NOKTA IMPACT -- PROTOTYPING REALITY

I want to share some of the Intel that went into the Impact. What you are about to read is TOTAL HONESTY. I want all of you to be armed..... see/witness just exactly what 'mindset' went into the Impact. This will clarify...... for years to come...... the 'thought process' that went into the Impact. You will see MY learning-curve. You will see/witness the evolution of revisions...... and 'why' they happened. I have not 'cleaned up' any of the (below) data...... as I do feel what I am about to post is 'prudent'....... and ........ most importantly: "important/genuine". It is: 'Real People/Real World'. I am sharing some of the e-mails between myself and Nokta. It is a long post........ let's see if it works.

Nov. 1st 2016

Hi Dilek & Alper,

Two hours in the test-garden with the Impact....... then hunted 8-hours in the real world. In a nutshell:

* Is the unit dust-proof/rainproof?

* Nearly identical depth performance to Fisher "Boost Process" F75 when the Impact is in 5-Khz & 'DEEP' mode...... except...... so far...... it appears the Impact is a bit more EMI stable.

* DI2 & DEEP modes whilst in 5-Khz...appears to be nearly identical in overall depth performance...with a slight edge (advantage) going to "DEEP" mode.... maybe 0.1" of an inch (2 or 3mm).

* Observation: The Impact is MANY, MANY different detectors combined...... all-in-one..... due to all of the different 'modes'.

* The Impact will take a fair amount of time to learn "properly"..... due to all of the different modes.

* "Modes" are small print...... but all visible on screen.......and NOT hidden with multiple menus (and/or sub-menus). Very nice.

* Hidden menus (and sub-menus) are kept to a minimum. (K.I.S.S. theory). Nice.

* Pinpoint has no VCO...... bad problem.

* Upper part of pistol-grip is square....... and the lower part of my thumb now has a blister.

* In many cases....... F1-F5 frequency-shift has minimal effect.

* Unit is exceptionally "ID confident".

* I would like to see a small bar-graph depth gauge on the faceplate.

* Impact 'up-averages' ID of deeper targets..... as to be expected in low mineral dirt.

* Overall volume of unit is a bit low.... even whilst on maximum volume.

* Unit eats batteries fairly rapidly..... even when headlight is off...and both backlights are off. Batteries are very warm when they are removed.

* No 'last settings' memory....when unit is turned off. I would like to see 'last settings' memory retained..... without having to 'save settings'.....when unit is turned off.

* I have come to the realization that I am always coin AND relic hunting at every inland site that I hunt. So..... there is a constant 'indecision' of which frequency (5, 14, 20) of which I should use. Then...... there is the realization that I will need to hunt the sight 3 separate times; ...... each time with a different frequency.

* So far..... I am favoring 5-Khz in concert with "DEEP". This is a strong propensity of mine; yet, with the understanding that it may be too early to conclude.

-------------------------------
Side notes/gut-feelings: Both sites I hunted today had very low mineralization (1-bar dirt). EMI was minimal......allowing for higher gain/sensitivities to be utilized. When I was within 60-meters of powerlines..... EMI would commence. F1-F5 presented minimal help/change. Because the (5-Khz & DEEP) depth this unit is capable of ascertaining (parallel to Fisher F75 in 'boost')..... I really enjoyed hunting with the Impact. This may alter 'which' units I will hunt with from here....going forward. Probably the largest attribute of this DEEP & 5-Khz is.... the unit will ID to maximum/fringe depth….(no blank screen at deeper depths). Yes.... the last 1-inch.... the ID's are mostly inaccurate; yet, this is to be expected...as there is nearly no signal to basis off of.....for ID purposes.

More to follow.

Sincerely,

Tom

Nov. 2nd 2016

Hi Dilek & Alper,

And hunted all day today again. Exclusively utilized 5-Khz & DEEP. Disc on '3'....... and tone-break on '21'. Thoughts/results:

* Rapidly developing confidence/skill-set/competence with Impact.

* When bumping sticks, twigs, leaves, wet grass...... Impact if very ESD/EMI stable. Zero unstable chatter.

* In Florida, there is almost never a reason to run Depth-ID at minimum or medium. Maximum provides the most/best intelligence.

* Silent EMI is (unknowingly/unsuspectingly) 'performance-inhibiting'. (As to be expected).

* Any EMI does equate to: 'loss of depth/performance'...... and in linear fashion.

* In several cases today..... a F1-F5 freq shift change resulted in no EMI mitigation. In a few other areas..... changing F1-F5 made a large difference. Above ground power lines were anywhere between 10-meters to 40-meters away today.

* Non-VCO pinpoint REALLY hurts. I really need the audio to rise in frequency......and the volume to increase......as a target is approached.

* Tone-break at '21'...... is pinnacle performance for small iron differentiation/ID/mitigation.

* Very few nails have been dug (thus far) with Impact.

* Many digital detectors come with a 1-99 conductivity scaling on the top of the faceplate of the unit. I have NEVER used this scale for anything....as it is redundant to the VID.

-------------------------------------

Because of the performance level of the Impact.... this has prompted me to perform a continuous head-to-head comparison of Impact vs F75 'boost process' on ALL deeper targets today. I located (and marked) 71 deep targets with the
Impact. With the F75 adjusted/configured for peak performance........ I could locate ALL 71 of these targets; however, 2 of the targets were exceptionally weak/broken detection on the F75. They resolved a bit more audibly clear on the Impact. Then I located 54 more 'fringe depth' targets with the F75. The Impact could detect ALL 54 of these targets...... but 3 of them were exceptionally weak/broken detection ..... worse than the F75. The common denominator: The F75 had VERY slightly better detection of fringe-depth lower conductors. The Impact had VERY slightly better detection of fringe-depth higher conductors. (Impact = 5-Khz.... vs.... F75 = 13-Khz). In overall summation; the performance of both of these detectors are almost exactingly identical. ((( I still feel that I could squeeze another 0.1" (2-3mm) more depth performance out of the Impact.

Where (in a hidden menu/sub-menu) can I add a adjustable tone-break 3rd tone on the Impact.....whilst in 'DEEP' mode? This is the make-or-break determinant of whether I continue to use the F75 as my primary hunter....... or the Impact as
my primary hunter. This is how impressed I am with the Impact!

((( You have come a LONG way...... to match the depth/performance of the 'boost process' F75! Congratulations!!!)))



Nov. 3rd 2016
Hi Dilek,

For some reason...... your answers/responses did not show up in RED. I sent you another e-mail last night.....that may have answered some of your questions/comments. Here are more of my overnight thoughts:

* I am trying to instantly feed you data as I discover it, just in case you are time-pressed...... rather than waiting for a (delayed) larger "summary response".

* Any time I receive a new prototype detector, I always look for two primary critical performance attributes:
1. Flagship depth.
2. Carpets of nails/iron unmasking abilities.

If the prototype is a beach unit, once again, I always look for two primary critical performance attributes:
1. Sensitivity to small gold in wet salt.
2. Micro-jewelry sensitivity & intelligence in dry sand.

* DEEP mode timing is VERY functional/useful.

* 5-Khz is not the best choice for hunting in carpets of nails (as to be expected).

* Coil shield-paint/shielding/impedance is proper.

* To split hairs so accurately with tone-break ID accuracy to FULL DEPTH....... is commendable. This really builds trust/confidence in the unit.

* Faceplate menu is very simple/easy/intuitive to navigate through. K.I.S.S. theory.

* Only the nearest 10% of the pinpoint feature provides VCO. Otherwise there is no increasing frequency and no increasing volume as a target is approached. F75/T2 presents FULL range.

* For EMI mitigation: Impact F1-F5.....vs......F75 F1-F7......... share the same exact performance (and inherent problems). Many areas.... changing freq's does nothing to rid EMI.


Nov. 3rd 2016

Hi Dilek,

I spent the entire day today with the sole purpose of: attempting to ascertain just 0.1" more depth out of the Impact...... which...... in turn...... would then exceed the performance of the F75. No success. DEEP & 5-Khz is still the deepest mode....... with a nearly exact match in performance to the F75 at its maximum performance settings/configuration. Still....... nice to see this....... as this is the first time in history of a 'performance match' (in Florida dirt).

* Also, there is a large/measurable performance gain on low conductors when progressing from 5-Khz to 14-Khz to 20-Khz. Very pronounced in DEEP mode. The opposite also holds true; there is a large/measurable loss in performance/depth on high conductors when operating frequency is increased. (Per expectations.)

* DEEP mode is a major attribute. Not to be underestimated.

* When the Impact is on 14-Khz & DI3..... performance is identical to Racer-2 in DI3. But..... when Impact is in DI2 and Racer-2 also in DI2...... the Impact has a marked 4% performance gain over the Racer-2. I speculate the internal
component cross-talk in the Impact is less; with subsequent stability enhancement; hence, a measurable increase in performance. But, for all intents and purposes...... The Impact can be configured to perform exactly as the Racer-1 or 2.

Micro-jewelry testing/hunting next on my list.

Sincerely,

Tom



Nov. 4. 2016

Hi Dilek,

( I will answer your question shortly. )

Today was a micro-jewelry dry sand beach hunt day. Selecting 20-Khz & DEEP mode..... I tried to ascertain 56-Khz Racer Gold performance levels...... and the Impact is not a 56-Khz Racer Gold! But..... once again....... the DEEP mode still remains the most powerful mode of choice. Although the Impact is not a micro-jewelry hunter (and was never its design intent)..... it is a very powerful jewelry hunter....... including small gold.

* There is more discernible intelligence in DEEP mode...... vs...... any All-Metal mode..... in Florida dirt.

* DI2 is deeper than DI3 (and DI4).
* VLX2 mode is deeper than VLX1 mode.
* DI2 mode..... vs ...... VLX2 mode = Same depth. (Although VLX2 is a much more modulated audio response).
* DEEP mode is still slightly deeper than DI2 or VLX2 mode.

Amplifying info on this exact subject: VLX2 mode at a Sensitivity setting of '99' ....... presents the exact same depth (on a clad dime)...... as DEEP mode with a Sens setting of '96'. . . . . . . BUT....... the audio is so heavily modulated (reduced) that the 'perception' is: VLX2 mode is less powerful. This modulated/reduced audio.... also.... is detrimental in the real world...as...fringe-depth targets merely sound like ground chatter/falsing......so the fringe-depth targets will be easily missed. I am a strong proponent for modulated audio; yet, this is one (major) drawback.

* For the individual numbers....... and in incremental steps......... there is a tremendous 'boost' in performance/sensitivity whilst increasing Sens settings from 96 to 97 to 98 to 99. It is most noticed in DEEP mode. There is hardly a place whereby EMI is low enough to employ Sens settings of 96, 97, 98, 99......... but........ this 'overdrive' ability is a major attribute. ((( I
still feel I may be able to trump the F75 'boost' yet............ especially if I can find a location/site of exceptionally low EMI. )))

* With so many different 'modes' to select from...... There is a fair amount of redundancy between a few of them......... to include all of the All-Metal options/modes. I 'question' having so many modes; yet, I do indeed (applaud) welcome the small differences between them.


When in technical conversation; I place top priority on DEPTH. When I am hunting out in the real world....... I place top priority on DEPTH...to the point of it being a subconscious intuitive pinnacle order-of-magnitude. Having worked in an
archaeological capacity....... surreal becomes the 'real'........ and I have positively verified/validated the criticality of the importance of depth....... countless times. For you to have incorporated DEEP mode in the Impact........ is a MAJOR step in the right direction.

I have yet to find a (exceptionally low EMI) site where I can run Sensitivity above '95' whilst in DEEP mode........ but I will actively find one/them.

Small coil testing is next on my list (and may allow Sens 97, 98, 99 more readily).

I am SO comfortable (right at home) with the audio language and hunt-ability of the Impact.....to include its nuances. The audio-intelligence is virtually identical to the F75/T2 platform.

Sincerely,

Tom




NOV 6 2016
Hi Dilek,

I tested/detected most of the day today (Sunday). . . . . at a (3-hour round-trip by car) location that presents very low EMI. I was able to always run Sens on '96'..... and most of the time at a setting of '97'........ and a few (good/allowed) occasions whereby I could boost Sensitivity to '98'. This is with 11" coil, DEEP mode and 5-Khz. This was a confidence-building affirmation as to the units genuine depth capabilities. I have built full confidence trust that the Impact is exactly the sensitivity/power of a F75 'boost process' capable unit. I could not get the Impact to exceed the depth capabilities of the F75 'bp'........ but certainly (now) fully 'trust' this unit. The F75 can ascertain its performance at 13-Khz....... and the Impact can match it on 5-Khz (only). While the F75 has 4-tones in 'boost process'....... the Impact only has 2-tones. If you are a relic hunter...... this is not a problem....and is the preferred tone option. If you are a relic AND coin hunter..... 3 tones (or 4 tones) is preferable.

* The audio language of this detector...... regardless of MODE....... is audibly intuitive. Conveying.

* Both my wife & I could not see the protective film on the faceplate...... as it is a exact fit/cut. But....... my 7 year-old daughter could see it...... and peeled it right off! Scratch is gone.

* Each MODE on the Impact is to be looked upon as a completely different metal detector. Then, , , , changing frequencies WITHIN EACH MODE, is ALSO a completely different metal detector. With 12 different MODES.....and 3 different
frequencies per MODE........ this equates to 12 x 3 = 36 (different detectors in one unit).

