Tom, What are the Manticores weaknesses where you can't use it? What other units do you use? Did you ever download the new Beta tester update into your Nokta Legend?

Tom,
Haven't posted for awhile but have been reading all the information about the Manticore. Did a depth comparison at the beach (Great Salt Lake) about a week ago and posted it on Youtube this morning. Wanted you to take a look at it and see what you though. Obviously I'm already getting a bunch of comments about how the Manticore is setup wrong, even with my disclaimer about it being in a super salt environment. The biggest issue I'm finding is the Manticores inability to run sensitivity higher than 22 and even at 22 I get what I would describe as drift almost like threshold drift on a PI. The Maniticore gives off a constant low signal when sweeping left to right and back. I would assume that is the salt content causing that. When I got the Deus 2 and took it to the GSL the first time I was getting targets that I considered PI deep and this kind of confirms my hunch that VLF's have gotten so good at handling salt that they are approaching PI depth and in this case surpassing it.
Thanks
Andrew
[youtu.be]

Tom -- Tell Minelab the biggest mistake I think they made so far on the Manticore was not implementing that nice red backlight like what is on the Nox 900 for low light and night hunting. That's my one complaint.

PullTabKing......... Correct!

steveg........ point WELL taken. (and not to be forsaken). (((See PullTabKing recent post)))

Andrew...... is there ANY chance you could run Audio in Prospecting......... and a Sens of 22? ----The performance you are ascertaining on the 16" Nickel is EXACTING for a Sens of '21'........and a: Tones audio Mode. MANY things start to 'happen' when Sens is on 22 (and 23 & 24 !!!).........but 'Prospecting audio' is key.
EXACTING "expectations" performance.......for all 3 SMF/FMF units....... for the settings that they were on.
Yes....... PI's have been trumped by a couple SMF/VLF's.....as of recent.,.,.,.,.,.,. in a wet-salt environment.

Kingfish...... Yes. In 4-bar/5-bar dirt...... or higher mineralization.........all VLF's struggle. . . . . . including MC. This is where I would still recommend the Tarsacci.
Also...... if you are hunting in areas that contain a lot of rust flecks/flakes ........ the Tarsacci also does better than VLF's in this area. The Operating System/technology/platform of the Tarsacci will 'time-out' the rust flecks/flakes......and not see them.,.,.,.,.,., even though the EM energy is still somewhat inhibited by the rust......... it is not as crippling with the Tarsacci O.S. ......... as compared to VLF platforms. Just keep in mind the ID system/abilities/accuracy of the Tarsacci is: 'coarse'....... and the ID system of today's modern VLF's...... is: 'fine'.
Yes........ I have the Nokta Legend....... and DO have the Beta-tester ( 01 10 ) very-recently-released: newest software ----uploaded.

Daniel......... understood. Some folks think the red illumination makes the unit look 'blurry' in certain lighting conditions; yet, we are ALSO hearing a lot of Kudo's on the rig-for-Red lighting.
Maybe a user 'selectable' white-or-red option.

User toggle option would be great! The white is a little too much for me, even on low but I have very light sensitive eyes. I have started driving at night and in low light with sunglasses on to keep those LED headlights from blinding me.

I’m intrigued about the manticore but then I see things about the aforementioned CTX replacement and it makes me wonder if I should just wait. How far out you think we still are on seeing it?

Thanks Tom I will try prospecting audio the next time I can get out. Very exciting times for VLF machines when it comes to beach hunting.

NASA-Tom Wrote:


