Minelab Equinox Target ID

It seems like almost every video test that I've watched is about how well the Equinox can tell the difference between ferrous and non-ferrous metals for relic hunting. Heck my Tesoro detectors excel at that without all the bells and whistles and cost a Hell of lot less. For coin shooting, how well does the Equinox correctly ID targets compared to other detectors? My Omega and MXT Pro do a great job of letting me know that there's a silver coin under the search coil. Can the Equinox tell the difference between a silver coin and a clad coin?

tabman



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2018 01:37PM by tabman.

It's good...not great. pretty much anything hitting copper or higher is roll the dice and dig although silver does seem to be more of a higher number "bounce". Not necessarily something that says I'm silver not copper.

I wondering why a lot of the testers weren't showing the screen when they were doing their tests.

tabman

tabman Wrote:
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> It seems like almost every video test that I've wa
> tched is about how well the Equinox can tell the d
> ifference between ferrous and non-ferrous metals f
> or relic hunting. Heck my Tesoro detectors
> excel at that without all the bells and whistles a
> nd cost a Hell of lot less. For coin shooting[/
> u], how well does the Equinox correctly ID targets
> compared to other detectors? My Omega and MXT Pro
> do a great job of letting me know that there's a s
> ilver coin under the search coil. Can the Equinox
> tell the difference between a silver coin and a cl
> ad coin?
>
> tabman


A CTX or Etrac can't tell the difference between a clad dime and silver dime.
Oh yeah some folks think they can.
O h well.
If they are actually doing this in the field.
You know what this means?
They are likely leaving silver in the ground.

Coin orientation , minerals, coin wear, adjacent ferrous or nonferrous - all can affect

Equinox gives info to make dig decisions.
I sure don't have a problem with how it works.

Not to mention it seems to locate coins seems some of my other detectors missed.
You can't ID diddly squat if you can't locate.

tabman Wrote:
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> I wondering why a lot of the testers weren't showi
> ng the screen when they were doing their tests.
>
> tabman


Here is an example of a 7" barber quarter on Etrac CZ70 and Nox 600. Ground is 3 bar dirt which obviously put the CZ concentric at a disadvantage. Just shows you how much bad dirt can make even easy 7" quarters hard.

[www.youtube.com]

Here was my perspective:

[www.youtube.com]

Tabman, detectingMO hit the nail on the head. It's okay. Others might chime in and say it's spot on, precise, tight, etc., but I can only tell you the experience that I had, nothing more. My hunting partner had the same conclusion as I did. Comparing the Nox's I.D. capability to the Etrac (which is what we use) isn't even a close call. The range on the Etrac is MUCH tighter, and is nearly always accurate if you're experienced with the unit, and know what else to look/listen for. Even with super deep targets on the Etrac - where the number range will obviously expand - it will almost always lock on in a reasonable range and give you a VERY good idea of the type of target that's under the coil. The Nox on the other hand, had quite bouncy VDI #'s, unless something was maybe 3 or 4" deep. Anything beyond that and the #'s were shaky. The unit rarely seemed to lock on, even in a general sense, on moderately deep or super deep coins. Yes, it WILL give you a precise enough range to tell you "coin" perhaps, but not consistently, and when it does it won't offer the same steadiness or tighter range accuracy that the Etrac will...if that makes sense.

I've actually used both the Omega and the MXT, and I mentioned this to a few other people when speaking about the Nox...it actually has more in common with the Omega than it does with a traditional Minelab. Probably because it's a high gain unit. Very sparky. It's been years since I've used both the Omega and the MXT, so I don't consider myself an expert user on them, but the performance of the Nox reminded me more so to the Omega versus the MXT. In handling, VDI, etc. The MXT had some bounce to the numbers too, but I do remember them being a tad tighter. Generally speaking though...

In my opinion, the Nox has more in common with units like the Omega & MXT than it does versus an Explorer or Etrac.

What are the Equinox's ID numbers on a square nail, nickel, zinc penny, wheat penny, copper penny, clad dime, silver dime, clad quarter and silver quarter?

tabman

tabman Wrote:
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> What are the Equinox's ID numbers on a square nail
> , nickel, zinc penny, wheat penny, copper penny, c
> lad dime, silver dime, clad quarter and silver qua
> rter?
>
> tabman


[www.detectorprospector.com]

Wow those target ID numbers are really bunched up. If the numbers are jumpy and don't lock on like I read they did, it could pose a problem in getting a proper target ID. I also read that the audio modulation is terrible and its depth readings on targets isn't all that great. That's not good if you want to know the target depth. I'm thinking about getting a Equinox, so I want to know about the bad just as much as I want to know about the good. How much is a smaller search coil going to cost if and when one is ever made available?

tabman

Tab, since minelab is classifying the coil as a smart coil I would assume any accessory coils will be on the 299 to 399 range. For as cheap as people are letting go of there CTX,s though I would opt for one of them before the Equinox for your type of hunting. For old deep silver in parks and yards and such from what I can tell there is no comparison.

