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My Thoughts On The X Coil


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There are some very knowledgeable people on this forum that have not contributed to these coil threads.  They know that different coils see different types of gold.  They know that no coil will see all the gold in a location.

Now when you add in the other factors such as the 7000, the SDC, a VLF, GB2, the 1000, GPX, the Equinox, etc then there is smaller and larger gold being found by different machines.  I have seen large nuggets that are 'invisible' to a 7000 being seen by some of these other coil and detector combos.

The 7000/14 sees more than any of the other combos demonstrated which included coils from CoilTek, Nugget Finder, Minelab but the Xcoil was not available.  There was up to 15% of the gold on hand missed in air tests by the 7000/14.  Was this gold missed due to the gold matrix, shape or who knows.  It was an eye opening demonstration.  I know the 7000/14 doesn't see it all.

I am still interested in the Xcoils because they may see some of this invisible gold.  It is a new combination of signal -- a new tool.

Sure it could be and has been used to go back over old patches and pull out dinks and that missed 14 gold but what if you had used an Xcoil on new ground that the 14 had not seen?  What if I use it in the NEW ground?  Would I find more total gold than with just the 14?

Reports are that I would.  This is why I still want one if it works.

I have limited time too.  Why should I go back to just old gold fields with an Xcoil?   Has anyone gone back over an Xcoil patch to see if you can find something with the 7000/14?  Probably ... nothing gets it all.  I prove this to myself on the beach all the time.

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1 hour ago, Steve Herschbach said:

To this day I have never, despite very heavy lobbying efforts, been able to get anyone to recreate the Jim Karbowski Bigfoot coil. 3” x 18” figure 8 winding, highly EMI resistant and perhaps the best park and field jewelry coil ever made when paired with a DFX or V3i. Used ones over a decade later sell for twice what they did new. I keep a V3i for no other reason than that it will run a Bigfoot. But despite the fact they often sell for over $500 used nobody will make them. Why? Tedious hand built coils, every one a work of art. Nothing wrong with hand made at all as long as the maker takes care and has pride in the work.

Maybe the Russian chaps will read this and there will be an X Bigfoot out next after the GPZ saga runs its coarse. No one can hand build a control unit anymore, it being all microchips, but coils are still the perfect artisan realm it would seem (other than the stupid chip thing).

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Hey Guys,

   Hopefully I didn't get anyone too fired up about the use of a smaller coil on the GPZ.  I think there would be some benefit to a smaller coil, especially if Minelab brought it out.  The biggest issue I have is the modification to use a aftermarket coil on the GPZ right now.  Many can't justify toasting a $8,000 metal detector, which we know has already happened.   

That being said, I have found extremely small gold, down to under a grain (480 grains to 1 Troy ounce) with the 14x13.  I'm sure I'm missing smaller gold in spots.  However, personally I don't have weeks on end to spend going back over the same locations to squeak out another dink or two.  Like I mentioned before, you can play this game a handfuls of times ..... 

I could go hunt an areas with the GPZ and get maybe 95% of the detectable gold with the 14x13.  I could then return again with a smaller coil, lets say a small X-coil and get another 1-2% of the gold missed that was smaller.  I could then get a high end VLF like the Gold Monster 1000 and go back and get a few more really tiny nuggets for another 1-2%. I could then even spend an entire day drywashing/vac pacing the area down to bedrock and find that last 1% of the gold (fines, pickers and maybe another dink or so).  

The effort, for me at least, to worry about that last 5% of gold that could require several more days worth of hunting, I would rather use those 2-3 days searching for a new spot or patch.  This is just my hunting style, since I might be much more limited on free time than others that prospecting part-time or full-time.  

Below is some smaller gold I found awhile back, before the heat made it here.  A few of the nuggets are right at 1 grain, so I know I can find them on bedrock or maybe down an inch or so.  

