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Minelab Manticore is a mythomaniac dream

Minelab announced the birth of a new detector called Manticore some time ago. The hype is huge and the expectations are even higher. It is true that the Yankees laugh at the new name, but they raise the bar extremely high, after all, the successor of Equinox or its improved version must live up to expectations.

Well, the price of almost PLN 10,000 is a pure abstraction only for a few and I want to laugh watching on YouTube when storytellers tell how good the device will be. They probably have a hunch… or the cards say so 😉

The truth is that we know absolutely nothing and despite the numerous shows of the Minelab team traveling around Europe, we know even less … After all, the show must go on and that’s what modern marketing is all about. Announcement Announcement?! Why not … that’s what Minelab did and exactly on December 1, 2022, in a moment we will find out about another piece of news … and what!!! How to have fun! The Americans say it’s fun at the customer’s expense. We’ll see.

Everyone is excited about the new 2D system based on Target Trace known from the Minelab CTX3030 model, but this is a completely different matter and the similarity here is purely marketing. Both detectors are different technology and way of managing and displaying an ID. A new opportunity has opened up for a wide identification of iron, which is good, but how it will really work and on what basis it will turn out in the field. The ability to distinguish between large and small iron is a big plus, and the extended scale may also allow better separation of low conductors from high ones. The question is what will happen when there is a pair of them under the probe? How the software will work. Questions and more questions.

Speculation continues. Numerous Equinox experts are already making screenshots for equipment together. I will not be a hypocrite I ordered myself … I’m curious too.

Unfortunately, as in the case of XP DEUSA II, it takes a few months in the field – other tests are just dreams of storytellers who buy equipment one day to sell it the next. Best of all, they don’t put any effort into learning, they assume it’s supposed to be like that, and they borrow the detector for a day or two, so what kind of reliability are we talking about here?!

I watch numerous comparisons in laboratory conditions on the test track … and I want to laugh. People are commenting on a device they don’t know and haven’t spent several hundred hours with! They assume that the borrower has such knowledge and has set it up well, and on this basis, they make an assessment! So they don’t know the detector themselves and they can’t even set it!!! They don’t even know what function it has and how it differs from others!!! So what kind of tests and credibility or reliability are we talking about?!

In a simple way, they implement untruths, for those less grasped they have a story about numerous data in Excel tables. Spells mary grandma’s wife see you soon. It’s in its purest form treating the recipient like a moron, nothing more.

There is also a lot of repetition, I am a master, I understand this equipment, etc., I mastered it to perfection, it is to confirm the leader himself in his perfection and it is in vain to look for field tests or demonstrations and explanations of individual functions and settings. Goebbels himself said that a lie repeated many times becomes the truth. And so it is in this case.

It is a waste of time to produce fairy tales and tell nonsense that others swallow like pelicans. You have to redo it yourself to understand it, put in time and money and an infinite amount of work. Time is priceless nowadays. All the rest is an addition, on which various more or less autistic megalomania and mythomania prey… or maybe it’s Asperger transmitted by droplets? I do not know.

Below is a video that will illuminate you a bit more, still hot!

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The Nexus is a completely different detector

Nexus MPv3 is a detector so different from currently presented detectors that it is difficult to compare them directly. Expensive, heavy, and difficult to use, but perfectly made. Worth every penny for me, but obviously not for everyone.

Why is it worth spending a fortune? First of all, you need to have a lot of experience, a small ego, a lot of humility, and patience. Success requires hard work, only then it tastes the best.

MPv3 is in a completely different league when it comes to performance. No known hardware comes within a meter of the Nexus. Does this mean that it is the best equipment in the world? No. Perfect for old places, but expensive and requiring full understanding.

In addition to the depth of detection, we get beautiful analog audio and a guide signal closely related to the ground calibration, giving a full description of what is happening under the probe. Pure analog power packed into ten…yes ten AA batteries.

Nexus opens old spots and helps close new ones to the end. The whole thing makes a hell of a good tool. Modulated VCO-type audio, depending on the settings, allows you to favor particular conductors. The VCO LED indicator works in a similar way. It’s also adjustable. We have a pair of colors for each guide from green, to orange, blue, and white. It’s a big simplification.

