For Those With The 17" Coil...

[MHirschmann]

What depth advantage are you finding with this coil over stock (honestly please)?

I am looking at getting the big coil but I have yet to read about a depth advantage to this coil that is worth talking about. It seems this coil is great for better ground coverage, but from the finds I have seen and the people I have spoken with who own this coil, it really isn't much deeper. I like the ground coverage I get out of the stock coil and so I wouldn't need the large one for that. I am looking for raw depth as I know there are deep targets I am missing. I know this because some local PI hunters are making finds out of spots that are dead silent, but they are digging in the 10"+ range.

At this point, I just can't justify the $400 price tag for an item that doesn't seem to be exciting to people who own it. I find it strange that there is so little talk about this accessory at this point which makes me suspect and I am in no position to pay $400 for the coil if it will just give me better coverage.

I hope this post doesn't read in a negative way towards the coil as I honestly don't know a thing about it. My impression is based solely on the lack of talk about it at this point. I really hope it turns out being awesome and worthwhile purchasing but I need to hear it from current owners before I take a gamble on it. I have bought WAY too much stuff just to try it out in the past few years and then been disappointed with it. I'm done playing that game and so these days I make informed decisions.

I figure someone will respond by saying that depth isn't everything, and I want to make it clear that I agree with you, however, I have some spots where depth is the only factor between me and what I want to find. I am hoping to figure out if this coil is going to be the answer or if I have to get a pulse machine to get what I am after (that's a whole other argument that I hope not to talk about here).

I would appreciate more feedback on this coil from those that have them and I very much look forward to hearing more. If I get one, I will do a thorough test as I do with other items and let you guys know what I find/think (for those that care).

-Marc

PS sorry for the long-winded post...

 

[TIM CLARK]

I also want to get the 17 inch coil but from what I am hearing it is the same as the stock coil or maybe a little better so for now at the price of around $400.00 I will swing the stock coil and it is lighter.

 

[MHirschmann]

I am in the same place as you Tim. I don't want to pay $400 simply for better ground coverage and I am not looking to increase the weight of my CTX unless it is truly worth it, as you mentioned.

Hopefully this thread will clear things up for me, and others who are on the fence. If there is a proven advantage, I will get the coil tomorrow. All I know is over 70 people have looked at this thread at this point and nobody that owns a 17" coil has come in to defend it or speak about it at all. Usually happy customers jump on these threads and can't wait to tell people like me how great the product is.

Hopefully we will get some owners' opinions here soon. If not, maybe the only answer I am going to get is by getting one and testing it myself.

 

[jtalley007]

Marc, Jason has posted a lot on here and the classroom. Send him a message, he will let you know what he thought, I think he did find one or two gold rings with it but not sure, hope this helps

Jerry

 

[Ray-Mo.]

An inch does not sound like much until you hit a site with very deep coins and start getting 10" + coins that were out of reach with previous coils/machines.
I have noticed that the 17" coil really excels on very deep coins on edge . Most of my infield testing was in bone dry soil but we got over 6" of rain in the last few days so that will be changing

 

[MHirschmann]

Thanks Jerry and Ray. I am headed to my local dealer today to take a look at the coil. I'll also get in touch with Jason and see what he has to say. Thanks again and I appreciate your input very much. -Marc

 

[Porschephile]

I have had the larger coil for about a month. My future use will be limited to beach and large field hunting due to my experiences with the coil...

First the pros vs. standard coil
1. Greater coverage and speed in large areas.
2. Better, more stable ids of deeper finds.

Then the cons
1. More difficult pinpointing.
2. Less accurate depths. Some depths way off, especially if target is shallow.
3. Minimal increased depth of detection. Possibly an inch in soil, although air test displays depths of up to 12in. on quarter sized targets.
4. Spoils balance of machine and greatly increases arm fatigue.
5. PITA in trash.
6. Difficult to use around obstructions.
7. Terribly susceptible to EMI.

The other con which is not specific to the large coil is the sheer difficulty of switching coils on the CTX.

I have also used the small coil and found it highly useful for the type of hunting I do. The depths are super accurate too.

 

[gitterdug]

I have the 17 inch and the 6 inch, in addition to the stock coil. I hunt a LOT in the country. The balance is amazing when compared to my E-Trac or my Explorer II WOT or 15x12 coils. One of the things I noted right off the bat was that I was not using my swingy thingy at all with the new machine, even when I use the larger coil.

A lot of the hunting I do, has had grasses that were a problem. The additional footprint on the coil was perfect. That extra inch or two of penetration through growing grass has been felt. instead of getting coins at X depth with my stock coil, I believe I get deeper with the 17 inch coil through the growth. Hope that makes sense.

Also, at least here in Texas, I am REGULARLY picking up deep targets 10-12 inches, coin size with the machine. The stability is mentioned above, and I want to say, I have NEVER seen a more stable large coil on a machine.

The old addage of whoever covers the most ground in a day wins almost every time should be whoever covers the most cubic yardage ground in a day will usually win. For me, hands down, I LOVE that 17 inch coil, and I also believe I am getting a higher percentage of deep targets than I do with my stock coil.

Just my thoughts.

