CTX 17 inch

[Bejamble]

So I have decided to get the 17 inch smart coil for beach hunting. After reading a lot, it seems that the best situation is clean regions free of trash and basically only after it has been hit with the standard coil first. Everyone says that depth is minimal and that the coil is great for covering ground. It's really a give and take when using this coil it seems. Any comments?


Cory

 

[Rawhide]

Can anyone expain why the minimal depth of such a large coil? I use a large coil on my F75 and haven't check what depth it gets. I hope to buy a new detector this year and minelab is on the table. I would like to hear more about the large coil issues?

 

[bigscoop]

My usual hunting partner swears by his, and I've seen him pull a lot of goodies while using the 17", even in chest deep "saltwater." I use an Excal and a 15" SEF and I really don't see much difference in depth VS the 8" coil on average sized gold targets, such as gold bands, even in this same deeper saltwater. The big bonus, as you pointed out is the added coverage area. Personally, from what I've witnessed and experience, the larger coils have gotten an unjustified bad rap when it comes to saltwater hunting. However, this is greatly dependent on factors such as turbulence, current, and one's ability to maintain constant and steady control over the coil, something that is much harder to do with a larger coil over all but the flattest of bottoms and calmest of waters. I think once you get use to using it you'll love it, but it's obviously not for everyone or every situation. Good luck and happy hunting.

PS: There is, however, an obvious difference in depth on items like coins, silver objects, etc. One thing to keep in mind is this, not all coils, even the same model, are made to produce equal levels of performance. I went through three 15" SEF's before I got one that performed extremely well and noticeably different then the other two.

 

[gold fever pete]

I tried my buddies CTX and came to the conclusion that a swingy thingy is really needed. He uses one and swears by it. The 17 inch coil really makes it heavy. Without the swingy thingy your arms will be sore. =With it not so much. HH GFP

 

[cdv1]

Beach coverage is great with the big coil, good depth on coin sized objects yet will still hit on smaller targets. Latest small target was a 1.8 gram dental crown 14k tested, (smaller than a dime of course) the 11" would have got it IF the coil went over it. Crown was only one scoop deep. Two downfalls I've noticed, it isn't good for pinpointing very shallow or surface targets, (pinpointing is good on deep targets), there is a trick to it I've yet to learn.. second unless you are an ape, you need to swing it slow or you will blow out your arm and elbow! Use a sling of some sort.

Cliff

 

[Bejamble]

Sounds like it will take some getting used to. Guess I will need to try it out and maybe order the "thingy". Thanks.


Cory

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

Cory: from the satellite view of Guam, it looks like your beaches are very narrow and tend to be small.
If that is the case, you would be better off using the standard 11 inch coil which the CTX 3030 came with as it goes very deep.
Especially, if you are detecting in the water as the larger the coil the greater the drag.

So I have decided to get the 17 inch smart coil for beach hunting. After reading a lot, it seems that the best situation is clean regions free of trash and basically only after it has been hit with the standard coil first. Everyone says that depth is minimal and that the coil is great for covering ground. It's really a give and take when using this coil it seems. Any comments?


Cory

 

[Bejamble]

Well, there is one main beach near all the hotels. It's about 2 miles long and about 3-4 feet deep to about 1/4 mile out. There are areas that we have cleaned up pretty well and are for the most part silent except for recent drops. Keep in mind there are only 5 of us detecting it. A big coil would be nice to cover more ground. If it even gives another 1-2 inches I would be happy.


Cory

 

[bigscoop]

Well, there is one main beach near all the hotels. It's about 2 miles long and about 3-4 feet deep to about 1/4 mile out. There are areas that we have cleaned up pretty well and are for the most part silent except for recent drops. Keep in mind there are only 5 of us detecting it. A big coil would be nice to cover more ground. If it even gives another 1-2 inches I would be happy.


Cory

Sounds like a perfect candidate for the large coil. I think once you give it a fair chance and get the feel for it you'll be taking it off with less frequency. But it can certainly wear on you when hunting in the water, the larger diameter shaft along with the larger coil creates quite a bit of resistance. It can also create looseness and wear in the shaft cam-lock a lot quicker.

