Minelab Vanquish 540 Review

Minelab Vanquish 540 Preliminary Review (short-term use) by Desi Dunne

"My thanks to NASA Tom for allowing me space here to put up my thoughts on various detecting equipment.
I've been writing for 'Treasure Hunting' publications for many years and I believe my first article was published as far back as 1982 or 1983, about a "Fisher 1220-X" model and the General Manager of "Fisher Labs" reached out to me and we became pretty good friends. His name was Jim Llewellyn and he was a thorough gentleman.
I've written hundreds of articles since and along the way I met many more people who became my friends and am in touch with some of you today!
So metal detecting has really been part of my life. And that's why I write these review articles. It's in my blood at this stage!
I hope you enjoy them as they are intended, decent honest reviews."

Packaging, Build, Power & Instruction Manual

The detector is packed in a small carton at 26” x 11” x 5.5” inches.
Everything was in its own compartment and firmly embedded and I’d be surprised it anything moved about during shipping. The same ‘piano black’ headphones as per Equinox were there and as I said before, more suited plugged into your electric piano than an outdoor device.
It contained a USB style battery charger and four 2450mah ‘Minelab’ brand batteries were provided.
The lower rod was enclosed in its own protective cover. It was easy to assemble and once done felt more ‘Top of the Line’ than an entry level detector albeit with advanced “Multi IQ” Technology.
A neat feature is the removable and reversible arm rest cup shaft component.
It makes for easy packing and stowage and it fit quite snugly into another detector brand’s ‘numeric’ backpack I was testing at the same time.
A “Getting Started Guide” was included as a single fold up page. A black and clear plastic control box cover with the dramatic looking “V” was supplied.
It’s always good to have a control box cover.
Looking online at the ‘proper’ Instruction Manual, there was no assembly page.

Coil

I ordered the 540 package so got just the V12” coil with coil cover.
I couldn’t find a wing nut in the box. Seems it ships without one. An unusual aspect was, the “Rx” cable is located on the left of the coil and exited from the middle left as well.
Most detectors I have used had the Rx cable on the right side of the coil.
Addendum: I had mailed Minelab asking about the cable on the opposite side and they replied 04/17: "It was the way the engineers designed it"

Update: 30/04
Received the V8" coil today and tried it for an hour before getting rained off and I didn't have the box cover!
It's a well constructed coil: their small coils are well built anyway: really tough cable: no room for a nut so you 'have to' use the supplied 'male / female bolt that causes creep...
Believe it or not but there is coil creep with the 8" as well!
It's easy to swing as I had the shafts longer than normal.
You've to be sweeping just a tad slower...signals are short.
It'll be a killer in a trashy park / field situation.
For example, I could hover between 2 separate signals just 6" inches apart - hear 2 different target tones and a Low for iron right below both...

Control box layout

The Vanquish red plastics are not the most attractive color for a detector (and could put people off) thanks to the three different shades of red (thank heavens for the protective cover) It could have been 'so much more attractive' in a deep green or dark metallic blue colour!
It’s an obviously well thought out arrangement of 10 rubber push buttons with good ‘action’.
A target legend at the top of the meter shows where various targets correspond to the 40 target Discrimination Segments of varying conductivity.
There are 3 Pre-Programmed Search Modes and a fourth ‘Custom’ slot.
Coin
Relic
Jewelery
Custom

You can tweak them to save your own settings to CUSTOM by pressing and holding the Mode button. This is a welcome feature not usually found in such modestly priced detectors.
Also handy if you tend to switch on and off often to perform a noise cancel.
Some of the buttons perform ‘double duty’ for example, the ‘Horseshoe’ takes you to All Metal and allows the “IRON BIAS” setting to be turned on and off again another great little feature one wouldn’t expect.
There is also a back light that glows a red color. With the battery door removed, directly behind the 'back light' button a USB slot can be seen. I'd suggest to leave this alone for now until further information becomes available as to it's exact use. It doesn't look like a 'regular' USB shape so if you poke around with generic cables damage might occur to the pins. As to its use, it might be Service Centre only or perhaps we'll be allowed to Update software patches?
I should have twigged the following as to the supplied USB cable with the battery charger!

