Yes, I agree with you, HighVDI. Not earth-shattering, but MAYBE "enough?" I think, in my dirt, all told -- based on all the testing I've done on the coil so far and my experiences with how my test garden's results compare to "real-world" detecting results, the very limit of possibility on the 6" coil will be an 8" dime/penny, and maybe 8 1/2" on a quarter...
IF I can prove this to hypothesis to myself, and manage to actually dig a 7 1/2" to 8" dime with it, then that will give me the confidence that IN ADDITION to what I will gain in separation ability with the 6" coil, I will NOT be giving up TOO much, in depth capability (such that it would negate any separation advantages the coil offers, in the types of "real-world" hunting sites and situations that I generally experience...)
There is no doubt that for some, the separation advantages that the coil offers would be significant, for their type of hunting, even if it meant 3", or even 4" of depth loss. But, my take is that given the number of old coins at the 7" and 8" depth that are found in the sites I hunt, that -- FOR ME -- makes it very necessary for the coil to be able to give me solid ability on at LEAST a 7" dime NO MATTER its separation ability. Otherwise, if a coil were only capable of 6" depth or less, I'd be very hesitant to use the coil in the types of sites I hunt. Because while I'd know that I'd pick up quite a bit of separation ability, the knowledge that I'd be unable to see a good majority of the old coins (given how many are beyond the 6" depth mark) would strongly reduce my ability to "hunt confidently" with the coil. Such a coil (capable of no more than 6" on a coin) would then be relegated to an extreme "specialty" coil, for me, for only the very trashiest/nail-filled spots, and then ONLY after hunting it heavily with the 11" coil, and digging as many of the deeper targets as the 11" coil would allow. Then, at that point, I might put on the 6" as a "cleanup" coil, just to see if there were a few shallow, but masked, coins that I had missed with the 11". I would MUCH rather have a coil that would allow me the confidence that it is BOTH a better "unmasker" than the 11" coil (allowing me to feel confident that I could find coins missed due to masking), AND is still a reasonably deep coil (allowing me to also feel confident that in the less trashy parts of the site, I would still have a chance to find coins missed due to being relatively deep -- deeper than "inexpensive" detectors might be capable of seeing).
This is why I loved the 6x8 SEF coil so much on my Explorer. That coil offered separation ability beyond that of the stock 11" coil, BUT -- it was no problem to bang out an 8" dime or penny with that coil. PERFECT. Maybe Minelab (or some other coil maker -- DETECH, are you listening?!) needs to make an 8" Equinox coil, or a 7" x 10" elliptical, or something like that...
Meanwhile, however, before jumping the gun and deciding that I need an 8" coil, I need some time to see if the 6" can BE that coil for me, by finding me a 7 1/2" to 8" deep dime. If it can, then it's a coil I will use frequently, and confidently. If not...then I will be eagerly hoping that someone might step up, and build a good 8" type of coil for the EQ...
Steve
