NEL Coils on AT pro?

DiggerinVA · Dec 14, 2013

Does anyone have experience with the NEL coils? I am considering the big 15x17 on my ATP....they claim 50% depth increase over stock coil. This would be very impressive. I have seen tests of this coil on the ACE 250; which surpassed the performance of the AT pro in stock form. These coils are also suppose to greatly improve performance in highly mineralized soil. Any information anyone has would be helpful and appreciated....

DiggerinVA · Dec 15, 2013

No info about these coils?

raymondj · Dec 16, 2013

I have a NEL Hunter coil on my AT Gold and love it, it is soooo sensitive and surpasses the AT Gold with the 8.5 X 11inch coil

mindcrime1988 · Dec 16, 2013

I have the 15" DD Attack coil for my AT Pro but have only used it once. Unfortunately the ground is frozen here in Montana so I had just the one outing. For the little bit of time I used it though, I feel it did very well. I found a couple .22 casings about 7" down. The targets were nice and clear plus the pinpointing was spot on as well. Sorry I can't be of much more help but I hope to get much more use of it come Spring time.

DiggerinVA · Dec 16, 2013

Thanks alot mindcrime.....i have read rumors of very bouncy VDI numbers with these coils

Did you notice anything like this? So far i havent found anyone that will deny these coils are deeper than stock and have only read a couple of complaints about jumpy VDI numbers....I'm probably going to try one, just not for sure which one. That big one is huge! Maybe too big, idk?

mindcrime1988 · Dec 16, 2013

I don't remember the VDI jumping around too much. If I had a solid target obviously the number would vary perhaps two or three digits but other than that, it was a solid hit. I'll admit the 15" DD coil is quite big. You can definitely feel the extra weight but it's not too taxing. If you're looking at a 15" X 17", you may need a support harness! Hope this helps.

DiggerinVA · Dec 16, 2013

Hadnt decided on the size for sure yet. But just looking for a touch more depth. A few of my cvil war spots have targets that really push the ATP on depth. They are very soft tones that you really have to pay attention to hear. These are usually deep bullets or buttons. But VDI numbers can change alot for 10+ inches on a bullet and what it will read on the ground. Usually, if i hit a target that is very deep and not iron, i will dig it in these areas regardless of VDI number and usually they are good targets. I just cant decide on another machine and love my ATP so i would love to find a coil that could give me even a couple more inches in depth. Thanks again!

Goose MKII · Oct 31, 2014

DiggerinVA said:
Hadnt decided on the size for sure yet. But just looking for a touch more depth. A few of my cvil war spots have targets that really push the ATP on depth. They are very soft tones that you really have to pay attention to hear. These are usually deep bullets or buttons. But VDI numbers can change alot for 10+ inches on a bullet and what it will read on the ground. Usually, if i hit a target that is very deep and not iron, i will dig it in these areas regardless of VDI number and usually they are good targets. I just cant decide on another machine and love my ATP so i would love to find a coil that could give me even a couple more inches in depth. Thanks again!

I understand this is an old post, so if you have an update on your quest for a better coil, I'd like to hear it.
Anyway, I'm getting my new AT Pro this Monday.
I'm going to play with it a lot.
I've ordered it with the basic package that comes with the DD 8.5 x 11 PROformance coil.
I'm going to work it as much as I can to get acquainted with it.
My plan is to bury a quarter @ 10" deep and see if I get a hit, if I do, then I'll go another two inches until I fails to get a hit, then I would leave it like that for the moment.
I'm going to be ordering the NEL Hunter Coil and give it a try where the stock Garrett gave out.
I just want to determine with accuracy how deep(er) can you go with the Nel in relation to the stock Garrett 8.5 x 11 coil.
I think that's a fair test as both coils are comparable in size .
Stay tuned...

masterjedi · Oct 31, 2014

You wont find a coin at 10" with an AT PRO... I use a 15" NEL Attack and it gives me approx another 1.5" in depth...
Good luck...

Goose MKII · Oct 31, 2014

masterjedi said:
You wont find a coin at 10" with an AT PRO... I use a 15" NEL Attack and it gives me approx another 1.5" in depth...
Good luck...

