How to use an Equinox 800 metal detector (THE NO BS BEGINNER'S GUIDE)

This video is for anyone who just bought or is considering purchasing a Minelab Equinox 800. If you are new to the hobby, then this tutorial is also for you. We'll get straight to the point with set-up instructions, how to identify targets, while providing other useful tips so you can get started metal detecting! For more information on Minelab detectors and equipment, go to:
www.minelab.com
Also, check out these other amazing videos: ‪@mdutah-insearchofmormongold‬

[@RTCtraventure]

love my equinox 800 .. had it from 2020 found lots of good stuff, and a lot of junk. like your style.. short , sweet straight to the point. multiple points.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

I appreciate your feedback. It’s a great machine! I’ve had so much success with it.

[@locksporter]

man , this video is concise and straight to it. Kudos man . earlier I used to taken down reminder/ pointers and save it on a sheet. now I can just save this. Big thank you , sir.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thanks! I really appreciate the feedback. That was my goal, to cut right to the chase.

[@toddhoffmaster6057]

Perfect beginners video with out all the nonsense stuff. Thank you and now I need to go and get out with my EQ800.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thanks! It’s a great machine!

[@EclecticWizard6]

Just ordered one of these and this is a great video to get me started with some great beginners tips to boot! Thank you!

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

You’re going to enjoy it. Best of luck to you!

[@stevejorde]

Short, sweet, and to the point! One of the best tutorials I have yet to see. I bought my Equinox 800 on January 14th and have yet to take it out as the ground is frozen solid here in Southeast Idaho. In the meantime, I'm going to learn all I can from videos like yours.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

You’re going to really like it. I’m not far from you and it’s already been a long, cold winter! I use Field mode 1 the most, especially on older properties. If you check out my Finding gold at a pioneer home video, you’ll see just how amazing the Nox can be. That property was detected before I got permission and I hit it several times with a Garrett Gold. It was unbelievable how much the Nox turned up!

[@xxplosiv88]

Awesome video, thanks so much. Am just about to get an 800, it's refreshing to see it's so easy to set up and start using. Appreciate the "no BS approach", subscribed!

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

I appreciate your feedback. You should check out my newest video "Metal Detecting Utah - Finding Buried Treasure in the Desert." I had detected the area multiple times with a different machine but this time I took the Nox. Unbelievable results!

[@dfrozendog3849]

I have had one for a year. All I have done is turn on and go and kicked butt. There is a heavy duty 30 amp power cord laying across an iron manhole cover. My old beloved detector would give me an O L reading. Overload. This one, the 800, would give me the iron grunt, beep and grunt perfectly as I swept fast across. Perfectly separated signal. Really fast recovery means fewer masked targets.

[@MsladyPearlz]

though I had some problem with sea water It also kzbin.infoUgkxa-FNYUOM93a388gi9a4brtSCEVmrHgJH land for finding any things very easily. (thought it would work as normal due to it being water proof within certain parts of the detector), on dry land and sand worked well. My first one, so still have lots to learn

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

That’s cool. I’m glad you’re enjoying it!

[@emeeneid454]

Hey man I just recently bought this because I had recently moved to jersey and I have lots of land so discover so I bought this metal detector and I searched for videos all over online and I swear you were the only one that got straight to the point and actually explained it super well keep up the great work thank you!!

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback! Hopefully, you’re having a lot of success with it.

[@tikijason]

Very straight forward and useful video, thank you! You earned my sub from SLC. Long-term detectorist, bought my Equinox 800 today. It’s my first expensive machine.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

I appreciate the feedback. I’ve been going back to properties I’ve detected in the past and I’ve found a lot of stuff that was missed. I’ve had the most success in Field Mode 1.

[@outdoorenthusiastenl4907]

Wow!!! Great video!!! Recently just unboxed my 800. It was a little confusing. Your video is exactly what I needed. Thank you for posting.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Glad I could help. I hope you enjoy the Nox and have a lot of success with it!

[@ohdannyboyjustadiggin]

Very Good Advice and for a quick run through.. You got some good stuff on the hunt.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thanks 👍

[@republicveterinaryhospital9626]

Thank you. Short. Sweet. And to the point. Like it.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thanks!

[@andrewnewby1918]

Thanks for that. I’ve just brought the Nox800, so your video was very helpful. I’m just starting out metal detecting, mainly beach areas as I live near to the coast. All the best Andrew 😊

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thanks! I hope you find some great stuff!

[@artcflowers]

Thanks. This is good, informative, direct.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Glad it was helpful!

[@zdollerbill1]

Thanks for sharing Your experience and results!🎣🎣🐟🐟

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Hope it helps! Best of luck detecting!

[@AveryOCason]

Thanks for this video instruction its just what i was looking for

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Glad you liked it. Best of luck in the dirt!