* To me..... the pistol grip is leaned/pitched too far forward. I would like to see it a bit more vertical.

Today's (rare) opportunity forced me to circumvent testing the small coil. I shall now resume original intentions. ((( I sure hope you are receiving all of my e-mails. )))

Sincerely,

Tom

NOV. 7 2016
Hi Dilek,

Let me answer your question......and also provide more new data.

* The pistol grip is leaned too far forward........ and is somewhat fatiguing on my wrist. The display is easy to read......and has zero problems. Only the physical position of the pistol grip is too far downward ....... and would like it to 'stand-up' about 5 - 10 degrees more vertical.

SMALL COIL TESTING in low mineral dirt.

* Under ideal conditions..... the small coil acquires/detects a clad dime to depths of 10.6" in DEEP/5-Khz........ identical to the (13-Khz) F75 'boost process'.... also with small coil.

* Small coil is effective in trash.

* Impact hunts very well in aluminum trash areas. Proper mode selection (user preference) can really help aid the user in aluminum trash. Coupled with the proper utilization of tone-break..... hunting in thick aluminum trash can yet be enhanced to another level of usable audible intelligence.

* But with a caveat; Fringe depth low-conductive aluminum (including chewing gum foil) will up-average ID into the 80's (high-conductive coins range). This is (unfortunately) common with many different brand detectors, yet...... can be combated with some acquired skill-set.

* DI2 & DI3 modes express exact same performance as Racer 1 & 2.

* DI99 mode is not good for relic hunting.... as low-conductors (versus iron)....... sound almost the same frequency. DI99 very good for (high conductive) coin hunting.

* Once again: 5-Khz is not your friend in carpets of nails/iron. (Fun to experiment with though). 14-Khz & 20-Khz much better choices for carpets of nails.

* There are 2 different conductivity scales PER EACH frequency. Two conductivity scales x 3 different frequencies: 2 x 3 = 6. Six different conductivity scales in total.

* Is there any way to boost the (depth) performance of the 14-Khz option..... so as to emulate the 13-Khz F75 depth capabilities?

I took a week off of work to test the Impact. I MUST go back to work now!!!! .....but will still find some time to continue testing a little..... most probably in the evenings. Then, will commence full testing again..... in a few days.



Sincerely,


NOV. 09 2016 2:07PM

More collected/acquired data:

* DEEP mode is worthy of placing more engineering focus. You are on to something! It is, by far, my most favored mode. Enhance and boost the DEEP mode into 2nd Generation..... and beyond!

* The higher the freq... the more EMI-prone. 20-Khz is the most susceptible to EMI.

* It is my experience/engineering/gut feeling that a 1" larger coil will (performance bell-curve) present peak depth performance on coin-size targets with the Impact platform. This would be a 12" x 8" DD coil (versus the factory
11" x 7" coil). If you increase the size of a 12" x 8" coil any larger..... detection depth on coins will begin to decrease again (while targets larger than coins will gain slightly more depth performance).

Sincerely,

Tom
Thursday, November 10, 2016 2:31 PM
Hi Dilek,

* In DEEP mode and 5-Khz...... I can acquire a clad dime at 12.0" in Florida dirt.
* In DEEP mode and 14-Khz..... I can acquire a clad dime at 11.8" in Florida dirt.
* In DEEP mode and 20-Khz..... I can acquire a clad dime at 11.0 in Florida dirt.

The F75 'LTD version' with 'bp' boost process (but not the newest version with DSP) ..... I can acquire a clad dime at 12.0" in Florida dirt.

Sincerely,

Tom

November 14, 2016 10:57 AM

Hi Dilek,

More discoveries/observations to report:

* On 14-Khz and DI2 or DI3...... iron see-thru/unmasking is virtually identical to Racer-2. Also, overall performance is identical to Racer-2.

* Reducing Disc (especially the last few Disc numbers) has a more profound (positive) effect on overall depth
performance.....then......say.......increasing Sens from '65' to '90'. But..... it is hard to run Disc below '3'....... as EMI levels dramatically increase. Only a few geographical areas permit this (godsend) capability.

* ID accuracy (to depth) in dry sand is phenomenal. This is to include splitting hairs with Tone-Break OR Disc.

* Switching between 14-Khz & 20-Khz....specifically for dry-sand beach (jewelry) hunting ..... appears to have the same amount of attributes/detriments.

* My Florida Atlantic Ocean wet-salt Ground Balances out perfectly/exactly at a Grnd Bal setting of 00.00. --- As to be expected; this Grnd Bal setting makes the Impact 'gold-dead'.

* COG mode presents approximately 45% depth loss...... especially across the gold-conductivity spectrum.

My personal thoughts/feelings/intent(s):
I am right on the edge of jumping out of the F75 platform..... and permanently into the Impact; but will not do this. If there is even the slightest possibility to somehow increase depth on a small coin (clad dime size) from 12.0" ....... to 12.1" whilst in DEEP mode (and add a 3rd tone added to DEEP mode) on the Impact...... I would make the permanent change-over. The F75 & Impact are Corporate Flagships. If either unit can boost performance by just a few mm's (millimeters)..... it will then become 'World Flagship' status. ((((This is how close you are.))))

I am NOT concerned about making the Impact a 'micro-jewelry' hunter.
I am NOT concerned about making the Impact a wet-salt beach hunter.


Sincerely,

Tom


November 15, 2016 8:33

Hi Dilek,

For legitimately justifiable rationale...... TAKE YOUR TIME in the improvement/upgrades of the Impact. THIS platform in particular....is worthy of additional engineering 'focus'..... so as to create a very serious Flagship. If you deem necessary...... I can help 'save-face' on the forum...... should folks become excessively impatient with any additional waiting period. The dimes I use for testing purposes are U.S. clad dimes....which are dated 1965-to-2016. IF you are using a 1964 (or older) silver dime as your 'test-standard'...... this poses zero problems with physics/engineering basis....... as long as you use the same exact dime for all 'standardization' testing/calibrating/engineering. This removes 'variables'.... and creates a 'constant'. ((( In other words....... the one specific dime that you use...is your 'test-standard' unto which all testing/calibrating is based off of. )))

* A Half-Month of testing the Impact...... and there is still quite a bit to test/discover.

* Dead batteries in the Impact can be installed in the F75......and used/run for another 13 hours.

* Increasing Tone-Break setting........ does reduce depth slightly (in real dirt); yet, no where near as critical as the depth loss encountered by increasing Discrimination. The slight loss of depth performance by increasing Tone-Break setting...... is nearly a 'perceived' outcome; yet, there is a (very slight) measurable depth loss (in a controlled environment)......in addition to the 'clipped' audio...as Tone-Break is increased.


Sincerely,

Tom


Wednesday, November 16, 2016 7:51 PM

Hi Dilek,

Many more observations to share.

* I have yet to find a place/site where I can use Sens '99' (in DEEP mode). Actually...... few places have allowed '97' Sens. In fact.......in most cases.... it is rare that I can go above 95 or 96........ due to very common EMI encounters. BUT........ it is nice to at least have the 'option' to go to Sens of '99'...... just in case...... I ever do find the very rare opportunity (site)
whereby conditions allow full Sens ability....with minimal EMI encounters. Sooooo......... this is also to say.......,,,,,,,,,, If Alper (and crew) are trying to ascertain a bit more depth for the Impact........ it should not be performed via adding additional Sensitivity settings of '100' and '101'............. as this would drive the unit into even greater EMI/instability. One idea/method would be to reduce internal component cross-talk......... if feasibility allows. Tightening up coil impedance spec's/tolerances to yet another higher level.... could be another method to ascertaining a bit more depth. "Cost" analysis would need to be looked upon....... if this were the chosen option.

* I utilized DI99 mode extensively today. In fairly heavy iron trash.......... then in fairly heavy aluminum trash........... then in fairly heavy iron & aluminum trash. The DI99 audio is very weird...... unique........ but I like it. The audio responses are very short/quick...... but intelligent and 'telling'. Co-located targets of different conductivities have a two-fold encounter.
First..... 'some' (a certain percentage of) blending is encountered. And Secondly....... a distinct warble (audio frequency 'pitch' change) is encountered...... as the coil is swept over the targets of different conductivities. This Second encounter meets my expectations.

* I'm burning through alkaline batteries (several sets now) in just over 8-hours per set. ((( Yes, I'm mostly in 5-Khz. )))
* I am quite fond of the utilization of a pair of 9V batteries....... versus........ 4-AA batteries.

* I really like the pistol stalk intelligence configuration of the Impact. (Even though the pistol grip is tilted a bit too-far-forward.... by just a few degrees.) This is also to say..... I do not like the intelligence (the control box & face-plate) mounted under the arm cup.

* On the Impact ..... the audio is divorced from the VID. (Identical to T2/F70/F75 platform). On many occasions ...... I would detect a target that would present a VID below the Tone Break setting...... yet, give the audio tone that is above the Tone Break setting. After recovering many targets that did just exactly this....... 'most' of the targets were indeed (conductively) above the Tone-Break setting. Hence, I have more trust/faith in the audio. (Which is substantially preferred.)

* Regardless of mode....... the Impact is very good in aluminum trash sites. For the record....... fringe-depth aluminum targets (or any target....for that matter)...... can ID as anything. (((As to be expected.)))

* Since DEEP mode does not have a 3rd tone....... I must utilize Tone-Break very selectively..... to compensate for the lack of a 3rd tone. It is indeed a bit of a handicap; yet, not too bad. My settings (for deep coin hunting) in a fairly trashy area: Sens '92', Disc '03', DEEP, 5-Khz, Tone-Break '52'. ((( By changing a Tone-Break setting of '22' to '52'....is only 0.2" loss of depth on a clad dime.....in real Florida dirt. ))) In this configuration...... even without looking at the VID........ it is quite easy (audibly telling) when a coin was found/detected. Switching over to DI3 mode..... and the deeper coins were undetectable. Out of range. Hence; the DEEP mode is the preferred mode (in Florida low mineral dirt). In one particular area/location..... I found 2 coins that I should have never of found. In both cases...... the coins were deep. I knew they were coins. (Due to my confidence in the audio artificial intelligence of the Impact). This prompted me to perform some head-to-head testing. The coins were too deep for the XP GMP to detect. The coins were too deep for a (non-boost) standard Teknetics T2 to
detect. They were too 'masked' for a CZ to see/detect. And..... one of the two coins was 'mostly' undetectable for the F75 to detect..... due to the slightly higher level of EMI encountered on the F75 platform. The other coin was fully detectable to the F75...... but only after the exact pinpoint location of the deep coin had already been established/identified. The Impact struggled with this coin also; yet, the 'perceived' detection of this particular (undug) coin...... was ever-so-slightly.... more intelligible. These conditions/experiences/occurrences may seem very minute' ...... yet, this is exactly where the 'hair-splitting' differences can be ascertained, measured, reported ..... for comparison analysis.,.,.,.,.,., then.....expounded upon. In all fairness....... I must also 'state-for-the-record'........ there are a few targets that the F75 (with boost process) will detect...... that the Impact will miss (or struggle more-so) ....... vs ....... the F75. BUT....... the differences are so minute'. (Hence; my request to boost depth performance of the Impact.... by just simply 0.1" on a clad dime.)

* The first site I attempted to hunt/detect today.... had such severe EMI that......... after 50 minutes of attempting to mitigate.......... I simply had to leave. Nothing helped. Power lines were approx. 45-Meters away. Walking to different areas of the property made no difference. There 'might' have been underground power lines..... unsuspectingly. I speculate the small coil would have helped about/approx 30%...... which still would have not been enough to allow for a sane hunt. (((The F75 fails here also.....for the exact same amount & reason.)))

Sincerely,

Tom

Saturday, November 19, 2016 6:29 PM
Continued notes/observations:

* So far...... every area that I have exposed the Impact to.... has been low mineralization.

* Most of the time (most of my hunting).... iron volume is on F2.

* I am not finding a "center" (resonant) frequency on the Impact. Each individual frequency (5, 14, 20) appears to be max-Q.

* Almost all of the sites that I hunt.... I am "coin AND relic" (high AND low conductor) hunting..... and am torn between which frequency to use. Most of the time, I do not have the time to hunt the area multiple times....to allow using each individual frequency option/choice.

* Is there a way to continuously display 'which' frequency has been selected /// which frequency the Impact is operating on? (Minor detail..... as 'scrolling' through the menu still exists as the alternate option).

* It is a requirement to memorize each ID scaling..... for each MODE and FREQ that you will be utilizing for each individual hunt. Some folks may complain about this. A "cheat sheet" is in order. ((( This is not a complaint ...nor a
problem...... as...... many of the MODES deliberately provide unique ID scaling for custom-tailored/targeted specific intent. THIS NEEDS TO BE WELL ARTICULATED IN THE OWNERS MANUAL....AND IN THE MARKETING ADVERTISEMENTS. )))

* 5-Khz (with standard 11" coil) is still my "chosen" freq-of-choice for nearly all of my hunts.....thus far. When iron/carpets-of-nails site(s) are hunted, then 14-Khz coupled with small coil....is the preferred choice. Rarely have I used 20-Khz (so far) for real-world application. --------- Underlying/almost subconscious 'take-away' message: Maximum depth (for high conductors) is ..... by far...... THE most/largest determining/primary ultimate quest. Bottom line!

