Equinox vs Explorer, for deep-turf-cherry-picking

[Chris(SoCenWI)]

Tom,

I'm a long time Explorer XS user, since 2001. I was early enough to get on the mid/tail-end of "Old sites becoming alive again". My belief is that this was mainly due to the Minelabs being the first detectors with a DD coil as stock, although the auto ground balance and other features surely played a part. I'm convinced that there are still many coins to be found that are masked by surrounding junk: I've worked enough sites where a couple of inches of top soil has been removed and old coins everywhere. I've bought three detectors since the XS: Fisher F-75, Minelab CTX 3300, and this spring a NOX 800. All with the hope that they would make sites come alive again, or at least come up with more coins than if I gave it another pass with the XS.

Thus far no luck. All seem to be capable detectors that may have found a lot of coins in areas that hadn't already been hit by FBS machines, but they certainly are not making sites come alive again, as some on the Equinox forum seem to imply.

And as I"ve mentioned before, I greatly prefer the true two-axis TID display of the XS generation machines. And the F-75 and NOX seem to love steel bottle caps.

Could say more....

Chris(SoCenWI)

 

[Jeffrey D.]

Tom,

I actually had a Explorer II for a few years before switching to the SE. The way I have SE programs set up, along with using the Pro-Coil and the fact that I always hunt in "Deep" mode and swing my detector extremely slow, I didn't lose any depth by switching over to the SE. In fact, with the programs that I have in the SE, I believe I've gained a little depth (but that's just me). One thing I do know is that you could have a hundred guys out on a group hunt, swinging the same exact detector, but there is always one of two guys that come in with a little bit more than every else. I learned that if you want to find the seated dimes, barbers, Indians, shield nickles etc, that you have to go slow, slow and low and dig ALL the deep iffy targets,,,,and obviously, don't always go in the same direction i.e. north & south, then the next hunt go east to west.

One of my joys of metal detecting of late is when someone tells me that "I'm not going to find anything old at a particular location as it has been pounded over the years by XLTs, DFXs, AT Pros, CTXs, AT Maxs, Minelabs, and the list of detectors goes on and on....." That is why I love the Minelab SE and find it hard to give it up.- There is no such thing is a completely hunted out site when you are swinging a Minelab.

Appreciate our input and the info on the test against your buddies NOX800. I'm going to hold off purchasing any new detector for a while and do a bit more research. It's winter-time in Ohio, so I have a few months to think about it.

Happy hunting and Happy New Year!!

 

[IDXMonster]

Kevin, good job on those two oldies, congratulations! Good job on the video too!
I always thought the ferrous sound was the warble maker, oh well maybe it wasn’t my hearing going bad.
Also great to see your Mod in action! Do you do them on request?

Tony NJ

Thanks a lot Tony! And NO....I won’t chop up anyone else’s machine. I do know of 5 other FBS machines that have gotten converted since I made the video, so it’s not too hard to do. I just don’t want to assume any risk is all.

 

[BigTony]

Yeah, I heard you say that before but it’s worth a try.

I’ll check out your video but please I might have to ask a few questions if you don’t mind, and no rush at all. Winter will be here soon.

I went out today and realized that the Nox will do good at hunted sites - no silver yet but that can be lower than the coins coming up.

Have a happy and health New Years

Tony

 

[Dan(NM)]

Kevin, good job on those two oldies, congratulations! Good job on the video too!
I always thought the ferrous sound was the warble maker, oh well maybe it wasn’t my hearing going bad.
Also great to see your Mod in action! Do you do them on request?

Tony NJ

Thanks a lot Tony! And NO....I won’t chop up anyone else’s machine. I do know of 5 other FBS machines that have gotten converted since I made the video, so it’s not too hard to do. I just don’t want to assume any risk is all.

Lol, No kidding Kevin, I was very hesitate about the first one I chopped, second one wasn't as bad, 3rd was a piece of cake I'm like you, I'd never do that to someone else's machine. I was able to get 2 of them at price it wouldn't have hurt too bad, but never the less, I would have been upset if I would have messed them up.

 

[IDXMonster]

Happy New Year as well Tony! And no problem, I’ll help where I can. As you can see, Dan has taken this to a new level...

Looking GOOD Dan! If someone with an Explorer or eTrac swung that coil on the separate S rod just ONCE....it’s almost as though it should have been set up this way to begin with, or at least as an option. If only a guy could turn back the clock, right? Well, we have. A fellow I know over by Milwaukee has an XS that he set up like these, now he can actually use it again for extended periods without his body giving up. That’s what this is all about. This mod won’t make it respond faster or go deeper or be more accurate.....obviously. It’s just damn nice to use.

 

[Dan(NM)]

Happy New Year as well Tony! And no problem, I’ll help where I can. As you can see, Dan has taken this to a new level...

Looking GOOD Dan! If someone with an Explorer or eTrac swung that coil on the separate S rod just ONCE....it’s almost as though it should have been set up this way to begin with, or at least as an option. If only a guy could turn back the clock, right? Well, we have. A fellow I know over by Milwaukee has an XS that he set up like these, now he can actually use it again for extended periods without his body giving up. That’s what this is all about. This mod won’t make it respond faster or go deeper or more accurate.....obviously. It’s just damn nice to use.

Thanks Kevin, if you wouldn't have posted that video, swinging an old Minelab would be a thing of the past for me. Thanks for being the guinea pig

 

[IDXMonster]

To continue a bit on this mod....and as Dan can surely attest to...the most difficult part of the whole thing is removing the control housing from the handle. He did it slightly differently than I did but after this first step is done, there’s not much to it. Each one will be just how you want it, because you can make it however you like. The alternative for many is putting it in the closet or selling it. For ME...putting my EX2 in the closet wasn’t ever an option, nor was selling it. It just has too much to offer to not use it, as do the other “tools” I have at my disposal.

 

[D&P-OR]

Hey Kevin----Dan------Why don't you guys just get a CTX & have it over & done with??-----A tad on the heavy side but with the great balance it has you'd never know it!------I swear---the Equinox with 11" stock coil "wears" on me far more than the CTX with stock on a long hunt.------Oh, we're talking about mods aren't we!

 

[IDXMonster]

Hey Kevin----Dan------Why don't you guys just get a CTX & have it over & done with??-----A tad on the heavy side but with the great balance it has you'd never know it!------I swear---the Equinox with 11" stock coil "wears" on me far more than the CTX with stock on a long hunt.------Oh, we're talking about mods aren't we!

We DO have CTX’s AND EQX’s Del! And you are SO right...I need to “jimmy up” a counterweight for the 800 because it is nose heavy. A taller fellow like me needs the extension, and that doesn’t help having the coil that far out. It’s not terrible, but the second I picked up my buddy Mikes 800 a couple years ago before I got mine, I knew it was nose heavy. The CTX with the 6” coil to ME is very nicely weighted, the stock coil isn’t bad. The 17” coil is fine as long as you’re digging targets regularly, swinging THAT for a half hour straight is taxing.
And yeah, this is about mods man!

 

[Dan(NM)]

Hey Kevin----Dan------Why don't you guys just get a CTX & have it over & done with??-----A tad on the heavy side but with the great balance it has you'd never know it!------I swear---the Equinox with 11" stock coil "wears" on me far more than the CTX with stock on a long hunt.------Oh, we're talking about mods aren't we!

Been down the long and winding road with Minelab and have finally paid the price after 20 years of swinging one. Maybe after a surgery I'll go back to the CTX, I sure miss it!!