18"Excelerator Review

[gflores71]

Hello everyone,
I had a chance to try out the 18"excelerator coil recently during my trip to South America. The terrain was similar to California. My main interest is cache hunting but also tested on a quarter.
results:

Target: 12" copper pan buried at 110 cm (over 3 feet )
Coils: Whites 9.5 , Excelerator 18" DD second Generation.
MD: Whites DFX

I can pick up the target with the 9.5 coil in all metal mode, but it takes a preamp set at 4 to get a nice reading in the discriminator mode.

The 18 inch DD coil is heavier, the threshhold humm is not as smooth, any little bump or too much friction against harder plants will cause false beeps. Despite this, it picks up the same target much stronger than the 9.5 in all metal mode. It also picks it up in Disc mode much easier even with the preamp set at only 2.

second test performed with a single quarter for coinshooters.

quarter buried at 12 inches, both coils pick it up well in both modes. Remember that I do have my own programs with slow sweep speed, increased amp, etc etc. I mention this because with the factory coin program, coin &jewelry you can not pick up the quarter with either coil at that depth. The relic program does pick it up.

I think the 18" excelerator has little advantage, except ground coverage, over the factory 9.5 FOR SMALL TARGETS.
The advantage is with larger targets, very impressive in my test garden.
I think this is a great coil for open country CACHE hunting, maybe even relic hunting.

almost forgot, both coils pick up the large target better than the TM 808, hard to believe but true.
both coils read the quarter at (+95) on multiple passes, so beware of your disc settings.
pinpointing was precise using the tip of the 18"coil

Hope this helps someone, as I found very little information on this coil prior to purchase.

Gilbert

 

[gflores71]

Forgot to mention, both coils detected the quarter better using 3 Khz

 

[Visceral]

Thank you for you posting and your experience. I just bought an EXcelerator 10 x 14 for my DFX. Safe travels.

 

[txdiver]

Mr. Flores I found your review helpful, I live in Texas with wide open spaces and need to cover a lot of ground and I am considering the 18" coil but found very little on it. would you suggest it for my situation,I have a DFX and I use relic mode a lot, but i like to find anything but like I said a lot of ground? And If I buy one would you be willing to share your programs I know it would be different for me but a starting point to tinker with. Thanks

 

[gflores71]

Txdiver:

I think you would be happy with the coil. I recently returned from another trip and was surprised to find a 1/2 reale silver cob dating back to the sixteenth century. The size of the coin is about the same as a dime but thiner. I was using the 18"DD coil at the time. I dont ever use my 9.5 on anymore.

I will be happy to share the programs, just let me know. I will have to go back to my MD and write down the program. I should be back in South America in April.


G.

 

[txdiver]

Mr. Flores I really would like your programs and tweak a little for my own use. Also having a little trouble pinpointing with the 18x15 and would like to know if there is an average to how much depth reading is off

 

[gflores71]

Depth readings are calculated based on signal strength response in relation to a predetermined target size. With an 18 inch coil, the receiving coil, even though only counts for half the coil ( 9" ), will still get an over all higher signal strength. For coin size targets you could probably add 25% greater depth than the reading.

Pinpoint using the tip of the coil if it is a DD. Walk towards the target in pinpoint mode when you first get a reading with the tip is where you want to dig.

I will get you my programs but you will have to wait until april as my MD's are down south.
I can tell you that I accept targets around (-45) and up including +95. Slowest sweep speed, gain at 4, etc.

My 18" is a round coil so if you have an eliptical coil your signal strength may actually be less than the 9.5 since only half the coil is receiving

G

 

[txdiver]

Mine is the Excelerator 18x15 sef butterfly, It only reads on half the coil?

 

[gflores71]

DD coils separate the Transmitting loop from the receiving one, one side sends the other side receives. Now with that said usually you get the full 18 ground coverage with each sweep but only detect in the middle where both coils meet.
I have not seen that model yet, i will look into it.

g

 

[Mega]

How i missed this thread is beyond me,i have exactly the same coil and my findings are indentical to your that it performs better in 3Khz and as you have mentioned the depth on larger items like hoards etc is massive,mine is set up just for hoard hunting and wont be doing much coinshooting or normal detecting with it these days as i use the T2.

It would be interesting to find out what AC and PAG setting you used on the large coil ???

 

[Critterhunter]

What a MONSTER coil! I saw the 16" Excelerator pictured on a Sovereign and it was huge, but that thing you got there is a semi!

You are a true pioneer. Despite the many years the Excelerators have been out you hardly hear anything about them, especially compared to the more recent but vastly more popular SEF coils made by the same company (Detech).

I know you tested them on a quarter but that might mix the results for coin shooters as it's a good bit bigger than a dime or penny. Once a coin (at least say half dollar size or bigger perhaps if not quarter or bigger) gets so big a bigger coil like that could take the lead in depth.

So I'm curious...Can you tell us it's depth on a dime versus the stock 9.5" coil? In general concentrics seem to start losing there sensitivity (thus depth) to coin/ring sized targets somewhere in the 10 to 12" coil size range. Double DD coils (like the Excelerator) seem to start losing depth on coin/ring sized targets at about 12 to 14" in max coil diameter.

