SEF Coil

[RobertOH]

Returning to the hobby after a number of years of no action at all. I have a Sovereign XS w/8" coil & an Explorer XS w/stock coil. I was using the Sov for real trashy areas & the Explorer most of the time. Well, now I wear hearing aids & the Sovereign seems to be easier for me to follow hearing wise. So now I am considering a larger coil for the Sov. I'm thinking of the12 x10 SEF Or would the the next size up be better? Mostly coin hunt parks & houses.

I'm out of the loop as far as whats best. Open to suggestions to any brand.

 

[Buried Crap NJ]

I have always gone smaller with coils in parks and woods due to the trash. I have always found more with a 5 in coil in places that have seen coils over the last 40 plus years.Now if it was another brand detector the larger coils are used
to help to get deeper for the machines lack of power. With the Sovereign that's just not the case! The bigger coils while they may get you more depth in some cases they can get you less in many more. The added coverage from a larger coil is great but only if you have less trash! The standard 8/10 coil is a very powerful and the 10in is large by most standards! More is not always better. The larger the coil the less sensitivity you can use, something most hunters just can do (turn it down)! As far as I am concearned the 10in
combo on the Sovereign finds targets deeper than I wish to dig in the dirt! Do I own a larger coil you bet Every coil from 5 inch to 18 inch! I use the larger coils on the beach and I like that I don't need to hold the coil all day it will float on the sand and no dig like a smaller one. This really comes into play after 6 hrs plus hunting. Alway remember that the detector will never tell you your sensitivity is too high, too low can never cause a problem. Many have set the Sovereign up to the lowest sensitivity (by mistake)and never knew it for a long time and dug many great targets! You may wish to get a smaller coil to help liberate the missed targets! IMHO steve

 

[Critterhunter]

I owned the 15x12 and would have kept it if I was primarily a beach hunter. On land I prefer the 12x10 as I find it goes deeper than the 15x12 for some reason on land, but the 15x12 did get deep in the sand. You'll find the 12x10 sperates better and gets deeper than the stock 10" coil.

 

[RobertOH]

I think the Sov is going to be my main machine from now on. The changing threshold tones seem to help me catch good signals now that my hearing isn't what it was before. I'm hoping the 12x10 will bring those faint sounds a little better to my ears.

Do all the Sov coils fit each other? Are the newer models much different/better than my XS?

 

[Critterhunter]

All Sovereign and Excal coils work with any of the models. As far as the various Sovereign models go, they all get about the same amount of depth and work just as well as each other, although some say the GT is a tad bit deeper.

 

[Buried Crap NJ]

Bob, seems to me after re reading your post you really looking for a good set of headphones. I am thinking the coil isn't going to make the signal louder by any real improvement! If you look into Goldmaster headphone and put you own end on or he may put one on for you you will increase the sound/volume you desire. Since I have change over to them I have had to cut my target volume down by nearly 50% otherwise I would loose my hearing for sure! Not sure what headphones you using now?

 

[RobertOH]

Bob, seems to me after re reading your post you really looking for a good set of headphones. I am thinking the coil isn't going to make the signal louder by any real improvement! If you look into Goldmaster headphone and put you own end on or he may put one on for you you will increase the sound/volume you desire. Since I have change over to them I have had to cut my target volume down by nearly 50% otherwise I would loose my hearing for sure! Not sure what headphones you using now?

I use Gray Ghost. As far as hearing, my thinking is... shallow targets are louder, right? so a coin at 8" deep will give a more "shallow" sound with a larger coil because it will not be at the edge of reach. Just for example: say 8" coil reaches to 8.5" deep, faint sound.Then say the 12" coil reaches to10" deep, the 8" deep coin will ring off louder, right?

So if I just crank a lot of volume the bottle caps etc. are so loud I think it covers my ability to hear the faint hits. This is why I think the Sov helps me because of the change in threshold tone after a good target that I did not hear.

 

[Critterhunter]

One thing about the 12x10 is that it makes the sounds sharper and more crisp, which should help you to hear better. I was amazed that a coil could change the audio of the detector so much.

 

[Critterhunter]

Another thing about the 12x10 is that it makes the Sovereign feel like it's processor has been sped up. The detection field of this coil is sharper or more in focus (less bleed off to the sides) which makes seperation better/easier and reaction times between targets also are increased in a sense because it can more distinctly see between targets. Think of it as using a more focused beam of light from a flashlight, lighting up only what you want to see and ignoring objects off to the side that you don't want distracting you.

I feel much of the improved unmasking ability of the Etrac and SE Pro is due to the Pro Coil having a more focused signal than the various versions of the 10" coil that existed on the Explorer. That's what made the Explorer to me so hard to pinpoint and seperate targets with. The 10" Tornado on the Sovereign is a much better coil IMO. Better pinpointing and seperation.

