Honest Opinions of the Omega

[CladDog]

Hello.

I am looking seriously at the Omega as my next detector. Especially with the stock 10" coil. I really want to like this detector, but I have a few concerns based on my research (these forums can be a great and an awful place at the same time ) and if anyone who owns or uses an Omega cares to chime in, please feel free.

1. EMI. Teknetics seems to get tons of complints about being affected by EMI, more so than other detectors. In fact, a few people have said they can use other detectors in the same areas you cannot use an Omega because of its senstivity to EMI. Have you found EMI to be a constant problem when hunting in urban areas, or only an occassional problem? I have run with Tesoros mostly in the past and only encountered EMI issues in a couple of places, just for the sake of comparison.

2. Ground Errors. I live in an area with very very low mineralization. I talked to one guy in my area who said he had problems with ground errors on his Omega and he could not understand it. He was consantly manually adjusting the ground error screen to keep it balanced. Do you find yourselves doing this often? I do not know how experienced this person was with the Omega, so I don't just want to take his word for it.

3. Senstivity. His other ciomplaint was that the target ID screen was entremely jumpy and therefore almost worhtless. I asked him how high his sensitivity was set and he said he was running it near max for better depth. I have a feeling that may have been his problem with the jumpy screen. Would you agree?

4. Construction. I love the stated weight of this machine and it seems like it will be perfect with my bad shoulder. However, some on this and other forums have commented that the construction was "cheap". Their words, not mine. Not having used this unit, have you encountered any issues with construction or build quality? From the pictures I have seen it looks just fine to me, but I haven't held one yet.

Anyway, I really appreciate any replies to these questions. It is always great to hear from people who actually use these detectors than just listening to some salesman.

 

[jim tn]

One of the main things I love about the Omega is how accurate its id is for coin hunting. And, I almost always run mine at 99 sen and 1 disc. No, not every target locks on all the time 100 %. Those that are very deep, co-located with other targets and coins on edge, will cause a more bouncy id. But, if say the target is a deep dime, you will not see a bounce from 50 to 90, as an example. It will be within a few numbers of what a typical dime reading would be. I do occasionally experience a emi issue, but such occurrences are far more rare then common place. And I hunt the typical places one hunts for coins and jewelry in a urban environment. Those that referenced the construction of the Omega as "cheap" perhaps were comparing the feel to detectors that weigh considerably more? I am close to three years with mine now and nothing on it is loose, bent or broken. I know I thoroughly enjoy my Omega. HH jim tn

 

[CladDog]

Thank you for that Jim. That is precisely the kind of information I was looking for.

 

[pitcher]

Ive had my Omega since Dec.2012 and its great, got it from Monte and he has helped me alot with it, EMI yeah it has that problem but so has most of the other detectors Ive had, like the whites, fisher and the minelab.
Target ID, so far its the best Ive used and it locks on pretty good even in trash when using the 5" coil.
Cheap, No its not cheap and its holding up just fine, its very light weight and I think alot of people are use to soild built whites I know I was, this was a concern for me but after using it alot and I mean alot Im very happy with it.
Senstivity, Thats a big problem with most people, they want to run it at max all the time and that does not work, not on the Omega or any other detector, you have to set your detector to match the location you are hunting, Disc, Sens, and the coil.
If you run any detector at max all the time with the biggest coil you can find you will have nothing but problems, thats with any detetcor.
Ive been playing with this hobby for along time, not as long as guys like Monte but Ive tryed my fair shair of detectors and the Omega is nice, but the first thing you need to ask yourself is what kind of hunting will you be doing before you buy anything.

Pitcher.

 

[RichW]

One of my all time favorite machines and I've used a bunch. I mostly used Tesoros until I got the Omega. It has a few issues in certain areas I hunt but so do my other machines. The Omega is a keeper.

 

[Monte]

FACT: "There is no such thing as a 'perfect' metal detector."​

I have preached this a lot through the years. To friends. To individuals I encounter. To those who have been customers. To folks attending seminars I have hosted since 1981. NONE are 'perfect.' Some are terrible. A FEW are exceptional or 'above average.' A bunch are just 'average' detectors and can work 'OK.' The Omega, in my opinion after 3+ years of hunting with it, is in the 'above average' category.

FACT: ALL Detectors can experience EMI issues.​

Sometimes we can't hear any EMI noise because, quite simply, some detectors lack a high gain (sensitivity) capability. There are some, such as a White's Classic series model that you can run at maximum Sensitivity almost all the time and the audio remains smooth and unbothered. On only a very few occasions have I had problems with a Classic model (and I have owned a lot). The White's M6 and MXT Pro are example of a manufacturer who uses a 'Preset' marker to suggest a good setting that will provide performance, but be below maximum ... cautioning that a higher setting might get unstable and noisy.

Some models, such as most Tesoro units, have an orange-colored section at the upper-end range that they call "Max Boost." If you adjust into this higher Sensitivity zone, it can get chattery with EMI problems. This is a concern with any quality make or model, that with a higher Sensitivity setting, and depending upon the type of nearby sources that can cause instability, you could experience some EMI issues. D I ever have EMI problems with my Omegas? Yes, at times, but almost always the are in urban settings and close to some obvious sources. Places like playgrounds close to a school, working under high-power transformers or heavy use power lines, in the dense downtown Portland, Oregon area where there are a lot of business communication devices in use and everything is quite tight ad congested.

