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Oh crap. I get out my GPX coils and find 3 with bad cable insulation, the inner plastic insulation may be brittle too. They don’t have a shield so I’m wondering if some thick stranded AC power cord cable may be a sufficient replacement- any thoughts?

Today I had a conversation with a colleague in which we talked about being able to use coils from one brand in detectors from another for which they were not manufactured. I stand aside due to my lack of knowledge, but he argues that it is possible to adapt certain coils that were not designed for a detector for which they were not designed. Is that possible? Making mods is one of my favorite hobbies so the topic caught my attention. Specifically, we were talking about placing Whites coils that are used in the M6, MXT, BHID, DFX and some others that I don't remember, and installing them in the fisher cz21, cz3D, which share similar frequencies, configuring adapters and wiring. Do you think this could work?

Do you tape or seal metal detector search coil scuff covers / skid plates? Pick an answer that best describes what you do.

Has anyone had issues with the coil covers falling off? I have. Garrett acts like this is new to them. They sent me another cover for better fitment, but it fit the same. Then they sent a coil and cover, but there was no difference in fitment. NEXT ISSUE: I did an air test win a small gold piece. The Axion detected it at 2.5-3”. I air tested the same piece of gold with my GMX Sport, it detected it at 4-4.5”. This was also the case with the ATX. is the air test the issue?

I just recently bought a nice Spectrum XLT that came with the 9.5 coil. I have been trying to search for what other coils are compatible but haven't came up with much of anything, other than some older posts on other forums saying some people favored an 8 inch coil over the 9.5. But they don't tell what the name of the coil is; just the size. Any help is appreciated.

I’m interested to see if there are noticeable differences in performance for the available coils that are out. I see manufacturer specific coils and then some made by Coiltek and others (I don’t recall their names). My question is, do any of you suggest a particular coil manufacturer over another? I don’t mean 6” vs 9” vs 11” and so forth, just curious if a particular coil manufacturer appears to make better product. I have a a 5x10 coiltek for my 900 and I don’t really feel it works any better than the standard coils.

Based on some posted consternation based on the anticipated price point for the Minelab Manticore accessory coils, I thought I would put out some price points for popular Simultaneious Multi-Frequency (SMF) metal detector accessory coils, and coil prices for other popular single frequency, selectable single frequency, SMF and PI detectors, for reference. These are approximate retail prices for new coils (in US $) scraped off the internet and don’t reflect dealer discounts, package deals, or sale specials. Legend LG 28 - 11" Stock - ~$135 LG15 6" Round - ~$120 LG24 9.5x6" - ~$135 LG30 12X9" - ~$150 LG35 14" - ~$170 Nox 6" Round - ~$180 10x5" Elliptical (Coiltek) - ~$235 11" Stock - ~$229 14X9" (Coiltek) - ~$260 15x12" - ~$240 15" Round (Coiltek) - ~$290 Manticore Stock 11" - ~$?? M8 - ~$341 (Pre-release estimate based on currency conversion) M15 - ~$417 (Pre-release estimate based on currency conversion) Deus 2 9" Round - ~$399 11" Round - ~$399 13X11" - ~$399 Other Coils: Fisher "Triangulated Biaxial 12" Coil" for F75 - ~$199 Detech Ultimate 7" (Teknetics and Fisher F75) - ~$130 Detech Ultimate 13" (Teknetics Greek and F75) - ~$180 Detech Arrow (Simplex, Fisher, Teknetics Greek and G2+) - ~$150 - $165 Nel Snake - ~$120 - $130 Minelab XTerra Pro - ~$?? Minelab Vanquish (Multi IQ) - ~$100-$140 (size dependent) Minelab CTX3030 11"/17"(FBS 2) - ~$350/$400 Garrett AT Series Coils - ~$130 - $160 (size size dependent) Garrett Ace Apex Coils - ~$135 - $190 (size dependent) Nokta Simplex+ - ~$110 - $170 (size dependent) Nokta Impact - ~$110 - $230 (size dependent) Nokta Anfibio/Kruzer - ~$110 - $220 (size dependent) Pulse Induction: Garrett Axiom Coils - ~$280 - $320 (size dependent) Minelab Commander 10x5" DD (GPX) - ~$225 Minelab Commander 11" Mono/DD (GPX) - ~$270/250 Minelab Commander 15X12" DD (GPX) - ~$375 Minelab Commander 18" Mono - ~$441 Coiltek GoldenHawk 10x5" Mono (GPX) - ~$420 Coiltek 14" Anti-Interference DD (GPX) - ~$410 Detech 12.5" DD (GPX) - ~$300 Detech 15" Spiral Wound DD (GPX) - ~$425 Detech 15" Ultra Sensing Mono (GPX) - ~$425 Commentary - Legend accessory coils are a great value overall consistent with the detector itself, even compared with single frequency detector accessory coils. The unofficial Manticore accessory coil prices (if they hold) are somewhat consistent with Deus 2, perhaps its most direct competitor, although the Deus 2 coils pricing is complicated by the fact that they are wireless, smart, and, therefore, are self-powered which is not the case with the Manticore coils other than perhaps limited pre-filtering and ID chips. The Coiltek NOX coils demand a slight premium vs. the Minelab OEM Nox coils. The higher end Deus 2 and Manticore accessory coils are priced similar to GPX pulse induction coils.

