Larger Coil = More Area Covered Faster?

Terry Soloman

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I just read another response to a newbie saying that a 12" coil will allow the new hobbyist to cover more area faster than he can with an 8" coil.

I completely agree that a larger coil can give more depth, but the argument that you can cover "more" ground with a larger coil, "faster" than you can with a smaller coil is suspect to me at best.

How much more area are you really going to cover with an 12" coil, than with an 8" coil in an hour? None? Two-square feet? When you look at the signal transmission cones of the two coils, you see a noticable difference in depth, buy very little difference in coverage area.

In my experience hunting with 20" coils for deep gold, you actually move a lot SLOWER than you would while swinging with a 12" coil looking for 3" - 11" new drops.

Now, I am talking about concentric coils and I do realize that there are "wide sweep" coils like Tesoro's "Clean Sweep," but these DD coils max out around 7" in depth. Great for covering a beach or park for new drops, but only at moderate depths.

Talk to me..
 

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I use 15, 12x15 and 15x1 inches 8 inch coils on NY excals and sov gt. On your example 8 inches total. 4" to each side. Say just getting 6 inches, on a 1000 sweeps that is 6000 inches or 41.6 sq feet..I never counted my total sweeps but on hunting
4 hours I bet I do a lot more than a 1000. 5 sec per sweep since: 12 mins per sweep would be 83 mins not counting dig time. I know I'm not spend 2.5 hours digging....

I'm hunting with even bigger coils, I use a harness(bungie hooked to my camelbac) so I'm only guiding the coil...I know on my 15x18 I cover a lot of area and the 18" length I dont have to pay much attention to my sweeps as my normal forward speed and strides covers the ground good. I pattern hunt dragging my scoop attached to hook on my finds bag and use that to make each lap.

I get depths of 15 easily.......I have pulled lots of deeeep targets using them.
 

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Terry Soloman

Terry Soloman

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I appreciate your example TH. I just got to thinking about it because I use both large and small coils, but not in order to try and cover more area faster. There are a large number of beach hunters, both new and old hands, that believe you have to cover as much beach as possible because you only have a set amount of time before the tide comes rushing back in. I certainly understand the logic and reasoning behind these beliefs.

Using this logic, you swing the largest coil you can – as fast as you can, to cover as much square footage as possible in two-hours. Sounds good on paper, and there is no reason it shouldn’t.

I use an eight-inch coil at the beach and grid with it. I honestly feel I cover just as much beach in two-hours with it, as I do with a 12” coil on my buddy’s Dual Field. I find there is no difference at all – as far as the amount of beach I can cover. I also find that larger coils lose sensitivity to smaller targets in many situations, so that may also be part of the overall equation.

Good discussion though I think!
 

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Treasure_Hunter

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Not sure how small I can find before it stops. I got .06 of a gram gold ring that was at least 10 inches.. I was really surprised when I saw it in my scoop.. and that was with my 15x18" sef butterfly coil on my sov gt. Got another that was .08 with the 15" wot that was also deep...
 

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The smallest I hunt beach with is the 15"wot. If I know I'm not going into the water due to rough surf I will usually use my sov with the 15x18, if there is chance of going deeper than mid calf deep I will switch to one of my excals with 15 inch coils.

All of mine are DD coils...
 

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Terry Soloman

Terry Soloman

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No more opinions? True? False? Depends? :occasion14:
 

liftloop

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My 5900 di pro with a maximum 1500 the cone start over 18 inchse out side the coil in none motion I can find a oil filter on the ground a foot in a half away explain that one. Mr. Soloman, thanks for your replies.
 

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Terry Soloman

Terry Soloman

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My 5900 di pro with a maximum 1500 the cone start over 18 inchse out side the coil in none motion I can find a oil filter on the ground a foot in a half away explain that one. Mr. Soloman, thanks for your replies.

Explain it? I don't even understand it! :laughing7: I actually had to go look up the machine you are swinging. Were these made in the 1980's? So you are saying that the machine equipped with a 15" coil picks up a coke can sized object to the "side" of the coil 18" away - not under it? My 8" coil will do that on my Tesoro Sand Shark, however it is a PI machine.
 

liftloop

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what other vlf can say that .not to many the 5900 it's the black box type.
 

Treasure_Hunter

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On my sov and excals using the wot coils I can pick up coins out to the sides, but only about 1.5 inches
 

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