Additional info:
In Factory Presets...... the Manticore is approx 4% better at ID'ing iron............... thus/therefore..........4% less iron-falsing rate.
BUT......... then you add Ferrous Limits.......Upper & Lower......(and compare it to EQX Fe & F2).,.,.,.,.,.,.,., and the Manticore adjustability thereof. HERE is where it really makes a difference:
I will use myself (my hunting settings & mindset) via example =
I hit a new (to me) site. After about 12-15 minutes of hunting this site.......... I learn that I can run Ferrous Limits: Upper on '5'........ and Lower on '3'. Deliberately: On purpose..... (to my brains calibration likings)......this allows all of the nails to 'false' (as a non-ferrous target) 30% of the time......during body-rotation around target whilst sweeping. (Most normal/rational folks would not tolerate this!). If there is even the slightest bit of non-ferrous metal in close proximity of the 30% falsing nail.......... the 30% falsing goes up to a much higher %-number. For instance....... a square-nail at 9" deep is high-tone 'falsing' 30% of the time. BUT...... this time..... just 1-inch below the square nail (at 10" deep) resides a Shield Nickel. Even though the Nickel is deeper and weaker than the stronger signal from the (shallower) square nail.......... the detector is now: non-ferrous tone FALSING....MUCH more........ say: 87% of the time. HUGE delta/difference! ------You are now POSITIVE that MORE than just a (ferrous) square nail exists. It takes VERY little...... to upset this 30% falsing "BALANCE"........and that 30% falsing VERY RAPIDLY (asymptotically) launches up in percent. Dead giveaway. Huge clue!



Hmm, I have read this multiple times and cant wrap my head around it. Tom states that the fact that the detector is non-ferrous tone falsing much more (say 87%), that this is a "dead giveaway. Huge clue!"

I'm totally missing where this huge clue is! We do not know what the target is to begin with when it is in the ground, only that whatever it is, it is falsing 30% of the time as we rotate around it. Call this the "30% target". Additionally, just because we find a target that falses MORE than that 30% target (say 87%), how the heck can we know that it is the caused by a non-ferrous target immediately in the vicinity of the "30% target"? The only way we can ascertain any of this is to actually dig them up and say "oh, thats what was causing that scenario!" But we cant possibly know any of this until AFTER the targets have been dug. So how is this example/made up scenario of a V nickle just under the falsing nail a "Dead giveaway. Huge clue!"? Intellectually, I am following the logic as an "example", but I dont see how it translates into real world usage in the field because we cant know what is causing our particular level of falsing (be it 30% or 87%), until we dig it up and see.


Calling Steve Goss! lol I follow your train of thought/explanations pretty well and wonder if you can clarify this one for me? Or anyone else who wants to take a crack at it.


And Tom, I ask you to clarify only if Steve (or anyone else) cant explain it as I feel like asking you to explain every little question is like asking the vice president of a company when the company picnic is! Sure, you know the answer, but probably a dozen others do as well and your time is better spent dealing with the bigger issues that are in need of your specialized expertise that others cant address. Thus, like many here, I read and lurk without interjecting too much. Even reading this reply is taking up your valuable time that could be used in continuing to bring us improvements on this and future products! I dont feel unworthy of asking questions, I just dont want to take up your limited time with questions others can handle, or I can learn by reading it somewhere.

PS I also throw my hat into the ring to add the dual FE-CO numbers on the machine. I've been saying for years that my ideal machine would be a cross between the Equinox and the Etrac with its tones and the FE-CO ID system. We're getting closer!

