One thing I’m not liking about the 800

[cudamark]

Beach 1, for added depth? Less noise in mineralized ground? Just curious.

Yes, Beach 1 seems to be a bit deeper, but, I've used Beach 2 also.....though mostly in the salt water where it's more stable than Beach 1. Mineralization doesn't seem to be an issue with either of those programs that a slight change in sensitivity won't cure. Usually, it's just black sand that might require some tweaking.

 

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[CharlesUpstateNY]

That’s it I’m gonna read the manual which I have printed (took up all my ink) but that’s as far as I got. I’m gonna do it!

Not tonight but differently probably tomorrow.

Pay particular attention to iron bias. From the manual...

1. All ferrous (iron) targets produce a combination of a ferrous and nonferrous response. That's good to know.

2. A lower Iron Bias setting will allow the natural response to dominate which means that the target is more likely to be classified as a non-ferrous target. Or in other words a high iron false will sound even less like iron and more like a high non-ferrous target.

3. A higher setting will increase the likelihood that the target is classified as iron. In other words it deletes high tone iron falses AND coins when iron is in the mix.

Iron bias has the potential to cause trouble. The lowest iron bias resulting in the most iron false signals and the most frustration, remember it will emphasize the "dominate" response which is the high false. Pair the lowest iron bias plus with the highest recovery speed its a coin flip, it could be that the high recover speed can separate the iron from the coin, I predict 2 inch wide wiggle sweeps in this mode. Or because a high recovery speed means less accurate target information a high recover speed may result in more iron false signals, that if you lowered the recovery speed the additional target information may be able to more accurately ID the target as iron.

There are no problems, only opportunities. The above settings are the holy grail, max unmasking plus max target separation. The decision may be when to use them. If I'm working bone dry soil I'd try these settings and adjust from there. Bone dry soil shuts iron up, what is a huge iron signal in sopping wet soil, or a large iron signal in moist soil, in bone dry soil the iron gets much smaller. It also shuts up some iron falses. If the soil on a given day is wet, or moist, I might have to nudge the iron bias up a bit and back off the recovery speed a bit. The good news with the EQ is you now have that kind of control over the machine.

TRIVIA - The word Gain does not appear anywhere in the manual. Hey man, where's my gain setting lol I'll be scratching my head over that one for a while because Gain was a pretty useful setting for me on the Se Pro.

 

[CharlesUpstateNY]

Yes, Beach 1 seems to be a bit deeper, but, I've used Beach 2 also.....though mostly in the salt water where it's more stable than Beach 1. Mineralization doesn't seem to be an issue with either of those programs that a slight change in sensitivity won't cure. Usually, it's just black sand that might require some tweaking.

Makes sense, the manual says Beach 1 is weighted more toward the lower frequencies which give more depth (but less sensitivity to small targets) and Beach 2 is even more weighted towards the lower frequencies than Beach 1.

 

[laidback4sho]

Pay particular attention to iron bias. From the manual...

3. A higher setting will increase the likelihood that the target is classified as iron. In other words it deletes high tone iron falses AND coins when iron is in the mix.

You may be reading too much into this one. I've actually seen a test done on this from Calabash Digger where he places a nonferrous object amongst some nails and with iron bias set at 3, it nulls the nails and the nonferrous object rings through loud and clear.

 

[laidback4sho]

I've also seen people pulling nonferrous targets from holes that were just filled with nails because of the iron bias.

 

[Truth]

Pay particular attention to iron bias. From the manual...

1. All ferrous (iron) targets produce a combination of a ferrous and nonferrous response. That's good to know.

2. A lower Iron Bias setting will allow the natural response to dominate which means that the target is more likely to be classified as a non-ferrous target. Or in other words a high iron false will sound even less like iron and more like a high non-ferrous target.

3. A higher setting will increase the likelihood that the target is classified as iron. In other words it deletes high tone iron falses AND coins when iron is in the mix.

Iron bias has the potential to cause trouble. The lowest iron bias resulting in the most iron false signals and the most frustration, remember it will emphasize the "dominate" response which is the high false. Pair the lowest iron bias plus with the highest recovery speed its a coin flip, it could be that the high recover speed can separate the iron from the coin, I predict 2 inch wide wiggle sweeps in this mode. Or because a high recovery speed means less accurate target information a high recover speed may result in more iron false signals, that if you lowered the recovery speed the additional target information may be able to more accurately ID the target as iron.

