Equinox

I just got an Equinox 600 about 2 weeks ago. I am a little disappointed by all the hype that I have seen. It's a good machine and fun to use, but I have found nothing to say it's a big step forward in detecting. I live in a house built in 1900 that was built on a lot that a house burned down on before that. I have found nothing in this yard that is loaded with iron missed by my other machines. I have a farm to hunt that had 3 houses from the 1700s on it that we found many buttons and a few coins on with our other machines. I rehunted them with the 600 and it was the same as going back with my old machines. Nothing. This farm is sandy land with no bottom. I know there has to be items too deep to find. I have been detecting for almost 30 years and have over 10 machines right now. I know all the settings on the 600. I haven't even seen an advantage in heavy iron because my F75LTD and Multi Kruzer is just as fast set right. The one thing I will give it, is the ID on trash that's not iron. Iron is a problem with it. It puts most aluminum under the coin range. I like that. As far as deep and unmasking, I don't see it.

I still have my old Fisher CZ5, Coinstrike, and Minelab Explorer and Soverign.

I recommend Eqx 800 over 600 model.
Why?
More speed settings on 800 model.
This is advantageous imo over 600.

800 models has prospecting mode.

Lower conductors like gold rings, etc
Eqx 800 is deeeeep!!

My own experiences.
Hardest sites to be productive using EQX 800 - sites that have seen Deus action in particular Hf Coil action.

Higher conductor success using Eqx 800 hunting behind Minelab CTX or Etrac. Can be tougher for success.

Nickels in sites. EQX ranks supreme, I sure haven’t run anything close.

Be hard to find one detector model that does as much as EQX can. Right now. It is the universal hound right now.

Knowing settings- not sure what you mean.
I can say this with 100% certainty. If you don’t have at least 100 hours using Eqx model in the wild, you better keep using. Wonder how I know this? Guess.
Some targets (more challenged) not as textbook sounding. Beginner or person with less experience might think iron and walk. Wonder how I know? Guess

Cheers.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/2021 12:45PM by tnsharpshooter.

I plan to keep using it to see how or if it can help me in the old sites I hunt. In sandy land with less than 1 bar dirt on the F75, it has no advantage over what I already had. If it was the first machine I took there, it probably would have found most or all of what the other machines did. It just didn't make them worth hunting again.

In the iron, I would be using Field 1 or 2, Recovery Speed maxed, Iron Bias F2-0, Sensitivity maxed if possible, and trying all the single frequencies as well as Multi.

Away from the iron, in mild soil, the single frequencies will go considerably deeper than Multi. Each one has its own advantage. 15 kHz and 4 kHz get awesome depth on certain targets in some situations.

The 800 has Gold mode as well as 20/40 kHz single freqs. I think it also has higher and lower Recovery Speeds over the 600.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/2021 02:10PM by Badger in NH.

I will have to try the single frequencies. I used field 1 the last time I took it out. F2 at 0 and recovery on 2 in all metal with iron volume on 1. I wanted to run it today, but the weather SUCKS.

Kevin...... true. EQX is NOT the 'best' in iron; yet, it is way above average. XP GMP/Deus are still the flagship(s) in iron.
On the EQX...... "Multi" will ID iron to a much greater extent.
What are your settings?

The 600/800 is quite good in iron. BUT..... in 'carpets' of nails...... the GMP/Deus takes the cake.

I have owned an Equinox 600 for almost exactly three years now. Compared to my Etrac, I consider the Equinox to be a niche and specialty machine. I do 95% of my coin hunting with the Etrac.

The Equinox is used to find masked coins in mineralized ground or extremely trashy sites, locations where the Etrac struggles. On sites of that type, the Equinox has made some impressive finds, almost as if by magic. Imagine digging a relatively shallow Barber half from a small site that you had previously pounded to death. It was surrounded by iron on all sides. The Equinox in Park 2 is also an impressive nickel finder.

The Equinox is more convenient for airline travel than the Etrac. More than once I've brought the Equinox on a trip where the Etrac would have stayed home as not worth the bother.