philber Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> NASA-Tom Wrote:
>
>
> Additional info:
> In Factory Presets...... the Manticore is approx 4
> % better at ID'ing iron............... thus/theref
> ore..........4% less iron-falsing rate.
> BUT......... then you add Ferrous Limits.......Upp
> er & Lower......(and compare it to EQX Fe & F2).,.
> ,.,.,.,.,.,., and the Manticore adjustability ther
> eof. HERE is where it really makes a difference:
> I will use myself (my hunting settings & mindset)
> via example =
> I hit a new (to me) site. After about 12-15 minute
> s of hunting this site.......... I learn that I ca
> n run Ferrous Limits: Upper on '5'........ and Low
> er on '3'. Deliberately: On purpose..... (to my br
> ains calibration likings)......this allows all of
> the nails to 'false' (as a non-ferrous target) 30%
> of the time......during body-rotation around targe
> t whilst sweeping. (Most normal/rational folks wou
> ld not tolerate this!). If there is even the sligh
> test bit of non-ferrous metal in close proximity o
> f the 30% falsing nail.......... the 30% falsing g
> oes up to a much higher %-number. For instance....
> ... a square-nail at 9" deep is high-tone 'falsing
> ' 30% of the time. BUT...... this time..... just 1
> -inch below the square nail (at 10" deep) resides
> a Shield Nickel. Even though the Nickel is deeper
> and weaker than the stronger signal from the (shal
> lower) square nail.......... the detector is now:
> non-ferrous tone FALSING....MUCH more........ say:
> 87% of the time. HUGE delta/difference! ------You
> are now POSITIVE that MORE than just a (ferrous) s
> quare nail exists. It takes VERY little...... to u
> pset this 30% falsing "BALANCE"........and that 30
> % falsing VERY RAPIDLY (asymptotically) launches u
> p in percent. Dead giveaway. Huge clue!
>
>
>
> Hmm, I have read this multiple times and cant wrap
> my head around it. Tom states that the fact that
> the detector is non-ferrous tone falsing much more
> (say 87%), that this is a "dead giveaway. Huge cl
> ue!"
>
> I'm totally missing where this huge clue is! We d
> o not know what the target is to begin with when i
> t is in the ground, only that whatever it is, it i
> s falsing 30% of the time as we rotate around it.
> Call this the "30% target". Additionally, just be
> cause we find a target that falses MORE than that
> 30% target (say 87%), how the heck can we know tha
> t it is the caused by a non-ferrous target immedia
> tely in the vicinity of the "30% target"? The onl
> y way we can ascertain any of this is to actually
> dig them up and say "oh, thats what was causing th
> at scenario!" But we cant possibly know any of
> this until AFTER the targets have been dug. So ho
> w is this example/made up scenario of a V nickle j
> ust under the falsing nail a "Dead giveaway. Huge
> clue!"? Intellectually, I am following the logic
> as an "example", but I dont see how it translates
> into real world usage in the field because we cant
> know what is causing our particular level of falsi
> ng (be it 30% or 87%), until we dig it up and see.
>
>
> Calling Steve Goss! lol I follow your train of th
> ought/explanations pretty well and wonder if you c
> an clarify this one for me? Or anyone else who wa
> nts to take a crack at it.
>
>
> And Tom, I ask you to clarify only if Steve (or an
> yone else) cant explain it as I feel like asking y
> ou to explain every little question is like asking
> the vice president of a company when the company p
> icnic is! Sure, you know the answer, but probably
> a dozen others do as well and your time is better
> spent dealing with the bigger issues that are in n
> eed of your specialized expertise that others cant
> address. Thus, like many here, I read and lurk w
> ithout interjecting too much. Even reading this r
> eply is taking up your valuable time that could be
> used in continuing to bring us improvements on thi
> s and future products! I dont feel unworthy of as
> king questions, I just dont want to take up your l
> imited time with questions others can handle, or I
> can learn by reading it somewhere.
>
> PS I also throw my hat into the ring to add the
> dual FE-CO numbers on the machine. I've been sayi
> ng for years that my ideal machine would be a cros
> s between the Equinox and the Etrac with its tones
> and the FE-CO ID system. We're getting closer!

philber -- I am really glad to hear that the way my rather odd brain works (and thus the words that flow from it) are at times "coherent" and "understandable" to some, and at times maybe even a bit helpful! Thank you!

And, going all the way to the bottom of your post, yes -- we ARE "getting closer!" I totally agree, and have also been saying that the ideal machine would be the "offspring" of E-Trac and Equinox "parents," LOL! I think we are very close to that, with the Manticore, and I couldn't be happier...except...for the FE-CO two-number ID that is missing!

As for the falsing issue, that you asked if I could clarify, I will try, but not sure I'll make it much clearer, because you basically understand what NASA-Tom was saying quite well. There is one thing you may be missing, though, not sure...which is, he DID dig those "30% targets." LOTS of them. That's where he came up with his "test." The 30% target became a "known" target because he dug a bunch, to LEARN that they were "30% targets." THEN, he listened for targets that were MORE than 30%...

To elaborate...

