Monte
"In Memory of"
I've never been into 'over-size' coils for my searches because I am after smaller-size targets such as Coins, Jewelry and Trade Tokens. When you get over some 10" to 12" diameter coils you start losing any imagined depth-of-detection and responsiveness to smaller-size targets. Bigger coils are best suited for bigger-size objects.
'Smaller-size' coils provide the edge when trying to unmask smaller-size targets in trashier sites, especially those that are too close to ferrous debris. That leaves the 'mid-size' search coils to consider, and for me they can make a very good choice in my Detector Outfit, if I match a good-working coil to an also good-working detector for handling most of the day-to-day hunting tasks I'll encounter.
The important things here are that I am selecting the detectors and coils for the places I like to hunt, the ground mineral and trash encounters I am likely to face, and then making sure both detectors and coils are up-to-the-job. We each have to make those decisions for what we want to do and what we like, so don't fall prey to my choices, or to selections made by others with different opinions. We need to make our own, an then get comfortable with them. Learn our detectors well, and then put them to work where they can show off their abilities and use them efficiently.
There are a lot of detectors on the market today that can handle many different applications, so many folks who are limited on what, or how many, detectors they can own should be able to sort through the many offerings and find one or two detectors to complement each other and have a good, functional, versatile detector or two to see them through a year of enjoyment afield.
It's also good to consider the different hunting opportunities we are likely to take on in the course of a year and then maybe assign certain detectors and/or coils for specific applications. That way we will best be ready for different site challenges.
If you are a newer member of this terrific outdoor sport, be attentive to what the various challenges are as you get out hunting more and come across difference from one location to another and learn from them. As I am nearing the end of my 56th year of avid detecting, I'm not 'new' and have long-ago developed a liking for certain detectors or coils for specific applications.
Avid fishermen usually have several rods or reels they favor for different types of fishing and sites and challenges. When my health allowed me in my younger years, as an avid hunter I had several firearms I preferred for small game, varmints, medium-size game and big game. And ammunition selection was kind of comparable to search coil selection. If you only hunted squirrels and cottontail rabbits, you might have one firearm, but if you expand your ambitions to hunt a wider-variety of critters and take on different site challenges, you'd be better outfitted .... and the same is true when you get into a lot of different detecting applications.
I have finally settled on a good working detector outfit to carry me into the coming new year, and also conform to my transition back from 85% Relic Hunting old sites with challenging terrain, to 85% Coin & Jewelry Hunting because my physical impairments and mobility limitations demand it.
As i look at the year ahead I only plan to add one more detector to my outfit, and that will be an up-scale SMF model when one comes out that impresses me enough to complement my current assemblage of detecting devices. I have been using various SMF's from Fisher, Minelab, White's and Garrett now since the mid-'90s and while some of them can work okay for certain applications, they have never been the overall better picks for all my hunting. I have had greater overall success afield with decent SF detectors based upon the site conditions, ground mineral conditions, and detector operating frequency and the detector's circuity design. I pick-and-choose what works best for the particular place I am hunting, and that suggests I have both types of detectors in my outfit.
This post is simply an effort to share my thoughts on being prepared for the year to come, and how I have gone about selecting and assigning different detectors for different tasks. Some more Special-Use and others for Daily-Use. These are units that I keep loaded in my vehicle for daily travel to be ready for any detecting opportunity that I come across. I also have a ** Plus ** assignment of models i might also load up, one or two as desired, for their special purpose. Just thoughts to maybe help others who are newer to his sport to get a better grip on what they might want to own and use and just what purpose they would be for. Here is my end-of year detector and coil selection as I prepare for what's to come:
Special-Use Team:
• Nokta FORS CoRe w/ 4.7X5.2 'OOR' DD
• Nokta FORS Relic w/ 5" DD
• White's XLT w/6½" Concentric
• Tesoro Bandido II µMAX w/6" Concentric
Daily-Use Team:
• Fisher F5 w/7" Concentric
• Garrett Apex w/'Ripper' 5X8 DD
• Minelab Vanquish 540 w/5X8 DD
• Simplex + w/5X9½ DD
** Plus **:
• Tesoro Silver Sabre µMAX w/6" Concentric mainly for quick work in tot-lots
• Garrett Apex w/'Raider' 8½X11 DD for larger, open-areas
• Minelab Vanquish 540 w/9X12 DD for larger, open-areas.
And at 8:30 AM on the beautiful clear, sunny, blue-sky day it is 18° with a wind chill of 11° and the only thing I wish I could order would be a temperature increase of 50° to 60° to get out and enjoy my detectors! Oh well, I am ready and waiting for the next favorable opportunity. I hope everyone else is preparing their detector group for times ahead.
