Depth

[Ron12]

First I want to say I Love the Equinox
But 8 Hunts and although I’m finding the low conductors and very small ones at that I’m not finding Gold or many coins

So I decided to test again this time with a nickel
Last time was a 6 gram 14k band and max wet sand buried was 8 inch

Setting sensitivity 20 , Recovery 4, iron bias 2
Buried I can only get a nickel 6 inch or so
Factory reset still 6
If I lay it on wet sand can raise coil a foot and still get signal

Finally after changes to settings and burring nickel over an over I just laid nickel in hole

Turned out the same , 6 inch max , give or take

So what that tells me is ground (wet sand) is keeping me from picking up nickel at depth
From reviews aka Gary Drayton a nickel buried in wet or dry should be picked up 12 inch

From what I understand ground balance only makes machine stable
I’ve never used it on Beach as it low mineralization

So didn’t know how to set it

Now know; is it possible that auto tracking or ground balance will keep wet beach from affecting depth
Kind of flustered with low depth performance
Been hunting 25 years and scrub search to get max depth on all machines and 6 inch is not something I’m willing to settle for
Have no problems with CTX or Excalibur

Really love this machine, just need to find out what’s going on

And yes I understand fully a newly buried coin ect is no a accurate test but I expect any machine to hit on a nickel at more than 6 inches either way

Any input would be awesome. Ron

 

[Jason in Enid]

Now know; is it possible that auto tracking or ground balance will keep wet beach from affecting depth
Kind of flustered with low depth performance
. Ron

I'm confused, are you saying that you are turning on ground balance with auto track at the beach?

 

[Ron12]

Lol
Sorry
No I’m not running either
Minelab suggest keeping ground balance a default o
So I have

I was just asking if setting to auto track would get better depth

It seems once coin or ring is in ground I loose substantial depth

Out of ground I can raise coil 12 inches above target and still pick it up great

 

[Jason in Enid]

Lol
Sorry
No I’m not running either
Minelab suggest keeping ground balance a default o
So I have

I was just asking if setting to auto track would get better depth

It seems once coin or ring is in ground I loose substantial depth

Out of ground I can raise coil 12 inches above target and still pick it up great

I dont know what to tell you. I can hit a nickel at a foot in soil with GB 0. I don't know your ground and I dont have my EQX there to do a side by side comparison. It sOUNDS like something is wrong, but thats impossible to really know from behind my keyboard.

 

[dbado1]

I use the tracking feature quite a bit and have not noticed a loss in depth or that it tracks out small targets. I've dug #8 bird shot with the tracking on. Give it a try...you have nothing to lose.

Dean

 

[RavRad]

Are you in Beach 1 or Beach 2? Manual says tracking ground balance is useful in Beach 2 in saltwater.

 

[Ron12]

Thanks hadn’t seen minlabs comment on that other than keep at o
Will try tracking tomorrow
And I Do Hunt in Beach 2

 

[Terra1959]

1.5 hrs ago I dug an Australian 20cent coin a 12" easy in damp salt water sand
Beach 2 , Tracking ON, Sens 22

I had just come out of the water and was walking back to my towel

Wet saltwater sand I think it should be Beach 2
In wet sand or in the water Tracking works well to GB out the waves etc

 

[sgoss66]

According to one of the folks who had input on the design, you don't want to run "tracking" at the beach; he said to do an auto (fixed) ground balance.

You should ABSOLUTELY be getting more than 6" depth in low-mineral sand. Zero question about it. Something is NOT right...

I would talk to Minelab about this. The fact that you can get it 12" if you lay it ON the sand, but then that drops to 6" IN the sand, suggests either HIGHLY mineralized sand, or else there is something wrong. It almost sounds to me as if the machine -- although it should be locked in Multi-IQ mode when in beach mode, is actually running a single frequency in beach mode...that would explain the observed behavior (12" on a nickel sitting ON the sand, but only 6" on the nickel if IN the sand...)