In THEORY, what he was implying is that -- especially on a site with a particular, and generally consistent, type of iron (say, 2" square nails), that with your limits set rather "loose," you will of course get a good bit of non-ferrous audio (in part, because you have your limits set so "loose," and in part just because they like to "false" onto the "zero line"). And usually of course, they sound "better" from some angles, than others. So, he's saying that when he first gets to the site...say 1/2 hour just for grins, he is in "testing mode." After awhile, if he finds is getting alot of targets where he's hearing about 30% "high tones," during his rotation around the target, and the rest ferrous tones, and then he's digging each one of these, and then finding that they are 2" square nails, he's now locking that target behavior into his brain, saying "OK, today, on this site, with the type of nails that seem to prevail here, and with my settings, I CAN NOW CONCLUDE that nails will generally report as 30% non-ferrous, and then 70% iron grunts." SO, then, if he hits a target, and on this particular target, he's getting say 60% of non-ferrous (instead of 30), and then only 40% iron grunts, that immediately means there's "something different" going on. Clearly, there's iron there (the 40% iron grunts), but what is accounting for the extra percentage of non-ferrous audio as compared to the other square nails? If it's not a "high-toning" nail, then there must be something else that is permitting the rest of that high-toning to occur, right?

SO -- that is what he's alluding to, but...I think you know most or all of that already. You seem to understand pretty well what he's saying.

I think what you are saying is -- that in the real world, you have never seen a site where the ID characteristics of the nails in the ground were so "exacting," that EACH ONE reports as 30% high tone falses, and 70% iron grunts. I think you are saying "OK, so now I hit a nail that gives a high tone 60% of the rotation, and only 40% falsing...WHY CAN'T THAT JUST BE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF NAIL, or maybe a BENT NAIL, or TWO NAILS lying beside each other, or TWO NAILS IN AN X-SHAPED CONFIGURATION?"

And, to that, I would agree with you; I think it IS usually harder, for most of us mere mortals, than NASA-Tom makes it sound. I personally have rarely seen a site where nails behave as "consistently" as NASA-Tom is experiencing at some of his sites. I have one site in particular in Pennsylvania that is an old church; I've talked about it before. It was built somewhere around 1800, but has burned either two or three times in its history, and was rebuilt. And so, as you can imagine, there is all manner of square nail debris in that church yard. Small ones, big ones, bent ones, straight ones, skinny ones, fat ones. Some only give a small "rotational sector" of high tones; meanwhile, others sound so good for almost the entire rotation around the nail that it is difficult if not impossible to know that it's a nail, and not a deep high conductor. SO -- for me, especially on a site like this, the whole "x-percent high tone means nail, but if I hit a target where I hear a higher percentage of high tones, it means nail plus coin" idea is to some degree not usable/practical in many cases.

Now, I think NASA-Tom would say that yes, even on his sites, there are some "outliers." I'm sure he's had some targets that "held onto" the non-ferrous high tones for much more of his rotational sector, than his standard "x percent" that he has ascertained means "nail." In other words, I would be pretty sure that he will dig some nails on those sites, that his "test" would "fail" on, and thus cause him to dig and end up with just a nail. I would bet he's dug some bent ones, that he thought had a better than even chance of being a nail/coin combo. But, he is, I think, playing a "percentages" game, in terms of REDUCING the number of nails he digs, when trying to unmask coins, but still digging a few nails that "pass his test."

Finally, in a much "looser" way, than NASA-Tom's very "precise" approach, I have, to at least some degree, experienced something akin what he is saying ON OCCASION. In particular, there's a spot near my house that is the site of a former country club, that closed down in the 1960s, from what I can tell, and the clubhouse was converted into a country church. I have permission to hunt this site, and there's a spot next to where the old pool was...a sloping hillside that has a bunch of modern (round) nails. But, there ended up also being a good number of wheat cents, and a few silver coins there as well. I went through there with my Explorer and 13" Ultimate coil several years back, and hit it really hard...and pulled every wheatie and silver dime I could detect.

