Manticore failure

I have been trying to buy a Manticore from my dealer, Kellyco, for many, many months. They just are not getting any. So I did the unthinkable, and bought one from big box Cabela's. I have been saving up for a long time. Finally Cabela's had one. I spent just over $1700 USD for one. Big box does not have dealer support. I would soon regret this. I received the detector this past Friday and went to the beach on Saturday. Tom, I set it up like your recommendations with Beach General and Beach Low conductor. I tried low conductor beach mode first. I put target response speed on 4, sensitivity on 24, prospecting sounds, I used the factory defaults on iron upper and lower on their settings and brought in the horseshoe. Then I ground balanced the detector to the wet sand. For the first 10 minutes, the detector was quiet and stable. Then all of a sudden, it became very unstable. I did the long pressing of noise cancel. No change. A drop of water on the coil would cause the detector to scream. Getting the coil close to the sand the detector would scream. Touching the sand with the coil would make the detector scream. I dropped sensitivity to 20 and still had the same problem. I switched to beach general mode and experienced the exact same problem. I have been using a Equinox 800 for 4 years and just know something is wrong with this Manticore. I think the coil is bad. If it means anything, this Manticore serial number is 78671864265. I was so super disappointed with this Manticore that I returned it to Bass Pro shops and got my money back. No body at Bass pro could help me with any of my questions. They are not a metal detector dealer. They recommended that I go to youtube and the forums for help. Thats just not right. $1700+ dollars is a good chunk of my life. I wonder if anyone else is having the same problem as me, or do they even know if they have a bad coil. I now question if I should get another one and take a chance. Or should I buy a Deus 2. I hear Deus will have a update shortly that will make it deeper than Manticore. What should I do?
Tom, are you being paid hush money to not talk about the Legend? You strongly avoid answering Legend questions. I really want to know what Legend is all about because I still want a new detector. Or should I stay with my Equinox?

Off the subject a bit, Tom what are you working on now? What detector and what settings are you using on the beach? Can you tell what direction you are headed or thinking?

why not contact the minelab service dept? its under warrantee

You wouldn't have gotten support or help from a smaller dealer either. All warranty work is handled by the customer directly through Minelab.

It was a fluke. I'm just glad you got your money back. Now you can go another route to purchase a Manticore. Don't give up on your excitement of a hobby you love . . . part of that passion is getting the latest and greatest to get the job done. Try again, I say. There's one for sale on this forum by Shakydigger. . . . check him out.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2023 09:55AM by ozzie.

Kingfish.......... SO sorry to hear this. I fully understand the frustration. It sounds like you did everything right. If you are in Beach General Mode...... the unit should be extremely quiet/stable whilst on Sens 20........in a beach environment. In your case........ it does sound like a possible coil problem. At first...... I thought you might be experiencing EMI; yet, drops of water hitting the coil, , , , and coil touching the sand.........implicates otherwise.
Yes....... I too....have heard that a new revision/update is coming down the pike for the XP Deus-2. I cannot speculate 'when' the update will be released....... nor 'what updates/improvements' have been made.....(or if it is merely cosmetic).
There may also be updates coming down the pike for Minelab as well. Same with Nokta/Makro. I am not one to 'wait' for speculation.
I am glad that you were able to get your money back. Manticores are still very hard to get.
I do not wish to point you to the Deus-2....... under the premise that the new software will be bigger/better/faster/stronger. Stand alone...... the Deus-2 is a STRONG detector........and a very good one. It is almost neck-to-neck with the Manticore on the beach; yet, the Manticore takes a slight lead....... especially in the department of fine jewelry.
The choice is still completely yours. It truly is a preference! I slightly lean more towards the Manticore.......for that few extra percent of low conductor gain....... in a wet-salt environment.

You have several other questions. I'm out of time........ but.......... I will answer...... in time!

It was much easier to return the detector and get my money back then to figure out how to contact Minelab and also to find out how good or bad their warranty repair department is. That may be opening up a can of worms. Then I would have no idea how fast or slow it would be fixed. Tom Thanks! You give me a lot to think about.

If money is tight, look at a legend. I just received an email from a dealer announcing a sale on it.

Tom, is there any chance I could buy a proofed, certified Manticore from you? I'M quite nervous about even thinking about buying another Manticore.

Contact Richard at backwoodsdetectors. I assure you will he will send you a stable , working , checked out unit with the latest updates.

Kingfish Wrote:
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> Tom, is there any chance I could buy a proofed, ce
> rtified Manticore from you? I'M quite nervous abou
> t even thinking about buying another Manticore.

I think you are overreacting. Your unit is the only one I have heard of going down. There is NOTHING wrong with Minelab warranty.

If you are a beach hunter I would stick with the Manticore. It is better on gold chains.

Kingfish......... I have a few moments.......and will answer a couple more of your questions.

I guess I'm overdue to 'come clean' about the Legend. --------It is a detector. It does detect metal. It is built like a tank........very rugged.......and very ergonomic. And it ID's targets very well. Good bang-for-the-buck.
But. Here's the issue. It passes the bench-test with flying colors. . . . . and graduated to the test-garden. This is where the problem resides. In Single Freq Mode (lower freqs). . . . . it will ascertain a 14" deep dime.....and with reasonable ID accuracy; yet,,,,,,,,,, when you switch over to any of the (M1, M2, M3) multi-freq Modes........ it will barely detect a 10" deep dime; yet, with 100% iron ID. Several software updates have been released; yet, the problem still exists. Other multi-freq units (Deus-2, CZ, Manticore, EQX, DFX.......etc.......) do not express this issue. Yes...... Dilek, Barak (first-hand)....... and several Nokta engineers are aware of this issue. Last year (in Melrose, Florida)...... we went "video live-stream" with the full demonstration of this incursion. IF they get this issue resolved........ the Legend will be THE best-bang-for-the-buck. In other words: the Legend will give all of the other multi-freq units a very serious run-for-the-money.
NO........ I'm not being paid 'hush-money' to NOT talk about the Legend!!!

