FWIW......
Hallelujah!
The new 6 inch "Digger" 3kHz DD coil has finally come to fruition! For some time now Xterra users have had only one 3kHz coil to use, a Minelab made 9" concentric, but we yearned for more. I've dreamt about a small deep running coin blaster that could sort through debris strewn sites, that also has a solid bottom for hunting sites that have things to hang up on. Coiltek's new "Digger" fits that bill to a tee!
My first outing with the new 6" LF DD was to a site that is a terrible place to hunt....an acid test. The place is so littered with odd bits of trash that it is virtually un-hunt-able with many setups, and I've patiently hit it with all that I've had. I knew that there wouldn't be much there to find, but the first target dug was a 1941 Wheat penny. I continued and found a few more coins, but more to the point it wasn't near as taxing to hunt there as before. Getting ten or so hits per swing is tough enough to hunt in, so a coil that can separate well and still distinguish between good targets and bad was what I hoped for, and it's what the "Digger" delivered.
One of the things that I noticed was that the TID numbers registered pretty consistently one notch higher than I was used to...no big deal. Another was that if I got a high tone that changed to a low tone with subsequent sweeps, it was an indication to me that I was swinging too fast and needed to slow down. It's easy to lose track of how much you're asking of a little coil, and swing it too fast. The same 3-4 seconds per swing is required to keep the coil working with the machine for optimum depth, accuracy, and maintaining stability. Until you've slowed way down, do not lower your sensitivity to gain stability.
The second site that I took "Digger" was a private residence. A farmhouse built in the 1850-60's that I'd never been to before....going in blind. What could be fairer? The home had been recently re-sided, and was re-roofed a couple months ago, so I knew that trash near the house would be fierce and it was. Again, the first target dug was the best of the hunt. A catalogued Civil War Storecard Token from 1863 (fuld 525c).
[attachment 252138 12-03-12GroceryToken_obverse.jpg]
As I was hunting, a neighbor came over and told me that he and several others had already hit that site, and that I likely wouldn't find much. I smiled and just said,"You never know", and continued on. The next find was a Sterling mare and foal pendant, followed soon after by a dateless Standing Liberty quarter (only minted 1916-1930) that was on edge right along side of a rusty bolt.
[attachment 252150 12-08-12Diggerfinds_1_e.jpg]
I went on to find a few Wheat pennies and a '37 Winged-Head Liberty dime, so in my mind the hunt was a success.
I wanted a coin killer and I got one. This coil @ 3kHz slams high conducting copper and silver like no other. And discerning iron from good targets is easy, even if it is a persistent high TID, because coins have a very clear, clean, distinct sound. If a target tone breaks, warbles, is faint, or sounds scratchy, it's trash. There is very little "iffy" about this coil.
From my point of view, the worst aspect of this coil is it's inability to reliably respond to nickels. Not that you can't find nickels with it, because I have, but I have to chalk that up to instinct or intuition rather than the TID. It either sounds like a coin or it doesn't.
The Coiltek 6in "Digger" has proven itself to me, and I thank Coiltek, Minelab, Randy Horton (A.K.A. Digger), and all involved with making this great little coil happen. It's a winner!
Hallelujah!
The new 6 inch "Digger" 3kHz DD coil has finally come to fruition! For some time now Xterra users have had only one 3kHz coil to use, a Minelab made 9" concentric, but we yearned for more. I've dreamt about a small deep running coin blaster that could sort through debris strewn sites, that also has a solid bottom for hunting sites that have things to hang up on. Coiltek's new "Digger" fits that bill to a tee!
My first outing with the new 6" LF DD was to a site that is a terrible place to hunt....an acid test. The place is so littered with odd bits of trash that it is virtually un-hunt-able with many setups, and I've patiently hit it with all that I've had. I knew that there wouldn't be much there to find, but the first target dug was a 1941 Wheat penny. I continued and found a few more coins, but more to the point it wasn't near as taxing to hunt there as before. Getting ten or so hits per swing is tough enough to hunt in, so a coil that can separate well and still distinguish between good targets and bad was what I hoped for, and it's what the "Digger" delivered.
One of the things that I noticed was that the TID numbers registered pretty consistently one notch higher than I was used to...no big deal. Another was that if I got a high tone that changed to a low tone with subsequent sweeps, it was an indication to me that I was swinging too fast and needed to slow down. It's easy to lose track of how much you're asking of a little coil, and swing it too fast. The same 3-4 seconds per swing is required to keep the coil working with the machine for optimum depth, accuracy, and maintaining stability. Until you've slowed way down, do not lower your sensitivity to gain stability.
The second site that I took "Digger" was a private residence. A farmhouse built in the 1850-60's that I'd never been to before....going in blind. What could be fairer? The home had been recently re-sided, and was re-roofed a couple months ago, so I knew that trash near the house would be fierce and it was. Again, the first target dug was the best of the hunt. A catalogued Civil War Storecard Token from 1863 (fuld 525c).
[attachment 252138 12-03-12GroceryToken_obverse.jpg]
As I was hunting, a neighbor came over and told me that he and several others had already hit that site, and that I likely wouldn't find much. I smiled and just said,"You never know", and continued on. The next find was a Sterling mare and foal pendant, followed soon after by a dateless Standing Liberty quarter (only minted 1916-1930) that was on edge right along side of a rusty bolt.
[attachment 252150 12-08-12Diggerfinds_1_e.jpg]
I went on to find a few Wheat pennies and a '37 Winged-Head Liberty dime, so in my mind the hunt was a success.
I wanted a coin killer and I got one. This coil @ 3kHz slams high conducting copper and silver like no other. And discerning iron from good targets is easy, even if it is a persistent high TID, because coins have a very clear, clean, distinct sound. If a target tone breaks, warbles, is faint, or sounds scratchy, it's trash. There is very little "iffy" about this coil.
From my point of view, the worst aspect of this coil is it's inability to reliably respond to nickels. Not that you can't find nickels with it, because I have, but I have to chalk that up to instinct or intuition rather than the TID. It either sounds like a coin or it doesn't.
The Coiltek 6in "Digger" has proven itself to me, and I thank Coiltek, Minelab, Randy Horton (A.K.A. Digger), and all involved with making this great little coil happen. It's a winner!
This will be my next coil. Just hunted a small, trash littered park today. I did okay with the 9" but that "Digger" coil would have been the ticket.
