Lets Talk Small Coils

[Michigan Badger]

Let's Talk Small Coils

Do you sometimes use a small search coil? I mean one in the 6-inch range?

I just finished reading several postings on other treasure forums and this was the last comment I read: "After I got my small coil I didn't put the big coil back on for months."

This fall I decided to order a 6-inch coil just to see how it would work at my types of hunting sites. I was very impressed! Per hour I found more and better finds with the tiny coil than I did with my larger coils (10 & 15-inch).

Now it's time for your comments...what do you say?

Is less more when it comes to coils?

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[hollowpointred]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

i got the 4 inch coil for my 2500, and i love it. i find it to be much more useful than the 12.5 inch coil i also have. in the trashy spots that i so often hunt the small coil is a godsend. yeah, its not the deepest coil in town, but it is awesome the way you can maneuver around the trash with it. i really like it!

 

[dahut]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

Is less more when it comes to coils?
Yes and no

Each tool has its intended purpose. I would wear out real quick if I had to cover some of my field sites with a sniper coil. But at a congested, trashy site like a playground or razed house, where the trash and other metallic obstructions are in abundance, it can be a great help to pick around the junk.

Nice thing about them, to, is that with their more focused detection field, you can crank the gain and offset some of the depth you lose due to the physical decrease in coil size. All this without getting a lot of falsing from the increased gain.

In fact for most hobbyists, I suggest they get a sniper coil BEFORE they get a larger one - just because of where they normally take their detectors.

GOOD post.

 

[hollowpointred]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

Nice thing about them, to, is that with their more focused detection field, you can crank the gain and offset some of the depth you lose due to the physical decrease in coil size. All this without getting a lot of falsing from the increased gain.

interesting tidbit of info! i hadnt considered that. ill have to try it next time i ust the 4 incher.

 

[Sandman]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

The smallest coils I have are a Garrett 3 1/2 inch Super Sniper and Scorcher. I also have a 4 inch Fisher for the CZ. The small coils were recommended to me by a old timer and I find they are very useful for many of the older sites that may be full of trash. You get a smaller field and lose a little depth but more than make up for it in extra finds.

I have to admit that is seems funny to wave that small coil around when you have a huge park to hunt, but it forces you to go slower an you still should over lap. That's very hard to do.

HH,
Sandman

 

[stoney56]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

The small coils were recommended to me by a old timer and I find they are very useful for many of the older sites that may be full of trash. You get a smaller field and lose a little depth but more than make up for it in extra finds.

I have to admit that is seems funny to wave that small coil around when you have a huge park to hunt, but it forces you to go slower an you still should over lap. That's very hard to do.

HH,
Sandman

Kind of like threading a needle without bifocals. J/K
I know what you're talking about. You can only sweep 2 inches or so per pass if you want to overlap and you start thinking you're never going to get to that fenceline 100' or so away. Whoever said patience is a virtue must have swung a small coil.

 

[Michigan Badger]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

I think that trash masking is our biggest problem today. After watching about every treasure hunting video online I noticed that most finds were rather shallow. Those who hunt ancient coins and relics in the UK fields often dig the target with their bare hand.

If your detector can detect a penny at 12 inches through the air don't be too surprised if you can't get a beep when you bury it 6 inches deep in your backyard garden. The reason? Most likely trash (or rust) near the freshly buried item is causing the penny to null out.

Yep, in the more trash free locations go with a larger coil and more ground coverage (and depth). At most trashy sites the 4-6 incher is the way to go. It's either that or dig all the trash first and then put on the larger coil.

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[galaxy51]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

I had a 9.5 on my detector today and wished I had put on a smaller coil. Several occasions I could tell that I was over multiple targets but by the time I dig one to clear the way for the other target I could just as well go find another target. I had a 6 inch in the pickup but being a planned short hunt and the fact that the truck was close to a block away I continued with the 9.5. I am going to jump on the first good deal I find for an 8 inch coil. I really think an 8 inch would all but replace the 9.5 for me while hunting in the city.

 

[dahut]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

Ditto here. I was using my Tesoro Golden in a trashy site for about 2 hours. Just for ducks, I hauled my GTP 1350 with stick coil. Whappo! What a change. I can say I duplcated your results. Its back to the Golden for THAT site!

 

[Michigan Badger]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

I am going to jump on the first good deal I find for an 8 inch coil. I really think an 8 inch would all but replace the 9.5 for me while hunting in the city.

I use the Nautilus IIB and if I were to buy a new one today I'd order it with the 6 & 10 inch coils.

But if I could have only one coil I'd buy the 8 incher.

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[TheDetectorist]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

I had a 9.5 on my detector today and wished I had put on a smaller coil..... I really think an 8 inch would all but replace the 9.5 for me while hunting in the city.

Yes it will! Since Whites introduced the royal800 coil, I have rarely switched back to my 9.5 I don't notice any loss of depth. Of course things here aren't really that old anyway (when compared to Eastern US or Europe). But so many of the sites I search are loaded with trash, the 800 really makes it easier to find targets. I am about to put on my blackmax5.3 and start hitting the old sites yet again.

