Critterhunter
New member
I dug this out of the Explorer Classroom forum and it's an excellent read to illustrate how soil conditions can greatly alter the depth reports of our Minelabs from one state to another. The Sovereign is right up there in terms of depth by my expereince, but this can largely depend on your soil using any machine. I feel coil choice for the right soil conditions is the main thing as to see any real gains in depth or separation, depending on how bad the soil is or isn't and the amount of trash present. But the main point is don't take the reported depths of another Sovereign user using a certain coil as going to be true for you in your soil. I've read of guys digging coins 12 to 14" deep using an 8" coil on their Sovereigns, while I'll struggle to get about 9" on a silver dime at some of my sites using the stock 10" Tornado or the 12x10, as my sites range from no, to low, to high minerals depending on location.
The 12x10 does seem to be making those 8 or 9" wheats or silver dimes much easier to hit and a much better signal though in dry conditions where at the same site using another coil coins at that depth were usually not a perfect 10 in terms of response. One site like that though where 8 or 9" wheats/dimes are a struggle in dry conditions bagged me an 11" indian and in another hole an 11" v-nickle using the stock 10" coil on my GT. These coins hit so hard and perfect that after digging past about 9" I became suspicious that they were either off to the side of the hole or were a big piece of trash deeper still yet. My Pro Pointer didn't find them to the side, nor was it signaling yet at the bottom of the hole to indicate a large piece of trash. So I almost gave up on both coins but dug that last 2" or so and was SHOCKED to see them pop out.
The difference at this site on that day was, despite the minerals, the ground was in ideal wet conditions from depth all the way to the very surface. Not too wet, yet not too dry. It was perfect. With my 12x10 I have yet to hunt this site under wet conditions yet, but I plan to as it's a known deep coin site of mine. Very little trash, but some very deep coins. I have dug my deepest silver dime with any machine or coil so far though with the 12x10 at just over 9", and this was at a site where even 8" was a struggle for any machine or coil I've owned due to the minerals. The dime banged hard and IDed perfectly. In my tests of the 12x10 and Tornado at a static 3PM sensitivity setting the Tornado could not hit a silver dime I buried at all while the 12x10 easily did. No iron or trash present either. This is just one of the things that tells me the 12x10 is deeper, along with it popping me 8 or 9" wheats or dimes on a regular basis in dry conditions that easily IDed/hit hard.
Anyway, back to the main point of this thread. Just keep in mind that even with these FBS and BBS machines, they all struggle to achieve 8 or 9" on a dime or wheat in many soils with any form of mineralization or under extreme dry conditions. As good as our Minelabs are, even they have their limits. What might be an "easy" 9 or 10" dime in one guy's soil might be a near impossibility in yours. I think these Minelabs are so maxed out in detection fields that to see any real gains in depth or separation it all comes down to the right coil for the right site.
Some even say an 8" coil gives them more depth in their soil than a 10" coil. I've read this from many over the years on different detectors, including from several in this forum using Sovereigns. Crazyman for one I think said that was the case in his higher minerals. Reason being a smaller coil will soak in less ground stew and so degrade a target at depth less by washing it out with the bigger ground signal. While Minelabs are much better at avoiding this problem than others due to the way Minelabs handle the ground signal (it's NOT conventional auto tracking found on other machines), even Minelabs can see this issue occur if conditions are right.
I suspect that's why my 15x12 got less depth in my soil than even my stock 10" Tornado, and due to the 12x10 having a very well defined and compressed/sharp field I suspect that is the reason why it shows gains in my soil in terms of depth, while I'm wondering if a round 12 or 13" coil might be beyond the size limit to see gains in depth in my soil conditions. That's an interesting thing I want to judge with the 13" Ultimate, because the 15x12 was for sure too big for my soil to show gains in depth, while others say it does get deeper in their soil for them than stock.
Anyway, here's an excellent few posts on putting depth reports in perspective for even our Minelabs when the soil conditions are factored in from one person's reports to another's on how deep they've dug some coins in their soil...
The 12x10 does seem to be making those 8 or 9" wheats or silver dimes much easier to hit and a much better signal though in dry conditions where at the same site using another coil coins at that depth were usually not a perfect 10 in terms of response. One site like that though where 8 or 9" wheats/dimes are a struggle in dry conditions bagged me an 11" indian and in another hole an 11" v-nickle using the stock 10" coil on my GT. These coins hit so hard and perfect that after digging past about 9" I became suspicious that they were either off to the side of the hole or were a big piece of trash deeper still yet. My Pro Pointer didn't find them to the side, nor was it signaling yet at the bottom of the hole to indicate a large piece of trash. So I almost gave up on both coins but dug that last 2" or so and was SHOCKED to see them pop out.
