The Minelab Equinox 800 is one of the best metal detectors on the market. The 800 is 100% waterproof and fully configurable to almost any ground condition. The Equinox is really good at finding coins but it really loves silver coins. This simple coin program will help you find more coins by unmasking some of those hidden (silver) coins that may be hiding amongst the nails and trash of your site.
Lets Define The Ground Conditions For The “Coin Sniffer Program”.
The Coin Sniffer Program should be used when there is a high concentration of trash in close proximity. If you are overwhelmed by the number of targets you are hearing and you are having a difficult time separating the good targets from the bad try this program. This program silences those trashy targets such as:
- Most pull tabs
- Bottle caps (pop off and screw on types)
- Can-slaw
- Aluminum foil (gum/candy wrappers etc.)
- Most nails (not all)
Coin Sniffer Caveat Please Read.
The Coin Sniffer Program is designed to help you find more coins with the Minelab Equinox by sniffing out coins in very trashy conditions. If you decide to try out this program you will be removing the likelihood of finding gold and jewelry. Consider yourself warned.
Setting Up The Coin Sniffer Program.
The Coin Sniffer program uses the Accept/Reject feature of the Minelab Equinox. This program uses the Park 1 as a baseline program to start with. (Note: I have tried using Park 2 and I did not find it preferable compared to Park 1. Stick with Park 1.)
VDI numbers to accept/reject
Press the Gear button until you are under the Accept/Reject option (see the photo above).
By default, Park 1 is setup to reject -9 up to 0 (unless you enable all metal mode). For the trashy site I detect, I know it is full of pull tabs, foil, bottle caps, nails, etc. so I need to reject all of those items the best I can.
By using the plus (+) and minus (-) buttons I can accept and reject the VDI numbers that fall within the trash I’m hearing. For this program I’m keeping it really basic. You can adjust the numbers to your choosing but just remember, the more you notch the less targets will be heard.
Here are the numbers I’m rejecting:
- -9 thru 0 (rejected by default in Park 1)
- 1 thru 9
- 14 thru 18
Here is what I’m allowing to be heard:
- 10, 11, 12, 13 (all good numbers for all nickels)
- 19 on up. (good for all coins including silver and modern clad)
Here is What The Finished Program Looks Like
What Other Settings Are Important For This Program?
Recovery Speed: For extremely trashy sites I highly recommend using the Recovery Speed of 5 or 6. I didn’t seem to get favorable results from going below 5.
Sensitivity: You can run this program as hot as you like or until the machine becomes too unstable. It will depend on your conditions. I was able to run this program with no issues at 22-24.
Tones: For this program I’m sticking to 5 tones only. Using 50 will work just fine but I prefer only using 5.
Frequency: This program will work with single a frequency but I prefer using “Multi” for this site.
Iron Bias: For my conditions I kept my settings for Iron Bias at 2. This setting will vary depending on your ground condition and how much iron you are experiencing.
Finally, Noise Cancel The Equinox.
Once all your changes have been made don’t forget to Noise Cancel the Equinox. This will ensure your Equinox is optimally configured your operating conditions.
The Results Will Amaze You. Need Proof?
Once I configured this program and began to use it, I’ve recovered several silver coins that I never heard after several hunts at this site. Plus, this program identifies nickels better than any other machine I’ve owned. I’ve already pulled up 8 more Buffalo Nickels that I wasn’t hearing before. Just imagine if this site was older than the 1920s! Using the Coin Sniffer Program will help you Find More Coins With The Minelab Equinox.
Want to Know More About The Equinox?
I’ve wrote several articles on the Minelab Equinox. Here are a few of them. You can always visit my blog for more articles.
- Is The Minelab Equinox The Best Metal Detector Every?
- Does The Minelab Equinox Really Work on The Beach?
- Minelab Equinox vs. XP Deus
Ready to Try a Minelab Equinox?
If you are looking for a new metal detector or just getting started in this hobby, Fort Bedford Metal Detectors carries all of the metal detectors mentioned above and more. Plus, they carry all the accessories you’ll ever need. Give Keith Leppert a call at 814-215-1732 or visit his website If you are looking at other machines, coils, accessories etc., Fort Bedford is the place to go. Tell him Scott from Mental Metal Detecting sent you!
