Looking to Upgrade - Interested in Opinions (:

[GaffleBab]

Hey everyone, been reading a lot of forum posts lately and figured I would make a thread in hopes of receiving wisdom from y'all vets. I've been swinging the Teknetics Delta 4k for almost a year; my first Detector. It's found me a lot of good finds but I've come to realize it just doesn't get the greatest depth and I feel that I'm missing out on deeper Silver Coins etc. Been spending a lot of time looking into alternative machines like the Deus, E-trac, Racer2, T2 etc. I'm currently on the waiting list for the AT MAX as this seemed like an upgrade I would be happy with for the price, being able to manually ground balance and assuming I would attain greater depth than the Delta 4000. I now see the new Minelabs to be released next year and that's really got me wanting to wait longer especially as we go into Fall and Winter with more rain that I don't care for Detecting in.

My main questions are weather or not y'all think the AT MAX would get me more depth that I would be happy with or if there are any other of the alternatives you would recommend. I look forward to any and all input and Thank You for your time (:

Gafflebab

 

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[CJayC]

Wait and see how the Equinox does.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[sprailroad]

I would agree with CJ, the AT Pro is good, but as many has said, this new Minelab may be a game changer.

 

[digger27]

Upgrades should get you more...
More power, more depth, more settings possible to take advantage of it all.

The Equinox looks interesting, the AT Pro is loved by many and the Max should be just the same, all kinds of things out there now to choose from...depending on your price point.

Let me throw another on your list...The Teknetics Patriot.
Several steps higher than your Delta, the exact same unit with the same big DD coil as the F70 which used to retail for $679.
With a dealers discount # this one can be had brand new for $399 off the Ameritek website.

Same core powerful engine as the F75 and T2 but programmed differently, a few less features than the flagships but except for the waterproof stuff everything you need to be successful is there.
The F70 was always considered a true sleeper unit, the Patriot at this low price even more so.
In good soil my F70 has reached depths of 10-15", in bad mineralized and iron infested soil I can go deeper than any other unit that I have ever swung and deeper than most friends with other units I hunt with.
Lightning fast speed and recovery, target separation is superb, a full compliment of both DD and concentric coils from both FTP and after market companies available and a ton of settings to control it all.
Complete control over gain and threshold in both disc and all metal, 7 tone choices plus boost.
I have yet to come across a site I could not conquer with the right settings, extreme EMI, heavy trash, insane iron infestation...not one yet.
On my first hunt with mine not even understanding how to take advantage if what it can really do I found silver, on my fourth hunt I found a large gold ring surrounded by trash, by my third month I paid for the thing in the clad and jewelry it found and have gone way beyond that in the 3.5 years I have used it and it never stopped dropping my jaw to this day.

 

[Stretch Da Truth]

Gafflebab - You have a lot of units listed and the price range varies quite a bit on them. What are you looking to spend on a new unit? This will help us to help you.
If you liked the screen and ergo's of the Tek unit, you might not like the AT unit...
If you have a local store, go check out some of the units you have mentioned. Look, feel and sounds of units in person will help sway your mind. Xmas specials might help you decide and a lot of places have spring specials.
I really like my Deus as many others on this site do as well. Was looking at all the Equinox yesterday as that looks like it might be pretty cool.
Wish you luck in your search!

 

[P.ALLEN]

Used Radio Shack, go analog baby!

 

[Phishfindr]

I'd wait for the Equinox and Max to both be out for a while, tested repeatedly by multiple reliable sources, and then decide. My gut tells me the Equinox is going to be a game changer.....after my gut told me the Max was going to be a game changer....

You may find one that is neither of the above and love it. Research, and then research some more. HH with whatever you decide on!

 

[cudamark]

Seeing that you live on Vancouver, I'd get something that will work good in salt water.....as in a multifrequency machine. Currently, the only ones out there that will work good there, and also be a decent (or in most cases an excellent) land machine would be the old Sovereign, Explorer, E-trac, Safari, or CTX. The new and upcoming Equinox is also a promising candidate. If a waterproof machine is what you need, that kinda narrows it down the CTX or Equinox. If you're not into salt water hunting, that opens the options quite a bit, as you wouldn't particularly need a multifrequency machine. What kind of detecting do you do? Maybe you need more than one machine to get maximum benefit for your hunting time.

 

[beerguy]

I like the look of that Equinox. I am going to be selling some units from my stable...

 

[FWest]

It seems single frequency is about at the end of the road, multi frequency and other technologies are coming fast. My advise is find a used F70 or At pro/gold and watch what unfolds with the minelab. Bound to be some deals as folks will sell to get the latest releases. Maybe by the spring the equinox will be available and other manufacturers will be adjusting prices or releasing better units to compete.

 

[GaffleBab]

Thank you so much everyone I really appreciate the input!

A bit more info; I have vacation in less than 3 weeks and plan to spend most of that time detecting weather depending of course *fingers crossed*. I will be visiting family and really only make this trip once a year, hoping to attain a bunch of Permissions for early 1900's homes and old parks. I really feel like I'll be missing a lot as I never seem to pick up any good targets past 4 -5 inch on the Delta, maybe due to preset Ground Balance?

Excluding Minelab and also exclude the Deus for this question. I'm interested in thoughts on what the best pick would be for increased depth and geared towards Old Copper and Silver Coins. Also I just got the email today that the AT MAX will be Shipping to Canada Sept 25 so I would be able to get that just in time before vacation and hopefully get out and learn it a day or two before. I like the fact it can go under water and might want to do lakes and rivers next year but not really interested in going into salt water but do find myself on the beach sometimes.

Also some newb questions, digger27 mentioned and I hear about but do not have those settings on the Delta. I think I understand Threshold but am wondering what Gain is all about and thoughts on different frequencies and why that's important. Also I do not have a local MD shop around here.

