My Equinox 800 Take (Tests and Commentary)

[BlueDog]

Additionally I have been checking coin signals located with Equinox and comparing Etrac. In sites I had pounded previously using Etrac and CTX. Sure thing high percentage of these coins undetectable by Etrac.
Found a clad dime this morning in a site. I know I have swung every detecfor with stock coil I have owned but 2. Chaser unit and warrior unit. Etrac this morning no dice. Clad dime a mere 2" deep.
Absolutely shocking.

It is shocking to see first hand. I’ve been a happy ETrac user for a couple years, and I’ve been rehunting my spots with the Equinox. Some sites I have had no additional coins, but the really trashy spots have been eye openers. The spot I went to yesterday is a good example, it is absolutely LOADED with those ring type pull tabs. I have found a few Indian heads and a single silver Rosie in the tiny yard with my well worn and trusty ETrac, but nothing else despite going over and over this spot. Yesterday it was like a new unhunted spot. I was digging coin after coin in the pulltabs where the ETrac has been silent (high times). The separation of this machine is stellar. I’ve yet to take it to any new spots as I’m still finding tons in all my old stomping grounds.

Yes, TNSS. Absolutely shocking.

 

[tnsharpshooter]

Folks should be starting to see a trend with Equinox.

What allows a user to get the goods with Equinox?

First it hunts fast with higher efficiency. ID provided along with tone will certainly get you in ballpark to dig. You won't dig a lot of trash once you get the hang of. A few pull rings chasing nickels, and some aluminum screw caps.

Lots of ground can be X-rayed in short order. The detector's tone the way they report really conveys to user. Whoe Nelly, better have a second look.

The weight of the detector too makes for faster swinging and more actual coil movement finesse.

Not a perfect detector, but make no mistake it will find stuff.
A good coin and relic and jewelry detector.

Previous Deus users, Minelab CTX, Etrac, any fbs user really can actually benefit from using Nox.
It is all your decision though.
I have used the above detectors and have been hunting behind. I know what Nox is capable of by doing.

Nox is a real tool in the bigger world of detecting.
It is easy to run, easy to navigate.

As more and more folks get Equinox units , I am nearly 100% certain more good reports with finds will be posted and talked about.

My only disappointment with Equinox really, why didn't it exist 7 years ago when I started detecting.

 

[calabash digger]

good write up!

 

[yacorie]

Ok i've read this thread, re-read certain sections, watched videos etc. and I still have a question.

How are you guys deciding what to dig, specifically with whether its Iron.

Here is my scenario - today I went for about 4 hours to a section of woods with a cellar hole, well etc. except for an occasional brass shell casing, everything I dug today was iron (and 2 flat buttons). I tried to decide what I would dig and what I wouldn't, but even with targets with VDI of 31 - it was rusted iron.

I was finding a target, switching to all metal mode, and seeing whether or not it was bouncing in the iron zone with tones and numbers.

I was running Park 2 with no modifications.

Can you guys that are much more familiar with the machine just give me a brief explaination as to what you're doing in the field when you get a target.

Thanks

 

[AIRFORCEMIKE]

Folks should be starting to see a trend with Equinox.



What allows a user to get the goods with Equinox?



First it hunts fast with higher efficiency. ID provided along with tone will certainly get you in ballpark to dig. You won't dig a lot of trash once you get the hang of. A few pull rings chasing nickels, and some aluminum screw caps.



Lots of ground can be X-rayed in short order. The detector's tone the way they report really conveys to user. Whoe Nelly, better have a second look.



The weight of the detector too makes for faster swinging and more actual coil movement finesse.



Not a perfect detector, but make no mistake it will find stuff.

A good coin and relic and jewelry detector.



Previous Deus users, Minelab CTX, Etrac, any fbs user really can actually benefit from using Nox.

It is all your decision though.

I have used the above detectors and have been hunting behind. I know what Nox is capable of by doing.



Nox is a real tool in the bigger world of detecting.

It is easy to run, easy to navigate.



As more and more folks get Equinox units , I am nearly 100% certain more good reports with finds will be posted and talked about.



My only disappointment with Equinox really, why didn't it exist 7 years ago when I started detecting.

Top notch statement...totally agree


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[Rattlehead]

Ok i've read this thread, re-read certain sections, watched videos etc. and I still have a question.



How are you guys deciding what to dig, specifically with whether its Iron.