The combination of all these possibilities results in a devilishly effective device, although demanding, but also quite forgiving of mistakes. Perfect second detector for me.

You will find out more soon. Remember about our social media and YouTube channel.

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XP with panel or without?

The question is simple with or without a panel? ORX, DEUS, and DEUS II are available in the lite version, where the control electronics are replaced by wireless headphones, also with buttons and a display. So which set to choose? Logically, the best and full, unfortunately, the price difference is significant, and on the other hand, you have to pay more later to buy a panel. It is bad either way. So what decision to make?!

If it is to be the first detector, then we can safely give up this add-on. Why? For a simple reason, we have to go by ear and we don’t have a display with ID numbers or a graph. We learn organoleptically from scratch as it should be – that is, by ear! It only pays off and increases our skills. Such mastery of the equipment gives you a lot and allows you to avoid mistakes at the beginning of the road. The second plus is not wasting time on moving the device when we do not fully understand certain functions and dependencies – less chance for wrong setting and skipping items. Finally, the last thing is weight loss, we can live knowing that our equipment is the lightest in the world!

Are you advanced and want to update? Buy yourself a panel, this solution is for you! There is one more option to work with the equipment, first listening and then verification on the chart. That’s how some programs work, and it works.

We have experience and we understand how the detectors work, then the panel is a chance to squeeze out additional possibilities, change the audio or precisely adjust it to the conditions or your own preferences.

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The silent killer

There are days when all the monotony is dazzling. And this time it happened. A narrow strip of land, your own buried holes, footprints, and… bang! Signals appear coin by coin. Not that immediately some spectacular silverware. Popularity, but what satisfaction!

One clear thing came to me that has been bothering me for a long time, but let’s start from the very beginning. The premiere of XP Deus II and Nokta Makro The Legend, a number of videos and opinions, and in addition strongly divergent. I own both devices myself, so I started testing. It’s a bad time of year. Summer. Hot and a lot of UV radiation, which, as we know, negatively affects the probes. One place and still the same effect. The work is stable for a while, and then it is difficult to master the device. It does not indicate interference, only the ID jumps, it is difficult to track the target, and the identification scale closes from start to finish. Then I put it down to UV and temperature, and in part it certainly was, but I didn’t take into account the biggest problem of SMF technology … EMI interference, and the quiet ones that you can’t see.

In a regular VLF device, one frequency is easier to manage in terms of external interference, we can see more and we have more control. In the case of a multi-frequency and, moreover, simultaneous device, no longer.

For example, to put it simply, if the device uses two frequencies and one of them is disturbed and simply does not work, we have no chance for correct identification, tracking, and signaling of the target, and the depth performance can be forgotten.

A typical example from my tests is a Minelab Equinox 800 under two parallel high-voltage lines. Quiet and stable and at the same time 5 cm shallow!

The same thing happened to me with Deus II and The Legend. Hence the opinions on the Internet that the equipment does not work and sucks. Mistake! It’s EMI interference. How can you get rid of them and what can be done to make working with the SMF detector problem-free?

We start with detuning from interference (scanning is usually automatic). It is worth carrying out this process from time to time just in case. The next step is sensitivity, we go down to the level of stable operation of the detector and lack of interference, and excitation. All freaks twisting to the max will die in this place. The target’s signal will not cut through the interference. It’s like driving a car with a high beam in the fog. Suicide. The ground calibration, was corrected and checked. You can find how to do it on my YouTube channel.

How to verify? There is a method for this, apart from effective and stable work and a handful of coins in your pocket, you can use the so-called leading signal threshold. Stable means the detector is operating smoothly and the signal is set correctly.

you don’t believe? Video below of a man running XP on Deus I alongside Deus II. After this maneuver, the last version does not signal the coin in audio. After detuning, the coin signal is back!

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Tracking or not Tracking?

Ground calibration is the basis for ensuring the detector’s operation in difficult conditions, it can be carried out manually or automatically. There is still Tracking, i.e. the function of continuous ground tracking.

Good on clean substrates where mineralization often changes over a short period of time. There is also a downside, false signals can be caught, and objects will need to be swept several times to generate the correct signal. Tracking can get completely lost on magnetic stones or with a lot of ceramics and iron. Large clutter also makes things difficult, it’s all a matter of work algorithms and accompanying filters. Values can be averaged and this is where false signals appear.