[@AJ-wf9jm]

Great video. And like the title says no bs. Perfect.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thanks, hope it helps. Best of luck to you!

[@MUDSWAT]

Thanks for the video I just got mine today. I already found a wheat in my yard. However, I've been a treasure hunter for 17 years. This yard has been done 100's of times by 3 machines. A Whites MXT, a Garette At Pro, and a Fisher. I was excited to find a wheat that the older machines missed. Every machine will usually find something different and open those old sites up again. Thanks for sharing, happy hunting!

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Try going over it in Field Mode. I’ve had good success on properties that have been detected before.

[@joelumetta3702]

Just put my Nox800 together and charging the battery I am headed to the beach soon and really looking forward to my first beach treasure. Really appreciated your clear information Yada yada…thanks!

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Best of luck to you!

[@roberthunnam7723]

Very best no nonsense great teacher thank you

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thanks! I hope it helps!

[@colinmoody898]

Good afternoon sir and I hope you and your family are well a good honest video well presented looking forward to your next video love and best wishes from Scotland England PS have a fantastic New Year

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thank you. I really appreciate the comments. Best wishes to you as well in this new year. May you find much happiness and many treasures!

[@russcollar5353]

You did a great job with this thank you. I'm excited to get out!

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Best of luck to you! It’s a great machine!

[@darcyjohnston5992]

thank you for making this video

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Glad it was helpful!

[@metaldetectingmickyuk2538]

fantastic help cheers

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Glad it helped!

[@rrf482012]

Just got my 800 yesterday......this was a very informative video for me(I'll get this video out again before I start).......It is still charging at the moment, but I'll be out soon digging up the yard.....lol

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Best of luck to you! It’s a great machine!

[@richwhite1240]

I recognized where you were immediately by the mountain background. Ogden. Great video

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Yes, the Ogden area. Lots of great history here!

[@kennethchagnon7795]

Thank you very helpful video my nephew told me about u I just go the 800 cant wait to head out dig Kenny from VT

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thanks! I appreciate the feedback. Best of luck to you!

[@thomasnappo6309]

You are a wealth of information...great job

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thanks! I tried to get right to the point.

[@TPWW-tr3rr]

GREAT VIDEO!!!

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thanks!!

[@nicolasmaximus2286]

GREAT video & tips.✅💨🇭🇺🇨🇦. Hope to see you again.Thank you.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thanks!

[@ronwilson330]

Great video…period!

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thanks! I hope it helps. Best of luck!

[@nesco713]

Thank you!

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

You bet!

[@WilliamAyres-mr8zx]

A great video.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thank you!

[@mikewalker1081]

new sub, just got my nox 800 a couple days ago for xmas from my wife, went out today, found 2 junk metal objects, but don't have a pin pointer yet. Also need a good beach sand scoop as I live 30 miles from north florida beaches. Good video!

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

You won’t be disappointed with this machine. Hopefully you find some pirate gold! Best of luck to you!

[@mikewalker1081]

@@mdutah-insearchofmormongold thx!

[@AndyStebbing82]

Thank you. I bought mine 6 months ago and it looks intimidating. I used my Fischer 1236 X to death.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

You’ll love it and it does have a lot of features. Find a couple of settings that work well for you and then you can figure out the more advanced stuff later.

[@augustinfernandez7866]

Good information i have one is good detector tank you

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Great 👍

[@janisskists4106]

thank you!

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

You're welcome!

[@ThelifeandtimesofBarneyTaylor]

Right on I've dug mercury dimes that rang up 13 it was on edge nothing else in the hole so its fig it all for me ✌️

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

That’s interesting. I’ve dug deeper objects that have given me different signals.

[@KRich408]

I have to Mark this video as a refresher, I purchased my 800 a little over a year ago and it was getting pretty good with it in Arizona, I purchased a home in northern Michigan no more desert vacations for a while , the ground is frozen many months out of the year, we had a warm spell a few weeks ago I decided to try my luck in my new yard, the house was built in 1914 probably never been detected before.I forgot everything how to ground level it etc 😢 it's not as Intuitive on the screen as you would think when your memory is not so great anymore. thanks for explaining it again I'll be watching if I forget when the ground thaws out again in a few months. It was still frozen last week it gets really cold when you live a few miles from Lake Superior 😊 🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶 The Town was known for Iron and copper mining not sure if that will make it harder to detect?

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

I hope the video helps. It is easy to forget how to work all the functions. I was out yesterday and the battery went dead. I pulled out my Garrett Gold and I had to really think how to use it and it’s a machine I used for 8 years lol. Best of luck up there in Michigan! Hopefully you get some nice weather and can get out soon.

[@gregnixon1296]

Great info straight away - You get no instructions in the box.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

I found them after I made the video lol. I must have set them aside and didn’t realize it. It should come with instructions!