* Whilst in DEEP mode (my primary mode), the audio tones are very telling/conveying. More specifically: The length/width/girth/breadth of the audio report. The audio blending. And the audio-tonal ID. Rarely do you need to
look at the Visual/numerical ID display. I very much cherish the VCO audio of DEEP mode. Multiple attributes. Priceless.

* I had a unique test-garden encounter/experience that I am trying to replicate/duplicate...... and will report IF it occurs again.

Some of my e-mails to you..... have been 'failed delivery attempt'...... yet, my outbox shows they went. SOOOOooooooo ....... I have concern (again) that you are not receiving my e-mails/data.

Sincerely,

Tom


November 21, 2016 10:16 PM

Sending another e-mail....... in-the-blind! Hoping/guessing you are receiving all of them.

* Yesterday....... I attempted to hunt 4 separate sites. Three of the four.... had such severe EMI with the Impact (and F75)...... that I had to switch to the XP GMP. The XP GMP is not a deep detector; yet, expressed zero EMI...... and kept the sites open/huntable. Since my intent was to test a theory(s) with the Impact, I chose to NOT stay long at these 3 unsuspecting EMI-laden sites. These three sites were in a typical rural middle-America, old (well maintained) town, regular residential housing neighborhood..... with 3 empty lots between houses. Regular average above-ground power poles/power lines ran down each residential road. Very typical. The 4th site prompted me to document the following notes:

* I'm seeing/witnessing/experiencing a pattern. The Impact will not hunt behind the F75. I have nearly 0% success-rate hunting behind the F75. This is to include low, medium and high conductors...... with the utilization of proper
Impact Mode/Freq selection. BUT, there is one stipulation. If EMI is low enough to allow/authorize a Impact Sensitivity setting of '97' (or above) whilst in DEEP mode; then........ there is a 45% chance of having success..... hunting behind
the F75. "Success" = Finding 3 (or more) non-ferrous targets that the F75 can not detect. Keep in mind..... It is very rare to find conditions/sites that allow Sensitivity settings of 97....or above. When these rare conditions are met...... it is somewhat obvious the Impact has a slight edge/lead/advantage over the F75 boost process. If I show up on site..... and can run Sens on 97 (or higher)..... I immediately know if I can detect/run behind the F75. Armed with this knowledge; if I determine that I can not run the Impact with a Sens of 97+ ...... I (now) will immediately quit/leave. SUMMATIONAL CONCLUSION: Sensitivity 97, 98 & 99 will reopen all old "hunted out" sites..... with a little bit of success. (((This data does not include carpets-of-nails sites.)))

* Impact (in 5-Khz) will completely consume a new set of (full charge) regular carbon batteries in 67 minutes. (non-alkaline).

* DEEP mode..... 5-Khz vs 14-Khz vs 20-Khz unmasking performance/capabilities.
After extensive testing....... results as follows:
# 5-Khz is a complete no-no in carpets of nails...... in the attempt to unmask non-Fe targets. Whilst it is the deepest mode for high conductors (and many other targets),.,.,. The iron 'falsing' is excessive/fatiguing. (This is a 5-Khz performance "expected-norm"....and comes as no surprise........ unless a technological paradigm-shift ensues.)
# 14-Khz presents 11% better performance at unmasking non-Fe targets in carpets of nails...... and 'falsing' is substantially reduced.
# 20-Khz is yet another (approximately) 2% better at unmasking....over 14-Khz.,.,.,.,.,., and 'falsing' is about the same as 14-Khz. BUT...... even though there is an approximate 2% unmasking gain whilst 20-Khz is invoked....... 14-Khz is nearly 18% deeper than 20-Khz in multiple real-world scenarios; subsequently, 14-Khz is substantially (overall) better than 20-Khz for stated intent. For the record...... I must also state: There are a few targets/scenarios that (exclusively) 20-Khz will detect......that 5 & 14-Khz will never see/detect; however, there are substantially more ("deeper") targets that 14-Khz will see/detect/report over all other options/freqs..... that far-substantiate the sole utilization of 14-Khz. (I do not have enough
scientific/exacting data to generate a solid/reliable percentage computation....as of yet; Hence, 'verified/witnessed' but inconclusive percentile resultant.)
# The XP GMP (head-to-head..... with variables controlled/regulated or mitigated)..... is still the Flagship for unmasking..... to the shallow and medium depth-windows. The Impact will ascertain the deeper depth-window (consistently) with a fair amount of success. And since there is linear-correlation to 'depth.... versus.... age'......... there is "value-added" to the Impact attributes at depth.,.,.,.,.,., enough to quantify/qualify/justify positive-bias towards Impact selection/utilization.

* In MILD alkali/salty dirt..... the Impact (inconclusively) appears to have a slight performance lead/advantage over CZ/T2/F75.

* I need to reiterate/state this again: The small elliptical coil is a Max-Q/dimensionally-perfect size. Depth vs separation bell-curve.

* I am somewhat bothered by the battery consumption rate (in 5-Khz).... and do wonder if a pair of 9V batteries would allow another 60-minutes of run-time......so as to authorize/allow an entire-day hunt....to completion............................... without having to change batteries in the same day. (Never use 8-AA batteries.... as there is a 8X chance of a battery going bad..... rendering the entire power supply useless. In the field..... it is TOO difficult to determine 'which' specific battery ....of the 8..... went bad...... especially without a Digital Volt Meter).

Sincerely,

Tom



November 23, 2016 11:36 PM’

Hi Dilek,

Yes. For instance.......... the XP Deus is a 3-Frequency unit also ...... BUT....... its 'center frequency' is 18-Khz. The detector was designed around the 18-Khz frequency. It is obvious the unit is 'tuned' for this frequency..... and the other two frequencies work ok...but you can tell the performance is slightly reduced (for what they should be).......because you are off of the 'center frequency'. The most obvious way to see/view this is: When you select 4-Khz on the Deus..... it should be markedly deeper on a silver coin. . . . . but...it is not. It is the 18-Khz frequency that detects a silver coin to greater depths......and NOT the 4-Khz option. ------ I do not see this anomaly on the Impact. It is linear.... and each frequency seems to work at peak performance (and not compromised). And more data/....

NOTES FROM THE PAST 2 DAYS:

* In many cases, selecting the wrong F1 - F5 EMI mitigation frequency/channel..... can cost several inches of depth performance. (And can be audibly fatiguing). Also, the Impact is not immune to silent EMI performance loss. (Per expectations, Unit does not defy physics). Selecting the correct F1 - F5 channel/freq is very important.

--------------- DEEP mode ----------------
* 20-Khz = A audio language all unto itself.
* 20-Khz = Preferred choice in carpets of nails.
* 20-Khz = More susceptible to EMI.
* 20-Khz = Requires changing F1 - F5 freq/channel more frequently.
* 20-Khz = Less depth on coins; yet, substantially better audible resolution and ID....in carpets of nails.

* The higher the Sensitivity.... the better the ID resolution/accuracy. ((( Somewhat of a paradox. )))

* 20-Khz versus 5-Khz will find nearly identical non-ferrous targets in carpets of nails/iron..... but 20-Khz presents much better audible resolution, better numerical ID lock-on AND combats carpets of nails better. There is hardly any 'falsing' from iron whilst in 20-Khz. Major (and rare) attribute.

* When hunting 'unknown conditions' new sites...... it is a major attribute to be able to instantly change frequencies and modes...... to meet/suit the needs of 'changing conditions' at each individual site. Another major attribute of the Impact. It is many metal detectors all-in-one unit. Normally...... a sudden change in conditions requires grabbing a different detector to meet/match the niche-needs of the site.

* I have encountered "hot rocks" problems (old burnt coal.....in my case)........ of which almost all of them will ID as non-ferrous 'foil'. Almost all single frequency units incur this exact same problem. For comparison purposes: The simultaneous-two-frequency Fisher CZ is one (in very few) detectors that does not have this problem.

* Today, (4 times)..... the Impact encountered a software lock-up problem. . . . that required complete shut-down and restart. The ID display would continuously show "Cy"..... and Ground Balance would show 00.00. Performance was
reduced......and the display was locked-up on "Cy". A complete restart would clear all errors.

Sincerely,

Tom


November 24, 2016 9:28 AM

Hi Alper,

Yes...... I was in "DEEP" mode when I encountered the 'Cy' software error code. It happened 4 times.......and ..... ( ??? I 'think' ???) two of the times when I was switching frequencies into 5-Khz (from 20-Khz). I will continue to try to replicate the problem...... so as to better 'identify' when & what causes it....... for your enhanced/better troubleshooting techniques.

I applaud the fact that you implemented/incorporated 8 different hardware gain levels coupling ""Higher Sensitivity levels ... to ... increased ID accuracy"". There are very few brands of metal detectors on the world's open Market… that will acquire increased/better ID accuracy (at deeper depths) .....to this order-of-magnitude........... due to = increasing Sensitivity. Most of the time (with many other brands)...... when you increase Sensitivity...... you induce and increase ID 'splatter'. This is the "expected norm". The Impact is a (applauded/welcomed) paradox........ the opposite of
'expectations'! ((( And this quantifies/justifies "WHY" I try to run Sensitivity as high as possible.... right at (or just barely under) where EMI is encountered. )))


------ Something I need to clarify:

* When hunting in carpets-of-nails exclusively looking for high conductor coins...... I will employ DEEP, 14-Khz and small coil. 14-Khz gives overall best depth on coins in this specific scenario.
* When hunting in carpets-of-nails looking for relics (low, medium & high conductors)...... I will employ DEEP, 20-Khz and small coil. This presents a higher 'overall' statistical target ratio enhancement count.
* 14-Khz in carpets of nails..... is not fatiguing.,.,.,and quite easy.
* 20-Khz in carpets of nails is a few percent better at reducing iron falsing (vs 14-Khz).... and is (audibly) measurable/noticeable.

Sincerely,

Tom




November 26, 2016 10:40 PM
Hi Alper & Dilek,

ALPER......HOW DID YOU BREAK YOUR LEG?????

Here is Data Report #17:

* DEEP mode..... regardless of selected-frequency..... presents no (perceived) audio lag-time. ((A very good attribute.))

* DEEP mode VCO modulated audio is engineered/applied perfectly. Especially the last few inches of detectable range, whereby....the modulated tone volume is sufficiently loud.....and the pitch-frequency has not increased any.... in the very last few (detectable) inches; subsequently, the operator easily knows that a deep (or tiny) target has been detected. This is part of the audio artificial intelligence presentation..... for determining multiple data/facets/signatures of detected target.

* U.S. 5-Cent Nickel ID..... whilst in DEEP mode:
- 5-Khz = 47
- 14-Khz = 55
- 20-Khz = 61
Operator must be aware of these ID differences........ recover desired targets accordingly..... AND..... select Tone-Break accordingly in concert with operating frequency. For multiple reasons/justifications.... I have come to the conclusion that I embrace these "different" ID-scaling/software-code. With each operating frequency: COMPLETELY different metal detector. Accepted/embraced. Also.....and equally important to understand is: The ID scaling of iron remains exactly the same (((regardless of which (of the 3) operating frequency has been selected)))..... unaltered. This is to say: 00 - 40 iron ID range remains intact....... and with a hair-splitting Tone-Break setting of '21' still being the pinnacle small nails Tone-Break choice....regardless of which (of the 3) operating frequencies has been selected.

* Whilst in DEEP and 20-Khz: U.S. Half Eagle $5.00 gold coins, Indian Head pennies, U.S. Half-Dimes, Early Wheat Pennies, Spanish 10-Pesetas coins, Zinc Pennies..... and a host of other coins.... will ID as "82". I call this one of
the most exacting ""COIN"" ID High-Probability signatures. Any time a detected target ID's as "82" there is a high-probability (and expectation) that a coin has been detected.

Sincerely,

Tom


November28, 2016 AM


Hi Alper,

Wow! Hopefully....... you have no complications with the healing/recovery of your leg. And NO INFECTION(s)!

As far as many different targets that are lumped together in the '82' ID....... I have several trains of thought. There will always be trash items that will ID anywhere in the entire spectrum of conductivity. . . . to include ID '82'. It is a 'MUST'....that detectorists understand this. (((It is all in the 'marketing'.... that is key to 'how-well' this unsuspecting attribute will be
accepted......then embraced by the detecting community.))) There is no 'magic' detector...... nor is there a 'magic' ID. What is important to design engineers of metal detection equipment (and specifically this Impact platform) is...... ""What is the RATIO of bad-targets-to-good-targets"" with this '82' ID. Yes..... there are bad targets that are 'dug' whilst recovering '82' conductivity ID's. But..... the ratio is above-average (subsequently; acceptable)....... with an overall detecting averaging attribute. When I was creating/inventing (with subsequent inception of) the Fisher CZ-3D "old coins" intelligence ID
enhancement(s)....... I knew there would be a 'critical-eye' that would be viewing/experiencing/and harshly grading this "conductive ID window" criticality. What I had discovered in the real world.... was that many older coins do not ID in the conductive-bandwidth of today's modern coins; hence, no metal detector manufacturer had created a "old coins" audible intelligence ID platform. I had discovered (with laborious hard-bought effort) knowledge that no detector design engineer knew. I also discovered that the general public/detecting community was nearly completely unaware of this condition. You
don't know....what you don't know. I did not want my laborious efforts and knowledge to go to waste/forsaken.... and I wanted to (technology transfer) share with the World this epiphany/new-discovery; subsequently, I created the CZ-3D "old coins" platform. Many other detector manufacturers have (now) copied and incorporated this "old coins" program.......... so........... I must have done something right. Yes, there has been some resistance by detectorists...... but........ overall, a much higher level of embracement........ especially the genuine "old coins" detectorists. What does this have to do with the Impact '82' ID? It very closely resembles the "old coins" intent........ so ......... with proper marketing semantics/explanation ...... it should be widely embraced.