When I got my Equinox, this spot immediately came to mind as a GREAT place to test the Equinox's so-called "superior" ability to unmask. So, I started through the mess of nails, and, over the course of that first hunt with the EQX at that site, I started to dig a few wheaties. SO -- I knew that I was unmasking some coins that I could not, with my Explorer and the big coil (not surprising). So, I slowed down, and started to focus, and try to learn how I might "unmask" the coins that were obviously still lurking in the dirt. And during that time of focus, I started to realize that the coin/nail co-locations would definitely tend to "hold the high tone" for much more of the rotational sector, than the nail (no coin) targets. With modern nails, there's often a tendency (the way I set up my machines) to "sound good" at, say, 180 and 360 degrees. OR, more correctly, though a SECTOR surrounding 180 and 360 -- say 160 to 200 degrees, and then again in a "mirror image" way, at 340 to 20 degrees. Meanwhile, through all of the rest of the rotational sector, it's essentially all iron grunts. BUT -- on those coin/nail targets, at this site, I'd still hear the pronounced high tones through those same sectors surrounding 180 and 360. BUT -- not only would those high-tone sectors "expand" in size, but I would also hear at least some CHIRPS of high tones, sometimes one-way hits, sometimes two-way, through MUCH OF THE REST of the rotation. IN OTHER WORDS, a much higher percentage of high tones. Sure, there were sectors of predominantly iron grunts, but I'd get at least SOME high toning through most or all of the 360-degree sector, not JUST 180 and 360. THIS, I came to COUNT on, as being the key to unmasking THOSE coins, at THAT site, in THOSE type of nails, with MY machine set up the way I set it up (which at that time, was with FE=0).

I do want to make a note here, though, for anyone who might be reading and want to "try" this idea, that this is not some UNIVERSAL rule. IT MUST BE NOTED that the exact description I just gave, though quite successful for me at that site (I pulled MANY more wheats and a couple of silver dimes over the course of a couple of hunts) ONLY APPLIED in those specific circumstances. For instance, that description I gave of exactly what I learned to listen for, WOULD HAVE -- at that same site and with all else being equal -- been totally different with say, FE set at 6 or 7 or 8. And the reason I make THIS point, is that the SAME THING applies to the Manticore, and limits settings. IF you find one of these "rules of thumb" that works for you when unmasking, telling others about it on the forums is USELESS, unless they KNOW YOUR SETTINGS, and UNDERSTAND WHY your settings were causing what you observed, and HOW, if they use DIFFERENT settings, it would change the equation -- potentially substantially...

Wow. That's alot of words; I hope there was at least something useful in all of that, that perhaps addressed at least some of your question...

Bottom line is that as you were saying, you can't KNOW that you have a coin, using the "NASA-Tom" approach, until you dig it, as you said. BUT, you can formulate a pretty strong HUNCH, and put the odds in your favor if digging ONLY the targets that behave in that specific way. You would know FOR SURE that SOMETHING was different; for instance, if you hit one of those targets he described, thinking "coin-nail co-location," but it turned out to be a bent nail, you'd simply say "OH, now I see why it held the non-ferrous tones for so much more of the sector than the other nails did; the others were straight..." And thus, even THIS target could build your confidence that your "rule of thumb" is still accurate...as you would EXPECT the bent nail to deviate from a "test" you set up to identify a STRAIGHT nail...

OK, enough words!

Steve



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/30/2023 02:31PM by steveg.

Is this a true statement?We are trying to achieve a combination of settings that when circling 360 deg., we get 60% non FE tones and 40% FE tones, chance of a good non FE target is above 50% ?Then, if we go to 70%/30% even better chance of a good target? Is Tom saying that he spends about 15 minutes figuring this out? Probably take longer for most of us but once achieved then note settings for that location.

Choice of illumination would be nice. Do something about the cheap headphones and give a way to use another headphone wireless. Losing the module like the 800 used was a bad idea. Now I have to hang a module on the side of my almost state of the art MD to be wireless.

DigDug....... WAY too premature to tell; yet, I would speculate ....(as a total WILD guess)....... about 3-years.