[@gregnixon1296]

@@mdutah-insearchofmormongold I usually have parts left over following assembly, even with instructions. 😳KZbin is a fantastic resource.

[@chrisw8415]

Thanks for making the video, you were precise and right to the point, you were right ,in the beginning everybody gives the blah blah blah😂

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thanks! I appreciate your comments. I agree. It’s frustrating to watch videos when it takes people forever to get to the point.

[@terrybingley6242]

Very Very interesting i must say, Clear instructions as well, I hope i do find stuf as just bout to purchase my brand new Equinox 800 but trying to get the best deal, not found it yet tho', Any tips on where to get the best, Oh well i will keep looking, bfn.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

I got lucky. I bought a brand new one off eBay for $740 plus tax & shipping. It ended up being about $800 total.

[@aarontheamateur]

Nice! Just moved to Orlando Florida from Herriman Utah a couple years ago. I THOUGHT I recognized those mountains! :) What tips do you have for detecting areas with a lot of vegetation? I found some old maps from late 1800’s and overlayed new maps. Found some public parks here where metal detecting is allowed and I’m 97% sure I found an area where there were buildings and stuff in 1885. But it’s WAY over grown. Not nice maintained Kentucky blue grass to swing over.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thick vegetation can be tough to detect in. Ideally, you want to be close to the surface. If you have a great spot with a lot of potential, I would seriously consider taking a weed eater and clearing it out some.

[@faustomazzuto3963]

Thank for for posting this. It is a great video. I just bought the Nox 800 & tried it on our farm property. What does the number readout on the viewscreen mean? Some ground spots came up as 19 then some spots read as 33. Also, I haven't bought a pinpoint detector. Do you recommend one & is there a good one for metals & gold?

[@faustomazzuto3963]

I just saw you had pinpointer videos so I will watch those. Thank you. Sorry for the double post. I'm new to this😊

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

No problem. Any name brand pinpointer will work. There’s not that much difference between them. I’ve do like the Minelab. As far as the readings on the Nox, they indicate different types of metals. You’ll see in my video some possibilities. Of course, junk metal can sometimes give you similar readings. For example, rings and pull-tabs.

[@theedgar1959]

Out of the whole equinox line do you like the 800 the best? I see the 900 is coming out. Also lower models. What is the 540 ?

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

I’ve only used the 800 so I can’t offer an opinion on the others. I’ve used a Garrett Gold for years. A good machine but I love the Nox. I’m now saving up for the Manticore lol

[@codyminecrack248]

Currently I have a bounty hunter tracker 4; This seems like an upgrade and a half. Always see people at the beach with this one finding things. The difference in tone sounds would be the biggest upgrade from what I am using. Anyone willing to share some more learning curve tips for us noobs?

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

I’ve used a Garrett for many years and loved it, but the Nox is definitely an upgrade. Best advice…learn your machine and go slow.

[@benellifelli]

Very good video. Do you ground balance and set a threshold? Thanks

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Yes. You have several options on ground balancing. I used the factory default setting for threshold but it is adjustable.

[@JamieRobinsonGroovy]

one thing you could have pointed out was the depth display of target on screen.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thanks for the suggestion. It’s always a challenge trying to decide how much information to put in beginner’s tutorial.

[@JamieRobinsonGroovy]

@@mdutah-insearchofmormongold good intro to the 800 though. Thanks

[@jimwelch1957]

I have an 800 and the sensitivity level appears to only go to 9, not 25. Any suggestions why?

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

That’s odd. I’ve never encountered that problem. It should go up to 25.

[@livefreeordie1776xxx]

Thanks for the video! I am buying one of these tomorrow and my first place I'm trying out is a friend's house that is an old 1800s railroad stop hotel

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Best of luck to you! I hope you find some good stuff. I’ve found a few railroad locks over the years. They’re a cool piece of history.

[@bobsnodgrass8007]

what is the brand of your long shovel?

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

I mostly hand dig but I do have a couple of shovels. It really depends on the property. I use a small Ames that I bought at Home Depot. I also have a heavy duty shovel but I hate packing it around. There are different brands like Excalibur.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

The Ames has a smaller blade but regular wooden shaft. It’s light weight and digs smaller holes versus a regular shovel. It’s not too expensive either unlike MD shovels.

[@bradmansdad]

my 2 yr old laptop charged it in 2.5 hours using usb3 it has

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

That’s awesome!

[@timroberts9596]

What do you use for Your setup

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Can you be more specific? My preference is Field Mode 1 for older properties.

[@rockscousteau]

Every "Sponsored" user of a Garrett Metal Detector on KZbin Buys Views an Subscribers to sell Garrett Metal Detectors. On a metal detector like this one the Equinox 800.....Nobody has to buy views to sell it. It is just GOOD.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

I appreciate your comments. I’m definitely not trying to sell anything. Just trying to provide information for people who love to metal detect!

