Interestingly enough, after all the talk of singlefreakers being obselete, there is a very good chance that the new ML machine “leaked” at the distributor meeting recently will be a selectable two freaquency singlefreaker. Here’s my guess. It is based on two posts on Steve H’s forum - one (from Finders Keepers) claiming that the mew machine would be “Multi IQ” (like the NOX. The other from MD-Hunter claiming 3 detectors which would be “VFLEX IQ” - VFLEX like the X-Terra.
OK, here’s my guess. (Posted originally at Steve’s place) I guess that MD-Hunter’s post is right and the Finders Keepers one is wrong. I guess that its “VFLEX IQ” and not “Multi IQ”.
Why, because this new machine (or series) is likely intended to fill the big hole left in the under $600 range by the near disappearance of the X-Terra line. The sales of these must be languishing and the GoFind isn’t an adequate substitute. The VFLEX Technology was highly touted but 3 frequencies and needing separate coils for each frequency confused the heck out of would be buyers and would put a real enthusiast in the poorhouse.
If I’m right, then I suspect this will be pitched as a breakthrough in single frequency detector design using the I/Q technology developed for the Multifreakers. Here’s a bit from Minelab about the IQ part of Multi IQ (just mentally delete the first three words of the below text).
Simultaneous Multi-Frequency In-phase and Quadrature Synchronous Demodulation.
We can go to a statement from Dr Philip Wahrlich, our principal technology physicist, about a key difference of Multi-IQ compared to the demodulation taking place in conventional single frequency VLF detectors:
“Within the Multi-IQ engine, the receiver is both phase-locked and amplitude-normalized to the transmitted magnetic field – rather than the electrical voltage driving the transmitted field. This field can be altered by the mineralization in the soil (in both phase and amplitude), so if the receiver was only phased-locked to the driving voltage, this would result in inaccurate target IDs and a higher audible noise level. Locking the receiver to the actual transmitted field, across all frequencies simultaneously (by measuring the current through the coil) solves these issues, creating a very sensitive AND stable detector”
On the other hand, they preached so hard about multi now “obseleting” singlefreakers that it might be hard to go back.
The CDX replacement will take a lot longer I suspect as they learn from the shortcomings of the Equinox what the “Supernox” has to be in order to justify a greater than $1k price.
We’ll see.