I recently bought a Vanquish 440. I like it so much that I subsequently bought a Vanquish 540 in order to get the bigger coil and built in Blue Tooth. I like the ergonomics of the Vanquish much better than the straight shaft of the Equinox and consequently expect my Equinox to get even less use going forward. The next Multi-IQ iteration will have to be dramatically better than the Equinox to make me even consider abandoning my Etrac.

I've been running Park 1 and Field 1 the most with iron bias on f2 0 and recovery at 1 and 2. I like 2 the best. I am running all metal with iron volume on 1. Trying to get the most depth out of it because the sites were great and I have hit it with everything I have. Sandy farm with 3 1700s house sites on it. We believe the houses were burned during the civil war because of some civil war relics found there and it's just a few miles from a town that all the houses were burned except 1. Very little modern trash other than modern bullets and shotgun shells. I have found buttons and relics at the max depth my F75 and kruzer could hit and being sand, I know more is down there real deep.

Bayard Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have owned an Equinox 600 for almost exactly thr
> ee years now. Compared to my Etrac, I consider th
> e Equinox to be a niche and specialty machine. I
> do 95% of my coin hunting with the Etrac.
>
> The Equinox is used to find masked coins in minera
> lized ground or extremely trashy sites, locations
> where the Etrac struggles. On sites of that type,
> the Equinox has made some impressive finds, almost
> as if by magic. Imagine digging a relatively shal
> low Barber half from a small site that you had pre
> viously pounded to death. It was surrounded by ir
> on on all sides. The Equinox in Park 2 is also an
> impressive nickel finder.
>
> The Equinox is more convenient for airline travel
> than the Etrac. More than once I've brought the E
> quinox on a trip where the Etrac would have stayed
> home as not worth the bother.
>
> I recently bought a Vanquish 440. I like it so mu
> ch that I subsequently bought a Vanquish 540 in or
> der to get the bigger coil and built in Blue Tooth
> . I like the ergonomics of the Vanquish much bett
> er than the straight shaft of the Equinox and cons
> equently expect my Equinox to get even less use go
> ing forward. The next Multi-IQ iteration will hav
> e to be dramatically better than the Equinox to ma
> ke me even consider abandoning my Etrac.


My wife has the 540 and an AT max. She likes the Vanquish too. I haven't tried it out much, other than on some test coins in the yard. It did fine on them.

NASA-Tom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The 600/800 is quite good in iron. BUT..... in 'ca
> rpets' of nails...... the GMP/Deus takes the cake.


I have a 9x5 coil for the Kruzer and in 3 tone with sensitivity at 89. It does good in heavy iron. Very fast with decent depth.

Alot of what's being said here I've said since the nox first came out.
Lots of guys hyped that machine up so much that people think if they buy the equinox they'll come home with a pouch full of silver and gold,,Just find tons of coins in hunted out sites.Farthest thing from the truth,, location is the real key.
It's good tho,but then again so are the f75,kruzer,explorers and so on..I've taken the nox to sites I've pounded with the f75 and came away with nothing more.im sure in my hunting grounds the f75 is the deepest machine I've used to date,no question in my dirt...kinda hard not to when all the 9 inch deep coins I find are always with the f75,and nothing else.
Good luck with your nox,not a bad machine but others are good too.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/2021 01:04PM by Woodbutcher.

Yes...... the Kruser, Impact, Racer are very good in iron. Sometimes will parallel the performance of the XP units.
Sounds like you are really trying to learn the EQX. Yes...... it does indeed take some skillset in understanding the audio of the EQX. And...... it is specifically in the delineation of 'falses'......vs......real target 'squeaks' in thick iron. (As is with any unit).

