Equinox 800 owners - was it hard to learn?

maxxkatt

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My last detector was an AT Pro for three years and various detectors back to 1988.

When I sold my AT Pro and bought my Nox 800 in March 2018 I was quite surprised at what I didn't about detectors in general. The 800 took a long while of study of forum comments, Clive's two books and many hours of hunting. I am just now feeling very comfortable with and in control of the 800. I think I learned more about metal detecting in the last 6 months learning how to use the 800 than in all my years of detecting.

What was your experience coming to the 600 or 800 from another manufacturer than Minelab? I figure owners of other Minelab detectors would have had an easier time learning the 800. Also what is your major disappointment with the 800? Mine was the hype that it could unmask non-ferrous objects among ferrous only to learn about Iron falsing problem. That was my major disappointment. Mostly everything else was a big plus in my book. Oh, yeah i really don't look at the depth indicator. It is of little use since it will report a surface coin 1-2 bars down.
 
I plan on getting one this year and curious about the responses to your question
 
Learning the settings was not hard because there just isn't that many of them.

Understanding the Multi IQ took time. The strengths of each preset with its own unique settings was very different.

Visual ID of targets like bottle caps and manipulating the detector to ID targets is still a work in progress.
 
I have only been detecting for less than two years. I used an old Fisher 1266x for the first 15 months or so and upgraded to the EQ800 in September of last year. So I may not be as good of a case study as someone who has lots of experience and has used a lot of different detectors over the years. But I can tell you that I am determined to gain an intimate understanding of the settings and capabilities of my Equinox . I have well over 120 field hours on it so far and now that the ground is frozen solid in my world,I spend a lot of time air testing various good and junk targets , adjusting the settings and testing again. I'm sure it will take me another solid year of similar use to really consider myself anything close to an expert with it. But, I am already 10 times better with it than I ever was with my old Fisher. For me the learning curve has been fairly steep, but the view so far has been more than worth the climb.
 
Same here, I went from a AT gold to a nox and it is definitely a learning curve for me. I'm determined tho! Can't give you much info other than the depth issues, we need to keep this going as we learn. :hmmm:
 
I had no issues at all figuring out the Equinox settings. Used a buddies in Park1 for about an hour, and that hour hunt made order one the next week. I don't consider myself an expert, but I find good stuff with mine. I pretty much use Park2 now and set up my tones and volumes the way I want them. I think whenever you get a new machine no matter what brand or model there is a learning curve. It takes time and effort to learn the ins and outs of any machine. Not just how to set it up, but actually what it's telling you as you swing it. I was scared of the tight VID at first but really once you use it awhile it's just as good as machines with wider VID ranges at telling you what's in the ground.
 
Compared to the Atpro tones its different, the numbers are pretty tight so you get a good idea what you might have. I prefer the At pro tones, scratchy noise and such.
I like the fact that I can choose 5 tones over 50 on the Nox, 50 is too much for my brain right now.
 
I got a Nox 800 after using a Compadre for 3/4 years or so. It’s different, nox tones are more subdued than the Tesoro. But I am enjoying it. Not hard to use at all. I just turn on, choose park1 in 5 or sometimes / lately 50 tones. Noise cancel and go. I probably should ground balance but I don’t yet. Nox likes dimes. Or my ears like the nox’s Dime tone.

I like that I can use it in the wet sand at the ocean beaches too. And someday will explore the prospecting modes. I do like having the tones and trying not to not dig the lower numbers.... I like finding gold.
 
Compared to the Atpro tones its different, the numbers are pretty tight so you get a good idea what you might have. I prefer the At pro tones, scratchy noise and such.
I like the fact that I can choose 5 tones over 50 on the Nox, 50 is too much for my brain right now.

I agree with the 5 tones over 50 especially in trashy nonferrous sites. Sensory overload in that situation using 50 tones! I have never used an ATpro, but instantly liked the tones of a Equinox over the Nokta Impact tones in say 3tone. Care to elaborate why you like the ATpro's tones better? The Equinox tones really seem to jump out more to me when running no discrimination, i.e. hearing everything in the ground vs. a scratchy type tone. My tone and volume settings make coins really pop when you swing over them.
 
Not difficult at all. The controls are well laid out and the menus aren’t buried. The Equinox has a great user interface that seems quite simple.
Easy machine to learn from my perspective. Good luck!
 
I've had the Nox 800 since April. I haven't detected as much as other years, but I'm struggling. learned the Etrac much easier than I'm learning the Nox. Its a struggle every trip to not grab the Etrac over the Nox.
 
I agree with the 5 tones over 50 especially in trashy nonferrous sites. Sensory overload in that situation using 50 tones! I have never used an ATpro, but instantly liked the tones of a Equinox over the Nokta Impact tones in say 3tone. Care to elaborate why you like the ATpro's tones better? The Equinox tones really seem to jump out more to me when running no discrimination, i.e. hearing everything in the ground vs. a scratchy type tone. My tone and volume settings make coins really pop when you swing over them.
I forgot to mention I am used to the visual id on the ATP also so not having that on the nox makes me relay on tones and numbers which is more difficult for me.
 
Credit where credit is due

I've had the Nox 800 since April. I haven't detected as much as other years, but I'm struggling. learned the Etrac much easier than I'm learning the Nox. Its a struggle every trip to not grab the Etrac over the Nox.

There's a lot to be said about a detector that is a "system" of components with a long history of success. The Etrac with proven FBS, a myriad of coils, probes, and aftermarket accessories is hard to beat today.