With the 12x10 you'll feel like you have a new machine on the Sovereign. The reaction time between targets is much more crisp and defined. The audio is also crisper and sharper. It sounds to me like the tones of targets has also been raised in pitch a bit. I'm just shocked that a coil can change the audio so much, and for the better. I'm also shocked at how much more improvement it can do for the Sovereign. You'll feel like you have a different machine.

I've dug coins with this coil right up against iron and was able to isolate the coin from it. Not that the 10" Tornado isn't able to seperate well, it's just that the 12x10 is better and more easy and effortless to do it with. In order to find targets right up against iron with the Sovereign people need to learn how to use the coil. You don't swing fast. For that matter, you need to wiggle around the trash in small movements to see if any coins are up against it.

The depth of the 12x10 is also better than the 10" Tornado. I'm confident when hunting with it that I'm getting deeper than any machine at that site has ever gone before, and that unmasking of targets is as good as it gets.

I can't over state this enough...You'll feel like you have some kind of updated/faster Sovereign when hunting with this coil.

The 15x12 also seemed to have better left/right seperation than the 10" Tornado. It's coverage was awesome and I loved that on the beach, but I didn't notice as drastic of a change in audio or target reaction with it than I do with the 12x10. At the beach the 15x12 did get deeper than the 10" Tornado, but on land in my high mineral soil for some reason it seemed to max out on coins at about 9". That confused me because my beaches are mineralized too, so why would it get deeper than stock in the sand but not in my soil? Had I primarily been a beach hunter I would have stayed with the 15x12 for it's coverage. Not that the 12x10 isn't a nice improvement in coverage over the stock 10" coil. The 12x10 gets deeper than the Tornado for me on land and I would guess (haven't used it there enough yet to tell) should also do really well at the beach.

Either one of these coils is a fine choice. If you hunt beaches or large open crop fields a lot then I'd opt for the 15x12. If you want max depth on coins with outstanding seperation (the 15x12 is good but the 12x10 is killer) in parks and such, or even a nice improvement in both depth and coverage at the beach but want a super light coil (lighter than the S-12) then buy the 12x10. Both coils are very stable and often you can run at higher sensitivity because of that. They also don't seem to false on iron as much.

With the 15x12 I seemed to get my best depth with a sensitivity setting of around 1 to 3PM, even though it was stable at higher settings. With the 12x10 sometimes it also wants me to lower the sensitivity for best ID at depth, but I find more often than not with it that maxing out sensitivity gives me the best ID at depth. Perhaps the 15x12 sees too much ground signal with a maxed out sensitivity and that's why it likes to run lower sometimes. There reaches a point in coil size where the machine is taking in too much ground matrix which degrades the target signal. It's not just about seperation when trying a larger coil. The 15x12 (from memory) is lighter without it's coil cover than the 10" Tornado.

 

[Critterhunter]

Thought you guys would find this interesting to read this comparison from somebody in the Etrac forum of the Pro Coil versus the 12x10. When I was looking into buying a 12x10 I did a lot of research in various forums and many Etrac owners prefer it over the Pro Coil. I've read it is deeper and gives better target audio at depth. Some say it also is more stable and falses less on iron than the Pro Coil. Here's the latest quote I read about the comparison of the two...

"I have not done field tests or garden tests between the procoil and the 12x10, but based on hunting the same sites with both, I would say that the 12x10 does give you an inch more depth then the procoil. One other thing that I noticed, is I can run the sensitivity higher without falsing or chattering then the procoil. I now use the 12X10 as my everyday coil. There is a difference in weight, but I can comfortably swing the 12X10 on all day hunts without an issue. I did extensive research myself before buying the 12X10 and almost every field test that I read gave the 12X10 SEF an edge over the procoil"

As many of you know the Pro Coil gets high marks and is an excellent coil, so it says a lot when people like the 12x10 more and think it is deeper.

 

[Critterhunter]

In case you guys missed this in Ron's meter thread, here's Jason's review of the 12x10...

"After a few years of speculation and hesitation I finally got a 12x10 SEF coil.
I use it on my Sovereign GT.
No problems with the build quality here. The SEF is slimmer and MUCH lighter than the stock 10" coil that came with my GT. However the SEF feels solid and has some good epoxy work done on the bottom of the coil.
If you can not get a coil cover with it then do not buy it! You really should use a coil cover especially if you use any coil at the beach or any surface. We have all gone out and tried to build confidence thinking we don't need the coil cover on because " It is so smooth here" only to grit your teeth and look in horror at the gouges and scrapes on the bottom of your coil. Beach sand is (duh) sand paper and it will gradually rub away that smooth finish down to the copper windings, which I have done before. I know you guys and gals know this. But for those that dont USE A COIL COVER.
For some reason K'co is always out of stock of coil covers for the SEF's ( I had to order mine from the UK). The coils are made in Bolivia and are imported and exclusively sold through the big box detector store. Lets face it many of Kco's after market accessories are cheap plastic (ie) max whatever it is called pinpointers, earlier excellorator or the old Hot Head coils. The SEF is not K'co made and it has a good coil connector and cable length. I do not know the exact weight of the coil but I do know that it feels so much easier to swing and maintain coil control than that of the stock GT coil. I can not stress that enough.