* DI2 seems nearly redundant to DEEP mode.

* Of the DI2, DI3 & DI4 modes.....DI3 presents the least depth, DI2 the most depth.....and DI4 is not far behind the depth capabilities of DI2. Test-garden and real-world.

* DI3 mode. Can you marriage the DEEP mode depth performance attributes with the DI3 mode? This would create a 3-tone, Tone-Break audio intelligence DEEP "old coins" mode.

* I have made a switch-over (and permanently) to rechargeable batteries (due to Impact battery high-consumption rate).

* This is going to be difficult to explain, (properly convey/impart.....to the level of understanding needed)....... but I will try my best.
First, a definition:

0" - 4" = Shallow
4" - 8" = Medium
8" - 12" - Deep

The XP GMP is still the World Flagship (by a few percent) for unmasking in carpets-of-nails. . . . . but only to shallow (and 'some' medium) depths. Verified & validated. The Impact (20-Khz) is a few percent less capable of unmasking in carpets-of-nails....when compared to XP GMP. But....... the Impact can achieve/ascertain shallow, medium (and 'some' deep) depths of unmasking. Verified & validated. Because of the correlation of 'age vs depth'..... (((especially in the part of the World that I live/detect in))) ..... I 'favor' the Impact attributes over the XP GMP for an overall-averaging application/choice. And.......... for some reason.......... the Impact (in 20-Khz) seems to have a greater affinity-of-detection to the highest conductive targets (like coins)....in carpets-of-nails........... contrary/contradictive to 20-Khz (vs 5-Khz) whilst unmasking all non-Fe targets in iron. And it is not just simply because of the larger delta/differential between low-conductive ID iron vs high-conductive ID coins. Frequency plays more of a role.


Tuesday, November 29, 2016 10:06 PM

Hi Dilek, Alper and Mali,

I just received your software update info..... and I am having some computer/software issues on my end...... and will try to resolve shortly. Here is today's ( #19) report BEFORE I received your software update. ((( It really reflects what your software upgrade intents are! )))

* Cy error has only occurred one more time. I was in DEEP mode.... switching from 14-Khz to 5-Khz when it happened.

* Depth performance is so critical..... that I find myself NOT using any other mode except DEEP..... other than for real-world & test-garden 'testing' only.

* I will now make the statement/claim: The pinnacle/niche of the Impact is: finding high conductor targets in nail infested sites...... exclusively utilizing 20-Khz. (Impact does very well with medium & low conductors in nail infested sites also).

* More usable/real-world depth is gained by utilizing 20-Khz in trashy (especially iron) sites. I have now validated this.

* There are large/measurable performance gains (whilst in 20-Khz) when Sensitivity is increased for each/every single digit... from 92 - 99.

* The Impact does have sweep-speed dependency for peak performance results. Fortunately, the sweep-speed is a normal/average sweep-speed. Operating frequency does indeed alter the peak sweep-speed; yet, not by much.

* I cannot emphasize strong enough.... to place all engineering "focus" on ascertaining just three millimeters (3mm) more dirt-usable depth on a clad dime whilst in 5-Khz. This would change the Impacts title of "Nokta Flagship" to "World Flagship" status.

* Impact has very minor problems with flat/sheet steel.... falsing to a non-ferrous ID. (( Many other detectors are much worse. ))

* F75 LTD has depth AND intelligence... combined. Impact has depth (in DEEP mode) .... and intelligence in 3 (or 4) tones modes...... but not combined.

* 20-Khz 0"-8" resolute.... on entire spectrum of conductors.
* 14-Khz 8"-10" resolute... on entire spectrum of conductors.
* 5-Khz 10"-12" resolute.. on medium and high conductors.

Now....... let me see if I can figure out the error with the software updates..... then get them uploaded.

Sincerely,

Tom

December 5, 2016 10:28 AM
Hi Alper,

OK...... good to know! And changing DI4 mode to as-deep/deeper than DEEP mode will be a good marketing move....... as many detectorists are primarily "deep-coin hunters". I'm still not quite sure what to do with DI2 (versus DEEP) mode.......as DI2 mode is similarly redundant to DEEP mode. It would behoove us to make a superior marketing 'hit' with DI2 mode. (((It is yet another opportunity.))) I will give it some more 'think-time'.

Also, I went detecting all day yesterday (Sunday)...... with some unsuspecting (and educational......value-added) thoughts/feelings. I only/exclusively used the boost-process F75.

* It felt SO good to be back with 'old-familiar' boost process F75-LTD of which is "deep AND intelligent". My confidence in the F75's capabilities/accuracy/depth is high. (((I have approximately 8100-hours on this
9 year-old F75-LTD prototype.))) Yesterday, I was primarily 'deep old coins' hunting....... with deep relic hunting as a secondary intent, during this all-day hunt. In one regard (this regard)...... it is a good thing the Impact is somewhat unusable/broken at this time....... as....... it unsuspectingly exposed the following value-added data:
* Within the first 11-minutes........... I ran into a fairly large patch of 'carpets-of-nails'..... and suddenly felt somewhat handicapped with the F75...... as I cannot switch over to 20-Khz (like I can with the Impact) ....... for this COMMON occurrence. Because of this exact occurrence,,,, I suddenly realized that I had become 'dependent' on the Impact...and its instantly available tools/modes. My level of 'confidence' in the performance capabilities of the Impact are a bit higher than I had suspected. This data carries a lot of value-added weight.....to you and to me.
* SUMMATION: If the new/revised DI4 mode functions (as I suspect)....... the Impact will transition from "Deep OR Intelligent" to Deep AND Intelligent". This simple change will alter the marketability of the Impact. And if the depth
capabilities are slightly increased...... this will compound the positive marketability of the Impact yet to another level. Real-world/genuine-usable attributes will market themselves.
* I have a boost-process F75 SE....with the new EMI-mitigating DSP; yet, due to it's 11.8" depth capability on a clad dime.......... versus.......... the non-DSP F75 of 12.0" on a clad dime ........ with this reduction in depth, I can
not afford to use the DSP model. This is how important/critical depth is....... especially in my geographics.

Sincerely,

Tom
December 12, 2016 12:02 PM

Hi Alper, Dilek & Mali,

I have some crazy/inconsistent errors now with the Impact. There are ways to make it work properly...... per engineering design. NOW....... when switching frequencies........ the unit may or MAY NOT encounter freq switch-over errors.
When/If the errors/problems occur....... I can perform some extra functions to get the Impact to work/function per-engineering-design. So, I have performed more tests...... including real-world detecting (((bringing a spare/back-up
metal detector..... in case the Impact incurs greater ...or uncorrectable....errors))).

WHEN THE UNIT IS FUNCTIONING PER ENGINEERING DESIGN....... I have the following additional data to share/impart:

* My 'confidence' factor of the Impact BEFORE implementing software uploads was "HIGH". Now...... with the software uploads/updates...... my confidence with the Impact is "MEDIUM".

* GEN mode......with ID and adjustable tone-break (two-tone) is a very 'usable' worthy function. It is not the deepest mode in Florida low-mineral dirt (as with several other modes), yet, it is a very useful mode. At one site...... the decomposition status of the iron may 'differ' from the decomposition status of the iron at another site; subsequently, a 'different' tone-break setting is REQUIRED for maximum unmasking abilities/performance. Nice (critical for serious relic hunters) to have this available function.

* DI4 mode is the 'more preferred' mode..... over VLX2....... due to the fact the VLX2 mode has TOO steep of a VCO modulated audio for deeper targets. I prefer the last couple inches of fringe-depth range to be at a 50% reduced audio
level....... and NOT at a 95% reduced audio level. Deeper (usually: the more desirable) targets will go 'missed' ..... due to the audio being at the same low audio level as ground noise/chatter.

* 20-Khz (regardless of mode) ...... provides a substantially greater level of 'adjacent-target' separation (and some unmasking) over 14-Khz........ and especially over 5-Khz. (Per laws-of-physics expectations).

* Right now (due to inconclusive 'volume' aggregate data collection)...... it appears the Impact....whilst in 20-Khz.... presents about 3% less unmasking/target-separation abilities/characteristics versus the XP GMP. But........ the Impact detects to deeper depths over the XP GMP........... to the tune of approx 21% more (overall averaging) non-Fe targets being
detected/exposed/dug. This 'overall averaging' resolution/performance alone...... places the trump-card to the Impact.

* For the record..... I need to make this statement perfectly clear: Adjustable tone-break has (now) become paramount for me (and most probably for other professional relic hunters). And adjustable tone-break to include more than just
the iron conductive range.....is yet, another major attribute. Lest we take this for granted.

* I am encountering approx 2mm more depth capabilities (low mineral Florida dirt) with a clad dime....and a Nickel....in 20-Khz than before the software upgrade/upload. BUT..... this may simply be because of more favorable atmospheric conditions. I will need more time to 'aggregate' validate this claim/phenomenon. I am not seeing any gains (in depth) with the other 2 frequencies.

Sincerely,

Tom


December 18, 2016 8:40 PM
Hi Dilek, Alper & Mali,

I am now at 150-hours on the Impact. For the modes that I have utilized (most of them)..... I feel I can (now) give a 'long-term' analysis of the Impact.

* This unit is certainly the Nokta Flagship.

* Iron handling capabilities are exceptionally good....... even when compared to any/all other brands.

* I am still impressed with target-ID accuracy ..... especially 'at depth'.

* The permanent switch-over to rechargeable batteries has cured the high-consumption rate of batteries.

* All the mechanical points of the Impact appear to be durable/reliable. (Nothing is showing signs of wear).

* Location of components & accessories is good. Ergonomics good.

* Pistol grab......is still (to me) .... a few degrees too far forward-tilted.

* I am just as happy/confident detecting with the Impact as I am with the F75 (or XP GMP in carpets of nails).

* I Really feel the need for slightly more (overall) depth. Even just a few millimeters. (To include: for marketing reasons.)

* EMI encounters are no greater than other hyper-gain detectors.

* Impact replaces many other units.

* There are targets that 20-Khz will detect/find....... and 5-Khz will not.
* There are targets that 5-Khz will detect/find....... and 20-Khz will not.
* There are targets that Impact will detect/find..... that other units/brands will not.
* There are (some) VERY FEW targets that other units will find..... and Impact will not detect.

* Nothing on the Impact is 'gimmick'. All modes/options suit a very specific intended purpose.

---------------------------------

* GEN(D).....compared to GEN. My personal preference is GEN mode. Yet, because depth is critical..... I will still select DEEP mode over GEN mode nearly every time. My low mineralization is a major contributor in this decision-making-process/choice.

The Impact is easily 'marketable' AS-IS; yet, my gut feelings are...... just a few more slight/mild improvements would "lock-in" (solidify) marketing-sales. (This is always a concern for any Mfr..... with the advent/release of ANY new
product.) There may be other Mfr's that may release new Flagships........ in weeks/months/years to come; yet, there should still remain plenty of 'niche' abilities/capabilities of the Impact...... to assure some marketing/sales 'security'. (((This is assuming no "paradigm shift" is incurred with/from any other Mfr..... which I sincerely doubt.)))

I'm out of time!!!


December 20, 2016 12:14 PM

Hi Dilek,

Sure. For instance...... the XP GMP was able to find a small (modern) brass cuff button ...... about the diameter of a U.S. dime; whereby, the Impact could not see/detect it. And Apples-to-Apples comparison with the Impact on 20-Khz.
The button was approx 6" deep.......and next to a fairly large iron bolt 3-1/2" in length. For the GMP.... the angle-of-attack/sweep-direction into the target was fairly critical; yet, audibly clear (intelligible) with the correct approach
direction. The large rusty bolt was approx 3/4" shallower than the button.....and North-West of the button by approx 2-inches. When the Impact was given the exact coil sweep direction that gave the GMP detectable success......
the ID was 'iron'. I also tried different coil heights above ground, different coil sweep speeds..... and also short sweeps with the Impact. The GMP seemed nearly immune to coil sweep speed; yet, the angle unto which the target was approached was fairly critical. I speculate the enveloped electromagnetic footprint delta/difference alone..... between the two detectors..... was probably 'just barely' enough to see/witness/cause this rare phenomenon/occasion.

Another example was: The F75 detected a bronze (Indian Head) penny that the Impact could not detect. The penny was nearly 12" deep...... and approximately 20-Deg tilted from flat/parallel to Earth. Zero masking taking place. (The slightest amount of masking..... and this coin would not be detectable to the F75).
* While continuously sweeping the target: the F75 could audibly detect this Indian Head penny 95% of the sweeps.
* Impact on 14-Khz, DEEP could not detect this coin at all.
* Impact on 5-Khz.....and the Indian Head penny could be audibly detected 35% of the sweeps.
This incursion was on November 15...... and was the first (and only) coin that the F75 could detect...... and the Impact could not. All other real-world deep coins could be detected by both detectors. For your records (and for reference)..... the Minelab CTX-3030 has nearly identical 'coin depth' performance as the boost process F75 ...... here in Florida low mineral dirt.

