Proper coil sweep...

[billyjoe42]

Some owner manuals say to sweep back-&-forth with an approximate 3' arc. My personal sweep covers 6' @ a pass, keeping a constant speed & coil flat to the ground throughout. So, am I wrong using such a wide sweep? Recovery seems to be the same, but with more ground coverage per hr with the wider sweep.

 

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[gunsil]

Sounds good to me!! There are no rules here, whatever you are comfortable with is fine. I do the same, sweep in a long arc (the arc is easier to keep the coil level than straight back and forth sweeps) and I also scrub the ground with my coil whenever able. I don't think the ground per hour thing is really valid since a short sweeper can move forward faster than a long sweeper and I often have people get from one end of a field to the other a lot faster than I can, both of us staring at the same time. I've been hunting for almost 45 years and have tried several different techniques and settled on the long arc as best for me. I swing from the shoulder, not the elbow, arm almost or straight down, barely clear my feet, and don't tire my arm quickly this way. Others may do differently, but like I said whatever suits you well will work just fine.

 

[Frankn]

It depends on how fast you are walking. That extra 3' on the sweep might leave gaps between sweep lines. Also some detectors work better with a fast sweep and some work better with a slow sweep. Whites work better with a fast sweep so I use a fast reset setting. You have to match your'style' with your detector. Frank

 

[DDancer]

Whatever works for ya while keeping it even and overlapping. I sweep a little differently for each coil and for how intensive I want to be on a spot. Large coils over 10 inches I've my widest sweeps and small coils under 6 I tend to keep much shorter. My pace also determines a bit on the sweep as well from the detection shuffle to the bush walk.

 

[CincinnatiKid]

My sweep depends upon terrain/site.
On new large permissions I do a fast "walk about" in hopes of locating a concentration of worthwhile targets. When/if located, I slow and overlap each swing.
On steep inclines, I lengthen or shorten shaft, if going up or down incline, yet swing slow.
Each machine is surely different.
Whatever works and produces is obviously best.
GL
Peace