First time out with the Sunray X-5 and.....WOW.

[D&P-OR]

Super heavy trash----THE great frontier in m.d.ing!------Post us up you vids (hunt comparisons) on those Etrac X-5 & CTX 06 coils, IDX.-----I'm going to be watching for them with anticipation, we all are! -----------Del

The biggest(and I think this is true with many hunters) thing that I grapple with in my hunting is feeling like I'm getting adequate ground coverage and depth. The X-5 is VERY difficult for many to think about using because of its diminutive size....it appears a person would get NEITHER depth nor coverage! It really does have to be seen to be believed, the very small coils and even the 6 and 8" coils just do "something" that the others tend to struggle with. I've had very good success in using the Detech 5" and the X-5, when I've used them! Curiously enough, I've gone into a couple places with the 06 coil for the CTX and it really didn't produce any more than what I'd already found...perhaps it's a more effective thing to be using the tiny coils with the e-series machines.
Way to turn a crapper site into a jewel once again!

Couldn't agree more IDX. You definitely need to have some patience while using such a small coil. I guess I like to get a bit geeky experimenting with search patterns, settings, grids and different coils over areas that are "hunted out". Always especially satisfying when you can pull some goodies out of those type of sites.

That is really interesting about your experience with the 06 coil on the CTX. You would think running the small coil on the 3030 would have similar results as running one on the E series. That would be a very interesting side by side comparison to do.

I have no idea why I didn't think about comparing the x-5 and 06 but that's exactly what I'm going to do this weekend. I have the perfect TERRIBLE spot to do it too. As long as it's not raining I will also film the entire session from beginning to end to see if one or both machines can see anything further in this disaster area.
I've been thinking about things lately as my good spots get drier and drier...I can take a stock or bigger coil out and swing in the same square 100 yards and find very little, or....put on a tiny coil and swing in a 10 square yard area to see if the finer resolution is the answer. Sometimes it takes seeing someone else's success to change it up!

 

[nalc472]

Dug a 1910 wheat at 6 today with the X-5. Gotta love that thing.

 

[Jesseray]

I want to see this video as well! !!!!!

 

[cz70pro]

Dug a 1910 wheat at 6 today with the X-5. Gotta love that thing.

Nice depth on that one Nalc. I found some more goodies tonight with the X-5. Will be posting them in a bit.

 

[kgramlich]

You're right Bill is the best teacher out there !!!

 

[cz70pro]

You're right Bill is the best teacher out there !!!

Agree completely.

 

[sunraysux]

hmmmm....i am suffering from a bout of COIL envy guys....
when i first got me Etrac, you all(the forum in general) were quite amped up on the COILTEK 6 incher as a great deep seeking(relatively) alt to the stock or larger coils in trashy areas...so i bought one
used it a few times and just found the depth loss to be too much honestly...so i just stuck with the stock coil and gutted it out to learn how to use it in all conditions
Now...i see everyone fawning over this X5 and i am wondering if any of these new X5 devotees//fans has used the 6 inch COILTEK model....and if so, is it comparable??
conceptually, i was always in favor of using a smaller coil because i always felt that the large coil was smearing targets together...hiding goodies behind a few bad ones in the same pass
and in the top 5-6 inches of ground, the smaller coil was helping to cherry pick some stuff
but i never was getting any older and deeper coins and i grew tired of that
so any and all real life experience with the COILTEK versus the X5 would be helpful and welcome//thanks

 

[nge]

Yes they are awesome "hockey pucks" love mine and what you say is very true. I have dug many silver in iron city down to 10 inches. Do NOT let the size of this coil fool you, it is just as good as the 11" pro coil, except you don't hear as much crap under it......NGE

 

[kingingkunsan]

cz70pro, great digs. Looks like that puck is going to be a nice addition. I can't wait to see more results.

 

[cz70pro]

cz70pro, great digs. Looks like that puck is going to be a nice addition. I can't wait to see more results.

Thanks King. It's a great coil. Have found a lot more with it and it's a blast to use..

 

[nalc472]

last year I found a SLQ at 7 inches right next to a house with the X-5. I wonder if we would all be better to just use the x-5 no matter what the size of yard and just take our time.

 

[cz70pro]

last year I found a SLQ at 7 inches right next to a house with the X-5. I wonder if we would all be better to just use the x-5 no matter what the size of yard and just take our time.

I would definitely agree with that. My court house permission is a good example. I have a standing permission on the site and because the site has never been hunted it is just "littered" with targets. I started with the stock coil to begin with and did very well but quickly realized how much I was missing after I used the X-5 on it. Like you, I was finding good coins right up against the building, under benches and in between tree roots not to mention the tons of targets in the lawn that were close together or in some cases on top of each other. Once I have hit it thoroughly with the X-5 and have the obvious targets and trash cleared out, I plan to hit it with a Thunder to go after the deeper ones.

I would rather take my time hunting a small area of a productive site slowly and thoroughly and leaving with 2 or 3 silver each time out instead of running around trying to cover the whole area thinking the grass is greener here and there and missing a lot of good finds.