Has anyone on this forum gone about the process of designing their own custom coils to go with some of the more popular detector models on the market? I only have a Gold Bug 2 at the moment and it does alright for what I purchased it for but I was wondering if I might be able to get some more coverage and detection ability out of it when I take it down to the beach I live near to see if the rich people have lost anything. It does just fine out in the desert with the stock 6" coil and I have never felt the need to buy one of the larger coils as I just do not think those would really fit how I most use the detector out in the desert. Anyway I obviously am considering trying to build a couple different sizes and geometry coils to use with my GB2 but also would love to hear about what other people have done with other detectors. Would love to get a little more guidance than my sorta basic electronics knowledge, intuition, and searching the web.

Big idea from a bloke with no idea!!! Hoping that this forum can be of some assistance 🙂 Well, with another trip to Western Australia done and dusted my last statement to my brother in law before I left was that "I don't think I will be back without a drag coil". Aaaaaaaand I am hoping to go back next year 🤣 We did OK considering we were genuinely 'prospecting' and we knew that it may be a boom or bust type situation. The issue is that we passed over so much country because it is just too big. Vast. Expansive. And much of that vastness looks exactly the same - where the hell do you start? And of the patches we did find, then gridding out from those located pieces would be far more efficient and easier on the body than the side-to-side, slowly moving forward, small step action that gridding requires. I'll proceed with what I want to do, what I don't want to use, what I hope I can build and then questions re: what is actually feasible. I have looked through a few topics on here and there are snippets that can be picked up but not specifics and the cans, cants and have to's and how to's. I am really hoping to build a thread that anyone can follow and build their own basic coil design or at least have the basic idea of where to start. I'm hoping that @Reg Wilson @Chet @jrbeatty @Aureous @jasong @Geotech and others with technical expertise and prior experience can be helpful. Disclaimer - I checked out Geotech forum and although I am sure it is a fantastic forum I am sorry to say that it is all just too far over my head. I really need things in laymen's terms. I guess it is a case of if you never learnt it you just don't know it and I don't have the time to go and do a diploma in electronics. I help student/new nurses go through a step-by-step-by-step process of changing vacuum dressings on huge abdo wounds or changing PICC dressings or setting up a syringe driver for a palliative care patient. They are technical things and they need guidance, unfortunately I am asking for the same guidance here 🙏 My basic plan - to make a 5 or 6 foot wide, oval or rectangle shape, mono coil that I can drag myself - not with a vehicle of any sort. My goal is coverage more than depth although depth is always a welcome advantage I suppose. I would be hoping such a coil could pick up shallow gold pieces that are 2 grams and up?? Mount the windings inside plastic tubing (inch poly??), solidify those windings inside the tubing with either some sort of foam or resin, affix that to the top of a folded piece of non-metal conveyor belt, place a solid timber on the front edge/folded edge of the belt and tow with a rope. All connected to a GPX series (4000/4500/5000) detector that can be carried on a harness with the battery, etc. As I am trying to keep-it-simple-stupid I am hoping that the windings can simply be bundle wound and that a gel type resin will both provide some weight, some rigidity and keep the windings in place. I do not want to use a vehicle due to the extra cost of purchasing a vehicle, transporting it and the EMI complications it can bring. As I will be pulling the device it needs to be reasonably light weight but not so light weight that it is not durable and that it does not remain as flat as possible. I know there is a pre-fab ready-to-go option with an @Coiltek 40 inch drag coil but I am wanting something a little wider to really make the process efficient. And I might learn something along the way 👨‍🎓 So before getting into the what I need and how to do it, I really need to start with 'Is it possible?'. Noting Reg's post below re: as things get bigger they develop more problems - is a 72 inch wide coil even feasible? Is this why Coiltek don't make anything over 40"? The build itself it adaptable but I am guessing the physics is not, so that is the first hurdle I need to over come. Question 1 - Will physics defeat me before I even start? Look forward to your responses 🙂 Cheers, N.E.

