New Coil Opinion--please.

[apush]

Dear All,
I have had my ACE 250 for about 6 months now. Have had a great time with it. Found lots of clad. I wish, like many of you, I had more time to hunt, but my job keeps me out of the game a great deal of the time. I am an assistant principal at a high school (yep, I do like teenagers) and I rarely have time off except a few weeks in the summer.

Here is my inquiry:

The only coil I have is the basic factory one. Yep, I know I need another one as I hunt local parks. But I have taken the advice of many, and dig about almost anything in jewelry mode with the sensitivity about 3-4.

In a few weeks I will be heading to the Galveston beaches for vacation. I want to buy a new coil--what would be my best bet? I would like one that can accomodate both beach and parks--is there really such a coil that can do both?

I also know I will need some type of scoop. I live in East Texas--a long, long way from a beach, so I don't want to spend lots of $$$ for something I will use only once a year.

Any beach advice would be highly welcome, as well, I don't have a clue.

I appreciate any input,

Thank you,
apush

 

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[GibH]

My personal opinion would be two different coils. The reason being, at the beach you would want as large a coil as you can handle. You want to cover as much ground as possible. Hunting parks is completely different. You need a smaller coil that can get closer to and around playground equipment.

 

[bigscoop]

This is where you have to decide just how versatile and just how expensive you want things to get? (We all arrive here eventually.) Because there is no perfect all around coil manufactures settle on those in the 7 to 8 inch range because they provide decent coverage and decent depth. However, a larger coil covers more ground and reads deeper, but it is also prone to being a pain in real trashy areas where it can easily be passed over multiple targets that can drive the user nuts, and typically they are also harder to pinpoint with. So, in comes the 4 & 5 inch coils, great for trashy areas or areas with lots of obstacles, and pinpointing a target is a breeze, but you also lose detection depth and surface coverage area. On a fairly clean beach a 10 to 15 inch coil would be great, you'll cover more surface area and read deeper, but in trashy parks and the like a 4 or 5 inch coil can be a huge asset for the reasons mentioned above. If this is a hobby you're only going to get to enjoy on rare occasions then I'd stick with what you have until you can spend more time pursuing the hobby. But, if you really want to open the possibilities and set yourself up then perhaps you should consider a good beach machine with a larger coil and a good land machine with both large and small. Unfortunately, your concern and question is a very common one but the truth is, there is no such thing as a "one machine and one or two coil perfect setup". That's why most of us have more then one machine and more then one coil option. I know this isn't exactly answering your question, but it is an honest answer to which I think most experienced MDers will agree.

 

[Hosensack]

Bigscoops summary of the different coils is very good.

Only having your ACE for 6 months I would suggest sticking with the stock coil... and I know this advice gets old but.... dig everything, learn what your machine is telling you and next time you head down to the beach take a better suited coil and your gained experience with you.

 

[rsc]

I do not see the need for another coil for your 250. The stock one is a nice size, and not too heavy for swinging for an extended hunt. I think the trick is to keep it simple.
A simple lite small shovel, is all you really need, as long as you stay out of the water, but you could get a short handled sand scoop for about $25, for the dry sand. I even use mine to hunt tot lots at schools.
If you want, give me a shout before you guys head south and i would be happy to meet up for a hunt. I hit the beach 2-3 times a week this time of year. Good luck Gayle

 

[batcap]

I have all 3 factory coils. I've never detected on the beach, but if you're digging everything you'll make much better time and go deeper with the large coil. I rarely use mine though; there's just too much trash in the areas I detect. I love my sniper coil, but I don't think you'd want to use that at the beach.