There are no problems, only opportunities. The above settings are the holy grail, max unmasking plus max target separation. The decision may be when to use them. If I'm working bone dry soil I'd try these settings and adjust from there. Bone dry soil shuts iron up, what is a huge iron signal in sopping wet soil, or a large iron signal in moist soil, in bone dry soil the iron gets much smaller. It also shuts up some iron falses. If the soil on a given day is wet, or moist, I might have to nudge the iron bias up a bit and back off the recovery speed a bit. The good news with the EQ is you now have that kind of control over the machine.

TRIVIA - The word Gain does not appear anywhere in the manual. Hey man, where's my gain setting lol I'll be scratching my head over that one for a while because Gain was a pretty useful setting for me on the Se Pro.

Thank you for taking the time out to explain that. I took it in and I did find that Bust half dime after a 2 hour rain storm in iron bias 2 amongst 6 iron nails in the plug. I will take everything everyone has suggested and read this tread a couple of times. Thanks Charles much appreciated

 

[Truth]

Makes sense, the manual says Beach 1 is weighted more toward the lower frequencies which give more depth (but less sensitivity to small targets) and Beach 2 is even more weighted towards the lower frequencies than Beach 1.

This park I hunt is mostly sand under grass 1 inch grass to one foot+ sand. I wonder if beach mode would benefit there.

 

[CharlesUpstateNY]

This park I hunt is mostly sand under grass 1 inch grass to one foot+ sand. I wonder if beach mode would benefit there.

I know one way to find out, experiment. And when you find a promising target don't get in a hurry to dig it. That's the best time to switch modes or adjust your settings and see how those changes improve the signal, or if they make the signal worse or even vanish. You will master a machine much faster with this approach. Carve out 30 minutes or an hour of your hunt for field testing when learning a new machine. Carve out 30 minutes or an hour to hunt in one mode, then switch to another mode. Wide open all metal then a notch pattern, I like to have both these setup so I can flip between them quickly on a target before I dig. You don't have to spend your entire hunt field testing but trust me this pays off.

Lets say you are hunting with a low iron bias and you get a iffy signal, you are not 100% sure there's a coin there but you won't walk away. Take a moment to try some different settings or modes, higher iron bias, higher or lower recovery, higher or lower sensitivity. Then when you dig if it was a coin pay attention to how deep it was, if possible how it was laying in the ground flat vs tipped, and other surrounding targets that may have been influencing the signal, nearby trash or nails. Your brain will begin storing this for later use, in time its spooky how your brain becomes one with the machine.

 

[CharlesUpstateNY]

Fedex

 

[Truth]

I know one way to find out, experiment. And when you find a promising target don't get in a hurry to dig it. That's the best time to switch modes or adjust your settings and see how those changes improve the signal, or if they make the signal worse or even vanish. You will master a machine much faster with this approach. Carve out 30 minutes or an hour of your hunt for field testing when learning a new machine. Carve out 30 minutes or an hour to hunt in one mode, then switch to another mode. Wide open all metal then a notch pattern, I like to have both these setup so I can flip between them quickly on a target before I dig. You don't have to spend your entire hunt field testing but trust me this pays off.

Lets say you are hunting with a low iron bias and you get a iffy signal, you are not 100% sure there's a coin there but you won't walk away. Take a moment to try some different settings or modes, higher iron bias, higher or lower recovery, higher or lower sensitivity. Then when you dig if it was a coin pay attention to how deep it was, if possible how it was laying in the ground flat vs tipped, and other surrounding targets that may have been influencing the signal, nearby trash or nails. Your brain will begin storing this for later use, in time its spooky how your brain becomes one with the machine.

Yeah well said I must admit I have a obsessive personality been like that forever it has its pros and cons in life and one one the cons is not slowing down to smell the roses I hear a semi good signal it’s almost like I automatically stop drop and roll it’s almost like a impulse. I’m also a heavy roamer meaning I’m not the slow and low, I’m the medium swinger that can walk for miles. My brain is wired that way, but doesn’t mean I can’t be more conscious of what I NEED to do at some point. Sometimes I need to be told/reminded of what I’m doing. I’m pretty much a lone wolf detectorist, but I am meeting new people well 2. I even join a club once...I heard it was nice

Thanks

 

[vferrari]

Truth I sensed that about you (impatience to dig that iffy signal) when you were resistant to my suggestions on how to interrogate a prospective target before digging it out of the ground. As Charles said, take time to experiment and test different settings on the target. You don't need to spend 10 minutes trying to figure it out but we have suggested the tools that are available to you on the Equinox to make an educated guess within a few seconds before you dig. Otherwise, there are no magic settings that are going to give you 100% certainty before you dig. As a lone wolf, the Equinox is ideal for you because the various modes and profiles are like separate detectors that allow you on your own to do the equivalent of asking your detecting buddy to come over with his detector and scan the target. There are not many detectors that give you that ability, so effectively and easily.

