My Equinox 800 Take (Tests and Commentary)

detectorben said:

TN what kind of depth are you seeing at speed 7? Many users have reported very low depth capabilities at 6 or 7 speed. Have you done any tests to see how much depth loss you are seeing at higher speeds? I know it will vary depending on ones soil but just trying to gather info on this subject before I get back out with my 800.

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No problem getting 7" depth on a dime in my soil.
But remember in iron, depth is not super important.

I haven't tested actually.
But I run 7 in my pounded sites and Buffaloes nickels and silver dimes are being located.
Speed 7 and 8 are the go to with stock coil to slice and sice in iron and modern trash.

Had one target the other day in saw of iron could only strike in 8 setting. Level 7 I checked target only signal Imgot would be rated a signal gotten just because I knew a target was down there as a result of locating with level 8. Copper fitting near old home porch.

I have tried to catch the Nox lying to me chasing some signals for gee whiz. I am trying to see what an even more challenged target sounds like. Hard to do with Nox, most everything reports so dad gum good.

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=258073

tnsharpshooter said:

No problem getting 7" depth on a dime in my soil.
But remember in iron, depth is not super important.

I haven't tested actually.
But I run 7 in my pounded sites and Buffaloes nickels and silver dimes are being located.
Speed 7 and 8 are the go to with stock coil to slice and sice in iron and modern trash.

Had one target the other day in saw of iron could only strike in 8 setting. Level 7 I checked target only signal Imgot would be rated a signal gotten just because I knew a target was down there as a result of locating with level 8. Copper fitting near old home porch.

I have tried to catch the Nox lying to me chasing some signals for gee whiz. I am trying to see what an even more challenged target sounds like. Hard to do with Nox, most everything reports so dad gum good.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I plan to hit some trashy areas at higher speed settings this weekend to see what I can do in my soil.

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Here's a pic.
Clad dime with elevated pull rings off to the sides.



What about the mighty Etrac here swing left to right, right to left.
Will it tell me higher conductive coin exists?
Apparently not.
Tried all I could think of. All the trash programs, even some disc and things I made up myself.
Highest number comes in meter 34 conductive too.
What about the mighty Nox?
Park 2 speed 7 I can hear this dime. Even with some coil height. Meter reads 23-25.

I traded for Etrac.
Not posting here not be necessarily make etrac look bad, but I got curious. Use to have 2 Etrac previously.
More tests to follow.

That clad dime could just as easily be a nice silver ring a laying somewhere waiting for someone to swing over.

Alright more data.

Back to site, one of my proving grounds sites.
Mineralization strength meter using Deus 6 ticks.
Very old site. Nail and iron density I rate as moderate.
I located 24 nonferrous targets using Equinox using field 2 program, disc backed off 2 marks from factory, speed 7, 0 iron bias, Mulit freq.
This area previously pounded by Minelab CTX stock coil multiple times, Minelab Etrac 10x12 sef coil multiple tiems, Xp Deus both 9 and 11" LF coils as well as both HF coils for Deus.
Using HF coils use of highest freq bands very limited. Use of HF coils freq of 28.8 kHz is what 95% plus of the time spent in this site.
Limited use of other detector models with both stock sized coils as well as smaller coils.

After locating all targets, they were checked/compared using Deus both 9 and 11" coils, and both the elliptical and round HF coils.
Only freqs of 12 and 18khz used to check using Deus LF coils.
All freqs bands used to check targets using both Deus HF coils.
Minelab Etrac witth stock coil was used to check 2 targets, these happened to be the 2 highest Equinox located meter reading targets.

This area when I got my HF coils for Deus is actually (all previous hunts combined using all detectors in my possession over the last 6.5 years at the time, netted 8 finds) when the most nonferrous finds were discovered. A total of 20 for both HF Deus coils plus the 8 found previously using other detector and deus LF coils. This all previous to hunting with Equinox,
Only one coin was ever detected by me in this area prior, a Spanish 1 bit located and recovered with Minelab CTX and stock coil around 5 years ago.

Today using the Nox I located and recovered my second coin ever, a dad gum wheat head penny.