Woodbutcher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Alot of what's being said here I've said since the
> nox first came out.
> Lots of guys hyped that machine up so much that pe
> ople think if they buy the equinox they'll come ho
> me with a pouch full of silver and gold,,Just find
> tons of coins in hunted out sites.Farthest thing f
> rom the location is the real key.
> It's good tho,but then again so are the f75,kruzer
> ,explorers and so on..I've taken the nox to sites
> I've pounded with the f75 and came away with nothi
> ng more.im sure in my hunting grounds the f75 is t
> he deepest machine I've used to date,no question i
> n my durt...kinda hard not to when all the 9 inch
> deep coins I find are always with the f75,and noth
> ing else.
> Good luck with your nox,not a bad machine but othe
> rs are good too.


It defiantly has been hyped up. If it stops raining and holding in the 30s every day, I plan to find some deep targets with my F75 and mark them and see if I can get a good hit with the 600.
That will tell me what I need to know about the depth. HH

NASA-Tom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes...... the Kruser, Impact, Racer are very good
> in iron. Sometimes will parallel the performance o
> f the XP units.
> Sounds like you are really trying to learn the EQX
> . Yes...... it does indeed take some skillset in u
> nderstanding the audio of the EQX. And...... it is
> specifically in the delineation of 'falses'......v
> s......real target 'squeaks' in thick iron. (As is
> with any unit).


I plan to master it. HH

Accurate depth testing is the key to knowing the depth capability of any machine. I'm surprised how few people actually take the time to build one.

The first place I go with every new detector is the test garden where I have four silver dimes buried at 10, 11,12, and 13 inches and four silver quarters buried at 13, 14, 15, and 16 inches. Each coin is at the bottom of a 6" perforated corrugated plastic pipe so that the depths will never change.

A test garden is incredibly useful for testing settings/frequencies and comparing detectors. It can help remove any doubts you might have about what your detector is capable of.

Badger in NH Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Accurate depth testing is the key to knowing the d
> epth capability of any machine. I'm surprised how
> few people actually take the time to build one.
>
> The first place I go with every new detector is th
> e test garden where I have four silver dimes burie
> d at 10, 11,12, and 13 inches and four silver quar
> ters buried at 13, 14, 15, and 16 inches. Each coi
> n is at the bottom of a 6" perforated corrugated p
> lastic pipe so that the depths will never change.
>
> A test garden is incredibly useful for testing set
> tings/frequencies and comparing detectors. It can
> help remove any doubts you might have about what y
> our detector is capable of.

Badger, is their soil in the plastic pipes? If not, wouldn't that be similar to an air test?... .. Just a thought.

No surprise that a company hypes any new product line that it markets. I always considered the Equinox was built to compete with the ATP, not to outhunt the more expensive machines.

ozzie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Badger, is their soil in the plastic pipes? If not
> , wouldn't that be similar to an air test?... ..
> Just a thought.


Yes, the pipes are filled to the top with soil and are buried flush with the surrounding ground. Having the metal of the coins in contact with the soil is very important.

The pipes are also perforated to allow water to flow freely in and out.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/2021 06:08PM by Badger in NH.

Badger in NH Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Accurate depth testing is the key to knowing the d
> epth capability of any machine. I'm surprised how
> few people actually take the time to build one.
>
> The first place I go with every new detector is th
> e test garden where I have four silver dimes burie
> d at 10, 11,12, and 13 inches and four silver quar
> ters buried at 13, 14, 15, and 16 inches. Each coi
> n is at the bottom of a 6" perforated corrugated p
> lastic pipe so that the depths will never change.
>
> A test garden is incredibly useful for testing set
> tings/frequencies and comparing detectors. It can
> help remove any doubts you might have about what y
> our detector is capable of.

I had one made years ago when I lived away from town. Our house now is on a corner in town. It was built in 1900 and on a lot where another house burned down. Serious EMI and nails everywhere. Hard to run any machine in it. I will have to test it on the farms.

kevinnc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ... I am
> a little disappointed by all the hype that I have
> seen.

Kevin, you opened up a good post. I am enjoying reading all the replies.