One of your other questions =
No. I am not quite configured to send/ship/deal.......mail you a validated/certified Manticore.
Yes!!!....... I understand your ((( $1700+ ))) concern! ((( I think you need to go play the lottery!!! ))) Lucky draw!

I'll answer the remainder of your questions.........with my NEXT block-of-time!

I have noticed that my manticore goes off when I touch sticks/rocks/the ground…I usually only have my sensitivity between 20 and 25 and ground balance is zero. Is that just a common thing? My equinox would do it too.

In most cases....... that's absolutely normal.......especially with these newer hyper-gain detectors of today.,.,.,.,. regardless of brand. For example: The T2, Impact & F75 will do this.

Tom, I went ahead and bought another new Manticore through Cabela's. This new Manticore has so much more stability than the first one I had. This ones coil can touch the wet sand and the detector remains quiet. This kind of confirms that I had a bad coil on the first new Manticore. I am posting this information on this specific thread because it is directly related to this thread.
But now I have a different problem with this newest second Manticore. I like to wade in the water, maybe 3 feet deep. When the back of the control module gets splashed with water, the detector screams very loud. If a wave hits the control head around the speaker area, the detector gives loud beeps. I do not think water is getting into the electronics, but something is still wrong. Sometimes water touches the back of the control head, maybe once every second, so the detector is loudly beeping every second. It is very difficult to hunt the water like this. I am frustrated with this newest detector. Cabela's can not answer any questions. YouTube has no videos on this. Nothing can be found in a web search. I am also frustrated because I could not buy a Manticore from a dealer, because only Cabela's seems to get them. A dealer would be able to answer my questions, and help me out. Where do I go from here? Can you help? Should I have bought the Deus 2 instead, and run the snap on coil wire up the shaft, and snap it on to the control head and put it in my shirt pocket?

Kingfish Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Tom, I went ahead and bought another new Manticore
> through Cabela's. This new Manticore has so much m
> ore stability than the first one I had. This ones
> coil can touch the wet sand and the detector remai
> ns quiet. This kind of confirms that I had a bad c
> oil on the first new Manticore. I am posting this
> information on this specific thread because it is
> directly related to this thread.
> But now I have a different problem with this newes
> t second Manticore. I like to wade in the water, m
> aybe 3 feet deep. When the back of the control mod
> ule gets splashed with water, the detector screams
> very loud. If a wave hits the control head around
> the speaker area, the detector gives loud beeps. I
> do not think water is getting into the electronics
> , but something is still wrong. Sometimes water to
> uches the back of the control head, maybe once eve
> ry second, so the detector is loudly beeping every
> second. It is very difficult to hunt the water lik
> e this. I am frustrated with this newest detector.
> Cabela's can not answer any questions. YouTube has
> no videos on this. Nothing can be found in a web s
> earch. I am also frustrated because I could not bu
> y a Manticore from a dealer, because only Cabela's
> seems to get them. A dealer would be able to answe
> r my questions, and help me out. Where do I go fro
> m here? Can you help? Should I have bought the Deu
> s 2 instead, and run the snap on coil wire up the
> shaft, and snap it on to the control head and put
> it in my shirt pocket?

Hello Kingfish... It sounds like the same thing that I experience and addressed to Tom. He explained that it is a wicking issue when the saltwater touches the metal housing on the coil cable where it plugs into the housing. You can read the exact wording between Tom and I on pages 23 and 24 on the thread Manticore Data etc. I at first thought it was when the water touched the earphone cable plug but was mistaken. It was / is when the salt water touches the coil cable plug. Read through it and hopefully it answers your questions. Thanks

Were I in your shoes, I'd return that Manticore, put the money on a Deus II and start loving life.

Just the view from my foxhole....

ColonelDan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Were I in your shoes, I'd return that Manticore, p
> ut the money on a Deus II and start loving life.
>
> Just the view from my foxhole....


AMEN BROTHA!

Wow. I just don't know how to tip-toe around this one anymore. . . . . . . . . . especially when (irrefutably/undeniably) put-on-the-spot.
My base-platform is: being TOTALLY honest................. never to deviate.
Yet, stand up for Minelab........especially for as much time/engineering/money/resources/passion that has gone into Manticore project.

Manticore coils have a floating ground/shield. For certain (undisclosed) reasons........ the electronic architect is based around such. . . . for Manticore. When saltwater comes into contact with the coil connector (threaded metal coil connector.......that threads into the back of the control pod)......... you may encounter your described conditions. IF you fully submerge your metal coil connector....... the detector remains silent (no chirping). IF you keep the coil connector completely out of the water, (again)......you should encounter: no chirping.

There! I came: "clean".

Tom... I think you explained everything quite clearly the first time it was brought up. Thanks for clarifying things again for those who missed it.

Sometimes a reiteration, re-clarification can be beneficial.

Tom, I just got home from the beach. Yes, when seawater hits the metal part of the coil connector on the back of the control head, the detector loudly beeps. Now I can clearly see the problem. I'm going to try to wrap the connector in sticky sheet rubber and see if this helps any.

Bullseye!
Yes...... let me know of your findings/results......if you wrap the metal part of the coil connector in rubberized tape. I wonder if Gorilla Glue makes a elastimeric thick rubber!?
You 'could' use RTV blue........ and RTV the metal connector; yet, this methodology is messy; yet, more permanent.