Still no small coil? Glad I got an MXT instead

[Idaho-Marke]

About this time last year the XT 70 came out and I was TORN between this new machine and an MXT for looking for gold. Torn is the right word because I was reading so many good things about the XT 70 and still am today.

Today I'm looking for a back up machine and the XT 70 is high on the list, but once again, I'm going to have to pass. I need a small coil.

I imagine this coil problem is really frustrating to you all. It's insane for minelab or any company for that matter to come out with 1/2 a product. I use three different coils on my MXT and am looking at a fourth and here a year later minelab has left you all with only a dream of the coils you need.

The idea was good of one machine for all your needs, but the reality sucks that a year later you all are still stuck with a machine that can't do all you want it to.

Minelab, what are you thinking? This should be your top priority. I read so many good things about the XT-70, but if the company won't support it's products, I just can't make the leap to trust them and buy their products.

Anyway, I'm not knocking the XT-70, but I really hope Minelab gets on the ball and gets you people the coils you need soon.

Best wishes and happy hunting!

 

[BJ in Okla.]

My guess is, Minelab has run into problems with the small coil. Minelab has the mold for the 7 1/2" DD coil that they made for the Sovereign,Explorer,Musky. I could use that, but the 9" is to big for place's that I hunt. I have other units that have a small coil, 5" & 5.3 and those are the units that I use, my X-50 stays home. The place that I hunt and have hunted for years has a lot of trash, its so bad that with 5" coil and zero disc you hear a lot of iron,I have hunted this area for years because, its a big area and has old coins as well as clad, tokens,rings, and lots of trash. My oldest coin is 1864,so I am not going to give up this site.
Come on Minelab, we have been waiting over a year.
HH...BJ...

 

[NH Bob]

on that idea would be good. DD also.

 

[Digger]

I agree that it would have been nice to have the small coil come out last year, when many of us expected it. Minelab didn't announce it. But we all surmised it would be here, since it was pictured in the owner's manual. Although I don't have the whole story, I'm sure there is a good reason why it hasn't become commercially available. But, regardless of the reason, it doesn't change the fact it isn't here....Yet.

For the sake of discussion, why would you consider it insane for a company to come out with a new detector and not a small coil at the same time? And to call it 1/2 a product? I don't know how long you have been in this hobby, but I could count the new models making their initial appearance with a new small coil, on one hand. In fact, off the top of my head, I can't think of any. C$ folks waited 5 years for their small coil. Tejon users didn't get their 5.75 for more than a year. In fact the 5.75 DD coil for the Tejon, Vaquero and Cibola is just now being released. The new F-75 was just released, and guess what? No small coil available. And those buying the F-75 can't use the small coil from the T2 because it doesn't have one either. There have been small coils available for new models. But, I can't think of one that didn't use the same coils from a previous models. Whites is probably the best at utilizing the same coil on various models. For example, the 6.59 kHz XLT uses the same coils that were available on the XLPro, IDX series, QXT series, 5900, 6000 and Classic III. All of those except the XLT have been manufacturer discontinued, by the way. So, even though the current XLT E-Series is their newest model of XLT, it uses the older technology coils of it's 6.59 kHz predecessors.

The MXT is a good detector. I have had a couple of them myself. And, like you, I found a use for the variety of coils available for it. I used the 5.3, 4X6, 6X10 and the stock 950. In addition, Sierra and DeTEch make some too. However, when the MXT was introduced over 5 years ago, it was able to use 2 DD coils that were developed for the DFX, which had been released a year or so earlier. And, if I recall, neither of them were available when the DFX made it's debut. And again, going from memory, I don't remember seeing that 5.3 for quite awhile. Regardless, when the DFX and MXT were first introduced, neither of them had the number of coils available today. It is an evolving process.

