Musketeer Advantage Ultimate 13 Coil Review...

[karelian]

For a long time my Minelab Musketeer Advantage was my top dry sand beach detector. It ate up large areas of sandy beach quickly, key factors were speed combined with depth. Decent disc, mated with that strong good target signal compared with the 'spitty' disapproval of trash.. simple audio no meters etc, fast and efficient. An Explorer Se Pro handled the wet sand until the White's Tdi took over that role. The old Musky sat unused for a long time whilst the Xl Pro and MXT saw plenty of action. 

The purchase of a Ultimate 13 coil has rekindled an old love affair and breathed new life into the Musky. Good size and performance combined with light weight has turned into a winning combination. This rig balances beautifully and the coil feels as if it is floating in the air, the detector is weighty but the balance more than compensates. With the Musky mounted on a GPX upper  and under the sheepskin cuff, balance is perfect. Switches have rubber boots to keep sand out and the machine is off the ground on a DIY stand. I only use it on the dry beach sand, sports fields, parks or other low to medium trash areas covering large areas. This setup just covers ground fast. Flexible fast, moderate or slow sweep speed, it doesn't care. Simple audio disc, when in doubt dig it out. Fast and deep.

We have many modern digital lightweight detectors to choose from but this old analogue machine still performs and with a modest investment, that Ultimate 13 coil has breathed new life into the Musky.  I'll get a few more years out of her yet.

All the best, 

Karelian

[karelian]

Quick air test with ground balance off and gain near max. No EMI present. 2.5 cm equals an inch..

Us Buffalo coin                            35cm

1/2 Soveriegn                              40cm

Australian Penny                         40cm

1 OZ silver ingot                          45cm

Us Quarter                                   40cm

.5 gram gold coin                       30cm

1 grain gold ingot                         4cm but only detectable in centre of coil.

Not too bad for an old girl. We will share many more summer sunrises for years to come.

[karelian]

Does it matter what machine we swing, the brand or model, old or new. As long as it gives us pleasure to do what we do and we sometimes find something to excite the imagination..  My detectors and I have a catalogue of happy memories... Early mornings in summer, the colour in the sky, the sounds and smell of the ocean... very few people about in the early hours.  When I'm old and frail I'll cast an eye over the Musky hanging on my display wall, many fond memories. 

Best wishes for the jolly season and a wonderful new year to you all.

Karelian

[pinpointer999]

Beautiful rig. If you ever decide she needs a new home, msg me... i would love to own it.

[Slavitoooo]

Hello karelian! Maybe it would be good to try the new one
Detech 15 "ULTIMATE COIL for Minelab - Sovereign XS / XS2A / Elite & GT.

[palzynski]

I had a few years ago a 13inches detech ultimate coil mounted on a Detech Chaser 14khz , probably the deepest VLF machine on big coins that I have ever tested. On my bed tests I measured 33/34cm depth on a 10grams copper coin for the Chaser/ultimate 13, deeper than an Equinox 800 11coil which hits it at 30cm .  So I imagine that the Advantage should perform very well with this 13 ultimate coil on big coins.

However this 13 coil was a little too heavy for me , 540grams without the coil cover , total 1,7kg on the chaser .   So I eventually sold the Chaser .  Now I have the Vanquish V12 which is close to the Chaser ultimate 13 in terms of depth performances on big coins/targets , and far better in terms of weight , id accuracy , iron disc , etc ...

thanks for the nice pics of Australia ...

 

 

[GB_Amateur]

1 hour ago, palzynski said:

However this 13 coil was a little too heavy for me , 540grams without the coil cover

I have the Ultimate 13" for my Fisher F75 and it weighs 532 g, including cable and cover.  So I guess the (small?) difference is amount of wire in the windings.

It also seems light to me on the F75.  I don't mean as light as a 6" coil, but light for a large coil.  It's 64 g (a bit over 2 oz) heavier than the stock 7"x11" which the F75 was balanced for (I think).

I also am a stickler for weight & balance, but apparently not quite as much as you.  I've never swung a Deus/ORX so I can't relate to that experience, as you can.  If those are your benchmark I'm thinking most detectors are going to feel heavy.  😉

[palzynski]

1 hour ago, GB_Amateur said:

I have the Ultimate 13" for my Fisher F75 and it weighs 532 g, including cable and cover.  So I guess the (small?) difference is amount of wire in the windings.

...I also am a stickler for weight & balance, but apparently not quite as much as you.  I've never swung a Deus/ORX so I can't relate to that experience, as you can.  If those are your benchmark I'm thinking most detectors are going to feel heavy.  😉

Actually I still have that coil . So I just re measured its weight , see pic below . It weights 592g including cable and cover , 60 grams more that the Fishers version  ... I do not know where the difference comes from , perhaps the windings or cable length , or Detech has changed the plastic or the resin of the Ultimate coils ...

Yes I am a stickler for detector weight ... The pb is that when you are used to swinging a Deus/Orx, it is very difficult to come back to heavier machines , even a 1,2kg detector like my Vanquish feels a little heavy ...🙂     

I never had a F75 but I had a T2 which are very similar detectors I think , the T2 weights around 1,6kg with the stock coil, more than twice a Deus/Orx ....  It is a pity for me because it is an excellent machine with a great audio ..

Garrett is going in the right direction with the Apex . If it has good electronics I am sure it will be a success because it is lighter ( 1,1kg )  than most of its competitors like the Equinox ...  Future will tell ..

 

[phrunt]

Do you still use this old girl? One has popped up for sale in NZ for $220 NZD (about $210 AUD, $150 USD) with a Detech SEF 12x10” Butterfly Coil (new) along with the stock TS800 coil however it's coil cable has disintegrated so I'd have to make a new coil cable for it.

Is it worth buying do you think? It's in perfect condition, and the Detech is brand new.  The stock coil has just broken down on the cable with age, this detector appears to have had very little use.

I think it might be a decent deep silver hunter.

[Valens Legacy]

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

Is it worth buying do you think?

Since the coils are simple to repair and one of them new, it is not a stretch to say it would be a good buy.

I know someone with one of those, but it is scratched up a lot from use, and he does a good job on silver at the local parks.

He did have to replace the capacitors in it not to long ago, but it just keeps working.