Manual tuning gives the greatest guarantee that the metal detector is properly calibrated to the ground. Unfortunately, there are also places where the amount of iron makes it difficult to calibrate manually and automatically, and then it is worth starting Tracking … just do it wisely.

We look at the values and if one value is scrolling all the time, just disable the ground tracking. Ready! We have the value we were looking for. The machine did it for us! It remains to check it from time to time. How? Simply pump the search coil over a clear spot, if the signal changes or you hear an excessive response from the ground, re-tune.

Good positioning is crucial for stable operation and proper signal for a given object and decent depth, and we must remember this every time.

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How foil masks signals

A great demonstration of how foil, magnetic stones can mask signals. So is iron. Comparison of XP ORX and Tarsacci MDT 8000. Enjoy watching.

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Minelab Equinox vs Tarsacci MDT coin conglomerate

As you can see in the video below, Minelab lays out such a goal as a conglomerate of coins. It’s a difficult goal. Tarsacci is being tested.

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DeepTech Vista Gold Hound is really worth it

DeepTech replaces Tesoro in the production of typical knob metal detectors. While the build quality of the US manufacturer was higher, the electronics and its work are definitely better on the side of the Bulgarian manufacturer.

The latest Vista Gold Hound model is a traditional two-tone detector with the added threshold function. The device is fabulously simple and convenient to use. Low iron tone, high color.

It doesn’t take much time, just turn it on and everything becomes easy. We start with setting a stable level of sensitivity, and ground calibration, and end with adjusting the threshold, which is actually an additional filter that stabilizes the work and allows you to suppress ground disturbances or, on the other hand, strengthen the ghost signals.

Gold Hound works at 30 kHz and is extremely stable. No crackling, squeaking, or false response from the soil. It really makes a big impression. Two simple signals and we know everything.

I had the opportunity to compare it with other detectors in a place with high mineralization and a huge amount of iron. Gold Hound reigns in terms of working comfort. It is stable and the signals are clear and sure, no dilemma about whether to dig or not. It fastens perfectly on the targets and gives additional information in the form of a low tone if we are dealing with corrosion. The break signal is not uniform and changes over time, it can also be quieter and give a distortion effect for very deep objects.

There are also disadvantages. No double discrimination makes us dig every color. This is a big plus, we won’t miss anything, unfortunately, it’s a problem in a large dumpster. In this case, DeepTech Vista X has the advantage of double discrimination, of which we can be sure to some extent.

Another problem is the frequency of operation … the device is really one of the deepest that we have working at 30 kHz and to such an extent that it can easily compete with 14 kHz! Yes! High mineralization and iron are not a problem, but clutter and small, thin plaques are. They strike like big coins and there is no difference in audio.

On a good spot, this detector is real gold, thin silver coins that most high-end toys do not signal. No problem! Vista Gold Hound will separate even the most masked objects in the area of rusty nails.

For extreme places, you can buy a SuperSix probe. This small sniper rifle, as the name suggests, will allow you to reach difficult places, with such iron condensation, where other detectors simply cannot process signals.

Remember to subscribe to our social media on Facebook: Omnitron i Omnitron Metal Detecting Group and YouTube channel: Michał Majchrowicz and Instagram: sklep_omnitron.

Write under this article what are your experiences with analog devices.

 

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A burnt field or a duel of an analog with a TV set

Is it possible to compare the analog detector DeepTech VistaX to XP DEUSA II? Theoretically yes, although in practice the disproportions are really large that it is impossible to put both devices together directly.

Weight, portability, compactness, and reconfigurability, build quality unbeatable in favor of XP. Audio also gives you more possibilities. Another shelf and another league of equipment, not to mention the price. For one XP DEUS II, we will buy exactly three VistaX!!!

When it comes to working in a littered area, it will also be a bit easier for us, but with one small exception, we will dig less, but we can skip more. In the case of an analog, you need to check and dig. An apparent disadvantage becomes an advantage in a very good seat! Unreliable signal with a bad ID on the display and we will miss the good one, and without we have to check it! A lot of masked signals and coins on the edge are easy to mine! It’s the whole analog mystery. There is something more.

