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General questions on a potential hobby

NoGoodBoyo

New Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2021
Messages
1
Greetings,

I am interested in finding a new hobby that complements an existing one and that gets me out hiking more, so metal detecting has long been at the back of my mind. I've been doing my own research, so I'm not necessarily looking for any specific recommendations on gear (of course, recommendations are always welcome). But, I tend to overthink things, so I do have a few general questions:

I would be looking for a detector that can collapse and fit into or be strapped externally to a day-pack. It looks like most detectors collapse to about 44", which would be too long, and none have a control unit that can fold down to the shaft. Would you say that you can disassemble/reassemble a detector on a regular basis or is that likely to cause something to wear out/break? Do you know of any compact/collapsible detectors made for hikers?

I am a bit concerned with some of the build quality on detectors (compared to some of the prices demanded for them). I realise that a metal detector needs to minimise the metal in use, especially where the shaft meets the coil, but it seems that some of the components are potential breaking points. Plastic become brittle over time and exposure to the elements. How rugged are they, and what kinds of failures do you see over time? In particular, I'm thinking of the following:
  • Often the connection of the coil to the shaft uses what looks like a plastic bolt through plastic "ears", which seems like a poor design and a prime spot for failure.
  • Most control units seem to use bubble contacts for the controls. In my experience these tend to wear out, in addition to feeling mushy and cheap.
  • It seems that only the new Nokta "Legend" detector has a specific IPS rating. Other detectors just have "waterproof to x depth" (i.e., trust us), and I've heard stories of questionable QA and water ingress into the units on some brands. However, that's probably more selection bias than a siginificant problem.

I run Linux, which no company seems to support for updating a detector's firmware. While I have Windows 7 in a VM when I need it, and I could update the detector by passing through the USB, there will likely be a time when Windows 7 will no longer be supported and I would be stuck. How important is it to update the firmware on detectors, and how often does new software get released (I'm guessing it's not often)? As an aside, I think it's poor practice for Minelabs to be using some open source software in its updater, but not supporting open software like Linux (but that's a different rant).

From what I've seen the target ID numbers are a bit of a placebo. While they might weight or bias your decision on whether to dig, you basically have to dig everything to be sure. Are the tones more important than the numbers? I sometimes have difficulty distinguishing between tones that are close together. I'm guessing that it comes down to having an affinity with the machine, doing research and getting used to the ground on which you are detecting.... but, still digging everything.

As I said, I tend to overthink things especially when it comes to spending money, so thanks for your time and any insights you have.
 
Minelab Vanquish models collapse nicely, even smaller if you reverse the handle. The Simplex+ is also compact. Minelab also makes the GoFind detector designed for travel.
 
XP's ORX.

Small control housing is out-of-the-way, collapsible, very lightweight, 3-Tone audio, versatile.

Monte
 
I own the Minelab Vanquish 540 pro pack and it's one awesome detector. It collapses and it goes deep with great tones and readings at all depths.
 
You're not overthinking. You just have so little experience with the metal detecting hobby. But that's ok, hopefully you'll remedy that soon.

With respect to the detector's size, some machines are smaller than others, but there's a lot of flexibility out there with how you can modify a detector's shaft so that it'll become much more compact. Whether it's telescoping shafts for the Equinox or adding a hinge to the the AT Max, F75, etc....there's just so many options out there. Asking, "how can I make my metal detector smaller and easier to carry while hiking" is like asking, "how can I make my hiking pack lighter?"

As for build quality, some machines have issues, yes. But doing research will reveal these issues, whether it's water intrusion or coil ear issues with an Equinox or wobbly shafts with a Simplex. But most machines are fine in the durability department. From what I've read, I think the AT Max/Pro might be one of the most tested "all terrain" designs out there. Not saying it's the best, but the AT Max is based on the AT Pro, the latter of which is has been around for about a decade and it's held up to its "AT = all terrain" moniker pretty well. As for its performance, well...compared to SMF (simutaneous multifrequency) models, they have their disadvantages.

Don't forget, plenty of accessories exist to address some of these durability issues, whether it's for the Equinox or AT Max/Pro.

Software updates aren't a big deal. They tend to improve the machine and, from what I gather, are often reversable, although many people don't install the older version unless there's a glitch (which is fairly rare). Your comment about Minelab not making its software open source is amusing. Why? Because there's where most of the IP is. Making a detector transmit and receive multiple frequencies at the same time is one thing. But being able to interpret the information received into useable data that can help the user more accurately predict what's in that soil? That's where all the magic happens and most of that technology is the software. So forgive Minelab for not making their software open to the entire world.

I imagine it's a bit like sonar tech for military navies. Yes, one country might have an advantage is noise canceling tech and underwater microphones, but the difference maker is in the digital signal processing...and much of that is software.

Finally, a VDI/TID is not a placebo. You're right, they're not perfect when it comes to predicting what's in the ground. But they're just 1 piece of the puzzle. You'll factor in other variables, like the sounds your machine makes (that's why headhones are popular in this hobby), your ground conditions, what you're looking for, the kind of trash you might expect around your desired target, how your machine reacts to a potential target in the ground within the context of the settings you've adjusted on your machine, how far above the ground your coil is, how fast you're sweeping the coil, the size of your coil, what the depth gauge is reading, how consistent your VDI/TID numbers are, and so on and so on and so on.

For the record, in the vast majority of ground conditions, SMF (such as Multi-IQ from Minelab) makes VDI/TIDs more accurate and consistent.
 
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