The difference at this site on that day was, despite the minerals, the ground was in ideal wet conditions from depth all the way to the very surface. Not too wet, yet not too dry. It was perfect. With my 12x10 I have yet to hunt this site under wet conditions yet, but I plan to as it's a known deep coin site of mine. Very little trash, but some very deep coins. I have dug my deepest silver dime with any machine or coil so far though with the 12x10 at just over 9", and this was at a site where even 8" was a struggle for any machine or coil I've owned due to the minerals. The dime banged hard and IDed perfectly. In my tests of the 12x10 and Tornado at a static 3PM sensitivity setting the Tornado could not hit a silver dime I buried at all while the 12x10 easily did. No iron or trash present either. This is just one of the things that tells me the 12x10 is deeper, along with it popping me 8 or 9" wheats or dimes on a regular basis in dry conditions that easily IDed/hit hard.
Anyway, back to the main point of this thread. Just keep in mind that even with these FBS and BBS machines, they all struggle to achieve 8 or 9" on a dime or wheat in many soils with any form of mineralization or under extreme dry conditions. As good as our Minelabs are, even they have their limits. What might be an "easy" 9 or 10" dime in one guy's soil might be a near impossibility in yours. I think these Minelabs are so maxed out in detection fields that to see any real gains in depth or separation it all comes down to the right coil for the right site.
Some even say an 8" coil gives them more depth in their soil than a 10" coil. I've read this from many over the years on different detectors, including from several in this forum using Sovereigns. Crazyman for one I think said that was the case in his higher minerals. Reason being a smaller coil will soak in less ground stew and so degrade a target at depth less by washing it out with the bigger ground signal. While Minelabs are much better at avoiding this problem than others due to the way Minelabs handle the ground signal (it's NOT conventional auto tracking found on other machines), even Minelabs can see this issue occur if conditions are right.
I suspect that's why my 15x12 got less depth in my soil than even my stock 10" Tornado, and due to the 12x10 having a very well defined and compressed/sharp field I suspect that is the reason why it shows gains in my soil in terms of depth, while I'm wondering if a round 12 or 13" coil might be beyond the size limit to see gains in depth in my soil conditions. That's an interesting thing I want to judge with the 13" Ultimate, because the 15x12 was for sure too big for my soil to show gains in depth, while others say it does get deeper in their soil for them than stock.
Anyway, here's an excellent few posts on putting depth reports in perspective for even our Minelabs when the soil conditions are factored in from one person's reports to another's on how deep they've dug some coins in their soil...
sgoss66 said:
Bryce-IL said:Rayski....for starters....Explorers HATE disturbed ground
I would estimate that 50% of the silver dimes, wheaties, and Injuns' I have found in the last 4 years have come from the 8" to 10" depth range.
I would also estimate that about 20% have come from the 10" to 11" depth range in cleaner ground. (I have found plenty at a true measured 11" depth)
The other 30% I have found are either mixed in with trash....under trash...on trash...mixed in with iron...under iron....laying on iron....on edge....etc...at depths anywhere from 2" to 11". I actually found a barber dime on edge one time that was next to a bottle cap at only 4" deep...honestly. You just never know.
I found countless deep silver and injuns' in the 8" to as deep as 9" range (plenty of 9" ones" with the 6" Excelerator).
All the 10"+ deep coins came with the 10 x 12 SEF, Minelb Pro, 12" Sunray...etc....and a few 10" ones with the 6 x 8 SEF.
Most ANY good coin hit in the 9" to 11" depth range WILL NOT have that textbook sweet, consistent sound. They WILL be broken and chattery BUT with time you will be able to recognize that sound.
Just this year alone I dug at least 100 keeper coins (silver, injuns', and wheaties) that were in excess of 10" deep and probably closer to 11".
The other several hundres keeper coins were found in the range and conditions I stated here in my IL soil.
In the last few years I have found a handful of wheaties and silver dimes at a true measured 12" depth...and 1 silver dollar....but those depths are VERY rare and happen for me maybe 2 to 3 times each year.
The key is for you to learn that "broken" yet sweet sound over an 8" to 10" deep silver coin.
The next step will be for you to learn that same sweet sound...BUT learning that sound when the coin is mixed in with trash or iron.
That's a whole different ballgame..and it just takes time. Give it some time and a LOT of practice.
The explorers are GREAT machines.
