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ATMAX FOUND SILVER THAT ETRAC MISSED

Russ88

Member
Last night I went for a casual metal detect hunt in my neighborhood (walking distance from my house) and I went over a bus stop location that I covered fairly well with my Etrac previously. Not sure why the etrac wound miss a silver dime at 4-5 inches but it did. I guess it shows not one detector can hit everything and just metal detecting coverage in general can miss things. It rang up at a 82-83 number with a mellow high tone (I was in custom mode). Anyhow for just a evening stroll I found that remarkable. I am giving some thought of some different coils to go along with my ATMAX stock coil. Does anyone have any recommendations? So far my thoughts have centered on the larger concentric (9 by 12) and a sharpshooter coil (9.5 by 5.5). If I am trying to gain a edge on hitting some difficult coins do you have any other thoughts?. I know a lot of people like the 5 by 8 and attest by it. But I find it just too small to cover ground as I do. Any thoughts you have would be appreciated!

Russ88
 
If your soil has lo mineralization, he Garrett 9" x 12" concentric coil covers a lot of area per swing and is even deeper the the 8.5" x 11" DD coil. I use the 9" x 12" all the time for coin and jewelry hunting.
 
Thanks John.....Wisconsin has been known to be middle of the road on the mineralization level, however my ground balance is typically 90. Does a 90 reading on the ground balance reflect an above average level? If that is the case, does your concentric become less favorable?
 
OP no machine will "clear" out a site, there are many factors at play when a target is being "seen" by the machine. To many factors to list in fact, I would say the best machine is the one you have with you and you know how to run. The best coil is going to be what your hunting for and what type of ground conditions, smaller coils separate much better but you will lose some depth. If I where you I would go with a NEL SharpShooter and call it a day.
 
Strobing.....Very interesting input. It certainly is something we overlook when we consider the unique dynamics of each detector and the level of experience of those who detect with them. Actually that should encourage us as a different detector in the same area is going to find things potentially that the other will miss. I will have to weigh the coil options carefully. The sharpshooter certainly has its place.
 
Of all the machines and coils I have hunted with, the best find I have ever found period was with a 5 inch coil. Bigger coils are great for those that need to cover larger areas, but after finding a Really great find with a five inch coil. I like to include the smallest coil with all my machines. Sure you may feel like you are not covering much ground, but what is masking a Great find for years as most people use the larger coils you'll never know until you use a sniper coil.
 
I agree.....smaller coils are better at getting better targets. Too often good targets are masked with other targets nearby. A smaller coil can better separate targets. However, in certain situations where targets are far in between, a larger coil rules. To check a field for target accumulation, one needs to test the location with a machine with true all metal mode like the AT Gold/AT Max or a PI. Then, and only then do you get a good probability of the extra junk in those areas, not readable with typical VLF discriminate mode setups. And those silent targets can in fact mask or make good targets sound as trash.

So....the old adage of "he who digs the most targets, gets the most finds is so very true."
 
Ok question on this topic.. I have the 5x7 and the 8,5x11 coil. I have been working on a yard from 1836. It has produced well. I have found two gold/silver rings. many Wheaties. 4 silver coins. There is trash in the yard but appears regular amount. The question is would a bigger coil 9x12 but better for the purpose of depth or the sniper to separate. Depth lures me because of the age of the property. but I have noticed finding the rings I really had to work to separate them. I am using the Pro and it does separate well. Also I ground balance around 82-83, then drop 5 manually for the silver.

Dave
 
Depending on how much trash there is.....

I might recommend going over it with the 5 x 8 DD coil first. Digging up all the good targets and as much of the trash as you can bear to dig up.

Then going over it again with the 8.5 x 11 DD coil to get that extra depth.

By getting some of that trash out of the way with the 5 x 8 DD coil, it will make it much easier (less masking effects) for the 8.5 x 11 DD coil.

With a 90 ground balance, it means that your soil is highly mineralized (any soil 80 or higher is considered highly mineralized), so the DD coil with reach down as far as the concentric coil (not sure if you have any of the concentric coils or not) would. Although a concentric coil would probably ID the bottle caps (if any) a bit better.

A lot of which type of coil you prefer depends quite a bit on the soil type (i.e. high versus low mineralization), the type of hunting you do (i.e. trashy park vs water), and probably most of all... what you got used to and have used the most. Pinpointing with a DD versus a concentric is just a little different, but I find them both extremely accurate once you get used to them. Neither one being 'better' than the other just a bit different.

Concentric coils reach a bit deeper in low mineralized soil and DD's do a bit better in highly mineralized soil.

I know John likes the concentric coils a bit better, but I think his ground is lower in mineralization so the concentric reaches a bit deeper than the DD would and he water huts a lot, where I tend to land hunt the most.

I tend to prefer the better target separation that the DD coils provide, but I also have lots of trash and highly mineralized soil where I live/hunt.