Combined with the "Exchange" program, and program sharing capability online, target training program, and other attributes the Etrac is still in a class of it's own and will be for a long time to come.

Etrac is indeed a "silver" magnet.:D
 
I am also thinking of moving from the ATPro to Equinox 800, and curious to see what folks have to say. I wanted it for iron-laden farm sites which I hunt quite a lot. I have some new permissions that I can't wait to hit this spring.


Am I making a mistake getting this for relic hunting?
 
I used an AT Gold for a few years before switching to the Equinox 800. Learning curve wasn't as bad as I thought. I used park 1 in 5 tones for a couple months before trying any other settings. Definitely helped tossing a bunch of clad around my backyard and using it to get accustomed to the new tones and vdi numbers of the Equinox. Now nearly a year later I find myself using field 1 in 50 tones most of the time and many targets are 10 inches deep or more. It's a great machine if you take the time to learn it's language, I've more than doubled my silver coin recoveries from previous years. :grin:
 
I will tell you one thing I didnt like about the NOX800...it was the turn on sequence! The loud 'Boobledeboop' sound that emanated before you could turn on the headphones!...Especially in some of the places I hunt...in the dark or parts of town where I want to be as quiet as possible...

I'm sure theres a work around, like maybe turning the volumn completely off at the end of one hunt so the next begins quiet? Then turning it back up again? I never tried that...Or just leaving the thing on while running a fleet of totters.. I did try that....

That turn on sound is my only complaint....Which would be NBD to most, but to me it was a concern...made me nervous! :laughing:

Yeah the rig is its easy to run and learn if you dont overthink it...I got really great results running in 'Windmill2 50 tones'...on the beach or anywhere...had to have been the freq settings favored by this mode...
 

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I've had the Nox 800 since April. I haven't detected as much as other years, but I'm struggling. learned the Etrac much easier than I'm learning the Nox. Its a struggle every trip to not grab the Etrac over the Nox.

Hey buddy, good to see you posting again. Multi-IQ and FBS are completely different beasts and compliment eachother very well. When it all comes down to it though, you have to use what works best for you, silver and gold wait for no-one, and if you dont get it, someone else eventually will. I tried the EQ 600 for quite awhile and it was a really fun machine. It just wasn't "automatic" to me either, I did find silver, but I felt not only could my FBS machines find those silver's, but I feel I would have recongized them easier using FBS. Wish I had bought the 800, and might pick one up with taxes, but I still would run my FBS mainly and run the equinox when its raining or water hunting. Recovery speed and separation are the EQ's strengths over FBS. Oh and the weight :laughing: good luck this year buddy, looking forward to some good finds :cool:
 
Having had 20 or so different detectors, I find the Equinox the easiest Minelab multi-frequency detector to learn and use. Considering the amazing range of customization it offers it beats any other unit I've seen for ease of use and learning how to make changes in settings. The default presets are VERY GOOD and a new user can just turn on and go after a simple Park, Field or beach choice then noise cancel. It is an evolved and refined product. I can see where improvements can still be made, of course, but it is deserving of the success it has had. I got on board early and SO many of my friends are using them now it is amazing. I have added both coils and custom underwater headphones. I am on order for a custom shaft though I am not having wobble issues.
 
Hi,
I'm am still learning the Equinox 800 and 600 mostly because I keep using them in new situations that need some tweaking to get the most from the detectors. I used a Garrett AT Gold for a year, then used a Minelab X-Terra 50 and 705, so the transition to the Nox was fairly easy. It was much harder going from the AT Gold to the 705.

I like not having extra stuff on the display like target ID words or icons. They are accurate (in my experience) far less than 50% especially on the low to mid conductors. I prefer to trust my ear and take a quick glance at the target ID numbers and the depth gauge to check my initial guesses.

Compared to the XP Deus, learning enough about the Nox to get out and successfully hunt with it was not difficult. I just used Park 1 with 5 tones for about 40 hours and then slowly began to experiment. The only setting in Park 1 I had to adjust was the default 20 sensitivity. I had to turn it down to 15 or so sometimes due to EMI and high mineralization in my urban setting. So, I always noise cancel and ground balance. A lot of my hunting is with a probe or screwdriver due to city regulations so going deep was not needed anyway. Target ID, depth and pinpointing accuracy down to 6" was important and the Nox does those better than any detector I've used.

The Nox is really a fantastic detector. The only thing about it that I would change is adding a true all metal mode. Maybe that is not possible using simultaneous multi frequencies on VLFs.

Jeff
 
I will tell you one thing I didnt like about the NOX800...it was the turn on sequence! The loud 'Boobledeboop' sound that emanated before you could turn on the headphones!...Especially in some of the places I hunt...in the dark or parts of town where I want to be as quiet as possible...

I'm sure theres a work around, like maybe turning the volumn completely off at the end of one hunt so the next begins quiet? Then turning it back up again? I never tried that...Or just leaving the thing on while running a fleet of totters.. I did try that....

That turn on sound is my only complaint....Which would be NBD to most, but to me it was a concern...made me nervous! :laughing:

Yeah the rig is its easy to run and learn if you dont overthink it...I got really great results running in 'Windmill2 50 tones'...on the beach or anywhere...had to have been the freq settings favored by this mode...

Hey Mud,
IF you're going places that require quiet, or skulking abilities, I would recommend "headphones" :shock: Plug 'em in before you fire up the Nox.
If you don't want them on your ears, just put 'em on your neck so you can hear that quiet whisper - "doodley-boop" is a wake up and hunt signal. :clapping: H.H. :mder:
 
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