When is big too big?

[Anonymous]

I'm using the standard ExII 10.5" coil and am pretty happy with its limited depth ability. But with Xmas just around the corner I'm thinking about stepping up my coil size to 12.5", 14" or 18". But then is big too big? What I'm looking for is coin shooting depth, so the 18" DD is looking good! The concern is with a bigger coil comes bigger noise in trashy areas plus, how about those shallow targets? Do I gain detection down to 20+ inches but loose those shallow targets at 3 to 5 inches?
Also, is there a favorite brand? The WOT 15" seems pretty popular but what about the EXcelerator series? They have the 18" to offer.
I'd appreciate hearing any of your experiences or recommendations.
Thanks, SeattleALE

 

[Anonymous]

You have a nice selection of coils from 15 and down.
Coiltek and SunRay and others. Our studies at COILTEK have shown that above 15 inches the increase in depth is minor, and the decrease in sensitivity is major. A coil larger than 15 inches looks at too much ground at once and makes the detector have to handle too much mineralization at one time, hence, depth falls off and sensitivity goes all to pot.
Take care!
DOC

 

[Anonymous]

I've hunted many, many hours with the EXcellerator 18" and the WOT 15" coils and in my opinion the WOT is way better all the way around. It's more stable and can be ran allot hotter than the 18" because of the very reasons you fear ( ground noise ). The only way I could get good performance out of the 18" was to turn the sens way down, at least 8 clicks under the WOT .. NEVER saw any increase on depth with the 18" over the WOT either.
The 18" doesn't do nearly as well with coins on edge and doesn't have near the ability to see around iron like the WOT.
On top of that, the depth guage and tones start getting weird in heavy minerals with the 18" but the WOT stays consistant. Allot of times I've found coins that were well in reach of my 8" coil and 10" but for some reason the WOT pulled them out .. can't explain it but it happens.
Go with the WOT <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=""> And go with a swingy thingy too because you're going to need it. Besides that, DOC is good people to deal with and is well known for treating his customers right ... and he's a supporter of this forum.
H.H.
Mike

 

[Anonymous]

My two cents... for coin shooting go with the WOT and keep clear of that 18 inch boat anchor coil. If your soil is anything like the black sand rich soil around Portland, OR that I hunted don't expect miracles, that soil is tough to get depth in. That said I have used the WOT side by side with the stock coil in that soil and the WOT will reach deeper.
Now lets talk big coils and depth...
I built a 21 inch coil for my Explorer a couple years back, that is too big for coin shooting in a park but would be fine for say cache hunting, hunting for big coppers in old farm fields, maybe even beach hunting where targets are few and far between.
The amount of ground the coil gulps is important, less is better plus bigger coils are heavy and not fun to swing. Plus how do you work a monster coil in and around the trash? Its tough.
So is there a solution? Can we get say the depth of an 18 inch coil without all the associated problems of a big coil e.g. ground noise, weight, target seperation in trash, etc. I built a prototype coil last year to find out.
In general coil width determines depth, coil length determines coverage per sweep. I wanted depth, I was less concerned with coverage so I built a coil that was 18 inches wide but only 12 inches long. How did this compare to an 18 inch round coil? The coil was much easier to work in and around the trash, it was a lot lighter, and since I removed 6 inches of the hot zone down the center it gulped a lot less ground noise.
I took it to a field known for deep targets, I spent months pounding this field with the stock coil and the WOT to the point that I could hunt it for hours without find so much as a wheat. The 18x12 picked off quite a few deep silvers and corroded IH's and wheats in testing.
Anyway thats my thoughts on big coils, build them wider and shorter.