Addendum: Minelab kindly replied to my Q and advised: "The Vanquish 540 USB slot is for recharging the battery pack. In the case of any software Updates, you would be able to do so at home. However, no updates are available for now"

Each of the three search modes have preset algorithims and vary in depth and target signal length. For example, Coin Mode has a fast signal response while Relic is noticeably slower which provides greater depth.
The target ID numbers are large and easy to view. The two important settings, Sensitivity and Volume are onscreen all the time. The depth gauge is the arrow down icon and is an effective measurement.
Notching in and out is easy. Battery condition is also onscreen. The one thing that might have you reaching for your ‘spectacles’ is the tiny Iron Bias icon.
There are two different pin point graphics, screen center and top. So you shouldn’t have a problem trying to centralize targets.
The 1/8” headphone socket is located on the right hand side rear behind where “Multi IQ” is written
It performs a Noise Cancel on each startup.
I like the instant On and Off. No fuss.
It all feels very nicely put together.

Bench Tests

This is always interesting before going out with a new detector. It gives an idea what you can expect from target ID’s, tones and sounds.
It's in 5 Tones in all Modes (except all metal)
A long press of the ON button brought it back to FP, Factory Presets.
It’s easy to set up in Coins Mode
What I did with the detector was, I placed it to my right, removed, reversed and reinserted the arm rest shaft so the unit sat on the arm cup and which allowed a clear view of the meter display and placed the coil to my left on a pile of books away from any metals.
Sensitivity to 4 from the available 9 increments. What I can’t establish, is the detector preset @ Sens 1 add the 9 steps then you have 10. I don’t know?
Addendum: it is 10 segments

It was very similar to the Equinox except Euro coins behaved better unlike the Equinox prior to a software fix for ‘on edge’ and large silver coins.
However, the €2 euro coin produced slight ferrous tones on edge but flat on a solid 16
Targets hit well across the coil and there were no ‘blind spots’ in detection around the coil’s circumference.
Several rusty nails I had to hand with Iron Bias on and off didn’t produce signals and bottle crown tops were silent too. However, with Iron Bias off the crown caps hit well while the nails may have ‘spit’ ever so slightly.
(I couldn’t locate my small meteorite...sorry)
Addendum: found it - tests at minus 4 in AM with ferrous tone but sensitivity remained good from 5 thru full to 'hit it' It's from Russia and measures about one half inch in length and half that again in diameter.

Some Air Test TID results

Gold ring 9ct - 22 / 23 / 24
Gold ring 18ct - 16
Large Roman bronze coin - 31
Medium Roman bronze coin - 19
English silver coins - 20 / 21 / 22 / up to 27 / 28 / large half crown 34
English copper and halves - 21 / 22 / 24
Cupro nickel - ranged from 14 / 19 / 20 depending on size
Kennedy Half Dollar (1964) 34 / 35 / 36
Centennial Half Dollar - 33
US Silver quarter - 32
Mercury dime - 26 / 27
Indian head penny- 19
V Nickel (1908) - 13
Wheats - 22 / 23
Clad dime - 25
Square pull tabs - 13 / 14
Full ring pull and beaver tail - 14
Ring only from full one - 15

A large robust medieval inscribed ‘posy’ silver ring that I had found a few weeks earlier with another ‘entry level’ detector provided an eye-opening result.
Flat and edge on the hits were dirty, broken up, erratic. TID’s were erratic too. It didn’t like it at all.
I wouldn’t dig such responses in the field if they checked out like that.

The bench testing showed target ID stability is improved over the Equinox on most items.

Modern event fields

Due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdown, the Vanquish 540 got tested on just two of my regular test sites.
First was a summer time event centre covering dozens of acres which is replenished every week during the summer months.
Second, was a farm I’ve been hunting for many years.
A ‘typical Field Test’ for me would be six weeks or longer on a few different beach locations and seven or eight different land locations including woodland and river foreshores. Not so this time.

