Coil vs machine

[jammed]

Am a newbe as you can tell. I, like alot of others decided to go with the Ace 250, I got the pro version and purchased a used pistol pointer along with the excalibur 12x15 coil. I got everything around the 1st dec. but here in northern Ohio have not had a chance to get out for obvious reasons. Have a question for all the experts on here. You have MD's that I have read that will go deeper than the 250 but also read where the bigger coils allow you to go deeper......so is it the size of the coil or the machine that allows you to hunt for deeper targets? Is it a combination of both? Enjoy the day

[CRUSADER]

Am a newbe as you can tell. I, like alot of others decided to go with the Ace 250, I got the pro version and purchased a used pistol pointer along with the excalibur 12x15 coil. I got everything around the 1st dec. but here in northern Ohio have not had a chance to get out for obvious reasons. Have a question for all the experts on here. You have MD's that I have read that will go deeper than the 250 but also read where the bigger coils allow you to go deeper......so is it the size of the coil or the machine that allows you to hunt for deeper targets? Is it a combination of both? Enjoy the day

Firstly there are a few factors which affect the depth of any machine regardless of coil. The main 2 are soil conditions (mineralisation for example) & Discrimination. If both of these are high it will limit the capability of the machine. (also wet/dry makes a big difference)

But to answer the coil question. If you get a bigger coil for your machine it will increase the depth. However, a more expensive machine with a bigger coil will go much deeper. In fact, a machine like the E-Trac with a small coil is likely to go deeper than an Ace250 with a large coil. You get what you pay for, & generally, the more you pay the deeper the machine.

[Mental Granny]

It is a lot of factors soil is the main one i think I have a Tosoro ans when i 1st got it my husband told me it was pickikg up deeper targets than his Fisher 1236. But he has a big foot coil for his Tosora Tejon now and likes it.

[Nick A]

I'm in Columbus, Ohio and use a Minelab E-Trac. For me it's not the depth, but target separation. The machine does go deep, but it's rare to find coins that are "too deep" Bigger coils have limitations as well, I've written a blog about coils that may help as it explains the effect the larger coils (and type of coil - concentric vs. DD) have on what you can find. http://www.ohiometaldetecting.com/2/...earchcoil.html

[CRUSADER]

I'm in Columbus, Ohio and use a Minelab E-Trac. For me it's not the depth, but target separation. The machine does go deep, but it's rare to find coins that are "too deep" Bigger coils have limitations as well, I've written a blog about coils that may help as it explains the effect the larger coils (and type of coil - concentric vs. DD) have on what you can find. http://www.ohiometaldetecting.com/2/...earchcoil.html

another good point, on the effectiveness of different coils in trashy areas

[Silver Searcher]

The general rule is the bigger the coil, the greater the depth, but at a cost, the loss of sensitivity.

SS

[Mental Granny]

And sniper coils will get places a larger coil wont go ! Just try different things like other peoples detectors when and if you can and you can contact the company and others for info! They know their own machines and what they do in different areas.

[DGDancer]

Thats a really good bit of blog Nick A (at1cad). Mind if I use the link in another forum post I made on Coil size/frequency/Depth?
The graphics really help explain coils nicely.

Two cents on machien verse's coil~

As others have said the larger the coil generally the greater the depth. The sacrafice, as stated, is sensitivity.
Sensitivity is affected in a number of ways but the first one will be related to the machien when using a larger
coil. The comment was made about better machiens going "deeper" with the same large coil than less
expensive machiens *no I'm not knocking the 250 its a fine machien* but this is a misconception. They dont
see deeper, they simply have a more refined ground balance and better sense circuits. Whether thru digital
processing or actual components the high end detectors are simply better at "seeing" smaller changes
that deeper targets viewed with a large coil produce.
Outside the machien your sensitivity is impacted by the soils mineralization and the amount/size/location of
other targets in the soil be they trash or treasure. When one uses a larger coil a larger area of soil needs
to be ground balanced against. This reduces the effective depth the detector can sense small targets
at. If there are other targets in the coils field these will also affect this balance
as well as creating a masking effect for items of interest below these unwanted targets.

There are a few ways to combat the problem short of using a better machien. Use of a DD coil will help with
mineralization as these coils tend to cancel out alot of mineralization that affects ground balance.
DD's also have the advantage of a narrow sense window and will "cut" between targets helping to aviod
the masking effect of unwanted targets.
Use of smaller coils to clean out surface targets, ie trash, in the initial investigation of an area is another
way to assist your machien when you switch up to a larger coil. The most important way to increase
depth with a larger coil is to simply Know Your Machien and make adjustments as needed.
A thought from my experiences.