Minelab please add Pitch Hold!! And lack of charger rant!!

[Honest Samuel]

Equinox is not for me.

 

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[GoDeep]

Equinox is not for me.

While I can respect that it's not for you, you've posted, "it's not for me" no less then 4 times in the past 3 days and don't even own an Equinox. "Methinks thou dost protest too much". Fess up, we know you want one, if nothing else but to try it and if it's not your cup a tea, so be it ;-)

 

[RustyGold]

Just got my Nox last night and I agree on both issue's about the manual (The included quick start guide is sufficient for most) and charger. (I think the DVD is a great idea! I'm sure Branden Niece would be happy to make them one and it would probably be well done)
Now just so happens I work in I.T. so I have chargers everywhere and the manual is no big deal for me to download or print. Coming from using the Vaquero though I spent last night playing in the house because we had 6 inches of snow learning the menu system on the Nox. I would not recommend this machine to an old timer! My father in law is in his 60's and he can barely use an iphone and run a remote for his TV, this is not the machine I would recommend for him.

Having said all of that my first computer in 1994 my uncle bought me cost three times as much as the NOX and that didn't include a monitor, printer, or software. So I'm amazed at how far we have come for the money.

My best guess on why they did not include a charger is because it looks like they packed these to be sent all over the world. That is why mine has 30 screen covers in different languages (Does anyone still speak Navajo ?)

Look on the bright side you get a 10,000 lumens backlight! Neighbors probably thought I was running a combine in the snow last night. I would like to see a firmware upgrade that would allow a dimmer on the Nox600.

I take issue with your statement about not recommending the Equinox to “old timers”. Just because your father in law doesn’t have the where-with-all to operate his remote or cell phone, doesn’t mean that people of his generation aren’t erudite or capable enough to put the Nox through its paces.

 

[jeg208]

Equinox is not for me.

Did you order the 600 or the 800?

 

[eman1000]

I take issue with your statement about not recommending the Equinox to “old timers”. Just because your father in law doesn’t have the where-with-all to operate his remote or cell phone, doesn’t mean that people of his generation aren’t erudite or capable enough to put the Nox through its paces.

You right I didn't mean it to come across that way. I should have said those that are not tech-savvy. What do I know anyway all I have found so far are rusty bottle caps.

 

[chub]

You right I didn't mean it to come across that way. I should have said those that are not tech-savvy. What do I know anyway all I have found so far are rusty bottle caps.

Yes but did you find them with *multi IQ?

Chub


* better than finding bottle caps with single frequency vlf

 

[sprailroad]

OK, I've read all the post here again, and I'm just in one of those moods this morning, so I'll unload here and now. It's a "metal detecting" forum, not a "I'm smarter then you are, or my detector is better than your detector" type of thing. All I pointed out is that it would have been nice to have a printed manual to carry along to refer to out in the field. I do not own a "I-phone" nor do I want to carry around a tablet, laptop or smart TV, but I can work around it. As far as a wall charger? It would have been nice to include one for something that is sold with a sealed battery pack, or at least,, it being an option that is shown, but not offered, HAVE it for sale now, and not just show "pictures" of it. So, me being a "tech challenged old timer" or a stupid old man, (choose your own term) just what "type" of charger do I need to buy, (voltage, amp or whatever) so that I need not plug into a laptop for how many hours? For those that cant help but knock the EQ? Would you not think that it would be hard to criticize something you've never owned or used? Is it that you somehow feel upset that their just MIGHT be something a little bit better than what you now have and "sworn" by? For those who can only "pick apart" something they have not used or keep saying "It's not for me", OK then, that's all fine, just go to the "Todays Find" forum instead and just leave it at that. As far as the "old guys" not up to date, tech challenged, or just get in the way kind of thing, all I ask is to remember that many of "them" have history's, past experience's that they have lived and dealt with, amazing stories many of them, some of which many of the "puppies" out there have not, nor could even imagine. We all share a great hobby, we all have metal detectors we like, detectors new and old alike. We like to show finds, and like to share stories, not "Lets pick apart other detectors and their operators. Enough from me.

 

[Ammoman]

We all share a great hobby, we all have metal detectors we like, detectors new and old alike. We like to show finds, and like to share stories, not "Lets pick apart other detectors and their operators.

I agree one million percent! My sarcasm on this thread was not directed at the OP but was instead directed at all these people who insist on getting into pissing contests over who has the bigger stick.

Minelab is a GREAT company and has some awesome products. I loved my E-trac but my E-trac didn't love me. Even if she was slow with a heavy nose i fought to keep her by my side. I even bought a sling to keep us connected but the sling made me feel trapped. In the end, i felt she was asking to much and i had to let her go. Ok...this is getting a little creepy, I need to stop.

Basically, i don't believe any one machine is the end all be all. If Minelab ever gets their Fred Flintstone ergonomics fixed, i will be the first in line to try their newest machine.
My elbow and shoulder just cant take it.

