It's Time to Make Equinox Better (Recommendations to Minelab)

The title is self-explanatory.
Equinox users/owners join in here and give your suggestions.
Equinox being updatable, things can be changed/improved.

I'll start with 2 things.

First one
Allow 800 model unit to be shut down in user profile program and be able to retain user profile program data.

Second one
For user profile program settings, recommend do away with global/semi global settings protocol.
Doing this would allow a preprogrammed/saved user profile program to be used completely independent of all settings of the normal detect mode programs.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2018 12:57AM by tnsharpshooter.

I thought it couldn't get any better?

All the recommendations really paid off with the CTX.

The ergonomics of the straight shaft are very poor.

Put the user button where the frequency shift button is.
Raise the VDI to 50
Increase the tone frequencies from 500 Hz to at least 750 or better yet 1000 Hz
Add modulation control like on the CTX and E-Trac
Calibrate the depth meter to a penny instead of a quarter..
Add depth number reading on pinpoint mode..
Give it normal and sizing pinpoint options like CTX.

Bryan

Rename it the metal detecting forum troll killer !!!

The audio bug needs addressed in pinpoint mode. The audio fades in and out on both the 600 and 800 in pinpoint mode from time to time.

I still don't understand why the headphone jack is 1/8 and not 1/4. In the least, the wireless module should have been 1/4.

A 3 or 4 tone option would be a nice addition, instead of jumping from 2 to 5 to 50.

I agree with the pinpoint sizing feature suggestion too. That's the ONLY thing I miss that the CTX could do.

And biggest of all....a true, motion all metal mode!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2018 02:34AM by Daniel Tn.

Mixed-mode audio would be a nice option, even if it can only be achieved in single-frequency operation. I hope they made the machine stereo-ready, so they could do this 'properly', but if it has to be done in mono, so be it.

It would also be nice to have a few of our own mode slots to create custom programs and pick
which frequency weighting we want.. I will probably never use the Beach modes because I don’t live near salt water..
Those bins will just sit unused by me.. It would be nice to have those slots for something I would use..

Bryan

Pinpoint Sizing.
50 ID



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2018 02:28AM by GreenMeanie.

I believe the simplest change would be to show which frequency is predominant (hitting hardest) on the target to aid in target identification. Bottle caps will hit harder at 20 kHz than at 5 kHz.

Alan - Retired in Omak, WA

That is quite a check list of negatives with the EQnox, glad I passed on this one

I recommend them having a stock pile of them ready to ship before announcing it.

More could be made of the battery-level meter. The most important need for it is when the battery is near-flat, so perhaps have it flashing the 'left' segment when it's <10%, and have it 'blank' when <5%.
But it's also reassuring to know it's fully-charged, eg. if you've just given it a quick top-up, and you want to check its worked. So maybe have all 3 segments flash when charge is >95% ?
Could it indicate battery level/voltage on the main '88' display, activated with some appropriate mode/button-combo etc, say 00 -> 99%.

As stated earlier in the thread, add depth readout on the '88' display when in pinpoint-mode. Calibrate it in centimetres, so it has more resolution than an Imperial (inches) scale. Perhaps have it cover 0 -> 40 , like the disc scale. And for something different ... make it capable of indicating when the target/ground signal decreases, such as by indicating numbers from -1 to -9. This can help diagnose odd targets, such as false high-tones caused by ground mineralisation dips. It could also be beneficial if pinpoint mode is used for large-target/cache-hunting. And cache-hunting 'features' should also be added. If you're in pinpoint-mode, a quick push on the 'horse-shoe' button recalibrates the 'zero level' - as the machine will inevitably drift.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2018 08:20PM by Pimento.

Make some other coils for it.

88junior Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I recommend them having a stock pile of them ready
> to ship before announcing it.


Can I have an AMEN ! ! ! ! !

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

Just one more good target before I go.

I find it surprising that the user profile is not independent from global and semi global changes. Really? how was that missed?
Definitely would have liked a 3 tone option. Was bummed from day one that it wasn't included. I plan to make use of the tone options to get around that.
ID resolution is more than sufficient, better than the X-Terra 705 which in itself is good enough for my purposes.

You 50 tone people are weird.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In a democracy, it is difficult to win fellow citizens over to your own side, or to build public support to remedy injustices that remain all too real when you fundamentally misunderstand how they see the world.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2018 08:49AM by Jackpine.

It would be nice to be able to move left and right through the programs. If I want to compare park 1 and park 2 on a signal, I have to go all the way through the other 6 programs.
I know you can use the User Profile here, but it would be nice to have that for another custom program.