 

[Anonymous]

I can't comment on the EXcelerator coils but am currently using the WOT. I leave it on 90% of the time and do my hunting at old parks and schools. Parts of these places are relatively clear and parts are trashy but I've always had good results with the WOT. People say this coil works best in open areas like beaches and fields but In my experience it's always done well in semi-trashy areas.
I tried a new setting last week which was manual sensitivity set at 32. I hunted in the park close to my house and turned up eighteen old coins, four of them Silver. That's pretty good for that particular area. It's also possible to pull some good targets out of trashy areas as long as you adjust the settings and have patience. Of course common sense rules and this doesn't work in super-trashy areas.
I'm not the authority on depth as I hunt only in parks and schools. I can't use a shovel or create a foxhole so there's a limit to how deep I can dig. Last night I did dig up a quarter-sized artifact at 12". Most of the old coins I find are in the 6-8" with the remainder deeper to the 10" range. I have found some relics at 14-15" but that is the deepest I will dig. It's more important to me to keep hunting this park as it's only 3 1/2 blocks from my house.
Shallow targets are certainly no problem and the WOT is very sensitive to small metal objects.
-Neil Crowley

 

[Anonymous]

I use the 18 inch Excelerator,14, 12.5 and the 5 inch coils. I also have used the Coiltek coils. As Doc said an 18" will see more minerals. I have located two caches in the past 2 years and both were made with the 18". Mineralization was not a factor in my hunting areas where I located my caches. I always found that using a big coil in the parks etc. brought nothing but trouble for me as the larger coils were just seeing too much to decipher. The largest coil I ever use in park hunting situations has been the 12.5. The majority of the time is either spent working the trash with a 5 or 8 inch coil. Thats when I think big is too big. When needing the extreme depth and hunting a field which is lower in trash then I bring out the big guns. The 18 or a 15 for that matter is not a coil the average detectorist will be swinging for any great lengths of time. If you need depth, then go with the biggest coil you think you can handle. In my opinion, bigger is better when going for all out depth.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm very happy with my 15" WOT. I have several other coils I experimented with also. The bigger the coil, the harder it will swing and snag on every little twig. It's superior when trash is light and the grass/weeds are low. I don't recommend it for the woods or tough places to detect. As one of the other posts mentioned, DOC'S Place is where to buy your new WOT, should you decide on one. He is outstanding to do business with. I would also recommend a "swingy thing" for your larger coil. I can detect all day with it, if only my wife would allow!
Good Luck

 

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

I just got the 15" WOT and have been out 3 times to the beach with it. It a great coil for areas without alot of trash. I would recomend it to anyone looking for a bigger coil.
HH Frank(FL)

 

[Anonymous]

when you develop "Carpel tunnel syndrome" for starters or the coil size cuts your hunt in half because your arm is just too tired to go on.
I believe large coils are highly over-rated and almost useless in high trashy areas. Anything over 15" is like swinging a flying saucer. WOT is the mantra on here. I don't have one but it gets high marks from all.
I still believe most good and great coins are well within the reach of the double-D 10.5" coil. And I'm not interested in digging 18" to find a soda can - thank you!

 

[Anonymous]

Ocean 7, you are right, most coins should be within reach of the stock coil - EXCEPTIONS: The Beach, quarters at 18 inch are a reality and the stock coil would be hard pressed to reach that deep, not so with the WOT coil.
The other thing is shallow coins on edge. The WOT is able to see these coins, and the stock coil sometimes misses them.
My only explanation for this is that the WOT coil, because it is larger, has a different angle of attack when generating and reading an eddy current on the surface of the coin.
But as you have pointed out, in so many words, who is going to dig 18 inch holes in a park? It's pretty easy to scoop out 18 inches of sand on a beach, but 18 inches in a park? Yeah that would raise some eyebrows !
BCOT!
DOC

 

[Anonymous]

I couldn't understand the glut of orders I had yesterday and today for the WOT coil.
I'm sure not complaining, but I came back here to check the forum and saw all the nice things people had to say, now I see what was generating all of the interest in the WOT coil.
Whoever said word of mouth advertising is the best kind of advertising sure knew what they were talking about.
Thanks to everyone for their kind words and your continued support.
BCOT!
DOC

 

[Anonymous]

for park hunting, my opinion has been that you have to do things differently than the hundreds of guys that have been there before you. Use a better detector, smaller coil, bigger coil, slower sweep, different spot, dig oddball signals, etc. The WOT is plently different in the size department. And if 15 inches is the optimum size, then I'd say anything more is overkill for parks. Now if the ground is really clean and the coins are really deep, then perhaps there is a niche use for a bigger coil, but I'm thoroughly satisfied with my WOT from DOC. Gets lots of depth and pinpoints great. Haven't removed mine since summer.

 

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

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