Larger Coil = More Depth? Is it that simple?

[JasonB]

I'm hunting a Tesoro Silver uMax with the stock 8" concentric coil. If I get a bigger concentric coil will it go deeper? How much deeper?

I understand the masking issue since you'll be covering a wider space, but on clean ground how much deeper with the 12"x10" concentric for example, get me?

If I can get 2" deeper on average, I think it's worth the $150. I would also need to re-hunt all my old spots.

Thanks in advance for all of the help,
Jason

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

Yes you go deeper with a larger coil. But there is a "law of diminishing returns". At some point, you will only get LARGER items deeper, not coin-sized items deeper. The point at which that occurs is somewhere around 7" to 10", depending on the type machine, specific nuances, etc..... I've only seen a few examples of where coils larger than 10" get coin sized signals *possibly* deeper. That's with a 15" WOT on certain Minelabs. But that's the exception. Usually you gain only more ground coverage, not more depth, on coin-sized targets. And of course there's the inherent draw-backs: more masking, poor pinpointing, etc...

Too bad that it wasn't a never-ending "deeper" rule for coin-sized targets, or else we'd all be out there using 36" coils expecting 2 ft. deep on coins

 

[JasonB]

Right. We'd all swing 36" coils and have 24" biceps. Thanks for that info. So, how deep with 12 x 10 on a silver on a quarter. Any guess?

 

[Hoosier]

Jason,

I also hunt with a Tesoro Silver UMax . I just ordered a 8x9 concentric coil for mine and hope to get it tomorrow. I plan to test it against my 8 inch stock coil. If you look under the Finds section of this forum and look up ModernMiner you can see what he has found with his Silver UMax detector with the 8x9 coil. I will let you know my results.

 

[RJH02]

I was considering the brown coil on my Deleon because it worked so well on my silver umax. I am interested in what you think of the two coils on the umax. Let us know.

 

[Jazdo]

Good question. seems a lot of people think larger coil means more depth! Largest coil I had on my Tesoro GSII was 8.5 concentric off of my Inca. It will go pretty deep around 7in,and that was a whisper on the Barber quarter that came up.

I decided to go with a cleansweep coil instead of just bigger. I know its not a real deep go getter,but I have hit some items at around 6 in. Cleans areas out fast,and responds quick.

 

[Keppy]

...That is all there is to it....Use a larger coil you get more depth....yes it is that simple not complicated at all......But you always will find someone that likes to make things complicated.........==Jim_K==

 

[Digger]

No it's not that simple.

Again, under the right conditions a larger coil can be the right choice.

I have the Super 12 and it does give me 2-3" more inches in depth, but it has a lot of trouble in areas with even medium trash. The right coil for the right job is the key.

 

[The.Boomer]

I'm not trying to make anything complicated, but a bigger coil is more complicated. I use a 9x12" on my Ace 250, it does and can detect coins even dimes at 8" Maximum depth. However that is very rare. First off most coins only reach a depth of 6" maximum under their own weight and density. Because a half dollar size gold coin would equall the density of most soils at six inches deep. So the only time you might find a coin at a deeper depth is if additional soil is filled in on top of the original resting place of the coin. I know there's lots of people who say they find coins deeper then this but that's silly, physics doesn't lie. Now if your looking for artifacts that might be bigger or deeper then yes you would want to go deeper, and a larger coil can help here. Another false thing I hear allot of is that a depth is limited by coil size IE; a eight inch coil will only be able to detect metal as deep as the coil is wide. Thus an eight inch coil cannot detect metal deeper than eight inches. That's not true an eight inch coil can detect a car at 6 feet on most detectors. So the size of a target plays an important role in depth. Finally masking may noy be something allot of people want to consider when talking depth, but few people understand the concept nor the extent of masking out there. The Ideal hunt would involve first an Ideal site, one that has been thoroughly researched for the better then average possibilty of finding whatever type of target your after. Then a large coil could be employed witrh no discrimination and every target including Iron is dug. This would eliminate not only surface and sub surface masking, but it would also allow for digging really deeper sub target masking metals and deposits that mask a target from below. Then once an area has been cleaned like this, a smaller coil could the be employed to look for the now unmasked targets. Or you could do what I do and skip all this hard work. Simply dig the shallower targets at a really well researched area that has a greater than average possibilty of providing my kind of targets.

 

[Sky Pilot]

Jason, hello! I own a Silver Umax also, and it has been my experience the larger coil will go deeper, but not what you might expect. To be perfectly honest, as a general rule, most folks expect the maximum depth of a given coil to be close to the diameter of said coil. This CAN be true when centered directly over a target, however, I have to go with the folks who said area coverage is the biggest advantage of a larger coil. Everyone has their own opinion and I certainly respect that. With that said, before you lay out the cash, please consider: 1) Larger coils generally don't work as well in mineralized ground, 2) They NEVER work as well in trashy areas due to trying to "read" several signals at once, 3) The ability to maneuver in tight places is compromised, 4) The weight also needs to be considered, as just a few extra ounces will be considerable at the end of a long hunt, 5) Larger coils tend to lose sensitivity to smaller, deeper objects, 6) Pinpointing is not as precise, 7) Then there are the cost associated with it. Personally, my Silver UMax came with the 9"x8" concentric coil and it has worked well where I hunt, 8) Just like Boomer said, they are fine for relics where you intend to dig in all metal. Since I had the 9"x8" coil, and wanted to go larger for relics and such, I bought the 12"x10" concentric coil, and honestly rarely use it as the depth versus weight ratio is definitely NOT worth it. Again, in my opinion, the 9"x8" coil is a really good all around coil (My own coil of choice), BUT before I went larger than that, I would certainly invest in a 4" sniper coil. I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised! Sooo, basically please consider what you have read from everyone, form your own educated opinion accordingly, then if it feels good, do it!! Good luck and great hunting! Regards, Richard.