I could site only a FEW more examples where the Impact could not detect a target; yet, another detector could. For the records: It is a rare/remote occurrence to find such targets and conditions.

Sincerely,

Tom

December 22, 2016 10:26 PM

Hi Alper,

While we are still on the prototype phase........ I have something on my mind that I need to convey. The Impact on 5-Khz and DEEP is identical in depth performance to the 13-Khz F75 boost process......on a high conductor clad dime. But....... the F75 (on 13-Khz) is ALSO much deeper on lower conductors AT THE SAME TIME....... ALL THE TIME. In order for the Impact to match the depth performance of the F75 boost process on lower conductors..... the Impact must be switched to 14-Khz.......... at the cost of reduced depth performance to high conductors. Said differently: The F75 has maximum depth on both low AND high conductors....at all times. The Impact has max depth on high conductors whilst in 5-Khz....... and 'below average' depth on low conductors. The Impact has maximum depth on low conductors whilst in 14-Khz (or 20-Khz)....... but then has below average depth on high conductors whilst in 14-Khz.

The Impact will acquire a high conductor clad dime to 11.8" (in Florida low-mineral dirt) whilst in 14-Khz. (((The F75 boost process [without DSP] will acquire a clad dime to 12.0"))). Is it possible to boost 14-Khz depth by just 0.2" on a high-conductor clad dime...... so as to THEN match the depth performance of the F75 on BOTH low and high conductors?

* Today...... I verified the depth performance (twice) of the Impact (DEEP & 5-Khz) in test-garden on a clad dime. Atmospheric/EMI conditions did indeed revert back to original status..... as the depth performance of the Impact (now)
returned back to 12.0" on a clad dime. (((Several days ago..... it 'appeared' that the newest software upgrade..... had advanced the depth by 0.1" on a clad dime.)))

Sincerely,

Tom


December 23, 2016 2:41 PM

Hi Alper,

I'm glad your leg is FINALLY getting better! And you are probably tired of reduced mobility!

I have downloaded on my laptop....... then uploaded the 5th software change (V1.04) into the Impact. I have spent 2 hours in the test-garden verifying many modes/programs.

* I performed a FD Factory Default on the unit..... before performing all subsequent testing.

* Pinpoint VCO is now very good.

* Whilst in GEN(D) mode...... a deeper non-Fe target ...... vs ...... a deeper Fe target is hardly audibly discernible. There is a very slight frequency/pitch 'rise' on deeper non-Fe targets ....... and a very slight frequency/pitch 'drop'
on Fe targets. TOO hard to differentiate. Regardless of what type of site you are detecting...... the deeper targets (both Fe & non-Fe) are nearly audibly unintelligible. Shallow-to-medium depth targets..... are HIGHLY
differentiable..... and this GEN (D) mode is very useful.
* When comparing GEN to GEN(D) mode...... I still prefer GEN mode........ as the audible frequency difference between ferrous vs non-ferrous (below/above tone-break set-point) is much greater ...... much more audibly differentiable.

* The increased timing (depth increase enhancement) whilst in DEEP mode (on all 3 frequencies) is noticeable. There is now a audio 'lag-time' whilst sweeping over targets; yet, far from being a problem. I doubt the detecting community will see/observe this...... as they did not have the ability to experience the 'before' and 'after' software upgrade. Also..... the audio response is more elongated (longer).

* No software anomalies observed (at this point).

I have a lot more testing to perform. Then...... real-world performance testing. Will advise.


December 24, 2016 2:23 PM

Hi Alper,

Here are my findings from the first hunt with the Fifth software (V1.04):

* 14-Khz & DEEP now matches the performance of the F75 boost process. This is on the entire conductivity spectrum of targets.

* With this V1.04 boosted depth performance..... I am not experiencing any additional EMI problems. This applies to any/all 3 of the operating frequencies.

* With this new DEEP mode timing........ adjacent target separation characteristics has changed. (More details to follow.....more analysis required).

* Several of my test-garden targets are 'threshold depth' targets (((for very specific/intended purposes))). With V1.04 software upgrade.... these targets are (now) crisp/loud/clear/full-resolve targets. Before V1.04 (and also currently
with the F75 boost process)...... these same threshold depth targets required diligence to detect =
> Coil sweep-speed is critical.
> Coil height above ground must be exacting.
> Coil must be 'centered' over the target.
> Atmospheric conditions must be 'average/nominal'.
> Soil moisture content must be 'average/nominal'. If too dry.....or too wet.,.,.,., problems ensue. (A 'constant' goes to 'variable' status.)
> Control panel settings must be exacting.
> And a few other 'variables-removed' conditions requirements. But with the added timing in V1.04 in DEEP mode...... all of the above "required" conditions.... no longer exist. These fringe-depth targets are easy to detect. What is ironic is..... so far..... it appears the Impact is only 0.1" deeper (on a low-conductive Nickel and a high-conductive clad Dime) than the F75
boost process unit..... in real (Florida low-mineral) dirt; yet, this is how much difference just 0.1" inch increase presents. In an air-test..... V1.04 software upgrade is quite a bit deeper.
* In the real-world..... this is also to say that 'what WERE "fringe-depth" targets'....... are audibly more authoritative ...... with more coil sweep-speed forgiveness, air-gap forgiveness, coil dead-center over target...not as critical....... and a host of other 'forgiveness' attributes now ensue.
* Deeper targets are more willingly/readily ID'ing better.
* There is (now) a new group of fringe-depth targets..... that are now audibly exposed/detected......coming to light.

* I am "frustrated/jealous" that I can not have the 5-Khz high-conductor depth performance...... combined with the 14/20-Khz low-conductor depth performance. I must hunt each area twice. First in 5-Khz. Then in 14-Khz (or 20-Khz) in order to find ALL (high & low) entire spectrum fringe-depth conductors.

* With this V1.04 added depth enhancement in DEEP mode... there is a new learning-curve that follows.

* The new V1.04 timing feels like a F75 boost process unit..... somewhere between 'bp' and 'cl' modes.

* Now there is no ID display (blank) whilst in GEN mode...... on targets that are Disc'd out. (Not a complaint/problem).

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!


Sincerely,

Tom









December 27, 2016 5:30 PM
Hi Alper,

More notes:
* Is there any way possible to increase the depth of DI4 mode..... to the depth level performance of DEEP mode?

* The iron volume level of F1 is very exacting/useful.
* The iron volume level of F2 is very exacting/useful.

* Pinpoint mode is 'telling' of target size.

Sincerely,

Tom



December 29, 2016 11:34 PM
Hi Dilek,

This is a 'beat-to-death' site ...... that only I will (and did) hunt..... today. By myself. I can not afford the time for 'socializing' .... as this particular site is perfect for so much testing scenarios....... and I need full mental concentration/undivided attention to all of my/Impact's dedication and expended time/effort.

I am wanting to rapidly send you this e-mail...... before you go home for the weekend. I may miss a few details; yet, you will be armed with the bulk of my "todays" discoveries...... and..... I can catch you up on the small/missed details at a later time.

Very interesting day today. Some unsuspecting/unexpected occurrences ensued. I was only able to hunt two specific sites today...... as time-consuming errors and new discoveries arose..... that required extra time and undivided attention...... until resolution was properly achieved.

* For the first 3 hours, I hunted a medium-low (fairly clean) site...... In DI3, GEN and GEN(D) modes. Absolutely zero non-ferrous targets were detected. This may (falsely) give the appearance as.... a waste of time; yet, I had a
hunch/speculation...... and needed to positively prove a theory. Keep in mind...... the boost process F75 had 'cleaned out' this site...... and my last 4 hunts with the 'bp' F75 also exposed no more non-Fe targets. Keep in mind..... Florida low-mineral dirt...... and DI3, GEN, GEN(D) are not the deepest modes on the Impact in this Florida low-mineral scenario.

* I then invoked DEEP mode...... and the site (for the first time in 2 years) ""started"" to come back to life again. But..... there was an unexpected occurrence. 5-Khz had a terrible EMI encounter...... whereby ....... nothing would rid or mitigate this EMI. F1-F5 presented zero change....... and the audio was a pulse-repetition-frequency of 3 beeps per second. I attempted to locate/isolate the source...... with zero success. Using 20-Khz.......and 'most' of the EMI could be somewhat mitigated; yet, with 90-minutes of detecting....... 20-Khz proved to be not deep enough to open this dead site again. Power lines were approximately 35-Meters away.

* DEEP mode and 14-Khz was my only option. Sometimes I could run Sensitivity on 97...... and sometimes I was required to run the Sensitivity on 94. Erratic/unpredictable EMI issues was the dictating factor as to 'when' I was required to drop Sens down to 94. In short order, I quickly stopped finding targets every time I had to drop Sens to 94. This prompted a head-to-head comparison with the 'bp' F75. I quickly learned (and solidly concluded) that DEEP Impact on '94' Sens...... is exactly the same performance as the F75 is on '99' Sens. When I would find a possible non-Fe target with the DEEP Impact '97' Sens........... the F75 would either report this "just-beyond-fringe" depth target as a exceptionally weak iron burp....... or....... many of the times...... no audio report at all. These targets were exceptionally weak to the
Impact........ were unreliable ID..... inconsistent (not every sweep) audio reports; yet, posed a bit of an audio 'signature' .......with enough artificial intelligence that........ when learned......... can produce a few more exceptionally deep non-Fe targets. This signature-to-hull-emitter-correlation would be very difficult to teach others; yet, opens up old sites. --------- I
feel that ...... if EMI conditions allow...... and a Sens setting of '98' could be employed..... another 0.1" depth could be ascertained. I will never forsake what just 0.1" (one-tenth) of an inch can do. Today...... about 40% of the time....... I was able to use a Sens of '97' whereby; 0.1" additional depth was real-world 'realized'....... and it opened up this completely dead site again.

* I was wounded that I was not ever able to utilize 5-Khz today..... as this was the SOLE reason as to 'why' I went to this specific site (as I have yet to find any of the high conductors at this specific site); yet, the Impact has enough 'tools'...... and I had enough perseverance ...... of which forced me to 'experiment'. 14-Khz (for the first time) played a critical role today.

* Site 2 today was heavy carpets of nails. No more non-Fe targets could be found with any type/brand detector. (And on several hunts/attempts). I attempted to utilize (for 2 hours)..... GEN mode..... and GEN(D) mode..... in exclusively
20-Khz..... with zero success. (Again...... possibly due to Florida dirt). Switching over to DEEP mode and 20-Khz........ and leaving tone-break on factory '40'...... and zero non-Fe targets came to light. Dropping tone-break to '21'....... and the 'dead' site produced several more non-Fe targets. Dropping tone-break to '20'..... caused a 40% increase in unmasking; yet, at a cost of 700% more fatigue factor. I endured this challenge for approximately 35 minutes....... than fatigued-out. I also (unsuspectingly) learned that many nails at this specific site.......would tone-break out....at 13...... many at 14......... many at 19, many at 20...... and many at tone-break setting of 21. If only I could hunt the site (several times)...... with these lowering tone-break settings; yet, there are just simply too many nails that require the higher tone-break setting...... otherwise...... they sound like a solid/good non-Fe target with lower tone-break settings. I remained (required) to use iron-volume of F1.

* Another noteworthy observation: 17 non-Fe targets were found with the stock 11" DD coil. Considering the carpets of nails...... this is surprising all unto itself. Switching over to the small DD coil....... and only 4 more non-Fe targets were found. Sounds like a paradox; yet, the (many times confirmed) reason is the fact that most of the targets (including the nails) are a bit deep...... and out of the 'effective range' of the smaller coil.

* I also hunted in 20-Khz, DEEP mode, tone-break '35' and iron volume on F0. I hunted in carpets of nails; yet, just slightly reduced volume of nails as above (about 25-feet away from epicenter of maximum nails dirt). What a quiet, confident, pleasant (zero fatigue) way to hunt. Yes, unmasking is at a reduced capability; yet, the general public would do very well with this configuration.

* There's something needed to be said about higher frequencies (ie 20-Khz) in general. The iron-handling intelligence is substantially enhanced. Even though the range (depth) of higher frequencies is reduced overall........... the ability to 'see-between-nails' is enhanced....... subsequently/thereby increasing 'effective depth'. Also..... (needed to be said)...... a small coin looks like a very large target to higher frequencies...... even though overall range of higher frequencies is less.

Out of time!!!


December 31, 2016 5:14 AM

.............. I have had a couple of nights to 'sleep' on this past Thursday's hunt. A micro-epiphany ensued.

First, this particular site requires many PRE-qualifications to be met.....in order for a metal detector to be worthy of bringing to this specific site (with legitimate justification in testimony). Nearly all metal detectors fail to meet the pre-qualifications. With the advent of the fifth software upgrade (V1.04) for the Impact......... the pre-qualifications have been ascertained..... for
the first time. (We have come a long way.)

Secondly; yet, most importantly:

* IN FINAL SUMMATIONAL CONCLUSION: In order for the Impact to ascertain "World Flagship" status......... The dictating/determining factor.......... is EMI. The overall success of this unit is determined by: EMI. (((And the
mitigation/elimination thereof))). I should end this e-mail here...... so as to impose maximum impact/importance of said statement/discovery.

