The QED and me

Goldtalkleonora, Don't know mate. Contact Goldsearch at Dunolly, as they are the outlet.

I have been following this thread with interest as the QED has been on and off the radar for years. Just wondering re the adjustment of settings on the QED for each coil and ground to get the best response from the buried targets.
Are these the settings you used for detecting in the area or is it tweaked as to get the best response for the test. Reason I ask this is being a member of a prospecting club Ive seen time and time again testing sessions at camps where people tweak and fiddle their machines with whatever detector/coil combo they have till they can get a satisfactory response on whatever buried target were all testing on, but then as soon as they go out and start detecting the the machine is unusable in the field and fiddle back their settings to what they pretty much had originally pre test when they couldn't hear the target.
Ive swung my GPZ over the M'boro test patch on several occasions with both the 14" and 19" coils and watched many others with a variety of detector and coil combinations and not to state the obvious, seen varied results depending on settings used many of which would make the detector unusable for actual detecting.
Thank you for the time you have taken to conduct the testing and reporting your results for the forum.

polak, while testing we found that an ideal setting over the target did not always provide a usable setting over nearby ground in general, so a compromise had to be reached in such cases. We did the same with the other detectors that were used for comparison. Some test results were controversial to say the least, but were repeated to make sure we had it right.

OK everyone, I have been following this topic for a while now and when I contacted Reg about other matters I mentioned that Coiltek had a test patch up here in Maryborough and he should try out the QED there. He agreed and asked if I would show him where it was and would I like to company him as a witness of the tests. I agreed as I have never seen the QED in the raw as they say. I was taking notes of test and settings on each coil used. Nothing else.
So this is my report as I see it. But before I start I would like to let everyone know that I have no connection with the QED in anyway or the company that makes them. I only came along as a witness and take notes.
Today we went out to the test area in the morning. The weather was fine but hot. About 26c.
Reg brought along 2 coils, 11” Coiltek Elite and a 18” Coiltek Elite. I brought my GPX 5000 with the 12” Nugget Finder Evolution. The test patch consisted of 5 lead targets, each at different depths. 3gm at 9”, 7gm at 12”, 15gm at 14” 2oz at 20” and 5.5 oz at 22”.
The first coil we tried was the 11”Elite. At first it took awhile to set up the machine and to except any targets. Reg had the machine set up for an area he was trying out earlier at Muckleford. But after a bit of playing around we had the QED with the 11” coil picking up ALL targets. Then we tried the 18”Elite coil. At first we kept the QED at the same settings for the 11” coil. But quickly realized that these setting weren’t going to work for the 18” coil. So back we went and started to reset some of the setting. Eventually we got the 18” to except ALL targets as well. Then we tried my 12” evolution coil. Starting of at first with the same setting as we used for the 11” Elite. These setting weren’t bad, but was not getting the same results as we were with the 11” Elite, that we would have liked. But with a bit of fine tuning we had the 12” Evolution picking up ALL targets just as good as the 11” Elite. On some targets it was slightly better and sharper target response.
We rated all target sounds for every coil used for 0 to 10. Zero being least response and 10 excellent response. We got every coil at the end of the day coming in between 6 to 9. On the two deeper targets we were getting around 7 and 8. Six was coming in most times for the 15gm’er. on all coils. Why, I’m not sure??

My personal opinion of the QED as what I saw from today’s test. And remember this is my opinion only. The QED is a good machine for the price. It will fit into the price zone below $2000 for a good possible gold machine. I say “a possible gold machine” because we did not go out into the goldfield after the test to put these settings to the test. The QED can take a variety of coils. Not like the SDC2300 were it only has one coil, for $3,300 price tag. Please don’t get me wrong the 2300 is an excellent and proven machine. But not everyone can afford the 2300 or a 5000 or even a 4500. So this machine in my opinion will fill that gap of affordability and can be used with many coils. The side effects of this machine that I could see was every time you wanted to change coils, you had to play around with new settings to get it to except all targets at depth and size. But if you are only planning to use one size coil only, and you have got all your settings right. The only thing you would have to do would be to adjust the ground balance, as this machine is a manual ground balancing machine. Do I like this machine "Yes" For the price it is an excellent machine. Would I buy one. Not yet until I see how it functions in the proper goldfields. But what I saw today I was impressed for such a small compact machine with a great punch. I won't compare this machine with other machines out there as all machines have there good points and bad points.
Reg is now going back and hitting the goldfields with these new setting as a start point. We did try my GPX5000 with my 12” coil over the test patch latter. And we also tried the GPZ7000 with it’s 14” coil and also with the 19” coil. I won’t mention these results as my report is on the QED only and no other detector.
Wombat  