As one having been through all the initial hoopala, and having tried one, and hunting along-side some good buddies who use them, here's my input :

I TOO came away with the same initial analysis as you have. I could CONCLUSIVELY show/prove that it was *at best* a step-sideways from my Explorer II. And in some cases, I totally spanked their Nox's. And as for the "micro-jewelry-ability", I had to honestly ask myself (and my buddies) : "So what ?" Unless you're hunting nuggets, or earring studs, so what ? This is all fine & dandy, and perhaps they'd "hand me my crown" , when/if this question came to: Deep-turf-hunting . That's where the Exp. II excels . ID at deeper depths-cherry-picking. Naturally, I got shouted down. Many people would try to claim it's better in deep-turf AS WELL. But .... your post is a breath of fresh air. Which shows .... YES, in some cases the Nox is NOT necessarily the "cat's meow" that "spanks everything else".

However, I did get my #ss kicked, when it comes to seeing through a carpet of nails. In iron-ridden-ghost-townsy sites. But to be fair, no one ever claimed or said that the Explorer lineup (Exp, etrac, CTX, etc....) was ever excellent for those situations anyhow. I always reached for my Silver Sabre, Bandido, or 77b in such cases. And I had to admit after various flagged-target-field tests, that, yes, the Nox was the better machine. Is it any better than the Racer, Deus, etc.... ? Probably not. It is probably only a step-sideways from those. However, it is intriguing that there might actually be a machine that is, at least, a good cross-over. But no, it's not going to spank everything else in every category.

It is also , IMHO, an equivalent wet-salt-beach hunter. Ie.: a "Step-sideways". I have compared flagged signals that , to me, were whispers I had to grasp for on my Exp. II. And the Nox guys were able to get them. Which to me, was impressive, since I consider the Exp. II to be a very good wet-salt-beach machine. And , let's be honest: The Exp. II is a heavy tank, and is not water proof. So a "step-sideways" might be a good thing here, eh ? The Exp II ability is on par with the Sov, Excal, etc..... in wet-salt minerals. And yes, I made triple-sure they were not falling prey to the subconscious psychological trick of only hearing something (and claiming "yes I hear it") SIMPLY because a spot was being shown to them. It was honest to goodness "hearing it". And actually, since the Nox can be made to be hotter on low conductors (EVEN AFTER ADJUSTING FOR WET SALT AND MINERALS), then , there's a reason to "take the move sideways", since, in theory, you can avail yourselves of doing a little better on low conductors on the beach, after storms.

Which, I would NOT bother with for dry-sand hunting (ie.: micro-jewelry hunting, knocking myself out looking for tinsel thin chains in dry sand boxes, blah blah). But for after beach erosion, where mother nature has ALREADY taken out all the light-weight aluminum, this presents an interesting dilemma . I had a recent case where a buddy, with a Nox, got a heavy rope gold necklace, that was a difficult target for any machine. And I had to admit, that it was a difficult signal for the Exp. II (after some subsequent air-tests on it). Almost to the point where it was ID'ing as iron . Yet his Nox got it, and it was in the conductive foil range, he said. Which perhaps is NOT something someone is going to be doing in a junky park. But on the eroded beach, sure. So there's a plus-point to having a Nox in some situations.

But no, it's not the cat's meow, as you have seen, in every situation. It does not automatically make every single worked out site come alive again.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/2021 06:41PM by Tom_in_CA.

NASA-Tom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Kevin...... true. EQX is NOT the 'best' in iron; y
> et, it is way above average. XP GMP/Deus are still
> the flagship(s) in iron.
>


NASA-Tom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The 600/800 is quite good in iron. BUT..... in 'ca
> rpets' of nails...... the GMP/Deus takes the cake.


Interesting input from a well-respected voice. Thanx !!

So it still might be that a person is not-unwise to keep his older tanks around, yet have some specialty niche machiens for the ghost-townsy iron situations. On the other hand, you can hardly fault the guys that have a machine like the Nox, that is a durned-good crossover machine . Ie.: They don't have to lug around 2 separate machines.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/2021 06:45PM by Tom_in_CA.

Well,
A few things.
Some folks can only afford one detector maybe.
We do know we can only swing one detector at a time.

