Equinox on loan

[GA1dad]

So my friend has purchased an Equinox 600 with 11" coil and is a little unsure about it. He has loaned it to me for a couple of days to figure out the basics, and share my findings with him. I've only watched one video so far, but it seems pretty straight forward from a "getting started" perspective. My question is,,, Park 1 or Park 2 for a noob hunting a trashy park?

 

[JimmyCT]

Many answers will be given…..
Park1 is my favorite 99.9% of the time. Park1 is weighted with lower frequencies if in “multi-frequency mode” and ( to me) smacks coins hard even nickels too!!
Good luck to you!! Scan slow to understand what the machine is telling you. Scan fast in a trashy park, discouragement will set in and you may wrap that loaner around the nearest tree

 

[jim tn]

When I got my 600 a few months ago, I started out in park 1 and have found little reason to leave it. I mostly hunt in multi freq. and run sen. 23-25 and when its mentioned to hunt slow, very, very slow is the way to go. It hunts deep, but another world learning wise. At least it was for me. Have fun! HH jim tn

 

[KindManTall]

Park 1 50 tones multi freq everything else is set at default

 

[Ted S]

Park 1..But don't get crazy with the sensitivity...21-22 perhaps? You want a nice stable machine or you might get frustrated and as mentioned..Whack a tree with it!!

 

[GA1dad]

Thanks all. I don't foresee wrapping his machine around a tree. He might,,, but not I.

 

[BobOso]

everyone has their preferences. While many people like park 1, I always had too much ground chatter because of the mineralization, so park2 worked better. Its always better to experment. Burry targets at different depths, se which one hits better, same when you are on a live hunt, experiment with different settings, iron bias, modes, sensitivity, every field,every park is different.

 

[Hddeuce03]

Park 1, noise cancel and go!

 

[GA1dad]

So slow swinging is the name of the game?


And thanks for all the replies!

 

[JimmyCT]

So slow swinging is the name of the game?


And thanks for all the replies!

Yes sir

 

[laplander]

Park settings in default are great starting point quiet and very stable. If you get some hours in on it first before tweaking things. Here's the interesting thing about the Equinox machine in my opinion what mode works for one person/site might not be best for you and your conditions. It's like having multiple machines, by the way my go to is field 2.
HH Jeff

 

[laplander]

Thanks all. I don't foresee wrapping his machine around a tree. He might,,, but not I.

Can always blame it on the wind LOL

 

[GA1dad]

Park settings in default are great starting point quiet and very stable. If you get some hours in on it first before tweaking things. Here's the interesting thing about the Equinox machine in my opinion what mode works for one person/site might not be best for you and your conditions. It's like having multiple machines, by the way my go to is field 2.
HH Jeff

I know what you're saying. I got the chance to swing it over my coin garden this afternoon,,, field 1 seemed to work best in the garden,,,, but it is not that trashy in my yard either. I'm gonna try to swing it for real on a short hunt after work tomorrow.

 

[GA1dad]

Tell me about bottle caps and rusty nails,,,, the empty town lot I am going to this afternoon is loaded with both. I know I will just have to dig some, but what are the tells of these two trash items? Thanks in advance!

 

[nwdetectorist]

Most important of all --- know how to reset individual profiles, or know how to completely reset the machine to factory defaults. This way if you adjust badly or feel that your settings just are not working, simply reset and start over. Big CAVEAT here: A factory reset will un pair the blue tooth headphones if you are using these. Here is a JPG of the factory and profile resets from page 12 of the manual.

 

[GA1dad]

Okay,,, after a couple hours of swinging it,,,,,,, I like it!!! Started off in Field 1 w/ 50 tones,,,,, then Park 1 w/ 50 tones,,,,, but settled in on Park 1 w/ 5 tones. I did perform a noise cancel and opted to ground balance. I dug a few screw caps,,, and plenty of rusty nails. But I remembered reading that the Equinox was good about nulling the nail and giving a good coin ID,,, so I rechecked every nail hole and probably 75 percent of the time there was indeed a coin or something else in there with it. Dug 15 or so coins and two were wheat cents,,, one play money dime.

I bumped the sens. up to 23 once,,, but dropped it back to 20 for stability. Two must haves I think,,,, headphones and a 6" coil. There was so much traffic noise I could hardly hear the iron grunts.

 

[Ted S]

Glad you liked it! Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[JimmyCT]

Okay,,, after a couple hours of swinging it,,,,,,, I like it!!! Started off in Field 1 w/ 50 tones,,,,, then Park 1 w/ 50 tones,,,,, but settled in on Park 1 w/ 5 tones. I did perform a noise cancel and opted to ground balance. I dug a few screw caps,,, and plenty of rusty nails. But I remembered reading that the Equinox was good about nulling the nail and giving a good coin ID,,, so I rechecked every nail hole and probably 75 percent of the time there was indeed a coin or something else in there with it. Dug 15 or so coins and two were wheat cents,,, one play money dime.

I bumped the sens. up to 23 once,,, but dropped it back to 20 for stability. Two must haves I think,,,, headphones and a 6" coil. There was so much traffic noise I could hardly hear the iron grunts.

I am glad you are liking the machine!
Sounds like you are hunting an extreme trash pit! Glad you are rechecking your plugs. More often then not, there is non-ferrous in the hole with iron. Headphones are an absolute must and you will hear much better while suppressing noise on the outside. Lastly if it’s a junk infested area that little 6” coil will come in handy.
I agree with staying at 20 for sensitivity especially while you are becoming acclimated to the machine. Once you gain a good amount of time, then you can increase sensitivity as you will have a better understanding of how ferrous and non-ferrous targets behave.

 

[dfmike]

I dig a lot more nails since I've been using the Equinox but lots of times I was surprised to find a coin in with a rusty nail or two. Sometimes a nail will make the occasional high pitched squeal that I look for in 5 tones but the noise can be slightly distorted / clipped at the end when it's only a nail with no coin present. The ID might jump anywhere from 14 to 39 and back. Usually when a coin is present, ID will be more steady (not drop down so low or go so high) and with the small coil, I can sometimes wiggle it tightly and get a solid coin ID either with a single high tone or a double. I say usually because there is no absolute certainty when using a detector in very trashy places where masking is an issue. Sometimes you just have to dig a target to make sure. Bottle caps have not been an issue at all for me so far with this machine. They ID lower than copper or silver coins and they produce a midtone. This is in the simultaneous multi frequency mode of course.

 

[GA1dad]

Well, the Equinox has been returned. Got to hunt with it twice. If I found a deal, I would certainly purchase one of my own. One take away that I really enjoy is that now I better understand what is going on when I watch youtubers that use the Nox.

Thanks to everyone that shared tips!