First 2 hunts with the new EQ 800

[Wiggo]

Been a long Minelab guy - have one of the first Excal # 257, and green box Musketeer X and CTX 3030. Had the CTX for almost 18 months and really like the unit but not been out enough lately to warrant the high price - been sitting in my office. Decided to sell the CTX and purchase the Equinox 800 after reading all the reviews and using a friends side by side at the beach. The EQ 800 was just as good as my CTX on depth and the EQ was better on discrimination and ID. Blew me away... I was very good with the CTX but the first time with the EQ - it was better. Made a believer out of me on the spot.

Received my EQ 800 this past Friday - Big Boys Hobbies (Bart is great and it was delivered in 3 days). Took it out on Saturday in a trashy park that has hunted many times and pulled several coins out of areas i have hunted many time myself with the CTX. Took it to the beach yesterday and was running behind 2 other Detectorist and found over coins that they either didn’t dig or missed altogether.

The EQ is definitely a great unit. Light weight, easy to use and plenty of how to videos out there now. I dug a little trash - pull tabs and deep cans - mainly at the beginning just making sure what the ID’s were and was then able to pretty much identify those and move on. I will always did a little Alluminum because gold rings land in that zone also but I drastically cut down on the trash i brought home and i felt much better after 3.5 hrs of detecting.

I’m a believer and cant wait until the next hunt.

 

[laplander]

X2. Defies price, weight, and performance Logic!
Jeff

 

[metalfun]

Were you using the stock coil at the park or did you purchase the 6" coil? HH

 

[Wiggo]

I only have the stock 11” at this time. Haven’t decided on the 6” or 15”. I had all 3 on my CTX and hardly ever used the 6” or 17” but that machine was so heavy it was not comfortable to use the 17”.

 

[Mark kus]

Glad you like it same here always liked minelab I've been doing real well with mine

 

[IDXMonster]

I will respectfully disagree with just about everything you said,but it’s good to see you have found the machine that works for YOU! In the end THAT is what really matters.

 

[sube]

Been a long Minelab guy - have one of the first Excal # 257, and green box Musketeer X and CTX 3030. Had the CTX for almost 18 months and really like the unit but not been out enough lately to warrant the high price - been sitting in my office. Decided to sell the CTX and purchase the Equinox 800 after reading all the reviews and using a friends side by side at the beach. The EQ 800 was just as good as my CTX on depth and the EQ was better on discrimination and ID. Blew me away... I was very good with the CTX but the first time with the EQ - it was better. Made a believer out of me on the spot.

Received my EQ 800 this past Friday - Big Boys Hobbies (Bart is great and it was delivered in 3 days). Took it out on Saturday in a trashy park that has hunted many times and pulled several coins out of areas i have hunted many time myself with the CTX. Took it to the beach yesterday and was running behind 2 other Detectorist and found over coins that they either didn’t dig or missed altogether.

The EQ is definitely a great unit. Light weight, easy to use and plenty of how to videos out there now. I dug a little trash - pull tabs and deep cans - mainly at the beginning just making sure what the ID’s were and was then able to pretty much identify those and move on. I will always did a little Alluminum because gold rings land in that zone also but I drastically cut down on the trash i brought home and i felt much better after 3.5 hrs of detecting.

I’m a believer and cant wait until the next hunt.

Good to see your liking your new machine . I have the two machines also however I tend to agree with IDX I am only seeing low conductors id better on the nox not high conductors silver and Penny's.
Try this nail laying north and south over a dime and then do a nickel .Iron bias 0 ctx open screen ferrous coin .

Here's what I got ctx 12.42 to 12.43 on the dime 12.09 to12.15 nickle target trace at same #s east west no sound on coins target trace at 12.25 on dime target trace on nickle 12.09 to 12.15.

Here's what I got nox 19 to 20 on the dime 13 on the nickle east west on dime 0 east west on nickle 3 to 8 gave tone

CTX ferrous coin open screen fast on fe line at 32 combine
Nox park 2 iron bias o recovery 8 50 tones

CTX high trash GC low trash the id was north south 23.45 to 29.45 as you can see steady id # 45 .

It seems to me anytime a nail or other piece of iron is with a high conductive coin the nox averages the signal to 15 to 20 that's both targets under the coil at the same time Ctx clearly wins here low conductors I give it to the nox .

The CTX DNA clearly separates the signals under the coil at the same time especially ferrous coin 12.43 the other modes do so in a different way 23.45 to 29.45 but that second # is almost spot on .

Now the nox blends the signals instead of 26 or 27 on a dime it will read 18 to 20 so where's the id.
If your using the nox and get a 15 to 20 one way and the other way reads nothing or you get a pop to 3 to 8 you better dig it could be a high conductor down graded by iron . If negative #s show on the second sweep all bets are off.

Well the nox find targets the CTX won't yes but it's only a speed thing it's the id that's the problem . Even if you get Fe#s and conduct #s on the screen as the ctx has you still need that ability to separate the 2 targets under the coil at the same time that's in the detectors DNA CTX rules here for now .

I will be doing test all summer because I have a friend running a nox so I can do some testing .just my opinion sube

 

[Mark kus]

Been a long Minelab guy - have one of the first Excal # 257, and green box Musketeer X and CTX 3030. Had the CTX for almost 18 months and really like the unit but not been out enough lately to warrant the high price - been sitting in my office. Decided to sell the CTX and purchase the Equinox 800 after reading all the reviews and using a friends side by side at the beach. The EQ 800 was just as good as my CTX on depth and the EQ was better on discrimination and ID. Blew me away... I was very good with the CTX but the first time with the EQ - it was better. Made a believer out of me on the spot.