Andrew....... One more thought. When you place Audio Theme = PROSPECTING......... also place Iron Volume on '25'. (((Needless to say......... = don't have iron Notched out! Bring in the horseshoe)))
Once again..... THANKS for that video!!!
I can CLEARLY tell........ you've got that Deus-2 running at peak performance! You've got it mastered.

philber & steveg........ Wow. THANKS to BOTH of you........ for = TAKING THE TIME....... to expound/clear/clean/amplify my data.
Yes....... absolutely correct. I/we do not live in a World whereby....... all of the (same type & era) nails fit perfectly into a textbook-perfect scenario ...... with perfect (ie. = 30%) "resolve". I know I may appear to 'implicate' such resultant; yet, it is not true.
1). I DO still dig some bent nails
2). I DO still dig some nails ....whereby..... two nails point at each other.....from different angular sectors.
3). I DO still have to make a judgement-call....many times.
But...... most scenarios (about 80% of the time).... DO fall into my set-forth %-parameters. ((( Imagine how MANY nails........numbers-wise....... 20% truly is!!!))). It is a PAIN; yet, if the area/dirt/era is known to REALLY produce PREMIUM finds......... I will push-the-envelope..... to an extreme. , . , . , . , . , . , just shy of a full excavation. Excavations........ in over 95% of the cases....... is just not practical......... for a multiplicity of rationale.

BamaJoe........ Yes. In a nutshell....... what I try to achieve is...........,,,,,,,,,,, I like to see a large "DIFFERENCE" (the larger.....the better! ---read = the easier!!!---)....... of detecting just nails................VS................. detecting a nail AND a non-Ferrous co-locate combo. The only problem is...... you MUST bring all of the nails to: JUST ON THE HAIRY EDGE OF FULL NON-FERROUS ID............ in order to be properly 'set up' (config'd) for a ferrous/non-ferrous co-locate....... to come blasting through. . . . . in 'obvious' fashion.
In a dream-World........ I just assume run the highest Ferrous Limits.... Upper & Lower..... on their maximum settings.........,,,,,,,,,so as to have ALL iron ID as "iron"........ and be DONE WITH IT! Yet........ in this type of configuration....... a fatal amount of (probably unsuspecting) masking would ensue.

Someone explain why the audio on the Manticore does not sound the same in all programs even though I have it setup the exact same way in AT-Gen-LC-HC. AT-HC sounds like the Equinox in 5 tones. AT-LC really seems to stretch the tone out even though it's setup in 5-tones just like AT-HC. It's like it's dragging the audio out way to long. It does this more as you lift the coil higher over the target, or as the depth of the target increases the more the audio is elongated. It does it somewhat in AT-Gen, but not as bad. I never use the pin-point function and elongated audio makes it hard to get centered over the target. I am really finding this quite annoying. Could I get used to it? Maybe, but I don't see why you can't make preferred programs sound all alike.

Am I missing something? Is there a reason for this?

Thank you for the response. Makes me think the manticore might be worth picking up. Still kinda torn about it and the D2

NASA-Tom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> DigDug....... WAY too premature to tell; yet, I wo
> uld speculate ....(as a total WILD guess)....... a
> bout 3-years.

theta........ I'm missing tons of data...... BUT........ let me take a shot......in-the-blind:

Check your Recovery Speeds in all of those Modes....... and verify they are the same. (This is the first thought that comes to mind)!
If you are using Factory Presets...... the Recovery Speeds are different between the different Modes! (For a reason).

Video with myself showing Manticore in action-ghost town site.
This site I have made numerous references to on this forum since 2012.

Notice screen presentations. Far from textbook (ideal). On good targets located and dug.

Expect more videos taken at this site and Manticore to be posted here in coming days and weeks.

Enjoy,
[m.youtube.com]

Being able to save at least 2 different patterns on the same search mode would be nice.
Also having a target ID displayed when in the disc, ferrous and target tones option would make it easier to make patterns.
I'm not missing the fe number as much as I thought I would before getting the machine. The visual fe is growing on me. Lead bullets fall directly on the line in AT/HC but drops below the line in the other search modes. The etrac would also do this. So to get that signature etrac trace on bullets you need to run something other than AT/HC

Kenny
[www.youtube.com]

Question for Tom.
On one of the Faceache groups I visit there is a guy stating that the 50% increase in power of the Manticore is false.
According to him the FCC have a limit on transmit power of a metal detector, whereas I was under the impression there is no FCC limit any longer, I’m sure Troy Galloway confirmed this when he came to the UK to hunt with me several years ago.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2023 05:31PM by Dino- UK.

