AT PRO Coil ?

Diggin-N-Dumps

Gold Member
Sep 9, 2009
6,046
3,781
Fort Worth,Texas
Detector(s) used
CTX 3030 / AT PRO / Etrac w/ NEL
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Dude.....Dont bother with the big coil...I used to run it for a year or so, and I found some good shiii, But once I got the smaller coil, it was night and day. The 5x8 is the way to go, very easy to pinpointer, great for trashy areas.

i know some say you lose depth, but when Im hunting slow with it, I can pull out lead pellets from a pellet gun at 8+"'s.

Good luck man! YOu will love that machine, I learn new stuff about it all the time. Just keep an eye out for the ranges (VDI) of the targets you are digging
 

NiagracountyNY

Full Member
May 17, 2009
244
143
Western New York
Detector(s) used
Nokta- Fors core / Makro--CF77 / Minelab CTX 3030 / XP deus /Velox 1 / RS PinPointer /Makro Waterproof PinPointer
I only have the large coil on my sons at pro.I will be grabing the small one soon.I really think having both is the way to go.You will get more depth and coverage from the larger coil,you can do easy test to check that.But you need the seperation of the small coil in the heavy trash,Iron.If you can only get one..well that depends on what type of sites you will be hunting the most.
 

DiggerinVA

Bronze Member
Sep 16, 2013
1,669
1,661
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
Detector(s) used
GPX5000, AT Gold, AT Pro, Whites TDI, Bandido 2 umax, Tejon, Vaquero, Deus 2, ORX and Legend
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
i use the 5x8 90% of the time....only the big coil when hunting large fields with little trash or when max depth is needed. The 5x8 is best by far, and makes the pro way more comfortable to swing for long periods of time. It will find all but the tiniest of targets down to 8" or so in most ground. The large coil will find bullets and such down to a foot or so.
 

Gaspipe

Bronze Member
Sep 6, 2013
1,053
1,246
New England
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro; F75
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
If you use and stick with the 5x8 coil you will not even bother with the stock coil.
 

xr7ator

Gold Member
Sep 2, 2011
5,185
7,171
Denver, Colorado
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, AT Gold, ATX, MH7 (oldie!) Minelab Explorer SE Pro, EQ800
Over 3500 hours in with the at pro and standard coil. I have a 5x8 but have never put it on as the standard coil is awesome.(and, I have the at gold so if I want to swing the small coil I just grab the other machine.) Trash seperation works just great with it, no problem. SLOW DOWN.

HH ALL
 

blong10

Sr. Member
Apr 9, 2014
288
151
New Castle
Detector(s) used
Bounty Hunter QD2, Bounty Hunter Land Star, Garrett AT PRO,
X-Pointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I recently got the 5x8 coil and it's amazing I will probably never use the stock coil that's how good it is.
 

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Jeremy S

Hero Member
Feb 27, 2012
515
343
God's Country
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
Garret Ace 250, AT Pro, Garret Pro Pointer
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I usually carry both the 8x11 and 5x8 in the car when I go to a spot. They both have their advantages. On a new site I will often use the 8x11 first to scan the area a few times as it covers more ground. I always follow up with the 5x8 as it sometimes can see past junk masking out a good target. The 5x8 is also makes hunting those trashy areas much easier.

The bigger coil is great for scanning a larger area, like a sports field, beach, or park. The smaller coil is very easy to pin point, much lighter than the 8x11, and performs well around trash and large metal objects. I spent a month detecting a construction site/sidewalk tear-out this summer. The ground was rough and full of large pieces of iron. My 5x8 performed great on this site and I was able to detect many places where the 8x11 would have been hard to use.

In my opinion, keep both of these coils in your arsenal. There are sites where one or the other will excel. If you have weakness or painful joins in the shoulder/arm you use to swing the detector, then the 5x8 would probably be much more comfortable to use.
 

blong10

Sr. Member
Apr 9, 2014
288
151
New Castle
Detector(s) used
Bounty Hunter QD2, Bounty Hunter Land Star, Garrett AT PRO,
X-Pointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I couldn't agree more with Jeremy S
 

NorthernTesoro

Jr. Member
Oct 3, 2014
88
57
Colorado (Formerly MN)
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro &
Garrett Pro-Pointer
Primary Interest:
Other
Two months into using the AT Pro and I am definitely a fan of the 5x8 coil. The stock coil is too heavy and I have trouble pinpointing my target as a result I always end up digging a bigger hole than needed. I might use it in a super clean area where I am free to use a shovel like on private land but definitely not in parks or urban/trashy areas.
 

ArDirtSlinger

Hero Member
Mar 13, 2014
606
569
Arkansas
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
XP deus; MI-6 pinpointer, TRX pinpointer, Lesche digger, Lesche Sampson, Predator Piranha
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Jeremy S is spot on. I have both and use both.
 

Opie

Sr. Member
Aug 27, 2013
274
173
Primary Interest:
Other
I'll vote for both, apples to oranges, special needs on both. Personally it depends on how and where you hunt, and how you use your detector. Both coils are great.
 

masterjedi

Bronze Member
May 24, 2014
1,757
1,349
Oregon
Detector(s) used
Minelab's CTX 3030, E-Trac & EQ800, Fisher F75LTD SE & F44, Whites MXT All PRO, Whites TRX Pointer & Shovel, Predator Tools Raptor hand digger & Ranger shovel. Grey Ghost Ultimate headphones.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Be careful... both coils mask good targets when there is a lot of iron in the ground... Rusty nails...etc...
 

dunnellondave

Jr. Member
Oct 1, 2013
38
12
I bought an extra Pro so I wouldn't have to swap em out. I use the stock coil at the beach and in large areas with lil trash and the 5x8 everywhere else. They both have their advantages!
 

46Wheat

Silver Member
May 23, 2014
3,648
3,357
Upstate NY
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab Etrac / Equinox 800 / 8.5x11 DD and 5x8 DD coil /
Garrett ProPointer / Lesche Digger
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Since I got my 5x8 coil the stock coil hasn't been back on . I don't think I lose enough depth to make much of a difference and its so much better at finding targets in junky ground
 

SunriseBoy

Jr. Member
Sep 1, 2014
27
6
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I've found the Nels coils to be absolutely dynamite. And their prices put everything else in the shade.
 

SunriseBoy

Jr. Member
Sep 1, 2014
27
6
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
What xr7ator said about slowing down really got my attention. When I go to the beach and watch guys detecting I'm always perplexed at the rapidity of the strokes they make. I often think they just want to finish off the area as quick as they can and get the hell out of there.
Slow down is the best piece of advice to every detector.
 

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