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Like New White's Bigfoot Coil Only $525!


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On 8/20/2016 at 7:33 PM, Joe Fortunato said:

Steve ...... and the gang. I am relaxing in my easy chair (lap-top front and center!!) grinning from ear to ear. "Like New Whites BigFoot Coil Only $525!" Within hours of reading those words I purchased that BigFoot Coil and did not even consider trying to negotiate a lower price. Actually, I asked a friend with better computer skills to make the purchase, then paid him the money. It is as advertised in excellent condition and works just fine. It is at this time sitting on a shelf (with lower shaft in place) but has not been used since the day that I took it out of the box. Why in the world would I do that? Well the truth is I have another BigFoot Coil, been using it for over ten years. And Steve, my BigFoot Coil is attached to a DFX just as yours is. I agree with you that they are a great combination for coins and jewelry in parks and playgrounds. They make that type of detecting so efficient that the thought of being without mine if something should go awry was more than I could take!!!!  So, I just had to have the one that started this thread. Well, that's the story of where that BigFoot Coil ended up. I sleep better at night knowing it is there if I need it.

Thank you, Steve ,for putting this whole thing together!!! Thanks to all who contribute by sharing their knowledge and experience.

 

 

 

Enjoy the coil Joe. Best of luck and thanks again.

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Hi Devilpookie ...... and thank you!! Kind of crazy how this thread has taken on a life of it's own. I have enjoyed reading the posts

by various members since Steve got the ball rolling last February. We all have our personal preferences when it comes to our 

detecting gear and the BigFoot suits my style when it comes to coins and jewelry. I was out last Sunday afternoon for a short

time with my DFX and my original BigFoot, got (39) coins and some good exercise!! That BigFoot sitting on the shelf is an

insurance policy that guarantees I will have a lot more fun in the future if something goes wrong with my original BigFoot.

 

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I think that many of us with BigFoot coils have more than one. Once you use one for awhile, you don't want to be without one. At one time, I had three spares but they are really reliable as long as you don't abuse them so I reluctantly sold a couple and now only have one spare.

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Tom, I agree with you completely. I am very pleased to have a spare. It took a little time to get comfortable using the BigFoot.

Odd as this may sound, it wasn't so much getting comfortable with how the BigFoot functioned as with how it looked!!! With the vast majority of coils being round or elliptical, that very long and very narrow coil looked quite strange for a while!! As for being reliable, I have used my original BigFoot for over ten years with no problems. I keep it clean and make a conscious effort not to abuse it and that seems to have worked so far.

One feature of the BigFoot that I really appreciate is how accurately it pinpoints targets. I never use a pinpointer for nugget hunting with my gold machines but I have used a pinpointer for coins and jewelry since day one. In many instances the BigFoot so accurately pinpoints that I can quickly locate and recover targets without ever reaching for my pinpointer ........ very efficient!!!!

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  • 4 months later...

Great reading!

I'd drop 750 for a V-rated bigfoot.

If they were mass produced and retailed for $500 .... I would be thrilled.

I mean, come on, that's just one good ring.

 

 

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  • 3 months later...

Steve,

Based on his post ( Jan. 8 ), this one has Deft Tones name written all over it !!!

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Yeah, but he wants one that is V-rated, and no BigFoot coil is V rated except by accident.

When you make an induction balance metal detector coil you have to null the coils. Induction balance infers two coils, a transmit and a receive coil, in a state off electrical balance, achieved by nulling the coils both by proper positioning and through tuning. A single frequency coil you only need to null to one frequency. A DFX BigFoot coil is nulled to 3 kHz and 15 kHz. The V3i runs at 2.5, 7.5, and 22.5 kHz. The null is working for 2.5 and 7.5 kHz but not at 22.5 kHz except by pure accident. This is usually seem by target VDI numbers tripling on the 22.5 kHz frequency when a DFX BigFoot is employed on the V3i. 2.5 kHz and 7.5 kHz single frequency work fine, but 22.5 single frequency and multifrequency modes exhibit odd behavior. Silver coins can read so high as to wrap around into the ferrous range. It can be a "feature" also as the low conductive range gets expanded. I have seen it claimed aluminum tends to respond differently than gold due to the 22.5 kHz being out of null but I have to admit to being skeptical on that. There may be demonstrable instances where that is true but when dealing with aluminum and gold it is the exceptions that get you.

For me it was not so much getting the coil to run on the V3i as getting the detector to run the BigFoot, so I gave it a go with the V3i but sold the V3i and went back to the DFX purely to get proper operation on the high frequency. I wanted to run the BigFoot at 22.5 kHz single frequency but reality is 15 kHz single frequency on the DFX is good enough and no odd side effects. The improper null probably means improper ground balance settings are being achieved. If a person does run a BigFoot of the V3i, running 7.5 kHz single frequency works just fine. You can go multifrequency but it gets weird as the VDI numbers shift according to the dominant frequency.

Some excellent commentary on V rated coils and how it applies to BigFoot

"I get questions concerning the no longer produced Bigfoot coil. The problem isn't a lack of demand, or even a lack of manufacturing capacity. The problem is, because of the way Bigfoot is designed, it can't be simply extended to V3's specs. It would have to be completely redesigned. Even then, it might require a design change on V3I itself to get around certain limiting issues. Begging Jimmy to produce a V3I Bigfoot isn't going to make it happen, because it can't happen. Sorry. (CARL)"

Coil Basics by Carl Moreland

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That was some very educational reading, thanks for posting it. It seems that the Bigfoot coil and the DFX are the optimal pairing. I like the fact that the DFX acts in a predictable manner when using the Bigfoot coil. No large variations with VDI numbers or inaccurate depth readings, etc.

Thanks again,

Joe

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I admit it's somewhat tempting to buy a bigfoot coil (after Steve's excellent post I'd jump all over a V-rated bigfoot at a grand if someone would make it. Take my fools gold! :biggrin: ) but my better judgement says just get a Tesoro unit with the widescan 3x18. That's where I'd put the money these days. Seems to me a smarter move for the money.

If I already owned a DFX I'd own a bigfoot too.

Question:

Like other coils, do bigfoot coil properties change or "age" with the passing of time?

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