Mastering Your Minelab EQUINOX: Detection Modes and Optimal Settings

The EQUINOX Series from Minelab is perfect for experienced detectorists and can be used in a variety of terrains. But, do you know how to set up your EQUINOX for the best results in your searches?

If not, don’t worry! In today’s post, we’ll walk you through how to configure your EQUINOX and explore the detection modes available on this metal detector. Curious? Keep reading to find out more.

Detection Modes

The EQUINOX is a metal detector that adapts to different types of targets and ground conditions, making it ideal for more experienced detectorists seeking new adventures.

Minelab’s EQUINOX detectors come with several pre-configured detection modes to provide the best performance during your searches, which include:

• EQUINOX 600: Park, Field, Beach
• EQUINOX 700: Park, Field, Beach
• EQUINOX 800: Park, Field, Beach, Gold
• EQUINOX 900: Park, Field, Beach, Gold

Let’s dive deeper into each detection mode available in the EQUINOX series so you can determine which one works best for the environment you plan to search in.

Park

The Park mode is perfect for general detection in urban areas with a lot of trash, such as cans, bottle caps, and foil, or other recently inhabited locations.

The pre-configured Park Mode offers great depth and accuracy while rejecting most of the trash in the area. It’s ideal for users who are still familiarizing themselves with the device. Park mode is divided into two sub-modes:

• Park 1: General / Coins - This mode is great for learning how to use the EQUINOX before experimenting with other more specialized settings. It focuses on detecting modern coins and larger jewelry while rejecting nearby trash. It uses multi-frequency with an emphasis on lower frequencies, optimizing ground balance for more efficient detection.
• Park 2: Fine Jewelry -  This is ideal for finding small items like fine jewelry or searching in areas with a lot of trash. It identifies non-ferrous targets by default and increases recovery speed to differentiate good targets from trash.

Field

Field mode is recommended for detecting larger objects or open environments like farm fields, plowed land, or historically occupied areas. This mode is also divided into two sub-modes:

• Field 1: Coins / Artifacts - This is great for general detection. It rejects trash signals and uses multi-frequency processing, focusing on lower frequencies, making it easier to identify desirable targets in difficult terrain. It’s well-suited for coin hunting and general detection.
• Field 2: High-Value Coins / Artifacts - This excels in areas with lots of targets and trash, as it’s better at detecting small coins in tough spots while rejecting unwanted signals. It also features 50 audio tones and fast recovery speed to improve target identification, especially in higher frequencies.

Beach

As the name suggests, Beach mode is designed for salty environments—dry sand, wet sand, surf, and underwater. The salt in these areas makes the sand and water conductive, causing saline noise to be detected.

However, Multi-IQ technology detects the salt noise and assigns it a ferrous target ID, meaning it’s treated as an unwanted target. This makes it easier to detect desirable low-conductivity objects. The sub-modes for this category are:

• Beach 1: Dry/Wet Sand - This is ideal for detecting in wet or dry sand and shallow water, where salt conductivity is high. The Beach 1 Multi-IQ mode reduces salt noise and has increased sensitivity to valuable objects like coins and jewelry, optimizing your searches.
• Beach 2: Underwater / Surf - Beach 2 is perfect for detecting in water, as it reduces salt noise with lower transmission power. It’s also effective on dry ground with high interference levels, using multi-frequency to better balance the soil.

Gold

The Gold mode is available only on the EQUINOX 800 and 900 models and is perfect for finding gold nuggets in mineralized areas, especially in remote prospecting locations.

It uses a continuous, subtle audio signal that varies as you get closer to the target, helping to find gold nuggets both on the surface and in deeper areas. This mode is divided into:

• Gold 1: Normal Soil - This is the best for detecting small gold nuggets in low-mineralization soil. In prospecting areas, iron mineralization can vary, so ground balance should be set to "Tracking." The audio is also optimized for finding nuggets, and it utilizes multi-frequency processing through the Multi-IQ system.
• Gold 2: Difficult Soil - This is ideal for finding gold nuggets in tough soil and at greater depths. It uses multi-frequency to balance the soil and optimize nugget detection, though it may generate more noise in highly mineralized areas.

How to Select a Detection Mode

Now that you’re familiar with the different detection modes available on the EQUINOX series, let’s explain how you can activate each of these functions.

To configure your EQUINOX, you’ll need to view the information on the detector’s LCD screen. In the image below, you’ll find a summary of each icon:

To select a detection mode, turn on your metal detector, press the "detection mode" button, and choose the desired mode. Your detector will then be ready to use with the default pre-configurations.

As you become more familiar with the detector, you can customize the settings to fit your specific needs and work with the ID discrimination scale for more precise detection.

Now that you have a deeper understanding of the various detection modes on the EQUINOX series, you're ready to optimize your searches for any environment. Whether you're hunting for coins in a park, exploring a field for artifacts, or searching for treasures along the beach, the EQUINOX has you covered.

If you're excited to explore even more about each EQUINOX model, including detailed specs and how they can elevate your metal detecting experience, head over to our product pages. 

Take your detecting adventures to the next level with Minelab's advanced technology!