Jasong - I do not own any claims on Rich Hill or any Leases.  I believe I know where you are talking about and I do know friends that have areas back there.  I have worked with different groups over the years.  In the Winter seasons I spend a lot of time exploring the back country of Arizona on a quad. 

Take care,

 

 

dinks2019.jpg

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1 hour ago, flakmagnet said:

Well Andyy, that may be true but it doesn't change the fact that, in essence, the SDC becomes a 3700 dollar smaller coil. That's an extravagance most of us cannot afford.

Not really, the SDC is more than just a smaller coil. It’s a whole detector suitable for a whole different range of detecting scenarios. I think it was marketed for its compactness, waterproofing, maybe it’s weight not just its coil size.

One thing I have proved to myself now over and over is the SDC compliments the Z remarkably, and not just for coil size.

 As an SDC owner I won’t be needing a smaller vodka jobbie for my Z, but if I didn’t already have an SDC I’d sure as heck be investigating one.

Also I can’t see Z owners wanting a smaller coil buying an SDC to fill that gap especially now that the Russians have arrived. But then with the reluctance to cut the umbilical, maybe some will.

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Steve, the figure 8 coil has recently been made here in Australia and one was sent to Detech in Bulgaria where interest has been shown in producing it . Howard Rockey, the builder of the QED has one. It is incredibly light and has great coverage and surprising depth. The part that interests me is that it performs well on the QED, and makes for an even lighter QED set up. This combination blitzes the SDC in tests that I have seen.

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In reference to hand-Made coils, Reg Sniff made me a DD coil for my small, very light Goldquest...it worked very well. I wish I had taken it to Moore Creek!

on the other hand, wanting to be on the cutting-edge I bought the first Goldscan 5...

after a while 

And  many problems I learned the maker that had a great reputation was training his new son in law...that didn’t,t work for me...or him.

The point is that pride and skill have everything to do with quality of construction. And it cured my desire to be an “early adopter”

fred

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4 hours ago, flakmagnet said:

Well Andyy, that may be true but it doesn't change the fact that, in essence, the SDC becomes a 3700 dollar smaller coil. That's an extravagance most of us cannot afford.

Hey Flak, please don't get me wrong.  I agree in part with you and hope I did not ruffle your feathers.  My main opinion on this is that the SDC and GPZ are an unbeatable combo.  Like everyone else, I would just like to know how much closer the 10" coil gets us to the SDC.  I have seen what an SDC can do, for sure.   I do believe the ZED technology would beat the SDC if there were an 8" coil.  But 10" Xcoil on a ZED, I am not sure.  I just want to get closer.

And quality is a great concern of mine, as well.  I just hope that when the one Russian carved everything out and wrapped the wire for my 10" Xcoil, that he was having a good day.  :laugh:

The point about .. why pay a lot of money to get smaller and smaller gold? is definitely valid.  The small coil is expensive and will take a while to pay off.  I have been out twice and still would need about 9 more trips to come close.  (at my current rate) But since when are we into prospecting for the money?   My goal is only to more often have a glimmer of gold in my hands to show my family... maybe with the hope that I look a little less crazy at the end of the day.  

Andyy

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11 hours ago, Andyy said:

hope I did not ruffle your feathers. 

Hi Andyy,

Don't worry about ruffling feathers, that's not in the equation. I have no doubt the SDC is fantastic at what it does - I am saying it seems silly to buy a whole other detector if one had the choice of that, or buying a smaller coil for the GPZ, that's all...

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2 hours ago, Andyy said:

But since when are we into prospecting for the money?   My goal is only to more often have a glimmer of gold in my hands to show my family... maybe with the hope that I look a little less crazy at the end of the day.  

Im hearing you. My family thinks ive gone mad. Especially after each trip where i dont find gold and say im selling my gear. But a day later im on the forums and doing more research frothing at the mouth ready for the next trip.

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7 hours ago, Jin said:

where i dont find gold and say im selling my gear.

I’ve been there a few times in the last 12 months  ?

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