FBS vs. Multi-IQ??

[txop]

I have owned several Explorer SE Pro's and did well with them. They, as well as the E-Trac used FBS Technology, i.e. multi-frequency. Now they come out with Multi-IQ. So what's the difference? Is it multi-frequency under a new name?

I know the Equinox has many other differences like faster recovery speed but I am just looking for an explanation of what is new, if anything, in the way Mult-IQ handles multi-frequency.

Any ideas?

 

[GroundHug]

FBS allows a wider frequency range, for one thing. I believe it can go as high as 99khz or 100 where the Equinox can do 40 tops. Minelab in the literature I read said it was like a mix of the VFLEX they use in the xterra as well as FBS.

It's for sure different from FBS Minelab says so themselves. Maybe by limiting the frequencies that can be used they can get that faster response.

Beyond that, Minelab isn't saying much that I'm aware of.

 

[Always Curious]

Minelab isn't explaining except with impressive-sounding but mostly meaningless gobbledegook--understandably keen on protecting its technology. But, the bottom line is that FBS and Multi-IQ both use ML's simultaneous multifrequency inductive balancing technology. It's probably reasonable to think of Multi-IQ as streamlined FBS, using several selected discrete frequencies with a few other tweaks. Only Minelab knows for sure, but the Equinox is probably a scaled-down version of the next generation of the ET/CTX, lacking accurate FE/CO and depth info and other bells and whistles which that machine will provide. Think of the Equinox as a remake of the Safari, giving Minelab a modern, light, fast, wireless, waterproof machine that can compete against the recent similar offerings from Garrett, Nokta/Macro and others.

 

[Jason in Enid]

FBS allows a wider frequency range, for one thing. I believe it can go as high as 99khz or 100 where the Equinox can do 40 tops. Minelab in the literature I read said it was like a mix of the VFLEX they use in the xterra as well as FBS.

It's for sure different from FBS Minelab says so themselves. Maybe by limiting the frequencies that can be used they can get that faster response.

Beyond that, Minelab isn't saying much that I'm aware of.

That isn't true. FBS doesn't utilize DRIVING frequencies anywhere close to that. Test have proven that it uses 2 driving frequencies, something like 2Khz and 10Khz IIRC. All those other frequencies they mention are harmonics off the driving freqs and each farther out freq has less and less power. Most of them are completely meaningless.

 

[txop]

FBS allows a wider frequency range, for one thing. I believe it can go as high as 99khz or 100 where the Equinox can do 40 tops. Minelab in the literature I read said it was like a mix of the VFLEX they use in the xterra as well as FBS.

It's for sure different from FBS Minelab says so themselves. Maybe by limiting the frequencies that can be used they can get that faster response.

Beyond that, Minelab isn't saying much that I'm aware of.

That isn't true. FBS doesn't utilize DRIVING frequencies anywhere close to that. Test have proven that it uses 2 driving frequencies, something like 2Khz and 10Khz IIRC. All those other frequencies they mention are harmonics off the driving freqs and each farther out freq has less and less power. Most of them are completely meaningless.

Jason,

First, thanks for deleting you original reply. It wasn't very helpful.

Do you how the test was done on FBS? It would be interesting to see the same test run on the Equinox.

I was just curios about the differences. I am going to buy an 800 as soon as they show up at a dealer just to see if I like it.

Harold

 

[Terra1959]

Here goes, I could be wrong but the way I understand it....

FBS transmits multiple frequencies to find a signal in the ground - then the detector selects one of those frequencies, the one that sends it the strongest (best) signal - then the signal is processed to give the user a TID and audio

Multi IQ transmits multiple frequencies and then processes the multiple frequencies simultaneously to arrive at a TID and audio.

happy huntin

 

[Southwind]

I have to say I think Jason is on Que. I used the FBS (Explorer SE PRo, E-Trac/CTX 3030) and none were even close to the gold ability of the Equinox. The claim of 100 kHz of the FBS I'd call BS or at the very least misleading. 100 kHz should kill on small gold when in fact it is terrible.

 

[GroundHug]

I think people are going off on tangents
Maybe they are thinking fbs transmits all those frequencies at once and the naysayers are right it doesnt
According to the fbs expert who taught me whose name im not dropping here fbs picks a few frequencies from that range to use that it determines should work best in your ground

I hope this adds further clarity

Personally all i care about is how well it works for me

 

[Jason in Enid]

First, thanks for deleting you original reply. It wasn't very helpful.

Do you how the test was done on FBS? It would be interesting to see the same test run on the Equinox.

I was just curios about the differences. I am going to buy an 800 as soon as they show up at a dealer just to see if I like it.

Harold

First, I didnt delete it. You may not have found it "helpful" but it was reality. The info you asked all already out there.

The testing was done by some electronic engineers who got curious and hooked up a CTX to a oscilliscope to look at wave form and frequencies. The original info is on another forum so I can't list it here, and the original pictures are gone because I think they used photobucket image hosting (which went to crap and stopped off-site sharing).

 

[Jason in Enid]

Personally all i care about is how well it works for me

This is really all that matters. I remember lots of histrionics when the revelation came out that it wasnt really pumping out 100 freqs or what. Who cares how many, the CTX does one thing really, really well and thats pull in silver coins. Like you, I don't how it does it, I just care that it does it.

 

[smkunder]

Just curious why Nox is so good on gold compared to CTX, has to be some major differences in technology’s

 

[earthmansurfer]

With 10 hours or so I n the Nox and hundreds on the E-Trac and CTX, I can say that the Nox FEELS to be using a higher frequency set and is obviously processesing things faster. It just feels more sensitive and responsive. I look forward to getting more hours on her.

It would be interesting to see what really fast FBS could do. A high conductor dream.