 

[Bejamble]

Thanks for the heads up. Luckily we dint have waves here and very little current usually. Think of your bathtub being 2 miles by 1 mile wide

http://www.diglogs.com/forumBanner....jJehEHd8012nHyeHsajeyHDesuhfnsegfh2w73889243f

 

[Bejamble]

CTX17 came in the mail this am and getting ready to jump in the water to give it a test run. More to follow...

http://www.diglogs.com/forumBanner....jJehEHd8012nHyeHsajeyHDesuhfnsegfh2w73889243f

 

[Bejamble]

Well. It is a beast. Great coverage. Little extra depth I believe. Heavy. Worth the purchase with out a doubt.

http://www.diglogs.com/forumBanner....jJehEHd8012nHyeHsajeyHDesuhfnsegfh2w73889243f

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

WTG: I like what looks to be a silver ring and am curious as to what the outside inscriptions are/mean?

Please elaborate on what you mean by it's a beast?
Please quantify on quality of finds?

Did you detect over the same area ealier with the standard coil, or did you detect over areas not hunted by you?

 

[bigscoop]

Well. It is a beast. Great coverage. Little extra depth I believe. Heavy. Worth the purchase with out a doubt.

View attachment 982805View attachment 982806

http://www.diglogs.com/forumBanner....jJehEHd8012nHyeHsajeyHDesuhfnsegfh2w73889243f

The more you use it the more you'll learn to appreciate it. Like I said earlier, a lot of the negative stuff you read & hear about these large coils in the saltwater simply isn't true, this information being largely dependent on where you hunt, the conditions being hunted, and how you manage the coil and settings. When conditions are right, however, you'll get excellent depth with good sensitivity. As long as you can keep it stable it's a great choice over the flatter bottoms in relatively calm waters. You're not going to miss much of anything that would likewise be in range of you 10" coil.

 

[Bejamble]

After a second day out with the 17" (2 hour hunt), I am really enjoying using it. Found a couple pieces in a heavily hunted area so its for sure working. The plat was not super deep, but we have missed it 10-20 times over the past year, maybe 7-8". The one thing I do notice is that its pretty sensitive on +2,+3 with it being chattery with every little bump on the bottom. Little too chattery for my liking. The coverage is awesome though Couple from today.

 

[bigscoop]

Yep, a little chatty at times, the slightest little bump, up or down motion, or change in angle often causing it to false. It can be really touchy at times, a lot of matrix and mineralization under and around the coil. But, ironically, this isn't exactly a bad thing when kept to a minimum. I've even seen a few gold chains and their portions come up in the scoop. Nice scores, by the way.

 

[Fletch88]

Nice finds Bejamble! I guess you are running "Seawater" on? Also saw one of your fellow hunters Guamchief on another forum with Excal helping rid the beaches of jewelry. He posted 5 rings he found in 2 days. Thanks for sharing your finds.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I get great depth on my 15 and 18 inch coils... I have found targets at 15-20 inches on both. Using reverse descrimination on excal and 18" SEF Butterfly on Sov GT.






American by birth, Patriot by choice.

I would rather die standing on my two feet defending our Constitution than live a lifetime on my knees......

 

[Bejamble]

Nice finds Bejamble! I guess you are running "Seawater" on? Also saw one of your fellow hunters Guamchief on another forum with Excal helping rid the beaches of jewelry. He posted 5 rings he found in 2 days. Thanks for sharing your finds.

Yep thats my buddy. He has had a few good days this week. We are doing our job of cleaning the beach of "trash".

http://www.diglogs.com/forumBanner....jJehEHd8012nHyeHsajeyHDesuhfnsegfh2w73889243f

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

Casca: Think of it in terms of volume (the number of buckets of sand/mud) under a search coil that a detector has to process. When the diameter (size) of a search coil is increased the area under the search coil widens and the depth increases. Since the ground matrix (everything under the coil, including desired target(s) has increased, the return of any target relative to the ground matrix becomes smaller. Stated otherwise, as the diameter of a search coil increase(s) the surface area of the target must increase at the greater depth to be detected as the coil is less sensitive.

Can anyone expain why the minimal depth of such a large coil? I use a large coil on my F75 and haven't check what depth it gets. I hope to buy a new detector this year and minelab is on the table. I would like to hear more about the large coil issues?