Add coils or upgrade?

[caheaton]

Hello, new poster here but I've been reading the forum for a while (as a guest). In the late 70's early 80's I detected a bit with a White's 5000/D GEB (that I still have). I recently got back into the hobby with the purchase of an F2 that I've been enjoying and using quite a bit...problem is, many of the areas I work have been hunted by others over the years and not much seems to be left in the way of old coins. (Plenty of modern non-silver though). I'm also interested in something that may be a bit more sensitive to small gold...such as the lost backs from earrings.

I've been contemplating purchasing another coil for the F2 to increase my depth ability at sights that I suspect have been heavily hunted (and also for use at private property on which I'm certain there are older, deeper coins). It seems I have 3 options:

10" round coil: This is the least expensive option, but also more prone to trash masking and a smaller detection field at depth. Besides price, other advantages are easier pin pointing and no variation in TID from my existing 4" and 8" coils.

11" DD coil: Depth on a par with the 10" (maybe slightly less?), but larger target area at depth and less prone to trash masking then the large circular coil. Cons are less accurate pin pointing (not a big issue, I can learn the new coil), a change in the TID and biggest of all the price...nearly as much as the F2 itself!

a second metal detector: Leaning towards the F5, but may just hold off for a year or so and then get the F70. Does the F5 offer much greater depth then the F2? My research shows it is a bit less then the F70, but the all metal abilities of the F5 and the control it offers over configuration are appealilng. On the other hand, the F70 may just be deep enough to grab coins that others have missed over the years using lesser machines. Bother machines seem to do well with tiny gold and a small coil (the F2 didn't beep when passing a gold earring back under the coil...I would like one that could detect such small gold, though I may just pick up a Compadre one day and dedicate it to such tasks).

Thank you!
Craig

 

[mudpuppy]

Good to see you here, Craig. I bet you'd be great with either the F5 or the 70...maybe read a bunch of Mike Hillis' posts to decide...he favors the F5, and has an F70 too, so he'd be one of the posters here that would steer you straight. If it were me, I guess I'd keep the F2 stock, and either sell it, or use it for a backup or for when a friend wants to try out this sport. I can say I love the F70 with the 11"dd for lots of reasons, I dont have any experience with the F5 at all, so take that for what its worth, but the F5 looks like a faster machine to tweak the buttons on instead of scrolling through the menu like the F70.
Good Luck, and let us know how you went, and show us some inspirational shots of loot from time to time!
Mud

 

[Mike Hillis]

If you like the F2, you buy coils for it. I bought a F2 when they first came out and bought a 11" DD coil to use on both it and a Tracker IV. I liked that coil on both units.

If you are dissatisfied with the F2, then change machines. Changing coils will not change dissatisfaction.

Good luck,
Mike

 

[Mr.Bill]

the F2 didn't beep when passing a gold earring back under the coil

The gold earing backs are not gold. There gold colored, or plated spring steel. Open up your discrimination into the iron range, and perhaps you will hear it. ??

Mr. Bill

 

[caheaton]

Thanks for the advice, guys. (Sorry it took so long to get back to you all). I like the F2, but feel like I could use a bit more depth. Yesterday I returned to one of my regular spots and dug my oldest coin yet with it: a 1920 Wheat. That coin was a good 7" deep and the signal was marginal (strong zinc beep, but it would only beep on about half of my swings). I almost passed over it because of the iffy signal, thinking that it might be iron fooling the detector (the area has a lot of iron). What I would like is something that can give me more reliable TID's at greater depth...ideally to around 10" or so as I'm sure there are deep coins that I've overlooked due to iffy TID's (Too much iron to dig it all...plus it wouldn't look so good to the general public as this is public property). If a new coil for the F2 could give me this I would be happy, but if I need to make an upgrade to the F5 (or maybe even the F70 or AT Pro...detectors that should offer this ability, albeit at more cost then a new coil) then I'd be willing...though a new detector would have to wait awhile versus a new coil.

As for the gold backs I may have made a mistake using the 8" coil for those tests. I'll retest sometime using the 4" coil as from what I've read it's more sensitive to small targets.

Craig

 

[Mike Hillis]

Craig,
Unfortuantly, reliable target id at 10" or so in the turf often requires the outlay of some cash. There are not many detectors than can do it half way reliably. The ones that do it the best are multi-frequency machines. Fisher's CZ series, and in hot ground, the Minelab Explorer/Etrac series. In some ground the DFX/V3i can do it if set up properly. But still, they are only halfway reliable.

Your best bet if you want to focus on old, deep coins, is either the Fisher CZ3D or a Minelab Explorer/Etrac. If your ground isn't hot then the CZ3D will be the one you want.

The real deep coin hunters, set their discrimination so that they can tell the difference between ferrous and non ferrous targets and dig all the non-ferrous targets.

HH
Mike

 

[caheaton]

Thanks for the quick reply, Mike. I'm interested in buying the F70 you have for sale, but couldn't find a place on the forum to message you directly. Please contact me at heatoncrAToplin.org (use @ in place of AT).

Thanks!
Craig

 

[Mike Hillis]

n/t

 

[Mike Hillis]

n/t

 

[pasttom]

I've been there and done both options. I started with a F2 and bought a 11dd when I wanted more depth. I consider the F2 a very good starting place and I don't regret buying it. I did the forum gripe, too. I was not happy with my new coil and bought an Omega 8000 with 3 coils. I was much happier with it and the F2 went to back up status. I am waiting on G2/Gold Bug Pro that will share coils with the Omega, as my next machine step up. I pretty much coin shoot and found half a dozen rings at 4 church properties. I have about 15 acres between them that I have exclusive permission to hunt (some poachers may be raiding the King's preserves, I suspect). Point being, you need to look at what kind of hunting you want to do and choose a machine that has strengths in that area.
You mentioned seeking stuff from 'hunted out' areas and trash. You'd do well to consider a G2/Gold Bug Pro option for a few more bucks along with the F5 & F70. Also, remember if you don't buy new from an authorized dealer there is no warranty (it does not transfer even though it is 5 years). First Texas rates do seem reasonable, though.
Personally, I am more impressed with ability to see through trash than pull depth. I just found my fourth silver, a beautiful 1957 Rosie less than half an inch deep on a road that saw maybe 50 pedestrians and a car everyday for the 50 years or so since it was lost! Sure older is deeper than shallow, but the deeper the target the less clear the ID and the longer and more destructive the recovery. Also the deeper you search the tighter your overlaps must be to cover the ground properly no matter what machine you use! If you are not willing to spend maybe 4 times the time hunting the same ground... Are you better off finding 70% of 6 inches or 30% of 9 or 10 inches?
Okay it is all very arbitrary, I know. Just sayin'...
Tom (the self proclaimed expert!)