serious time on the Deus too. I'm not saying the NOX is better or worse. I am saying this though I have seen it do some unmasking things with the 11 inch coil that the Deus cant do with the 9 inch coil unless the freq is changed to highest setting or lowered to lowest freq. The dime in the test video is the perfect example.

Oh absolutely man! You even said in one of your videos today that you needed "100 hours" on it before you did a full review. I completely agree though.... The initial impressions are very exciting.
 

smokeythecat

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We know 17 will best the best for relics in iron. The question then becomes are there target the Nox will see in multi that the Deus wont in 17 kh.. Will take some more testing but my guess is yes from what I saw in the test I did today. Its really just a demo of how wide a range of targets multi will hit. Where as you might have to adjust the freq of the deus to get it to hit it..

In the extremely high mineralized soil at my one site, when I went to the HP 9" elliptical coil on the Deus, using the Deus fast program and 28 or 74khz, I started picking up more and more and more targets. Minie balls, kepi hat letters, Civil War buttons, copper coins, etc. Some were down 10" which for that area is huge. At my site, which is polluted with iron, every inch or so there is an iron target, the 17khz won't touch it. FYI.
 

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Calabash Digger

Calabash Digger

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I should have been clearer on that . I was talking about 17 kh on the LF coils.. I totally agree about the higher freqs on the hf coils. I sold all my LF coils because the HF coils are some much better for relics. imo
 

smokeythecat

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Toasted, I'm with you. I hope to be detecting for some time to come, but its getting harder and harder. Calabash, I've kept the LF coil. The difference in performance between the LF and HF is like having another totally different machine.

Some new technology is being developed now that will make the Deus, Equinox and everything out there obsolete in a few years. Film at 11. Trying to get the info on it from my techie person and will share when it is available. It will add at today's cost $500 per machine, but you will be able to SEE your target before digging. That will be wild. Hope they apply the known technology to metal detectors but it will take a big commitment by one of the manufacturers to actually go for it.
 

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Calabash Digger

Calabash Digger

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smokey I dont want to see it before I dig it. I like the excitement of it flying out of the hole...:laughing7:
 

smokeythecat

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Yes, but you could skip the pull tabs, save physical energy for the ring and detect for years longer because you wouldn't wear yourself out as fast digging junk. Hope they put the display in color. My techie is battling this east coast monster storm at this time.
 

gsxraddict

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My CTX falsed in iron way worse than the Deus, hows the Nox with that?
 

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Calabash Digger

Calabash Digger

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its better than the ctx because it has that iron bias setting on it. I have not found myself chasing falses to much. No more than other detectors.
 

vferrari

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Yep, iron bias is the key to minimizing big iron falsing, but as in everything detecting there is no free lunch. Set iron bias too high (or just greater than 0 in some cases) results in reducing the astounding unmasking capabilities of this machine. So you have a choice to make, but at least Equinox gives you that choice. I think one of the big things we still have to learn about this beast is how to optimally set that iron bias setting. It is typically set to 0 by default for most of the modes.
 

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