Steve

 

[Terra1959]

According to one of the folks who had input on the design, you don't want to run "tracking" at the beach; he said to do an auto (fixed) ground balance.

Steve

I dont mean to be argumentative but Tracking actually does work very well IN the water using Beach 2.
It is highlighted ( in light blue )in the instruction manual page41

 

[Jason in Enid]

According to one of the folks who had input on the design, you don't want to run "tracking" at the beach; he said to do an auto (fixed) ground balance.

Steve

I dont mean to be argumentative but Tracking actually does work very well IN the water using Beach 2.
It is highlighted ( in light blue )in the instruction manual page41

Thats GOLD MODE, not beach mode. Gold mode is for prospecting in highly mineralized ground, which is the complete opposite of most beaches. The manual says is CAN BE useful underwater, not that it SHOULD BE used. Some beaches have very high amounts of iron sands and those places absolutely would be advised to use it.

 

[sgoss66]

Terra -- it's not that it won't WORK, it's that (as I understand it) you run the risk of "tracking out" small targets in salty sand/saltwater beaches.

If you are not worried about the small (or weak-reading) gold items, but instead only larger gold targets, then it's not such an issue.

Again -- this is how I understand the "why" of it; I'm not a beach hunter, so it's possible I've missed some of the nuance of the "why;" all I know for sure is, an engineer involved with the design advises NOT to run "tracking" at the beach...

Steve

 

[Digger 45]

I use Tracking All the time and at the beach i have no problem at getting any coin at 12" pulled a small silver ring out at all of 12" three scoops down with the Stealth scoop.

 

[sgoss66]

Again --

It's not that tracking "won't work," it's that you run the risk of "tracking out" small gold items in a salt environment...

If you don't search for small gold items, then tracking might be a reasonable way to run the machine on the beach.

Steve

 

[5900_XL-1]

I've chosen to avoid auto-track, if it is an option. My Etrac and SE FBS is locked in auto, and auto mode has actually "tuned-out" iffy signals while hovering over a weak signal. I just imagine just how many good finds I've missed over time with AT. It happened with my V3i, the V3i being my main machine over years. A locked, maual GB took away that concern. A fresh, locked, ground balance after losing an interesting signal, usually brought me good results.

When ML suggests leaving the GB at zero(default) and not run in auto with the Equinox....my old Whites V3i knowledge kicked in. I hate having a really interesting signal just disappear after doing a 360 degree verification, which takes me a lot of time with that type of signal. The Etrac and SE could go silent after 60 seconds, and cause me to find a clean spot to re-GB, but I usually got the signal back.

I limit my digs if I lose the signal, always have, once I had put I time after beginning the hobby. To each their own. We are all different.

 

[Terra1959]

I am a water hunter and I actually KNOW that it works well for me in the ocean - Eq800 in Beach2.
I must be keen too as yesterday the water was bloody freezing but I stuck it out for 3 hours in the wetsuit (its Winter here)

Steve..If the target is that tiny then it would fall through my scoop holes anyway
...in thigh deep or deeper water the chances of recovering something too small for a scoop are not good (unless actually diving with Mask etc)
I understand well about how an item can be Tracked out but I can assure you that some fairly small items have been found in the bottom of my scoop

Where I detect I would be stopping to ground balance every few metres if not using Tracking in the ocean
I have tried both methods of Auto GB & Tracking and I know what works for me where I detect
Tracking counters the Salt effect, wave action, black sand and the other factors in active saltwater

For me in Sens 21 or so Tracking is stable but things can still get a bit chirpy with wave action, seaweed hitting coil etc - Auto GB quickly becomes very chirpy and noisy, - its nice in theory but not practical in use for me
Auto GB may work better for me if I drop Sens to say 17 or 18 but I prefer the extra depth of Sens 21 or 22 (approximately as it does vary depending upon actual location)