Here is my scenario - today I went for about 4 hours to a section of woods with a cellar hole, well etc. except for an occasional brass shell casing, everything I dug today was iron (and 2 flat buttons). I tried to decide what I would dig and what I wouldn't, but even with targets with VDI of 31 - it was rusted iron.



I was finding a target, switching to all metal mode, and seeing whether or not it was bouncing in the iron zone with tones and numbers.



I was running Park 2 with no modifications.

Try bumping up the iron bias setting to 2 or 3. By default it’s set at 0 in park 2.


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[yacorie]

Try bumping up the iron bias setting to 2 or 3. By default it’s set at 0 in park 2.


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Thank you. I think this is definitely my issue. I also just watched a video posted in another thread showing iron bias 0 resulting in iron giving good tones. That was the issue I was having today.

Horse shoe, ox shoes, random old iron fence and gate pieces

 

[Rattlehead]

Thank you. I think this is definitely my issue. I also just watched a video posted in another thread showing iron bias 0 resulting in iron giving good tones. That was the issue I was having today.



Horse shoe, ox shoes, random old iron fence and gate pieces

You’re welcome. Good luck with it!


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[WyoTom]

Equinox to me loves nickels. And it loves them too in already hard hunted sites with iron and modern trash.
So I did a test just to see.

A pic.

Not a complicated test.
You see US nickel, look tucked in under left 2x4, you'll see some foil. Windy here today so Imhad to hold it down by placing 2x4 block on top of. Also notice the nail suspected above Nicole plane some and off to the right,
Swinging coil over over top of blocks (coil height).
Nox park 2 speed 7 bust this nickel. With ID. 13 in the window. Hover sweeps yield 12/13 in the window.

I checked Etrac with stock coil. On your best day of you caught it just right you might dig. But most sweeps this nickel is all over the place. Like conductive number 11, 12, 14, 15, and even 16. Even saw a few 18s. Really hit and miss. And if you try doing what I call hover sweeps you are basically SOL, no way in the world to tell nickel exist. Tried some different settings too.

I checked Deus wearing 9" and 11" LF coils. Both coils a user is SOL. No way to judge a nickel is lurking.
Nokta Impact wearing stock coil. Same thing SOL, no way to tell nickel exist. It reads like 15 points over what a nickel reads. Deus does too.
Rutus alter 71, again SOL, no way to judge a nickel is lurking.
All the detectors above I tried differ t freqs and settings.

This may be a big part of the reason why so many nickels are being had by Equinox. They are being left behind in sites by folks using other detectors.

Thought I would share.

Additionally I have been checking coin signals located with Equinox and comparing Etrac. In sites I had pounded previously using Etrac and CTX. Sure thing high percentage of these coins undetectable by Etrac.
Found a clad dime this morning in a site. I know I have swung every detecfor with stock coil I have owned but 2. Chaser unit and warrior unit. Etrac this morning no dice. Clad dime a mere 2" deep.
Absolutely shocking.
Equinox was banging the dime and giving ID 26 in the window.
I felt like a fool. Dug a 6" deep plug. And turns out the dang dime was in the top of the plug.

All my house sites since getting Equinox and using have produced coins but 1. Gent took about 4" dirt off the front yard a couple years ago. Could be reason why.

How does the Deus HF coil do with this test?

 

[tnsharpshooter]

How does the Deus HF coil do with this test?

Haven't done that exact test using either of the HF coils.

 

[yacorie]

You’re welcome. Good luck with it!


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Ok so today I went back to the same spot - used Park 2 and changed the iron bias to 2.

However, I'm still having the same issue. The only non iron target that I dug today was a broken thimble. I had targets that were giving readings in the 20s and 30s and sounded good, but then it was iron.

So when you guys are in the woods etc and hunting, when you get a good sounding tone, are you all changing to single frequency to try and decipher it?

What I have been doing is getting a good signal and switching to all metal mode, if it starts giving me iron readings, I was moving on. If it wasn't giving me iron readings, I was digging.

i have to say, I'm used to the ATP which is very user friendly and this one is throwing me for a loop. I might have to do a park hunt next just to try and figure out the easier targets.

Thanks for all of the advice that everyone gives on this thread.

 

[metaladdict]

Ok so today I went back to the same spot - used Park 2 and changed the iron bias to 2.

However, I'm still having the same issue. The only non iron target that I dug today was a broken thimble. I had targets that were giving readings in the 20s and 30s and sounded good, but then it was iron.

So when you guys are in the woods etc and hunting, when you get a good sounding tone, are you all changing to single frequency to try and decipher it?