Wonder which VLF detector model (1 coil setup) out there has the widest range of detecting potential for all areas generally detected for coins, relics, jewelry ?
Could it be Equinox? With stock coil.

Just maybe.

Maybe this was Minelab’s goal.
Reckon they achieved?

PS
Ever notice pickup trucks these days?
Notice the extra cabs they have. And even 4 doors. Plus a bed.
So why buy a truck and a car? Assuming only one driver.
When you can buy a truck with extra cab area, 4 doors plus a bed.

Cheers



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/2021 06:55PM by tnsharpshooter.

Bayard Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have owned an Equinox 600 for almost exactly thr
> ee years now. Compared to my Etrac, I consider th
> e Equinox to be a niche and specialty machine. I
> do 95% of my coin hunting with the Etrac.
>
>

Ditto. I'm using my Exp. II for 95% of my hunting as well. And hold-steady-in-competition to my buddies. But yes, there's that stinking 5% of the sites where, yes, the older Exp, Etrac, etc.... is not going to spank various other specialty machines.

If it could be shown that the Nox is equally able in those 95% situations, then this would be a no-brainer : Might as well switch over. Because then, duh, you have a machine that can excel in either category. And is lightweight, waterproof, blah blah, right ? But I'm not convinced that it's better than the Exp. in some situations.

I know a hard-core Etrac user, who routinely pulls silver from the turf, who is hunting along-side another hardcore hunter who has switched to the Nox in recent years. And they are about even in-their-tallies. There's nothing that either of them can't hear and "call" on flagged-signals-tests. HOWEVER, the Nox user is an admitted anomaly. Ie.: If you were to hand him a Harbor Freight detector, he'd probably find silver in pathetic parks. So a part of me questions their results, and wonder if the Nox user might not do BETTER YET, if you handed him a CTX, or an Exp. II or an Etrac, etc.....


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

Woodbutcher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Alot of what's being said here I've said since the
> nox first came out.
> Lots of guys hyped that machine up so much that pe
> ople think if they buy the equinox they'll come ho
> me with a pouch full of silver and gold,,Just find
> tons of coins in hunted out sites.Farthest thing f
> rom the truth,, location is the real key.
> It's good tho,but then again so are the f75,kruzer
> ,explorers and so on..I've taken the nox to sites
> I've pounded with the f75 and came away with nothi
> ng more.im sure in my hunting grounds the f75 is t
> he deepest machine I've used to date,no question i
> n my dirt...kinda hard not to when all the 9 inch
> deep coins I find are always with the f75,and noth
> ing else.
> Good luck with your nox,not a bad machine but othe
> rs are good too.


Great post wood-butcher !


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


Badger in NH Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Accurate depth testing is the key to knowing the d
> epth capability of any machine.

Badger, the way I'm reading this thread, is not-so-much a test of depth. It seems to be more of a debate about iron-see-through ghost-townsy things.

If it were strictly a question of raw depth (on un-obstructed targets), then there's plenty of machines that are a step-sideways, or better, than the Nox.

Now if we restrict the question to micro-jewelry (nuggets, earing studs, tinsel thin chains, etc....), then sure: The Nox will get those deeper than a standard coin machine. No doubt. But for a lot of coin/relic guys, it's like the LAST THING they want to be bothered by, is pinheads, staples, and teeennnssyyy foil-turds in the first place. Yes those abilities come into play for certain niche needs. But for junky parks, and standard ghost-townsy type needs ? No.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/2021 06:58PM by Tom_in_CA.

tnsharpshooter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well,
> A few things.
> Some folks can only afford one detector maybe.
> We do know we can only swing one detector at a tim
> e.
>

I concede that, if I were to be restricted to a single machine, that, yes, you're right : The Nox is a good cross-over. I simply don't do enough junky urban turf these days to miss the old tanks that much.

But .... I am of the opinion that I'd be missing out on some deep-turf-TID action. However, if I was forced to choose only one, then you're right : The Nox is a good compromise.

