Depth test comparing Equinox 800, Xp Deus, Nokta Impact (UPDATED with more tests)

I spent a great of time this morning comparing all three of these detectors.
Equinox wearing 11 DD coil, Deus wearing 11" DD coil, and Impact wearing 7x11" stock coil.

The site Imwent to test, nearest emi ground source is 500 yards away.
There were aircraft flying around overhead at various times.

This are happens to be an area I have spent a lot of time detecting.
Area chose free form both ferrous and nonferrous using Deus gold field IAR setting 0 reactivity 2 setting.

The goal of this post is just truthful reporting. Not to knock any detector model.

Ground conditions wet.
Deus mineralization strength is showing 6 ticks in the meter, Impact's meter is showing 2 bars with a flash of a 3 Rd bar at times bobbing coil.

Here is a pic of coins tested at some various depths.



You see the coins, a clad quarter, clad dime, final generation IH penny (1899), and a copper 1973 penny.

I dig dig holes and kept plugs as intact as possible which was sorta easy due to the wetness.

First up was I buried clad dime 9" deep.
Checked with all detectors, only one detector on at a time. During all tests I checked different channels on Impact, I noise cancelled Equinox between mode changes.
On all these test Imdis everything within reason to get detector to detect the buried coin. Every time I changed freq using Deus pumping GB acquired. Iron bias was left at zero setting using Equinox for all tests. Impact disc left at 0 and isat left at lowest setting for all testing done.
So 9" clad dime.
Deus failed to detect, checked using deep program, hot program all freqs.- no cigar.
Impact detector failed to detect. Did give iron tone using deep and DI 4 programs.
Equinox passes test, both park 2 and field 2, park 2 having slight advantage signal wise. Speeds 5 and 6 gave best signal. Highest number ever in meter when sweeping was 7. Lots of 3.4 and 5s

9" deep Indian head coin.
Deus detects, but the only set of settings was using deep and 18khz reactivity 2 and 2.5 silencer -1. All other settings, modes failed
Impact failed to detect, Di4 and deep program gave iron tone..
Equinox detected IH using both park 2 and field 2, here on this coin the modes were tied, with one exception, field 2 seemed was more coil ,sweep speed friendly. Number in meter were higher than a clad dime, I say some low to mid teens on lot of sweeps.

10" deep copper penny.
Impact failed using any and all settings.
Deus failed using any and all settings.
Equinox would give tone occasionally, speed setting seemed ultra critical, IMO Imwould be luckier than a dog to latch on to while hunting in the wild.

12" deep quarter.
Impact failed all settings tried. Use of 20kh only gave in iron tone in deep mode and 4 tone.
Equinox failed all settings tried.
Deus passes this test. Deep mode only freq 12khz I can hear, 18khz a better signal. Also using factory disc of 5.5 in deep mode a broken signal, lowering to 0 disc full tones using
18kh would dig the quarter every day of the week.

11" deep quarter.
Impact failed all settings tried.
Did get iron tone using 2 tone, 4 tone and deep mode using 20 kh only, the other freqs not a peep out of detector
Deus passes, again only program is deep mode, Imcould here this quarter using 8kjz unlike the the 12" deep quarter, freqs of 12 and 18 kHz provided signals,too. IMO 18 kHz was the top dog of signal achieved.

Equinox
Only tested using park 2 and field 2.
Field 2- nothing period tonally.
Park 2 a hit and miss signal, one special note here, seems lowering speed setting helped this quarter unlike what Imsaw on the 9" deep clad dime and IH coins. The signal here achieved though, I rate as I would be one lucky sucker to latch on to in the wild.

Keep in mind these test are reporting on freshly buried. Undisturbed coins at these same depths your mileage may vary.

I like all 3 detectors for different reasons and use them in different applications depending on what I am after and the site in general.



Edited 11 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2018 10:38PM by tnsharpshooter.

Thanks for the testing and time spent....Do you believe the plugs were sterile of iron bits, bird shot etc? Just a thought.

ozzie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for the testing and time spent....Do you be
> lieve the plugs were sterile of iron bits, bird sh
> ot etc? Just a thought.


Yes.
I did all I could to make certain area was sterile (without disturbing the soil) obviously.
This soil here not mild.
If I would have had a Minelab GPX or GPZ I would have swept the area, but I don't have either.
Funny thing is the deepest targets I have dug in this area while using Deus was using deep program 18khz.