Monte
'Smaller-size' coils provide the edge when trying to unmask smaller-size targets in trashier sites, especially those that are too close to ferrous debris. That leaves the 'mid-size' search coils to consider, and for me they can make a very good choice in my Detector Outfit, if I match a good-working coil to an also good-working detector for handling most of the day-to-day hunting tasks I'll encounter.
The important things here are that I am selecting the detectors and coils for the places I like to hunt, the ground mineral and trash encounters I am likely to face, and then making sure both detectors and coils are up-to-the-job. We each have to make those decisions for what we want to do and what we like, so don't fall prey to my choices, or to selections made by others with different opinions. We need to make our own, an then get comfortable with them. Learn our detectors well, and then put them to work where they can show off their abilities and use them efficiently.
There are a lot of detectors on the market today that can handle many different applications, so many folks who are limited on what, or how many, detectors they can own should be able to sort through the many offerings and find one or two detectors to complement each other and have a good, functional, versatile detector or two to see them through a year of enjoyment afield.
It's also good to consider the different hunting opportunities we are likely to take on in the course of a year and then maybe assign certain detectors and/or coils for specific applications. That way we will best be ready for different site challenges.
If you are a newer member of this terrific outdoor sport, be attentive to what the various challenges are as you get out hunting more and come across difference from one location to another and learn from them. As I am nearing the end of my 56th year of avid detecting, I'm not 'new' and have long-ago developed a liking for certain detectors or coils for specific applications.
Avid fishermen usually have several rods or reels they favor for different types of fishing and sites and challenges. When my health allowed me in my younger years, as an avid hunter I had several firearms I preferred for small game, varmints, medium-size game and big game. And ammunition selection was kind of comparable to search coil selection. If you only hunted squirrels and cottontail rabbits, you might have one firearm, but if you expand your ambitions to hunt a wider-variety of critters and take on different site challenges, you'd be better outfitted .... and the same is true when you get into a lot of different detecting applications.
I have finally settled on a good working detector outfit to carry me into the coming new year, and also conform to my transition back from 85% Relic Hunting old sites with challenging terrain, to 85% Coin & Jewelry Hunting because my physical impairments and mobility limitations demand it.
As i look at the year ahead I only plan to add one more detector to my outfit, and that will be an up-scale SMF model when one comes out that impresses me enough to complement my current assemblage of detecting devices. I have been using various SMF's from Fisher, Minelab, White's and Garrett now since the mid-'90s and while some of them can work okay for certain applications, they have never been the overall better picks for all my hunting. I have had greater overall success afield with decent SF detectors based upon the site conditions, ground mineral conditions, and detector operating frequency and the detector's circuity design. I pick-and-choose what works best for the particular place I am hunting, and that suggests I have both types of detectors in my outfit.
This post is simply an effort to share my thoughts on being prepared for the year to come, and how I have gone about selecting and assigning different detectors for different tasks. Some more Special-Use and others for Daily-Use. These are units that I keep loaded in my vehicle for daily travel to be ready for any detecting opportunity that I come across. I also have a ** Plus ** assignment of models i might also load up, one or two as desired, for their special purpose. Just thoughts to maybe help others who are newer to his sport to get a better grip on what they might want to own and use and just what purpose they would be for. Here is my end-of year detector and coil selection as I prepare for what's to come:
Special-Use Team:
• Nokta FORS CoRe w/ 4.7X5.2 'OOR' DD
• Nokta FORS Relic w/ 5" DD
• White's XLT w/6½" Concentric
• Tesoro Bandido II µMAX w/6" Concentric
Daily-Use Team:
• Fisher F5 w/7" Concentric
• Garrett Apex w/'Ripper' 5X8 DD
• Minelab Vanquish 540 w/5X8 DD
• Simplex + w/5X9½ DD
** Plus **:
• Tesoro Silver Sabre µMAX w/6" Concentric mainly for quick work in tot-lots
• Garrett Apex w/'Raider' 8½X11 DD for larger, open-areas
• Minelab Vanquish 540 w/9X12 DD for larger, open-areas.
And at 8:30 AM on the beautiful clear, sunny, blue-sky day it is 18° with a wind chill of 11° and the only thing I wish I could order would be a temperature increase of 50° to 60° to get out and enjoy my detectors! Oh well, I am ready and waiting for the next favorable opportunity. I hope everyone else is preparing their detector group for times ahead.
Monte