[@user-nw1kz6qb1n]

@@mdutah-insearchofmormongold is there a chance to be on touch with you a phone number or something.

[@WilliamCasey-ro5vz]

I turned on my exqnox 800 for setup several times since I have bought it ' And held exactly like you and others in videos have said. Even " before I set the next button or button 2 in videos " ! My equinox is jumping around bep de blip de bep ! Set the 2nd button as illustrated in videos . DOESN'T CLEAR ! DOESN'T GO TO 2 HASHLINES AND BLANK NUMBERS ON THE SCREEN " ! JUST ! Continues to go be de blip de bep ! Numbers on display going crazy never ever stabilizes ! JUST ! BOUNCES AROUND INCENSE LIKE CRAZY ! I'VE HAD IT FOR 6 MONTHS TRIED 6 TIMES ! Just sits in storage collecting dust ! Because I went into hospital didn't return to distributer right away ! I HAVE TO RETURN TO MANUFACTURER ! WHAT A LAME DEAL !

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

I’m sorry to hear it’s not working for you. It’s hard to know what’s wrong with it without seeing it in person. From what you described, it could be a number of things. Hopefully you can get it fixed.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Some things that may cause a machine to act like that are RFI interference, low batteries, sensitivity level is set too high, out of balance, or a manufacturer’s defect.

[@dannyhand5278]

Purchased Nox 800 end of Nov. after noise cancellations ground balance continues lots of chatter,and headphones want charge.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Have you turned down the sensitivity level? Also, anything in the environment that may be causing interference?

[@dannyhand5278]

Have done both

[@MrDoccus]

You probably already tried it but trying a factory reset may fix it. Installing an update is also worth a try before returning it.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

I was recently out in the desert detecting and I started getting a lot of chatter. It ended up being interference from my cell phone. Once I turned off my phone, everything was fine. I've never had this issue before but it's something to be aware of.

[@sreekar57]

Can any one tell us what is the measuring depth of equinox 800

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

There are many variables as far as depth detection. The composition of the soil, the size of the object, and the settings on your machine. I've hit on larger iron objects 12"-18" deep. For coins and small relics, 6-10" is the average, but I've found a few with the Nox at about 12'.

[@mattmaza]

Does anyone know where i can get the best deal on this model?

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

I bought mine new on eBay for $760. I was a little nervous not buying from a dealer but it’s been awesome.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

I had the most incredible find with it last week!!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5W3m4CMZZeBfrssi=k3R8zlIYERMdydo0

[@razookrock]

How much deep it will indicate?only metal what about gold n gem

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Anything metallic. Gold for sure but not gems.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

As far as depth, it depends. Usually down to about 12” unless it’s a larger item.

[@JordanB-lc4oi]

Can you find a meteorite with it???

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Absolutely. Anything metal. Meteorites tend to be iron & nickel.

[@richardhumphrys7907]

Lead is a massive pain in the arse.

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

For sure!

[@tombombadil829]

...unless you can turn ot into gold....😂

[@brendonmonks6663]

I use it to make fishing sinkers

[@fpvsky2887]

Next time take off the glove so we can see what button you're pushing jeez

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@Brandanmayhew]

I bought the 800 and then the 900 came out a week later. In terms of performance do you think they are the same machine? If all the extra money is just for the light, carbon fibre sharf and for the shaft shortener bit and also the 6" coil then I don't think it will really matter or effect me. Another thing, is the 11" coil the stock one fine for park and beach? Thanks for the guide mate

[@mdutah-insearchofmormongold]

I’ve been wondering the same thing! The 800 is a great machine. How much better could the 900 or Manticore be? As far as coils, the 11” should be good for parks unless there is a ton of trash. In that case, you may want to switch to a smaller coil for more precise detecting. The advantage to the bigger coils is being able to cover more ground. There are no beaches here so I can’t offer much advice them.

[@Brandanmayhew]

@@mdutah-insearchofmormongold but if you go the smaller coil you could be walking over rings etc... stuff that. The bigger the better when it comes to coils😂. But yeah, I'm seeing people claim that the 900 is like a supercharged on steroids version of the 800 and has a faster processor but I mean that's the perfect sales pitch for a new machine and it fits in the advertisement of it perfectly. I honestly think they are the same and people are just getting confused with the volume going that but louder on the 900. If the 900 had better technology than the 800 then in theory it means the new 700 would out perform the 800 which means they going backwards. I really don't see there being any performance difference from the 600 to 900 just cosmetis and gold mode

[@Brandanmayhew]

@@mdutah-insearchofmormongoldof you just spent $1700 on a new machine and somebody told you it had tweaked processor you would most likely believe it and pass that info on when telling anybody about it. Whether it's actually true or not or even if they've tested it or not lol. Just makes the consumer feel better about what they've just bought