Btw Equinox, Impact , Deus results on 9" clad dime mirror exactly what Imsaw this morning in another area. Dirt is similar mineral level wise according to Deus meter.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2018 08:25PM by tnsharpshooter.

Freshly buried coins are hard to detect, I have a long buried (20yr.) coin garden and it took a year to detect some of the deep ones.

A couple things I am noticing. A person could hunt a site using Equinox with say speed setting 6 and do well. But a deeper bigger coin could slip by where a rehunt using speed 3-5 might sniff it out. Also targets conductivity seems the lower to mid conductivity (dime to nickel size) allows for more speed adjustment and still detect, where higher conductor speed setting-less adjustment in range and still detect.

Also many folks have seen the gent in the salt water with gold chain. Remember what his meter was saying. I think it was 2. So was this number 2 actuallyreflecring conductivity level of gold chain?
I don't know actually, if Imhad to guess I would say no.

Folks here like Daniel and others detecting in hotter ground. Watch for that number 2 in the meter. I think this how the Nox reports a lot of nonferrous at fringe depth detectable, and mineralization can obviously make this start happening at more shallow depths. But remember Equinox is IDing as nonferrous. Many other detector may give iron tone.
I expect to here some reports where Etrac and CTX are hung with iron tone, while the Equinox over the same swept nonferrous targets is giving this 2 or low reading in meter- with nice rone btw, Time will tell.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2018 08:41PM by tnsharpshooter.

Thanks for all your reports, from what I've read the gold 2 mode is the deepest on both low and high conductivity targets, I wonder would it hit all those coins....
Dirtfishing did a chart [www.youtube.com]

Did not hear any mention of what TX setting was used on the Deus

choppadude Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Did not hear any mention of what TX setting was u
> sed on the Deus


I mentioned tx power setting above. Using level 3 torches signals.
On the 11" deep quarter I could actually hear with Deus deep mode 18kh tx power level 1, NOT 3.

I'm not surprised with the 18-Khz on Deus!
Why not Park Mode-1 on EQX?

NASA-Tom Wrote:
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> I'm not surprised with the 18-Khz on Deus!
> Why not Park Mode-1 on EQX?


Previous testing I did on a clad dime indicated park 1, for whatever reason was not achieving near the depth park 2 was achieving.
Tell you what tomorrow, I will go back to same site and test and use all Equinox modes and test on a 9" deep clad dime, and add some nickel at different depths data.
May even put the Rutus Alter 71 detector into the mix wearing 11" DD coil.

Will add for the relic hunters a 3 ringer at depth too.

Will also comment on the General (d) mode using Impact.
I used it today but failed to report on, did 't check all targets buried using though. But the ones I did check it sounded real good.
That's what I get for not taking notes trying to keep everything upstairs.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2018 02:31AM by tnsharpshooter.

Try regular Gen with threshold set a little on the lower side from factory around 4 isat and audio boost turned all the way up. And I personally like the audio tone set somewhere between 60 and 70 with disc in the 20s



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2018 02:48AM by Pedlar mills.

equinox just isnt super deep on high conductors. above average just not top shelf like it is on low conductors.

gotta leave room for the future $1-2k machines

detectingMO Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> equinox just isnt super deep on high conductors.
> above average just not top shelf like it is on low
> conductors.
>
> gotta leave room for the future $1-2k machines

Totally agree. Their next version of the CTX and Etrac would be hotter.

Today I pulled a 9 inch merc with the Equinox. Moist ground park 2. Sens 22 speed 5. It’s good about giving a high tone telling me a high conductor is there. It did bounce some but stayed in high 20’s to 30’s. I’m going back to the site soon and I’ll change some settings to see if it works better.

I’ve been hunting in multi 50 tones. Auto GB.

XP Deus
Minelab Etrac
Minelab Equinox 800
Garrett Carrot
22 silvers, 2 silver rings, 1 Gold Ring -YTD 2018


Some of my random digs: [www.youtube.com]

Wheres the legendary f75? Toms old tuned fishers prob smoke em all
Man I've dug some hella deep coins with my XP. Thanks for sharing man

TN -- THANKS for the test results. IF you could check the quarter, too, when you re-test (check in Park 1 -- and in beach 2), I'd be interested to see what happens there. You mentioned that you'd re-test with the dime and some with the nickel; would like to hear results on the quarter as well...

