Big Boys Hobbies

xcal to nox 800 switch?

Ive got a lot of hours on both. Zee..... the machine sure cuts down on modes and repairs.... and has a great 3 year warranty. Like was said its not a silent runner out there in the water... loves hardpan minerals so shes chatty if run hot. I dont believe any of the VLFs have a depth advantage.... but this one might have a smaller gold advantage. It seems to have both a small gold and depth advantage in the wet sand. That sensitivity thou can get you digging a lot more high conductors in the wet sand. I DO NOT LIKE the way iron wraps around to the second bin in 5 tons when it falses unlike most machines where that wrap around is in the high range. I dont believe you are going to be missing anything the Xcal might find based on my gold testing....... should reduce your repairs..... but it can be chattier depending on your hard pan. so there are trade offs. Hey..... but the price is right for the 600 especially.
 
I like the nox 800 for wet and dry sand. The weight and depth are great, on the other hand the gold range in numbers and in the 5 tones means you dig everything like a pi and what you dig can be so small you end up chasing it. The excal is for me in the water, stable and you can differentiate the tones better- at least it seems that way to me. I can't personally see the nox for deep water. GL
 
If a picture is worth a hundred words...here is my Excal since I got the Nox. I covered it so it wouldn’t collect dust!
 

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Mike take it out a year from now if you don’t keep that cable greased and you could end up having to buy a new coil. Xcals don’t like setting and not being used. Hey but do the work....I think Joe (ole beach nut) finds say they do.
 
dewcon said:
Mike take it out a year from now if you don’t keep that cable greased and you could end up having to buy a new coil. Xcals don’t like setting and not being used. Hey but do the work....I think Joe (ole beach nut) finds say they do.
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Definitely Dew! I’m also keeping the batteries in the AC and charging them occasionally.
 
Sorry to hear about your Excal Z, hope you find a suitable replacement for water hunting. I don't water hunt, but owning a Sov, I feel like I know the Excal since I hear the tech is the same. I just gotta say, I love the mid-tones on the Sov :yes:
 
Z - So, I guess this means we won't be seeing this on your detector any time soon...

IMG_1479.jpg

:D

R5
 
SilverSurfer74 said:
Joe how do you like your Sand Shark?
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A lot! It was my first water machine. I used it exclusively for about a year on wet sand and in the water. It performs well. Occasional false signal when a wave rolls over it if you are swinging to fast. But once I learned to slow down no problems. Over all... great machine!
 
Beachscanner said:
You are talking to me. I sold my exal 2 within 1 week and bought the Equinox 800 exclusively for the beach. This will be my second year with the nox and even though I found many gold rings with the excal, I like the weight of the nox
Had some medical issues last year, hoping to log many hunting hours this season.
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Same here. I got rid of an OBN modded excal and an XP Deus (both of which i LOVED) replaced both with a 600 and a pair of Trond BT headphones from amazon. Total cost for everything was around $700 and it's paid for itself several times over in about 7 months of ownership.

I had a bad shoulder so the weight reduction combined with wireless headphones is just awesome. I also firmly believe the nox communicates better than the excal in heavy iron. I don't care about the display b/c I hunt by tones mostly. At first I thought the nox hype was absurd. Then i bought one and have zero regrets. It's awesome in the dirt too. I also don't regret buying the 600 vs the 800. You don't need that wireless module to use BT headphones on the 600 either.
 
zeemang said:
Bad news, i hit the beach yesterday morning and my excal is in a bad way. The way things are kind of looking i may be in the market for a nox 800.
My question, is there anyone out there who used to use an excal and has switched to a nox for water hunting exclusively? I do not hunt the wet sand, just knee to neck deep salt water...
How have the units held up so far in these conditions? Drawbacks?
Thanks all, I appreciate all opinions!
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what is wrong with it ? I've repaired em and modded em as well, so if your local i can see if i can fix her for ya ?
 
dewcon said:
Mike take it out a year from now if you don’t keep that cable greased and you could end up having to buy a new coil. Xcals don’t like setting and not being used. Hey but do the work....I think Joe (ole beach nut) finds say they do.
Click to expand...
That's the truth. The coil cable on my Excal 1000 split while hanging in the garage from lack of use. The cable was good, OBN had just wired my sovereign coil on it before I hung it up for a few years.
 
Aquaman, i have not been able to hit the water since i got it. It has seen dirt work and seemed to perform well, but i REALLY want to get it in the water and will give my thoughts then...
 
Like yours my Excal's seen better days and I'm really torn between getting another or getting a Nox 800 for half the price. Your hard on your detectors like I am. Really curious if it's built to handle strong surge, crashing waves and the occasional slam up against the reef/rocks? Also does it maintain a steady threshold under those conditions?

Eagerly looking forward to your saltwater review;)
 
Aqua..... unlike the Xcal which has 1 year warranty ...... this has 3. Break it baby...... im trying.:lol: so far the arm cuff and coil ears.... put the shaft up right away because i knew it wasnt worth the effort. ML fixed mine in an unbelievable time frame.... in and out. My suggestions...... before you buy find someone.... which should be easy...... that has one THERE and see if you can take it for a short spin. Its NOT for everyone..... but it is a good machine at a crazy price. The chatter isnt for everyone IN the water.
 
I haven't SWITCHED but I use both now. Very different machines. They are both good in their own right. You'll chase a lot of tiny aluminum with the NOX. You do have to lower sensitivity in the water. Don't run a larger coil. Keep it stock. The shaft is pretty dainty so (to me) it seems pretty fragile. Swing slow as usual.
 
Congrats on your new machine Z! Looking forward to seeing what you find with it in the water :yes: So whats to become of your old Xcal?
 
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