What coils should I get for my Tesoro Eldorado uMax?

[Mojave]

There are quite a few out there, but I have no idea which ones will work best for this machine. The stock coil is concentric, I believe... should I invest in a widescan coil? I'm used to these because of my Minelab. I might lose some depth, but I'll cover more area. Is the 11" widescan a good choice?

I'm assuming I should get a small coil for trashy areas. I would still want the smaller coil to get decent depth, so what size would be recommended?

Thanks

 

[RLOH]

I really like the 7 inch concentric with the umax's I have used. The 5.75 is also very good, but I feel like I am capable of more coverage with little loss of separation over the 5.75 or 4 inch coils.

 

[Monte]

wound coils can be rather encompassing, even to the point of argument rather than simply opinion or relating actual field-experiences.In addition, you can't even compare two coils of the same size and shape and internal design because there can be a dramatic difference in performance based upon the particular make/model detector they are mounted to, the settings used, and all sorts of other variables.

For example, I am not especially a fan of a Double-D coil and, pardon my mention, but let me first mention some White's models. Their new Spectra V3 comes standard with their newest 10" D-D coil. I had a couple of them, before the release of the V3 that I used with an MXT and M6, as well as on the two Vision/V3 models I had. They worked 'OK,' but they only in more open, sparse-target sites. The 12" round concentric coil I also had in late '08 and early-to-mid '09 and it worked better ... for me ... in similar sites. I worked with all of the coils available for the MXT and V3, as well as my XL Pro and XLT with different coils to compare performance, and the end result simply confirmed my long-standing opinion that ... with my White's models ... the concentric coils are the better all-purpose performers.

Best of them are the 12" for larger-than-coin sized targets, the 950 for for open, spaced-target sites, and the 5.3 Eclipse or 5.3 BullsEye coils (same 6

 

[Mojave]

Thanks for the recommendations for the 7 inch concentric coil. I'll be sure and get this one, eventually.

Would you recommend the 12x10? I occasionally do some relic hunting out in the desert, and extra depth sometimes makes the difference between unearthing a keeper and getting no signal at all.

 

[BarberBill]

I can second Monte on the 7" concentric although in tot lots and trashy parks etc. the 5.75 is quite good. I have a 10X12 but find I don't use it much as I generally do just fine with the 8X9 or the 7". A couple of years back I was detecting an old logging camp with the Eldorado and the 7" widescan and dug an old 2 quart or so sized rusty can at a measured 15-16 inches with a very strong signal. I was using the widescan mainly because I had it, and partly because of the possible gain in mineralized soil. I have several 7" concentrics that I use nearly exclusively on my Tesoros in tot lots, parks, competition hunts and the like. Hope this is helpful.
HH
BB

 

[Mojave]

Very helpful, thanks.

15-16 inches with a 7" widescan sounds unbelievable. You must have virtually no ground mineralization to speak of to hit that kind of depth. I thought concentric coils always get better depth than widescan coils, regardless of the level of mineralization?

 

[Monte]

... dug an old 2 quart or so sized rusty can at a measured 15-16 inches with a very strong signal.

The fact that it was a large sized, iron-based object are the keys to the detection depth.

Still, that's pretty deep, and I never good decent performance (depth) out of any Tesoro wide-scan coil when compared with a similar-size concentric coil. It didn't matter what the ground mineralization was.

Since May of 1969 I have put in many day-long hunts in old railroad ghost towns which, by the nature of their use, have a lot of larger-sized crap-metal scattered about on and in the ground. Since 1972 I have been hunting many old logging camps/towns and some mining camps/towns that also have a higher percentage of bugger iron and tin junk in them.

Through all the years I have been detecting (since the spring of '65) I have preferred using coils in the 5" to 7

 

[Monte]

Personally I wouldn't, depending upon what you're after. They are heavier and can be more tiring. The are larger and "read" or "see" more ground so you can have some issues with GB and maintaining a good working GB if you are working in higher mineralization, or a site with a lot of rapidly-changing ground matrix.

I've worked with them in field evaluations and the only two times I liked them were:

1.. When hunting some plowed but relatively smooth and consistent farm fields.

2.. When intentionally cache hunting or specifically looking for larger objects, such as old Railroad Switch Locks, and that sort of thing.

They usually only match the responsiveness of the 8X9 on smaller-sized targets such as buttons and small coins, and sometimes not even that good. Also, since I frequently work old homesteads and town sites and such that are brushy, they just down 'fit' in and around the brush and rubble, and being bigger and more open they get "hung-up" more easily.

Monte

 

[Mojave]

Someone is selling an 8 inch concentric "brown donut" coil, with lower rod and coil scuff, for $40 shipped. Would this be a good deal, or should I just get the 7 inch?

 

[Mojave]

Thanks Monte for answering my question about the 12x10. I hope I still get good depth with the Eldorado. The Explorer SE is infuriating at times, but it goes pretty deep.

 

[BarberBill]

Monte's right as usual - It was a LARGE rusty can and I was surprised my self at the depth. That's why I measured it. The most surprising thing to me though was the fact that the signal was still very strong. In thinking back over many post on depth, most are concerned with coin depth which doesn't seem to correlate well with depth on larger iron objects etc. Around old camps etc. rusty axe heads, horseshoes and similar will sound off well way deeper than any coin.
HH
BB