In difficult terrain with a lot of iron, the devices go head to head with one small exception, the analog is always deeper and the difference is really noticeable, which we could check on the passing spot – the so-called. burnt. Easy sandy soil with a settlement base of iron, burnt coal, coke, and pottery. There, both detectors feel really good. The dot over and the nature itself put in the form of a shower, improving performance, but also increasing the risk of excitation of detectors on wet grass.

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Both detectors had 11-inch probes. XP DEUS II worked in Deep HC or Relikt. Devices turned to maximum sensitivity. Reactivity in XP set to 1.5 along with a very slow sweep and cross-checking of signals did the job.
The difference is significant where XP, which is really deep, still has 2-3 cm of the reserve before it loses the signal, VistaX is easily over 5 cm deeper! Double discrimination gives you a chance to check the item under the probe. In some situations, the XP was already operating at the edge of the range, where the analog signal was still strong and reliable. At one point, after digging a 50 cm hole, we thought it would be a piece of rusty iron, but no! An object half the size of my little finger was in the dimple!

We must admit one more advantage of both devices, well-calibrated almost to the end of the scale signal – they show well the type of conductor (color or iron). We avoid the dilemma of digging up rusty scrap at the edge of the range… although this scrap can often be worth checking out!

The question is what will be the difference with VistaX with a 14-inch probe… another 5 cm is very real. Unfortunately, there are also disadvantages, a large probe means more mass, poorer balance and separation, and slower sweep. We’ll try to check it. Remember to subscribe and comment below the article!

 

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XP DEUS I and DEUS II which is better?

The flood of films about the advantage of DEUS I over DEUS II amused me a hundred times. Customers don’t know what to do… wait or buy?! In addition, there are also software updates, which cause a flood of extreme comments about the version that works and which does not. Complete confusion and chaos.

The first spline is a proven generation of metal detectors, we know all their advantages and disadvantages in everyday use. Model II is a great unknown, it would seem because multi-frequency technology is present in this model for the first time! Not completely. We have a MONO program where we can use DEUS II like its predecessor by selecting only single operating frequencies. We get two in one.

The new god of detectors works really well, and subsequent bugs are gradually corrected. This is not only the case for the French company XP, the competition is struggling with similar problems. Even domestic producers have found out that changing the software can be the key to success or total failure. The question is how much the hardware will allow us – i.e. the tripe of the detector. How good they are to meet the developer challenge.

For me, one thing is certain, DEUS I is by no means a thing of the past, but on the secondary market. The question is when XP will withdraw it from production and become an icon of sales portals like the old Whites models. We’ll see, meanwhile, it’s worth considering buying this detector, unfortunately, the price is an obstacle, over PLN 7,599 gross is an amount unavailable for many in Polish realities, even in the sphere of dreams.

So what does the new technology give and what does it change for the statistical Seeker? It’s simple, the device works more stably, is deeper, and in the case of a salty sea beach and highly mineralized clay, it allows you to reach deeper. For a lot of iron, hardware from France shines. Low and high conductors are signaled similarly confidently and unambiguously, which cannot be said about devices operating at one operating frequency. The above advantages will be useful in certain conditions and not everyone needs it, most users will be satisfied with much cheaper equipment, but there is one thing, but … Ergonomics and weight are unbeatable, the lack of cables also makes life easier, although DEUS II, like its predecessor, requires an experienced operator, or a lot of self-denial in learning the device.

If the assumptions described above are not met, it is worth getting interested in something simpler, because some functions require full understanding and, what is worse, they are permanently interconnected, which complicates the matter even more. Yes, it all takes time and patience, but it will certainly pay off in the future when others will have to give up.

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Tarsacci MDT 8000 how to set up?

How to set up the Tarsacci MDT 8000 detector correctly? The device has a clear and simple menu, without any hidden functions, but still requires a lot of time to take advantage of the new technology, which is not used by any other manufacturer.

The first and key choice is the operating frequency of our detector. We choose from 6.4 to 18 kHz. Interestingly, even a low frequency allows us to detect very small objects in size … well, the charm of PI (pulse induction) used in this hybrid. Lower frequency means better performance – depth, but also worse separation of objects in cluttered terrain. It is also better for signaling coin-shaped and volume objects, as opposed to foil or pieces of aluminum.

