Rick...

Hey Rick. You’re not SUDDENLY going to become a AQ dealer, are you?

Aaron

Suddenly? Probably not. But I am discussing it with FTP.

Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold

A forum member discount would be cool.

.

If the persistent rumors that the initial production will be limited turn out to be correct, I doubt any discounting will occur, In fact, the dealers will be happy to get units to sell and have not much motivation to engage in contests with other dealers to give margin away.

Just my speculation of course. It is not idle speculation, I am confident that Fisher will carefully consider how to introduce this to the market and everything, including pricing will be given a hard look. As far as the price - I have no clue, Since I first heard that this thing existed in April 2027 or thereabouts, I have assumed that it would be between $2k and $3k, I still believe that, in spite of the general decline of detector prices across the board.

Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold

Just a note. Per a conversation I had today with Tim Mallory - VP of marketing and sales at Fisher/First Texas - I am apparently “customer zero” for the AQ.

For reasons of copyright protection (which I don’t understand) it was important to sell exactly 1 Fisher Impulse AQ in calendar year 2019. I guess because I am a PITA, I was invited to be it. It had to be a bona fide sale, so I am paying for it - cheerfully. Can’t discuss the price because that may or may not equal the eventual launch price.

I am told it will ship Monday. Since I figured that I was “in the catbird seat” I asked them to include a Fisher cap to replace the one I lost a while back.

My nearest US beach is in San Diego and I have no time to drive there soon. I will be doing an “unboxing” video and some stuff of using it inland here in Gold Canyon AZ - where there is no gold. Imay borrow some of my wife’s “minor” bits to practice with however.

Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/20/2019 10:00PM by lytle78.

lytle78 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>

Wow!! Very Cool Rick!! Please share the video and give us some details on things like the fittings, type of Headphones, details........ and what it feels like to hold it..."Like you can feel it pulling toward the gold here in the Chesapeake Bay" Like a compass...


> I am told it will ship Monday. Since I figured th
> at I was “in the catbird seat” I asked them to inc
> lude a Fisher cap to replace the one I lost a whil
> e back.
>
> My nearest US beach is in San Diego and I have no
> time to drive there soon. I will be doing an “unbo
> xing” video and some stuff of using it inland here
> in Gold Canyon AZ - where there is no gold. Imay b
> orrow some of my wife’s “minor” bits to practice w
> ith however.

Blood Member of RingKeepers
2020......Gold Rings....73....Misc Gold 1 .......Silvers ...110



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/20/2019 10:33PM by OBN.

Rick won't have it long. I know where he lives!!

Too bad Tom, we moved last week!!!

Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold

lytle78 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Too bad Tom, we moved last week!!!


Tom wants to know if you left a forwarding address!

I guess this means that the production release DID start before Christmas 2019. Merry Christmas. Guess that Santa came thru for you.

Holler if you need some company when you do get time for the AQ at the beach. I Would love to have a close up look at it and see how it runs.

UtahRich

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

Just one more good target before I go.

My AQ is scheduled for delivery today. Not sure I can organize opening it till next week - still moving!!!!

Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold

That's exciting! I'm sure there are some forum members who would gladly volunteer to unbox it this afternoon! Hopefully you are moving - Where there is gold. LOL Good luck! Bob K

I cant get my head wrapped around this.....Fisher has come out with some new cutting edge tech and as far as I can tell have been silent about. EXCEPT They sent Rick one.... What am I missing??

calabash digger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I cant get my head wrapped around this.....Fisher
> has come out with some new cutting edge tech and
> as far as I can tell have been silent about. EXCEP
> T They sent Rick one.... What am I missing??

Perhaps you try calling him"Mr.Rick".

Mr. Calabash posted...”They sent Rick one - What am I missing? That’s an excellent - and very welcome question.

The answer starts about 3.5 years ago when I noticed this post on Carl Moreland’s Geotech forum by someone with the “handle” Asgard - it turns out that this was Alexandre Tartar, the designer of the AQ.

[www.geotech1.com]

He outlined his work developing a new and innovative pulse induction detector called the Manta,I subsequently found other stuff on the web about Alexandre Tartar and the Manta Project

Fast forward to June 2017 when in a conversation with Mike Scott of Fisher marketing, he mentioned that they had acquired the Manta Project and hired Alexandre.

Since then I have peppered various forums with every bit of info I could find: Alexandre’s Linkdin page, his “manifesto” detailing the Manta Project’s development from studying all available PI detectors and developing further from there, various videos which the Manta project put on You Tube prior to First Texas (Fisher) acquiring the project.

After that I did what I could to keep the Manta - now named Fisher Impulse AQ in the view of forum folks while First Texas made their ever so slow way towards developing a producible and hopefully profitable product. Now it is almost here and I am the proud owner of the first production unit ever sold. In the process I becane acauainted woth alexandre and his chief tester Denis - who goes by LE.JAG.

Last October I had a prototype for 4 days and used it in San Diego. Last June I got to play with another prototype in Norway for a day or two.