Thank you Wombat, its an honest review

flyspecks wrote:Thank you Wombat, its an honest review

Thanks mate. I wrote it as I saw it.
wombat

Thanks Wombat and Reg

Thanks Wombat and Reg for taking the time to test these machines out, and for an honest review on the QED.

Quote: polak Just wondering re the adjustment of settings on the QED for each coil and ground to get the best response from the buried targets.
Are these the settings you used for detecting in the area or is it tweaked as to get the best response for the test Reason I ask this is being a member of a prospecting club I’ve seen time and time again testing sessions at camps.

Where people tweak and fiddle their machines with whatever detector/coil combo they have, till they can get a satisfactory response on whatever buried target they are testing on.

But then as soon as they go out and start detecting the machine is unusable in the field and they fiddle back their settings to what they pretty much had originally pre test when they couldn't hear the target.

================================================================================

Hi Polak. I totally agree with what you have said there. Yes it is one thing to set up your detector / coil combinations so that it allows you to pick out a test target at a specific test site.

But to find an actual universal number of the correct settings, when out in the field detecting for real gold targets, this is entirely another matter.
In fact, as the ground changes every few metres or so, this makes the re-setting of the many adjustments including the G/Balance, a much harder task.

With a digital detector these settings are all interlinked, so move one of these, and you have to recheck the others.

Thank you Reg & Wombat for your time and effort testing the QED at the Coiltek Test Site. Your reports are slowly filling in the blanks, and are letting us all know your progress in testing this new detector.

To my way of looking at it, getting about finding small gold with a smaller coil is great for those that use a detector as a hobby.

But put yourself out there with a 14”inch or up to a 20”in mono coil, detecting over hot changeable goldfields ground finding gold, then you can let us all know what you think about this machine.

Cheers ozgold.

Ozgold, I think I answered Polaks query about settings on the test bed, where tuning was altered off the pad, and a compromise was reached and that was the setting noted down.
As far as big coils are  concerned, it appears the large coil is actually smoother than the smaller ones, with my favorite so far being the 25" nuggetfinder. Once ground balance is achieved, it is rarely necessary to change it, and should ground change require it, no other settings need to be adjusted.
The results from the test pad are no more than an indication of the ability of the QED, and are certainly not claimed to be conclusive, however I am now satisfied that those tests and others I have conducted are proof enough for me that I can now go prospecting in confidence using the QED.
For bush use, the 11" Elite, and for the open ground, the 25" Nuggetfinder. For the time being, these will be my weapons of choice.

Reg Wilson wrote:I can now go prospecting in confidence using the QED.
For bush use, the 11" Elite, and for the open ground, the 25" Nuggetfinder. For the time being, these will be my weapons of choice.

Reg ' Are you saying that the 7000 will Not be your 1st preference for prospecting from now on ?

:Q32:for doing these posts
Jack .

Jack, I won't be selling my Z , but the QED is so light, and with wireless headphones, so easy to use. I have a busted wrist from a motorbike prang, and after a day with a heavy detector, even with a harness, I can't hold up a pot of beer. Changing hands doesn't help for long, as the left one is damaged too. I have modified my QED to put less strain on my wrist, and now using a bungy on the 25" I can spend more time in the field, as the NF 25 is a beautiful light coil for its size.
The QED is built for prospectors, not just a modified military detector that is an ergonomic nightmare. I've always been tempted to chop up a Z, and lighten and 'hotrod' it. There is no reason for that detector to be so heavy. The only good thing going for that machine is the electronics. It could be so much lighter. I'm sure that between Mr. Beatty and myself, we could cut the weight in half. If anyone would like to give us one, I'm sure we could give it a try.