Another workflow problem. We have three types: all metal, discrimination, and mixed mode. All Metal will be good for virgin spots, where the signal appears from the holidays. We only have one and we have to look at the ID displayed on the screen. DISC is the only right solution for total trash. The signal is short and if it is repetitive you have to dig. The mixed mode gives us additional information about the size and depth of the object. Places clean or moderately littered.

Before we start, we look for a clean place and calibrate to the ground, if we still have a signal from the ground, we increase the value by 50, this should mute the device. Next, we hear the response of the ground. We can try to use the SALT function – salinity level. We pump the probe traditionally above the soil and adjust the value to mute the response. The starting point is 29. Finally, we are left with THRESHOLD – TRH. You have to be careful here. Too high a value and we lose ranges and we will not hear small objects. We always set the limit. If the ID shows low values when sweeping the probe, we need to compensate with this function.

Iron breaking through the scale and falling into color can be handled by using a DISC value of -29 or +26. Finally, there is the sensitivity adjustment. It’s not worth exaggerating. MDT 8000 already at a value of 4 is deeper than most known detectors. We eliminate all instabilities and interferences by reducing the sensitivity or changing the frequency.

I am curious about your opinions on the Tarsacci MDT 8000 detector, write under this post.

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Clash of the Titans

The recent debut of XP DEUS II gave me a lot to think about. You can still feel the legacy of Whites Spectra in such an edition that it should be praised. The French company coped with this challenge quite well. Everything else is well known to us and things like wireless or featherweight no longer shock us. The novelty is water resistance up to 20 meters, which opens up completely new possibilities.

How does the TARSACCI MDT 8000 fare against this background? Many people would like to know what is the difference. The build quality and carbon fiber used put it truly in a class of its own, but the DEUS II leads the way here by the full length. It’s good, but as we know, everyone is one step behind and it’s been like this for many years. The weight of 1300 grams is currently the standard in the class of professional devices. Technically, however, we live in two different worlds. DEUS II is a multi-frequency metal detector, while MDT 8000 is a hybrid of VLF and PI (pulse induction) technologies.

So what is the advantage of such a solution? The technology is pioneering and patented in the USA and Europe, but does it really give you something more to spend your last pennies on this detector?

Just carry out a simple test and everything becomes clear. TARSACCI allows you to maintain a stable and unchanging ID in the close presence of small pieces of foil, magnetic stones, or high salinity or high mineralization. This advantage makes the device more resistant to masking. It will cope with more difficult conditions without changing the reading due to the presence of the above-mentioned disturbances and without limiting the depth.

A simple test gives the answer. By sweeping a piece of foil the size of a coin and a coin 5-10 cm above it just in front of the TARSACCI probe we have a fixed and non-changing ID. The foil does not change our signal, similarly, coke and rocks, and iron do not have such a big impact. For the sake of accuracy, we are talking about coin-sized items here. The same test in the case of DEUS II already gives a significant drop in ID.

The advantage of the last XP is multi-frequency, which allows the signaling of equally clear objects from both ends of the scale. Even for low and high conductors. Fine gold as well as heavy silver. The performance may be slightly worse, but in the case of one frequency, it will be slightly better. We have to answer the question what are we interested in? Good signaling of various objects or less masking effect in very difficult conditions? It all depends on the place and subject of the search.

Both models of detectors have the ability to fine-tune settings. DEUS II has more possibilities, and the MDT 8000 is simplified to such an extent that for professional equipment from the top shelf, it is simply strange. The producer decided to put everything on one screen. There are no drop-down submenus like in XP. We see everything at a glance and we don’t have to check if one of the many filters is definitely well-selected and does not affect our performance.

In conclusion, the race is fierce and it is difficult to pick a winner and compare both detectors directly. TARSACCI is more of a Swiss army knife, equipment for heavy and complicated scenarios, where high mineralization or salinity requires the use of a heavy caliber. DEUS II is a versatile, fun metal detector that is lightweight and waterproof, with great configurability and wireless connectivity to make your life easier.

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Rutus Alter 71 vs Tarsacci MDT 8000

A quick visual comparison of Tarsacci MDT 800 and Rutus Alter 71 in heavy clay soil.