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Big Thanks to Silverfiend for this excellent Equinox 800 guestpost!

When I first read the announcement of the Minelab Equinox detector at the Detectival event in England, I must admit to feeling excited! What they promised was an affordable, multi-frequency, waterproof, lightweight detector which you could change from multi-frequency to a choice of single frequencies. I finally got to open my very own Minelab Equinox 800 detector on the spring equinox of 22 March. Even though I only have a few hours on it, I LOVE what I am seeing.

Even just taking all the parts out of the box, I could tell this was going to be a feather weight compared to the Minelab CTX3030 I have been using for the last 5 years. The fit and finish of the parts are nice, and if you’ve ever put a metal detector together before you won’t have to look at any instructions to figure it out. For anyone looking to buy one, PAY ATTENTION HERE: This detector does NOT come with a power source. You get a USB charging cable, but you supply your own USB power source. Minelab recommends a 5V 2Amp charger. Charge time is directly based on the power supply. The recommended power supply will take 4 hours to charge the battery from flat to full. My initial charge took almost that long. If you use a lower rated power supply, such as a computer USB plug it will likely require much longer to charge. You can download the full PDF user manual from Minelab’s website to read their recommendations and warnings on charging the detector.

Ergonomics can be the “make or break” of a detector. Because this detector is so light, most of the weight winds up being in the coil and that can make the whole setup feel “nose heavy” if not adjusted correctly. First, the lower rod can be extended a long way to accommodate someone who is tall. If you aren’t that tall, but still try to hunt that way then you are going to feel the consequences in your arm. Best practice (for this or any detector) is to shorten the shaft so the coil is right in front of your feet. Ergonomically, the closer you can get to your natural stance with your arm hanging loose at your side, the better off you will be. For anyone who wants to put the coil as far out as possible, adding a little weight under or behind the cuff is something to consider and it’s something I might play with to help with balancing. To Minelab’s credit, slots are made into the footrest to make it easy to strap external batteries, counterweights, or both combined.

One of the most helpful features Minelab has made available on recent detectors is the ability to have wireless headphones so that you are no longer tethered to the detector. This began with the CTX and the WM-10 module. The Equinox comes with a new version of the same technology, called the WM-08, however it also can connect to any Bluetooth Low Latency headphones. The EQX-800 stock wireless phones are what I have been using so far. One thing to keep in mind is that the Equinox uses 1/8 inch (3.5mm) headphone connectors instead of the more common 1/4 inch. If you have an older set of phones that you absolutely love and want to use with this, you will need a 1/4 female to 1/8 male adapter.

Of course, the first thing everyone wants to know is “how does it perform”. That is always a dangerous and loaded question. It’s difficult to offer a true, honest answer until you have a solid grasp of the functions and language of detector and THAT takes time. What I do feel comfortable saying is that I am VERY happy so far. You can read my first experiences with the Equinox and judge for yourself. Whenever people ask me for advice when starting out with any new detector, I always tell them to start out easy, don't hunt trashy sites. Even better to start in a tot-lot to learn tones, responses, pinpointing, etc. Jumping head-first into a trash filled site is never a good way to start. That is a solid, smart bit of advice aimed to help learning while preventing frustration. Of course, I didn’t follow my own advice. I went straight to a previous hunt site, one that is extremely trashed out. So why did I go there?

Because this was a place I had already dug a lot of old coins! It’s hard to resist the urge to see what you might have missed with an older detector. Predictably, the non-stop barrage of tones left me feeling like "what the heck have I gotten into? Is this thing any good? Am I even going to like listening to this?" The biggest obstacle to learning language of the EQX is that it is so sensitive and fast that trashy sites will lead to sensory overload. I suggest you learn from my mistake and head my long-standing advice. Start in the “bunny slope” level of sites and work your way up to hunting the expert level grounds.

Once I got onto a cleaner hunting spot, learning the tones of this new detector became much easier. I began learning to differentiate target sounds and the responses of deeper coins from shallow ones. I finally started digging old wheat-cents and then I dug my first silver dime (a Mercury dime) next to a chunk of iron. This was in a place I have previously hunted with the CTX, the E-Trac and my old partner had hunted with a DEUS. My second day to get out with the Equinox was at an old park where I previously never found anything old. My previous hunts only produced modern clad. So, I’m sure you are again curious “why I would choose this spot”. It was a 100+ year old park, in small town. It would likely have seen countless parties and celebrations with hundreds of people in attendance in its time but is far enough out of site that most detectorist would have missed it. Even though it hadn’t produced for me yet it still had great potential. My first hunt there with the EQX800 gave me a Barber dime (as well as some wheat cents), my first for the year and my first silver from this place. In these first trial runs, I learned quite a bit! At first glance, the depth meter seems completely unreliable. As you gain experience you see it is great if a target is alone. I think the problem people have with it is that it gets confuse in trash (and trash is practically everywhere). The VCO pinpoint really helps give you a great clue on the depth, and I think that this may be the best method overall.