Wombat wrote:OK everyone, I have been following this topic for a while now and when I contacted Reg about other matters I mentioned that Coiltek had a test patch up here in Maryborough and he should try out the QED there. He agreed and asked if I would show him where it was and would I like to company him as a witness of the tests. I agreed as I have never seen the QED in the raw as they say. I was taking notes of test and settings on each coil used. Nothing else.
So this is my report as I see it. But before I start I would like to let everyone know that I have no connection with the QED in anyway or the company that makes them. I only came along as a witness and take notes.
Today we went out to the test area in the morning. The weather was fine but hot. About 26c.
Reg brought along 2 coils, 11” Coiltek Elite and a 18” Coiltek Elite. I brought my GPX 5000 with the 12” Nugget Finder Evolution. The test patch consisted of 5 lead targets, each at different depths. 3gm at 9”, 7gm at 12”, 15gm at 14” 2oz at 20” and 5.5 oz at 22”.
The first coil we tried was the 11”Elite. At first it took awhile to set up the machine and to except any targets. Reg had the machine set up for an area he was trying out earlier at Muckleford. But after a bit of playing around we had the QED with the 11” coil picking up ALL targets. Then we tried the 18”Elite coil. At first we kept the QED at the same settings for the 11” coil. But quickly realized that these setting weren’t going to work for the 18” coil. So back we went and started to reset some of the setting. Eventually we got the 18” to except ALL targets as well. Then we tried my 12” evolution coil. Starting of at first with the same setting as we used for the 11” Elite. These setting weren’t bad, but was not getting the same results as we were with the 11” Elite, that we would have liked. But with a bit of fine tuning we had the 12” Evolution picking up ALL targets just as good as the 11” Elite. On some targets it was slightly better and sharper target response.
We rated all target sounds for every coil used for 0 to 10. Zero being least response and 10 excellent response. We got every coil at the end of the day coming in between 6 to 9. On the two deeper targets we were getting around 7 and 8. Six was coming in most times for the 15gm’er. on all coils. Why, I’m not sure??

My personal opinion of the QED as what I saw from today’s test. And remember this is my opinion only. The QED is a good machine for the price. It will fit into the price zone below $2000 for a good possible gold machine. I say “a possible gold machine” because we did not go out into the goldfield after the test to put these settings to the test. The QED can take a variety of coils. Not like the SDC2300 were it only has one coil, for $3,300 price tag. Please don’t get me wrong the 2300 is an excellent and proven machine. But not everyone can afford the 2300 or a 5000 or even a 4500. So this machine in my opinion will fill that gap of affordability and can be used with many coils. The side effects of this machine that I could see was every time you wanted to change coils, you had to play around with new settings to get it to except all targets at depth and size. But if you are only planning to use one size coil only, and you have got all your settings right. The only thing you would have to do would be to adjust the ground balance, as this machine is a manual ground balancing machine. Do I like this machine "Yes" For the price it is an excellent machine. Would I buy one. Not yet until I see how it functions in the proper goldfields. But what I saw today I was impressed for such a small compact machine with a great punch. I won't compare this machine with other machines out there as all machines have there good points and bad points.
Reg is now going back and hitting the goldfields with these new setting as a start point. We did try my GPX5000 with my 12” coil over the test patch latter. And we also tried the GPZ7000 with it’s 14” coil and also with the 19” coil. I won’t mention these results as my report is on the QED only and no other detector.
Wombat  

Thanks for that Wombat ,smart idea taking notes ,to easy to forget hot at 22 deg's ,crikey where i'm at the moment i'd be looking for a jacket .... ....  .... Yes it's a hot ol summer .
 Yeah funny how the audio / response was best on the 15 grammer                                                                    
    *  Just trying to get a feel for the ground you were testing ,what timings were you using on your 5k ,normal /special ?? 
     * and it appears to me any way ,that the biggest hurdle with this machine ,is the '' LEARNING CURVE '' with what appears to be a serious little detector , '' and whilst I appreciate our leaning curves are different '' , personally how did you feel at the end ??                                                                                                                                       

    
     *  Me , I've downloaded the manual ,and read and reread it ,till I started to get a head ache ,but whilst the basics of any detector are similar ,I guess ,it would be like  jumping from a 5k to a 7k

Top stuff reg and wombat,thanks,sounding pretty good reg,you say its handling the ground changes in vic ok reg,was down there for many yrs so i know what its like,ive allways said alot of ground in wa i think is as mineralised as vic but its a different kettle of fish,in vic it can change within 6ft from one extreme to the other,wa can be a bit hot but most areas the grounds so consistent it's never a problem,this thing should handle the ground here quite ok im guessing....