My detector arrived a couple of hours ago. It is pouring rain here now and I’m too pooped from 2 weekd of moving to another house to oen it.Tomorrow I have a Skype call with Alexandre Tartar to review all controls and operation so that I don’t head up some blind alley with it.

So Mr. C. That’s at least part of what you were missing.

When the Impulse AQ goes on sale, I will be a dealer for it and future Impulse detectors. I believe that I am in a unique position to serve my future customers with knowledge of the machine and the capability to “reach back” to technical support at Fisher both in El Paso and in France where the design team lives.

Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold

So Rick you said it had to be a bona fide sale so you paid for it. So what is the US price?

Fair question, but no kupwie doll - they haven’t made a final decision on the MSRP and/or MAP yet. I paid a price that they set for this sale only and represented the dealer price that they guessed might apply when it hits the market. I can’t disclose the price, but it was no gift and was into four figures.

Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2019 11:55PM by lytle78.

I want you to negotiate my price....$1000 sounding good brother. .... and I’ll sign a NDA on that if needed lol

Rick, since.you will be a dealer, I would like to put my name on your list of sales. Number 1 on the list. Don't forget I helped you with the VALLON and put you in touch with the update guru!

lytle78 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> My detector arrived a couple of hours ago. It is p
> ouring rain here now and I’m too pooped from 2 wee
> kd of moving to another house to oen it.Tomorrow I
> have a Skype call with Alexandre Tartar to review
> all controls and operation so that I don’t head up
> some blind alley with it.
>
> So Mr. C. That’s at least part of what you were mi
> ssing.
>
>
Thanks Alex for the information shared here on the forum in the past and the door is open if he wants to share more......... Now or Later... after the "AQ" comes available. Rick even notes you may take on your Skype Saturday would be appreciated, Now or Later.

Blood Member of RingKeepers
2020......Gold Rings....73....Misc Gold 1 .......Silvers ...110

Rick, lucky you are !!!

I have created a facebook group for the AQ, where you can meet also, OBN and Rick. (Thanks guy)
If someone want to join, you will be welcome.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Fisher.IMPULSE.AQ.Metal.detector/

Goldinlake

calabash digger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I cant get my head wrapped around this.....Fisher
> has come out with some new cutting edge tech and
> as far as I can tell have been silent about. EXCEP
> T They sent Rick one.... What am I missing??

What you are going to be missing is most of the relevant performance information from an disinterested and independent tester. The detector is not being sent to a dedicated and experienced beach detectorist like Terry in Hawaii, or someone with a similar background and location. Being that this "Beach" detector now lives in the desert some of the things that you will not learn are:

1. How does 7us react in saltwater with waves crashing and at various depths?
2. How does it react when black sand is introduced?
3. How does it react with beds of rocks with various mineral content(basalt, iron etc)?
4. How does it react when there is black sand mixed in with the beds of rock?
5. How does it react to various sizes and shapes of iron scale from ship hulls and steel piers?
6. Hoes does it react to pieces of metal crab & lobster trap mesh which comes in a huge variety of shapes and sizes?
7. How does it react to foil of all sizes and shapes plus disintegrated foil?
8. What about EMI from handheld/portable devices, beachfront hotels & condos, marine communication towers VHF/UHF etc?

Since this thing has been hyped based on performance, before anyone plunks down a sizable chunk of change, they are going to want to know about performance in a real beach environment. Weight, size, balance, knobs etc are all secondary to the performance factors. This soft release certainly creates some doubt about it's performance because the release is so soft it should be code named "Charmin".

The detector doesn't need a cheerleader, it needs a thorough wringing out by independent testers!

Thanks for the vote of confidence BeachBum

First of all, I haven’t been sent this to TEST. I am the first purchaser of a production unit. I am free to do whatever I want with it - it is my property and I have no obligation to report to anyone nor do I have a NDA regarding this unit. I can just take pretty pictures of it and then stick it in the closet if. I want. I am sure others will soon be testing these and reporting their findings to Fisher and depending on the terms of any NDA, reporting publicly. Pre-production prototypes have been tested by various people in several countries, with the exception of one here in the US, I dn’t know who any of them are. These tests were all under Non Disclosure Agreements and therefore no public reports were made. The only exception to this that I know of was my own reporting of testing two different Engineering prototypes and furnished a brief summary of my results in San Diego black sand on this forum. AQ in discriminate hit clean on a nickel bured in striped black sand - 17” -18” - my Equinox 600 on the same nickel in the same sand - 7” to 8”.

Guilty as charged of not having any salt water closer than 5 hours away.

