Open coil design, solid design...like/hate?

[deepskyal]

I'm having my frustrations with this new open coil design. All the years of a closed 8 or 9" circular coil was a standard for me...easy to pinpoint.

Now...with a new detector that came with a stock 10" DD open design, I'm having troubles pinpointing accurately, particularly in clumpy, grassy areas.

I'm pretty sure I know where center is, just above the cleavis...it just the X'ing that's driving me crazy.

I'm constantly having the coil "stick" to the grass, not flowing smoothly over turf...and god forbid the grass is clumpy so the clumps stick in the open part of the loop.

The manufacture claims the new design is for a lighter coil, but is this a sacrifice to ease of use?
I looked for a coil cover that would close off these holes but the cover available is also open.

I've tried holding the coil over the grass to pinpoint but frankly, I'm not that steady at holding it at the same distance from the ground. I caved and bought a pinpointer but still rely primarily on my detector to center a target.

Anyone else running into this? Anyone got some kind of solution?

I hate to part with the bucks but I'm seriously considering a 6x9 to replace the stock 10", simply because of the closed versus open design.

Al

 

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[jeff of pa]

Yep My Only Problem with the WOT Coil

it is Open & Grabs Everything.

Need to find a Full Faced coil Cover (Scuff Pad)

 

[lumbercamp]

I guess I'm not the only one with this problem. I can't tell you how many times I've been out in the woods and had a tree branch reach up from the ground and protrude through the open coil and slow me down. It is very frustrating.

 

[Dirty WhiteBoy]

I'm primarily a beach hunter so I would prefer to have an open coil! Wet sand builds up on the closed face coils and it is a pain in the heavy rump! If I lived up north I probably would want a closed face coil so that the twigs and clumps don't slow you down! Open faces are just designed to be lighter.....I guess it really depends on your most common searching conditions! I like open for the sand! I would think open would be better for in the water too! Easier to manuever in the drink! Good luck with whatever you decide to go with!

 

[Dirty WhiteBoy]

Good idea plehbah!

 

[jb7487]

I would definitely think that a coil cover would be the simplest solution. My detector has the open coil and I can't imagine pinpointing with a closed coil or cover. As I'm pinpointing I watch the ground through the center ring and pick out something visible on the ground to latch onto when the thing beeps. Then when I cross from the another direction I see if the same object is still under the center. If not, I pick another object and reswing. This has been working really well for me and I feel like I can get within an inch of the center of the signal. I have no idea how I would do it if the coil was completely solid. It sure seems like it would be a lot more guesswork but I'm sure you get used to it. Finally, now that I have a handheld pinpointer it isn't as critical to get right on center with my detector.

So far I haven't had any trouble with objects getting caught on the open coil, but I haven't ventured out into the woods yet so I'm sure that is a real problem for a lot of other MD'ers. Also, I can't imagine having a non-circular coil for many of the same reasons. But obviously, many people swear by them. I guess it's just what you are used to.

 

[mpostma]

Well,
At least now I know it isn't just me.
I love the new procoil from Minelab, but it has so much more to get caught in the brush.
Pinpointing with it was a challenge, that I am begining to overcome, but little sticks and brush just grab the thing!

I usually use my 5" closed coil in the woods. It works so nice to slide between all the crap on the ground and pinpointing is a dream!

Last night I plucked a '42 war nickel that was less than 2 inches from a small sapling. Bigger coil and I would have gone right by it.

Good Luck all,
Mark

 

[deepskyal]

I would definitely think that a coil cover would be the simplest solution. My detector has the open coil and I can't imagine pinpointing with a closed coil or cover. As I'm pinpointing I watch the ground through the center ring and pick out something visible on the ground to latch onto when the thing beeps. Then when I cross from the another direction I see if the same object is still under the center. If not, I pick another object and reswing. This has been working really well for me and I feel like I can get within an inch of the center of the signal. I have no idea how I would do it if the coil was completely solid. It sure seems like it would be a lot more guesswork but I'm sure you get used to it. Finally, now that I have a handheld pinpointer it isn't as critical to get right on center with my detector.

So far I haven't had any trouble with objects getting caught on the open coil, but I haven't ventured out into the woods yet so I'm sure that is a real problem for a lot of other MD'ers. Also, I can't imagine having a non-circular coil for many of the same reasons. But obviously, many people swear by them. I guess it's just what you are used to.

Exactly....I am/was used to a closed coil and was also very proficient at pinpointing an object. I've had the exact same digger since I started and knew that point under my coil to place the knife tip for center. I never imagined why anyone would need a pinpointer except to not bother learning how to properly pinpoint. 99% of the time, my target was dead-center.

With this open design, I find the coil jerking as I slide it back and forth and grabbing clumps that keep it from hitting center. It's especially important this time of year with grass growing so fast and being wet. I'm finding myself 2 or 3 inches off. I've been digging much bigger plugs to avoid chopping the sod up and even then, I've been finding my target stuck to the side and or having to tunnel under the sod to get it.

A solid cover would be ideal for me. I'm thinking of a way to maybe get some plexiglass and form it around the coil. I don't think it could add enough weight to be that much of a bother.

And like some others pointed out, even in parks, twigs fall from trees into the grass and catch up into the openings.

Like I said, I caved in and bought a pinpointer. I take pride in my recovery techniques by not leaving a trace of my diggings and don't intend to get sloppy. But I'd much rather hit my target dead center and avoid waisting time like I have been.

Al

 

[jb7487]

I'm fairly new but I think I do a good job of pinpointing with my coil. Still, I have a separate pinpointer as well and it has proven to be invaluable to me. So just because you can pinpoint well with a coil doesn't mean that you don't have much need for a pinpointer. The pinpointer I have gives very acurate feedback on exactly how far you are from a target. In contrast, my coil only gives me a general idea within a couple of inches but not close enough to know, for example, that the target is directly on top of the ground and only covered by a minute amount of dust. So with the combination of coil and pinpointer I've gotten very good at knowing whether or not to dig a plug and how big of one to dig. But I am far from perfect and need a LOT more practice.

Also, the depth readings that MD's give are based on assumptions about the general size/type of the target. If these first assumptions are wrong then the depth can be wrong as well. In my case the detector doesn't have all of that fancy target ID and depth capability and I have to do it myself by adjusting the sensitivity. So I can't really tell the difference between a very large target burried 10" deep and a very small target burried 2" deep. But I've gotten pretty good at predicting based on the sounds I'm hearing. By using the pinpointer I can either confirm or rule out the latter case which allows me to know when to dig a plug.

Of course, none of this has anything to do with solid vs. open coils. I was just following up on your general comments about the use of separate pinpointers for people who are already good at pinpointing with their coil.

 

[mpostma]

I use a pinpointer when digging too.
I hunt for old deepies and a pinpointer is priceless in finding old indians and barbers hiding in dark soils.
Good Luck,
Mark