So if you are looking for a "backup" detector, I hope you don't get in a hurry. I have confidence that the smaller X-Terra coil will be here before long. And when it does, that would be the time to make your decision. You can chose between a 14 kHz detector whose technology is 5-6 years old, with 6 or so coil options. Or you can chose an X-Terra 70 who's technology is one year old, operates on one of three different frequencies and also offers a choice of 6 or so coil options. When you make that decision, you may even find the MXT becomes your "backup". Personally, I don't mind waiting. I have other detectors with small coils that will fill the void until one is available on the X-Terra. JMHO HH
Randy

 

[RonNH]

Maybe Minelab spent so much R & D time on the SE, that a small coil for the Terra series was put on the back burner. Afterall, they would have to make a small coil with all 3 frequencies, don't you think? With White's and other companies, it was a matter of making a small coil with only one frequency. I don't know how long it took for the 5.3 and 4x6 coil to come out for the DFX but I bet it was a few years. I have the 4x6 and it is a killer coil in trash and around cellar holes. I'm surprised Excellerator or Sun-Ray hasn't come up to the plate before Minelab. Ron

 

[argyle]

I dare anyone to say they need a coil smaller than the 18khz elliptical for gold detecting. Not needed in any way is a smaller coil than that for junky areas in the gold fields, or for smaller gold.
A smaller coil for coin detecting in trashy shots......hell yeah, but come on seriously, a smaller coil than the already small DD elliptical for gold detecting?

 

[BJ in Okla.]

Digger you said,
I agree that it would have been nice to have the small coil come out last year, when many of us expected it. Minelab didn't announce it.))))

Dick Shultz told me on the phone last year that there would be a small coil in the spring of 2006, its been over a year since he told me that on the phone, I took him at his word, is he not a part of Minelab ???
Dick is the reason that I bought my first X-Terra, I only have the X-50 now and I will wait a little while longer before I sell it. I used a Sovereign xs for years, I am glad that Sun Ray made 3 good coils for it and a better meter.
As far as I know, Minelab has never made a coil smaller than the 7 1/2" DD...HH...BJ

 

[Digger]

you read my post correctly. I said Minelab did not ANNOUNCE it. If you ever worked in a Corporate environment, you would recognize the difference in a private conversation between individuals and a Corporate announcement. Minelab has never announced the release date for a smaller coil to be used on the X-Terra. In fact, Minelab Corporate has never said they would build one. Dick may have told you he thought it was going to happen on a certain date. And, if he did, I am sure he thought it to be the truth. But in a manufacturing environment, unforeseen things can happen that could delay that process. If that were the case, I am certainly glad that Minelab has the foresight to delay a premature release of any product, rather than turn it loose and let the customers pay the price to have it fixed. Can you say First Texas? HH Randy


P.S. I don't know how many "small coils" Minelab has made. But I know they had 6-inch coils for the Sterling, the Eldorado MK II, the Klondike, the Eureka Ace and for the FT16000.

 

[BJ in Okla.]

Who posted on here that Minelab had changed the time to this summer for the small coil ??
So what your saying, Minelab may never make a small coil for the X-Terra.
Minelab needs to set the record straight and say that they are or not going to make a small coil for the X-Terra.
I don't need a small coil for my X-Terra, because I have 2 good units that have small coils. You have helped me make up my mind on the X-Terra.

And I can say First Texas and that I have 3 CZ's and a M-6 that are better than anything that 1st Texas has made so far..
Can you Quality ???

HH...BJ

 

[Dick from IA]

.....here is some info provided by my Minelab dealer:

Because of the VFlex technology in the XTerras, a PC Board and Chip is required in each coil. The placement of these is significant in respect to the coil's electrical signature. Thus far a smaller coil has not been released, and this may be the reason.

 

[Digger]

I agree that several of the CZs were better than anything FT has come up with yet. I liked my CZ-5s a lot. We agree that you don't need a small coil for your X-Terra, if you already have a couple detectors with small coils. I would add, however, that if you already have an X-Terra, a small coil may be helpful for target separation in trashy areas. At least I am hoping it will. I disagree that the M6 is better than anything that First Texas has made, so far. At least not at the sites I hunt. I have used the T2 and a couple Bounty Hunters that far outperformed both of the M6's I've owned. Better depth, better target separation, better discrimination characteristics, higher sensitivity and more stable operation. Maybe I had a couple bad M6's? But based on the reasons I mentioned, my two M6's fell waaaaay short.

I apparently missed Minelab's announcement that the small coil would be released this summer. In fact, I didn't know anyone representing Minelab had stated on here that the coil would be released this summer. If you could provide me that link, where someone from Minelab said that, I would be anxious to see it.

