Any Etrac converts in here?

[bklein]

I just put my EQ800 on Craigslist. I’ll wait for either firmware that’s makes all detectors run the same (and better) or the next machine. No reason the Equinox couldn’t have been a CTX with a bit better user interface like the Equinox has. My CTX is superior in so many ways and Minelab feels the same way - ask them.
I still would advise prospective buyers towards the Equinox as if the target is under the coil you’ll hear it and it is cheaper. But I got my CTX cheap and have really been impressed. My brain likes it and doesn’t like the Equinox after 120 hours or more of using it. Too much junk, too much foil, vanishing targets, no obvious positive targets over the CTX in 3/4 of a year trying. This is regarding beach hunting - park/relic hunting is another world that I rarely try.

 

[pghmole]

I have the E,Ctx and 800,the E gathers dust but I will never part with her because of the audio and x1, the Ctx and 800 are the ultimate combo in my opinion,the 800 is for trashy and irony sites and the Ctx does the rest to put it simply..my pouch is seldom void of silver. p.s. I have all factory coils for both the Ctx and 800

 

[metalpopper]

TOM....Anyone who compares the NOX to the Etrac.....is really speaking phylasophically...

To claim individualistc experiences regarding each machine's capabilities ON UNRELATED-SPECIFIC TARGETS.

.i.e, not on the SAME target IN THE SOIL THAT DAY.....

is talking like a plonker. ...not a rational detectorist

THE ARE BOTH good units......enough said?.....

One thing is certain.......The NOX CANNOT compare with the E-Trac regarding VDI accuracy AT DEPTH

The E-Trac is TIME DOMAIN technology.....the NOX, frequency domain. Each has their own strengths.

Weight is a minus factor.....poor VDI at depth is a minus factor.....your choice?.....matt

 

[metalpopper]

lol......absolutely NO CHANCE that the Nox is deeper than the Etrac
when the Etrac is properly balanced to the ground and EMI situation, it will lap the NOX on its best day for overall depth
i love my Nox....i even refer to her as Nicki Nox!!....and she has given me my best silver day ever(7) in the last couple weeks
and she is a demon in the top 7-8 inches and seeing through all the BS in the ground to grab stuff the Etrac cannot see
her processor and ability to toggle between frequencies are unmatched...???????
the Nox will get a few deeper items if they are larger (!!!!!! ANY detector can DO THAT)

the Etrac can grab deep dimes and such that the Nox cannot sniff....
even with the SENS cranked up to 23 or so....
no bones about it

Sunray..how do YOU balance your E-Trac to the ground?

I like both units, for different reasons.......but the Etrac is a faultless implementation of BBS technology (relative to the days of its production).

Switch on and GO.....Land, sand or salty sea water......Any time...TIME DOMAIN REIGNS when accuracy is paramount.....matt

 

[Bryan V]

One thing is certain.......The NOX CANNOT compare with the E-Trac regarding VDI accuracy AT DEPTH

I do not fully agree and this might be ground/location related.

My Nickel IDs are actually tighter on my Equinox then both my CTX and E-Trac.

Pennies are a little more wild on the Equinox but both copper and silver coins stay in the high conductor range to full depth.
That full depth is deeper then both my CTX and Equinox in my mineralized ground.

I dig no more trash hunting city parks then I did with my FBS Detectors.

Bryan

 

[Mark kus]

Put the nox in all metal mode it rocks I think better than my old Etrac it separates better to me.

 

[5900_XL-1]

One thing is certain.......The NOX CANNOT compare with the E-Trac regarding VDI accuracy AT DEPTH

I do not fully agree and this might be ground/location related.

My Nickel IDs are actually tighter on my Equinox then both my CTX and E-Trac.

Pennies are a little more wild on the Equinox but both copper and silver coins stay in the high conductor range to full depth.
That full depth is deeper then both my CTX and Equinox in my mineralized ground.

I dig no more trash hunting city parks then I did with my FBS Detectors.

Bryan

I had the opportunity to hunt side beside the Nox 600 right after it hit the market, and I was running my Etrac. By buddy, running the 600 for it's maiden hunt, hit a tone at depth on a 8-9" target, numbers reading 27-28. Otto let me test it with my Etrac, which I had lots of time using. It was an equal strength signal for both. The Etrac gave a semi jumpy 12-45, and the Nox reacted much the same, 27-28. There was very little difference. Had I not been told where the target was, I might have very well missed that signal.

I would never call the Equinox inferior in depth and ID to the Etrac, especially since I felt that I was a skilled Etrac user, and Otto had just brought his 600 out, running in factory stock mode.

I now own that very same Equinox 600 and even though I mainly bought it for separation in hard hunted areas for past, missed targets, the Nox has proven itself very impressively at depth and ID.

He dug a pretty Mercury within 20 minutes of using it. I called that signal "neck to neck."

 

[metalpopper]

One thing is certain.......The NOX CANNOT compare with the E-Trac regarding VDI accuracy AT DEPTH

I do not fully agree and this might be ground/location related.

My Nickel IDs are actually tighter on my Equinox then both my CTX and E-Trac.

Pennies are a little more wild on the Equinox but both copper and silver coins stay in the high conductor range to full depth.
That full depth is deeper then both my CTX and Equinox in my mineralized ground.

I dig no more trash hunting city parks then I did with my FBS Detectors.

Bryan

*********************************************************************************​

Hi Bryan! Thanks for the reply, for it is very helpful to hear about your observations, especially so because you have the contra-ground.

Locally, here, ground mineralisation is rarely a problem. The Equinox 600 (to which I relate to re usage) certainly proved itself on the local beach.

The only complaint being, about its appetite for finding can-debri.....man, did I dig some deep holes on that initial outing.

I also dug more more coins than my mate....5 to 1 ratio !. He was impressed.

At present, I'm savouring the WHITES MXSPORT....water-proof version, which belongs to my younger brother.

Once its OPTIONS are optimally invoked, it too is a cracking detector...even tho it only single-frequency driven (13 Khz range) VLF.

Well done Whites. One complaint only, regarding the display.

I think that the 'ground-mineralization and target-depth info., could have been better presented in bar-form, ( in searching-mode).

Thank again Bryan for your post....matt

 

[wvrick]

Just following

 

[synthnut]

Let me start by saying that I don’t have an EQ yet.....I have used quite a few machines including a few from Minelab.....Reading this thead has been very enlightening to say the least...One of my favorite machines was a ML Sovereign GT.....My buddy ran an Etrac at the time....My biggest WOW moment was when we hunted an old park in NYC.....We were both hitting old Silver,but he was hitting 2 to1 on my takes....NONE of these were because of depth! It was all because of masking !! I’m not saying that a machine that runs deeper is bad, but more emphasis should be put on masking ! We both did well on Saltwater beaches.....As I get older, I can see a Eq in my future mainly because of the weight difference .... I still like my Etrac, and would like to get another Soveriegn GT !! I wil be doing more beach hunts as I’m older and bigger now than I use to be....Gold is a lot more fun to dig out of the sand than in the dirt !! ....Jim