Rainbow detectors

[Old California]

Here's an oldie, Rainbow RX-70 from the mid seventies. Dug it out of the parts pile last week, was missing so many parts. Speaker, headphone jack, battery harness, etc and using a Whites 1965 BFO analog meter with a Compass X-100 plastic meter cover got her going.

It's a wonderful running machine, retune button on the handle, quick zip zip operation especially in places laced with iron. Great for tot lots and such fun machine to use, gets above average depth for a TR model.

May still have a couple of the other Rainbow models hidden away in one of the junk piles, remember having others be neat to get those going too.

Thank for looking,
Paul (Ca)

 

[TC-NM]

They were Manuf. in Albuquerque NM. When I was 15 years old, I went into their store and there was this older gentleman who showed me around. I remember seeing three (3) models available for sale. They were the Mach, the Mach I, and the Mach II.

Boy, was I impressed with the capability of these detectors compared to Whites (at the time) and others, don't remember the prices??? These were popular from about 1972 to about 1974? or so. They were straight TR's with no discrimination. Since the GEB/VLF detectors were not introduced yet the detectors that advertised some sort of ground elimination did this by using either a gain control or sensitivity control to reduce the ground effect. Also some of the detectors from this era had their coils wired in such a way to handle the mineralized soil better than others! Don't believe that very many were produced! 1974 or 1975 marked the entry of the new discriminators and many company(s) which could not follow the trend got left behind and folded maybe this was the downfall of the Rainbow Metal Detectors.

Interesting to see a fourth model out there in your collection. . . hmmm RX-70, NICE!

I wonder how many more are sitting in someones closet, attic or ended up in the trash? Somebody out there's gotta put it up for sale by either flea market or Ebay?

Oh Well, the good ole day's

Thanks for sharing,

TC-NM

 

[Old California]

Thanks TC for the information, you were very fortunate to visit the Rainbow business.

I dug up this piece of information on Rainbow, Somebody wrote an article about TR and BFO and detecting Old Fort Conrad New Mexico with a not so good detector on his first visit to the fort. He didn't do well using this detector, very disappointed with its performance.

Later, He and someone else returned to the fort with a pair newly developed Rainbow detectors. He mentions these were prototype for field testing, They did extremely well and found 21 coins at the fort.

Apparently the RX-70 wasn't in production very long, Those that survived must have been the first models.

Anyway, here are a few pics from the artical, one of the RX-70 the other mentioning the prototypes.

It would be great knowing if my RX-70 is indeed one of the prototypes used for his field test at the fort, that would be amazing but most likely it is one of the first models.

Thanks again for the information and for an interest in old technology,
Paul (Ca)

 

[hunt2day]

I bought one from Kellyco in 1972 when it was run out of a residential home. I found many treasures with that old rainbow.