Kitz

I can't say for sure this was due to the SuperSix coil, but... this past weekend I returned to a large house demolition site that I've hit repeatedly with both the 8" and 5.75" coils. This included half-baked gridding from multiple directions. The SuperSix netted me another 4 coins and a button. Might just have been luck, I suppose, but I was impressed nonetheless. -Ken

I've finally had the chance to go out for a few hunts with the SuperSix coil on my Vista X. I'm really enjoying it so far and expect it to be my default coil for most situations. That said, if you already have the 8" XS coil, I can't say you necessarily need the SuperSix as well. It depends on your hunting conditions: the SuperSix does seem to have better target separation than the XS, but at the cost of some depth. For me, that's an easy trade-off to accept because most coins here are within the first 8". -Ken

Will do. It might be a month or two... the ground is still frozen up here. -Ken

Yeah, I've got the 8" XS coil and it is what I usually have on the machine. According to what one of the DeepTech folks posted on the Vista X Facebook group, the 8" has more depth than the SuperSix but not as good separation. I often hunt very trashy demolition sites -- tons of iron plus a seasoning of more conductive junk -- and thought that the SuperSix might be preferable there. I also use the 5.75" on such sites, but trying to cover ground with that is like trying to paint a wall with a toothbrush 🙂. I'm hoping the SuperSix will be a nice compromise between the 8" and 5.75". -Ken

The Vista X has become my primary detector, especially when working in iron. I still pull out my Tesoros when I want to use a concentric coil or just need a change, and sometimes use my Vanquish for cherry-picking. But if I could only keep one detector, it would be the X. I have a SuperSix coil from Richard on the way 🙂 -Ken

What I was trying to say is that if one trigger is accidently pulled back into All Metal, the machine itself is in All Metal regardless of where the other trigger is set. For example, I normally use the right trigger and ignore the left one, but occasionally the left one does get bumped into All Metal without me noticing (at first). Does your X still discriminate if one of the triggers is in All Metal? -Ken

Not sure if anyone answered this specific question... the 2nd disc uses a momentary toggle; i.e., if you don't keep pushing the trigger forward it snaps back to the middle position (primary disc). You get All Metal mode by pulling the trigger towards you; it locks into place so is non-momentary. This can cause a bit of a glitch due to the two triggers on the machine. If one is pulled back into All Metal, the machine itself is in All Metal, even if the other trigger is in primary disc. The giveaway is when nails start high-toning 🙂 -Ken

I've never used a Vista Gold, so can't make a direct comparison. However, after about 25 hours using the X, I am starting to recognize the different sounds it makes over different targets. Coins and other symmetric objects tend to give a fairly short, "tight" response, while unevenly-shaped junk gives a longer, more ill-defined sound. Bottle caps, even at low discrimination, often give a low tone right at the end of the signal (as the coil moves off them) which is a good clue that they're not the desirable targets they're claiming to be 🙂 -Ken

I have a Vista X and am really enjoying it. I mostly use it to hit old house sites (some demolished, some not) and am looking for both coins and relics. Have had good luck doing that by going slow and using the 5.75" coil, even in places that others have hunted. I can't comment on how the stock 11x9.5" coil does, since it's too big for my liking for most of the places I hunt. DeepTech now has an 8x6.5" coil available which seems like a great all-round size. I'm planning to pick one up. The things I don't like about the X are pretty minor: the battery pack can be tricky to insert or remove if using rechargeables, since those tend to be thicker than alkalines. The external speaker is on the underside of the control box and so can get dirty; I've covered mine with tape since I always use headphones anyway. There are two toggle switches that perform the same functions... I think just one toggle in the middle of the shaft would have been better. For strictly cherry-picking, I'd probably choose a screen machine over the X. But around here, most of the obvious cherries have already been picked and you need to work a little harder to find the ones that remain. The X is great for that. It has a much wider discrimination range than the earlier DeepTechs, meaning that you can knock out modern trash if you want to. The caveat is that some masked good targets might get missed as a result. But that's true of any machine. -Ken

That would nicely explain why coins don't sink much in my area of Southern Alberta. It's frozen for about five months of the year and prevailing dry the rest of the time, especially in summer/fall. And here I thought it was ice worms pushing the coins to the surface 🙂 -Ken

I agree that separation/unmasking is key at many sites. Coins around here often don't sink much -- when I've had the opportunity to hunt sites that haven't been hit before (e.g., private property), I've often found coins that must have been lost at least a 100 years ago at depths of around 3". That leads me to believe that there's still good stuff within the first 8" of hard-hit, trashy areas... it's just hidden by all the trash. At such sites, the attitude of the detectorist matters a lot, too; maybe as much at the machine used. The IDs and tones of good targets can be dragged down by nearby junk, so if you cherry-pick too much, you'll leave some of the cherries in the ground 🙂 -Ken

I think DD coils in general tend to see bottle caps as being higher conductors than concentric coils do. That's one of the reasons I prefer concentrics for most situations, though it's hard to beat the area coverage a big DD coil will give you. -Ken

I've used my Tejon on dry sand with great results, but it's useless over wet salt sand. My Mojave does a lot better on wet salt sand with the 7" stock coil and the High Mineralization setting. It does start to chatter if you put a larger coil on it, though. But the 7" is really stable and has found me some nice targets. The Simplex does sound like a promising option, but we'll have to wait and see if it continues Nokta/Makro's track record of producing good machines. Despite Tesoro closing up shop, I admit I'm still really tempted to pick up a Sand Shark for water hunting. It may not be the most rational choice but... Tesoros are like potato chips: it's hard to stop at just one! -Ken