Thanks again everyone, you're all super awesome (:

 

[digger27]

On your Delta transmit power and threshold is fixed, you can control the gain which is your sensitivity.

Transmit power is depth penetrating power and is usually fixed on most detectors but there are a few that you can control this power being sent out from your coil...if you don't mind using up battery power faster.


From what I gather gain, (mostly interchanged with sensitivity), is more often described as a form of amplification.
Weaker signals, this can mean smaller and deeper targets, are raised in volume so we can tell they are there and not silent.
Higher gain or sensitivity DOES NOT get deeper as many think, it just amplifies the signals on deeper targets down to the penetrating depth our tools are capable of reaching.

Threshold is linked with the audible tone we can set at different levels on many detectors usually in all metal that is the bar we can control to either let in or cut out signals at specific amplification levels.
Many compare this to a door...at zero threshold the door us halfway open and you can see, (or our detectors can react to), much on the other side like smaller and deeper targets but not all.
Lowering the threshold, which is actually lowering the bar, opens that door and we can hear and see more deeper and smaller targets.
Raising the threshold is actually raising the bar, the door closes and we cut out smaller and deeper targets, they will not be picked up, seen, sensed or reacted to by our detectors.

This can get confusing because on mine -9 is the lowest setting but at the highest threshold/bar level and +9 is the highest numbers but sets the bar the lowest.





In the field targets aren't the only thing we are concerned about, EMI, hot rocks, and many minerals in the ground itself can be picked up and cause a reaction, signals and noise or chatter, also electronic circuit hum from the machine itself at certain high setting levels.
Add it all up and there can be a wall of noise we can get lost in, confused by and make it very hard to pick out the very signals on targets we look for to dig.

Both gain and threshold controls can also be used in different combinations together to also mitigate extra noise and chatter from minerals in the ground and EMI sources...it can make for a much quieter playground to enable us to hear the better targets trying to come through that wall of noise and signals.

Then there is frequency, most any from 5-17kHz is fine for general hunting but gold and lower conductors can be seen easier by the highest frequencies and high conductors like silver can be seen seen and sensed more easily and deeper by lower frequencies so that is why multiple frequency choices have become popular...to hunt at optimum levels and depth in more specific sites like mineralized gold fields, salt water beaches or deep and masked silver in scoured hunted out public sites.
Different frequencies penetrate the soil to different levels so again for all around hunting in normal soil and conditions average frequency ranges work fine, change the parameters on these conditions and different frequencies can have an advantage.

All detectors are designed differently, different circuits, sometimes more than one gain sections, different programming and the more features you add that all costs money to design and manufacture so that is why there is a wide range of prices on different levels of detectors out there.
Generally the more they cost the more features are included and some are very satisfied with simplistic tools and basic settings and controls while others demand the higher end features they can control in order to hunt at the highest levels possible.
This is why we upgrade...to increase our chances of success.

A tool that has more control over these features, the gain and threshold for sure, is a tool that can be adapted to each an every site by using different combinations of controls to dampen the signals and input we don't need to deal with and let us concentrate on the better ones, the smaller and/or deeper ones we do need to notice.

It is a balancing act, learn to use these controls and set them at optimum levels can give us an advantage in not only the easy to hunt sites but especially the harder more difficult ones with deep targets, masking problems and more challenges....and be more successful.


This is why I love my F70 and am very impressed with the price on the Patriot.
Massive transmit power, 1-99 steps on the gain/sensitivity you can control, -9 on the threshold control to raise that bar to the quietest levels up to 0 and then nine more steps up to +9 to lower that bar to the lowest level possible and let the most signals on targets in...and the ability to control it all to hunt at optimum and enjoyable levels in any site for all owners.
Plus I can control that threshold in disc, there is no threshold tone in that mode but the control is still there for me to adjust and use and I have found it very helpful and can be more productive in my difficult and challenging dirt and sites.

I used an F2 among others for years, I was shockingly successful with that much more simple tool with pretty much the same features as your Delta, I found a ton of coins, silver and gold and I will never regret one minute I spent with it but when I upgraded to the F70 a whole new world opened up for me...a much deeper more target rich world that I didn't even have a clue about.
More depth was great but that is not the most important thing I gained for me, it was the ability to find much more and mostly severely masked targets in the most challenging type of sites I usually spend my time at that really made a difference...thanks to all those extra features and settings I eventually learned to control.


Just 5 or 6 years ago there was very little on the market to choose from compared to now.
You had different brands with a few units in entry, mid range and top tier levels to choose from but things have changed dramatically since then.
Lower end products are now adding much more useful features than ever before, mid range products have so many they would have been considered close to top end in the past and top end detectors are filled to the brim with more features and abilities and control over those features than ever before.
Waterproofing is becoming the standard bar for most companies to hit and the many foreign units that have hit our shores in the last few years have found their niche and established beachheads...and they are still coming.
The AT Max improved that model with features that owners have been asking for, the Eqinox has just entered the field and with just a few vids is making waves and if you understand anything about retail you can see that FTP has not lowered their flagship prices across the board and repositioned and lowered prices on other models just because they got bored...they are planning something and many of us think it might be a pretty big something but that still remains to be seen.

It has never been a better time to get into or be in this hobby with all the capable tools available at all these different price points.
Upgrading is something many do in this hobby, your job is to figure out what new features you think you would need to get you to the next level in your state, dirt and sites.

 

[GaffleBab]

Just wow, thanks so much for the awesome post. I learned a lot!

 

[Loco-Digger]

I assume you are using the stock 8" concentric coil. You can gain more depth by simply installing the Greek Series DD coil. This will be a good upgrade until the newer machines are available.

 

[Carolina Tom]

I have used the Deus successfully for over (3) years.