maxxkatt
Forum Supporter
This advice is from many years of metal detecting and switching to the Nox 800 after using the famous Garrett AT Pro for 3 years.
First off let me say the AT Pro was probably the most widely used mid price range detector ever built and for many good reasons.
The Nox 800 is a completely different beast in the top of the mid price range.
1) stick to the standard modes Park 1&2, Field 1&2. the 1's are weighed more to coins and the 2's more toward a broader range of coins and relics. Put 20 - 50 hours in these modes and you will do fine. The Minelab engineers knew what they were doing when the created the 800 and 600.
2) do not get seduced with trying to master every feature on the 800 until you have done step 1.
3) up your permissions game and stick to good permissions.
4) stay away from real trashy parks until you complete steps 1 and 2. The reason is the nox will report everything and the 49 increment VDI range will confuse most newbies.
5) read and study everything you can on the forums about experienced users using the 800. The 600 and 800 is the bare bones description of the Nox features.
6) get Clive's books on the Equinox series. He goes way beyond the Minelab nox manual and gives you a better understanding of why and how to use the different 800 features.
7) don't worry about the 6" or 15" coils anytime soon. The stock 11 inch coil is a real winner.
8) get the Minelab Pro-Find 35 pin pointer. You need a very good pin pointer to locate those tiny, tiny targets that the 800 loves to sound off on.
9) Dig those iffy signals. If the 800 says there is a non-ferrous target via audio or VDI then you can bet it is in the ground. But caution, the 800 is very good at identifying those targets that contain ferrous and non-ferrous metals like bottle caps. But with practice you can tell the difference with the audio sounds.
10) always use your wireless headphones or you may miss some deeper targets due to noise like wind, leaf blowers, river noise, airplanes or traffic from nearby roads.
11) Always remove your coin cover after every hunt and wash the cover and coil with running water.
12) keep your headphones and detector charged up after every 1- 3 hunts depending on the length of your hunts.
13) when your detector gets chatty (reporting on everything) drop your, noise cancel, ground balance, turn down your sensitivity until the 800 quiets down. Remember the vast majority of your targets will be at the 4-5" depth level. In your trashy areas use a higher recovery speed. Out in the fields you can lower your recovery speed to aid in seeking deeper targets. Remember a chatty 800 does not mean your detector is malfunctioning. It means it is working as designed. It is hot detector, meaning I reports back to you all of the metal in the ground regardless of size. It is finding very small targets that most detectors simply cannot detect. Case in point 800 users a finding difficult to find fine gold chains.
14) determine your target size before you dig. With the detector you can use the heel to toe method or use pin pointer to outline the target.
15) Don't give up when you get frustrated, just remember these steps. The 800 in the right hand will out hunt the vast majority of metal detectors and find good targets that others have missed. I have proved that many times by hunting over hunted soccer fields and pulled out old missed coins.
GL & HH
First off let me say the AT Pro was probably the most widely used mid price range detector ever built and for many good reasons.
The Nox 800 is a completely different beast in the top of the mid price range.
1) stick to the standard modes Park 1&2, Field 1&2. the 1's are weighed more to coins and the 2's more toward a broader range of coins and relics. Put 20 - 50 hours in these modes and you will do fine. The Minelab engineers knew what they were doing when the created the 800 and 600.
2) do not get seduced with trying to master every feature on the 800 until you have done step 1.
3) up your permissions game and stick to good permissions.
4) stay away from real trashy parks until you complete steps 1 and 2. The reason is the nox will report everything and the 49 increment VDI range will confuse most newbies.
5) read and study everything you can on the forums about experienced users using the 800. The 600 and 800 is the bare bones description of the Nox features.
6) get Clive's books on the Equinox series. He goes way beyond the Minelab nox manual and gives you a better understanding of why and how to use the different 800 features.
7) don't worry about the 6" or 15" coils anytime soon. The stock 11 inch coil is a real winner.
8) get the Minelab Pro-Find 35 pin pointer. You need a very good pin pointer to locate those tiny, tiny targets that the 800 loves to sound off on.
9) Dig those iffy signals. If the 800 says there is a non-ferrous target via audio or VDI then you can bet it is in the ground. But caution, the 800 is very good at identifying those targets that contain ferrous and non-ferrous metals like bottle caps. But with practice you can tell the difference with the audio sounds.
10) always use your wireless headphones or you may miss some deeper targets due to noise like wind, leaf blowers, river noise, airplanes or traffic from nearby roads.
11) Always remove your coin cover after every hunt and wash the cover and coil with running water.
12) keep your headphones and detector charged up after every 1- 3 hunts depending on the length of your hunts.
13) when your detector gets chatty (reporting on everything) drop your, noise cancel, ground balance, turn down your sensitivity until the 800 quiets down. Remember the vast majority of your targets will be at the 4-5" depth level. In your trashy areas use a higher recovery speed. Out in the fields you can lower your recovery speed to aid in seeking deeper targets. Remember a chatty 800 does not mean your detector is malfunctioning. It means it is working as designed. It is hot detector, meaning I reports back to you all of the metal in the ground regardless of size. It is finding very small targets that most detectors simply cannot detect. Case in point 800 users a finding difficult to find fine gold chains.
14) determine your target size before you dig. With the detector you can use the heel to toe method or use pin pointer to outline the target.
15) Don't give up when you get frustrated, just remember these steps. The 800 in the right hand will out hunt the vast majority of metal detectors and find good targets that others have missed. I have proved that many times by hunting over hunted soccer fields and pulled out old missed coins.
GL & HH
