MINELAB MANTICORE: DATA & PERFORMANCE

[EL NINO]

David........ even though this is a Manticore thread....... the Deus-2 w/9" coil test...... is absolutely 'valid' for educational comparison.
It is not the Deus-2's fault....... nor is it the Manticore's fault.......but/rather...... the principality of the physics imposed.

Your video///this data...... segues nicely into the following real-World resultant(s) =

There are conditions................................. I have detected sites.................. whereby............... ONLY the M9 coil ...opened up a site...... for the first time EVER in history.
There are conditions................................. I have detected sites.................. whereby............... ONLY the M8 coil ...opened up a site...... for the first time EVER in history.
There are conditions................................. I have detected sites.................. whereby............... ONLY the M11 coil...opened up a site...... for the first time EVER in history.
And all this data .....would hold true for the Deus-2 with it's optional/varying coil sizes.

Steve............. THANKS for letting me know....that my verbage is not garbage!
((( It's not uncommon for me to get TOO 'wordy'..... or too technical!!! )))

That is definitely a very correct thought Mr. Dankowski..

Each size of a given coil has a certain best separation advantage, depending on the Type of separation...

My recently done really demanding test field with 35 separation targets 3D placed between iron... very nicely show this fact... that a small coil may not be the most universal coil in separation in the case when it can find iron from both sides of the target..., even in cases when iron is placed on a deep target from only one side...

Smaller coils have an advantage in another type of separation situation... so for the best use of the separation properties of the detector we need at least 3 different sized coils... the best is a 4-6" coil, a 9" coil and an 11" coil..
Here it should be said one more thing that the detector itself must have a good 3D separation predisposition.. so that he can properly use the possibilities of all 3 coil sizes..

Ps.. I think David /Tns/ does a good job in testing...in testing detectors.. because some synthetic tests.. really match real situations in the field...

In other cases, some synthetic tests will lack the terrain factor,,with mineralization or dense littering with old iron,, which can really change the stability of the detector in detecting heavy iron,,.. when there are 3-5 different deeply buried iron targets under the coils..from old wrought iron..

[NASA-Tom]

David.......yes/correct. Thinking outside-the-box.....can REALLY change the engineering/invention/conception thought-process and (subsequent) direction.

El Nino..... This topic/subject deals with: enhancing separation...........................which means...........................we are only talking about higher/trashier areas. This is where the bulk of the targets reside...anyway!

Some (not-so-obvious) data that FULLY accentuates "why" different coil sizes ....CAN....... or CANNOT... light up certain targets .... in trashy areas:

You have a small coin at 6" deep. This depth target...hardly poses ANY challenge... to ANY size coil. Let's say there is a small fleck/flake of rust that is close to the small coin..... but at (say) 2" deep........and 2" away from Top Dead Center of the small coin.
To the 11" coil..... the tiny piece of rust/target....is hardly detectable (at any depth/range) to a 11" coil. So: the 11" coil DETECTS THE SMALL COIN.
To the 8" coil...... the tiny piece of rust/target....is a fairly large target......in comparison to the SIZE of the 8" coil. So: the small coil DETECTS THE RUST TARGET. Small coin goes: undetected.

Enhancing understanding: Let's talk about a air-rifle BB.
To a 11" coil...... a BB is a TINY (almost undetectable) target...... to the 11" coil.
BUT....... to a 5" coil (or M8) coil....... a BB looks like a cannon ball to the tiny coil !!!
This is to (clearly) try to say....... is the small coin "masked" by a cannon ball........ or NOT "masked" by a target that can hardly be detected/seen.....by a certain/larger coil !!!

In my painstaking Archaeological Site Recovery (Phase 1 & Phase 2) pit digs.......... I recover a TON of tiny maskers!!! MANY are air rifle BB's and ALSO tons of shotgun birdshot BB's..................... along with TONS of pepper-sized flecks/flakes of rust.
And you wonder "WHY" a detector can air-test a Dime to 17"......... but can NOT detect a Dime at only 6" deep!!!!!!!!!