The event site is old pasture and throws up occasional older finds like buttons, worn coins and ancient farm junk. It’s liberally infested with coins ranging in depths from surface to possibly eight inches plus.
That fact I wasn’t aware of until I used Vanquish here.
I had always assumed coins were no deeper than six inches as it had started up about ten years ago. The dreaded trash items are of course ever present too!

I had decided quite early to take two avenues of approach for my tests of the Vanquish 540
The first approach was to assess it on green field modern coin shooting sites, parks, and such locations where a multitude of targets are co-located.
The second approach was to establish how effective it would be on old farm sites, stubble and short grass stubble in the main and plowed fields where I detect the most.
If it could handle all those well, then I’d be assured I had done the right thing by selling a few of my other machines (I won’t reveal which ones)
I wanted to replace two or three with just one ‘good’ detector that I could take everywhere, and I didn’t even mention the beach! I didn’t get to any but I’m assured the Vanquish is a stable operator over the wet stuff in ‘Jewelery Mode’

Pulling on wired headphones and fitting the control box cover and dressed for rain I set off.
The detector was fired up to FP, it did it’s Noise Cancel thing. Sens to Max, notched back in a few lower TID’s, Volume set. I hadn’t gone far and the sounds were coming quickly.
Too much Gain and I backed off one notch. A few more yards still too many sounds and I reduced Sens again.
“Bang!” A loud signal. Mid Tone. So I stood there for several minutes and went through all the Modes and listened to the responses.
I increased Sens, reduced it, increased Volume, reduced it, checked the ‘horseshoe all metal’.
After five minutes I decided “Coins Mode” had the best and quickest response sounds for here.
Pin pointed the TID 13 target and dug a square tab from about 3”
The afternoon continued like this and after a while I noted certain TID’s were the coins for example, 16 for the two euro, 21, 22 for the one euro and TID 23 for the 50c pieces.
These were what I was after and why for a couple of years had used two specific detectors here. One for its accurate TID ability the other for its signal clarity on ‘bi-metal’ euro coins and light weight.
With the Vanquish, I was finding these coins deeper than I had before: two to three inches beyond ‘normal’ depths.
Other targets came up as blank shell casings and different bits and pieces.
The TID’s were the same as one euro coins but the pin point audio was longer if laying east to west. If the other way they sounded short like coins.
Some unusual junk items surfaced and as this was a Test, I dug everything anyway.

A noteworthy target was the usual ‘loud signal’ (Vanquish appears to hit both shallow and deep targets with a set modulation) and it took a while to find it and after several minutes I couldn’t believe the tiny piece in my hand. No, it couldn’t be this? Searched more with the probe and nothing else surfaced. ‘Stud’ like, two or three of them could sit on your finger nail.
That was effective sensitivity and accurate discrimination with a high tone.
So I had effectively replaced both ‘specific’ detectors and I was happy about that.
The Vanquish gave me good signals, depth, accurate target ID’s and Tonal range. It was quiet as a mouse and no EMI affected it unlike a black model with red and silver writing tested here in 2018 that drove me off the field! This area is busy: close to a highway, airport, business and large multi satellite cell phone towers are located in several locations within a few miles.
However, there was something bothering me!
“Oh no Desi...there’s always something bothering you!” I hear you say.
It was the weight. The V12” coil was nose heavy.

Old farmland

Next few days saw me at the old farm on mostly close-cut gold colored wheat stubble and I had been there for a few weeks already this season as I had shot a few movies with a few different detectors.
They all had their ‘little things’ going on. A new model had me finding more ‘clinker coke’ and ferrous than normal. An entry level model found an unexpected number of good finds.
An old classic found many musket balls but no coke and iron.
How would the Vanquish do?
It did well under the circumstances as I had it picked clean of targets and finding any at all you’d walk hundreds of feet before hitting another. Some musket balls came up with 19 / 20 TID’s
The surprising thing was some produced high tones! Typically lead can be a lowish tone on many detectors. A copper half penny, a few copper buttons, a ‘tombac’ button with a 9 TID low tone surprised me
(Tombac is a brass alloy with some tin or lead a cheap metal popular for buttons)
Then it went quiet.

