Gold Rat Metal Detectors is located 6/50 Freda Street Upper Mount Gravatt. Gold Rat Engineering is located 4/16 Redcliffe Gardens Drive Clontarf This is where you will see the largest range of your highbankers, sluices and accessories
This weekend is a long weekend here in QLD so both stores wikll be closed on Monday 7th October - all orders placed during this time will be processed when we return Tuesday.

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The Range of Minelab Headphones

The Range of Minelab Headphones

 The Range of Minelab Headphones

Minelab manufacture an extensive range of about 20 different models of metal detectors, including a range of Very Low Frequency (VLF) technology detectors, and also a range of detectors featuring Pulse Induction (P.I.) technology. 

Nearly half of the range of Minelab metal detectors also include wireless Bluetooth headphones in the detector kit when purchased new.

Gold Rat’ stock a range of Minelab headphones:

Minelab Koss UR-30 (cable) headphones are compatible for the SD/GP/GPX series detectors, and also the SDC2300, GPZ 7000, CTX 3030, Safari, E-TRAC and X-TERRA series detectors.

 

ML 80 wireless headphones 

The Minelab ML 80 Low Latency (Bluetooth aptX) wireless headphones are compatible for use with EQUINOX 600, EQUINOX 800 and Vanquish 540 detectors. The ML80 headphones will not work with the Equinox 700 and 900.

 

ML 85 and ML 105 wireless headphones 

The Minelab ML 85 & ML105 Low Latency wireless headphones are both compatible for use with MANTICORE, EQUINOX 900, EQUINOX 700 and X-TERRA PRO detectors. The ML85 & ML105 headphones are not compatible with Minelab Equinox 600/800 detectors – that are compatible with the ML80 or ML100 Bluetooth headphones.

 

 

 

ML 100 headphones for the GPX 6000 detector (Bluetooth aptX Low-Latency).

The ML 100 headphones will operate for approximately 24 hours on a fully charged battery and take around 3.5 hours to charge.

The GPX 6000 can pair and connect with normal (A2DP) Bluetooth headphones and other aptX Low Latency Bluetooth headphones, including the Minelab ML 80 headphones. When connected to aptX Low Latency headphones, there will be a + symbol next to the Bluetooth icon on the detector LCD screen to indicate this.

 

 

Waterproof Headphones - compatible for use with MANTICORE, EQUINOX series and X-TERRA PRO detectors.

 

 

Minelab Pro-Sonic Universal Wireless Audio System Kit

The Pro-Sonic wireless audio system is compatible with many Minelab detectors including the SDC 2300, GPX series, Gold Monster 1000, GPZ 7000, and X-TERRA series.

 

 

 

Gold Rat’ also stock a range of other brands of headphones that are compatible with Minelab detectors:

MDX150 headphones:

The MDX150 wired (cable) headphones were designed for the Minelab GPX6000 metal detector (not waterproof). They are also compatible with the Minelab Equinox series (600/700/800/900) detectors, and also the new Minelab X-Terra Pro detector. These are an affordable, and comfortable set of reliable wired headphones, with crystal clear audio, and loud volume across the full range of tones. These headphones can not be used underwater.

 

 

SteelPhase Pro Series headphones (300 Ohm)

'Phase Technical' is an Australian business that is owned and operated by experienced detectorist and product tester, Nenad Lonic. Nenad Lonic is extremely knowledgeable about Minelab detectors. He is also a manufacturer of quality detector accessories under his own 'SteelPhase' brand name.

The 'SteelPhase' Pro Series headphones are built using high quality aviator muffs for excellent comfort and sound isolation. Highly sensitive 300 Ohm driver elements are used to deliver crisp signal responses. They have a nice bass response as well, for a punchy response on those deep signals.

Designed to be an ideal match to the SteelPhase sP01 'Audio Enhancement System', but will also work direct into detectors which have good volume output such as the GPZ7000, GPX4500/4800/5000, as well as VLF detectors.

The Pro Series features gel/foam filled ear pads and headband, a feature not previously available on prospecting headphones, which offers extreme comfort for extended periods of use.

Adaptor Leads are required for use with the SDC2300, and the GPX6000.