Jason , Tracking is the default setting in GOLD mode because it works in constantly changing ground mineralisation ....just like in a saltwater ocean
Minelab know this too (from their extensive testing ) or they would not have suggested using Tracking for Beach 2 (in the ocean ) in their instruction manual

Locations and conditions vary and each should make their own mind up with their Equinox in the ocean...what works for me may not for you
At the end of the day each should do their own thing and this is just a good place to discuss what works and what doesnt for you.

happy swinging and I hope theres gold in your scoop

 

[Ron12]

Thanks everyone for your input
Did try auto track and also tried ground balance neither helped

My conclusion is machine is fine and so are setting it’s just the way it is
I’ve hunted long enough to know how to set a machine after 40 hrs of use especially coming from CTX
Machine works awesome and is stable just not as deep as I would like
If some are getting 12 inches on a nickel that’s great but not from what I see

Also brought out a rope 14k bracelet I found with CTX the week before equinox arrived and got it about 3 inches
That’s close to what CTX Found it
So my conclusion is CTX IS Going back to.being my primary machine
I still like Equinox it’s great in iron and fast response is awesome

But I have much more confidence in CTX
ITS not a matter of learning Equinox as I’ve done every setting possible and after 40 plus hrs feel I know how machine reacts
Will use it for quick hunts after work and when a lot of iron is on Beach

One guy did review on equinox and said it hits hard on anything 6 inches or less but struggles after that and that’s exactly what I see
If it works for others that’s Great
HH Ron

 

[dewcon4414]

In tracking your depth can go up and down. Near or in salt water your noise level will raise based on mineral concentration as well as flakes of targets like foil and aluminum. A locked auto GB is some times needed.... but ive found raising the recovery speed will work as well. I have no problem hitting a nickel at well over 6" in the wet sand. You do loose some depth as sonn as u hit the water....u can tell just by checking your coil HALO. You loose a little depth from the air test but not half the depth. My Nox seems to like deep nickels.

 

[Elton]

Hmmmmm I had a different brand detector in the early nineties. I was getting 5/ 6" on a nickel. Everyone else was getting 9 or so inches.
Machine worked great..just not as deep as others were hitting... I like you figured it must be just how it is!.. I was wrong. After using a different machine ( Same Brand) same model
it was clear "MY" machine wasn't doing the job.

I sent it in for a check up.. Plus and Minus parameters of parts used came into play. All my acceptable components were on the negative side of being passable.
After replacing, and listing, the replacements for me to see what was changed when it came back.. My machine picked up Nickels at 10".

If everyone else is getting deeper. It's your machine, Your soil, or your settings that is off.

Send it in. Get it checked. Know your soil conditions..and accept that maybe, just maybe you haven't learned how to get the max. One other thing.. A CTX, and Equinox are a bit different.. Not apples to apples. Is yours a 600, or 800 ?.
I also think it possible if your reading beach recovery numbers from others..Well, coins do drop down deeper in sand recoveries while digging.

Good luck and I hope you get it fixed/ adjusted right or what ever. There are to many success stories about the Eq for it to be all smoke.

 

[Jason in Enid]

......
Jason , Tracking is the default setting in GOLD mode because it works in constantly changing ground mineralisation ....just like in a saltwater ocean
Minelab know this too (from their extensive testing ) or they would not have suggested using Tracking for Beach 2 (in the ocean ) in their instruction manual

Locations and conditions vary and each should make their own mind up with their Equinox in the ocean...what works for me may not for you
At the end of the day each should do their own thing and this is just a good place to discuss what works and what doesnt for you.

happy swinging and I hope theres gold in your scoop

Ahh, I didnt see you were in Australia, you may have some very mineralized sand at your beach.

One thing I think needs to be clarified is "mineralization". Saltwater is 100% opposite of mineralization.

You know, I sat here and typed out a huge explanation of salt and iron reject and ground balance. EDIT Everyone do what they want. Have fun in the pool kids!