What I have been doing is getting a good signal and switching to all metal mode, if it starts giving me iron readings, I was moving on. If it wasn't giving me iron readings, I was digging.

i have to say, I'm used to the ATP which is very user friendly and this one is throwing me for a loop. I might have to do a park hunt next just to try and figure out the easier targets.

Thanks for all of the advice that everyone gives on this thread.

I come from the Atpro also and the nox has a learning curve...still learning. I feel I dig more trash at times but maybe not in the future?

 

[Rattlehead]

Ok so today I went back to the same spot - used Park 2 and changed the iron bias to 2.

However, I'm still having the same issue. The only non iron target that I dug today was a broken thimble. I had targets that were giving readings in the 20s and 30s and sounded good, but then it was iron.

So when you guys are in the woods etc and hunting, when you get a good sounding tone, are you all changing to single frequency to try and decipher it?

What I have been doing is getting a good signal and switching to all metal mode, if it starts giving me iron readings, I was moving on. If it wasn't giving me iron readings, I was digging.

i have to say, I'm used to the ATP which is very user friendly and this one is throwing me for a loop. I might have to do a park hunt next just to try and figure out the easier targets.

Thanks for all of the advice that everyone gives on this thread.

I switch to 5kHz occasionally to check a bottle cap but not very often. How do you have your discrimination set up? If you're set up so that you can still hear iron, you can back the coil off the target and listen for an iron grunt. You won't hear the grunt on non-ferrous. Also, bumping iron bias up to 3 might help sort it out.

 

[calabash digger]

Tones have a nuance to it on big iron most of the time. I run iron bias at 2. Pay attention how the machine is acting tone wise over that iron and not just the meter. I run 5 tones.

 

[Toasted]

If your not digging some iron that was falsing then you are not pushing the Nox to its limits. I didnt dig as much iron with my Deus but I also missed a few things in the iron that the Nox found. Maybe we will dig less iron as we learn the machine more but the Nox does false on iron more

 

[Rattlehead]

Tones have a nuance to it on big iron most of the time. I run iron bias at 2. Pay attention how the machine is acting tone wise over that iron and not just the meter. I run 5 tones.

Thats one thing where I feel like the Deus has a little advantage over the Nox. The tones have more distinct nuances when it comes to telling the composition or even the shape of a target.

 

[yacorie]

I switch to 5kHz occasionally to check a bottle cap but not very often. How do you have your discrimination set up? If you're set up so that you can still hear iron, you can back the coil off the target and listen for an iron grunt. You won't hear the grunt on non-ferrous. Also, bumping iron bias up to 3 might help sort it out.

I am running straight Park 2 - except today I increased the iron bias to 2 at your suggestion. I didn't do anything else to mess with the Park 2 program. Personally, I fell like I need to learn in baby steps before I start messing with all of the various options. Park 2 I think notches out everything under 10 or so which is why I was switching to all metal mode to listen for the iron. However, then i 2nd guess myself and wonder if I'm walking away from a good target because I'm hearing the iron.

 

[yacorie]

I come from the Atpro also and the nox has a learning curve...still learning. I feel I dig more trash at times but maybe not in the future?

I hope thats the case.

 

[tnsharpshooter]

Two pics here.

These 2 tests are similar, not the same actually due to distance changes and item used as masker.
2 clad dimes pictured in their respective positions.
Etrac and Equinox compared stock coils.

Equinox 800 speed 7 used, has clear advantage over Etrac in the scenario where pull ring is used as masker.

But what about the scenario with bottle cap as masker?
I might give Nox a win by a cat whisker since I know what I am in fact sweeping.
But if I didn't know I give Etrac a win here for one reason. It makes no tone on cap. I did try a few things with Nox too as far as eliminating tonally the cap.

Now is this here what I am seeing on the cap masking test, more due to where cap comes in on Etrac (ferrous range)? Maybe.

Thought I Would share.

In my opinion a site riddled with steel caps and no aluminum, I would choose Etrac. If such a site even exist. Would like to run both in a site if I could with the caps.

 

[yacorie]

I've tried to think about some of your tests when I'm in the field. The site I've been hunting is an old cellar and all associated woods. There is iron scattered all over the place in the woods due to old barb wire and fence parts nails etc.

The falsing iron is what I'm trying to get a handle on I guess. if I wasn't digging iron, I wouldn't be digging much at all. I don't think anyone else has dug here before because I found a 1787 Russian copper and a brass/bronze bell about 50 feet from the hole. Can't imagine anyone missing them.