Minelab Equinox Challenge

[bklein]

Park allows use of single frequency as well as multi. I guess we are assuming it was in multi.
Both ctx and excal have such prolific freq content I wonder if the peak frequency matters all that much.
I’ll redo my data and post the data in a text file next time.
The uploaded photos were from a iphone. No idea what the upload as - the site just gives you a total upload size. I’ll try larger files next time. In the photos there are secondary level frequencies that I often didnt measure. If I hold the pickup coil more distant these will drop away and I just pick up the stronger freqs. Which would be preferable?

[Skippy]

You seem to have the same issue as Chiv, your uploaded images are very small, just 320 pixels wide. I assume your original pics are several thousand pixels wide, so some excessive reduction has happened. If they were 640 to 1024 pixels wide it would be OK.

CTX and Excal have the same well-documented transmission, which will have strong peaks at 3.125kHz and 25kHz ( 1:8 ratio ) though these can shift by +/- 8% (roughly) depending on the noise-cancel.

Your Equinox spectrum is of a 'Beach' mode, which isn't the same as the Park/Field mode output that Carl posted at the start of this thread. Chiv's tests show Beach mode uses 7.8 / 13 / 18.2 / 39 kHz ( 3:5:7:15 ratio ) which looks a bit like your results , except you have many more peaks, particularly noticeable is the 49kHz one.

It's possibly the use of log scales on the vertical axis that's making it hard to see the wood from the trees, it's making the weak/unimportant frequencies look big.

[bklein]

spreadsheet file (?)

spreadsheet file attached.

[bklein]

LeCroy LC574AL vs HP8594EM...

I started playing with the FFT function on my LeCroy LC574AL vs my HP8594EM spectrum analyzer. I used a coil of wire used for pi detector testing as the pickup coil. I first just sat the test detector right on it and later put them a couple feet apart. The FFT on the Lecroy looks pretty flakey but does show a fundamental of the HP image - just the HP has much more detail and accuracy. I really don't know FFT stuff and never had training on using it - perhaps I have it setup wrong? I would expect more stable displays on the lower frequencies with the LeCroy than I am getting. Should they be better?
I have an EQ800, a CTX, and an Excal II.
I started taking a lot of data and then I realized Noise Cancel comes into play... The EQ800 NC routine (where it counts up in 8 seconds) shuts off the TX signal the whole time. The CTX shifts the whole TX content up and down during its routine. The CTX TX signature stays the same - just everything shifts. The EQ800 TX signature will shift up or down based on what NC value is set as a result of the test or manual entry of a number. For example, the highest amplitude frequency was 37.75 KHz at setting 9 and 40.08 KHz at setting -9.
I took a bunch of TX measurements but messed with NC sometimes so I really need to take all the data all over again. I haven't used the HP in years so I have typical user setup issues too - like how to set KHz per graticule right. I had set start freq 1KHz and stop freq 50Khz. I am attaching some photos and am open to advice on setting parameters. I tried to attach a spreadsheet file with frequencies (not much good without photos) but it failed to upload with the photo files.

[EL NINO]

I made the test on a low sensitivity -18 ...- EMI ... it's a comparison-relative sensitivity of every Equinox program, not the maximum range ... clearly-with high sensitivity is a longer detection range ...The relative sensitivity of 11DD coil Equinox to small things is very high ...

[daverave]

.... airtest Equinox 800 program:[ATTACH]43139[/ATTACH]

not very impressive depths in my personal view

[EL NINO]

.... airtest Equinox 800 program:

[TH'r]

OK Geoteckers, here is the TX waveform for the Minelab Equinox:

[ATTACH]42980[/ATTACH]

And here is the challenge:

"How many frequencies does the Equinox use, and what are they?"

A hint:

Remember 17 frequency BBS? and 28 frequency FBS? Both were pure marketing hogwash. If you start with the assumption that the Equinox frequency claims made thus far are an adjunct to porcine whole-body cleanliness, you will have less trouble figuring it out.

And the winner is?

[EL NINO]

Posted March 23

I have a similar equinox impression from the test on my test garden, coin 50 eurocent - in 40cms, coin 1polsky grosz-15mm coin at -30 cm -mw low mineralized ground - so it works well recovery speed from 1-6, on a small coin 15mm is better recovery speed 3-6 .. Equinox at 50 eurocent -40cm -to recovery speed 1-2 strong signal with ID 2-6, with coil 10-12 cm above ground, for recovery 5-6 to 6cm above ground - program park2 - sensitivity 23-24 ... Equinox on small 15 mm in 30 cm deep coin works better for recovery 3,4,5 - signal ID 2-8. signal-deep coin ... Gold programs take both coins with strong signal Id 2-8 ... programs Park1, Field 1 on a small coin less suitably ... but coin 50 eurocent I take all program-sensitivity 23-25, beach 2 very weak ... I did a nail separation test ... IOI ... 15 cm-nails 7 cm above the silver coin 1 corona FJ 1893 .. detectors Equinox, Golden mask coin killer 15Khz 9 "coil-o ....whites SpectraV3 -6x4 ", 10x6", 10 "dd, 12x10" coil, teknetics G2 -nel snake, 11 dd, 13 "ultimate coil .... Equinox is in the separation test Best ... 2nd place golden mask -signal of coin 10-15cm above the nais,low above the nails-no signal...3 whites spectra 12x10 coil - very slow sweep, 4 teknetics G2-13 "ultimate coil - signal from the height -25- 30cm above the coin...small and elipsa coils did not work in this test..Equinox in Multifrekvenci-separation it excelent...The Equinox in multifrekvenci on the depth range is deep...

[Chiv]

my numbers are very close on the same items most of the time eg $2 tid of 22 to 23 and $1 tid 21 to 20 depending on oxidation of the coin in the soil, but any thing in a ring shape, well it can throw any thing at you as in number eg ring pulls from 9 to 17, I don't use number much, but like the pulse if it talks I dig, if the sounds bit iffy I just scape the top couple of inches of and sweep. normally get a stronger sig for me to dig if it still iffy then I put it to ground noise and move on

[6666]

How accurate are the TID's on known targets (coins) from shallow to deep in ground do they stay the same ?

[EL NINO]

I have low mineralized soil - in Ground probe in Spectra-on RX gain -10, it's up to 1.5% mineralization, ..Equinox there is no problem of false signal ... test1 : http://www.detectorprospector.com/fo...h-mode/?page=2 , test2: http://www.detectorprospector.com/fo...#comment-66452

[6666]

I tested in the ground Minelab equinox 800 with 11DD coil and Whites spectra V3 with 12x10 detech coil, and 6x10 Mars Sniper coil...

Thanks, can you tell me does the 800 make false target signal if you touch the coil on the ground or wet sand ?

[EL NINO]

which model ????

I tested in the ground Minelab equinox 800 with 11DD coil and Whites spectra V3 with 12x10 detech coil, and 6x10 Mars Sniper coil...

[Skippy]

Chiv has got the spectrum analyser function on his USB 'scope sorted out, and has measured the 'field multi' waveform. It matches the freqs we've discovered, 7.8, 18.2, 39kHz, though the amplitudes don't match, I'm not sure why. He's using a pickup loop with resistive damping to calm the self-resonance. The traces he gets are a mimic of the Transmit voltage, ie. the square wave, not the triangle current/mag field response.