Received my EQ 800 this past Friday - Big Boys Hobbies (Bart is great and it was delivered in 3 days). Took it out on Saturday in a trashy park that has hunted many times and pulled several coins out of areas i have hunted many time myself with the CTX. Took it to the beach yesterday and was running behind 2 other Detectorist and found over coins that they either didn’t dig or missed altogether.

The EQ is definitely a great unit. Light weight, easy to use and plenty of how to videos out there now. I dug a little trash - pull tabs and deep cans - mainly at the beginning just making sure what the ID’s were and was then able to pretty much identify those and move on. I will always did a little Alluminum because gold rings land in that zone also but I drastically cut down on the trash i brought home and i felt much better after 3.5 hrs of detecting.

I’m a believer and cant wait until the next hunt.

Good to see your liking your new machine . I have the two machines also however I tend to agree with IDX I am only seeing low conductors id better on the nox not high conductors silver and Penny's.
Try this nail laying north and south over a dime and then do a nickel .Iron bias 0 ctx open screen ferrous coin .

Here's what I got ctx 12.42 to 12.43 on the dime 12.09 to12.15 nickle target trace at same #s east west no sound on coins target trace at 12.25 on dime target trace on nickle 12.09 to 12.15.

Here's what I got nox 19 to 20 on the dime 13 on the nickle east west on dime 0 east west on nickle 3 to 8 gave tone

CTX ferrous coin open screen fast on fe line at 32 combine
Nox park 2 iron bias o recovery 8 50 tones

CTX high trash GC low trash the id was north south 23.45 to 29.45 as you can see steady id # 45 .

It seems to me anytime a nail or other piece of iron is with a high conductive coin the nox averages the signal to 15 to 20 that's both targets under the coil at the same time Ctx clearly wins here low conductors I give it to the nox .

The CTX DNA clearly separates the signals under the coil at the same time especially ferrous coin 12.43 the other modes do so in a different way 23.45 to 29.45 but that second # is almost spot on .

Now the nox blends the signals instead of 26 or 27 on a dime it will read 18 to 20 so where's the id.
If your using the nox and get a 15 to 20 one way and the other way reads nothing or you get a pop to 3 to 8 you better dig it could be a high conductor down graded by iron . If negative #s show on the second sweep all bets are off.

Well the nox find targets the CTX won't yes but it's only a speed thing it's the id that's the problem . Even if you get Fe#s and conduct #s on the screen as the ctx has you still need that ability to separate the 2 targets under the coil at the same time that's in the detectors DNA CTX rules here for now .

I will be doing test all summer because I have a friend running a nox so I can do some testing .just my opinion sube

I found that out with the Nox and that's why I dig those type of signals "iffy ones"
and I can't even count how many times I've found coins with a piece of iron or some other type of metal in with say a silver dime..

 

[Wiggo]

IDX Monster & sure -i wont disagree that the CTX is the best machine on the market and definitely has the edge in some cases - i really do like the target trace feature and the depth gauge was spot on for me here in SC.

The better way to have put it : For me, for the money, you cant beat the Nox 800. It was easier to use on the beach and i dug far fewer pull tabs and slaw.

I mean no disrespect to the CTX.... Just wish it was as light as the Nox. Even using a harness, it got heavy after a couple of hours for a weekend hunter.

Thanks for the comments.

 

[sube]

Mkus said found that out with the Nox and that's why I dig those type of signals "iffy ones"
and I can't even count how many times I've found coins with a piece of iron or some other type of metal in with say a silver dime..


Mkus you got past the book and control phase now your into what the detector can do and can't do your finds you have been posting are great
It's the field hours that reveal the ins and outs . You seem to have a good handle on it you run your detector like I would as open as one can .

No disc at all and bias on 0 put it this way the more disc the less coins you will have a chance with in iron .

So they give you a detector that will id and give depth all while not using any disc at all (WHY USE ANY DISC AT ALL) because where lazy and want the machine do what we don't want to( LEARN IT)

Ok I have a ? for you I am having a hard time with nails digging plenty to see how they act when with a coin what do you look for when your gut tells you to dig .

I have nails pretty well figured out on the CTX but I don't have trace or a depth gauge to use .The CTX depth gauge is spot on that means even if it reads 2 inch's shallower or deeper then the coin is it still going to read the same .Can't do this with the nox not when the segments are 2.5 inches apart .

As you know nails read 2 inches different from east to west and north to south your north south will read 6 inches and east west will read 4 inches. Now when a coin is in the mix (nail coin) That id on the nail is much more stable it will only deviate 1 inch not 2 this deviation happens on the north south hit . I also have target trace (sweet).

If any other posters have any tricks your welcome to post them .

Wiggo not giving you a hard time at all glad to see your pumped that's what makes it all happen attitude .sube

 

[Mark kus]

I rarely use the target ID I'm all sound its what I do whit my Deus to I keep the controller in my pocket and listen walking around the target if any doubts I just dig
And I have other friends I detect with and they're always wondering how I pull so much silver I tell them slow down keep your coil close to the ground..
I would never use the CTX too heavy I have a bad elbow that's the reason I sold my Etrac got the deus then the nox which both find plenty of silver for me.