I don't know where you come up with the idea that I said anything about Minelab not making a small coil for the X-Terra. I did NOT say that. What I did say is that Minelab Corporate has not made any formal announcement of such a coil. Written or verbal. At least not one I am aware of. Just a picture in the owner's manual. I added that, if it has been delayed, I am certainly glad that Minelab has the foresight to delay a premature release of any product, rather than turn it loose and let the customers pay the price (to have it fixed). My point is that lots of folks are excited to see the release of a product that the manufacturer hasn't even announced yet. We all think it is coming. And we all wished it had been here by now. But when it comes right down to it, none of us outside of Minelab know anything definitive. Purely speculation and wishful thinking on our parts. Mine, based on a drawing in my owner's manual.

My point in asking if you can say "First Texas" was in reference to a premature product release. This has been demonstrated by the T2 and may be with the recently released F-75. Repeated problems with the locking collars, battery springs and armrests of the T2 should have tipped them off as to design characteristics. Unfortunately, the F-75 uses the same hardware components for each of these. I only hope, for those who buy the F-75, that the hardware issues have been resolved, and the software problems encountered by some who bought early versions of the T2 have been resolved prior to the release of the F-75. I know some say it is a different platform. But the jury is still out on that matter. Frankly, I don't understand a company who has the customer pay $35 to have T2 software upgraded, in an effort to get rid of an interference problem. Seems that should have been under the warranty.

I'm not sure what your point was in saying "Can you Quality ???" If you are questioning the quality of Minelab detectors, I disagree. Minelab has built a solid reputation on providing quality products. If you have experienced problems with yours, you should be contacting their customer service department. Like I did on the two M6's, an XLT, a Cortez and a Silver Sabre. Over the years, I've utilized the services of Minelab, Whites, Tesoro, Garrett and Fisher repair. I will say that Minelab and Whites were both excellent to work with. Ironic how the two with the shortest warranties were the best, based on my experiences, at supporting their products.

So, to clear things up.....
You asked:
Who posted on here that Minelab had changed the time to this summer for the small coil ??
I don't know who said Minelab had changed the time to this summer for the small coil.

You asked:
So what your saying, Minelab may never make a small coil for the X-Terra.
I did NOT say Minelab may never make a small coil for the X-Terra. In fact, I have 100% confidence that Minelab will develop a small coil for the X-Terra. As to when, I don't know. But I know Minelab products well enough to realize that they won't release it before it is ready. And, from Marketing 101, I'd bet it will be released just as soon as it is ready.

You said:
Minelab needs to set the record straight and say that they are or not going to make a small coil for the X-Terra.
In a perfect world, it would be nice if ALL manufacturers would provide us with a roll-out schedule for their products. Unfortunately, that isn't the way it works in the real world. Not for Minelab, Whites, Garrett, Tesoro or First Texas. If it did, do you think any of the folks who bought a T2 would have waited for the F-75? Would you have put off buying that M6 and waited for one of the new Matrix series detectors coming out this spring. Or was that next summer? Heck, I forget when it was. I think it comes with a small concentric coil. Or was that a DD coil? I can't remember. But, I'm sure I heard that somewhere.


HH Randy

 

[Steve in Idaho]

I traded my MXT in for a X-70 and I love the X70 and even better after I got the 18.75 khz DD coil and the 10 1/2" DD coil. I had a small coil for my MXT and it did not preform in our highly mineralized ground. My old Gold Bug II with a small coil would find very small gold that the MXT would not make a sound over. I cannot wait to try out my X70 in the prospect mode for gold as soon as the snow melts.

 

[bfodnes]

You forgot to mention the Explorer. 6 years old and no small coil from Minelab, Sovereign, more then 15 years old and no small coil.

What is interesting is that atleast two manufacturers have managed to make aftermarket coils that are better or atleast equals the originals and they have numerous small coils.

With that in mind there is no way we can think that there is trouble for Minelab to make a small coil for their own detector.

Seems to me that the will to make it is small.

 

[Digger]

that the "small" 5.3 Eclipse coil on my MXT did seem to be much smaller after I'd been swinging the stock 950 Eclipse. But, I also remember how little that 8-inch Minelab coil seemed to be on the Advantage, Sovereign and Explorer, after I'd been using the stock 10-inch. So, I measured them, for a comparison. The "small" 5.3 inch Whites Eclipse is actually 6 3/4 inches in diameter. Whereas the Minelab 8-inch coil is 7 1/4 inches in diameter. 1/2 inch difference in diameter doesn't seem like much of a difference to me. If any of these Minelab machines would have not been equipped with the 8-inch coil when they were initially released, and came out with the 7 1/4 inch coil later (calling it a 600), you we probably wouldn't be having this discussion.