IMHO, the CTX knocks it out of the park on depth, stability, and provision of relevant information to it's user. For use in fields, AWAY from old homesites with loads of iron, I would use it hands down over the stock coil.

HH

Dennis

 

[MHirschmann]

I Just picked it up a little bit ago and will hopefully get some time to test it this weekend. I will test it thoroughly in the coming weeks and will let you guys know what I find. Thanks Dennis and Porsche for your input. -Marc

 

[earthmansurfer]

Man that is a big coil! Is it even worth trying if your ground is not sweet. I did get another 1" with the 13" Detech in my somewhat iron mineralized ground but wonder if I'd get less depth with the 17" coil and the CTX???

 

[MHirschmann]

Hi Albert, I'll give you some feedback on this monster after I get some time with it. I remember a year or so ago we compared ground readings and you and i had rather similar ground. I'll need a couple of weeks at least to get a good feel for what exactly this coil has to offer. I'll get back to you with the results. -Marc

 

[earthmansurfer]

Marc - Great, that will help more than me out I bet. You know, I sometimes think we should put our ground mineralization level in our signature, if we know it. I mean, I often ask people how mineralized their ground is as I want to know if I can use or suggest something in that post. "Results may vary..."

Albert

 

[JMT Detectors]

It probably sounds silly, but the CTX looks impressive with the big coil on there. Good luck!

 

[MHirschmann]

I have to agree, the size is rather impressive looking. I didn't realize how big this coil actually is until I placed it right next to the stock coil. This monster makes the stock coil look like a baby. Here's a pic showing the two. The difference looks even more absurd in person. -Marc

 

[MHirschmann]

On a further note, first impressions are good.

- The build quality is superb (as is to be expected with all Minelab products)
- The weight difference is barely noticeable. I know this is based on a bit of messing around and doesn't represent how I might feel after a day swinging this beast, but its not like most other big coils I have picked up where you instantly notice the difference in weight
- Balance remains superb

I hope to get it out for its first swing this evening. Thanks to all that have been helping/following this thread. -Marc

 

[MXTerer]

n/t

 

[JMT Detectors]

I have to agree, the size is rather impressive looking. I didn't realize how big this coil actually is until I placed it right next to the stock coil. This monster makes the stock coil look like a baby. Here's a pic showing the two. The difference looks even more absurd in person. -Marc

That's quite a swath! You should able to really cover some ground. Hope it works for you...

 

[Jason in TN]

I have used mine at the beach got Quarters up to 12" but did that with the stock coil. I would say your feelings are about right it for me did not get much more depth just ground coverage. It was not as uncomfortable to hunt with as I thought it would be. Also shop around you can find them under $400 new just got to do some emails or calling seems the best way for me to find a deal.

Jason

 

[MHirschmann]

Well I went out for a few hours yesterday evening and ran the big coil through the paces. I took it to a park that I have killed with the E-Trac, V3i, Deus and now the CTX. The park is a very small 150ft x 150ft area that is dead silent at this point. I ran the big coil both in manual and auto and I tested different programs to see if it mattered at all.

Now, I did not pick up anything deep in the 2.5 hours that I was there, which was a little disappointing, however, the fact that I could hunt that long and not be bothered by the weight of this coil is awesome. When I had my E-Trac, any coil of this size would have been a big problem to swing for a couple of hours without a swingy-thingy. This coil was a delight to swing and balances incredibly well for its size.

Another note is pinpointing. As is to be expected with such a big coil, pinpointing accurately took some practice. I wouldn't recommend this coil in a park to be honest (which is to be expected) as its size makes it easy to get multiple targets under it each swing

I also noticed what others have stated in terms of depth reading accuracy. I dug several targets that the machine told me were in the 8-11 inch range that turned out to be in the 3-4 inch range. The depth accuracy of this coil doesn't seem to be nearly as good as with the stock coil.

With all that said, I am not knocking this coil and actually like it very much so far. I just think it will certainly be more useful on the beach and in open fields (duh Marc, this is where your supposed to use these things) but I was hoping it could make some hunted out spots that used to produce come back to life. I also can't stand firm on anything that I have said at this point as I only have a couple of hours playing with this accessory at this point. I usually take at least a few weeks before solidly forming my opinion on an item but these are my first impressions.

Thanks for reading and I'll keep you posted, Marc

 

[scoopjohnb]

I hoped that big coil would open up my sanded in beaches. NOT!!

When I got over the initial amazement at being able to swing such a monster, I got my head down to thinking again.
It's 17"x13" so rather like a 10x5" depth is limited by the smallest number.
In general it should ID coins and stuff accurately at 13", which is about what it does for me.
Still deeper than the stock 11", which is nice.

The larger volume of soil analyzed will probably inhibit some small finds, but still get large rings or light rings with a coin like size.
It's a slightly deeper coverage monster, that's my thinking.

Pinpointing is very nice indeed, just use the front or back V.

In the mean time weather has gotten gnarly, so I'm in 11" CTX coil mode again and 10" on the Excal.
Next time beaches are sanded in again I'm going to try out a PI unit and not moan about digging iron.
At the beach, digger in hand, all quiet in the phones, ... I feel somewhat useless.