-------------------------------------

Yet, I have the following (continued) thoughts:

How far can we push VLF IB Motion Discrimination. Pushing Sensitivity (and subsequent depth-gain) to non-linear asymptotic plateau's is commendable......... and nothing less!......... yet,.,.,.,.,., then (and only then) does the mitigation of EMI become paramount....... in order to achieve further success. What type of technological advancements are needed to rid EMI.

For the Impact: World Flagship status hinges upon...... whether Sensitivity can be run on '97'....... if (reduced) EMI conditions allow. More often than not....... conditions do not allow. When conditions 'allow' ....... the ascertained performance is nothing short of "stunning". How do we get "stunning" to occur more regularly.

I have witnessed this with other detectors.... whereby...... a large increase in Sensitivity is immediately evident in subsequent large improvements/gains in 'air-test' distance; yet, in real dirt....... most (but not all!)..... additional gains are lost.

Just one-tenth (0.1") of an inch depth gain in real dirt....... presents a (unsuspectingly) large, real-world, highly-measurable "success gain" end-resultant. And........ in many cases........ dictates a 'yes-or-no' ...... 'go or no-go', hunting scenario. My gut feeling is that ..... if conditions allow...... and I can run a Sensitivity of '98' on the Impact....... another 0.1" depth increase will be 'realized'. . . . . and this will result in yet another large increase of 'real-world finds'. Another 'success plateau' will be achieved.

In the past couple of months...... the Impact has come a long way. I (now) feel it is ready for 'release' (product roll-out). Yet, lest we forsake the 'burning passion' to always continuously improve upon this World Flagship plateau "launch-platform". For the betterment of mankind....... much of the future.... is dictated by.... learning the past. Improving performance and depth....results in: A New Age of Discovery.

One final qualifier/note: The Impact is just starting to touch World Flagship status...... in Florida dirt...... and probably in other parts of the world; yet, possibly not all areas.

Sincerely,

Tom

January 2, 2017 8:45 AM

....... I will be OFF-LINE for this week! But, have a couple of thoughts to share.

* With Tone-Break set on '21' whilst in DEEP mode....... it is very easy to eliminate small nails........ and very easy to detect any iron implement that is larger than a nail.

* Continue to work on......... And if there is any way possible........ to add more depth......... even if only on one of the frequencies. But...... do not let this intent inhibit product roll-out.

Sincerely,

Tom

, January 8, 2017 11:31 PM

Hi Alper, Dilek & Mali,

Another additional week of observation(s):

* Some detecting days.... do not meet "standardized" base-reference conditions; hence, me not reporting anything (possibly for extended periods of time). Without a base-reference..... proper analysis can easily be invalidated.

* I found a location that authorized a Sens setting of '97' & DEEP for the entire day. All 3 frequencies. This allowed for the validation of a theory. I encountered/witnessed/observed repeated/consistent (very slight) additional performance gain over all other detectors......by virtue of finding a handful more targets (head-to-head compared) behind other units.
* About 30% of the time (at this same location)....... finally................. for the first time............... conditions allowed a Sens setting of '99'. The difference between '97' and '99' on the Impact is different enough (large delta)...that it required..... yet, another learning-curve. A small handful more targets were located....... with a positively validated 'failure to detect' when
Sens was dropped back down to '97'. These specific targets were "Sens 99" ONLY targets.
* Also. Unexpectedly. While I was testing one of these "Sens 99" targets with different settings/control-panel-configurations........ there was a sudden slight increase in atmospheric EMI (emanating source unknown)... and the target completely disappeared. Sens 99 became too unstable to detect target. Sens 97 eliminated the EMI; yet, was insufficient sensitivity to detect the target. Nothing helped. (This particular target turned out to be the best find of the day).

LOCAL TAKE-AWAY/LESSON-LEARNED: These hyper-gain detectors are so easily crippled by EMI. Success is dictated by EMI conditions.

* The audible intelligence of 20-Khz (vs. 5-Khz) whilst in carpets of nails is substantial. Even though higher freq's are more reactive/sensitive to iron...... the audible discriminatory ID intelligence is substantially less fatiguing.

* Of the 3 available selectable frequencies...... I would strongly encourage boosting the performance of 20-Khz..... if time/engineering-resources allow. 20-Khz is proving to be a very valuable tool. . . . . especially in iron infested sites.

* Insufficient data (yet: noteworthy): In my last 4 hunts....... I have yet to find more (especially higher-conductor) items ..... in 5-Khz (versus 14-Khz). The real-world difference between 20-Khz versus 5-Khz is very noticeable; yet, very little (if any at all) difference between 14-Khz vs 5-Khz real-world detectable finds. So far...... there have been 2 reasons for this:
1. EMI levels were slightly higher whilst in 5-Khz.
2. 5-Khz suffers substantially...... in the presence of iron.

* Detecting in 'average conditions' (vague term) with 5-Khz is blindly 'bliss'. Switching over to 20-Khz ..... and the same ground becomes 'lit' and 'alive' with iron. It is a real eye-opener as to 'why' depth suffered.....and..... few targets were found whilst in 5-Khz. Epiphany ensues.

* I would like to see a mode specifically allocated for "coin hunting only". Many detectorists are solely/exclusively coin hunters. Operating system as follows:
1) 5-Khz
2) DEEP
3) 3-Tone
4) Tone-Break adjustable

* On a different day of detecting....and at a completely different location,.,.,.,.,. I had a mission/theory..... that I wanted to test. Settings: DEEP, 20-Khz, Sens 97, Disc 3, Iron volume = F1.......and......... most importantly: a Tone-Break of '20'. This is a painfully low Tone-Break in the carpet of nails that I intended to hunt. . . . . but....... my unique
intent/circumstance.... was to see how many iron targets could be recovered that ID'd as '20' (and above)...... and to see "what kind" of iron targets ID as a '20' (or above). ------- To my (somewhat) surprise........ I found more non-ferrous targets than ferrous targets......in this 'non-ferrous target sanitized' area. My only criteria was: good audible tone through (at minimum) 70% body rotation around each/every 'suspect' target. (((Bent square-nails were my worst Fe culprit))). I have now recovered over 2000 nails (deliberately..... for tuitional/learning purposes) with the Impact.

* I will continue to give short/to-the-point/concise e-mails to you....... so as to efficientize your time/efforts.

Sincerely,

Tom

January 11, 2017 5:08 PM

Hi Alper,

I would not recommend doing anything with Sensitivity '99'. I would recommend leaving it 'as is'. It is true there are few places where EMI/Atmospheric conditions allow the use of Sens '99' ...... yet, when conditions exist...... it is nice to have this option. Now/Also........ should you find a way to boost sensitivity/performance ...... you could implement it in Sens '99' ONLY....... keeping Sens '98' (and below) exactly where it is now. Keep Sensitivity '99' reserved for "concepts/special projects". I must also state this: I am the type of person that is always trying to 'overdrive' any/all equipment and conditions. This also (mostly) holds true for the members on my forum; yet, we need to take into consideration how/what the rest of the world/detecting-community will utilize. Most probably...... a more 'sane' level of settings.

* (((Something I have been meaning to emphasize/say again ))) = The full strength Volume employed in DEEP mode ..... especially on fringe-depth targets..... is a major "plus"...... so as to compensate for a (somewhat unsuspecting) human weakness.........and........... when coupled with the intelligence of lowering the audio frequency-pitch on deeper targets (yet,
retaining full Volume)...... has tremendous "deep target recognition" and subsequent recovery success-rate. Major attribute.

* I recommend reducing Brightness 'B3' by approximately 20% - 30%. B1 and B2 are good/correct/useful. B3 is too much of a difference from B2. B4 and B5 are good.

* Whilst detecting...... I find myself using my thumb to 'push on the faceplate'...... so as to apply downward pressure on the coil....to get the coil on the ground (instead of floating in the air). (((( Changing the pistol grip angle would correct this. ))))

* I continue to find myself living in Iron Volume F1.
* I continue to find myself living in DEEP mode (Florida dirt & conditions command/dictate this).

*** I have now performed 'some' (inconclusive) high mineral dirt testing with the Impact. This dirt is 4-bar dirt on the F75. It is between 3-4 bar dirt on the Impact. A clad dime was utilized for this (initial) testing. I had very limited time...... and performed only a few tests/functions.
1) I speculated 20-Khz would perform the best. To my surprise; results were different. Regardless of 5-Khz, 14-Khz or 20-Khz frequency selection....... a clad dime could only be ID'd to 6.1". Once again....... regardless of frequency.
2) The clad dime ID'd as 'iron' from 6.2" to 6.8". Then....... at 6.9"..... the clad dime could not be detected. My speculation was that the dime could be detected to about 10"..... knowing the ID would be 'iron'. But...... at a depth of 6.9"....... the dime was no longer detectable. Again..... another surprise to me.
3) Changing Ground Balance....... even to settings that are far from quiescence ........ caused only very minor loss of performance/ID...... again: incongruent with expectations. I have more 'bad dirt' testing to do; yet, the location is nearly a 6-hour (round-trip) drive from me........ and may take time. This site also has 5-bar bad dirt.

What is on your mind? What are you guys working on......in regards to the Impact. What is your intent with the Impact? Any targeted 'release-date' yet?

Sincerely,

Tom




Thursday, January 12, 2017 10:18 AM
Hi Dilek, Alper & Mali,

First, Thank You (in particular: Dilek) for such exceptionally high-praise/Kudo's and comments! And to this note..... it prompts me to say/reiterate the following: As you can see...... I am NOT XP biased....... or Fisher....or Minelab 'biased'..... (or Nokta/Makro!)....... but/rather: My in-the-blood motive is for the accelerated technological advancement of humankind.... and on a Global basis. This is also my career/profession. I will always be here to help. Just be aware: I hide nothing........ and will express both the 'good' & 'bad'......... so as to 'improve' and 'improve' all. Honesty is: All Weight Carrying.

Alper, I am glad to hear of the upgrade(s) and Sixth (V1.05) software. All are in a positive direction. And...... I am glad that you will not change the current scaling/timing of the Sensitivity .........(the general detecting community) will eventually 'learn' how to use Sens settings 96, 97, 98..... and especially 99. These are the hyper-boost-process settings. With the new EMI shielding...... this may allow 20% more use of these (96-99) higher Sens settings. I do feel this V1.04 software is more EMI resilient.


***** Impact high performance is predicated on EMI level. *****


* I strongly recommend issuing/including rechargeable batteries as 'standard issue' with the final production Impact units.

((( Nearly all hyper-gain detectors incur EMI hindrance )))

Something needing to be said. Just because "Prototype Field Testing" is complete....... does NOT mean that 'feedback' stops. I will continue to give feedback....as thoughts/ideas/concepts occur. This is to also say: NEVER inhibit the continuous upgrading of a product....... because of the 'fear' that the General Public will be frustrated that their unit is (now) outdated TOO soon. This would be decelerating/restricting to humankind....... and......... it decelerates you from 'moving on' to even further advancement(s). Humans are inherently 'resistant-to-CHANGE'. Circumnavigate this.... at all costs.

Sincerely,

Tom


January 14, 2017 1:45 PM
Hi Dilek and Alper,

Thank you for the heads-up......and tracking number.

* The Impact is (verified) prone to 'Silent EMI'......... as is all brands of metal detectors.

* Impact. DEEP, 5-Khz, Sens '97' settings. Some days EMI is nominal/average...... and the Impact will acquire a clad dime to 12.1" in Florida dirt. Some days atmospheric conditions dictate different conditions whereby EMI is 'just barely' silent..... allowing/authorizing the Impact to gain an additional 1" air-gap over this 12.1" deep clad dime. I have (now.....and finally) witnessed one-experience/one-day/one-narrow-window-of-time where EMI was non-existent.......... and the Impact expressed a 3.3" air-gap realized gain over this 12.1" deep clad dime.

