The Update...A game changer for me!

[Owassokie]

This update is a game changer for me. I haven't posted much lately because I've been pretty frustrated. Despite learning the machine with some time in the field, I've continued to struggle to hit any deep targets. The VDI would bounce a lot, even on shallow coins. I've struggled to separate coins from aluminum trash. I wasn't hearing the nuance differences in the tones everyone was referencing. People talk about the "fluty" tones...I'd never heard it. And I had all the other pinpoint/depth meter/chattering issues others have referenced. I updated the machine yesterday and hunted for about 3 hours at a school I've already hunted. It was easily my best day. The machine finally preformed. I can hear the nuance differences in the "hard" or "crisp" hits and the "fluty" sounds of other hits. My pinpoint is now valuable in determining depth (like others have said) but the meter is much better too. I actually found 2 mercury dimes at 8 inches which is easily the deepest coin I've found.

Part of me thinks (now) that I had some other firmware issues going on with my machine. I see the improvements that the update was "supposed to" provide but I think there may be additional issues fixed by the update. I'm not techy inclined so...who knows. Regardless, I'm a happy camper!

OO

 

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[RustyGold]

That's awesome Owassokie. I've done the upgrade and noticed right away the more stable TID numbers.
Best of luck!

 

[dirtlooter]

wow, been very busy trying to get father moved so that I can begin moving and ML comes out with an update that sounds pretty awesome. it may be another month before I am able to get this update but I can't wait. All my stuff is buried in packed stuff, it is what it is LOL. I had several of the mentioned problems including the pin point being very faint so this really sounds awesome and makes the machine even better in many ways.

 

[Possum]

Minelab, basically indicated without words, but by the way they expeditiously handled my claim, basically told me the problems I've been having with my Equinox was a defective coil, so they're sending me a replacement, I hope to get back out there and see what the Equinox acts like with the update and a working coil... "D"

 

[sgoss66]

What problems have you been having, Possumcop, that now look to be the result of a defective coil? I have been away/out of the country for about 10 days, so I'm trying to catch up on what I've missed, but I didn't see anything saying you were having trouble with a coil. 6", or 11", and what are the symptoms?

Owassokie -- glad to hear that you have had a breakthrough with the machine; we've talked before and I know you were having issues. I wonder if you did indeed have some firmware issue, that was fortuitously and inadvertently "fixed" with the update? Whatever the case, I'm glad -- as this really is an impressive machine and now you may finally be able to experience that.

Steve

 

[flgliderpilot]

Anyone notice VDIs changing a bit? In my test bed (Beach mode 2), quarters were always 29, dimes 25, nickels 12-13, and pull tabs 13-14.. Now quarters are 28-31, dimes are 24-26, and nickels are 13-16, and pull tabs are 13-16. Kinda sucks because it was easy before for me to identify pull tabs but now it's not.

I'm hoping this is just a symptom of wet ground due to heavy rain.

 

[Possum]

What problems have you been having, Possumcop, that now look to be the result of a defective coil? I have been away/out of the country for about 10 days, so I'm trying to catch up on what I've missed, but I didn't see anything saying you were having trouble with a coil. 6", or 11", and what are the symptoms?

Owassokie -- glad to hear that you have had a breakthrough with the machine; we've talked before and I know you were having issues. I wonder if you did indeed have some firmware issue, that was fortuitously and inadvertently "fixed" with the update? Whatever the case, I'm glad -- as this really is an impressive machine and now you may finally be able to experience that.

Steve

Steve,

My Nox has become overly chatty lately and getting worse. I was constantly doing a noise cancel, ground balancing, lowering my sensitivity and removing my coil cover cleaning out any soil, sand or whatever in an attempt to settle it down.

Monday when Truth and I were hunting it had gotten to the point that I could barely stand all the chattering, I did the aforementioned corrective actions and I even did a "FP" hoping to settle it down, but what seemed to help for a minute or so didn't, the noise returned.

I was still finding a few things, but it had gotten so bad Monday that it was literally giving me a headache with all the noise. I started paying more attention to when the chatting got worse and noticed that if I were to swing my coil to fast from left to right or vice versa or when doing the "Wiggle" to pinpoint, it was really bad. I also noticed that even in calf high "Bahia grass" or if I bumped the coil against something, no matter how lightly, it would sound off. I then reached down and moved the coil cord, where it is permanently attached to the top of the coil itself it would go crazy. The only time it was quiet, except for the slight threshold hum in the background, was when it was perfectly still, especially when it was horizontal to the ground while I was digging up a target.

About midday I met up with Truth to see how he was doing and I asked him if he was having any trouble with his stock coil and he said "No, his coil was quiet except when it passed over a target". I let him listen to my Nox and he said "Brother, you've got a bad coil or something, you need to call Minelab".