Next day, I chose a large field where winter maize had been removed leaving behind tall ‘heavy’ stalks and plastic material blowing in the wind (sheets of clear plastic are dispensed from a huge roll by tractor on top of freshly sown seeds and in northerly European countries it acts like a green house to encourage growth)
It was always windy here as it was higher up.
Those long stalks made it hard to sweep smoothly and the coil was off the ground some of the time as I crossed lanes trying to find an easy one without obstacles and that awful plastic.
I noticed the battery icon had dropped two bars so I replaced them with a lesser value 2400mah set. Vanquish seems to be a tad ‘power hungry’ and typically one bar depletes after two hours.
You can expect that from rechargables.

The finds came and were good signals mainly without fuss and again were the usual musket balls, low grade buttons and a few ‘toasted’ nickel size copper coins or tokens possibly?
One thing I couldn’t wrap my head around were the signal tones, the different target ID’s and the finds as they were dug. Seemed they didn’t ‘jive’ with small objects producing high numbers, beyond 23 and larger items producing lower values in the teens. Still, it was so much like ‘Equinox’ that after a while I didn’t even think about it anymore.
However the “Multi IQ Technology” works, it doesn’t seem to do, what we have for years come to expect regarding ‘linear discrimination’ behaviour.
One very interesting side-effect is, and I've often discussed it before are how many dogs "can hear the Tx winding" and react accordingly with worried barking (noticeable in open country) seems they can hear the 'higher frequencies?' (confirmed by a Minelab physicist)
(Many years ago in a deep valley using a "Sovereign" without headphones the barking grew so loud I thought a huge pack of dogs was heading my way)

There wasn’t much iron here, I did hear some ‘rejecting sounds’ or maybe I wasn’t hearing all of it? The Iron Bias was On so I turned it Off awhile (icon appears on screen after 3 sec press of horseshoe) and it didn’t make any appreciable difference. I wasn’t in a ‘bed of nails’ situation and that could change how it works? (it was the same on the modern event fields)
Before I got my detector there were a few threads on some forums by a few experienced guys about the “Vanquish 540”. It discussed when switching to All Metal and if the ground conditions had changed on site, you could hear a ‘duh’ tone as the detector’s preset ground balance responded to the imbalance in ground conditions. I could hear something like it, not a lot, but it was there and could be mildly confusing - false signal / ground noise / deep ferrous?

Yet again I bore the V12” coil weight on my arm. I just couldn’t adjust the shaft assembly and arm rest to a good fit. I had removed the supplied bolt and replaced it with a longer Minelab wing nut and bolt. That enabled a much better coil tightness as I suspected the big coil was unthreading itself as ‘normal motion’ while scanning and was moving up and down ever so slightly and offset the plane I had set it to. I was constantly readjusting it.
The wing nut solved that issue.
Another thing you mightn’t notice is the round lower rod fitted into the square upper shaft caused another off set angle when the cam lock was closed.
So you might have the meter face on perfect viewing but the coil might be off kilter a tad. E Trac is the same.
So my arm wasn’t at a totally relaxed position. I was of course tied in with the arm strap.
The length of the upper shaft is around an inch and half longer than the “E Trac” upper shaft.
It has to be because that’s how its held into the control box.
In my case that’s where I’m thinking the imbalance is happening. Those extra inches.