I love the scan width and the unique "butterfly" design which allows a tighter and/or more thorough ground coverage especially if you are grid searching. Better target separation! I thought I was imagining it but after a 5 hour beach hunt and extensive bench testing I feel as though the SEF has a bit quicker target response and better target separation than the stock 10"
The coil is a hybrid design of a cross between a DD and a concentric. Right off the bat with out a doubt the SEF does a better job in making them rusty screw caps break up. I do not know if it is the concentric components that aid to this or vice versa with the DD, but the sef has better cap id'ng capabilities.
I have always felt that pinpointing with a DD is easy even though Some find it annoying. With my Sovereign.I locate a target tighten up its location and then drag the rear of my coil toward the tip if of my toes, as soon as the target stops responding as the coil is being swung fast in narrow patterns(the sovereign wiggle) while being moved toward your toes. BANG! the target is right under the tip of the front of the coil. The SEF is easy and great in doing this. The unique design of the SEF has a little concave curve at the top of the coil. This is so helpful in showing where the tip of your coil is by the way the curve on the coil kinda "highlights" the area to dig.
My Sovereign GT with any coil is EXTREMELY deep on the beach. Even more so in the wet slop. One thing I noticed as well on the SEF is that the REAL deep conductors seem to be brought up a little higher in their audio resolution and maintaining consistent tone id.
So far it has been only beach hunting with the 12x10 SEF coil on my GT for me. I suspect that it will be very good in my usual inland stomps and fields.
But boy my GT with my Sunray probe rigged up feels so much better when searching .
It is water proof. The coil ships with the coil cable guard unscrewed. I suspect to make sure the coil cable where it meets the coil does not get any pressure on it. Just hand tighten the nut on the coil. It simple and shows that the company is aware that coils can get banged around in shipping.

I suspect that the SEF coils give the same performance on whatever machine they are used on. I wonder if they are V rated for the White's3 ? I may get one of the 8" Sef coils even though I very much like my Sunray S-8 which is my city park and junk hunt coil. That's a whole other topic."

Take Care HH
Jason

Thanks for that review. I see you too also feel that the target response seems faster due to the tighter/more well defined laser like detection field of this coil. It's wierd that that would make the target response seem faster but it does. One of the reasons why I give credit to the Pro Coil's better unmasking abilities on the Etrac's & SE Pros compared to Explorers using the old 10" coils. What the coil sees is where it's at in terms of target seperation and unmasking, and the 12x10 is a very nice improvement in those respects.

I'm telling you guys, strap one of these 12x10's on your Sovereign and it will feel like a new machine. Target reaction time is faster, seperation is outstanding, depth is increased. It's like strapping a turbo charger to your old Sovereign. Some of you guys have been waiting for a new Sovereign to come out. You'll feel like you have a new Sovereign model with this coil.

 

[Rick(ND)]

I really liked my Joey on my Explorer, but on the Sovereign I didn't like it at all. Now on the SEF 10X12 I have one for my E-Trac and never used it yet, but will when the ground thaws while a member in our club got one for his Sovereign and didn't work right, so he sent it back and the second one was worst than the first so he got credit back as they wouldn't refund his money. He got a S-12 of Sun Ray and it works excellent with no problems at all. The 15X12 SEF coil worked real good on the E-Trac, but hear on the Sovereign they are not as good, so what I am trying to say is a coil that works good on one model Minelab may not be as good on one made for another model of a Minelab. On the Sun Rays i find they work good on on all of the minelabs with no problems.
What we need is a place where we can rent all the different coil and try for our self which is good and which are bad for us instead of having to buy one only to find out it don't work that good for the detector we are using and then have to resell the coil again. For the Sovereign at this time I have a 8 inch coinsearch and the stock 10 inch Tornado for my GT, but for my E-Trac i just ordered the 9.5X5.5 NEL coil and got in a week ago a 12X13 Tornado NEL coil to try in the spring and have a 10X12 SEF (not tried yet) coil and the 8X6 SEF coil (good coil) my X-8 Sun Ray coil (excellent coil) and the stock pro coil as I have to try them for myself to see for myself what will work for me and what I will sell again. Most of my test will be on actual in the ground targets as I carry a extra coil with me on a separate shaft and can change a coil in less that 10 seconds as I have a X-1 probe on to make switching easy.