Specifically, regarding beach mode at liberalized sites. Use caution. Beach 1 might be ok, but I know for sure that Beach 2 throttles back transmit power in the presence of significant mineralization. On the other hand, and I have recommended this previously, folks should experiment with lowering sensitivity to 15 to 18 when detecting amongst thick iron. This lowers iron overload which will decrease background noise and may allow some keeper signals to break through even though you may sacrifice a little depth. The key to Equinox is the audio and maximizing the signal to noise ratio to hear that audio.

 

[Truth]

Truth I sensed that about you (impatience to dig that iffy signal) when you were resistant to my suggestions on how to interrogate a prospective target before digging it out of the ground. As Charles said, take time to experiment and test different settings on the target. You don't need to spend 10 minutes trying to figure it out but we have suggested the tools that are available to you on the Equinox to make an educated guess within a few seconds before you dig. Otherwise, there are no magic settings that are going to give you 100% certainty before you dig. As a lone wolf, the Equinox is ideal for you because the various modes and profiles are like separate detectors that allow you on your own to do the equivalent of asking your detecting buddy to come over with his detector and scan the target. There are not many detectors that give you that ability, so effectively and easily.

Specifically, regarding beach mode at liberalized sites. Use caution. Beach 1 might be ok, but I know for sure that Beach 2 throttles back transmit power in the presence of significant mineralization. On the other hand, and I have recommended this previously, folks should experiment with lowering sensitivity to 15 to 18 when detecting amongst thick iron. This lowers iron overload which will decrease background noise and may allow some keeper signals to break through even though you may sacrifice a little depth. The key to Equinox is the audio and maximizing the signal to noise ratio to hear that audio.

You had my number V lol. I’m taken your advice to heart. I detect a old park with a foot of sand under a inch of grass. I’m going to experiment more and try using Beach Mode 1. Maybe I’ll go test for a hour tomorrow.

 

[smokeythecat]

Vferrari is correct, and if you spend more than 30 to 45 SECONDS analyzing a target you are seriously cutting into your detecting time. I've seen people in competitive hunts "think" about what they were going to do while the guy next to them cleaned up.

But to clarify, my decision to dig is usually made within 6-8 seconds.

 

[Truth]

Vferrari is correct, and if you spend more than 30 to 45 SECONDS analyzing a target you are seriously cutting into your detecting time. I've seen people in competitive hunts "think" about what they were going to do while the guy next to them cleaned up.

Yeah I rarely have a grey area but I sure better start looking for it because I dig almost everyday and this dig every iffy in this heat and humidity is catching up to me. Since I HAVE to dig at least a hour a day I have to start getting smarter. During cooler times I can be a digging beast for 6 hours and still do my work at night. Not this summer Heat Stoke is real.

 

[laidback4sho]

I don't miss that heat at all.

 

[smokeythecat]

I simply don't do the heat anymore. Last summer I went to the beach a lot, but considering the cost of gas and what I found, including gold, it wasn't really worth it from that perspective and this year just decided to take the summer off and research new sites. I have already received permission for three new places for the fall. One is near a spring head and has produced complete Indian bowls, points, axes, etc.

 

[Truth]

I don't miss that heat at all.

It’s brutal. Louisiana/Mississippi feels like the armpits of America. Our Winters are the best 70’s. We have no Spring or Falls.

 

[laidback4sho]

Yeah, I spent my first forty years down there in Bogalusa, much of it as an IBEW construction electrician. Dug many a ditch in that blistering sun. Oil refineries, oil rigs, paper mills, steel mills, you name it.

"Dying ain't much of a living..." -Clint Eastwood

 

[vferrari]

Yeah it's hot out your way, but awesome sites and targets though, I bet, without inane no digging signs in tot lots, of all places. Yeah, that's what I get to deal with. Not exactly a detector friendly environment. Many hours spent just driving to where I can hunt at a worthwhile site. An hour a day detecting would be heaven. Not happening where I live now. Without detecting buddies like Smokey to meet up with, it would be brutal.

 

[CharlesUpstateNY]

You guys can have the summer heat, I keep my house thermostat on 67 year round I like it frosty! Fedex is on my list, the EQ requires a signature so I waited at home ALL DAY for it then at 4:30pm they changed the delivery date to tomorrow.