A glorious day found me in a fresh plowed field that was beginning to dry out to light brown.
I wasn’t sure if the V12” would be the right coil here but as I didn’t have any others I set off. It was the perfect choice as once a steady even sweeping was possible then it worked out well.
The finds came easily and were the typical mix of copper and lead and as it was my first search in this particular field the finds kept coming. What I considered a junk high tone showing 30’s TID’s was a non ferrous washer.
No interference was noticed as I walked under low voltage power lines. The machine remained quiet. It’s a quiet machine in the main. It doesn’t usually sound or stutter until it finds something.
To my ears, it can at times make fuller, defined and almost "FBS" type sounds. The five tones are what allows it to sound more 'resonant & fuller sounding', and having the speaker in a large box helps with being able to "round" the signals (without headphones) Makes for pleasant detecting.
To my mind it’s the complete opposite of Equinox. I was always second guessing what that was saying.

In Conclusion

After the day in the plowed field the lockdown occurred and that was it for any more testing.
I spent the time at home playing with the Vanquish, further bench tests, weight distribution tests and I think I’ve hit on something that might suit me.
I was a real fan of “X-Terra” and always set it to “scrub” the ground surface.
“Scrubbing” is scanning with the detector’s coil in permanent contact with the ground surface.
Not all detectors allow it due to excessive noises especially at higher sensitivity.
I’ve set the length of the Vanquish shaft system / arm rest shaft to ‘scrubbing length’ and finally its showing a decent improvement provided it will allow quiet stable operation without any false signals.
Someone might be able to test that for me and chime in?

If you don’t want to be bothered by second guessing your chosen settings and just want a no-nonsense detecting experience then look no further for your next detector.
I detect with two guys who don’t make any adjustments at all to their ‘high-end’ detectors and find some nice stuff. They trust what the detectors are doing and I’m thinking the Vanquish will do the same.
I’m perfectly happy to go with the flow. The “Equinox” despite few settings adjustments, possibly three at most...if you ‘chose badly’ then it could throw off an entire search!
You’ll come away asking: “Did I have Recovery set right? Did I have Iron Bias too high? Should I have chosen single frequency?”
If you can accept upfront “Vanquish” is calibrated and ‘primed’ to this approach and you can place your trust in Minelab that they have reduced the constant need to think about settings, it can make Vanquish very easy to live with.

Before you purchase think very carefully about exactly what you want? Will you need extra coils sometime?
Do you need “Wireless” headphones, recharge batteries? Do you have them already?
I regret not buying the Pro Pack and think the V8” coil will be my next purchase and should help with the ergonomics.
If you've been happily swinging an "X-Terra" for years and are thinking of 'trading up', then you should take to this model with ease as they are 'clone' type in both behaviour, quietness, Target ID, stability and impervious to EMI : and you still get the choice of 3 coils.

This then is a robust detector that should bring decent results anywhere you’d like to go? It is stuffed in practicality and decently specced as well and for the money it seems to me to be a nailed-on bargain.

© DD



Edited 17 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/2020 04:02PM by Des D.

Nice write up and review. I have one delivering today, picked the 540 Pro-Pack up new for $400 shipped which seemed too good to pass up. It is a replacing a Simplex that I hoped would have been by new trunk/backpack go everywhere detector, but I didn't jive with the Simplex so much.

Well I have the 540 pro pack and the 5x8 coil is awesome I also just ordered the 10" coil because like Des I find it nose heavy.

88junior,

i'm "guessing" the V10" [ might be ] a tad nosey as well?

Spent a couple hours assembling various other Lower Rods and other Coils onto "Vanquish" and it was a real surprise.
Even an old Minelab "Coinsearch 8" on a longer than Vanquish lower rod was 'heavy!' The wrist still had [ to lift ] the Vanquish

The 'Best Fit' with absolutely Zero resistance was an "X-Terra" M Freq 9" concentric on it's own X-Terra lower rod.
It was perfect. Didn't need "to lift" as it kinda 'floated' the way I really do think the "Vanquish" with V12" coil should have done in the first place!

I'm looking to Buy a V8" and not in a rush due to 'Lockdown'...duh!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/08/2020 11:15AM by Des D.

ChrisMD Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nice write up and review. I have one delivering t
> oday, picked the 540 Pro-Pack up new for $400 ship
> ped which seemed too good to pass up. It is a rep
> lacing a Simplex that I hoped would have been by n
> ew trunk/backpack go everywhere detector, but I di
> dn't jive with the Simplex so much.