Hell..... i cant even get a pair of waterproof headphone. So i cant tell you what it needs for my hunting in the water yet. But that 3 piece shaft......its not going to hold up with the long shore drift torque we will put on it. It would have been better to do a 2 piece ... and made the 3 piece as an accessory ...oh ya where are those accessories? You have to give the screen a big thumbs up thou. I agree..... id liked to have seen 50 or more digits.... just to many good targets falling in with the bad. I also dont like i cant adjust the handle..... that factory set is a bit off and throws my swing off balance with the shaft extended where i like it. Use a dang CTX M12 connector for the headphones..... you already had that on the yellow phones for the CTX and are using it for the coil. As you can tell most of my stuff is the hard ware right now. Ive got about 47 hours on the machine in the past week....... im still a LONG way from making suggestions for the programs. BUT i still see this as a killer beach machine.

Except or reject it for what it is.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2018 11:10AM by woodchiphustler.

Minelab's Answer - We have just the model for you, it's called the CTX.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2018 11:23AM by ozzie.

Time to make it better when half of the customers that want one can't get one? Good luck with that.

goodmore Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Time to make it better when half of the customers
> that want one can't get one? Good luck with that.


Goodmore,
The detecfor is updatable.
I don't expect any changes/updates to happen overnight.

But a good running list of thoughtful recommendations to make Nox better, or more user friendly won't hurt a thing.

I try and stay positive minded.

Not the gloom and doom.

Minelab folks can read here and other places and give consideration maybe.

Not rocket science really.

There is a chance demands for the Nox may not be satisfied for a long time.
It is popular and manufacturer can only make so many so fast.
Just wait when the water hunters start really hunting and reporting in higher numbers of actual users.
This could send demands even higher.

I have read about every post you have ever posted on this forum Goodmore.
By all accounts one would think from reading, Equinox would be right in your wheelhouse.
Guess it's not.
Too bad.

calabash digger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Rename it the metal detecting forum troll killer !
> !!

Where do we send flowers??

Dew brought up a good one...make the handle somewhat adjustable so that it can be slightly canted ( for personal preference) like you can the GPX handle. I'm a lefty and like the handle canted just slightly to the right. The Equinox is so light that it doesn't matter much but would be a nice option to have.

I mostly relic hunt so the VDI spread is good by me. That being said, I have found more coins in a shorter period of time than with any other machine I have owned. So, a larger VDI spread would be welcomed ...especially by the coin/park hunters.

As to the guys that passed on this one...it ain't perfect ( is any machine?) but it is definitely a jump ahead in many aspects. Its negatives are minor. At least it isn't just a waterproofed or "+" version of the same tech.

Dean

Well for the most part I am very happy with what I have as far as detectors. An Equinox? Not until the accessories are there for it. And probably not then. Positive minded? As much as I care to be about one of my hobbies.

About those Minelab updates.....No way I see Minelab addressing the shaft issues which seem to be a major gripe. Not until the production team catches up to demand anyways. Software updates? Same thing...Not until the demand dies down. One of the major gripes I have had about Minelab is their failure to take advantage of the ability to update the CTX. The salt water fix soon after release and pinpoint lock are the only two I recall. If I were to return to dirt hunting which will not happen anyways....target ID is the most important feature to me. Hunting private yards was my favorite and all holes did matter. I also saw that Nokta/Makro video with the future models. The Aqueous one caught my eye. I just hope they did it right. But hey this is about the Equinox and updates. Good luck to all of you.

I think you will get to see a lot of these changes implemented when they release the Equinox 1000.

dazmond66 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think you will get to see a lot of these changes
> implemented when they release the Equinox 1000.


Yep. You gotta start somewhere. This being the intro model to a new line. Wow! I'm excited to see what the future will bring!

Dean

Seeing as it's been mentioned on here a few times - it would be convenient if they included a 3.5mm to 1/4" adaptor cable, about 6" / 15cm long would be OK.

Regulars of Geotech1 will no doubt be aware that the Equinox actually uses frequencies of 7.8k, 18.2k and 39kHz in nearly all multifreq modes, but has single-freq modes as advertised, 5,10,15,20,40. So the coil can clearly work OK down to 5kHz (maybe lower?) so there exists the possibility of a multifreq mode running much lower freqs, possibly even 3.9k, 9.1k, 19.5kHz (half the original). This in principle may make it better on US cents/dimes/quarters etc. Now this doesn't excite me personally, as here in the UK, the 'milled silver coin hunting' niche is not done much. But it is relevant to you US guys, and it would be cool to see what ML could do with the Equinox's limits.....