However, I d not spend all my time in a dense urban environment, if I can help it, and most of the time I have my Sensitivity set at the maximum '99' and Discrimination at the minimum '1', and this combination can lead to a more noisy hunting condition, if close t some annoyance. I don't mind hunting at the 'edge of stability' and might have to reduce the Sensitivity a little ifs EMI is too bothersome. The Omega does help out a little in that you also have a Frequency Shift. It sometimes works, but for me I often don't use that feature, preferring to simply reduce the Sensitivity enough to handle the conditions ... or move on to a different site or change detectors. There have been times I had problems with another unit and went to the Omega to handle a site w/o any instability, too.

Just look a it this way. The Omega provides a level of Sensitivity HIGHER than might be required for the conditions at hand. If things are very favorable, we can run it up at '85' to '99' and enjoy the search. But I have done well when I have had to drop the Sensitivity down to the '50' to '65' range in ugly, noisy environments.

FACT: Ground minerals can change, and the Omega's Ground Error display can be helpful.​

It is important to have a functional Ground Balance for the site you are hunting. It is easy to check for any change in the conditions simply by using the All Metal Pinpoint feature and check, if we think th ground mineral make-up has changed. To help users stay alert to changes in the ground conditions, the Omega has the Ground Error display. This will let us visually monitor the GB conditions an it's good to either no see any 'error lines' below or above the center base-line.

Usually, if you're just one bar up or down, there isn't much of a concern. It is when the display shows 2 or 3 bars that you can simply manually tweak the GB, or pause and use the Ground Grab function. If you are in moderately mineralized ground, I don't think there is need to constantly be adjusting the Ground Balance setting. It could be that your friend isn't that familiar with his Omega, the Ground Error function, or how to manually adjust the GB.

FACT: The Omega's TID display performance.​

I do not rely on the icon TID info as much as the VDI numeric read-out. Some of the best models on the market today, in my opinion, for good, lock-on TID are the White's M6, MXT Pro and Teknetics Omega and Gamma. My favorite Teknetics model is the Omega. I have found it to provide the best TID and VDI 'Lock-on' of any of the Teknetics line, and changed from using the T2 to the Omega partly for that reason. Some people sweep a search coil to quickly and this can cause the unit not be as accurate due to too much signal traffic in the processing circuitry, especially if they are in a dense target environment and are hitting on multiple targets. I run Sensitivity at '99' and the maximum setting doesn't impair the visual ID performance, but it CAN, if you are hunting in an environment with a lot of EMI as that causes instability in the first place. That's true with any make or mode detector.

FACT: Metal Detector Construction.​

I pamper my detectors, and always have. I have seen heavy-duty, metal-constructed control housings beat-up, and scratched to the point of not being recognizable. I have seen detectors, of all types of construction, bent and abused. That's not how they are supposed to be used. They are electronic devices, not gardening tools. Three years and more with my Omega and not a problem. I have used the Omega to find coins from old silver dimes, 'V' nickels and Indian Head cents in my first two weeks, to a nice big, silver Peace Dollar in my 2nd month with it. Since that start I have hunted in many urban settings in several western states, and ghost town in Oregon, Utah and Nevada, and brushy environments in the dense woods working old lumbering camps and town sites.

The Omega and my other Teknetics models are working well and holding together just fine under all normal use.

Monte

 

[CladDog]

Monte, thank you for the thoughtful, detailed responses. The voice of experienced users is always appreciated.

 

[Shenandoah Digger]

I've had the Omega since it came out and it's my favorite detector of all time. I like it better than any top of the line machine I've owned, and I've owned the best Minelab, Fisher, White's and Teknetics have to offer. I, like Monte, take very good care of my machines, don't beat them around, and clean them after each use. Everything I own looks like new. While it's not "built like a tank" why does it need to be? I don't clear brush with it, and it's not so sensitive that it won't hold up under regular conditions. Mine's never been back to Teknetics, and I've got many many hours on it.

 

[CladDog]

Well, you guys sold me. I just ordered one. Wish me luck.

 

[CladDog]

My thanks to Bart at Big Boys Hobbies. I have bought several detectors from him and his prices and service can't be beat.

 

[pitcher]

Monte knows his detectors and he knows how to use them, I got my Omega from him during the winter and he has helped me alot, Ive used whites forever and really love them but after having my secound shoulder surgery I knew I had to find a lighter machine.
I didnt know about the Omega at all but Monte told me to give it a try and Im real happy I did, still have alot to learn but Ive found some good stuff already and still looking, like most people I couldnt wait to get that big 11"DD coil on and it does have its place but I found out real fast that the 5"DD coil fits where I hunt alot better, Monte tryed to warn me about the big coil but I had to learn the hard way.
Im still hoping that Whites will come out with a lighter machine that fits my needs but even if they do and I buy it I will keep my Omega.

Pitcher

 

[CladDog]

I am going to start with the 10" concentric that comes standard.

Not a big fan of DD coils right now because of they way they love to hit on bottlecaps, which is my most hated form of trash.

I will likely add the 5" coil soon,

 

[Shenandoah Digger]

I own the stock coil, the 5 inch, and the 11 DD. I almost never take the 11 DD off unless I'm hunting an old house site. The DD coil, when using no disc. and 2 tone will always (at least for me) go to the low iron tone when you whip it fast over a target if it's a bottle cap. You'll hear the higher tone, but the low tone will always creep through. It won't do that on a coin. And it's deep as hell too.