GroundScanner
Active member
Hello Everyone , I was wondering if anyone used the Sunray Intruder S-5 Coil and did it work well, how is the seperation and depth ? Any info would be great Thanks. Looking to use it in Thrashy places and tight spots.
Find's Treasure Forums
Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!
You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.
Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.
Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.
Click here to register!
Need Support Help?
Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you
S-5 Coil....
- Thread starter GroundScanner
- Start date
GroundScanner
Active member
This is for the Sov. GT
Critterhunter
New member
Did this youtube testing of various coils including the S-5 on nail masking coins, along with the popular test people do with machines elevating a nail about an inch above a clad dime as well. The final obstacle course for each coil is 3 mineralized old bricks stacked on top of a dime, where one at a time is kicked off until the dime can be heard with each coil. Air testing isn't the final word on a coil or machine, but based on what I suspected in the field this video pretty much confirmed what I was thinking with the various coils in my case. Not saying it's the same for others in their soils/sands...
At the very start of this you need to hit the play button three times to skip the text and then just let it ride from there. There are some shorter pauses but you can bypass them by pressing play as needed if you don't want to read the results/remarks for each test with each coil at certain points...
http://youtu.be/bKesj7KjcXY
I've since bought a 7.25" Tornado. You can still find these new but stock is going to dry up sooner or later now that Minelab stopped making them. I've heard nothing but praise for both the outstanding depth and unmasking potential of this tiny little coil. You might think 7.25" is not much smaller than 8" but beleive me when you see one in person you realize what a difference it might make in snaking stuff out of heavy iron or trash that a true 8 or 9" trash coil on other machines might have missed due to masking.
PS- There are some other pictorials on the above youtube video's channel that include depth testing of the S-5 and other coils, among other things. The depth of the 5.5" S-5 is outstanding in an air test for such a little coil, and it impressed me with it's depth in the field. Also, no doubt in length wise separation of the tip to tail DD line it'll outshine any larger coil in that resepect, but at least my particular one in the field seemed to have left/right separation issues. Maybe I got a dud and it's excellent for others in that respect. Wouldn't say otherwise that it's true for everybody, just that for my tastes in a trash coil I wanted something different for a few reasons, so I got the 8" Tornado.
At the very start of this you need to hit the play button three times to skip the text and then just let it ride from there. There are some shorter pauses but you can bypass them by pressing play as needed if you don't want to read the results/remarks for each test with each coil at certain points...
http://youtu.be/bKesj7KjcXY
I've since bought a 7.25" Tornado. You can still find these new but stock is going to dry up sooner or later now that Minelab stopped making them. I've heard nothing but praise for both the outstanding depth and unmasking potential of this tiny little coil. You might think 7.25" is not much smaller than 8" but beleive me when you see one in person you realize what a difference it might make in snaking stuff out of heavy iron or trash that a true 8 or 9" trash coil on other machines might have missed due to masking.
PS- There are some other pictorials on the above youtube video's channel that include depth testing of the S-5 and other coils, among other things. The depth of the 5.5" S-5 is outstanding in an air test for such a little coil, and it impressed me with it's depth in the field. Also, no doubt in length wise separation of the tip to tail DD line it'll outshine any larger coil in that resepect, but at least my particular one in the field seemed to have left/right separation issues. Maybe I got a dud and it's excellent for others in that respect. Wouldn't say otherwise that it's true for everybody, just that for my tastes in a trash coil I wanted something different for a few reasons, so I got the 8" Tornado.
deepdiger60
New member
GS the S-5 coil is great if your going to hunt tot lots or under bleachers or some old ladys house i hunted with it a few times but sold it because i mainly hunt big open farm fields and wet sand beaches i got the Tornado 8 inch that is a good all around coil i like much better my first time hunting at a beach with it last year i nailed 3 gold rings . GL Jim
GroundScanner,there are people who use and like this small coil.I have had two of the S-5 coils and never got the depth with this coil.Maybe I had the early versions but even on an air test it wouldn't pick a quarter up at 6 inches,very disappointed with the performance.My suggestion go with the S-8,Joey coil,or 800 Tornado coil.Good Luck Ron
Critterhunter
New member
Ron, it wouldn't due 6" on a quarter? Wow, the one I had would do 8.5" at least in an air test on a clad dime, but this was at full blast sensitivity in a low EMI environment. I also dug a silver Rosie at about 7" or so with it that hit so hard I bet it could have been another few inches deep and I would have had no problem getting a good ID/tone out of it. That's not small feat for where I was using it, because in that ground of all the non-Minelab machines I ever owned only two could muster about 7.5" max on a dime using 8 or 9.5" coils, and that was it for them.
I still wasn't happy about the left/right separation of mine. Had a few suspicions from field use on that but when I saw things by eye in an air test it seemed to show what I suspected. Maybe mine was a bad one, because I know Sun Ray makes quality products and many people love their coils. They've been around a long time and so have a proven reputation of reliability. The S-12 seems to be the aftermarket coil of choice for Excalibur users water hunting. Found my SEFs have too much drag in the water for my tastes so I use the 10" Tornado on my water rig for my GT, but may pick up a used S-12 to replace my loaner for water hunting when I want more coverage.
I still wasn't happy about the left/right separation of mine. Had a few suspicions from field use on that but when I saw things by eye in an air test it seemed to show what I suspected. Maybe mine was a bad one, because I know Sun Ray makes quality products and many people love their coils. They've been around a long time and so have a proven reputation of reliability. The S-12 seems to be the aftermarket coil of choice for Excalibur users water hunting. Found my SEFs have too much drag in the water for my tastes so I use the 10" Tornado on my water rig for my GT, but may pick up a used S-12 to replace my loaner for water hunting when I want more coverage.
Neil
Well-known member
Ron from Michigan said:
Thats about my findings also Ron and Ive tried both the grey and later black cabled ones and way back the white coiled ones. If depth isnt important and seperation is mostly what your looking for its a good coil. Its just to close to the 8" minelab coils in size as they are only 7.25 versus the S5s 5.5" and you get a whole lot more depth with the minelab coils. Now the X5 is a different bird for some reason and gets better depth so I have one of those(for my Etrac).
Another coil you might add to consider is the older 8" BBS coil from minelab, again 7.25". Its a little heavier than the tornado coil but not much and Ive been rotating the S8, 8" Tornado and 8" BBS coils at the beach these last few weeks and to me there seems to be little difference between these coils. The S8 gives a tad more coverage and the 8" Tornado I cant use as much sens, but the seperation and depth is equal with them all. Ive been measuring targets using the handle of my digger and marking it with a marker. I bought the 8" BBS used for a great price and both Joe and Rick provided me with a connector(this coil came from an excal and had no connector for the Sov). Thanks very much to Joe and Rick!
Im gonna keep all three coils, since they arent being made anymore you never know when one is gonna fail and I dont wanna have to hunt one down in the future.
I always liked the Joey coils also but those are not waterproof so bear that in mind......
Critter,the last S-5 I really wanted it to work out but no depth,could have been a bad coil.Thanks Ron
Neil,I'm not alone in my findings and agree with yours.With performance results for the S-5 and very close in size with the small Tornado 800 this should be a no brain er.Might be a good idea to find someone who has a S-5 and try it out before a purchase.Thanks Ron
GroundScanner
Active member
Thanks guys , i got a 8 " coil that came with my sov xs-2a pro that should be good .