I wonder if even though park 1 wasn't as good on the dime -- thus your testing in Park 2, I wonder if Park 1 might do better on the 11" and 12" quarter?

Steve

just to wander curous wat nativ ur langage? <g>

While you are providing good and helpful information, it would be good and helpful if you write more clearly, ie, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure.

Deciphering is tiring and time consuming, and more importantly, can lead to misunderstanding what you are trying to say.

Please!

Wayne

Pleasant Garden, NC
AT Max, Nokta Impact, MX Sport, Nokta FORS Relic, GPX 4800, Infinium, Racer, Deus, F75SE, Nautilus DMC II (order of acquisition, last to first)

Does an archeologist argue with a plow? A bureaucrat with a bulldozer?

A lesson I keep learning the hard way....The “Preview” button at the bottom of the posting window is great. Click on that, read what you just wrote - I am usually shocked at all the typos, lack of clarity and general bad writing I find in my draft posts when I do that.

Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold

Good test TNSS! I have a 10" Merc. Buried. My CZ-3D
Hits it with High tone and I D. And Etrac hits it with repeatable clipped high tone but I.D. spot on with Sunray X-8" Coil.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2018 09:05PM by Harold,ILL..

I wish You had a Proper tuned CZ-3D.
I have a feeling it would have Won this test easy.
And I know it's just pure raw depth and other Detectors are faster and Better in iron.
Hey TNSS, You don't have an Etrac? Thought You did. That would have been intresting also. I got a feeling it would have I.D. at depth better than all 3.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2018 08:57PM by Harold,ILL..

I personally would love to see you put the Rutus Alter 71 into the mix to compare against the other machines. I own the RA 71 with both coils but not any of the other machines. I have been looking at the Multi Kruzer, just not ready to buy another machine at this point.

More depth test.
These items used.


Clad quarter, clad nickel, and a 58 cal 3 ringer.

Test done in the same site as yesterday. Ground wetter than yesterday.
Mineral strength meter on Deus says 6 ticks, Impact showed 2 bars.

First test up clad quarter at 10.25" deep.

Nokta Impact wearing stock DD coil.
Using any disc mode program no joy, only tones gotten was iron tones using some of the modes when disc was lowered below 3.
DI 99, Di3 even with disc at 0 yielded nothing tonally,
All freqs checked. 20khz use is the one to yield iron tones.
Deep, di4, di2 yielded iron tone with disc approaching 0.
Try a lot of gain settings too.
Could hear quarter using gen d mode. 20 kHz use provided best signal, could hear quarter using the other 2 freqs.

Deus with 11" dd coil
Only program to hit quarter was deep program.
Reactivity levels 2 and 2.5 I got a signal Imwould dig every day of the week.
Going lower with reactivity broken signal,,more forced sounding.
18 kHz gave best signal, could hear using 12khz. The other freqs all I got was stutters- nothing Inwould ever think about digging.

Equinox wearing stock DD coil.
Checked using field 1 and 2, park 1 and 2, gold 1 and 2. Iron bias at 0 using all.
Best signal achieved was park 2 and gold 1.

Park 1 nothing tonally.
Field 2 a chirp every. Ow and then.
Field 1 nothing tonally.
Gold 1 good signal.
Good 2 third best signal of the lot, I didn't like it though but did get tone on related sweeps.

Back to park 2 mode.
Speed setting 5 yielded best signal. Level 4 gave trailing tone only coming off of quarter.
Speed 6 was not too bad.
Speed 7 Notta, nothing heard tonally,

So I went to speed 5 park 2.
Played with iron bias.
I could get tone with right to left, left to right sweeps with iron bias dialed 0-4. Go to 5 got only tone trailing off of quarter. Same with level 6. Levels 7-9 quarter invisible.
It is my opinion Iron bias 0 gave fullest tone vs the other iron bias settings where I did get 2 way tone a sweeping.

Next test clad nickel buried at 12" deep- not a typo 12" deep.

Nokta impact reported on the nickel just like it did on the quarter above.
So see above to see what happened using this detector.