 

[fuceye]

Thank god they did not put the charger into the box.as a consumer I am tires of buying stuff I do not need.
I prefer to buy my own.one that will service other stuff....
Also I use a solar panel to charge up my power bank. It charges up the bank while I.m detecting. Usually by the time I go to bed my detector is charged ready for the next day.
For those long weekend trips I use a backpack charger to charger all my electronics cameras,phone,earphones,detector,power bank and flashlight.
I can go weeks without any hydro at all.
If you are interested check out volitac systems. They have something for every budget.....these are portable systems. For campsites and backyards I use 40w
12v with a larger battery.
This is stuff I,ve had around the house,cottage and campsite for years anyway.
I will never use a wallwart again and am glad I do not need to find one in the box.

 

[charlives]

Did someone answer what "pitch hold" was? I was wondering myself.

 

[fuceye]

Did someone answer what "pitch hold" was? I was wondering myself.

its a bucket that holds the pitch from a tree while you squeeze the sap out of it....

the minelab gods have found them to be unworthy and thus hath exiled them from the equinox....

 

[SusanMN]

Seems seems like a charger should be a standard free item shipped with the detector by the selling distributor since it isnt included by Minelab. You want a $600-$800 sale and a happy customer, give them a $5 charger.

 

[Timecop67]

I have to respectfully disagree with the "hype". Multiple, well respected posters on this forum are posting up credible video's showing the Equinox's capabilities. I can empathize with your ergonomics concern and that can be a make or break for some, but I noticed you received your Equinox on Monday and had it sold by Thursday, which in my opinion doesn't leave enough time to learn a machine and its true capabilities. Is the Equinox for everyone, no, but I can predict this, the technology we are seeing in it, is the future. You will soon see other manufacturers following suit.

Waiting for the Pulse induction stuff coming from First Texas myself. Teknetics T3 or similar. Will they go the multifrequency route? guess we will see. I've owned a few Minelabs but never took to them .....but looks like the Equinox is on the right track..... with software changes might consider one.

 

[Iron Buzz]

2 amp 5v, or .5 amp 5v. Not 1 amp

Which is the most common...but they will sell you one.

View attachment 1567493

That is MINIMUM capacity of 2 amps at 5 volts. My Pixel 2's charger is 3 amps at 5 volts, and I'd imagine plenty of other chargers will fall into that range.

 

[Iron Buzz]

But you only got a starter booklet. Apple doesn't include printed manuals on ANY product, and neither do millions of other products either. It's about conservation.

Let me find my Windows 10 manual. Oh, wait... there isn't one.

 

[Iron Buzz]

More and more companies are going to electronic manuals. There are good reasons.

1. It allows for instant changes to the manual and new functions when added, without having to re-print for existing customers. Simple email to registered users would alert them to new changes/additions.
2. The Equinox will eventually be able to accept firmware/software upgrades via computer, and that will need whole new chapters and updates to the manual.
3. Saves printing costs by the manufacturer. That means equipment, labor, and other overhead. Allows for lower prices to the end-user.
4. Environmentally sound decision. Trees and consumables.
5. Allows for people to download and read the manual prior to purchasing or decision making and comparisons.
6. Cost prohibitive to PRINT full manuals in the 20 languages that they already have the printed starting guide printed in.
7. It is 2018, not 1960! Get used to it!

Quoting because it deserves to be repeated. Hear, hear!

 

[Sparkster]

That is MINIMUM capacity of 2 amps at 5 volts. My Pixel 2's charger is 3 amps at 5 volts, and I'd imagine plenty of other chargers will fall into that range.

This is part of my gripe too. The Pixel 2 phone has gone to the latest and greatest "USB C" port. This design allows for a much greater rate of charge.
Why wouldn't Minelab start using the latest generation of charging port on a brand new machine?

 

[flgliderpilot]

Did someone answer what "pitch hold" was? I was wondering myself.

Did some research and it *seems* to just keep the last pitch on after you are done swinging.. so you swing over a penny, and it's a high tone, and it stays a high tone when you are done swinging. I can't think of a single reason I'd want this... at least not yet. When my mind goes and I can't even remember where I am or what I'm doing, it might be necessary to know what I did 10 seconds ago. haha

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

[FONT=&quot]"The Pitch Hold mode in the Response menu can be a very interesting choice of audio sound to use. While not for the faint-hearted due to its undulating audio, if a person is willing to give it time, the effort in learning its audio nuances will be well worthwhile. Essentially, it works because the pitch of the target signal will hold the Threshold hum sound until the next target is detected. i.e. the threshold mimics or adopts the tone relative to the conductivity of the target.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Pitch Hold can come into its own in a number of ways: if on a quiet site and targets are few and far between then concentration can wane but, when the Pitch Hold response is dialled in then it can bring what few targets there are to be heard alive!