Dino........ yes...... the Manticore does XMT much more power; yet, still within guidelines/limits.,.,.,.,., and on a International basis.

Dino- UK Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Question for Tom.
> On one of the Faceache groups I visit there is a g
> uy stating that the 50% increase in power of the M
> anticore is false.
> According to him the FCC have a limit on transmit
> power of a metal detector, whereas I was under the
> impression there is no FCC limit any longer, I’m s
> ure Troy Galloway confirmed this when he came to t
> he UK to hunt with me several years ago.

Dino- UK,
I'm not Tom, but here's my take:

Every few years I see this FCC power limit thing brought up.
You and Troy Galloway are/was right.
Power limits are for radio devices.

VLF metal detectors don't work on the radio principle....they work on a balanced magnetic field principle.
Even though we say TX and RX when referencing the coil, it's more accurate to think of the coil as the primary and secondary of a transformer.

When energized, the coil creates a carefully balanced magnetic field in a process we call Induction Balance.
This field can induce eddy currents in nearby metal objects that can/will disrupt this carefully balanced field, providing us with a target signal to process.

Although there are maximum electrical field densities, and limitations of RFI/EMI disruptions to nearby consumer devices....to the best of my knowledge, the FCC still only tests metal detectors for spurious emissions.

Also, because some seem to have forgotten, this isn't the first metal detector to boost the TX signal.
The White's V series had it as a configurable option years ago...along with the caveat that your battery life was dramatically shortened. (...as much as 50% shorter!)
The Golden Mask GM-5, GM-6 and GM-7 all have a TX power boost called "PowerBox" that does exactly the same thing.
(I'm sure there are others. If I recall, the Nautilus might have done something similar, but my memory is way too fuzzy to recall clearly that far back, lol.)

So the statement that you can't boost the power to the coil, is not only false....it's already been done before.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2023 03:12AM by Mike in CO.

Deus 1 also has TX boost option. One could also lower from mid range setting too.

TNS,
Yes indeed, thanks for that reminder. I had completely forgotten.

And just to clarify...technically the FCC proper, typically doesn't like to test anything.
They require you to first pay to have the compliance testing done at a certified lab, such as Compliance Testing LLC.
(Then send in the completed request packet.)

And if you really want to bore yourself with technical details, you can actually search online for the specific rules governing Class B devices under Part 15 and 15B of the FCC rules.
(Although, that is a lot easier/simpler than trying to wade through bad YT and FB info, lol.)

Spoiler alert:
You won't find anything about metal detector power output in watts in the FCC Regs.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2023 06:11AM by Mike in CO.

Thanks for the clarification

Thanks Tom.

Maybe it will help a little bit. FCC data for Manticore:

[fccid.io]

Wow. Kinda surprised with this 'public access' report. Seems like most of it should be Confidential !!! Corporate Confidential. Even the code-name for the Manticore project.
It took quite a while for my computer to download this 32-page report.

BTW, there's a similar document for the Platypus/Equinox, since it also has a bluetooth radio transmitter for the headphones.

You can look up any FCC ID at [fccid.io]
It is always surprising how much proprietary corporate info they fill out for that certification, like the project names.

...And before someone with sharp eyes points out the one reference to power output in watts on page 11, note that it's referring to the 2.4ghz bluetooth radio transmitter power for the wireless headphones, not the detector/coil output.
Unlike the detector/coil, the built-in bluetooth transmitter IS a real radio, and they have to put it through every test they have.
(Which accounts for the bulk of the 32 pages of spurious emissions test results.)

Hi Tom,

After using the Manticore for a month I have a question about the different All Terrain Modes.

I've read through the different descriptions for each search mode many times however I'm not always sure that I'm using the best mode for the locations I'm detecting. For example if I'm right next to a cellar hole should I use Fast mode or use High Conductors/low conductors with a faster recovery speed. And then if I move away from the cellar hole to surrounding fields should I uses some other different modes etc.

Could you let us know briefly what situations each mode would be best to use it in?

And perhaps when Minelab releases an updated manual in the future have them expand on this subject as well?

Thanks for your help!

Tom,
Is this normal or am I too picky?
[youtu.be]