Welgund Wrote:
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> Tab, since minelab is classifying the coil as a sm
> art coil I would assume any accessory coils will b
> e on the 299 to 399 range. For as cheap as people
> are letting go of there CTX,s though I would opt f
> or one of them before the Equinox for your type of
> hunting. For old deep silver in parks and yards a
> nd such from what I can tell there is no compariso
> n.

That sounds like a winner to me. If someone wants to sell me their CTX at a decent price so they can get a Equinox, let me know!

tabman

Tabman, if it's primarily deep coin hunting you're interested in, you might want to consider the Safari that Tex just posted. The Safari is one of the most under-rated deep coin machines of all time. I swung one for years, and it will do 95% of what the Etrac can, minus the bells & whistles. I found a ton of silver and coppers with mine, and it's just a FUN, EASY unit to swing. Same FBS like the Etrac/Explorer/CTX, same exact flutey tones, etc. It doesn't have the FE/CO meter unfortunately, but that's not a big deal.

Omega and MXT Pro do a great job?

100%?

90?

80?

Never fooled between clad and silver dime? You think it's a silver dime but it's a clad quarter?

Never expect silver and find junk - like a small, round SS back off a watch (a silver I thought I had yesterday <g>)?

Wayne

ncwayne Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Omega and MXT Pro do a great job?
>
> 100%?
>
> 90?
>
> 80?
>
> Never fooled between clad and silver dime? You thi
> nk it's a silver dime but it's a clad quarter?
>
> Never expect silver and find junk - like a small,
> round SS back off a watch (a silver I thought I ha
> d yesterday <g>)?
>
> Wayne

Sometimes those deep copper elbows get me all hyped up and excited. I'm thinking a silver half or dollar all the way. What a let down those can be.

tabman

Now that I have a few more hours on the Equinox, I’m starting to appreciate the ID more then at first..
It can get a little bouncy but like I have said before. High conductive coins stay in the proper high conductive penny, dime, Quarter range..
Not quite as tight as FBS but if you center up your target, it will tighten up and the depth meter will improve too..
Many coins that I have found, that have not been near trash, have been quite tight and accurate..
Most of the silver dimes I have found, I had a good feeling it was going to be a silver.
They will bounce around a lot in the mid 20s but you will get flashes of 27-28.. Some don’t get the high bounce..

It’s my opinion that the silver flute tone on FBS is overrated.. Same with the ID if you think you are going to cherry pick silver
and leave all the copper in the ground.. Pull out one of your thin wore down Seated or Barber Dimes and run it across your coil..
How about the silver Half Dime? No fluty tone.. No 12-45 12-46.. More like 40 on the conductive and even less for the Half Dime..
I get that sweet warble everyone talks about on less then half my silver.. Usually only on the Rosie’s and shallow Mercs that are in nice condition..

Bryan

Bryan....... correct.

Average circulated silver Half Dimes will ID as 'Zinc Penny'..... regardless of detector brand.
Trimes even lower.
I have plenty of Barber dimes that ID as 'Zinc Penny'.

I have found trimes that come in low. Tabman I never really show the screen because as you know I relic hunt and I'm not in the habit of digging by numbers so much but I guess I should start as many coin shooters would be interested to see it...

NASA-Tom Wrote:
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> Bryan....... correct.
>
> Average circulated silver Half Dimes will ID as 'Z
> inc Penny'..... regardless of detector brand.
> Trimes even lower.
> I have plenty of Barber dimes that ID as 'Zinc Pen
> ny'.

Tom, you just jogged a somewhat pleasant memory....I detect this farm field where I pulled a Half Dime, came in 62 (zinc penny range) on the f-75. At one time, the farm had poultry, hence poultry bands all over the place. I had to dig dozens and dozens of these bands because they come in at 62, 63. I can go there to this day and still dig bands and they are hovering about 6 to 8 inches deep and sound great....gotta dig them.

Tilted silver dimes (not on-edge)....... can also ID as 'Zinc Penny'. If minerals are present....... ID's can easily go lower.

"Cherry-picking" is blindingly..... bliss.

I've had silver coins ID as pull tabs when laying next to trash or iron, so what's the point of having a detector with ID numbers? I used to be able to dig it all, but I'm beginning to slow down some and starting to have to do a little 'cherry picking', so a detector that gives a correct ID of a target that's not next to some trash is important. Another thing that's also important to me is good audio modulation so I can get a good ideal about the depth of a target. The only way to get it all is to set the discrimination just high enough to discriminate out iron and start digging all audio responses. So why the need for all the bells and whistles for those who are worried about missing something.

tabman