Deus
I could get signal,using both hot and deep programs.
Use of 18khz mandatory though
Reactivity settings 1-2.5 provide good signals.

Equinox
Equinox produced nothing tonally using park 1 and field 1.
Park 2 again the clear winner speeds 4,5 and 6 gave signals.
Could hear nickel using field 2 but was dodgy at giving consistent tone on sweeps.
Gold 1 second best signal achieved
Gold 2 hit and miss with giving tone, better signal though than I got using field 2 mode.

Back to park 2.
I again played with iron bias setting.
Speeds level 5 used, I could get tone with back and forth sweeps with iron bias dialed all the way up to 6. Levels 7 gave trailing tone only, levels 8 and 9 nickel signal went bye bye.

Next test 58 cal 3 ringer at 12" deep.
Nokta Impact reported on this target the same as both the quarter and nickel I spelled out above.

Deus
Deep mode mandatory to get signal.
Hot program failed.
Reactivity levels 2 and 2.5 gave best signals..
Comparing Deus to Equinox in this test by the way Deus reported, it is my opinion Deus could detect this gullet deeper in this site vs Equinox.

Equinox
Park 2 again gave signal clear winner.
Field 1 and 2 failed as welll as park 1
Gold mode 1 again gave signal.
Gold mode 2 gave signal dodgy though.

Back to park 2 to play with iron bias
Speed level 6 gave best signal.
I could get tone sweeping back and forth on buried bullet as long as iron bias was at level 4 or lower. Levels 5 and 6 gave trailing tone only, 7-9 signal went bye bye.
Again iron bias setting 0 gave fullest sounding most robust tone.

I need to say. Equinox on the above test, NEVER did ID any of the targets properly.
Highest numbers to come in the meter was the foot deep nickel, I saw some 6,7.8 and 9s in the meter.

The other 2 targets meter wise showed the same numbers of 2,3,4 and a few 5s.

So were these test a waste of time?
No, I am absolutely certain of this.
Will be posting in my other thread shortly. And folks will see.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2018 05:20AM by tnsharpshooter.

Just for giggles---put the F75 in the mix.

doc holiday Wrote:
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> Just for giggles---put the F75 in the mix.


Don't have one.
Can already tell you what will happen though.
It will be just like Impact.

This soil is hard on a lot of detectors.

I used F75 in this area, never did dig anything even remotely deep.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2018 11:44PM by tnsharpshooter.

A quick question from a puzzled Brit : I thought I was pretty familiar with your US coinage, and have a decent selection of it. But what is a "clad nickel" ? A web search reveals the US mint has experimented with clad 5c coins, due to the metal cost of the cupro-nickel one, but they haven't made it into production, yet.

Pimento Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A quick question from a puzzled Brit : I thought I
> was pretty familiar with your US coinage, and have
> a decent selection of it. But what is a "clad nick
> el" ? A web search reveals the US mint has experim
> ented with clad 5c coins, due to the metal cost of
> the cupro-nickel one, but they haven't made it int
> o production, yet.


A clad nickel means not a war nickel which contains silver.
These were made back in the 1940s during the war.
You will see folks refer to them as war nickels.

[www.coinflation.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2018 11:51PM by tnsharpshooter.

tnsharpshooter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> doc holiday Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Just for giggles---put the F75 in the mix.
>
>
> Don't have one.
> Can already tell you what will happen though.
> It will be just like Impact.
>
> This soil is hard on a lot of detectors.
>
> I used F75 in this area, never did dig anything ev
> en remotely deep.

Now I know--Thanks.

Your mineralization presents interesting results.
Are you feeling like the Impact is (overall) a slight depth/ID winner?

NASA-Tom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Your mineralization presents interesting results.
> Are you feeling like the Impact is (overall) a sli
> ght depth/ID winner?


In all of the test above, Impact is not even a contender.
All I can get out of it is iron tone on the buried tested targets.
Tried all disc modes, no nonferrous tone ever given.

Deus if you'll notice needs deep mode in all but the buried nickel tests to give nonferrous sounding signal.
Btw, phase in Impact's window depending on freq used to GB between 49 and 54.
Deus shows depending on freq, when balancing 72-74.
Equinox using park 2 GB number is 55.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2018 11:57PM by tnsharpshooter.

Ok....... that makes more sense. It was sounding like Gen-D on Impact was fairly 'good'.