 

 

Gray Ghost Amphibian II Headphones

Gray Ghost Amphibian II Headphones are 100% waterproof and totally submersible to a maximum of 200 feet. They feature a convenient foldable design, and are made in the USA.

 

 

Gold Search Modes on the Equinox 900 & Manticore detectors

Gold Search Modes on the Equinox 900 & Manticore detectors

 

Gold Search Modes on the Minelab Equinox 900 & MANTICORE detectors

If you are not keen on spending several thousand dollars on a Pulse-Induction “gold-specific” metal detector, and would prefer to get an “All-Rounder” (coin/relic/gold) detector, at a fraction of the cost, that is lightweight, with discrimination & pinpointing capabilities - that you can use on beaches, and/or in parks, and/or in the bush including in gold-bearing terrain, or underwater – then Minelab have several great new options for your consideration.

Minelab recently released two new detectors - the Equinox 900 and the MANTICORE.

Both these 'VLF' detectors feature Simultaneous Multi-Frequency technology, including operating frequencies of between about 5 and 40 kHz, as well as the options of selectable single frequencies.

 

These two new Minelab detectors have a significant number of segments of Discrimination Scale. The Equinox 900 has 119 Target ID numbers (from -19 to 99), and the Manticore has 100 Target ID's numbers (from 0 to 99). By comparison the older Equinox 800 only has 50 Target ID numbers.

Interestingly, the Equinox 900 detector kit also includes two Double-D coils (the 11 inch, and 6 inch coils), whereas the Manticore currently only has an 11 inch Double-D coil available. Having  the Equinox 6 inch Double-D coil  is an advantage in terms of hunting small (sub-gram) gold nuggets, particularly in trashy areas (e.g. on old goldfields and nearby bush camps), and also in confined spaces to swing (e.g. in narrow gullies, including those highly vegetated, and areas covered in boulders or fallen timber etc.).

Both these new detectors also include excellent, low latency, wireless (Bluetooth) headphones. They also both feature a built-in Lithium-ion battery (within the handle), a built-in speaker, and LED flashlight (for nighttime use). They both only weigh about 1.3kg (The Minelab GPZ 7000 detector weighs about 3.3kg).

All new Minelab detectors have a 3 Year Warranty.

 

Both these detectors also have Search Modes suited for gold nugget prospecting.

The Equinox 900 has two gold search modes – designated as ‘Gold Profile 1’ (for “Normal Ground”) and ‘Gold Profile 2’ (for “Difficult Ground”), whereas the Manticore only has one gold search mode – designated as ‘Goldfield - General’ (suitable for benign to moderately mineralised ground).

Minelab explain these different Search Modes for the respective new detector as follows:

Equinox 900

“Gold Profile 1* — Normal Ground Gold 1 is suitable for searching for small gold nuggets in ‘mild’ ground. Most goldfield locations have a variable level of iron mineralisation that will require an ongoing Ground Balance adjustment, therefore Tracking Ground Balance is the default setting. The audio Threshold Level and Threshold Pitch is optimised for hunting gold nuggets. Gold 1 Multi-IQ processes a high frequency weighted multi-frequency signal, while ground balancing for mineralised soil.

Gold Profile 2* — Difficult Ground Gold 2 is best for searching for deeper gold nuggets in ‘difficult’ ground conditions. Gold 2 has a lower Recovery Speed, which will increase detection depth. However, more ground noise in more heavily mineralised grounds may result. Tracking Ground Balance is the default setting. The audio Threshold Level and Threshold Pitch is optimised for hunting gold nuggets. Gold 2 Multi-IQ processes a high frequency weighted multi-frequency signal, while ground balancing for mineralised soil.”

Minelab also state that when using the Equinox 900 in either of the two gold search modes, the user could typically expect the detection of gold nuggets to have a positive Target ID number, with a low number.

“Difficult Gold Areas — Hot Rocks ‘Hot’ rocks are commonly found in gold prospecting locations. These are rocks that are mineralised differently to the surrounding ground. A highly mineralised rock buried in mildly mineralised ground would be considered to be a hot rock. Hot rocks can easily be mistaken for gold nuggets. The Target ID can assist here, with hot rocks typically having a negative Target ID number and gold having a positive ID in the very low conductive range.”

