New Nox 800

[Elevatorguy]

So I jumped in and bought a Nox 800. I was an Explorer user for a long time and became very proficient that machine. I’m sure the Nox will be quite different. I’m not sure when I will have time to take it out and try it, but I have a few questions. First, I have been reading a lot about problems with the twist locks on the shafts. It seems that a lot of people are switching to aftermarket shafts. Is that a necessary upgrade? Has the issue been addressed by Minelab? If I happened to buy a newer production run of the Nox would it be fixed? Same question about the coil ears. I have read that they are also a weak spot in this machine. Has that been fixed? Anything else I should be aware of? I am hoping that the lighter weight and increased swing speed of the Nox makes for a more enjoyable hunt than the explorer. I will miss the smart find screen though and all of the feedback it gives. Running the explorer wide open and paying attention to the feedback from it resulted in a ton of coins. I am hoping to learn the Nox to a comparable level.

 

[fwcrawford]

To answer your question about the two issues you mentioned, I do not think any changes or improvements have been made.
If you are going to water hunt, you may eventually need an after after market shaft, but for land hunting, probably not.
Many have ordered a piece made to help strengthen the coil ears, and others have simply put spacers behind the washers to make snug fit.
I made up a bracket for mine to keep the coil in the same position when setting it down to dig... that is the only complaint I have is the coil flopping down flat every time I set the detector down.
You mentioned being able to swing the Equinox faster than the Explorer.... yes you can sweep faster, but a slower speed will result in deeper finds and less falsing.
something to keep in mind using it like your Explorer should get you some additional finds without the extra weight.

 

[bootyhoundpa]

I haven’t had the wobbly shaft issue and I don’t even tighten my twist lock..in my opinion the 11” coil really doesn’t balance well as you will probably notice after 2 or 3 hours..the 6” coil however I find balances quite well.. I haven’t had the coil issue either but don’t lean on it too hard.. I and many have struggled with the pinpoint accuracy but the more I use the machine I actually find it to usually be fairly accurate if you move the coil on and off the target a few times it seems narrow the zone considerably.. coming from a Sov Gt back round myself i haven’t found the 800 to be as deep on coins except in freshwater but the 800 can unmask and separate targets very well .. some of my issues in learning the 800 was because I was on version 1.75 ..since I’ve updated I have noticed it’s a little more stable.. you will need to purchase waterproof headphones if you intend to water hunt with module submerged..

 

[Elevatorguy]

Thank you for the replies so far. Good point about the sweep speed as compared to the explorer.

 

[Elevatorguy]

I see that there was a recent software update that is available as well. What is the consensus on that? What improved with the update? Is it the best available version? If not, which version is? Thanks again

 

[5900_XL-1]

Run the 800 in 50 tones from the git-go. Silver will sound sweeter. I can certainly swing the 800 faster than I did my SE Pro and Etrac. It is faster. I actually went back to Ver 1.5 today because of a post I read today, saying that the silver tone went dull with the V3. I didn't find that to be true so I only reverted my 600, and left the 800 at the latest update. I've been stuck in staying at home like most people, plus Texas temps have run triple digits lately. Frankly I never was unhappy with the original V1.5 and I figure that the designers got it right from the beginning. The first update after V1.5 seemed unstable to me. I've hardly spent any time with the latest version yet. Stuck at home GRRR

 

[fwcrawford]

I see that there was a recent software update that is available as well. What is the consensus on that? What improved with the update? Is it the best available version? If not, which version is? Thanks again

I tried it some, but for my type of hunting, I did not see any advantages in it.. others may have.
I went back to the previous version.. 2.0 I believe it is... there have been three updates from the original software or firmware.
I agree with 5900 above.. I like the 50 tones too!

 

[Elevatorguy]

Thanks for the replies guys. Personally I will always choose the maximum amount of variability is both audio and visual options. I would prefer to have the maximum amount of information from the detector and make determinations based off those myself.

 

[Mark kus]

Great machine don't let yourself be stuck in park1 or park2 try field I found in my area CT I prefer it over park I also hunt with no discrimination I like to here everything I've dug a lot of coins mixed with rusty nails and caps..I've replaced my shaft and armrest carbon and aluminum armrest I water hunt also there I use the 6" coil way easier to swing underwater!
HH
Mark

 

[Dirt Duke]

So I jumped in and bought a Nox 800. I was an Explorer user for a long time and became very proficient that machine. I’m sure the Nox will be quite different. I’m not sure when I will have time to take it out and try it, but I have a few questions. First, I have been reading a lot about problems with the twist locks on the shafts. It seems that a lot of people are switching to aftermarket shafts. Is that a necessary upgrade? Has the issue been addressed by Minelab? If I happened to buy a newer production run of the Nox would it be fixed? Same question about the coil ears. I have read that they are also a weak spot in this machine. Has that been fixed? Anything else I should be aware of? I am hoping that the lighter weight and increased swing speed of the Nox makes for a more enjoyable hunt than the explorer. I will miss the smart find screen though and all of the feedback it gives. Running the explorer wide open and paying attention to the feedback from it resulted in a ton of coins. I am hoping to learn the Nox to a comparable level.