My third hunt, I took it to a site that has been pounded hard by other detectorists. Its public, its old, its been hunted for decades. I dug 13 silvers from there in one day with my CTX (after which, other local hunters pounded it AGAIN). With the Equinox I pulled more deep, on-edge wheaties. I dug my first Indian Head from this site (and first for the year), I dug 2 Buffalo nickels and then I hit GOLD! A tiny, old, deep, gold pin with a 1929 date inscription. It was a measured 6 inches deep and still gave a solid nickel response. After that, I knew this detector was a game changer for me.

How would I summarize the first few days of using the Equinox? Simple, “We have a winner!” Everyone wants to compare the Equinox to it’s brother the CTX. I have been using the CTX since it’s release 6 years ago. So far I haven’t found anything that the CTX could see which my Equinox couldn’t. HOWEVER, the Equinox is worlds better at hitting low conductors like gold and nickels. I have dug more buffalo and V-nickels in a week with the EQX than I dug all last year with the CTX. The tiny gold I have dug are things the CTX could never find. Every detector has its niche, but the Equinox seems to be a very, very large niche in this hobby. If you are looking for your first detector, or just your next, I wouldn’t hesitate to offer this as a very strong choice to consider.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting, Silverfiend

It's almost that time of year again, the annual Charles Garrett Memorial Hunt for 2018 will be a fun filled day out for the whole family. Be quick, there are limited spaces still available and this even usually sells out pretty fast!

The event will be in Jefferson, Texas and will be a great weekend of detecting activities, plus a lot of fun things to do with the family, including rides on the Jefferson railway, a free kids hunt for ages 12 and under, cannon firing demonstrations, special guests and much more!

Head over to the Garrett Website for more information and have a fantastic time!

New leadership is incoming over at Garrett headquarters.  Steve Novakovich will be stepping in as CEO announced in the company press release on Jan 19th.

Eleanor Garrett, the current president of Garrett says:

“We felt that it was the right time to add to Garrett’s management team,”

The current President of Garrett Metal Detectors. In 1964, Mrs. Garrett co-founded the company from her Garland, Texas home with her late husband, Charles Garrett, who was considered to be one of the pioneers of hobby metal detecting.

“Steve Novakovich brings more than 30 years of experience to us from all facets of the business world,” Mrs. Garrett added. “Adding Steve to our existing core management team, I feel secure that the company Charles and I founded 54 years ago will remain strong for its next 54 years.”

Lets hope we see even more innovation we've come to expect from Garrett and wish Steve Novakovich luck in his new position at the company.

Fellow Deus users, my name is David and I am an avid Deus user.  I have several hours on the detector model and have run versions 2.0, 3.0, 3.1. 3.2, 4.0 and the latest version 4.1.

What can version 4.1 do for you?

First of all version 4.1 is NOT a bells and whistle update.  Granted the update seems did improve performance associated with use of the MI-6 pinpointer, V4.1 does offer additional performance in the field.  The following data compiled from use of using the 9" LF and 11" LF coils.

I have been testing, comparing and detecting using both versions 4.0 and 4.1 on 2 different Deus setups.

Folks reading the new Deus 4.1 manual will notice ground tracking has been changed, the way it works based on a user's soil mineralization and also depends on this new setting that Version 4.1 brings called ground sensitivity.

Well, granted using version 4.1 and using tracking ground balance, Deus on average will run quieter.  But folks, quieter is not always better.  What I am trying to say here, yes Deus will when tracking ground balance is selected and medium and lower ground sensitivity settings are used, Deus programming stands a good chance to make Deus go to default ground balance ground phase setting of 88.  By the Deus doing this the detector will not be as deep at finding, or calling nonferrous actually with nonferrous tone, or deeper nonferrous targets could become choppy, misleading a user to thinking indeed there is iron under their coil.

So, in order to get peak performance for depth, manual ground balance using V4.1 has to be used or higher ground sensitivity settings be used to force Deus with the new V4.1 programming to track to the ground.

But using higher ground sensitivity settings come with a price.

What exactly?

Deus for whatever reason is a better separator, unmasker with  usually mid level ground sensitivity level settings of between 5-7.  Users of version 4.1 will notice default ground sensitivity is indeed level 6, and for good reason.

You can view the complete setup and instalation instructions on how to update your headphones, remote control and coil software over at the XP deus website, it's important to make sure all of your devices are fully charged before beginning the update!

Here's a quick overview of the changelog:

The Radio connection between MI-6 and DEUS is now more reliable and faster.

