Clever design is not necessarily something you come across everyday of the week, but when you do cross its path it is immediately recognizable for its ingenuity, practicality and applicability. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the new Minelab Quattro MP.

Born of a long line of innovative Minelab metal detectors, this new detector not only stands apart from its predecessors, but most of its contemporaries in the detector world as well, because it is imbued with that genius flair which marks out clever design. This detector dares not just to be different, but radical and, having lived with it for a considerable period of time, I think I can confidently predict that the influence of this detector is going to be felt in detecting circles for a long time to come. This is a benchmark detector – imbued with the sort of individuality and character, not to mention its detecting abilities prowess that other detectors strive for but few ever attain. Why the name Quattro? It’s the Italian word for four and besides being the fourth type of a Multi-Frequency detector the ‘ four theme ‘ is also embedded in the electronics. The new Quattro MP uses four channels of signal processing and, has four pre-programmed modes to operate in covering all eventualities. It is designed to get you detecting right away and each of the four search modes can be manually tweaked and personalized and any changes made to the factory settings can be saved in all four modes and brought back again at any time. In fact, switching between modes is so easy and straightforward it is encouraged to get the best from this new detector.

What sets this mid-ranged detector apart from the rest is it utilizes FBS - Full Band Spectrum Multi-Frequency Technology, which is found only in the more expensive Minelab range of metal detectors. In addition, and setting it apart from other brands is the new meter design showing probable target representations of, most metals to be found in the ground. Areas where gold, silver, copper, iron, foil and aluminum targets can fall are shown as well as lead, which comes in all shapes and sizes on many fields detected on. For sheer simplicity and ease of use right out of the box, the Quattro MP looks set to becoming a sure-fire winner and setting out truly to make this detector a popular choice the world over.

DESIGN & LAYOUT

The front panel is a delight. It is very well thought out and everything falls to hand easily and naturally, even while scrolling through the selections in the easy navigable menu. You simply cannot go wrong. If you do, just reverse what you had done in seconds via the – minus/ plus + touch pads, foolproof really. Central to Quattro’s operation is the very large MENU/SELECT push button control which allows the operator to access the main menu choices which include, Sensitivity, Threshold, Noise Cancel, Volume, Contrast and a brand new innovative feature never seen previously, Trash Density Low & High. High level is for those sites with a higher than normal ferrous material content. To the left of the Menu/Select button is a - minus sign which allows one to reverse or reduce settings and to the right there is a + plus push pad which allow settings to be increased and to go up through the menu. The Pin Point button is located close t

o the thumb and the Power button is located off to the left of the display. Be advised that there are 2 Noise Cancel controls inbuilt into Quattro – one is accessed via the Menu selection – the other is a push button located on the right of the front panel in case interference is picked up whilst in the field after making all your original settings thus saving time not having to go back into the Menu selections. The four modes of pre-set search operation are, COIN, COIN & JEWELRY, RELIC and ALL-METAL. The motion All-Metal mode is a true "0" setting reacting to every metallic target and is very stable and Minelab recommend searching in this and the Relic mode for extra depth over wet sand areas. These programmed settings were created in response to listening to testers and searchers on three continents in what they regarded as priorities and ease of use for different search conditions.

FEATURES

There are a number of new and innovative features to be found in the new Quattro MP (multi-purpose) and these are explained here in some detail.

Display Meter – Quattro’s digital display always shows the following information;

1. Battery power icon – at the top right hand side you can see the condition of your battery at any time – 3 blocks equals a full cell – a flashing icon shows that shutdown is imminent and Flat Battery Shutdown appears. Before this occurs a descending audio warning sound is heard several times to indicate low power. Graphic Identification Bar – this area of the display is the key to seeing exactly what is either detected or rejected – black areas show rejected targets – clear areas show accepted space. Discrimination Pattern – would be either Pre-Set settings, or any mixed merging of light and dark areas in a saved discrimination pattern customized by the user. Target Cursor – this is a ‘ free moving ‘ indicator traveling up and down the Graphic Identification Bar stopping at the matching conductivity level of the detected target – a tiny arrow flashes three times very quickly above the cursor after detection. Target ID numbers – represents the ferrous and non-ferrous targets alike and range from – 10 to + 40 Target Icons – shows representations of typical targets to be found such as coins, rings, foil and ring pulls and can signify what is in the ground. Depth Gauge – a thin vertical bar located in the centre of the display and indicates extremely good accuracy on coins from surface to 12". If completely shaded the find is close to the surface – if half shaded then the coin should be at 6" mark and so on. Mode Indicator – this is a clever feature as each of the four mode icons can show three different things. A tick indicates a Factory Setting. If a factory setting has been modified, that is if you have either added to it or taken something away but not yet saved changes an asterisk will show. If a discrimination pattern has been "saved" by the user an icon of a little "stick man" will show in the slot. So you should always know at a glance which mode or setting you are working in.

2. Sounds Indicator – depending on which mode you select into, a tiny speaker icon will appear briefly which will indicate which mode the Audio response is set to. Coins and Coin/Jewelry will show C for conductive sounds; Relic & All-Metal will show F for ferrous sounds. Quattro’s volume is very good and is louder than that of Explorer.

NB In Relic and All Metal modes the Target Icons are not represented. This is because relics can come in all shapes and sizes and would not necessarily correspond with the shown target icons, which are pre-set as smaller everyday objects such as coins, rings and trash items. Experienced relic hunters will interpret the information based on the conductive number value displayed, the tone and the audio intensity of the signal produced.