The following day I contacted Minelab USA and when the Tech / Rep or whatever she was called me back, I started telling her what was happening, she basically cut me off, asking for the coils serial number, confirmed it was in warranty, gave me an RMA number and told me UPS would be emailing me a shipping label. She further stated, once I received the shipping label, to package the coil with it's cover and return it. After they received my coil, she said they would then ship me a new coil and coil cover.

She never elaborated as to what the issue was nor did she state whether or not it was an ongoing problem they've seen in the past. To be honest, if it wasn't for me having her check the warranty on my two (2) Profind 25's, which one (1) is pretty much gone and the other is starting to head that way, both of which are past their two (2) year warranty, my warranty claim for the coil would've been finished in record time.

So bottom line Steve, either something inside the coil itself has worked loose or the permanently affixed coil cord has a short where it connects to the top of the coil itself. All I know is, I've been having trouble with it pretty much since I've had it, but it wasn't no where's near as bad at the beginning and I shrugged it off as either EMI / RFI or ground mineralization issues. I can't wait to get that new coil and see what it's really like to hunt with a Nox that the only noise I hear is a slight threshold hum in the background (my choice) and a tone whenever I pass over a target, instead of constant chattering.

Take care Steve, God bless you and yours… "D"

 

[sgoss66]

D --

Yep, sounds like a short in the cable/coil connection point. I am really glad you are going to get a new coil, so you can see what it's like to hunt with a PROPERLY functioning EQX. You are going to see a world of difference. Especially with the update -- which makes the machine even QUIETER.

I hunted for a short while last night, the first time with the updated software. I really, really like it. Hard to describe, but the machine "feels" a little different -- and better. Depth meter is definitely better, and it's definitely quieter (you can run the sensitivity higher, without EMI chatter). Pinpoint also is improved (though I liked it the way it was before just fine). I could not tell if there is more "modulation" to the audio (deep targets sounding quieter), as some have noticed, since I did not locate/dig any real deep coins in my hour and a half hunt. BUT -- I THOUGHT it sounded louder on a shallow target I hit (and decided not to dig -- as the machine was telling me it was large/shallow). I also hit a really deep aluminum cap -- so deep it surprised me, though I'm not ready to say the machine is "deeper," post-update, yet. I need more "deep digs" to discern that. But bottom line, it just "feels" a bit different. Tones seem, I don't know, more "understandable?" Hard to describe, but it felt as though the machine was "more clearly" letting me know what was under the coil. In other words, I didn't seem to have to use quite as much brain power, didn't have to work quite as hard to hear the nuances in the tones, to figure things out. It just seemed to "speak more clearly" as to what was under the coil. In other words, very much like owassokie was describing in the original post. I have to totally agree with him. I wasn't even thinking about what he said while I was out hunting, but now, when I read his words above, I have to agree. While I wasn't having the trouble he was having, pre-update, his words about how things have changed, I totally agree with -- he's spot-on.

Bottom line -- THUMBS UP, Minelab! SUPER-easy update process through my PC, and definitely an improvement to the machine, for my type of hunting.

May God bless you and yours as well, my friend!

Steve​

 

[vferrari]

Actually I have found coil bump sensitivity and shake sensitivity happen when ground balance is cranked to a high number. The way to know for sure that it is the coil is to cycle through all the modes and see if it happens in every mode. I kept getting noise in a cornfield last spring when bumping corn stalk stubble and thought my coil was going bad. Switched to beach mode and it went away so I knew it wasn't the coil. Reset the machine and it disappeared in the affected mode (Field 2, I think). Did a ground balance and the number was high due to soil mineralization conditions and the bump sensitivity returned. Manually lowered GB setting to 0 and it disappeared. I noticed it would happen on every mode if I manually cranked the GB setting up and that the hot modes (Park 2, Field 2 and the Gold modes) were most susceptible (i.e., they displayed bump sensitivity at lower GB settings than the other modes).

D, your problem sounds like it could be a coil issue, but it is unusual for it to happen spontaneously unless you physically damage the coil by banging it against something or if there is a problem with the epoxy or coil cord seal that lets moisture into the coil. Usually, the coil issue shows up right away due to a manufacturing issue with the windings. Also, I would have expected a coil failure would likely also throw a coil fault code onto the front screen due to the smart chip in the coil that monitors coil winding parameters looking for shorts or open circuits.

D, not saying ML jumped the gun and had you send in a perfectly good coil (lol), but if you still experience it with the replacement coil, don't panic and check to make sure it isn't a function of your GB settings.

Good Luck - at least you are getting a pristine coil now. Woo hoo!