While running my hands along a coil cable, I noticed a pin-sized thorn had pierced the cable, broken off, and embedded itself inside. Tweezers were of no use as the splinter was too deep and brittle. It got me a wondering if any one has any experience regarding the potential impact of such an injury to the coil cable and it’s insulation. Any thoughts?

Please see the poll and give me your opinion. Thank you, Doc

That 17” Minelab mono is pretty sweet. Just used mine for the first time today and it honked on little tiny pieces of lead 2”-4” deep. I was in pebble to cobble sized rocky terrain interspersed with small boulders and only a few plants (desert mountains). I was going pretty fast, trying to beat the sunset at my last spot for the day and was surprised how small the lead was I kept picking up. It’s a great coil for doing quick surveys over large areas and really doesn’t weigh a lot. I have a Coiltek 14 inch mono , but it just seems kind of heavy and bulky compared to the 17. I haven’t done sensitivity comparisons with them yet. Both are relatively new for me. The stock 17 is a great coil if you need to cover a lot of ground, else the smaller Coils like the CT 10x5 would obviously be best for vacuuming between the rocks and underneath bushes.

I'd like to focus on searching for 1-3 oz (2-4 square inches) or larger size targets that are deeper, perhaps more than one foot down. The ground I'm searching is moderately mineralized and easily handled by the 11x7" mono. I currently have the 13x11" DD and the 11x7" mono. Would the 16x14" mono be a significant improvement in depth for larger targets? I understand the differences between the DD and mono coils, but I don't fully understand their differences in detection depth, especially on larger targets. Thanks for any help or comments. Az_Ed

I figured it was time to change the battery for my X--35 9" coil, I watched all the videos on how to do it , I figured it would be a cinch, but after i got the little plastic plate off the bottom of the coil a hard piece of foam was glued in so hard over the little battery connector I could hardly get it out , then i looked to find the connector to unplug the old battery and could not even see it , It was totally covered in epoxy glue I pulled on the wire and it broke off, apparently the temp worker filled it with glue and completely covered the battery plug in making it impossible to remove, why me ? why does it work for everyone else but when i go to do it its covered in glue, ? I was pissed now it will cost me 300.00$ to get the HF coil . I will never buy another X-35 because I have no assurance the battery plug will not be glued over again . at least the HF coil its possible to change the battery

I have 2 coils for my Equinox 800, the normal 11 inch and the 15 x 11 coil…. I have the aftermarket coil supports and would ask if there is a 2 part epoxy glue that could be applied to fasten these coil supports to the coil WITHOUT causing any interference with the coil’s performance ?…. Or maybe use CRAZY GLUE ? … thanks for helping…Al