[EL NINO]

Yes, everything is based on physics..because a small coil can receive a 10..x stronger signal to a nearby target...like say an 11" coil..
A years ago I saw a very nice graph of different sized coils..on Geotech1..which pointed out this fact..That also means a small coil it10x stronger signal from a very close iron than, for example, an 11" coil...that allowed me to understand why larger coils in deep 3D separation tests still gave better results than small coils...

Another thing Mr. Dankowski, I read very carefully your observation during archaeological work where you excavated and checked with a detector non-ferrous and ferrous targets that were excavated from precisely depth-controlled layers..in a given excavation area...
That should be a textbook example for many detectorists...how they should think when detecting such terrain..

133,200,300,coils.jpg (44.22 KiB) Viewed 2658 times

[Tnsharpshooter]

Video showing M8 coil.
Aluminum can signals deserve some respect and action imo.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IFiq8gCq1i4

[au pirata]

A couple of things I been thinking about..
1..does the manticore know it's an object with a curved side,
If so is it related to the waves sent into the sand,an do you know how many per second..
2. In high magnetite sand, why does the round object go to the upper most limit of the ferrous line,rather than the lower..
Thanks Tom

[Tnsharpshooter]

Here’s Manticore audio in the flesh.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fmDDa0x6ntI

[Airtemisa]

Hi Tom,

After spending some time studying and working in depth with the Manticore, I would like to ask for your technical perspective on the Beach Deep mode compared to the Beach Low Conductors mode, particularly in beach environments.

I have been analyzing both modes from a functional and conceptual standpoint, and I would really appreciate your insight into how they truly differ in detection philosophy, beyond the general idea of “depth,” and in which scenarios you feel one clearly outperforms the other.

Based on what I have studied and tested so far, my interpretation is that Beach Deep can be used in parallel with Low Conductors — not as a replacement — and should be oriented toward targets with compact mass and deep signal coherence. From that perspective, it seems reasonable to operate Beach Deep with:

- Recovery Speed set to RS 3,
- Ferrous limits around Upper / Lower = 5–1,
- All-metal operation enabled,
- And using the Prospecting audio profile, in order to maintain auditory continuity with Low Conductors.

I would like to ask whether this approach aligns with the original intent of the Beach Deep mode and, if so, under which ground conditions (wet sand, salt influence, mineralization, previously worked beaches, etc.) you feel this mode can provide a clear advantage over Low Conductors or Beach General.

In addition, I would be very interested in your thoughts on how the Beach Deep mode scales depending on coil selection, specifically when using the M8, M11, and M15 coils in saltwater beach environments, including wet sand, saturated sand, and underwater use.

From my experience, Beach Deep appears to behave quite differently depending on coil size — not only in terms of depth and coverage, but also in how it integrates ground signal, target mass, and overall audio stability. I would greatly value your perspective on:

- How you envision Beach Deep performing with M8 versus M11 in wet and underwater conditions, particularly regarding target separation versus deep mass detection.
- Whether the M15 coil was intended to be paired with Beach Deep for “last-pass” or recovery-style searches focused on larger, deeper targets in salt environments.
- And whether there are any coil-specific adjustments (recovery speed, ferrous limits, or general operating philosophy) that you would recommend when using Beach Deep across these different coils.

Finally, it would also be very helpful to understand the type of target you have in mind when you think about Beach Deep — for example, large and deep rings, compact buried mass, or targets that tend to fall outside the effective range of more reactive modes.

I know your time is valuable, but I truly believe that a few minutes of your insight on this topic would help many of us better understand a mode that is still not widely explored or clearly defined. Your clarification would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much for your time and for all the knowledge you share.

Best regards,

Eugenio

[stateguy]

Can anyone tell me will anything good come in the upper left hand side of the screen. Say numbers 1-10 especially gold

[Rick, N. MI]

id 2, maybe 1, in the iron range, is micro gold jewelry, which is very thin gold chains, small earring pins, very tiny pieces of gold and aluminum. Also would include very tiny piece of foil

Have to be in the right mode to hit those. I think they are worth finding with the price of gold right now.

[au pirata]

Can anyone tell me will anything good come in the upper left hand side of the screen. Say numbers 1-10 especially gold

Check my photo on page 12...50% of those targets are
VDI 1/10..