Aureous

The Director of sales of Minelab when the 4000 was released said 'Coils sell Detectors'. The more variable the detector IS for different environments and tasks, the more attractive that detector becomes. Something very obvious to us end users, but that which is completely oblivious to Codan's board.

Yes, all of the above options are absolutely worthy of prototyping and evaluation. Smaller DD coils are sorely missed options for the 6000 also at the moment.

This is an indication that the manufacturer hasn't deconstructed a Garrett coil to inspect the shielding values nor the position of the screen wire. Both crucial in allowing the cpu to set ground balance values. Just testing the inductance & resistance values via the coil plug won't cut it.....

Nel is another Ukrainian coil manufacturer like Mars and Cors. I understand that Nel and Cors have suspended manufacture due to the war but Mars are still going on a limited scale.

Yeah, absolutely correct....and big mineralization! The 5" is quieter. Even with my 24K, the 6" CC coil was my go-to coil. I wanted a 6x4 DD but couldn't get one for a sensible price anywhere 😞

This whole subject has been covered in another thread/post but you've nailed it completely Simon. Minelab/Codan have the ability to weather any/all costs-of-production with their low cost production regime and 500-800% markup. This completely discounts any variance in the US$ exchange rates being a crucial issue...but of course does add a small percentage of fiscal stress. But the big issue is the large drop in revenue and profit this last financial year, which has panicked them into a rash and impractical decision to ramp up prices, instead of stimulating sales with new product/s. Simon, your last sentence sums up ML's problem perfectly. If they want to stay at 'the top of the heap', someone needs to shake the sh*t out of the board and place a product specialist (who knows the products, industry and community) next to them, advising constantly. I fear all they have done is allow Nokta to trample all over them in the future.

Yeah I saw a couple web pages showing 3D Printer CAD files for prototype CC coil shells of the 'right' sizes....well worth thinking about. 👍

Yeah, good idea, air tends to not weigh much lol... I tried that many years ago and I added too much....the epoxy cracked. Steered away from it after that, but I'll give it another try when I play with the CC idea next year.

Thanks Carl, I saw Dons original website was non existent and thought he was retired? I thought about expoxy'ing the coil but was worried about the weight...but seeing how I currently can only find small'ish shells (Ive got a couple of Bill Hayes 12" ones lying around), its probably not worth worrying about....I'll give that a try I think 🤔

Anyone know of any person or company, worldwide that sells coil shells? Thinking about building a smallish CC coil for the Legacy Minelab PI's. I only know of a Bulgarian and Ukrainian seller but neither has coil covers to accompany their shells. The Ukrainian one (Pictured) is only a 9", so the receive coil will be C.5" at best.....so should be sensitive but not great overall depth for larger targets. Any ideas????

Its a very exciting development, pity its through X coils though.....great product but crazy pricing. If I had a decent ABS coil shell to work with, I could build a CC coil for about $150, costs only. Plenty of old ML DD coils floating around to deconstruct & obtain the transmit and receive coil specs from. When I had my 4500 (and earlier models) I built maybe 9 coils for it. Using old Hayes USA and Bulgarian shells. Also a pity that Detech only ever made big CC coils for the legacy ML machines....the size that X coils are developing (or slightly smaller) would be killer....

Something insane....probably 4x what any other coil from Eastern Europe would cost. Sell a kidney and you might be able to afford it 😁

If you're on FB, it might be worth joining a group called 'modded detectors and gadgets Australia'. Lots of advice direct from dozens of users. They mostly seem to suggest that Mick from Detectronics has the edge with new mods these days. 👍

Wow NK, quite a bargain! Lotsa goodies there for the $$. The PMC Scarab coils are a bit weighty but punch deep and very robust. The skid plates never wear out lol. The whole kit would benefit from a good suspension system with a hip stick and swing arm. Might be worth sending the 2200 back to Woody or Mick to get the latest mods done if it was done more than 2 years ago. Quite a lot has changed I hear...

The 12x7 is super quiet and stable, better than any other mono coil out there. The edge gap until a signal is heard is maybe 1cm.... so its not much. The 10x5 is pretty much the same and on some targets, its worse. The 10x5 is sharper and slightly more sensitive. Plus of course, its smaller and less prone to mineralization noise due to its size. Both coils are great and best to have both in your arsenal I reckon.

Yeah, fair enuff....I'm the same with QLD. Never been there but wanna get it off my chest. Detected in every state except QLD and TAS....'spose I'll get to Tassie one day too. Word has always been that the SD's allowed for the deepest detection for big gold. The latest 2200 mods allow for both a low frequency and a latent timing change...couple that with the 'Deep' audio and some large coils and you have something that equals or beats the 7000. A lot of experimentation is needed to select the right coils for the task. Think I'll build my own test patch for that. Fun times ahead for 2024.

I'm completely bamboozled by your statements.....all I know is that thin, tiny metallic targets are more easily heard or sharper in normal...when ground conditions allow. You may be referring to one of the three channels being split via code? Great to see you back JP, hope things are well with you in Banana Bender Land 👍

NK, no need to come to Vic or WA when you're getting results like that. I haven't found a multi ouncer since 2005, despite the Golden Triangle being on my doorstep....so you're not alone. I too have seen the changes in gold sizes due to over-detecting of the good patches and technology changes. I'm gonna get an SD2200 and mod it up next year and gonna chase me up a few big'uns fer a change.

Yeah, 90% of the time, I'm using difficult anyway, along with the majority of Aussie 6000 users in the majority of locations. The change in timings is minimal and depth doesn't appear to be altered but perhaps 5% sensitivity is gained by using normal. Only time normal is used is for extremely low mineralized soils. I only use the DD coil for near powerlines.....ever.

Simon, thats some serious VLF hotrock country! Is it any wonder why most newbie Gold Monster owners feel conned when they try it out for the 1st time.....or why they end up in the cupboard gathering dust or on Ebay lol. Your Nox800 at least ID's them well but ya gotta keep your eye on the screen every second. Very tiresome.... Thank Eric and Bruce for useable PI's 😲

Its widely accepted that changes/advances in tech will be providing prospectors more gold on the same spots for generations probably. The 'All the gold is gone' adage was debunked when the SD2000 was released. Its been re-proved on almost all models since.

I'm always at manual (top 2 setting positions) with threshold on. I tried auto 1 a lot and didn't see a huge benefit. I've now found almost 1550 pieces for the year with 30-40 hours a week behind the stick. I use the NF 12x7 almost exclusively now. There are only tiny increments of actual gain being experienced between each click. But manual gives you more adaptability for ground conditions. Remember, Minelab's idea of gain on PI detectors is like forcing your ears open wider, rather than actually sending more power to the coil or altering the pulse train. You can safely lower the settings and not lose a lot. Its more like adapting the detector to the ground conditions rather than real-world boost.

I think you need to edit your website listings then... even small things like Qweegle, Saga and Swingy thingy have this no sales outside USA issue. You'd be losing heaps of 1st time buyers, thinking that you don't sell overseas. Only once I looked the 'details' page on each product, did I see the true picture. Im sure lots of others might be confused and disappointed. Im just trying to help, not annoy. I really like the Swingy Thingy and Qweegle combo. I'll be buying one off you soon. Clever designs...I was thinking along the same line years ago but never did anything about getting something made up. I'm getting an SD2200 modded next year as my big gold and backup unit....think I'll be needing your combo for sure!

@phrunt @Doc How does an overseas customer buy your gear? Most of the Docs product pages say 'Orders to the USA only' 🤔

Simon, your statement echoes through most of us. Sometimes I shake my head so much I get dizzy 😁