So am I correct in assuming that you do not have to readjust the Z, 5000 or 4500 after changing coils?

Reg Wilson wrote:Ozgold, I think I answered Polaks query about settings on the test bed, where tuning was altered off the pad, and a compromise was reached and that was the setting noted down.
As far as big coils are  concerned, it appears the large coil is actually smoother than the smaller ones, with my favorite so far being the 25" nuggetfinder. Once ground balance is achieved, it is rarely necessary to change it, and should ground change require it, no other settings need to be adjusted.
The results from the test pad are no more than an indication of the ability of the QED, and are certainly not claimed to be conclusive, however I am now satisfied that those tests and others I have conducted are proof enough for me that I can now go prospecting in confidence using the QED.
For bush use, the 11" Elite, and for the open ground, the 25" Nuggetfinder. For the time being, these will be my weapons of choice.

 Thanks again Reg , captivating reading .Your a game man Reg   The learning curve must be huge !!
          * Reg , it appears to me ,any way ,that like any other detector you can still track out smaller / larger targets , coil size etc ,so it appears obvious that you still have to set it up correctly for what your chasing target size / ground cond etc  ? ?
          * Reg , it astounds me that you can run  a 25'' Mono  so smooth , how much of that is due to the machines ability to noise cancel / filter audio ? ? 
          * it appears that it has very fast tracking ? ?
           * and finally , and yeah  I know it's '' BLOODY '' hard to say ,I know ,but how confident are you on those buried targets ,that if '' NOT '' knowing they where there , could you of picked up other wise ? ? 
             Cheers once again .


            PS, according to the manual ,DD's don't run very well on it ,pity ,would of loved to see how a DD would of gone

Hi Reg and Wombat thanks for posting the results of your testing. Is there any more tests to come Reg? If so what do you have in mind?

Only following this thread to see if the QED may be a better choice in overall performance over a 7000 or a 5000 for serious gold prospecting in many different situations all over Australia. No endorsements seen yet. Lots of teasers, but obvious by now no one will say the QED is the best gold detector. If it was people would be shouting it out because time would prove them right
So to me at best it sounds attractive for good performance and light weight if needed,at a modest price.
Thanks for yours thoughts testers. Done with this 10 year old thread
Tributer

bloodgold2 wrote:Hi Reg and Wombat thanks for posting the results of your testing. Is there any more tests to come Reg? If so what do you have in mind?

If its taken to testbeds etc again soon id love to see some footage,easily done in this day and age......

I've been setting up my prototype QED, which Reg obtained for me from Howard:



Built on an old whites Coinmaster frame, the first thing I did was set up a LIPO power supply. This 5000 MAH cell should run the box for about 10 hours, based on an average current consumption of 450 MAH. It's an identical 7.4v cell to those I use in the 5000, and can be swapped out in seconds for rapid charging (10 minutes) Although it is simply velcroed to the cut back underside of my old Coinmaster box, it is quite well shielded from damage and is fuse protected:



Next up was to add the Sennheiser transmitter, which is only slightly smaller than the tiny QED box and also velcroes onto the top of the box with a short audio link cable, seen here from the rear. Note the firmware update socket fitted to these prototypes:



So far I've little more than run it to establish everything works, which it does.  



Total weight complete with an 11" commander coil is under 2 Kilos:

Well done James. What we see here is the future of gold detecting. Super light. Super functional. Super usable.
The urge to go prospecting for some serious color is irresistible, so having tested the QED to the stage where it can now stand up for itself, I bow out of testing, and take to the bush. Other new users I am sure will step up to provide information and help for those that are seriously interested in this new 'all Australian' detector. My reasons for embarking on this testing program were purely selfish, as after my first contact with the QED I could see it had potential, and if there was going to be a step forward, then I wanted to be part of it. I just hope that forum members have found it interesting.
I will post any developments that prove of interest, but it will just not be as regularly. Thanks for your involvement,  cheers, Reg.

