eric foster aquastar II

[seeker41]

since i cant find a aquastar II what detector would be a very close second in its abilities? if its not very close performance wise i'm not interested. goldscan 5? whites tdi sl? i will be using it on east coast florida beaches. if its not waterproof i will modify it.
chuck.

 

[Reg]

Seeker,

I will try to give you a possible answer to your question. As I know it,the Aquastar series preceded the Goldscan (GS)series and was the foundation upon which the GS series was built. So, basically, you can consider the GS series the next generation because of the additional design that goes into the preamp circuitry as well as the added ground balance feature.

So, in my opinion the GS 5 and the TDI series will come quite close or may even be slightly better than your Aquastar. At least, the potential is there. Now, I will say the handcrafted units personally built by Eric probably will be a little better than the factory assembly made TDI's. I don't expect the difference to be much but it could exist. I will also say that taking a GS 5 apart to fix is a real pain in the butt and isn't something I plan on doing again.

The GS 5 series and the original 200 TDI's were almost identical except for the single tone feature, the external speaker on the TDI, and the fact that Eric used IC sockets, thus making IC changes easier. The later TDI's are microprocessor controlled so reducing the delay isn't an easy task. The Aquastar and the GS 5 allowed the minimal delay to be reduces slightly, which enhanced small gold signals.

One final note and that is, for the GS 5 or the TDI to approach the Aquastar in sensitivity and depth capability, you have to turn off the GB on the GS 5 and/or TDI.

Reg

 

[seeker41]

n/t

 

[Eric Foster]

Hi Seeker 41 and Reg,

Just a few words of caution about the Aquapulse 2. It was primarily a diving detector for larger objects from quarter size up to bronze cannon. It also found a lot of use in the offshore industry locating pipelines and anchors etc. Due to its pulse delay of about 100uS it is of little use in finding gold rings or small coins. Why was such a long delay used? Well, as you dive in sea water the signal increases until you are at a depth of 30ft when it is constant until you are at a similar distance from the bottom. The large change in decay time amplitude of the water signal meant using a late delay to avoid receiver saturation. In waist deep water the delay can be reduced to 10 to 15uS so is not a problem and small rings and coins can be found, as with the GS5/TDI type detector. Another important point about the AQ2 is that the coils are not shielded as modern units are.

Maybe the makers of "Old Frothingslosh" printed the label upside down on the can so you had to turn it bottomside up to open, and hey presto there was the froth! A beer I once tried was "Old Engine Oil" which looked and tasted like it.

Eric.

 

[Eric Foster]

Hi All,

As with Dave and Reg, maybe age is taking its toll. Of course the question was about AQUASTAR, (was there a 11 version?). Too many detectors and too many years, plus in my case I returned yesterday from three weeks in Australia where you swap night for day. Aquastar is fine on the beach and shallows and pushes a bit more depth than the GS5 and its derivatives. If you can get one of course. I would still be making them if the cases were still available in quantities much less than 200off. Then again, I vowed to have done with manufacturing and just do fun developing in the twilight years.

High power PI was the name of the game in Oz and it worked well.

Eric.

 

[Reg]

Hi Eric,

It sounds like your trip to OZ was a success. Glad to hear it. When you get a chance and don't mind, please email me with some of the details. Oh yeah, hope you found some gold.

Also, glad to see you posting again. It has been a while.

Reg

 

[Tony]

Eric,

Glad to hear you are still about......I am still kicking myself for not getting an Aquastar !!
Although the slightly larger Ikelite case is still available.......hint, hint.....

Now I did hear that a 150oz nugget was discovered a while back in Victoria, Australia somewhere?

Did anyone see Eric struggling with his overweight suitcase through Heathrow airport?

Kep well Eric.......remember, never say never.

Tony

 

[ivanll]

Swapping night for day is just a matter of changing the watch from AM to PM.
Being born in the middle of a northern winter and as a kid always wishing for a birthday in the summer took a little more of permanent arrangement.
A plane flight and a 9 hour time shift and bingo a birthday in the middle of summer.

I like the sound of GS5 and development.
Perhaps another old Xmas wish ? might ? come ? true ?.................... not due to heat stroke because it also occur in the middle of summer...........but because if you wish real hard long enough and slip over on the other side of equator..........things can happen.

I'm wishing for a TDI afterburner in kit form or otherwise............and if Santa turns up in thongs (flip flops) Red Shorts and a Red Singlet........... another wish will have come true.


ivanll

 

[seeker41]

eric,
thank you for both replies regarding aquapulse(good info) and aquastar !!!!! im dieing to try a quality pi with the best sensitivity to tiny gold on a saltwater beach and since the aquastar II is imposible to find i was/am leaning toward searching for a goldscan 5 and then waterproofing it! but they are becoming very rare as well.

thanks again and keep posting.
chuck.

 

[RC]

So as I understand from these posts the Aquascan and Goldscans are no longer being made. I had a wonderful Anchor electronics barracuda with phenomenal depth. But as with all good things, they are no longer made. If I am wrong on the Goldscan aquascan no longer being made please feel free to correct me