Which is the best all around coil, the 6" 18hz or 5x10 18hz?

[Prospector]

Trying to decide between the round 6" or the 5"x10" both in 18hz. If you were only going to buy one, which would it be? I think the 6" is waterproof, and the 5"x10" is not, but can be sealed to be. What are your thoughts between the two? Thanks!

 

[Pyledriver]

All around would be the 5x10. I almost never take mine off and use it for tot lots, parks, houses, etc. I also have the 6" HF and like it in the trashier places. I wanted both of those because I also want to go prospecting! Having said all that though...the INTENDED all arounder is the stock coil! I just like the DD's so much I never like to take it off!

 

[Digger]

I think the response you got from Pyledriver, and now mine, shows that it is simply a matter of personal choice. They're both the same frequency and both are DD's. And you already know the waterproof differences. So it is simply a matter of how you hunt and what you will doing with it. The elliptical will obviously cover more ground with each swath. As far as depth is concerned, I don't see much difference. But all things considered, I like the smaller 6-inch because it separates targets better than the longer elliptical coil. JMHO HH Randy

 

[rwsnc]

Purely a personal preference... mine is the 5 X 10 elliptical coil.. I know lots of folks like the round coil. For me me I like the wider coverage of the 5 X 10" coil.

My personal choice... Yours may be different... Bottom line... not much help I know.

 

[Mtnmn]

I suspect you plan on using one of these two coils for gold prospecting. If that is the case, a lot of it will come down to what is the size of gold you are looking for. If hunting for small or very fine gold, then the 6" DD HF coil is definitely the way to go, but if looking for somewhat larger and deeper small nuggets, then the 5x10 DD would probably be better. The prospectors I've spoken to (via e-mail) were really impressed with how small of gold they found with 6" DD HF coil, but still think I'd go with the 5x10" DD coil if nugget hunting. When coin hunting in smaller high trash areas it is hard to beat the 6" DD, in larger areas the 5x10" DD would cover much more ground.

 

[Prospector]

n/t

 

[nickie]

I used 2 component marine epoxy around the seams of the coil and used 3M Scotchfill electrical insulating putty around the wiring and bolt area on my 10.5MF coil. I think the warranty went out the window with that move but the coil is waterproof now.

 

[Mtnmn]

I use Plumber's Goop from Walmart on all my X-T coils whether they are waterproof or not. It not only helps waterproof them, but it also helps provide extra strain relief for where your cable enters the coil at because of being semi-pliable upon drying. Just spread it all around the area where the cable enters the coil at and then make sure to also coat all sides of the cable strain relief up to about 1/2" above it on the cable itself. A Minelab rep once said she didn't think using Plumber's Goop on your coil would void the warranty, of course if it leaked that's a different story. No doubt marine epoxy works just fine too.

 

[TURNMASTER]

What is your intended purpose? What does the terrain you will be hunting in look like? Wide open, lots of nooks and crannies. Bigger nuggets or smaller gold.

There is good info in the FAQ section from B. T.

I intend on using the 5x10, the 6"DD and the 10.5 MF DD (its on the way) prospecting. The dealer ordered in the wrong coil and I almost bit. He brought in the 3rd HF DD. But I can wait a little bit longer.

My own personal thoughts are that I will run the 5x10 over a known gold producer, then I will go back over the same area with the 10.5 MF. If I want to get into the H2O then I will have my 6" DD with me.

I think that the 10.5 MF DD and the 5x10 will cover my bases fairly well, as they are said to target different types of gold. If they hit differently, then one or the other may pick up on gold that others folks missed (?). BT is very clear on the fact that the 5x10 will pick up on difficult to find nuggets, I infer that the 6" will pick up the same nuggets bassed on their similairity (?).

Good Luck
Jeff

 

[David]

Nero_Design had a picture of the detection field of the 6 HF and 5x10 HF DD's. It shows the 6 HF's field is a much narrower knife blade(also better for trash separation), while the 5x10 HF has a wider field along the center. The 6 HF will find a bit smaller gold and is a specialty coil but it is not for general field detecting in the goldfields due to noisier in very high mineralization and less coverage. The 5x10 HF is quieter in very high mineralization with more coverage. Both do not handle some hotrocks well just like all other VLF's also. I just got this coil recently and have not tried it yet as I wonder if the round 10.5 HF DD handles hot rocks and mineralization better? But yes it will not find as small of gold as the other two coils. If you want the very best hotrock rejection use the 70(5) in C & T Mode or use a Minelab SD/GP(X) machine.

"...the X-70 picked up hotrocks( -8 and +48 ) in certain areas and is a problem sometimes. I have heard the new Off-Set Tracking on the X-705 will help with hotrocks. Also the 5x10" DD HF does a bit better on hotrocks than the 6" DD HF."

ALSO, I knew this before that all BBS and FBS machines are not good on very small gold items(thus not recommended for prospecting for small gold nuggets), but this is still interesting what Sky1 said very recently on the Safari/Quattro Forum, and I added in (brackets):
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?3,1137338
Re: CONFUSED -Safari vs Sovereign GT
"I don't know about the sovereign(BBS) but my Safari(FBS) is not that exceptional on (gold)jewelry. It will NOT pick up small studded diamond ear rings, nor will it detect thin white gold, it will not detect small nuggets either."

 

[Mtnmn]

I suppose if the Safari isn't particularly good on small gold jewelry, then the E-trac isn't either. Is that correct? Thinking about getting an E-trac eventually.

 

[David]

I am also thinking about buying an E-Trac in the future to try it out. Yes that is right, it applies to all BBS and FBS units including the E-Trac. The disadvantages of those machines are no good on very small gold, slow sweep speed, heavy, and pricey.

But they will pick up most normal sized gold jewelry just fine(the Excalibur-BBS is a great gold ring hunter in the ocean), and are also deeper than all types of VLF detectors. And will out perform others(except PI's) in wet salt sand. Lots of aftermarket coils available for BBS-FBS machines. The E-Trac will give the most information of what's in the ground of any metal detector on the market. Correct me if I am wrong on any of this above. The major reason why I myself want an E-Trac is to get the most information of what's in the ground. Of course I would still keep my X-70 and use both together.

 

[Prospector]

n/t