A smaller Minelab Pro Coil would be nice :)

[christopher-ohio]

After reading some posts about the SE Pro and ETrac, I think it would be super if Minelab would produce a smaller version maybe 8-9 inch for even better performance in the trash versus the stock Pro coil...yes, there are already many out there from Minelab and other companies but the center coil mount make such a difference in the feel, weight, and balance of the detector... JHMO

 

[Andy Sabisch]

You are correct in that there are already a number of optional coils available from non-Minelab suppliers but the majority of them (although not all ) have center-mounting points which for years people have asked for from Minelab and finally received with the Pro coil which was in fact designed initially for the E-Trac (not the SE Pro which it seems to have taken its name from):

[size=large]Detech (Excelerator in the US)[/size]

4.5"x7" . . . center mount design
5" round . . . center mount design
6" round . . . center mount design
8" Concentric . . . center mount design
12" round . . . center mount design
16" round . . . center mount design
10"x12" S.E.F . . . center mount design
15"x12" S.E.F . . . center mount design


[size=large]Coiltek[/size]

Platypus (8.5"x11") . . . . center mount coil design
Joey (5"x10") . . . center mount design
W.O.T (15" round) . . . center mount design

[size=large]Sun Ray[/size]

X-5 (5" coil) . . . . rear mount design
X-8 (8" coil) . . . . not a true center mount design
V-12 (12" coil) . . . . close to a center mount

Minelab

8" (more like 7.5") . . . . not a true center mount design
Then you have the 1050 coil and the Slimline coil . . . . again, not center mount designs

Looking at the cost to design a coil, then create the injection molds and then produce them, I think Minelab is probably looking at how many other coils are out there and making a business decision as to if manufacturing them is a sound idea . . . . . how many would they sell? Doubtful enough to justify the cost when you look at the market of FBS users willing to spring for a $200 coil . . . that may already have its niche filled by one of the other 17+ coils out there for that series.

The reason they have made so many coils for the X-Terra line is that the coils are proprietary and hence the only source for these coils is Minelab . . . . don't you think that if they were open designs that Coiltek, Detech or Sun Ray would have come out with some of their won?

Bottom line will always come down to the return on the investment and with the wide range of coils already out there - with most being center mounts - it is doubtful that Minelab would see a pressing need to design and produce a smaller coil.

Just a comment from the peanut gallery

Andy

 

[diggin jimmy hoffa]

Looking at the cost to design a coil, then create the injection molds and then produce them, I think Minelab is probably looking at how many other coils are out there and making a business decision as to if manufacturing them is a sound idea . . . . . how many would they sell? Doubtful enough to justify the cost when you look at the market of FBS users willing to spring for a $200 coil . . . that may already have its niche filled by one of the other 17+ coils out there for that series.

Bottom line will always come down to the return on the investment and with the wide range of coils already out there - with most being center mounts - it is doubtful that Minelab would see a pressing need to design and produce a smaller coil.

Just a comment from the peanut gallery

Andy

Being a mold maker there is the possibility of just making a tooling change within the mold itself instead of building a new mold. Again, Minelab would have to justify making the design change like Andy says.
Make me number 2 in the Peanut Gallery

 

[TonyHunt UK]

After reading some posts about the SE Pro and ETrac, I think it would be super if Minelab would produce a smaller version maybe 8-9 inch for even better performance in the trash versus the stock Pro coil...yes, there are already many out there from Minelab and other companies but the center coil mount make such a difference in the feel, weight, and balance of the detector... JHMO

Every chance I get I drop a few hints to Minelab Ireland on this subject when Im talking to them, also the possibility of developing a professional wireless headphone system, one that works with the sender unit actually wired to the board in the control box plus coupled to a decent pair of receiving headphones, something like sun ray pros or gray ghosts or similar . Another extra the guys in the UK regularly ask for now we have exchange is a geo tagging system onboard same as the latest mobile phones have, so that you can tag a find spot by GPS and then transfer it to a PC when you get home and possibly even google maps. Hey, should be possible in this day and age, Dont know wether these wishes would be popular with you guys in the states, I guess they might.
On the whole the UK and European detectorists havent taken to E Trac Exchange, you can tell that because nobody other than newcomers and rookies seem to talk about it on the forums. We dont tend to use Patterns over here preferring to go with the minimum of discrim or totally wide open. Any small changes to our settings we tend to do while in the field to suit conditions.
With our thousands of years of history here in Europe if we use discrim patterns then we are going to miss good finds, simple as.

 

[diggernash]

I still just want a clock display... But I'd use GPS and a smaller pro coil.

 

[mascard1]

I have a saw ,who has the coil?