Righto, this is based on my last 4 or 5 trips combined.
Today was the 2nd time I've been able have 2 QED,s on the ground as well as a GPX 4500 and a souped up GP 3000 to compare.
So I started at an old patch, really flogged. Also started with the 4500 and 12" evo. Quiet morning, no emi, gain 11 stab 12, enhance, shotty pellets and boot tacks. Left the last target in the ground, switched to QED.
QED 14*9 evo, GB 132, gain 3 , bias 46, more on that soon.
Had trouble found balancing, slowed right down, was very very careful. Couldn't get it to shut up! Bias was on 52 from last outing, this morning was cool by our standard, about 20 deg c. Dropped the bias to 46, all good, another GB, set at 132, all good. Got emi spikes??? Didn't get any with the GPX???
Went straight to the last target I got with the gpx, just a very soft signal with the QED. Dug it, and couldn't find it in the spoil??? Moved the dirt with my feet, nothing???
QED noisy again, tried another GB, no go??? Adjusted the bias to 48, all good again, went back over the spoil, found a boot tack.
Change to the last patch I was at, last time I was there, about a week or so ago, I got 7 or 8 small bits for @ 2 GMs. Looked like someone else has been there, looked like a ww1 battlefield....craters everywhere!
Started with the gpx, no gold but lots of targets. Switched to the QED, here we go again! Couldn't GB, set bias to 50, then 52, GB just OK, but lots of ground noise, and the odd emi spike. (No emi with the gpx, but some ground noise,but not as bad as the QED)
After a while, I got the ***** with it, and put it back in the car. Met up with my mate to askba few questions about his QED. His GB was considerably lower than mine, at about 112 compared to my 132(his QED is pre production though) he also got emi spikes that he didn't get with his GP 3000.
All up. What I think about my QED.
Its unbalanced, and I find it coil heavy, even with a small coil, needs a bungy, or I suffer a sore wrist.(the D tech package has better ergonomics) mine is on a whites s bend shaft.
It really needs an auto ground balance if you are in variable ground, I was in mild to foul dolerite today, and it was unusable in the dolerite proper, OK on the edge. The gpx just handled the main dolerite after dropping the gain from 10 to 7 and bringing the stab to 10. Couldn't adjust the QED to run quiet in it, but that could have been me, but ffs I tried!
For the money, just under $2k new with a nf evo, its good value, but then you need to add stuff....the battery pack and charge routine (gold search package) how do you say it....f@#king sucks!
I'm getting a Z tek battery pack, much better and great value.
Needs a bungy, cause its coil heavy, or a counter balance at the rear. Battery pack dosnt offset it much.
Headphones. It has a small headphone jack, so you need a good adaptor to use headphones compatible to the gpx, its a pain. So I got a set of wireless detecnix from all round good guy Nenad, but there's another $200 bucks to the package.
So what did I hope for?
What I really hoped the QED would do is punch deeper than a gpx in enhance. Does it? No. About the same, but I think the audio of the gpx is better, resulting in better target I.d. (I also use a Nokia speaker, with the qed, which I think is better than the headphones on still days, $20!)
My advice for a 1st detector buyer? Save a bit more and get a gpx. Am I going to keep the QED? Hell yes! The maker is working on upgrades right now, and it will defiantly mature into a really good detector, but its not quite there yet IMO.
Hope I don't get put into the naughty corner Bugs! Its just my opinion, and it could just be the way I'm using it, but I much prefer my gpx at the moment.
Dave.
