Vanquish 440

pulltabfelix

pulltabfelix

Bronze Member
Jan 29, 2018
1,052
1,721
North Atlanta
Detector(s) used
Currently have XP Deus 2
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
I have the Nox 800 Since March 2018.
I bought the Simplex+ for my sons to go hunting with me early this year.
Too lazy to learn two sets of tones and VDI readings.
Sold the Simplex+ (still think it is a good detector, just different).
Bought the 540.
Sold the 540 thinking I did not need it (I know that makes no sense).
Bought the 440 thinking I did indeed want it.
Compared the 440 with the Nox 800 using my new Coiltek 10 x 5" coil.
Found the 440 stands up pretty good on coins against the 800 with the 10 x 5" coil.
Seems to give a more distinct audio response and TID reading than the nox on coins.
Gonna keep both detectors. 440 is a good backup for when my Nox is in the shop getting repaired.

I don't hesitate to buy a new detector when it first comes out. I usually get them early from a small dealer. I try it out and if I don't like it I almost always get my purchase price since the new hot detectors are usually in a backorder status with a high demand and thus it keeps the price up.
 

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The Vanquish series is very underrated. Can't beat them for the price points. The only weak spot they have is iron falsing. You would think the high iron bias defaults would knock a lot of it out, but they high tone a lot on iron halos. I think the Vanquish ID's the iron with less falsing in all metal.
 

Have you tried running it through an actual colonial iron patch? The Vanquish almost matches the Nox in performance until you hit old iron. I wish they could put out an update and fix this problem. This is a quick video I made showing how unstable it gets. This was a custom mode based on jewelery in all metal. Without the ability to manual GB, it gives constant iron tones for ground mineralization. 90% of that comes in at -8 and -9. The Nox and Simplex are quiet in this spot except for big iron. https://www.treasurenet.com/threads/vanquish-iron-falsing.660840/
 

The Vanquish series was a tremendous upgrade to the Xterra series and at a great price point. Naturally, it's not going to be as capable as the more expensive Equinox or CTX series.
The Vanquish performance in heavily iron infested areas is a reflection of the more limited technology that one gets for the price paid.
I agree, it would be nice if the Vanquish series performed as you would like in those iron infested areas but the Minelab engineers had to make the cut somewhere in order to offer those detectors at the targeted price...but that's just my personal supposition.
Bottom line in my view is that people get one heck of a detector for the price paid. Limitations? Absolutely, but still a very capable detector for less than $300.
Just the view from my foxhole....
 

67GTA said:
Have you tried running it through an actual colonial iron patch? The Vanquish almost matches the Nox in performance until you hit old iron. I wish they could put out an update and fix this problem. This is a quick video I made showing how unstable it gets. This was a custom mode based on jewelery in all metal. Without the ability to manual GB, it gives constant iron tones for ground mineralization. 90% of that comes in at -8 and -9. The Nox and Simplex are quiet in this spot except for big iron. https://www.treasurenet.com/threads/vanquish-iron-falsing.660840/
Click to expand...
I use the 540 but I believe the 540 and 440 both have 10 levels of sensitivity. In your video description you mention backing off sensitivity two levels. Have you experimented with backing the sensitivity off even further to quiet the machine?

I have had to reduce sensitivity in trashy areas to 5 or 6 and was surprised at how deep the 540 could still locate good targets. Not sure if my trashy areas can compare to your colonial iron patch. Swinging fast or stopping the coil abruptly causes the most falsing for me but it reminds me to slow down and focus on the task. Thanks for the video.
DD
 

The Vanquish works fairly well in trash also. In the scenario I'm talking about the high amount of iron causes the soil to be hot or mineralized. This is supossed to be where Multi-IQ shines, but the lack of manual GB is the main cause of the falsing. The Vanquish won't quiet down unless I back it down to about 2 bars from the bottom. You can test this with the Vanquish by pumping your coil above the ground and listening to the response. No sound means the preset GB (Minelab won't tell us what it defaults to) is set really close to your conditions. If it makes a sound as the coil is going down then the GB is too high, and sound coming back up means GB is too low. Lowering the sensitivity a couple of bars will help a little in milder conditions, as well as increasing the recovery speed (coin mode). As I have said on several threads, the Vanquish is awesome in most scenarios, but is marketed towards new detectorists who have no idea what is happening. I see 4-5 posts everyday on FB groups where someone just bought a Vanquish and are asking why they are constantly getting high tones and always digging iron. Personally I don't expect it to be a Deus or Nox in the iron. IMHO this is a software bug that can only be fixed with manual GB. Sid explains this better than me with my ramblings in this video.
 

Great explanation. You can count me amongst those who have no idea. I am green when it comes to detector technology and how things work but I must say that Minelab has built a super detector for people like me who are late to the game and just want to get out there and save some history. IMO, I could not have picked a better first-machine in the Vanquish 540. It has allowed me, as a beginner, to leap over 50 years of technology and put me on nearly equal footing with some of the best machines on the market. My satisfaction with the performance may change over time with more experience but for now I am having fun and finding things I never thought I could.

I'll experiment with raising and lowering the coil in different grounds and making your suggested adjustments.

What I do notice in high-tone signals which result in iron, there is a scratchiness to the signal tone at the end of the swing and usually a wild fluctuation in the VDI numbers. There is a very nice clear or "round" tone and minimal fluctuation of VDI numbers over a good target. The Vanquish loves round targets of any type.

I usually hunt in low-iron bias, iron volume at the lowest. I'll check iffy signals with a press of the horseshoe for all-metal and listen for grunts but often I can still pick up a good target tone and steady VDI. I dig these and almost always find a bolt or nail with a pronounced, round head. I am surmising that the field is concentrated on that round part of the object at some point in the swing. Makes for a lot of digging but it is quicker for me to just dig rather than stand over the target trying to analyze it as my mind pictures wander between half-dollars or rr spikes.
DD
 

I used to know...but have forgotten. What is the symbol between the ring and the cent sign at the top of the screen. ??? Looks like a 'cake'?? TIA and HH.
 

I didn't know what it was either. I used my phone camera one day to blow it up because it was driving me crazy not knowing.
 

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