I bought one of the first 800s sold in Feb. 2018. It had the wobbly shaft problem as did many of the first batch. Minelab quickly replaced the shaft, no problem. They were aware of the problem and any Nox you purchase today should not have that problem. The replacement shaft has no issues. The coil ear breaking problem is still an issue that Minelab has not fixed. They are very much aware of the coil ear problem. My coil ears broke while detecting earlier this year and I had one of the “coil ear stiffeners” installed. It didn't help at all. Minelab replaced the coil under the 3 year warranty. The Minelab repair facility told me they think most of the coil ear breakage is caused by overtightening the coil bolt. As the coil washers wear the coil may get more loose so tightening the bolt seems like the right thing to do. It would be better to add shims behind the coil washers or replace the coil washers. The other, very annoying, problem that has persisted since day one and has still not been addressed with the two firmware updates is the occasional weak pinpointing volume issue. Turning the pinpointer off then back on in a few seconds usually gets the pinpointer volume working like it should. I've found putting the coil on the ground in a “quiet” spot away from the target then turning on the pinpointer before pinpointing the target helps. This doesn't work every time, but it's better than just turning on the pinpointer with the coil in the air. It's almost like the Nox needs a few seconds to recover from detecting a target before it's ready to go into pinpointing mode. Bottom line, the Nox is a great machine and an improvement coming from my AT Pro.

 

[KansasHunter]

I have three of the 800's and use the factory shaft on only the 6" coil. Yes it is heavier and yes it is wobbly. The aftermarkt shafts are lighter and better but also more fragile. I have broken one of the back of the truck by not being gentle. I would not say that is is necessary but it is definitely an upgrade

 

[Joe Black]

To answer your question about the two issues you mentioned, I do not think any changes or improvements have been made.
If you are going to water hunt, you may eventually need an after after market shaft, but for land hunting, probably not.
Many have ordered a piece made to help strengthen the coil ears, and others have simply put spacers behind the washers to make snug fit.
I made up a bracket for mine to keep the coil in the same position when setting it down to dig... that is the only complaint I have is the coil flopping down flat every time I set the detector down.
You mentioned being able to swing the Equinox faster than the Explorer.... yes you can sweep faster, but a slower speed will result in deeper finds and less falsing.
something to keep in mind using it like your Explorer should get you some additional finds without the extra weight.

Agree totally!

 

[Joe Black]

I see that there was a recent software update that is available as well. What is the consensus on that? What improved with the update? Is it the best available version? If not, which version is? Thanks again

For me , V3 works good.... Watch some YouTube videos on it and you will see why it’s good for silver coin hunting...opinions are going to vary for which is best to the user.

 

[Elevatorguy]

Thanks a lot for all of the replies so far. Interesting that another New England hunter (I am in Mass) prefers the field setting over park for park hunting. It is going to be interesting when I get out with this machine and start trying to figure it out. I am planning on buying a handheld probe too. I always had the sunray x1 on my explorers. A lot of people seem to like the orange garrett probe. What about the Minelab probes? Any good? Is there another probe that i should be checking into? Thanks again

 

[Joe Black]

Thanks a lot for all of the replies so far. Interesting that another New England hunter (I am in Mass) prefers the field setting over park for park hunting. It is going to be interesting when I get out with this machine and start trying to figure it out. I am planning on buying a handheld probe too. I always had the sunray x1 on my explorers. A lot of people seem to like the orange garrett probe. What about the Minelab probes? Any good? Is there another probe that i should be checking into? Thanks again

My Minelab probe has been working good so far. I’ve been using their first model one ( blue colored one)

 

[Mark kus]

Thanks a lot for all of the replies so far. Interesting that another New England hunter (I am in Mass) prefers the field setting over park for park hunting. It is going to be interesting when I get out with this machine and start trying to figure it out. I am planning on buying a handheld probe too. I always had the sunray x1 on my explorers. A lot of people seem to like the orange garrett probe. What about the Minelab probes? Any good? Is there another probe that i should be checking into? Thanks again

I like the deus pin pointer rechargeable as some others are also rechargeable..

 

[fwcrawford]

I’ve been using the Garrett pin pointer and really like... very durable and easy to operate.
Also does not cause interference with any of my detectors.
Have not tried the Minelab pin pointers.

 

[Elevatorguy]

Thanks again. The Garrett carrot seems to be a no frills favorite of most. The Minelab has a nice feature of the ferrous indication sound and the XP rechargeable feature is very nice, but the price tag is high on that one.

 

[Elevatorguy]

Anybody here using the Whites Bullseye TRX Pinpointer? Reviews look as good if not better than the carrot. Any interference issues with the Nox? Does the TRX hold up well long term? Thanks again

 

[sube]

I use the TRX because it's deeper than most surface coins and coins 3 inches or deeper can be detected from the surface also with the pin pointer only detecting at the tip it's easier to locate muti targets in the hole .The big problem i have is you can't just push it to turn off you have to push and hold other wise it stays on i don't no how many times i have grabbed it after detecting for a half hour and it was still on in my bag. I started to push the button harder and harder till it broke the button can't be fixed because of the way it's made . So i put a bike tube on it and taped the the top and bottom works like a charm now can feel the internal button now that the outside button pushes on . Have bought 2 one for spare i really like them . No interference with the nox unless your real close to it .The first one i bought when they came out still working fine even with the bike tube on it . deeper then the carrot and more accurate . sube