I kind of knew that north of 8" on the AT Pro stock coil could be out of its depth range.
I just want to try at different settings as well in order to find the best set-up, kind of playing around with it, I feel something like that is also a good training exercise.
Anyway, when you say that you've got an extra 1.5" with the Attack, at what depth are we talking here?
Also, any improvement with your Sharpshooter coil?
I'm actually going to order two coils; the Hunter and the Storm. Hopefully I won't be regretting not getting the Attack instead...
Thanks in advance...

PD: One more thing, there's a lot of green real estate here in Colorado, lots of open spaces, maybe the Attack would be a better choice. I'm going to concentrate my efforts in cache hunting and anything in between.
To ensure my success I'm going to invest in a new MKII, keep the AT Pro and buy also a CF77.
Me and two of my buddies plan on going out into the mountains next Summer and I wanted to provide the detectors and the training. Having a detector for any situation we may encounter, ensures we don't miss smaller targets.
I just want to give my AT Pro a shot of steroids if you know what I'm saying...

masterjedi · Nov 1, 2014

I understand completely... I have done the same thing. 10" is tops with an AT on a coin size target. Most digs are in the 7" max range. The AT masks good targets in iron areas. Test it. Lay down a silver quarter and on each side of it 3" apart 2 rusty nails on each side. So its rusty nail, nail, quarter, nail, nail. Side to side you will pick up the quarter but if you turn and go long ways you cannot even hear the quarter. The iron masks out the coin. So if you were detecting in that direction you would never find the silver quarter. Pretty sad. It is the same with both sizes of Garrett coins. The 15" Attack covers a lot of ground though. It is my favorite coil... The Sharpshooter does the same thing but is very sensitive.
Gary from Oregon

pyledriver · Nov 1, 2014

I'm pretty sure most detectors will suffer the same fate when performing the above test. I can say with certainly that the T2 had worse results than my AT with that test! I couldn't believe it but that's one reason I sold the T2... That's why they say to grid and cover an area from several directions before giving up on it! Masking will always be an issue with all detectors.

DiggerinVA · Nov 1, 2014

pyledriver said:
I'm pretty sure most detectors will suffer the same fate when performing the above test. I can say with certainly that the T2 had worse results than my AT with that test! I couldn't believe it but that's one reason I sold the T2... That's why they say to grid and cover an area from several directions before giving up on it! Masking will always be an issue with all detectors.

I totally agree....I have had and used quite a few machines from $150-$1500 and have not seen any perform better in iron than the atp or at gold. As for my depth quest...the at gold in allmetal goes plenty deep enough....for now. It is finding 3 ringers and buttons I had previously thought were nails using my other machines. I don't want a machine any heavier than my pro with the large stock coil.

masterjedi · Nov 1, 2014

The Deus and Fisher F75 will not mask out on rusty nails..

They will still hear the coin...

DiggerinVA · Nov 1, 2014

masterjedi said:
The Deus and Fisher F75 will not mask out on rusty nails..
They will still hear the coin...

I like my f75 for some applications....but for me the atp works better at nail infested cellar holes.

masterjedi · Nov 1, 2014

You should try the rusty nail test yourself... you will change your mind..

DiggerinVA · Nov 2, 2014

I can't say anything about the deuse....but the f75 likes rusty iron too much to be a top notch cellar machine. Even in a open field the fisher will have you diggin more nails that sound "good"..... and "tests" are never the same as real world conditions. My opinion is based on hours of hunting the same locations using both the atp and f75ltd. The only targets the fisher gets that the pro doesn't is the really deep ones that are not iron-masked. But the pro is still way ahead in good finds. But this is only my experience and some may do better with the fisher.

DiggerinVA · Nov 2, 2014

What kills the fisher is the iron halo that real world iron targets have. And you can not produce a halo in any test....

barrywk · Nov 2, 2014

i agree with you pyle...I own xterra,t2,f5 and others and i tend to grab my atp,especially at trash sites.The 5 x 8 coil does as good as 4 inch coils in pinpointing a target...as far max 8 inches on coins with atp...i have dug a dime at 10 inches with my atp.These are my experiences only,as i tend to only tell my experiences with my detectors,not what i hear someone else say or claim...PS I am not a brands guy