TD

 

[shootist]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

I also favor a smaller coil/ I have a minelab that came with 2 coils the standard is 10.5 I believe and the smaller one is around 6.5. I had my md for a couple of moths before I even put the big coil on it for the first time and taht was at the beach. Since then Ive used the larger coil one time at a site I hunt a lot and always make some finds but with the larger one I hardly found anything and pinpointing was a lot more difficult. Im sure if I had some really clean early sites I would break out the big coil but I dont really plan to use it at any of my usual haunts until I get a lot of the signals cleaned out. Im sure I could get more depth with the bigger coil,several inches from what I saw at the beach,but I always hunt in a lot of trash and I usually make some decent finds. It seems like a lot of people are looking to cover a lot of ground while they are hunting,I like to work little areas but really work them good,circling around and coming from different directions. If I cover the entire area then I wouldnt want to come back at a later time. I havent totally coverd a single sight that I have been hunting but I keep going back to all of them,dont know if this is better or worse but it keeps me in hunting spots...Shoot

 

[kd8hf]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

I have several coils but my usual method is to use the stock 9.5 which came with my DFX since that is the
one that the machine was tuned for initially I believe.

I can cover more ground quickly and if I start to get into an area that is trash infested then I will break out my
smallest DD coil. The little loss of depth is well worth it to allow me to pick up a few more pieces.

If I have a limited amount of time the hunt then I'll put the 1400 DD coil on and hit it hard. I guess the best
thing to say is that it really depends on the circumstances/conditions etc. as to which coil one would use.

That's my 2 cents worth but I did purchase extra rods for almost all of my coils because it takes me less time
to install the rod containing the various coils than it takes me to individually put on each coil.

HH

Gary

 

[Tourezrick]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

I have a DFX with the 950 coil, and with my shopper's dollars I got the 5.3. This afternoon, I went back over a woodchip playground I'd hit with the 950, found an additional $3.50 in clad that I had missed, and I only covered about 1/10 of the lot. Samll is the way to go in trashy areas, and nowadays, what area isn't trashy?

Tourezrick

 

[skierbob]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

I use the 7 inch coil with my Explorer almost exclusively now. It makes the detector a lot lighter and it allows much more precise pinpointing. To me there's nothing worse than digging a huge mexican hat plug in the middle of a soccer field because you can't get a good pinpoint with a large coil and then having a soccer mom come up and chew you out. Besides, I haven't noticed any appreciable loss of depth with the small coil.
Skier

 

[THing4CSA]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

Hi All My TH'ing Friends
after reading some of the post I just had to add my two cents. I have used large coils, medium coils and small coils and all I can say is that the smaller the coil the less depth you get. I dig up every signal anyway so it matters not to me what I dig. I recycle all the non-collectable items which helps pay for my extras. I don't buy coils or accessories for my whites any more; I send in my stories with pictures to Whites and when I get one accepted to be posted to the Whites website Whites sends me a $200.00 gift certificate (Three so far). I have gotten a hard case, three different coils, eight battery packs, coil stabilizers, and other nice items. I don't mean that everyone dig up all targets but if you search one spot, say a city park, why not clean it out. You will be rewarded with those very faint signals that you have heard about since you first started TH'ing. Believe me it is true; I have gone behind other TH'ers that have told me 'yeah there is a large soda can size target there; you can dig it if you want' I always take my TH'ing friends up on an invite, and here in Northern Virginia these types of targets normally turn out to be multiple Civil War bullets.
Happy TH'ing, Stay Safe and do good!
Dave Mork
'Digger-Dave'
THing4CSA
PS: Remember; Don't leave it in the ground!

 

[kd8hf]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

TH4CSA,

I like the way you think, you won't pass up much thata way.

 

[THing4CSA]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

Hi KD8hf
All I can say is in the past six or seven years I have been mostly relic hunting and my TH'ing buddies have for the most part relied strictly on the meter and determining if the target is worth the trouble to dig or leave. I for one do not understand the lack of logic. If your detector says there is something in the ground, what do you do? Does it make sense to walk away from any 'Maybe' good target when it might be a civil War bullet or button? I find that my ratio of good finds remains around five to ten percent, now if you want to talk about total number of targets in a day; well my nick name is now 'Digger-Dave' and for good reason. I think on an average day I recover in the neighborhood of five pounds of trash. I clean sweep every area that I search. Now I do have to say that I am not the only one to profit from clean areas. My TH'ing buddies also get the benefits of a clean area, they just don't always take advantage of the situation. In a clean area you have to listen for those faint bleeps and dig them up. Many times you need to use a pin pointer to locate the small melted pieces of lead or deep item. Give it a shot and report back as to how you do. Give it a couple of months and see it I am right.
Do good in all you do and do right by what you do. :-)
Dave Mork
'Digger-Dave'
THing4CSA
PS: Remember; Don't leave it in the ground!

 

[dave-enc]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

We use 7" coils on both of our machines nearly 90% of the time, during the summer when we hunt more smaller areas, I will switch to a 4 inch coil. I am getting ready to add a tesoro 5.5 coil to the stable as our back up shadow is same frequency as bobbies and we cant hunt near each other.
hh
dave+bobbie

 

[kd8hf]

Re: Let's Talk Small Coils

TH4CSA,

I"m with you there too. In my earlier post I was referring to minimal timeavailable to hunt
reasoning in which I only have short time to hunt and want to maximize my efforts.

Here is a story for you, about two months ago I was hunting an old school house, a small one.
I gave my stock coil a swing and found that the place was trash infested, or so I thought.

Ok, I'm putting my "Shooter" and take some time here.

For the next 2 hours this is what I pulled out of the ground in just a 3 foot square section:

Pull Tabs = 2 or 3
Nickels = 2
Penny's = 71 and the last penny I pulled out was a 1906 Indian Head if memory serves me.

Go figure hey, it was not trash but conflicting (good) signals. So I too do the same thing,
for the most part I dig it all, you should see the trash in the trunk of my car.

It just depends on how much time I have to hunt, if time is not a problem I'll dig almost everything.

If I can hear "Any" good sounding tone then I'll dig it regardless especially if it's over 3 inches deep.

HH

Gary