You know, I think this is one of those deals where you are damned if you do and damned if you don't. If the X-Terra would have offered a 6 inch concentric coil instead of the 10.5 inch DD, some would have asked why they didn't come out with a larger DD coil. And, if they had offered a 6 inch DD coil instead of a 5 X 10 Elliptical, some would have asked why they didn't offer an elliptical coil. I guess the answer is, you can't please all the people all the time.

As to why there aren't after market coils available for the X-Terra, as there are for some models of Garretts, Whites and other Minelabs..... I can think of three reasons. Number one would be that the model is too new to determine how big of market share the X-Terra will have. Second, the technology involved with placing a microprocessor in the coil is something DeTech, SunRay or Sierra have not yet accomplished. I don't know if you have ever attempted it. But making a coil is very VERY difficult. Winding a bunch wires around a core is the easy part. Spacing those cores, isolating those wires and tuning the coil so it even works is the hard part. I can't imagine throwing a microprocessor into the mix. Third, I doubt Minelab is anxious to share their proprietary VFLEX information with anyone is highly unlikely.

As with all my posts, these are simply my opinions. HH Randy

 

[plugger]

had a conversation, via email, with Dick Shultz and he said they were testing a small coil and "hoped" to have it ready for distribution in late Spring to early Summer. I think I heard somewhere that it was being tested in Ireland, but, I don't believe Dick offered that, I may have gotten that from a contact in the UK. I am perfectly willing to wait and let them get it right before they put it out. I know how much I like S-5 on my GT, I really think I will like my X-Terra even more with a small coil to compliment the high frequency eliptical coil.
So many detectors and so little time! I need a clone to work for me so I can hunt more! HH!

Bill
AKA Plugger AKA Bill (Calif)

 

[Digger]

I should have stepped back and let those who are destined to condemn a product, do so without my feeling the need to correct their misstatements. I often forget that some folks think they must post negative information on forums for a detector model they never owned. Freud probably had an explanation for it.

Lots of us have made speculations and suggestions as to size, design and frequency of a smaller than stock coil. But to my knowledge, Minelab has not "officially" confirmed any of them.

Maybe I am just an optimist. But, I am confident one is coming soon. When it does, I will definitely buy one and put it through it's paces.

Now, get back to work!!!

HH Randy

 

[bfodnes]

I am simply pointing out the fact that minelab have no history in making small coils. I dont know how to make one but I know how to use one. That is : better result then the bigger ones!

I am sure You are correct that if the elliptical 18.75 was not realeased but a 5" instead someone would have complained, but far fewer.

It was an easier task, the shell was right there. Seems like far more complicated to make someting new allthough the 9 XT stock is!

I have the elliptical myself, its a very good and sensitive coil as is the detector in itself-- Very Good !!!!!

If not, I would not bothered to point out the fact that I need a smaller coil.

Its hardly a coinsidence that manufacturers with good history in making a full spectrum of coils continue to do so and the ones with no history fail to do so. Its all in the will and priority.

Minelab detectors are among the best if not the absolute best ( I have an Explorer and a XT70), they give up good find and deep finds on every trip.

The best needs a small coil to exellerate on some sites, I got those sites right here. So have many more Minelab Lovers.

Now go kick their ass to get them finished if they even are in the works, their detectors deserves one.

 

[Bavaria Mike]

is really a hot machine with all the coils they offer and is simple to use. Would be nice if Minelab got off their a$$ and made a bigger and a smaller coil for the XT series. The large 10.5" DD coil separates targets well but a small coil should really kick butt in trashy areas. I could use a larger footprint on the fields. HH, Mike

 

[Digger]

I have one more question.

You said:
I am simply pointing out the fact that minelab have no history in making small coils.

Then you said:
It was an easier task, the shell was right there.

So, my question is, what shell would they use if they have no history of making a small coil?


Oh, and one last thing.....If I had any pull with Minelab, we both would have been using a small coil for the past year!

HH
Randy

 

[bfodnes]

n/t