It can also be very useful on huge expanses of salt wet sand areas where levels of mineralisation would be constant and using the Pitch Hold option is almost like driving a fast car in fifth or sixth gear on a motorway... smooth and rewarding. After the target signal is heard the Threshold ‘hum’ returns in a similar pitch of the signal. What that means is, your Threshold retains the pitch of the last detected target. Until the next signal is located the Threshold tone should not change. In addition, it will adopt the Conductive Tone of the target the coil just passed over.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Where Pitch Hold mode really comes into play is on faint targets. Sometimes you can get “iffy targets” that can sound ‘clipped’, short or broken, even ‘squeaky’ sounding. That can happen if the target is deeper than normal, if it has been partially rejected due to some form of ferrous discrimination pattern in use, or if the reject signal comes from rejected (discriminated) iron targets you didn’t want to dig. The nice aspect of using Pitch Hold is that these ‘iffy type signals’ can be more easily recognisable (after a while spent learning this option), in other words one should be able to tell what they are because the Threshold tone will change so you should have a better idea of the type or target. Therefore, Pitch Hold can lead to deeper targets being located, because you can now identify them that bit better and is therefore perfectly suited to relic hunting.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Rusted crowncaps can be problematic to identify and might be a frequent junk item you have to deal with. But those of a similar brand in your locality when well rusted can become easier to tell from a coin sound because after hearing the high tone signal (coin like) an ensuing drop in Threshold will follow.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]It can also be easier to tolerate in the All Metal mode as less falsing will occur, again in cleaner than average areas.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]From that, Pitch Hold can enable a faster than normal sweep speed to be used in clear areas i.e. areas free of junk and when targets are well spaced. This method of searching can be a quick way of “patch hunting” a new site to ascertain productive areas. On small targets the signal response is very quick and curiously the coil’s “sweet spot” doesn’t need to be right over the centre of the target to cause a signal response! The Double-D coil on your Explorer SE Pro and E-TRAC is perfectly suited to this task as it can signal targets on the coil’s margins.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Make sure you use either Conductive Sounds or Ferrous Sounds to get the best use of Pitch Hold mode. If Constant Sounds are selected then the Threshold pitch will not be changed at all."

https://www.minelab.com/treasure-talk/pitch-hold-in-e-trac-explorer-se-pro[/FONT]

 

[flgliderpilot]

[FONT="]"The Pitch Hold mode in the Response menu can be a very interesting choice of audio sound to use. While not for the faint-hearted due to its undulating audio, if a person is willing to give it time, the effort in learning its audio nuances will be well worthwhile. Essentially, it works because the [B]pitch[/B] of the target signal will [B]hold[/B] the Threshold hum sound until the next target is detected. i.e. the threshold mimics or adopts the tone relative to the conductivity of the target.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1A1919][FONT="]Pitch Hold can come into its own in a number of ways: if on a quiet site and targets are few and far between then concentration can wane but, when the Pitch Hold response is dialled in then it can bring what few targets there are to be heard alive!

It can also be very useful on huge expanses of salt wet sand areas where levels of mineralisation would be constant and using the Pitch Hold option is almost like driving a fast car in fifth or sixth gear on a motorway... smooth and rewarding. After the target signal is heard the Threshold ‘hum’ returns in a similar pitch of the signal. What that means is, your Threshold retains the pitch of the last detected target. Until the next signal is located the Threshold tone should not change. In addition, it will adopt the Conductive Tone of the target the coil just passed over.[/FONT]

[FONT="]Where Pitch Hold mode really comes into play is on faint targets. Sometimes you can get “iffy targets” that can sound ‘clipped’, short or broken, even ‘squeaky’ sounding. That can happen if the target is deeper than normal, if it has been partially rejected due to some form of ferrous discrimination pattern in use, or if the reject signal comes from rejected (discriminated) iron targets you didn’t want to dig. The nice aspect of using Pitch Hold is that these ‘iffy type signals’ can be more easily recognisable (after a while spent learning this option), in other words one should be able to tell what they are because the Threshold tone will change so you should have a better idea of the type or target. Therefore, Pitch Hold can lead to deeper targets being located, because you can now identify them that bit better and is therefore perfectly suited to relic hunting.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1A1919][FONT="]Rusted crowncaps can be problematic to identify and might be a frequent junk item you have to deal with. But those of a similar brand in your locality when well rusted can become easier to tell from a coin sound because after hearing the high tone signal (coin like) an ensuing drop in Threshold will follow.[/FONT]
[FONT="]It can also be easier to tolerate in the All Metal mode as less falsing will occur, again in cleaner than average areas.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1A1919][FONT="]From that, Pitch Hold can enable a faster than normal sweep speed to be used in clear areas i.e. areas free of junk and when targets are well spaced. This method of searching can be a quick way of “patch hunting” a new site to ascertain productive areas. On small targets the signal response is very quick and curiously the coil’s “sweet spot” doesn’t need to be right over the centre of the target to cause a signal response! The Double-D coil on your Explorer SE Pro and E-TRAC is perfectly suited to this task as it can signal targets on the coil’s margins.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Make sure you use either Conductive Sounds or Ferrous Sounds to get the best use of Pitch Hold mode. If Constant Sounds are selected then the Threshold pitch will not be changed at all."

https://www.minelab.com/treasure-talk/pitch-hold-in-e-trac-explorer-se-pro[/FONT]

Hey thanks for this explanation. If I think about it in therms of THRESHOLD it makes sense. It's sort of like the Excel where the threshold changes after each target... it lets you know there was a faint signal there you may have otherwise missed... I admit when I start getting a little chatter my mind can wander and I can miss faint targets.