*****
***** I have now witnessed/experienced a verified software thought-process flaw/show-stopper with the Impact. I must try my best to properly convey/impart this data to you.... to the best of my abilities. This past Tuesday, I detected a 17' x 45' parcel of land that stopped producing coins for the past 7 years. Deliberately, I had NOT taken the boost-process F75 to this property.....until/unless, double-justification conditions were satisfied/met). I decided to use ONLY the Impact....... and in DEEP, 20-Khz, Sens '97', Disc '3', Tone-Break '21', Iron Volume 'F1', EMI Freq 'F4'. In a nutshell: I found 9 more old coins. (Stunning performance). After I dug the 4th coin, I decided to NOT dig......... and simply 'mark' the spot(s) of "suspected" coins that the Impact would detect/locate.,.,.,.,., so I could then head-to-head test the boost process F75 (((and see if the F75 is badly lagging))). . . . . . as the double-requirement(s) had been met. The F75 had zero problems detecting (and
ID'ing) nearly all of the coins. Not even a challenge to the F75; yet, there was one coin whereby the Impact's 20-Khz validated it's intended physics principle-of-function nicely. This particular coin was very near a small nail AND some flecks/flakes of rust......and the F75 never even knew it was a coin......and could hardly tell it was even a non-Fe (co-locate) target. The Impact ID'd the target as a non-Fe....and even ID'd it as a 'coin' on most of the coil sweeps. ,,,,,,,, Very engineering/physics-educational experience......and critical to report.
That was on Tuesday. Then.... on Friday....... I decided to ONLY take the boost-process F75 to this exact same 17' x 45' parcel of land...... to see if I could possibly find just one more old coin (justifiably worthy of my time/effort). Again, in a nutshell: I found 7 more old coins. Another setback....... as I lost (all of the regained) confidence in the Impact...... again. There is 'something-to-be-said' about COIN-TONE.... tone ID. It's critical. On the F75....... I was in 4-tone...... and could distinguish coins easier than the DEEP, 2-Tone of the Impact. Lesson learned! I will now (go back) use the F75 for deep coin hunting.......from here......forward. There is 'extra intelligence' in having COIN-TONE....... increasing the human intelligibility factor several-fold ........ when/if you are exclusively seeking deep coins. BUT....... let's analyze some of the physics behind 'why' the Impact failed:
First..... every single coin found by the boost process F75..... were 11.3" deep (at minimum)..... all the way to 12.0"..... as 12.0" is the limiting incarceration depth capabilities of the 'bp' F75 (without DSP). I am positive there are more (and even older) coins in the depth stratification layer of 12.0"..... down to approximately 17"...... due to site age. (Awaiting future
technological advancement to find/detect/recover).
Secondly....... I was EXCLUSIVELY in 20-Khz on the Impact...... which is the most depth-limiting lowest capability frequency of the Impact. These high-conductor targets were 'just out-of-detectable-reach' of 20-Khz.
Thirdly........ The (mild) amount of lower-conductive trash in this specific parcel... made it difficult, fatiguing and......... most importantly........ the audible differentibility for the human brain is lowered (below the 'success' threshold) with only 2-tones that the DEEP mode presents........,,,,,,,,, whilst trying to decipher between non-Fe targets and non-Fe coins ...... when (to
retain the greatest audio intelligence AND depth) keeping Tone-Break on '21'.
Fourth: After I recovered two more deep coins (easily) with the F75......... once again........ I stopped digging targets (suspected coins)...... and simply marked their exact/pinpoint location.......... so I could head-to-head test with
the Impact. I was glad (and prepared) I brought the Impact that day. ((( I never even suspected/knew I would be doing this..... as I did not expect that I would even find one more coin. ))) This ended up with me having the opportunity/capability to head-to-head test the Impact on 5 more coins (later to be confirmed actual coins....when finally dug....after all testing concluded). Interesting..... yet, not necessarily surprising....... the Impact on 20-Khz would not detect any of the 5 coins. Too deep for 20-Khz. Expectations met and confirmed. Real-World.
Fifth: Switching the Impact over to 14-Khz....... and each (already exacting pinpoint location) coin presented zero problems of detection to the Impact. This restored a small amount of my 'confidence' with the Impact.
Sixth: Switching the Impact over to 5-Khz........ and each of the 5 coins could be detected; yet, with an additional (positive) observation. Not only could each target be detected...... but ...... with enough detected signal strength...to 'start' to activate the rising-pitch VCO. . . . . . proving that each target was of high-conductance ...... AND........ proving that the 5-Khz frequency still had additional detection range (and air-gap forgiveness) ...... should the need arise. With 14-Khz....... only a tone could be heard......... but NO activation of the VCO.
Seventh: One of my critical (all-telling) tests when performing head-to-head is........ can I walk into all of these coins (one at a time) from a distance with the Impact......... and would there be enough intelligence on suspected target...... to stop me...and cause me to dig/recover. Four of the five coins: NO! I would NOT have stopped and dug/recovered 4 (of the 5) coins. There were enough 'other' targets (trash)...... that would have reduced the audible intelligence on these four (of the five) coins that I would NOT have 'queued' on...... and would have passed right over. HENCE: There is something-to-be-said about the COIN TONE.... tone intelligence of the 4-tone F75. The F75 DID queue me in....... in a audibly intelligent fashion..... so as to make additional successful deep finds in a mild/fair amount of trash.
Eighth: Now ...... (and I don't suspect much/any success)........ I certainly want to go back to this exact 17' x 45' site with the Impact........ but....... this time....... to try 14-Khz AND 5-Khz........... to see if I could locate just one more old coin.
Ninth: For the sake of 'needing an answer' ...... I tested DI3 and DI4 on these 5 deep coins....as one of my tests.......... and only DI4 could intermittently detect just one of the five coins. All other coins remained completely undetectable.

LOCAL SUMMATION: i STRONGLY recommend/suggest to make DI4 only........ (or even DI3) into a DI4 DEEP mode.

(((More data....... but out of time.)))

Sincerely,

Tom

January 17, 2017 3:31 PM
Hi Alper, Dilek & Mali,

More data/observations:

* I encountered a situation yesterday. I drove a long distance to test maximum depth capabilities of Impact on deep high conductors with 5-Khz, DEEP, Sens '97'....... as I know (through verification/validation) this location has many high conductors beyond the 11" depth strata. No power-lines within 1400-Meters. Because of this, I suspected EMI would be low. But, upon arrival, there was a small amount of EMI that resulted in the requirement to run Sensitivity on '91'.... in order to mitigate EMI. This amount of Sens reduction (from '97' to '91') was just enough to completely nullify/invalidate my entire intent. I was able to change (from 5-Khz) to 14-Khz and restore Sens back up to '97'..... only to learn that 14-Khz, DEEP, Sens '97' was equivalent performance on high conductors as 5-Khz, DEEP, Sens '91'. Mission cancelled. Drove home.

* Life is dictated by EMI.
* I speculate EMI is coil induced (approx. 90%). When EMI is encountered...... I can rotate coil on a X-Y-Z 3-Dimensional Plane and detect horizontal & vertical polarization EMI deltas.
* Hoping your additional mechanical shielding will introduce another level of EMI mitigation.
* It appears: Mitigating EMI is substantially more important (on depth performance) more-so than designing higher gains in Sensitivity.

Sincerely,

Tom


January 18, 2017 9:07 PM

Hi Dilek, Alper & Mali,

I just received the new Impact metal detector.... and with the sixth software package (V1.05).

* Pistol grip revision is perfect. No more blisters.

* Detector stand was broken upon arrival. The upper left ear that clamps onto the detector shaft is where the break is located. High 'clamping' pressure/stress-point requirement .... for too thin plastic.

* With lower shaft at full extension....... is there too much "pull" stress on coil cable?

* When EMI is present..... too high of a Sensitivity setting will cause an exceptionally large loss in depth performance........ far greater than a slightly lower Sensitivity setting. Disproportionate regenerative feedback. (This holds true for both of these Impact metal detectors).

* So far (on test-bench..... and in test-garden environment only)...... I do not 'think' (perceived) I am witnessing/realizing any additional EMI mitigation. Both of these Impact units appear to be absolutely identical. Yet, on this note...... I am compelled to report: Since the implementation (and subsequent software upload) of V1.04....... EMI has incurred a very 'marked' reduction in EMI. Since EMI is always a 'variable'...... it is difficult to present a exacting 'percentage' number ....to report.

Sincerely,

Tom
January 20, 2017 8:45 AM

Hi Dilek, Alper, Mali,

* Ok...... I did invoke and test GEN 'hi' and 'low'. 'hi' increases the threshold volume quite a bit..... but also increases depth performance by approx. 0.3" on a clad dime in real dirt. DEEP mode is still the trump-card in my low mineral dirt for two reasons: 1) Detected target audio is full strength/volume. 2) DEEP mode is deeper.

* So far..... this 2nd Impact metal detector is identical in every way to the older 1st Impact. Extreme 'batch consistency'.

* I have yet to see/witness/realize any additional EMI mitigation with this 2nd Impact unit; yet, testing is not complete.

* Yes....... initial software, then V1.01, V1.02 & V1.03 had greater EMI issues. V1.04 has reduced EMI...... the exact same level as V1.05 in this new (2nd) Impact unit. (More to follow).

Sincerely,

Tom


January 22, 2017 4:32 PM

Hi Dilek & Alper,

I am not having the same issue with the wireless phones (GEN mode audio degradation); however, I am encountering the following issues:

1) There are times when the wireless phones will auto-disconnect......and go back to open speaker...... then back to wireless phones....... and cycle through this evolution multiple times per minute. It only happens when I set the detector on the ground....and I'm using my hand to wave/pass handful's of dirt by the coil from the excavated pile.

2) Sometimes......... whilst waving a target (by hand) by the coil....... some of the target passes (waves)........ the detector will 'miss' (remain completely silent) the close-proximity target. This only happens with the wireless phones.

3) It appears the wireless phones incur more EMI....... even though the detector frequency and wireless frequency are extremely far apart.

The wireless phones are light .....and fairly comfortable. Volume is good. I can not detect any form of audio latency with these wireless phones.




January 23, 2017 8:04 PM

Hi Dilek, Alper, Mali,

* Long-term EMI (Impact specific) test-garden observation (DEEP mode):

1) Today.......for the first time....... 20-Khz was the depth winner, both on high conductors and on low conductors. This incursion is far from the norm......and (so far) the only time I have ever witnessed.
2) Under 'norm' conditions......... 5-Khz is deepest on high conductors whilst 14-Khz is deepest on low conductors. (20-Khz is more sensitive on very small low conductors).
3) Since the advent of V1.04, I have been able to run a Sens setting of '97'....... most of the time...... in my test-garden. (((and also in more real-world sites/applications))).
4a) About 10% of the time..... I can run a Sens of '98'...... with added depth performance......in test-garden.
4b) The remainder 90% of the time....... due to EMI, a Sens setting of '98' will produce/present reverse performance.... whereby performance will be LESS than Sens '97' performance.

It has taken nearly 3 months to ascertain enough aggregate collected data that would provide this validity for the (above) observation(s). Although the above data is Impact-specific......it is highly applicable to nearly all other VLF IB
Motion Discrimination platforms. These conditions are fairly easy to verify/witness in a test-garden; yet, in the real world, it is more difficult to measure; subsequently, creating some guess-work in selecting which (of the three) operating frequencies will generate best performance.

Sincerely,

Tom
January 26, 2017 9:35 PM

Hi Dilek,

I'll help with the owners operating manual shortly..... but let me impart some data while it is still fresh on my mind. Eye-opening experience yesterday and today.

* Again...... I am finding deep coins with the F75 going behind the Impact. But...... yesterday (and then revalidated today) I witnessed/measured/observed and documented a new (and significant) 'commonality' condition as to the primary
justification "why" this continues to happen. While the Impact (mandatorily in DEEP mode) continues to see/detect every deep coin (and/or high conductor) that the F75 finds behind the Impact....... I have finally experienced/witnessed a human short-coming. I could first observe/witness/experience/see it with the F75. = = = When I would find a deep coin with the F75...... it would ID/report as a very deep/weak high-tone. BUT..... the high-tone audio length was 'clipped'; yet, presented enough audible intelligence to alert me. Whilst sweeping the coil...... I would pass over a small nail.....then immediately pass over the target of interest (a deep coin)...... then continue sweeping the coil..... right into another deep nail. What this does..... is create a audible handicap. The first nail encountered causes the F75 to be 'busy' reporting a low-tone. By the time the coil starts to pass over the deep coin.... the detector is still 'busy' reporting the first nail encountered....... causing the detector to audibly 'clip' the preamble/beginning of the coin. Then..... the coin is passed over with the coil....... and the detector starts to report the coin. Then...........,,,,,,,,,,,,,, immediately preceding the coin.......... the coil then passes over another nail....... causing the high-tone audio of the coin...to be post-amble/ending audio 'clipped' again. The high-tone audio life is shortened/infringed/handicapped on the F75; yet, still retaining enough (high-tone) intelligibility in the audio to cause me to investigate further...... with subsequent short-sweep/short-stroke coil motion(s) over the exact pinpoint location of the deep coin....... with end-resultant: 'dig' decision. NOW................... with the Impact..................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, it must be in DEEP mode to detect any of these deep coins.,.,.,.,.,., which means..... all non-ferrous items above the Tone-Break set-point are one tone (monotone). These deep coins on the Impact..... are also audibly 'clipped'. This means that these exceptionally audibly shortened deep coin reports now... no longer present the typical textbook-perfect "standard-length" deep coin audio report(s). In a ocean of monotone machine-gun fire beeps/hits..... it is too difficult (unintelligible) to discern "WHICH" targets........ ESPECIALLY the (unsuspecting/unintuitive) "clipped" audio reports.... will need further investigation/attention. The Impact (just like the F75) does indeed give a somewhat decent intelligent "coin ID" on these deep coin targets; ((albeit 'clipped' audio)).... as long as you 'short-stroke' the coil over the deep coin..... identical requirement as F75.

* Today for approximately 40% of the detecting time....... I was (atmospherically/EMI) authorized/capable of running Sens on '98' (whilst in DEEP mode...... a Florida dirt requirement). Dare I say (too prematurely soon) that this 2nd Impact unit is slightly more EMI mitigating? I need more long-term validated observation before the claim.

* I am still impressed with 20-Khz performance in carpets of nails. (Impact niche).

Sincerely,

Tom
January 27, 2017 9:50 PM

Hi Alper,

For the general public...... I'm quite certain this would be a good move. For the exceptionally technical folks...... the way the ID scaling is for each individual frequency..... is good. But...... we must appease to the larger masses of the general public.

Sincerely,

Tom



January 28, 2017 9:03 AM

Hi Alper,

ALSO........ (because I had a night to sleep on it). The ID scaling that I prefer the most (out of all the different options)...... is the DEEP mode, 20-Khz scaling. This includes the 00-40 iron scaling........ and the expanded scaling on the higher-end conductors. I would prefer to use this ID scaling for all modes......... backed up with full rationale/justification.