Okay as far as the 24 nonferrous targets.
Etrac was used to check 2 targets.
I used any and all huntable settings that I could think of to detect the targets.
No cigar with either target.
One of the targets was in fact the buried undisturbed wheat head penny.
The other a flat button.

Now the Deus comparisons.
Using both 9" and 11" LF coils using deep and hot programs with various settings, any and all what I would declare as useable / huntable.
Only one out of the 24 located nonferrous gave me anything remote signal wise to dig, and this was using 9" LF coil.

Now for the elliptical coil comparisons- used any and all useable/ huntable settings.
One target using 14.4 kHz using elliptical HF coil reported as diggable signal.
One target using both HF coils reported a dig me signal using 28.8 kHz.

Of the 22 remaining targets.
HF elliptical coil hit on 9 of them using 74 kHz.
Round HF coil hit on 3 of them using 54khz.

Only 2 of the same targets did both HF coils hit using their respective highest freq bands.

There were 20 nonferrous Equinox located target that didn't provide diggable signal period when using round HF coil ( any and all usable/huntable settings).
Thee were 13 nonferrous Equinox located targets that didn't provide diggable signal period when using elliptical HF coil (any and all useable/ huntable settings).

I was fooled on 3 suspect targets- turned out to be iron,
Deus LF coils didn't alert on any of these as nonferrous.
Round HF coil alerted on one of these- as nonferrous sounding.
Elliptical HF coil alerted on one of them- as nonferrous sounding.

I climbed another rung today on the Equinox ladder. I dug some of the least textbook signals I had ever done previously. One object turned out to be the wheat head penny, another a real small thimble, and a few thin small flat buttons.

Equinox gives info, person just has to decipher. I can now say, some crippled targets (not all) will give lower that airtest mete readings.
Equinox IMO is a Top notched VLF relic unit.
I will even go as far to say.
In my soil, an old site ain't purged of all detectable nonferrous until the mighty Nox goes in there.
Amazing to see the stock sized coil do its thing at sniffing out nonferrous.

My next mission with Equinox, is to go back and use the disc I used today using field 2 mode, and locate some targets I feel are tremendously crippled, and adjust disc back to factory level setting and have a listen.

Forgot to say, when looking at and air testing all targets for the most part in this site,,and one other area. Deus HF coils using 28.8 kHz, seems they have trouble alerting on targets (odds wise) that actually ID as 10 or less in Equinox meter. Now using HF coils and using highest bands, both HF coils hit and miss, but edge goes to elliptical HF coil.
Now saying all this, remember what the gold $1 US coin IDs as on Equinox.

NASA-Tom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes..... Type-1, 2 & 3 U.S. Gold Dollars ID as a
>10/11 in an air-test.......and in most soils.,.,.,.
> ,.,.,.,. even tilted. "On edge"...... and ID's can
> be much lower..... to include 'no detection'.
>
> U.S. 3-Cent Nickels ID as 7-8....... under most no
> rmal conditions.

Time for another test.
Some folks think all old coins are deep. Maybe so, maybe not.
I have found some old coins shallow.
Cal Cobra has admitted here he has found some older nice finds shallow.

This test here compares Minelab Etrac (Stock coil) and Xp Deus wearing both a 9" LF coil and a 11" LF coil, and the Equinox wearing stock dd 11" coil.


You will notice in pic a small blue cap.
Beneath it lies a clad dime approx 5" deep.
All detectors detect this dime with tone and proper ID with none of the maskers present.
The black spots, look close, a few pull rings with tabs, a nail, and a steel bottle cap.

So what about trying to detect this mere 5" deep clad dime with the maskers you see in pic?

Etrac, no cigar. Nothing telling me higher conductor exist. Tried all kinds of settings and programs. Highest meter reading seen 34 conductive.

What about DEUS wearing 11" LF coil? I cannot get Deus to tell me a higher conductor exist tonally or with a meter reading.
Highest numbers seen in screen are about 15 points below what's clad dime reads.

