Big Boys Hobbies

Coil size for tot lots?

Diga

Diga

Elite Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2022
Messages
2,601
Hello all.

For the first time, I'm going to try out some tot lots. I have a few lined up, and most are fairly large.

My coil size choice will either be a round 6" DD, or a round 11" DD. The 11" coil will get me a lot more coverage and allow me to get through each lot really quick, but the 6" coil will allow me to get much closer to the metal structure.

I'm leaning toward the 11" for the major coverage advantage, but I'm wondering if it's really that important to get very close to the structure.

What coil would you use?
 
Digalicious said:
Hello all.

For the first time, I'm going to try out some tot lots. I have a few lined up, and most are fairly large.

My coil size choice will either be a round 6" DD, or a round 11" DD. The 11" coil will get me a lot more coverage and allow me to get through each lot really quick, but the 6" coil will allow me to get much closer to the metal structure.

I'm leaning toward the 11" for the major coverage advantage, but I'm wondering if it's really that important to get very close to the structure.

What coil would you use?
Click to expand...

Personally, I'd go with the 11". The smaller coil is OK when it is oval and can get you around in places the bigger round one won't go, but the 11" DD will get you just as close as the 6" round and cover more area as you said.

I hunt a lot of tot lots and never found an area where the polls are so close that an 11" wouldn't get you as close at the 6". They both pick up to the very tip of the coil.
 
Thanks for that Detector.

I'll go with the 11" as I originally thought. Especially considering that for each structure, there is a large "run around and play" area that is much large than the play structure. The 11" will be more ideal for that as well.
 
Martin_V3i said:
An 8 inch coil would be good.
Click to expand...

I'll be using my Legend, which doesn't yet have a coil in between the 6" and 11". A concentric 9.5 X 5 coil is in the works at Nokta. Once I get that coil, then it's the one I'll be using most, if not all the time.
 
Last edited:
Given how a detector sees gold chains (no pendant), how often are they detected in the iron range, or just slightly above the iron range?
 
If I had had the time, I'd just use the 6" DD.

With respect to the AT Max (and the 8.5 x 11), Vanquish 540 (and the V12), Vanquish 340 (and the V8) or the Equinox (and the EQX 11), they were all unuseable next to the metal poles/structures of the tot lot. But, the 11" or 12" coils made scanning the open areas much easier.

Pick your poison.
 
I ended up going to 4 large tot lots. I used the 11" coil and retrieved every nonferrous target. I got some clad and 3 pieces of fake jewelry. The majority of the finds were zipper parts and the metal eraser holders on pencils.

Suffice to say that I can see the appeal in detecting tot lots, but my trash to treasure tolerance level is very low. I just don't have the patience or desire to dig up that much trash.
 
Digalicious said:
I ended up going to 4 large tot lots. I used the 11" coil and retrieved every nonferrous target. I got some clad and 3 pieces of fake jewelry. The majority of the finds were zipper parts and the metal eraser holders on pencils.

Suffice to say that I can see the appeal in detecting tot lots, but my trash to treasure tolerance level is very low. I just don't have the patience or desire to dig up that much trash.
Click to expand...

Don't give it up. My tot lots were the same until I got all the trash cleaned out and they started giving up the gold.
 
After some thought Detector, I will try a few more.

Despite not finding any real jewelry, the ease of target retrieval was a nice change.
 
I compared both coils on a 3" steel fence pipe. Turns out, I couldn't get much closer to it with 6" than I could with the 11".

I was using SMF weighted toward the low conductors, and ignoring any ferrous signals. This time I'm going to go with the single 40 khz to get maximum sensitivity to small gold. I'm also going to dig the ferrous signals.


LNCB,

Why would you consider the 6" to be the better choice? I suspect it's because the 6" has a much tighter field than the 11", and as such, will be more sensitive to small targets. Is that what you were thinking?
 
Using my CTX I go for the 11" coil. Yes my six will get closer to the metal structures, but never found any items near them.

Merry go round of any sort is the best place to hunt. Why? Adults turn the merry go round fast and sometimes rings fling off. Swings are the next best areas. Seating areas around the tot lot are also good.

Areas adjacent to basketball courts are usually trashy. I use 6" coil for those area to get cleaner signals due to few items beneath a 6" coil than a 11" coil.

Hope this helps.
 
Digalicious said:
I compared both coils on a 3" steel fence pipe. Turns out, I couldn't get much closer to it with 6" than I could with the 11".

I was using SMF weighted toward the low conductors, and ignoring any ferrous signals. This time I'm going to go with the single 40 khz to get maximum sensitivity to small gold. I'm also going to dig the ferrous signals.


LNCB,

Why would you consider the 6" to be the better choice? I suspect it's because the 6" has a much tighter field than the 11", and as such, will be more sensitive to small targets. Is that what you were thinking?
Click to expand...

That's right and a tighter coil field from other junk target. Plus the benefits of getting into tighter spaces or around multi-posts with better swing control and I find I work/swing slower with it..
 
I hunt a few different tot lots. The kids want to go to the park/school gives me a reason to take the detector out. I use the equinox 800 with the 11. I've done pretty good with them so far.
 
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