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SDC 2300 Depth


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To all that have a SDC 2300.

I know that the SDC comes with a 8 inch coil and like all coils it has only so much depth. Have any of you done a ground are air test to find out the depth the SDC has on different size nuggets? Oh yes I know what's been posted that it's hot on small gold but I'd like to know more. If I swing it over a nugget say a 1/4 oz. will it detect it 12 inches down. The whole thing is will it get most if fair size?

I've found when you get past 10 to 12 inches digging it stops being fun and turns into work. Depending on the ground maybe sooner. I find out as I get older the less of fox holes I want to dig.

I don't know if I'll ever have a SDC but just on looks it's hot.

Chuck Anders

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  I have not performed any official tests with the SDC as of yet. I did have someone drop by with a wide array of nuggets that he wanted to test on a ATX. Since I had a SDC also, we performed a air test using both machines. Both machines were set using the highest sensitivity  they could run at while still giving a clear signal, It was 4 on the SDC and 10 with the ATX.  The ATX was using the 12 in DD. This was no official test, I did not weigh any of the nuggets, The largest was altittle over 1/4 ounce the smallest was very tiny and I have no idea.

Anyways, to my surprise they both sounded off on most nuggets passed under or over the coil. The ATX however sounded off more clearly, and seemed to have more depth. The larger the nugget, the more the added depth really shined on the ATX.

There was no size that one picked up and the other did not.

I know air tests do not show the true performance, but im just sharing the only testing I have done.

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Thanks Ken

  We know most of the time you will get more depth with a larger coil but sometimes you don't have the electronics to back it up. The trouble is with the bigger coil the small gold falls by the wayside. I'd say this is why Minelab didn't go with a larger coil on the SDC 2300.

  The way you talk about the ATX it can hold it's own with the double duty 12 inch coil. I guess all the small gold detecting with the SDC it detects around the edge of the coil and not like larger gold in the center of the coil. 

  Chuck Anders  

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To all that have a SDC 2300.

 If I swing it over a nugget say a 1/4 oz. will it detect it 12 inches down. The whole thing is will it get most if fair size?

  Chuck Anders 

 

Check out JP's 65 gram nugget in the other thread that he detected at 14 + inches with the SDC.

 

Imagine if the SDC had a larger coil.

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 I have not tried the 8 inch mono coil on the ATX as of yet, so I can not compare it to the 12 inch DD or the SDC. I will not say that the ATX is better or the Minelab is better. They both have a rightful place and purpose to each person. I will say from what I have seen and from my own observations, That there is really no clear performance winner between these 2.

There may be personal preferences from different individuals, and thats to be expected, bottom line is these are both great detectors, and will open up new potential for the user that takes the time to learn them.

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Chris Ralph bagged a 1/3 oz specimen at 8-9" with the SDC which has about 1/4 oz of gold wound through quartz. May have seen it deeper but that was a real world find and the depth it was at.

I will see what I can do. I am a tad busy at the moment. Wife just got a new job, we just got another puppy, and I still insist on going out detecting. The SDC spent about 6 hours submerged in Tahoe yesterday. No good finds but the SDC does make at least for a good wading detector in fresh water. No issues of note except it gets a bit too buoyant for my liking when fully submerged. Better when control box is out of water but as the control box goes under it takes constant downward pressure to keep it down. The machine actually runs quieter the deeper the water as that insulates it from EMI.

The SDC does find bottle caps and pull tabs as deep as I want! Hard to measure holes underwater but down to about a foot.

Photo of Chris' find:

post-1-0-72383500-1408463438_thumb.jpg

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Ken

  I'm going to say that the ATX has a small edge over the SDC. It's nothing to do with the detectors but has to do with the coils. The ATX with the 12 inch and the small coil within your swinging both coils at the same time. We know in most case the larger coil will go deeper than a 8 inch coil. Now I can't say this to be totally true because I don't have either detectors. So someone out there set me straight on this subject.

The best to both owners.

Chuck Anders 

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I really doubt there is enough difference on large gold ATX versus SDC both with 8" mono to really matter, and it will vary in different ground types a bit. The 10" x 12" DD on the ATX is not a sure road to more depth because a DD does not punch as deep as an equivalent mono. It is all about receiver size. An 8" mono transmits and receives with the same coil so you have an 8" round receiver coil. Normally a DD coil transmits with one coil and receives with another. So an 8" round DD may have two coils inside, both sized about 6" x 8", with a 2" overlap in the middle. The receiver coil is 6" x 8" and so smaller than that on the 8" mono. The benefit is that by separating transmit and receive coil you alleviate some ground pickup issues.

The 10" x 12" DD that comes stock on the ATX is a more complicated design, with the middle overlap bent to form a small 5" inner coil. How this works precisely is not known to me but the basic concept holds true that the coil is not the same as a 12" by 10" mono and in fact posts by others have indicated the 8" mono may get more depth on the ATX on at least some targets.

Where the ATX would have a very clear edge on large gold would be when mated with the 15" x 20" mono coil. Such a configuration should easily blow the SDC away for depth on large gold. Unfortunately I have had no need to acquire that coil and so cannot do any comparative tests.

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Well Steve I've been known to be wrong before and it looks like I am again but I'm not going to tell my wife.

I too wouldn't want to swing that hola hoop for the ATX myself.  Like said it takes people who have both detectors to be in the know. What I say is just a wild guess.

 Thanks

Chuck Anders

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