What about Deus wearing 9" LF coil?
Believe it or not the same as results using 11" LF coil with one exception.
I can go to reactivity setting 2 and hover coil over dime from one angle and get tone and ID in meter. I cannot with sweeps get any Intel to tell me dime(higher conductor) exist.

What about Equinox with its stock coil?
Park 2 speed. 7 multi freq, from best angle sweeping the setup, I get tone and ID to boot telling me higher conductor exists. Meter reading or 23-25 on sweeps.

What were your Deus settings for these tests?

ham said:

What were yout Deus settings for these tests?

Click to expand...

If you are referring to the test immediately above your post here.

Deus settings tried, hot program and Deus fast.
All freqs, 4,8,12 and 18 kHz,, reactivity levels 2-4.
Version 4.1
Silencer settings 0 and -1
Sens between 87-94
Even compared turning vdi normalization off and on.
Tx power using levels. 1 and 2.

TN, that is EXACTLY what I’m seeing as well. If someone wanted to cherry pick silver from a spot loaded with iron, they could just set everything from 23 and up to the highest tone and everything else at the lowest.


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tnsharpshooter said:

If you are referring to the test immediately above your post here.

Deus settings tried, hot program and Deus fast.
All freqs, 4,8,12 and 18 kHz,, reactivity levels 2-4.
Version 4.1
Silencer settings 0 and -1
Sens between 87-94
Even compared turning vdi normalization off and on.
Tx power using levels. 1 and 2.

Click to expand...

How about the ground balance settings?

ham said:

How about the ground balance settings?

Click to expand...

All detectors were properly Ground balanced.
You see this is one of Deus weaknesses.

If you speed it up, ID can suffer.
Sure it alerts on targets but an op might not have a clue what's under their coil.

Now, Equinox does better here, but I need to say, it won't unlock all higher conductors in all scenarios. But it seems to be able to unlock more than Deus can.

OK, thanks for the info.

Another test.
Simple one.
Compared Deus wearing 9" and 11" LF coil, Etrac with stock oil, Equinox with stock coil.



A clad dime and pull ring with tab attached.
Swinging left to right, right to left.
Etrac fails to tell me dime is there. Highest conductive reading in screen on sweeps 25.

Deus wearing 11" LF coil.
Tried all settings I know of,no dice. Highest meter reading achieved is substantially below what a higher conductor reads on Deus meter.
Using 9" LF coil, same as noted with 11" LF coil, with one exception. I can do hover sweeps over dime and get a reading close to what higher conductor would read and sound like. But again sweeps won't expose the dime. Forget to say using both LF coils reactivity 3 necessary to get a tone on each object (showing 2 nonferrous in fact exist.

Equinox park2 speed 7 I can sweep and hear tone on dime and see short duration reports of 22,23,24 being seen in meter- denoting presence of higher conductor.

saw some of the same stuff in iron yesterday with the numbers... impressive just like you said!

saw some of the same stuff in iron yesterday with the numbers... impressive just like you said!

Here is a pic. Equinox using multi freq to ID each piece.

Cut parts of Mountain Dew can.
All pieces shown in pic are single layer, except one, the one second from right in pic. It is double layered.
ID of targets from left to right.
Smallest on left reads 4-5
Next piece reads 8-9
Next piece reads 10
Next piece reads 12 (double layer)
Last bigger piece on right reads 13 ( this is in nickel range- not high conductor coin range, not even in IH coin range)

Cheers.

Alright a little hunt this morning.
A site I hunted one time with Xp Deus and 9" LF coil.
I have never ran fbs type detector in this site.
Fisher F5 has been run in this site too.

On previous hunt with Deus 9" LF coil I found one purex lid 6 wheat heads and one Merc dime.
Most of the finds found came from one 5 ft by 5 ft section in this site.

So I took the mighty Nox in there with stock DD coil. This site btw older home site, I don't think this house very had electricity and burned down back when.

Deus users should be paying attention here.

Here is what I found in this site (except for the 3 coins on bottom in pic) and again most came from the same 5 ft by 5 ft section.


No target over 6" deep. This soil kills coins, eats them up badly.
One target a mere 2" deep.