 

[jtalley007]

FBS is hot on silver, not on small gold therefore is favoring lower frequencies?

Equinox is hotter on small gold so is favoring higher frequencies.

Now, if equinox turns out to be hot on silver too, then Minelab has discovered a way to more fully utilize the spectrum of frequencies.

Whatever they do, they do it so much better than anyone else, that's why there's 100's if not 1000's of them on back order?

JMHO

 

[IDXMonster]

I would add that in order to have depth AND really accurate ID,I’m thinking the machine can’t be “fast” as well. That’s what ALLOWS for the accurate ID in the first place...the machine having time to analyze the target(s). Every machine has a thing they are best at,whether it be separation,deep coins,high conductors,low conductors,etc. It looks like Multi IQ is geared toward low conductors and speed,with the ability to find some other stuff. Like the CTX in reverse,though I personally haven’t found the CTX to be “slow”. Everything’s relative I suppose.

 

[Bryan V]

FBS is hot on silver, not on small gold therefore is favoring lower frequencies?

Equinox is hotter on small gold so is favoring higher frequencies.

Now, if equinox turns out to be hot on silver too, then Minelab has discovered a way to more fully utilize the spectrum of frequencies.

Whatever they do, they do it so much better than anyone else, that's why there's 100's if not 1000's of them on back order?

JMHO

It is hot on silver.. Very hot.. loves deep wheats and Indian Head Cents too..
The Equinox is a beast in my soil..
My poor E-Trac is now on backup duty in case the Equinox goes down or gets stolen..

Bryan

 

[littlenugget]

It's funny when people Say ctx is slow. Come on!! You can sweep ctx at normal speed, but when you are on top of the Target then you have to slow your sweep speed so that ctx can analice Target very well and see if it's trash or not, then you decide if you dig. Thats why i like my ctx a lot !!

 

[txop]

First, thanks for deleting you original reply. It wasn't very helpful.

Do you how the test was done on FBS? It would be interesting to see the same test run on the Equinox.

I was just curios about the differences. I am going to buy an 800 as soon as they show up at a dealer just to see if I like it.

Harold

First, I didnt delete it. You may not have found it "helpful" but it was reality. The info you asked all already out there.

The testing was done by some electronic engineers who got curious and hooked up a CTX to a oscilliscope to look at wave form and frequencies. The original info is on another forum so I can't list it here, and the original pictures are gone because I think they used photobucket image hosting (which went to crap and stopped off-site sharing).

I guess the moderator deleted it. He must have agreed with my thoughts. Anyway, enough said.

 

[bklein]

I just posted on the CTX forum results of a test I did that surprised me and I'd really like to know how the EQ does while trying the same thing.
You take your favorite ring and get its ID then take a tent spike and get its ID. Now swing the coil over the ring while you move the tent spike down towards the coil. On the CTX the ID moves from the ring ID to the spike ID in a straight line. If you use the CTX pinpoint you see the ring ID move towards the spike ID as well until you get one ID that is a combination of both but more like the tent spike than the gold ring. So you can get all the air IDs on targets you want but it looks to me that the ground conditions or nearby targets skew the IDs. The EQ has had these cool videos where the coil is swept past several targets in a line and each ID seems good. But not sure if any of those targets tested were gold. Will the gold ID stay intact so you can easily hear it from the others? On the CTX you can even try the test with a quarter and a smaller piece of gold and see the quarter just overpower the ID of the gold as it moves closer to it (within 2"). To me it means that smaller gold IDs may be skewed in trashy or black sand areas and they could get missed. The discrimination only masks the audio as the target moves under the grey area. It doesn't prevent iron (or whatever) from interfering with the gold target ID.

 

[eriks]

Hit a beach during the storm yesterday and pulled a few coins from the same hole; a heard/saw a high tone, 30 for a second and a low tone 11/12, but just for a moment, could not really get it to lock on a fixed coin number. The tones were mostly blended. No telling how close they were in the hole but two scoops down and out comes a pocket of black sand and the nickel, then the quarter.

Multiple targets, thick knot of black sand but for at least one sweep I could could see an accurate id on each coin.

 

[iDetectorX]

Jason is partially correct. FBS doesn't do anything close to the impression the marketing language leads one to believe. It does in fact only transmit and receive 2 fundamental frequencies, and the same two (3.125khz and 25khz). It doesn't transmit a broad range of fundamental frequencies and pick from the best. Rather, it transmits those same two over and over in ratios that favor the 3.125khz frequency and utilize the halflife of that frequency for analysis. This is why FBS machines are so hot on silver and not so hot on small gold that even some 13-15khz machines do a better job of sniffing out. The 28 frequency claim and the full band from 1.5khz to 100khz is by now well known marketing sleight of hand for those that have been paying attention. It was first discovered by Carl Moreland and verified by others in the field. Minelab was counting harmonics among its transmitted frequencies that are neither received nor processed by the machines. multi-IQ does something different. It is more balanced and effective over the spectrum of conductors. It weights it's signal to the task at hand. Rather than limiting itself to the same two frequencies with a bias toward deep, high conductors, you'll find that in the Gold mode for example, the signal is heavy on the 20 and 40khz frequencies. You'll find that on beach mode it is heavy on the 5 and 10khz as lower frequencies handle those conditions better. It's a smarter way to do multifrequency. It chooses the best or most effective fundamentals in each scenario. Both FBS and Multi-IQ utilize multifrequency in an automated sequence. Frequencies are rapid fired in a pulse like sequential manner, rather than simultaneously in the most literal sense. It's worth noting that it definitely seems to be a more efficient way of doing things as it loses no real depth over single frequencies. In fact, it could be said that Minelab multifrequency methods produce superior depth results over most single frequency machines.