Sincerely,

Tom



January 30, 2017 10:48 AM


Hi Dilek,

It is in the 'tone intelligence' (with subsequent 'coin tone') of the F75 ....that more easier detects AND ID's deep coins. On the Impact (whilst exclusively in DEEP mode)...... the Impact detects the same deep coins; yet, the 'coin tone' is not available. Sooooooooo......... all deep non-ferrous 'beeps' sound the same on the Impact. It is unsuspectingly more difficult to know which deep target tones (out of a ocean of tones!) .... are the deep coins. Much of the general public .... are 'deep coin' hunters...... and critically need DEEP and "COIN ID".

((( There is valid linearity to 'age' .... versus .... 'depth'. )))

Sincerely,

Tom

January 31, 2017 4:38 PM

Hi Alper,

Fully understand. My thoughts are....... completely replace the DI3 mode with a DEEP 3-tone mode; yet...... you can STILL CALL the DI3 mode "DI3". The icon name (on the faceplate) can remain the same.... but the electronic software
code can be dramatically different than the DI3 process mode that is currently employed.

OR

If I understand you correctly...... you can easily make DI4 mode deeper than DEEP mode........ this would be the preferred choice.

* I have noticed my 'volume' of data being sent to you..... in regards to the Impact.... have slowed. I feel that I (now) have a good handle on its operation & performance...... subsequently; have documented/reported as such. There are only a few things remaining that require 'long-term' observation (aggregate data required...... to ascertain validity/accuracy) that I will inform you..... as the data becomes available.

* I am TRYING to find the time to help with the owners manual!!! (((....... yet, my focus has been on the actual product.)))

Sincerely,

Tom

Remember......... what you are reading about...is a PROTOTYPE detector. This is NOT what you (as a end-user) will see....... when the final product comes off of the assembly line (which should happen in about 96-hours). In fact....... there is one more software update that will take place...... before product roll-out. (((Than it's "shoot the Engineer"..... philosophy))). Sooooooo.......... this is to say: The first few prototype(s) and associated Revisions....... are quite far from the final product. But....... the last few e-mails....are certainly getting closer to what the Impact will be......for a final end-resultant product.

The Nokta Impact is a: VLF, IB, Motion-Discrimination unit.

Excellent read Tom, thanks! For relic hunting do you think it could stand up to the Nokta Relic at 19khz?

The Relic is a powerful unit but the Impact is just as powerfully and more of a well rounded diverse unit ( by the sounds of things )

I know but by the reading he was saying at 20 khz it's was lacking from how I gathered it. Seemed to be that 6khz was the sweet spot on it and he was asking to improve the 14 and 20khz.

Sooooo much work put into the development of this unit, im sure with all the testers around the world emailing their suggestions back to base, Alper and his teams brain's must be ready to explode!
I hope it gets substantially deeper in 3-4bar ground than the R2, and that testers in the UK have pushed the importance of low to middle conductors as much as Tom has for high conductor coins!

More reading it looks like they improved the 20khz in later revisions

Tom,

Thank you.
A fantastic posting.

It hugely reminds me of my early days with Minelab developing the very first Explorer.
The same kind of e- mails were sent by me every day for ten months.
So I can really appreciate the highs you experienced and your frustrations on the low's.

It's a thankless job in some ways from my own experience as some of the painstaking R & D man hours just didn't translate to any benefit/s in 'the real world' as you say.
That caused huge frustration for some very intelligent members of the R & D Team.
But in the end, we got there as I am sure you and the Impact will too.
Just one more software update and it should get the go ahead I hear?

Des D

"I would like to see a small bar-graph depth gauge on the faceplate." PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a vital feature!

Please.....Please..... DO NOT 'cut n paste' this thread in particular!
My thumb is worn out from 'scrolling!' (Reading on a phone)

Superb efforts Tom I enjoyed reading that!

Tom, you have a world full of patience....great reports. I liked the comparison to the f-75 ltd w/ boost as it helped me get to know the Impact better. Curious as to why you didn't use the latest f-75 with DST?

One thing that kept entering my mind as I was reading.....the different adjustments to mitigate EMI. The Impact, lowering the sens a couple digits reduces it dramatically....the 75, has to be lowered near 40 digits.

On the 75, I have to raise the disc and sometimes that doesn't help with EMI. Some places nothing helps but to change detectors or locations.

My AM on the 75 is deeper than disc.....how does the disc compare to AM on the Impact, depth wise?

I also strongly agree about having the choice of 4 tones for coin hunting verses just 2 or even 3. That high bleep grabs your attention and pulls you out of the audio trance.

I am always amazed on how you can measure a tenth of an inch in the field, with dirt and sod in the mix. What I also like that you report some data in percentages.

Again, thanks for posting your report and I have 100% confidence in you for being honest and unbiased in all of your writings.

To bad Des D. is not testing the impact as well as others. Remember watching him on countless videos with Minelab and he sure knew the units that he was showing . He was very helpful when I got my E-Trac. I think he would be an asset with the IMPACT. just my thoughts ...

An interesting read (though some of the medical info could be censored).

I don't care for this idea of the detector doing something special when sensitivity is 97 or 98 or 99. A sens range of 00 to 99 should be more than enough to cater for all valid user requirements? If "going into extra-special range" is called for, I suggest going 'beyond 99', by displaying h0 -> h9 (hundred -> hundred and nine) or +0 -> +9 or whatever is doable.

Re: the coke / burnt coal issue: As you know we have a lot of it in European farmland, and single-freq machines will detect it, especially the higher freq (>12KHz) machines. But FBS owners (Etrac etc) are keen to smugly point out they 'don't dig coke'. It's just the way it is.

This dilemma over what size the stock coil size should be is a tough nut to crack. Sure, a slightly larger coil would maybe give that small edge on higher-conductor targets (copper/silver coins..) but it may work against you at the higher operating freqs, and it sounds like it's a competent machine at 20KHz. --- that doesn't want to be supressed. Here in Europe, the 20KHz modes will likely be what influences sales (it's what makes the XP GMP so popular), Nokta must be aware of this.

If the machine really is power-hungry, it would be good marketing to sell it with quality rechargeable batteries, like Sanyo-Panasonic Eneloop-Pro's.
I wonder how much extra power consumption the headphone transmitter circuitry contributes to the basic machine? Does it have the option of disabling 'wireless', for corded headphone operation?



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/2017 11:43PM by Pimento.

Thanks for a bit of a window on the give and take of tuning the Steinway before letting the junior high band comes in to practice. Having been on the edge of my chair waiting for the Impact to hit, this has been very interesting and informative. Since I have a Racer 2 and a Gold as well as a CTX 3030 I don't know how much I NEED an Impact, but... it will be really hard to resist!

Past(or)Tom
Using a Legend, a Deus 2, an Equinox 800, a Tarsacci MDT 8000, & a few others...
with my beloved, fading Corgi, Sadie

Thanks for posting that Tom!
I think I learned more about my detecting skills, or lack of then I did about the Impact.
I need to up my game when it comes to settings and running my detectors at their
peak ability at all times. I will be going in to this new season with a new mindset thanks to that post.

As far as the Impact.
I am hoping the performance in highly mineralized soil was improved from what was mentioned in your findings.
Most all detectors except for the FBS line report high conductors such as dimes as iron past 6" in my soil..

Again thanks,
Bryan

Be interesting to see where it's priced.

Quote

I also strongly agree about having the choice of 4 tones for coin hunting verses just 2 or even 3

5 tones with 4 tone breaks would work good for coin hunters. 6 would be even better with 5 break points. You could set your iron, foil, nickel, aluminum trash, zinc, high conductors to different tones and break points.

ghound Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sooooo much work put into the development of this
> unit, im sure with all the testers around the worl
> d emailing their suggestions back to base, Alper a
> nd his teams brain's must be ready to explode!
> I hope it gets substantially deeper in 3-4bar grou
> nd than the R2, and that testers in the UK have p
> ushed the importance of low to middle conductors a
> s much as Tom has for high conductor coins!


This too is my hope as well. I was really hoping to get an opportunity to test one out here, we have about every conceivable soil type imaginable from mild to wild, dry salt to wet salt.

I'm pleased to see it being tested so well, and it looks to have the components to be the next "hot" unit! I wonder what FT has up there sleeve this year?

Tom you made my day with your Impact reports!

I've been detecting with my F75 LTD/LTD2 since 2009, and it's been a love/hate relationship, but overall I've made lots of nice finds with it. But when I got the red Racer, I knew that Makro was onto something. It wasn't getting quite the depth of my F75 LTD2, but that would change when the Racer 2 with Deep mode was released.


In MILD alkali/salty dirt..... the Impact (inconclusively) appears to have a slight performance lead/advantage over CZ/T2/F75.


This I proved at an old site with mild+ alkali soil. Day one I detected with the F75 and found around 35 period targets. On day two, I detected the exact same area with the Racer 2 and detected around 70 period targets (including a seated half and a Hardie eagle hat pin). On the Racer 2 and F75 LTD2, the alkali soil gave a significant reduction in depth (in 3 tone mode on both machines), and the audio quality was severely challenged on anything past a couple of inches of depth (except of course iron and large targets). I wonder if the audio intel from the Impact will aid in this type of environ, as well as the ability to try multiple frequencies. I just hope this site isn't the type that requires a simultaneous multi-frequency unit to maximize performance (my buddies Explorer 2 did did fine there, as to be expected).

Seeing your notes about the various TID scaling, why not include a "standard TID scale" and "Advanced TID scale" option, appease the masses and the geeks at the same time

So glad this machine is user software upgradable, welcome to the 21st century, finally....



NASA-Tom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Remember......... what you are reading about...is
> a PROTOTYPE detector. This is NOT what you (as a
> end-user) will see....... when the final product c
> omes off of the assembly line (which should happen
> in about 96-hours). In fact....... there is one mo
> re software update that will take place...... befo
> re product roll-out. (((Than it's "shoot the Engi
> neer"..... philosophy))). Sooooooo.......... this
> is to say: The first few prototype(s) and associat
> ed Revisions....... are quite far from the final p
> roduct. But....... the last few e-mails....are cer
> tainly getting closer to what the Impact will be..
> ....for a final end-resultant product.

Totally agreed, did this get implemented??

Beyonder-Pa Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "I would like to see a small bar-graph depth gauge
> on the faceplate." PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!
> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a vital feature!

NICE!!

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

When we detect over ground and pull targets from the ground, it changes the personality of the area. If I detect an area and remove iron, tabs, ferrous, non-ferrous, etc etc...when I go back again with a different detector, it may find different targets,.... again changing the face or eliminating 'masks' from the area. Every target removed, changes the arena for the next hunt....for the most part. Make sense? Marking targets, then using different detectors equalizes the playing field... if testing different detectors. I'm not saying anything here that most don't already know, especially on this forum...but had to get it off my chest.

Excellent write up Tom, very step by step exacting and candid/open for all to see

Yes very interesting read.

Wow - what a read - now it needs to be chiseled in stone - what a wealth of knowledge - Thank you again Mr Tom D

[www.earthscan.co.nz]

* There has been a slight time-delay with finalizing (and e-mailing) the newest Revision. (((More conceptual brain-power going into it.))) ...... A good thing. This will delay product roll-out by about 48-hours. (You want this.) ((( I think it'll be called V1.08 )))

* No...... the Impact will not be wearing a depth-gauge on the faceplate. Too much of a hardware change to implement.

* There have been sites whereby..... the 'level' (and type) of mineralization....... dictated which mode was deepest. It is easy to (incorrectly) assume that DEEP mode will always be the deepest mode. Not true. Now....... in low-mineralization dirt; yes, this should nearly always hold true.

* Whether you guys realize it or not......... and because the Impact has NOT been 'finalized' yet............... your inputs are "steering" V1.08 Revision. YOU GUYS are 'now' the ""steering-committee"". You/Us are ALL (now have become) field-testers..... with input. You guys are making a DEEP IMPACT.

* There is a lot of behind-the-scenes data/intel that I have not shared........ as ....... so many things have 'changed'....... and are no longer applicable; yet, there is enough 'data shared' that paints a correct portrait of this evolutionary process.

* The Impact is indeed Nokta's Flagship...... and is deeper/better than all other previous (and current) models.

* I genuinely feel the price-point is a bit too low.

--- Steve/ozzie ..... you hit the nail on the head. By virtue of simply removing one target from the ground.......changes a variable (overall big-picture). Now...... Brand A detector may no longer be the detector-of-choice. Brand B detector may (now) work best in this new scenario. Removing one more target......... and Brand C detector may (now) be the best choice. ,,,,,,,,, Those darn 'variables' !

--- Pimento ......... you can blame me for the "Special Horsepower" Sens 97, 98, 99 settings. There is a multiplicity of justifications/rationalizations as to 'why' I chose to 'push' for this. (I had requested this about a year ago..... and now..... Alper not forgetting...... found 'application' for it). And......... most people may not ever find a place/use for these +bp+ modes (yet, they are there). ,,,,,,,,,,,, I speculate that many of our forum members will find genuine application/use for this form of overdrive.

REMEMBER......... The Impact is still a PROTOTYPE! And/subsequently...... you are still reading about a non-production/incomplete model.