Hey Geotech I too have a serious question

I know you're not working for ML, BUT you are an expert on simultaneous multi frequency technology and likely know a few things about the Equinox technologies.

As Sunray will never do it, and ML can't even seem to get machines out, let alone accessories, how complicated would it be to build a 3rd party inline probe for the Equinox ?

TIA!

My assumption is that the Eq coil has both a preamp in it and digital coil ID. So an inline probe would also need a preamp, and might also need to know how to respond to an ID request. Could be fairly undifficult, but it could also be impossible.

Thanks Carl.

Someone could make a fortune on inline probes,

I could see them easily having a MSRP of $299, with Equinox buyers lining up to purchase them.

I doubt it. I used to talk to Ralph at Sunray, he said the Garrett and other follow-ons killed the inline probe biz. That's why he bailed out, no money to be made. There will always be a few people who prefer the inline probe, but it's a tiny minority. Besides, wireless pinpointers that behave as in-line will be the future, and they will have to be designed by the detector companies to work that way.

Geotech Wrote:
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> Besides, wireless pinpointers that behave as in
> -line will be the future, and they will have to be
> designed by the detector companies to work that wa
> y.

I .... and many Explorer/Etrac faithful, have had a hard time adjusting to ones like the Carrot, etc... So in my mind (I guess I'm biased), I tend to think that SCORES of people would pay out good money for this. If the Nox passes through this introduction period, as being able to do all the simultaneous things it touts, (and not like so many other machine intro's where the fanfair quickly diminished), then I think the probe would sell like hotcakes, at high prices.

But that's just me, coming from an old school bias. Perhaps you're right, and many people have grown to accept their stand-alone probes. Or that the newer ones are incorporating iron reject (2 tone) or full-tones range TID, etc....

The very first stand alone, probes, 15 to 20 yrs., were horrible. Like the Tiny-tek, where you practically had to be touching the coin to get a beep. And needed constant re-tuning. So when the Sunray came along, nice & piped through the headphones, there were guys that refused to update to the 3030 solely because they refused to part with their sunrays.

Not sure how much the R&D, and production costs, but ... I'm thinking there's sufficient demands to still turn a profit. But then again, I'm biased against free-standing probes .

Carl I liked the idea of the XP Deus wir less probe, but at the end of th day it was a failed attempt IMO.

They need to make it so you get the same audio the coil produces in the earphones. Should be doable on the Equinox via Bluetooth, but you’d need access to the Minelab API and we know that’s not going to happen.

The first company that can make a wireless probe with Sunray like inline probe functionality will make some good money on the probes IMO.

Man this site really sucks on a smartphone

I think bluetooth coming from a processed signal rather than the coil is a better idea........and you arent connected. I dont know that you will ever get the same response would you? If the coil sees the target clearly..... but its at the fringe of response from a probe... wouldnt it give a different tone/TID like was mentioned on the Deus? To me..... it woudnt matter of its off a bit.... i have some kind of idea before i dig what i have...... if i dont then the decision to dig or not dig happens and the probe wont help me there.

dewcon4414 Wrote:
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> I dont know that you will ever get the same response would you?

The biggest difference is that the target ID from the main detector is predecated on coil motion. In probing a hole, it's difficult to impossible to get a similar motion, plus in probing you don't want to be in motion mode, you want to be in a static mode. In static mode the ground is a big problem. So, yes, the response will be different.

I wouldn’t go back to an in-line probe if someone paid me. Last year I picked one up that came with an F75 purchase, and felt truly grateful of how far the pinpointer market has come. Everything from getting it out of the holder, extra weight mounted, and haven’t to pull wider plugs so you can swing the thing in the hole or the pain of having to switch the detector in all metal mode. No thanks, now I can drop the detector and in one motion have digger in one hand and pointer in the other.

ChrisMD Wrote:
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> I wouldn’t go back to an in-line probe if someone
> paid me. Last year I picked one up that came with
> an F75 purchase, and felt truly grateful of how fa
> r the pinpointer market has come. Everything from
> getting it out of the holder, extra weight mounted
> , and haven’t to pull wider plugs so you can swing
> the thing in the hole or the pain of having to swi
> tch the detector in all metal mode. No thanks, no
> w I can drop the detector and in one motion have d
> igger in one hand and pointer in the other.


To be honest, the inline probes from Sunray were really only good on the Minelabs. I had a few on Fisher's (C$ and F75) and to be honest they just weren't that great on a machine like the F75. For one thing their a motion detect device (because as you pointed out their basically another coil) , unless you're in PP mode, but on the F75 you had to hold the PP trigger, while digging, while trying to operate the probe, which was a bust. I finally sold of my F75 Sunray probe after I had an encounter digging a barber dime out of a mess of tree roots. In the roots you didn't have any room to move the probe enough to work in disc mode, so it became useless. Now on a machine like the Equinox, where you can press on/off the PP mode, it wouldn't be a problem at all, and you'd get those great flutey tones when going after deep silver, with iron tones on the nails, so in my mind it could work well, especially if made wireless.

I wonder if in the case of the Equinox for example, that already has a well integrated Bluetooth system, if they couldn't effectively make a wireless probe that worked the same as the Dues coils, and simply relay the signals back to the EQ for processing (granted Minelab would have to do some coding to integrate it into their BT)?

I think XP attempted to do something on that order with their Dues wireless probe, but at the end of the day it was kind of a fail as it wasn't really a wireless inline probe.

Although I agree with the points made on previous posts, I do believe if somebody did it correctly on the Equinox it would be a big seller.

A wireless probe through the Bluetooth headphones with at least iron ID would be very nice..
I tried the SunRay Probe on my E-Trac and did not like it at all.. Way to slow, heavy and cumbersome.
Pinpointers seem to be a very personal choice.. I have had great success with my Carrot.. Some people hate it..

I did just pick up a Minelab Pro-Find 35 with the Iron ID.. I have only had it out on one hunt, but the ID so far works better
then I had anticipated and it’s nearly as fast as the Carrot for coin locate..
I’m not a fan of the barrel shape but I can live with it considering the iron ID feature..

Bryan