bigscoop
Gold Member
- Jun 4, 2010
- 13,373
- 8,689
- Detector(s) used
- Older blue Excal with full mods, Equinox 800.
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
Well, I think the jury (for me) is finally in as far as dealing with all this summer sand. In my opinion, and based on several weeks of alternating coils (big VS small) it appears the larger coil provides a decided advantage both in and out of the water once those deep summer sands roll in. It isn’t so much a matter of depth or sensitivity, but rather it is a matter of recent drops and greatly improved “total coverage”. Keep in mind that I’ve been alternating between the 8” and the 12 x 15 SEF. (Side note: Sometimes when water hunting the current is just to swift to allow for the 12 x 15 and the 8” is the only coil option. But other then these short periods the larger coil was still alternated in usual routine.)
Gold has been, and still continues to be elusive regardless of the coil used, but the silver count with the 12 x 15 is easily three or four times the amount VS the 8” coil. In the water I’m not really covering larger amounts of area with the larger coil because the coil has to be swung much slower (and very smoothly) then the 8” in order to maintain decent depth and sensitivity, however, that larger coil is covering every inch of the total area of water hunted. So in the water it’s just a matter of complete total coverage while still maintaining a sufficient amount of depth and sensitivity. Stepping out of the water and onto the wet sand the larger coil then provides the ability to cover more wet sand area in the same amount of time, nearly twice as much, and with increased depth and sufficient, if not somewhat surprising, sensitivity at times.
The main drawbacks to the larger coil are rough and uneven bottom conditions and the obvious increase in drag when water hunting The other drawbacks to the larger coil are the turbulence factor, something the larger coil is very sensitive to, and the last drawback is when encountering step drops and sharp slopes. All of the above mentioned conditions provide obstacles that can, and often do, effect the performance and the efficiency of the larger coil. And of course, trashy areas or areas with a lot of iron deposits can also make for some troublesome hunting with the larger coil.
So for me, and on my area beaches, the larger coil gets the nod once those deep sands of summer arrive whenever conditions allow for its use.
Gold has been, and still continues to be elusive regardless of the coil used, but the silver count with the 12 x 15 is easily three or four times the amount VS the 8” coil. In the water I’m not really covering larger amounts of area with the larger coil because the coil has to be swung much slower (and very smoothly) then the 8” in order to maintain decent depth and sensitivity, however, that larger coil is covering every inch of the total area of water hunted. So in the water it’s just a matter of complete total coverage while still maintaining a sufficient amount of depth and sensitivity. Stepping out of the water and onto the wet sand the larger coil then provides the ability to cover more wet sand area in the same amount of time, nearly twice as much, and with increased depth and sufficient, if not somewhat surprising, sensitivity at times.
The main drawbacks to the larger coil are rough and uneven bottom conditions and the obvious increase in drag when water hunting The other drawbacks to the larger coil are the turbulence factor, something the larger coil is very sensitive to, and the last drawback is when encountering step drops and sharp slopes. All of the above mentioned conditions provide obstacles that can, and often do, effect the performance and the efficiency of the larger coil. And of course, trashy areas or areas with a lot of iron deposits can also make for some troublesome hunting with the larger coil.
So for me, and on my area beaches, the larger coil gets the nod once those deep sands of summer arrive whenever conditions allow for its use.
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