Not guilty of not able to test the following from your list:

2. How does it react when black sand is introduced? We have lots of it here in AZ
3. How does it react with beds of rocks with various mineral content(basalt, iron etc)? Again, AZ is full of this stuff
4. How does it react when there is black sand mixed in with the beds of rock? As above
5. How does it react to various sizes and shapes of iron scale from ship hulls and steel piers? Lots of rusty scrap iron and steel here - of all sizes and shapes
6. Hoes does it react to pieces of metal crab & lobster trap mesh which comes in a huge variety of shapes and sizes? Ditto the above
7. How does it react to foil of all sizes and shapes plus disintegrated foil? Foil everywhere in our parks, including bonfire remnants
8. What about EMI from handheld/portable devices, beachfront hotels & condos, marine communication towers VHF/UHF etc? Gee, even here in the Wilds of Gold Canyon we have electricity, inside plumbing and every form of communications including nearby airports and air force bases as well a heavy civil and military air traffic

As far as the rest of your vote of confidence in me...

“Since this thing has been hyped based on performance, before anyone plunks down a sizable chunk of change, they are going to want to know about performance in a real beach environment. Weight, size, balance, knobs etc are all secondary to the performance factors.” Release is many weeks away. It will be tested by others in its “home” environment prior to release.

This soft release certainly creates some doubt about it's performance because the release is so soft it should be code named "Charmin".smiling smiley If you read my post, it was necessary to SELL one of these by the end of December and since I have been actively commenting on the project for two and a half years and since I will be assisting with editing the user manual, Tim thought it was a good idea to ask me if I would purchase it.

The detector doesn't need a cheerleader, it needs a thorough wringing out by independent testers! I couldn’t agree more with the second part of that sentence, I take strong exception to the term “cheerleader” . While I can’t claim to be independent, since I intend to become a dealer, I claim to be (modestly) much more than a cheerleader. I have communicated directly with the Designer, Andre Tartar for a year and a half,

Your cautious “wait and see” advice is sound. No one should rush into spending thousands of dollars on a “pig in a poke”

I don’t ask anyone to rely on my comments in order to make a decision on whether to buy one when they are available (preferably from me of course) - and my comments here are NOT from a guy who lives at the beach and has tens of thousands of hours of beach detecting under his belt.

Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2019 04:50PM by lytle78.

BEACHBUM you said more of what I was thinking. Something is off with this release. Minelab dropped their gamechanger from a plane! I suspect its the performance ….they sold Rick one to do as he wants with it BUT the testers are quite as a church mouse on Sunday morning....Something smells very fishy!

This is the day of the internet someone show us on video what the thing will do ! Unless of course it is just another hype job by a company.

Minelab’s excellent Equinox was Publicly introduced with the parachute drop and all kinds of folks had access to “marketing test” Nox’s AFTER that.

Lots of folks including Tom and Steve Herschbach were testers for engineering prototypes. None of them, I believe have publicized their experiences of this testing in any detail - probably because of NDA’s which bind them.

Likewise AQ prototype testers were under NDA and so none of them have detailed their own experiences with it except my brief comments in October 2018.

Marketing testers will no doubt be around AFTER the AQ’s public release, with specifications, pricing, availability date, etc. That day is not here yet. When it is you will be able to judge whether it meets your needs and expectations or not.

I am unlikely to comment on any performance aspects of my unit since, although it is a production version, the AQ has not been launched as a product.

This will doubtless not satisfy Mr. C or Mr. BB, but so be it.

Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2019 05:08PM by lytle78.

Rick the post is not about "You"!

A. Rick did not design or build the detector.
B. Rick is not in charge of marketing or releasing the detector.

The post is about decision making at FT.

You have in various posts here and elsewhere stated that you are a big fan of FT. Therefore the use of the term "cheerleader".

Nowhere did I state that you were dishonest or attack your character.

If FT were a boat building company and designed a boat specifically for use on the ocean, then why send the first one to the desert?????

Yeah Rick it is not about you its about FT.....I am a boat builder and sent the first one sold to the desert …...that is hilarious!! Now Rick is all mad and doesnt want to tell us how it performs.....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2019 05:38PM by calabash digger.

Let me ask again..... why didnt/doesnt Tom have an AQ yet? Or maybe thats an assumption on my behalf. Hes as eager as most of us to see a finished product that the Fisher crew felt he should see .... what a couple of years ago .. but nothing since. He was included in this very special project..... even loaned his machine..... an Eric Foster tuned Aquastar. From what we normally see with most companies who use his site to promote/market a machine here hes given an opportunity .... sometimes with a NDA ...to use one and give them feed back (but not in this case) that most appreciate im sure. Here we are seeing marketing AND sales while Tom sets on the sidelines....... am i wrong? Also....... Tom lives near a beach. The cats out of the bag at this point with 1 guys getting one early and will be doing videos and setting up a sales website i assume he will post here. Word of mouth is a powerful selling tool ....... and most respect and watch Toms site hoping for testing of ANYTHING NEW.

Rick has explained in several posts that the reason for his"purchase" was because of copyright provisions---which are written by the Feds.
Sounds like some of the groupies are upset because they weren't "consulted" for their blessings.

Don't get on Rick's bad side........Like the soup Nazi on Seinfeld.....!!!((((!!!! " No Aqua Manta For You "!!!!))))!!!