Minelab E-TRAC Forum

Ive had my Etrac for about 2 weeks now and feel like im getting the hang of it as I am not digging as much trash and am hitting solid coins. I got a Sunray X5 coil in the original deal and have to say I have been using it almost exclusively. Now im just wanting to know from those more experienced whether I should be using the 11" stock coil or stay with the X5. What are the trade offs. Thanks in advance.

The X-5 is a good coil, but I only use mine in very heavy trash situations, and when gridding over an area that I have already hammered with a normal sized coil (I use the 10x12 SEF for general hunting). The biggest downside with the X-5 is that it's small size makes covering ground a slow process, and then there's the fact that it struggles to hit anything over 7-8" deep. (My finds with the X-5 are normally 6" and less).
There are several members here that exclusively use the X-5 and do very well cherry picking jewelery in heavy trash. Personally, I find the slow pace required to use the coil for an extended period a little tedious.

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Currently running the Minelab E-Trac, Excalibur and Garrett Pro Pointer.

to me so far pound for pound the sef 8x6 is tough to beat small and good for trash but not too small , mine will run pretty hot vs, the other coils and depth is pretty good

In my limited experience I think you could be missing stuff by not using pro-coil. But I have learned that some coils find stuff others don't sometimes. I would suggest hit those same areas with the pro coil and see what pops up. My 2cents silverchef

Don't underestimate the ProCoil because it comes 'stock' .... it's an AMAZING COIL!

I run both the stock Pro and the X-5 and love them both in the right places. Now I'm fairly new with the E-Trac but the X-5 gets great seperation in trash. How about a Merc at 6" an inch under a AA battery and laying next to a bent nail. But the Pro Coil on the beach made a 16" (measured) hit on a matchbox truck in PP mode last week. The X-5 would never have hit that.

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Garrett AT-Pro, Minelab E-Trac, 2 Pro Pointers and a probe rod.

If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But remember this: A man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good. ~ Thomas J. Watson, Jr.

Thanks for the replies. I like the idea of using the stock coil over already searched ground. I'll give that a go. Just judging by the nulls and beer bottle caps on the surface alone I may use the X5 more in local parks and save the stock for open "unspoiled" ground.

I use the stock coil first in an area, and then go back over the area with the 8x6 SEF to pick through the trash. Seems to work out good for me. I think you should get a larger coil also, because many of the coins I'm digging are in the 7" to 8" range, where you are probably missing them with the 5". But that 5" has got to be a killer in the trash. HH

I use the 12x10" SEF as my everyday coil in non trashy areas and for trashy areas or in a confined space, I use the 6" DD EXcelerator EQ 2 Pro. For the beach or field hunts, I use the 15x12" SEF. I switched from the Procoil to the 12x10 SEF because it gave me a little more depth and ground cover. However, the Procoil is an excellent coil for everyday use and is lighter then the 12X10 SEF.

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HH

Steve - Northern Virginia

Detectors: Minelab Excalibur II w/ Plugger Two Piece Travel Shaft and Knob Guard
Minelab E-Trac w/ Sun Ray Probe, Pro-Tector Rain Jacket, Pro-Tector Padded E-Trac Cover, Swingy Thingy Harness
Garrett Infinium LS w/ Plugger Two Piece Travel Shaft

Accessories: Predator Tools Model 75 Digging Tool, Predator Tools Model 85 Digging Tool, Predator Tools Raven Model 25 Shovel, Sunspot Stealth 6.5 Classic Beach Scoop, RTG Beachmaster Water Scoop, Pro Beach & Water Hunting Pouch, Sun Ray Deluxe Treasure Pouch, Sun Ray Pro Gold Headphones, Garrett Waterproof Headphones, Garrett Pro-Pointer, Sun Ray Coin Popper, Minelab Detector Carry Bag

Excal II Coils: Stock 10"

E-Trac Coils: 6" DD EXcelerator EQ 2 Pro, Sun Ray Stealth X-8, 12x10" SEF (Butterfly), 15x12" SEF (Butterfly)

Infinium Coils: Garrett 10 x 14 DD, Garrett 8" Mono

Oldest Coins Found - 1816 Coronet Large One Cent (Matron Head), 1834 Bust Dime, 1847 Seated Half Dime

I considering getting a small coiil for trashy areas, but I'm not sure which to go for. The Sunray X-5 and the Excelerator EQ2 are the two I'm trying to decide between. I've seen good reviews on both. The Sunray is considerably more expensive. Any opinions?

I've got the Sunray and love it, you'll find many people who are as happy with the SEF 6x8. I still like my Sunray though....

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Garrett AT-Pro, Minelab E-Trac, 2 Pro Pointers and a probe rod.

If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But remember this: A man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good. ~ Thomas J. Watson, Jr.

doesn't that 6x8 SEF have holes in it like the stock coil? I'm hoping to hunt a corn field this spring, and I'm pretty sure I'll want a solid coil to hunt that.

Yes it does it looks like a shrunk down 10"x12" sef coil. You'll want the 5" sunray or 6" EQ2 coil both are small and solid, no holes in them.

I would think you'd kill yourself using an X-5 or EQ2 in a corn field! Again, I'm thinking Nebraska/Iowa sized fields when I say this. That is a heck of a lot of swinging to cover even a small amount of the field. Even though the SEF's are open coils, they are the best for field hunts/covering a lot of area at one time. If you prefer Sunray over SEF, consider the X-12 for the field hunts. I use the 15x12 SEF for the fields and have a 12x10 coming this week to add to my 11" Pro Coil for general hunting. I also use the X-5 for parks/trashy areas and it is an excellent coil with superb seperation.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2012 10:18PM by usafaviator.

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kansas_roger
doesn't that 6x8 SEF have holes in it like the stock coil? I'm hoping to hunt a corn field this spring, and I'm pretty sure I'll want a solid coil to hunt that.

I've got a MUCH cheaper fix for you! Order a Tesoro 11inch coil cover! It fits nug on the stock Pro coil with it's coil cover on. Let's you hunt without all the stubble catching your coil!