Hi Chris,

Did you get the chance to fire it up yet?

I'd be especially interested hearing your Opinion on the 8" v 12" regarding balance / comfort / overall feel of it.
Which is "best?"

Des D

I don't like the V12 at all, it's too nose heavy for me. The V8 is perfect, and it just so happens that I really like 8"ish coils the most out of all the sizes. I might put the 12" up in the various forums to see if anyone with a 10" might want to trade, but probably a long shot.


Des D Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ChrisMD Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Nice write up and review. I have one delivering
> t
> > oday, picked the 540 Pro-Pack up new for $400 sh
> ip
> > ped which seemed too good to pass up. It is a r
> ep
> > lacing a Simplex that I hoped would have been by
> n
> > ew trunk/backpack go everywhere detector, but I
> di
> > dn't jive with the Simplex so much.
>
> Hi Chris,
>
> Did you get the chance to fire it up yet?
>
> I'd be especially interested hearing your Opinion
> on the 8" v 12" regarding balance / comfort / over
> all feel of it.
> Which is "best?"
>
> Des D

Chris,

Thanks for your opinion. Same as mine. Pity it's heavy. I find it strange not many are saying it?

Yes, the V8" should be a breeze. Most every video user with the 8" likes it. My 'coil balance' tests certainly showed a 9" CC on a shorter lower rod to be 'Perfect' (if you can actually obtain perfection)

The main reason I didn't go for the "Pro Pack" (besides 200 euros extra over the 540 regular) was, I have enough headphones, 2 x 'Garrett Z-Lynk' (one being the big cup MS-3 headphone) (you've gotta love Garrett) sets and at the time didn't realize the V12" was going to be nose heavy? I've more than enough recharge battery sets.

So I Ordered a 6.3mm to 3mm 'adaptor' from flea bay so I can connect the Z-Lynk (it has a 1/8" jackplug) and as I've used the Z-Lynk on other detectors, I'm fairly certain it should work out OK on the Vanquish. In fact I've already attached the Tx box to the square upper shaft and its 'hand in glove' tight. The only thing remaining to be seen is whether or not the jack plug sticks out too much? I'm thinking the control box cover might help keep the cable taut so it shouldn't move about?

I've mailed a Dealer about buying a V8" Accessory coil but no reply yet as to price.

Des D



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2020 03:13PM by Des D.

Richard @ Backwoods got back to me: no stock of 8"s
His Distributor has no information.
Seems "Pro Packs" are taking all 8" inventory.

Confirms parts shortage heard from an "in the know person" three weeks ago!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/2020 07:38AM by Des D.

Update: 04/30

Received the V8" coil today and tried it for an hour before getting rained off and I didn't have the box cover!
It's a well constructed coil: their small coils are well built anyway: really tough cable: no room for a nut so you 'have to' use the supplied 'male / female bolt that causes creep...
Believe it or not but there is coil creep with the 8" as well!

It's easy to swing as I had the shafts longer than normal.
You've to be sweeping just a tad slower...signals are short.

One notable thing is a 'Low Pin Point Volume' almost every signal when initiated. That was common to the "Equinox" too and I'm surprised they didn't fix this.
It's 'worse' with the V8" coil. It's 'hit-and-miss' with the V12" coil
So you've to disengage and try to get the higher Volume because the 'return volume' is the only way to know if targets are shallow or deeper.

It'll be a killer in a trashy park / field situation.
For example, I could hover between 2 separate signals just 6" inches apart - hear 2 different target tones and a Low for iron right below both...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/2020 11:41AM by Des D.

Des----I see you now purchased the V8 coil.----Is the V10 avauilable for purchase now/yet and if so, where do you get them?-----I think the V10 is going to be a very good all around coil on the Vanquish.------Del

Yes, I finally got the V8" ...
.....sorry...no clue on ay other stuff...E-Mail them and ask.

.......don't believe anyone has.....?