I just did a test with a pull tab and a dime 4 inches apart. In the house on a table because it's still raining in the 30s. In multi in every mode and speed, the pull tab overtakes the dime when I raise the coil a few inches. As long as the tab is under the coil, it drowns the dime. I switched to 4khz and the dime took over and the tab was not sounding off. The opposite. I could only get a tab signal if I removed the dime. I can here the dime with the tab on it. lol. I don't see where Park 1 and field 1 is using the low frequencies in multi. It's just air and not dirt, but interesting. In multi, it would only separate the tab and dime with the coil almost touching them. At 3 or 4 inches away I got 1 signal and it was all tab.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/2021 08:19PM by kevinnc.

kevinnc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just did a test with a pull tab and a dime 4 inc
> hes apart. In the house on a table because it's st
> ill raining in the 30s. In multi in every mode and
> speed, the pull tab overtakes the dime when I rais
> e the coil a few inches. As long as the tab is und
> er the coil, it drowns the dime. I switched to 4kh
> z and the dime took over and the tab was not sound
> ing off. The opposite. I could only get a tab sign
> al if I removed the dime. I can here the dime with
> the tab on it. lol. I don't see where Park 1 and f
> ield 1 is using the low frequencies in multi. It's
> just air and not dirt, but interesting. In multi,
> it would only separate the tab and dime with the c
> oil almost touching them. At 3 or 4 inches away I
> got 1 signal and it was all tab.


I did the same test with the Vanquish 540, Multi kruzer, AT max, and the F75LTD. The F75s 11 inch coil seems to be better at focusing on what is under the center of the coil than the rest. I hits the dime if I cross it first every time, even with the tab almost touching the dime. 1 way signal if I had the tab notched. The kruzer did good in 5khz but was blinded in 14 and 19. The AT Max favored the tab and no way to adjust it. The Vanquish was tab all the way till the coil almost touched the dime. 4 khz on the Equinox looks promising from all that.

kevinnc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just did a test with a pull tab and a dime 4 inc
> hes apart. In the house on a table because it's st
> ill raining in the 30s. In multi in every mode and
> speed, the pull tab overtakes the dime when I rais
> e the coil a few inches. As long as the tab is und
> er the coil, it drowns the dime. I switched to 4kh
> z and the dime took over and the tab was not sound
> ing off. The opposite. I could only get a tab sign
> al if I removed the dime. I can here the dime with
> the tab on it. lol. I don't see where Park 1 and f
> ield 1 is using the low frequencies in multi. It's
> just air and not dirt, but interesting. In multi,
> it would only separate the tab and dime with the c
> oil almost touching them. At 3 or 4 inches away I
> got 1 signal and it was all tab.

Yes. If I had the Nox, and if I was going to angle for high-conductor in-turf, I would definitely use (and lock-in) those lower frequencies. They will favor high conductors.

Can you repeat your test by putting the tab directly over the dime ? As if to mimic "under the bleachers" sort of conditions ? I realize this will not give you a perfect dime TID, but : Does it still give a high-enough TID that you know it's not a tab, such that .... if you were passing tabs and foil (cherry picking), that you'd investigate ?

In those situations, with my Bandido or sabre, I can reject tabs and foil all day long, and still get high conductor coins (pennies, dimes, etc...) that are RIGHT under foil and tabs. Ie.: the machine is good at averaging, such that you'll still chase it. Versus other machine tend to see only the target that's on top, and don't average well.

Notice that this is not a test of "separation" (which is a function of recovery speed). This is a test of "averaging" , not "separation".

Quote kevinnc: "I don't see where Park 1 and field 1 is using the low frequencies in multi mode"

I think it IS , but you have to understand that 'Low' in Multi-IQ is 7.8 kHz , not especially low, and considerably higher than the 'corner frequency' of the dime , about 3.0 kHz. So it's still going to hit a staytab pretty well, too.
Whereas choosing 4kHz as a single frequency is obviously going to be good on a dime, but more importantly, not that hot on a staytab. ( I'm not sure the 'corner freq' of a staytab, but 15 - 20 kHz is a ballpark figure )



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/2021 10:28PM by Pimento.