Buying a X-70..what other coil(s) should I buy

[AlaskaAng]

[size=large]Hi All,

I'm about to buy an X-70 and would like to know what other coil aside from the stock coil should I buy? I plan to use it to locate gold in/around Fairbanks AK and also use it for soccer fields and ski hills.

Thanks in advance,
Ang[/size]

 

[khouse]

No matter what detector a person buys - I think a small coil is the first accessory coil to buy. Since you want to look for gold I would suggest the 6 inch HFDD coil. I bought one in hopes to get to Colorado this summer. I have been using it in some tot lots because my ground has been frozen. It's a great coil. You can pinpoint dead center or off the end.

 

[Elton]

Check out FAQFAQ at top of forum..lists all the coils..Hey if you can afford it get em all..I have 3 right now, and have used all of them

 

[Steve in Idaho]

If you want to find larger gold, buy the 10 1/2 " 18.75 khz DD coil. There should still be lots of large nuggets on the old dredge piles around Fairbanks.

 

[rifleman]

It's hard to say which is the best. The first two responses are good suggestions. The only thing I would do different is if you are looking for gold in the ground, not in tailing piles is to get the 5 X 10 18.75 DD coil. In the tailing piles I think the larger DD coil would be excellent. Heck, with the price of gold, if you hit some good finds it wouldn't take too much to buy all the coils. I have the stock coil, the 5 X 10 18.75 DD and the 6" 18.75 DD. Each has it's place and I would not want to part with any of them. The 10.5" 7.5 DD coil will be my next purchase. I'd like to see Minelab make a 14" lower frequency coil for the really deep finds. I have found one piece of gold with the 70. I was only out for about an hour, so I was darn happy. More and more reports are coming in on what a great gold finder the 70 is. Get to the right areas and I think you'll score big.

Good hunting, John K

 

[nero_design]

The X-70 certainly finds gold. And nails. And horseshoes.

I wish I could go back in time to the 1800's and punch every miner in the face who dropped a nail or tossed away a horseshoe.

There are three coils for you to choose from in the High Frequency range and, in the USA, you should be able to do well with them since your
soil is not nearly as 'noisy' as our Aussie soil tends to be. Since gold is often associated with iron ore, it is usually found in areas which can
are a little 'hot' in terms of soil since gold fields are usually associated strongly with volcanics and rich minerals.

The coils all perform quite differently to one another and each has a benefit and a disadvantage due to the shape, size and sensitivity.
Most prospectors use the 10x5" DD HF Elliptical Coil and the 6" DD HF mini-coil. I haven't heard much from people using the larger 10" coil
other than complain about the extra weight (it must be a little heavier but I don't know).

The 10x5" Elliptical has a great sensitivity to "third of a gram and larger" nuggets and a fairly effective shape and weight for covering new areas
and allows for broad sweeping detector action. It's not waterproof and does not sense the REALLY small gold (which may not interest the average person anyway)
The 6" DD HF is excellent for smaller areas and for careful scanning or underwater use in creeks or mud. This coil IS waterproof and due to it's small size, it can be squeezed into all sorts of places and cracks. This coil is SO sensitive that it can detect small 2mm long mini-nuggets in fine cracks that only a toothpick could fit into.

I purchased both those coils (plus the stock MF coil which came with the detector). I used both yesterday and was VERY impressed with the results of each when searching for gold in tough ground. I found a corroded needle the width of a human hair in the creek bed with the 6" coil and a corroded 4mm long .22 cartridge case as well as some small gold with the Elliptical coil ....which was in chunks of quartz under the topsoil.

In retrospect, if you were to buy ONE coil, most people seem to recommend the Elliptical. I would too although it DOES depend on your needs and the area you are prospecting. I've had ONE (and only one) experienced prospector and professional miner actually tell me it's the one coil he dislikes. Worth considering his thoughts due to his experience with gold mining and metal detectors.
The advantage is that if you are covering new ground, it's better to go in with a coil that allows you to move efficiently and cover as much ground as possible. The smaller
6" coil really doesn't allow for such wide coverage and is better for smaller targets in narrow places.
It's a tough call. Do you know what the region is like?

If any users of the 10.5" DD HF coil would care to chip in, I'd be interested to hear their opinions on this coil too.

 

[stewartlittle]

I got the stock and the 6'' DD HF.The 6'' seems to do a good picking out good targets in very trashy areas.

 

[Hape]

I would be interested in some additonal information/stories about the 10.5" DD HF, too.
I thinking about getting a bigger HF coil and as I like the coil to be waterproof I cant chose the 10x5".
Thanks Peter

 

[AlaskaAng]

[size=large]Thank you all for your great information...I can't wait to buy my X-70! I'm trying to sell a DFX and as soon as I do, I'll order the X-70![/size]

Ang