 

Manticore

“Goldfield – General: suitable for small nuggets in benign to moderate soil mineralisation conditions.

Goldfield General Mode is for gold prospecting. Generally, gold nuggets are found in remote goldfields where the ground is often mineralised and targets are more sparsely distributed. For Goldfield General Mode, the default Audio Theme is set to Prospecting, providing a 'true' threshold tone which maximises sensitivity to weak target signals. When a target is detected, the signal volume and pitch vary proportionally to the strength of the target signal. Most goldfield locations have a variable level of iron mineralisation that requires constant Ground Balance adjustment, therefore Tracking Ground Balance is the default setting. Goldfield Mode is suited to finding smaller surface gold nuggets (and some larger deeper ones) in mineralised ground.”

 

Typical Target ID Numbers/Air-Depths for Gold Nuggets Recent air-depth testing (non-buried target) using both detectors (set on only medium Sensitivity), and with both coils used on the Equinox 900 - upon a very flat (5mm diameter) 0.27gram (sub-gram) nugget indicated air-depths of about 2 to 3 inches, with Target ID numbers in the range of about 15 to 20.

A sub-gram nugget detected using the Equinox 900 + Minelab Equinox 6-inch Double-D coil.

Equinox/Manticore Target ID numbers for gold nuggets can vary depending on several factors, including the size & shape of the nugget, and also gold purity, including the amount of any other metals present like silver & copper. Larger nuggets (more than a few grams) can indicate Target ID numbers of up to within the range of about 30 to 50.

 

It makes me wonder …..

(i) Will there be a future upgrade for the Manticore? to provide an additional gold search mode? i.e. similar to the ‘Gold Profile 2’ search mode on the Equinox 900 – that “is best for searching for deeper gold nuggets in difficult ground conditions”.

(ii) Will the proposed  Minelab M8 elliptical Double-D coil (8’ x 5.5” size) on the Manticore  detector provide increased depth capability in terms of detecting sub-gram gold? - compared to the Equinox 6 inch (‘EQX06’) DD coil on the Equinox 900 detector.

Minelab Manticore discussion

Minelab Manticore discussion

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What are the Minelab Manticore Features? My Notes

This article is my notes on the Manticore Features. We compare the Equinox and XP Deus 2 vs the Manticore in terms of how the features compare. 

Anything I did not make note on I did so because it’s either older tech, or relatively straightforward. The Manticore definitely has some intriguing new features. However, until I get it in my hands and test the accessibility and versatility of these features I cannot definitively say whether they are actually helpful or not. 

The Manticore Frequencies

Multi-IQ+, 5kHz, 10kHz, 15kHz, 20kHz, 40kHz

It is strange that Minelab would not make a 4kHz feature for the Manticore seeing how popular it was on the Equinox. Or why Minelab didn’t allow for variable single frequencies like the XP Deus offers. 

Noise Cancel

Auto, Continuous Auto, Manual (-9 to +9). Continuous Auto will be interesting to hear more about. Minelab is claiming that the Manticore is very EMI-Resistant.

Ground Balance

Auto, Manual, Tracking

Ground Balancing the Manticore might not do you any good says the lead Minelab engineer. He states that ground balance may help you get a little more raw depth, but at that depth you don't even know what your target is (fringe depth). Ground balance he says does not help with discrimination though. 

Sensitivity 

1-35

Target ID (Identification)

0–99 with “Ferrous Indication”. This is an interesting change. As with the XP Deus 2, iron is not represented by negative numbers like it is on the Equinox. This can be extremely confusing because iron is coming in as a positive number unless it is somehow changed; either by notching it out, or, by changing the ‘pitch’ or the sound frequency of particular iron segments. 

The problem then arises: What TID numbers actually represent the scale of iron? Well, when I began with the XP Deus 2, I had to test many pieces of iron until I had nailed down (pun intended) the answer. With the XP Deus 2 I changed the pitch of TID numbers 1-10 to SOUND like iron– again, changing the sound frequency/pitch. 

