• Forum server maintanace Friday night.(around 7PM Centeral time)
    Website will be off line for a short while.

    You may need to log out, log back in after we're back online.

Tracker IV to equinox 600

BoringDonkey

New Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2021
Messages
10
I grabbed the Tracker IV at a thrift store for $20 a year ago. Had fun with it, but it seems like I'm playing detectorist. For quite some time, I've been eyeing either the Simplex or the vanquish 540. I've decided to go as all in as I can, and get the equinox 600. Is this the best option for me?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I have both the Simplex and Equinox. If you plan on doing beach hunting, I'd go for the Equinox. It does better in wet sand. Outside of that, I can't think of another reason NOT to go with the Simplex. For the money, its a steal!
 
Agree with what CalReg said. Dealers on the forum were advertising a bundle where if you bought the Simplex with wireless headphones, you got a free 9.5 x 5 coil. I still see it listed on some sites. I’d definitely check into it. In my experience, the Simplex was a totally different detector with that coil. I never took mine off after I got it.
 
Ditto on the SP24. best finds came with the smaller coil. Couple weeks ago i put the stock coil back on at the beach. Five minutes later it was back to the SP24.

Stock was just too nervous and chatty.

Haven't seen any posts here about the other optional small coil for the Simplex+, the SP22.

Can any one here report on it?
 
I do currently live on the beach in Florida, but travel for work. Never know what terrain I'll be in. The one person I've run into with a detector told me that the multi-frequency makes a world of difference, of course he was using a PI machine. I'm so lost.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Tracker IV to the Simplex for basic hunting is a clear step up when features are compared.

Tracker IV to an Equinox 600 is several steps up from the Tracker IV and the Simplex feature and versatility wise. The Equinox 600 with the same sized coil is deeper, has much more stable target ID and ID accuracy even at the edge of detection, has better audio and notching along with simultaneous multi frequency or single frequency operation to name a few things. There are plenty more if you do your research.

There is a bundle deal for the 600 which includes stock Minelab Bluetooth headphones for the normal 600 price. Check with this forum’s sponsors. It may run out at the end of July.
 
I do currently live on the beach in Florida, but travel for work. Never know what terrain I'll be in. The one person I've run into with a detector told me that the multi-frequency makes a world of difference, of course he was using a PI machine. I'm so lost.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

SMF (simultaneous multi-frequency) detectors like the Apex, Vanquish or Equinox do make a world of difference compared to single frequency VLF detectors like the Simplex or Bounty Hunter you're using. It allows you to search more areas than a single frequency detector, such as salt water beaches. It also provides (in general), more accurate target IDs in a wider range of soil conditions.

Some VLF machines (like the Simplex and AT Max) will work at a salt water beach. However, they will be chatty (noisy), you'll need to ground balance often and they won't go as deep as a SMF machine.

So what about a pulse induction (PI) machine? Well, they do really well in hot or mineralized ground, such as salt water beaches (can go deeper than most SMF machines, I believe) and places where you might be looking for gold. So what's the catch? They're usually heavier and bigger than VLF machine due to the power consumption needed by the PI tech. Also, they have limited (if any) discrimination ability. This is a CRITICAL feature needed to hunt in places where you might find trash, such as a park or yard.

Basically, when using a PI machine, it will beep any time it hits metal, and there's no way to notch out any unwanted targets (at least not as well as with a VLF machine). So if you want to use a PI machine in a typical park, it will never shut up and all you'll be doing is digging trash for the most part. Cherry picking is not realistically possible with a PI machine. At the beach, this isn't really a problem, as trash isn't as prevalent as a park or yard.

So if you want the best "do it all machine" you want the Equinox.
 
Thanks to all for the comments and advice. I picked up the equinox 600 and really enjoy it so far. Now I just need the temperature to dip some so I can get out and hunt more!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top Bottom