Etrac Coils for best separation in iron

[TrpnBils]

I am/was considering changing over from the Etrac to the CTX 3030 here this spring, so I started a thread here asking for some input and it's more of a mixed bag than I was expecting. Another option I'm going to consider is to work other coils into the mix with my Etrac. Basically I'm thinking about some of my hard-hit sites that are loaded with iron but used to produce good finds...

Right now I have the stock coil for average conditions and then the 6" Coiltek Treasureseeker for areas with lots of junk or iron. Are any of the other coils available better at handling iron? I like the Coiltek one that I have, just wondering if there's something better....

How about larger coils for open areas...is the 13" ultimate kind of the go-to coil in those instances for maximum depth, or is there something better on the market?

 

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[cudamark]

The Stealth X-5 is a great coil for the E-trac also. It's a matter of opinion whether it's any better or not. For open fields, I like the Coiltek 15" WOT and the 15" NEL Attack coil. Both have great coverage and are still sensitive to small targets.

 

[TrpnBils]

The Stealth X-5 is a great coil for the E-trac also. It's a matter of opinion whether it's any better or not. For open fields, I like the Coiltek 15" WOT and the 15" NEL Attack coil. Both have great coverage and are still sensitive to small targets.

Any difference between the two 15" coils that you've noticed?

 

[Jason in Enid]

Sunray X-5 is an amazing coil! The first time I used it, it was a site with so much iron and aluminum junk that it drove me crazy trying to listen for a high tone. I put on my X-5 coil and pulled about a dozen silver dimes and dozens of wheats from the same spot I couldn't stand to hunt with the stock coil.

Your first accessory for any detector should be a small coil. You will encounter far more trash filled spots than clean spots with super deep coins.

 

[TrpnBils]

Your first accessory for any detector should be a small coil. You will encounter far more trash filled spots than clean spots with super deep coins.

I had the same experience when I first got my 6" Coiltek. I couldn't hunt this one spot that NOBODY wanted to hunt because of all the iron. I put the 6" on there and the first three targets I dug were an early 1800s half cent, late 1700s large cent, and an eagle button! I just figured I'd check to see if there were any that were better than the TreasureSeeker in anyone's opinion. It's a DD coil, so I wasn't sure if maybe a concentric or an elliptical might do me well in that situation (the coins were all less than 3" deep).

 

[Jason in Enid]

Most coils are pretty similar in performance unless something went wrong with manufacturing. There is a difference between the DD and concentric becuase of the design differences. When talking about a 5 or 6 inch coil, I don't know if those differences will really matter. I personally prefer DD.

 

[Fletch88]

I like the X-8 and prefer it over the stock coil most of the time. It is the perfect size and still gives good coverage.

 

[cudamark]

Any difference between the two 15" coils that you've noticed?

Between the two I've mentioned, both will go very deep, but, I give a slight edge to the NEL. I went back over a place using the NEL where I'd dug old coins using the WOT and found many more down deep. The NEL seems to give a less accurate VID reading than the WOT on deep targets, but, does give a signal. I find the NEL pin points in the center of the coil a bit better than the WOT also. I use a sling with either as they're a heavy coil on an already heavy machine. The NEL also gets a slight edge on small target sensitivity. I just found one of the smallest gold rings I've ever found using the NEL. It's a very thin 14K band size 4 1/4. The ring read 12-01, weak, but, solid and repeatable, and about 8" down in wet, salt water, black sand. Even laying on top of the ground, my buddy with his Dual Field said he probably wouldn't have dug it based on the sound it made on his machine. Both coils will find tiny objects however. I've found jean rivets, tiny bits of foil, and slaw, with both coils 8" down. Yesterday, I got a REAL weak signal that still read non-ferrous. It jumped around a lot on the VID so I couldn't tell what it was going to be, but, it was too good, not to investigate. I called my buddy over with his Dual Field to see if his machine would detect it. I wouldn't! First time we've had that happen in our depth comparisons. I pin pointed the target to the center of the coil, scooped out the dry sand down to measured 16" and found a quarter in the bottom of the hole with my pin pointer. It was still another inch under the sand, dead center in the hole, and green as grass. Been there a while! Both are excellent coils, but, my choice at this point would be the NEL Attack.