New EXPERT Mode : GROUND SENSITIVITY

New menu addition "Ground Sensitivity" in GB > EXPERT. This new setting makes it possible to adjust the machines ability to track soils according to their intensity. This makes it possible to avoid tracking on soils with a low mineralisation.

• GROUND SENS low (1 to 5): Slightly mineralized soils are ignored and the DEUS does not track and will not display ground values, the Deus will default to the recommended level.

• GROUND SENS high (6 to 10): The DEUS will track even low mineralized soils.

New EXPERT Mode : GROUND SENSITIVITY

GROUND EFFECT
Do not be tempted to adjust the "GROUND SENS" too high as this may introduce more instability and false ground readings. Levels of 1 to 5 are recommended, they will give you better stability over
the V4.0

GROUND EFFECT

• Ground measurement display: If the DEUS does not register a ground effect for 7 seconds or receives a level lower than the set "GROUND SENS" for more than 7 seconds it will now display

• Ground Tracking: If the DEUS no longer measures a suitable ground fefect for 30 seconds it will default the tracking to a setting value of 88 for more stability For example the ground value will revert to default if: The soil is not mineralized enough or if the level of mineralization is lower than your set "GROUND SENS", or simply if you stop detecting.

As soon as you resume detecting or if the soil becomes suciently mineralized again, the DEUS will continue to track the soil and the display will show the measured value. HF coils do not require software updates for the moment, they are ignored during the update

Special thanks to Justin for sending in this story and pics of his once in a lifetime find!

Back in February, I purchased a brand-new Garrett AT Pro from Big Boys Hobbies, and it proved to be the best machine I have ever used. In October, I found something with it that made my year… A cache of rings!

My buddy and I were hunting for Civil War relics on a property that was part of a large Civil War camp. There was also a house on this lot up until about 5 years ago, so we found a lot of non-Civil War related stuff as well. It became a fall back spot for when we just wanted to get out for a quick hunt. On one hunt, I found something completely unexpected. I got a strong, high 80s signal on the AT Pro. I dug down, and pulled a dirty but very heavy wallet out of the ground. Thinking it was full of change, I called my hunting buddy over to take a look. The zipper was corroded and seized, so I took my digging tool and cut it open. Staring back at me were several gold and silver rings! It was such an unexpected sight, that it took me a while to realize what I was seeing! There were 110 rings in total. Ten were gold and 36 were sterling silver. The rest appear to be plated. We still have no idea why or how they ended up out there. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to top that in my lifetime. Maybe I need to go searching for Civil War relics more often!

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As we come to the end of 2017 we can look back on some of the amazing metal detectors like the Garrett AT Max, Whites MX 7 or the newest pointer, the pro pointer AT. Now we can start looking forward to whats in store for the new year!

Minelab's Equinox detectors will begin shipping early 2018, along with their new pin pointers, the profind 15 and profind 35, and some exciting new coils for detech and coiltek are on the horizon. What new detector tech are you most excited for?

Thank you for all of your continued support, we hope you have a fantastic New year and look forward to serving you in 2018!

The Big Boys Hobbies Team

Buying used metal detectors and equipment can sometimes be the best option for this hobby. Enthusiasts often upgrade to keep ahead of the curve with metal detecting technology and they sometimes make for unwanted gifts so deals can be had if you shop smart.

Your best option for buying used metal detectors and equipment will always be to try and buy through a reputable metal detector dealer. We stock used and factory refurbished machines but they tend to sell very fast. Buying from a reputable dealer means you can rest assured the machine has been properly tested and is fit for resale.

When buying a used metal detector from other sources, like local ads, craigslist and Facebook marketplace, Ask the seller about the warranty registration, is it transferable, where was it purchased and do the manufactures have their own warranty transfer rules? Make sure to test the equipment before handing over any money. It's a good idea to bring some different type of metals with you so you can make sure the tones and signals are accurate, some old jewelry, aluminum can, scrap metals, whatever you may have lying around. To test, simply lay the metal detector on a table or flat surface and wave the different metals in front of the coil.

Also, when making big purchases through online ads make sure to meet in a safe, public place with lots of people around. Starbucks is a great example.

Try and buy equipment with boxes. this drastically changes the resale value if you decide to sell your used equipment. a lot of manufacturers of modern metal detectors now print serial numbers and other important information directly onto the box so its good to have and put away somewhere safe.

Have any more tips about buying used metal detectors? let us know in the comments below!

Check out Steve Moore's field test of the brand new Garrett Z-Lynk Wireless System thats coming soon to Big Boys Hobbies Metal Detectors! The new wireless system is designed to work with any brand / model of headphones with a compatible 1/4" Jack. The new Garrett Z-Lynk will revolutionize metal detecting and bring about a new age of truly wireless metal detecting at an affordable price!

Feel free to click the link to learn more about the Z-Lynk http://www.bigboyshobbies.net/garrett-z-lynk-wireless-system