A lot of higher conductors left by Deus. Deus probably alerted on at least some of these previously, but didn't convey info to let me know higher conductor existed.
Notice the little play dime , it rung up 20 in the meter.
Copper washer.

Nox ID stays up really even when hunting in heavy iron.
This site is machine gun fire with Deus btw reactivity 3 18khz

Nox settings used park 2 speed 7 iron bias zero.

Now there are 3 coins in the bottom of pic.
When I Left the site above and came back to truck, I swept near an old sidewalk where another older house sat, but this house folks lived in up into late 80s.. In short order sniffed these out. And this area been banged hard previously. Even I had swept over all 3 of these coins with Deus previously and never dug.

I am approaching 100 hours field time now with unit wearing stock DD coil.
Impressive unit.
With certain detecting scenarios, Equinox is fabulous.
Can do it seems what even some smaller coil setups can't. (Not referring to depth here either) Meaning targets are in depth range of smaller coils, yet they can't detect.
Can do it seems what even some other detectors and stock coil setups can't.

Versatile for what detector can do for even stock coil attached.

Just this morning, I was at a site where a gent watched me dig a 1916 Merc using Nokta Impact and smaller football coil last summer.
The real reason I was at this site this morning with Equinox.
This small section about 4 ft by 4 ft was of interest to me.

Equinox didn't disappoint either.
Two finds made, both deep too.
Like garret pinpointer length deep.
Area is polluted.
Area previously has has Deus both 9 and 11" coils over.
CTX both stock and smallest coil.
Etrac and 10x12 and 6x8 self coils.
White's V3i with stock coil.
Nokta Impact with smaller football coil.

Multiple multiple times the detectors above been over this 4 but 4 ft section.

Now this area, I can't dig just any nonferrous reported target tonally, digging is limited in this site.

Here is what was dug this morning in the small plot.


A women's rouge container(still has rouge in it).
And what looks to be some type of copper ring.
Both higher conductors and were actually air tested using Etrac.
Rouge container read IH coin range conductive number 34.
Copper ring reads 44 conductive.

Super tight signals with id climbing in the 20s on sweeps.

Head to head done on both undisturbed Deus and 9" LF coil- no cigar. Iron tones only in full tones, disc 6 pitch Notta,,tried a bunch of settings.
Etrac stock coil- totally SOL, nothing tonally telling me target even existed.

This is not the first time either this above has happened using Nox and doing head to heads.

I love running 50 tones using Equinox.
It is also my belief due to way Nox works, 50 tones application will allow a person to stop and take notice of targets (higher conductive) more masked yet detectable. The way audio tones roll. It makes a user put the brakes on and have a second look.

The 2 targets above found using speed 7 park 2. Iron bias 0.
Btw, this area contains some of the mildest soil in my area. 3 bars F75 indicated.

Nice finds and good report!

Crazy things happen with Nox.
Check this out.
I was hunting yesterday for a while in a site that hasn't given up much coinage wise even though back in the day one of the more prominent folks in area lived here. House burned, some ground cut off back below where house sat.
And a gent who owns put in a smaller trailer about 16 years ago.
Anyway, I am sweeping around, just like I had done in the past here using loads of detectors. And I Get this high sounding by going haywire signal. It was consistent signal and didn't seem too big.
So I started digging and this is what popped out of hole.
The wire mess.



When I saw this I though it was what I detected, and wasn't for sure of the washer thingy on the wire, maybe thinking it was nonferrous. (Magnet shows the mess all being ferrous) Out of the hole sweeping factory disc no sound. So swept the hole and now high tone plainer is sounding off high meter reading. About 4" deeper the quarter in pic.

You see Nox has changed what I call a good find.
That clad quarter in the pic, it is a very good find- due to the wire.

Might look a little cheesy to some.
But this works for me.
A thin 6000mah pack.
Electrical taped to bottom of cuff.


Used the pack today for 5 hours detecting.
Percentage left showing on pack 62%.

Still seeing grand performance out of Nox.
This thing kills buttons- smallest, smaller, medium and large.