I have 4 of the 5 Garrett coils; 5 x 8 DD, 8.5 x 11 DD, 6.5 x 8 Concentric, and the 9 x 12 Concentric. The only Garrett coil I am missing is the 4.5" Super Sniper (which I would like to have).
 
Thanks Turak for your very interesting input. Of the 4 coils you employ, what are your favorite 2 coils if had just 2 to choose from? Also FYI I did happen to contact Garrett today and I told them my Ground Balance typically is right at 90. She told me that a 90 GB is more in the neutral category GB not considered highly mineralized. (John Edmonton in his review also said his GB is at 90 and his favorite coil is the 9 X 12 concentric). She tells me a reading of 93 is considered more in the highly mineralized category. She did also mention you can sweep the concentric a tad faster.
 
My two favorites currently are the 5 x 8 DD and the 8.5 x 11 DD. It's really just a matter of preference and where you tend to hunt. I do 90% land hunting in high trash areas.

For me, I prefer the DD's mostly because I hunt in high trash areas and have highly mineralized soil (i.e tends to be 90-93 on my AT Pro, a little lower on my AT Gold). I like the better target separation that the DD's have.

From the posts I have read, John does a lot of water hunting and indicated he likes the better target ID'ing and the pinpointing of the concentrics better.

As for the depth of the DD vs. the Concentrics, it is moslty a matter of the soil mineralization. In moderate to low mineralization the Concentrics will reach a little deeper. For example, when you compare the 8.5 x 11 DD vs. the 9 x 12 Concentric, you can gain an inch or maybe 2 deeper with the concentric, but only in low to moderate mineralized soil. In higher mineralized soil, say 80 or above, the DD reaches a little deeper than the concentric.

Because of the way the Concentrics work, they are a little more prone to target masking. Look at page 38 in the AT Max manual and you will see why. It is due to the shape of the magnetic field the coil generates under the coil/in the ground.

As for the soil mineralization. I am not trying to argue or refute what they told you, just going by the numbers stated in all 3 (Max, Pro, and Gold) of the detector manuals.

Note the lower the number, the lower the soil mineralization. The higher the number the higher the mineralization. It only goes from 0-99. So an 85-90 falls in the High ranges shown below.

Also remember to ALWAYS reset your detector when you change the coils. You reset it my holding the power button for 5 or more seconds when turning it on, you'll hear a double beep. You will have to re-select your preferred mode after a reset. You should also ground balance the detector every time you change the coil too. Matter of fact, you may need to ground balance it when changing detecting areas. Different soils can have different levels of mineralization.

Here are the numbers taken straight out of the Manual (page 24) for the AT MAX detector;

Typical Ground Balance Ranges:
80–99: Highly ferrous (magnetite, ferrous oxide minerals,
black sands, hot rocks, terra cotta)
60–80: Moderately mineralized soils (red clay, brown clay,
iron-bearing clay minerals, etc.)
20–60: Likely an iron object
0–20: Highly conductive, non-ferrous minerals such as
saltwater

Here are the numbers straight from the AT Pro Manual (page 32);

Typical Ground Balance Ranges:
80–99: Highly ferrous (magnetite, ferrous oxide minerals,
black sands, hot rocks, terra cotta)
60–80: Moderately mineralized soils (red clay, brown clay,
iron-bearing clay minerals, etc.)
20–60: Likely an iron object
0–20: Highly conductive, non-ferrous minerals such as
saltwater

Here are the numbers straight from the AT Gold Manual (page 18 );

Typical Ground Balance Ranges:
65–99: Highly ferrous (ferrous oxide minerals, black sands,
magnetite, hot rocks)
50–65: Highly ferrous, slightly conductive (hot rocks, terra
cotta)
30–50: Moderately to highly ferrous (red and iron-bearing
clays, most terra cotta, hot rocks)
0–30: Light to moderately mineralized (brown and yellow
clays, etc.)
 
Hello Turak.....Thanks for the very informative information on your coil selection and clarification on the ground balance questions. With that information you provided, I have to strongly consider the 5 X 8 or the 9.5 x 5.5 NEL sharpshooter. I have to admit I kind of like that sharpshooter coil, along with continued interest in the others mentioned. (5 x8 and the 9 X 12 concentric). If I had to make a decision today I would probably go with the sharpshooter. Thanks again for all your help. I am sure others gained much from it as well.
 
[size=medium]Russ my suggestion would be two coils for the Max. The 6.5x9 concentric and the NEL sharpshooter for the MAX not the At Pro. I love both coils on my Pro and the 6.5x9on the Max my Nel works great on the Pro but will Not work on the Max, According to GDI Nel is in the process of making coils for the MAX right now and should be ready soon.[/size]
 
Thanks Buddy TX...Thanks for sharing your experiences on the 6.5 X 9 concentric and NEL Sharpshooter....I too heard the Sharpshooter does not work currently.... Hopefully they will get that worked out soon....I'm leaning on that sharpshooter. The Concentric you mentioned along with the larger concentric looks promising too.
 
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