I currently have a White's 6000 Di/Professional detector which came with the standard and larger search coil. If this won't work what do you think I could get for it? Thanks9

With the release of the Xterra pro showing that all these coils are only limited to a chip and not the coil itself, it should be possible to hack the chip or override the chip with another. When I was younger this was easily done in gaming systems to make copied DVDs work to play copied games. Anyone know if this might be getting “worked” on for the coils? Small market though, maybe not worth the time of an ambitious electrical engineer unless they were an avid detectorist. @phrunt I’m winking at you 😉😁 You seem to have the “know how” or the “contacts”, plus all the coils😂

Back when I started using the AT PRO back in 2009 Garrett recommended doing a factory reset when you changed to a different coil on the ATP my question on the Garrett 24K is this also the recommendation when changing to a different coil, or is performing a factory reset UN necessary on the 24K when changing to one of the different coils still learning the 24K and liking it a lot

Yesterday I went to my beach and left the 6" Equinox coil on for an extended hunt. I had used it a couple of days before on a high iron beach so that I could hear targets clearly. Yesterday's hunt turned out to be an experimentation of sorts. What could I really find on a 'tough' beach with the little coil. I've found gold jewelry on the beach with it before. When I first got the coil I wasn't able to go nugget hunting so I went to a beach. Right out of the box as they say I found 4 little gold rings many years ago. I pretty much put the little coil away over the years in favor of the 15" coil and occasionally the 11" coil. Coverage is the operating logic to that. I feel 'naked' without the big coil. Yesterday I was willing to experiment. After selecting the frequency and then ground balancing I was able to go to 25 on the sensitivity/gain. This let me hear my threshold and without chatter so it was a matter of swing speed. There weren't a whole lot of targets so each time I'd find one I would try to find a patch. I managed to find a couple of them as you can see and some interesting targets in the 1.5 hour hunt. The rack on the left is one of the largest objects I've found on this beach. It was down about 8" and it weighs about 5 lbs. Some of the quarters were down about the same depth. The knife blades were iffys I think because they are mostly stainless steel. The silver Thailand earrings were in the wave wash and are very light at 3.2 g and were found together as displayed. After a bit of learning the capabilities of the little coil again I then wondered what is best. Do you take a small coil and use it at maximum sensitivity or do you take a larger coil and turn down the gain? This would go for other types of detecting as well. This is certainly a reason to have multiple coils.

Anyone know about the M8 & M15 Coils price and availability date? They have been up on the Minelab site for a couple of weeks but no one is advertising them yet.

Very cool.

For those of you thinking about buying yourself a bigger coil for your Equinox, here's how big they are compared to a size 10 foot (see table below).. I find that measurements on paper (like 15x12'' or 15'' round) are hard to picture in my head without something to compare them to.. Hope this helps.. 🤪

While reviewing some more of my archived files I found the coil winding specifications for one of White's Electronics BFO metal detector coils. Data was provided by the White's Factory. This coil was called the "Triplet Coil". It was manufactured in the late 1960's and early 1970's. My information is from May 1969. During this period there were several BFO coil sizes offered: a 3-inch coil for nuggets, a 6-inch coil for coins and a 12-inch coil for large objects. The Triplet was designed to combine both the standard 6-inch coil and the 3-inch nugget coil with an additional 2-inch coil for added sensitivity for small objects. Single coils were wound using a wood based enclosure. The Triplet Coil was encased in a molded plastic housing. For those of you who have a vintage White's BFO metal detector and would like a combination coil or those of you who wish to build a replica of a vintage White's BFO metal detector I have attached a PDF of the winding details for your viewing pleasure. BFO Triplet Coil winding instructions.pdf

I'm looking for opinions on the Minelab 6 inch vs the Coiltek 10x5 for my Nox 600. I search a lot of trashy and brushy sites. Anybody have any experience with both coils? Any opinions? Thanks.

Hello Guys! How Do Different Coils Affect The Performance Of A Metal Detector?