Hey JR
You have a  minelab cover on, with the QED..  it may upset a few
Will be waiting for your report on the QED..

Reg.. i will be waiting for a few pictures of some QED gold..
As all detectors can find lead..
It also sounds as though the QED is not a beginners machine, if one wants to keep swapping coils..
Hopefully an instruction booklet will come with it, to show what setting are needed for each coil.
Or some coils

Hey WOMBAT!!!  
You would see a $$$ or 2  in selling secret setting's  cheeky bugger

It's a real hybrid Jen, Whites stem, Minelab armrest cover and QED box with Sennheiser "Kleer" transmitter.

I won't be able to seriously test it around here though, stuff all nuggety gold. I might take it to Yambulla and chase some flys*it, just to get the hang of it, but as soon as the weather cools-- Victoria here I come --

Go get 'em Reg!

jrbeatty wrote:It's a real hybrid Jen, Whites stem, Minelab armrest cover and QED box with Sennheiser "Kleer" transmitter.

I won't be able to seriously test it around here though, stuff all nuggety gold. I might take it to Yambulla and chase some flys*it, just to get the hang of it, but as soon as the weather cools-- Victoria here I come --

Go get 'em Reg!

It sure is JR.. a real mix match.. as long as it works..

Enjoy fellows..

Hi Reg, first of all I commend you on apologizing to Ridge Runner, shows character,  seems as you haven't found any more than a tiny colour  since you began tests with the QED. If the results of the coilteck  bed was anything to go off there should be gold left in your favorite spots that the current machines have previously missed Not out to start a shat fight just pointing out my thoughts bro. I hope the Aussie inventor does well the price is attractive, but more so it lives up to the hype created to the prospectors out there that will have a punt on the machine without no gold finds to back up. Cheers Dave.   https://golddetecting.forumotion.net/t24672-the-qed-and-me

Reg Wilson wrote: I'm sure that between Mr. Beatty and myself, we could cut the weight in half. If anyone would like to give us one, I'm sure we could give it a try.

We're not exactly overloaded with offers yet, Reg

Good chance you could be offered one in the near future !
How much will you charge ?    

Ok, i might have missed a post but when Wombat ran the other detectors over the Coiltek test patch we dont get to know the result? Because its only about the Q? Um, then why mention the Zed on the test if its only about the Q, that doesnt make sense?? Unless i missed a post that told about the 5 & 45 results, if so i am completley sorry and i mean that, compared to the Q then i have to say this is getting even more bizarre. How many here have been hanging out to hear the Q vs ...... ? Then they do it and say "na na na na na, we're not telling" WT? Is this an alternative reality iv fell in to?

Chatter wrote:Ok, i might have missed a post but when Wombat ran the other detectors over the Coiltek test patch we dont get to know the result? Because its only about the Q? Um, then why mention the Zed  on the test if its only about the Q, that doesnt make sense?? Unless i missed a post that told about the 5 & 45 results, if so i am completley sorry and i mean that, compared to the Q then i have to say this is getting even more bizarre. How many here have been hanging out to hear the Q vs ...... ? Then they do it and say "na na na na na, we're not telling"  WT?   Is this an alternative reality iv fell in to?

Hi Chatter
Nope, you havent missed a post.
Usually people want to see the reports against machines..
They compare coils against one another.
Why not the detectors.

Best i can make of this thread is that Reg see's the QED as a complementary machine to the other machines and given its light weight means for him it will be a practical tool. Reading between the lines he is nor getting rid of his z7000 may mean what? maybe the QED did not do as well as the Z but close enough or not it's your guess.

Cant see why the comparison results of the other machines could not be published seems a bit half baked.

Would also like to know how it works regarding Emi. Should be easily observed maybe i missed it.

QED likes gold better than lead I thought that should be true for all detectors given the conductivity of Gold is much higher than lead or am i wrong. Was this any different for the other machines? Does it mean less lead shot and more gold? wouldn't that be nice but unlikely.

At least at this stage it seems it is not a dud and at the price offered is likely to be out there getting real battleground testing by many folks.
Well I guess we shall be waiting with baited breath to see the next installment! Hopefully Reg will win some gold!

I have thought for ages that there should be a standard test bed with published results perhaps others have compared the Gpx to the Z and can fill in the blanks!

Dave