I found the 15x12 got less depth in my soil on a dime than my stock 10" coil due to either the size of the 15x12 or (what I suspect more) the bigger coil soaking up too much ground matrix and washing out targets at depth. The 12x10 for me is deeper than either coil on coin/ring sized targets, and I suspect in my somewhat to high mineral land or sand sites about a 12 or 13" max DD coil size is all I can go to still see gains in depth due to the ground matrix washing out targets of coin/ring size at depth. For others with better soil I wouldn't doubt say a 14 or 15" DD coil might still show depth gains for coins/rings perhaps, but even then that's pushing the limits in DD sensitivity. In the official field tests of the 15x12 and 12x10, the 15x12 was a bit deeper on say half dollar sized targets or bigger, but targets smaller than that gave the edge to the 12x10 depth wise. Once a DD gets around 14 or so inches in size it's a fine line between which gets better depth on dime/penny/ring sized targets, and not just due to coil size but also due to minerals.

Another factor is the DD vs concentric ability to handle ground minerals that determines max coil size. Concentrics tend to ride on and soak up more ground stew than a DD (in general here, as there are exceptions), but even despite that it appears concentrics loose coin size target sensitivity when they get beyond about 10 to 12" in size (depending on who you talk to)...But all these sizes could be further downgraded due to the mineralization.

So either way, I'm curious how deep that 18" DD coil compares to your 9.5" concentric on a dime depth wise. I've hardly ever been able to dig much up on the open framed Excelerators so any info is priceless. I've always wanted to try the 12.5" or 14" Excelerators and compare them to the Sun Ray S-12 in both depth and weight, as well as to my 12x10 and the 13" Ultimate. Real curious if the 12.5" Excelerator is as good as the S-12 for one thing in both depth and weight.

 

[Mega]

@Critterhunter i think its fair to say after using this coil for a few months it will never in my opinion be a coin shooting coil and even on the box it really highlights the fact is to be used mainly for hoard/cach hunting and not coin shootiing in the local park.I am not saying it wont pick up a coin but on the box the coil comes in its advisable to use Relic mode and use it just for larger deep objects only.I originally bought this coil brand new for a very low price and the reason was it had limited use as a coil as not only is it very heavy but not alot of people go hoard hunting so sales must be low,i have 2 potential sites that i have access too that have provided alot of roman silver in a small radius and also alot of celtic gold stators once again in a vary small radius sub 25mtrs so i had 2 option either buy a specialised hoard hunter or a PI machine both of these options can be expensive but the 18inch Detech came along and even if i did not find anything not alot of money was wasted.

But after trying various setting on the DFX the main one being 3Khz mode it punches really deep and without doubt if anthing is in say a pot or a cluster of coins together it will nail them,trouble is that once i found out what the best settings for the detector/coil combination was the crops had appeared and also the weather has been very wet.

I have just bought a new Pulse machine so when the weather is better and the crop is taken off i will be hitting these 2 location with aim of locating more of these high quality coins.

But in my opinion the 18"Excelerator coil was never designed as a single coinshooting coil so this in my opinion is the reason it has never really caught on.

This is of course just my opinion and i stand to be correct and of course condition across the pond can be diffewrent than over here in the UK.

 

[gflores71]

Found this thread again,

Remember that big coils are for big targets. They will detect small ones but will not have an advantage over normal sized coils. A question was asked above about smaller size target like a dime. I did find s 1600's silver coing in a Jesuit temple ruin and the size was equal to a dime and about half the thickness, YES I was using the 18" coil.

I now use a V3 with a 12 inch coil for regular searching and a TDI SL (PI) with a 25" mono coil for large deep stuff. The DFX and 18" are my back up.

Do not bother using big coils where there is a lot of junk, they are for open country relatively clean areas.

G

 

[Mega]

Still waiting to get back on our hoard/s site as yet the crops are still in but should be coming off within the month,we will be hitting the site 1st with the DFX and stock coil to find the odd surface mounted coins,then the larger 18inch coil as this has some discrimination we can then clear the site of any iron then use the Pulse with the large coil to go deeper.

On this specific farm the ground cinditions are very good and not very junky,but we are still not sure the amount of coinage or infact anything else about the sites,but when you do find a concentration of early 55BC gold coins in one location and roman silver coins in another part of the farm it start then to get the old ticker working over time.

 

[Mega]

I still have this large 18'' coil and only use it a few times a year,the amount of money it cost me brand new was basically the same price as a sub stock coil so it was a very cheap coil.

Although it will pick up the odd coin it was never designed to be a every day use coil,but on larger target at depth this is when this coil starts to earn it keep,i have alocation that i have buried 'hoard or cache' size target that are in totally clean ground and they will hit these target at great depth,dont like quoting depths but of course it will be much deeper than any stock coil will go.

The good point of this coil of course is the depth and it would be classed as a niche coil and i would have thought it would have sat in your cupboard for great lengths of time not being used but all it could take is just one very nice deep target and that could pay for all your detecting equipment.

The bad point of a coil of this size,well the No1 thing is the weight issue as i can only use mine with a harness but i can use it for long periods of time with a harness but as i also dont use it much anyway this is not a major badpoint as such.Also it is basically much better on the larger the item the coil will go deeper and not really good for small items,very similar to a Pulse machine i guess as they are much better the larger the object as well but of course the advantage of using this 18'' coil on the DFX is does have some form of discrimination which is a big bonus.

I wont part with my coil as we are still working a few sites that have or still produce hoard related finds,so it still earns its keep and hence stays in my detecting arsenal.

I also had a SEF18x15 coil for a short time duration but was offered more than what i had paid for it,so that was offloaded at a profit,will update more after christmas when we get back on a few of our sites that require bigger coil use.