I did not want to actually discriminate out iron completely by notching it out– because any experienced detectorist knows you need to be able to hear your iron to better discern whether what you have under your coil is a iron-false signal (iron halo) or a deep non-ferrous target (specifically silver). 

Next, I turn my iron volume down so I can hear it, while keeping my non-ferrous TID numbers (11-99) at a normal volume. Turning my iron down allows me to hear the iron without it blowing my ears out all day. 

Will the new “Ferrous Indication” feature be a new feature that helps with this issue? The Manticore does come with Ferrous Volume (0-25), and Ferrous Pitch (0-50) features. 

Ferrous Limits is just the new term for Iron Bias

Upper 0-14 | Lower 0-9

Ferrous limits Custom

1-4

 

The Manticore Iron Horseshoe Dilemma

Here is the strange thing: There is a horseshoe button on the Manticore…. 

When you press the Horseshoe button on the Equinox, you either hear your iron or you don’t. Pressing the button single handedly wipes out all iron tones and “NEGATIVE” TID numbers, or it makes them audible again. 

What TID numbers does the Horseshoe button represent on the Manticore then? 

As convenient as the Horseshoe button is, it worries me that Minelab has some predetermined ‘positive’ TID numbers they believe iron represents. My point being– I don’t like companies telling me what numbers to discriminate out. 

The Benefits of a Larger TID (Target Identification) Scale

The larger TID scale on the XP Deus 2 is a blessing in disguise. Here’s why: 

The Equinox has a very compressed TID scale of only 1-39. Until I started using the XP Deus 2, I didn’t realize how inconvenient this was. 

Having a smaller TID scale forces the detector to compress alloys closer together. So in other words, small junk foil will ring up the same as gold jewelry. 

However, watching elaborate gold tests along with my own tests on the Deus 2 revealed that gold falls much higher with a larger TID scale (TID 30-40 and above!). Whereas small aluminum mostly falls below TID 30-40. 

On the Equinox you will dig gold rings down to TID 2–10! 

Think of the incredible space you have now to filter out trash that wasn’t there before with a compressed TID Scale. That is exactly why Minelab increased those TID numbers from 0-99 on the Manticore. 

Now, of course you are going to dig some large aluminum and pull-tabs, but I even have some secrets for discriminating some of that without notching anything out!

Manticore 2-Dimensional TID Map

The Manticore 2-D simulated TID map has target trace, and reportedly gives you an actual ‘shape’ of your targets. 

Now, for anyone who used the CTX 3030, you would know target trace is nothing new. Target trace was a color-coated animated feature that would show you multiple targets on the screen at once. Non-ferrous targets would emerge as more solid, whereas ferrous targets would smear across the screen. 

This is very similar to the XP Deus XY screen in that non-ferrous targets represent more solid lines, and ferrous targets are represented as more chaotic lines. 

Both the CTX and the Deus 2 features are simply different methods of giving you new information about your target. 

The question is: has Minelab changed anything about this feature? To be honest, the CTX and Deus 2 features lose accuracy at greater depths. It will be interesting to see if Minelab has corrected this. 

Target Tones

1, 2, 5 Tone | 1, 2, 5, Region All-Tones. 

This is an EXTREMELY disappointing feature. I would expect Minelab to include 3 and 4 tones. This feature essentially means I have to go in and change the tone breaks in 5-tone like I do in the Equinox to make my machine either a 3 or 4 tone machine. “Region All-Tones” has not been described yet so we need more info on that. 

Target Volume

0-25

Target Pitch

1-50 This is different from the XP Deus 2 so it will be interesting to see what frequencies 1-50 actually represent. 

Audio Themes

Normal, Enhanced, Continuous Pitch (for the gold mode)

Volume Profiles

Simple (like the Vanquish), Medium (Like the Equinox), Rich, Overdrive, Enhanced (Suppresses EMI & Ground Chatter)

Some of these terms are relatively new and will need more explaining by Minelab. 

Threshold Level

0-25

Threshold Pitch

0-50

Recovery Speed (Minelab added 0 on the Manticore for those who want to go super deep and slow)

0-8

WE ARE TAKING MINELAB MANTICORE PRE-ORDERS HERE!