Minelab Wall Hanger Trash Can Lid

[Gerry in Idaho]

Going through some of my boxes and cleaning up the back rooms of the shop, I find some interesting items on occasion.

Here’s a wall hanger of a coil if even been one.  This is a genuine Minelab 18” round coil for the early SD-2000 and I think maybe the SD-2100?  If I’m not mistaken, it’s nickname was the Trash Can Lid?  My question to those who have been around Minelab longer than I, have you used one and was it any good?  As the photos show, this is a pretty crude hand made coil and the waves must have been for extra strength, I’m not sure.

I think I heard someone asking for a used 18” coil a while back, but I’m thinking this one could be older than what you want?  I’ll make a heck of a deal if you’re still interested and sell it for whatever the cost of shipping is.  As you can see in the pics, it looks as if it was sitting in the desert for a while and seems to have some dried up sea gull/bird crap on it (no charge).  No I have not tested it.

What’s amazing about this coil is that it’s actually pretty lite in weight.  I’d love to hear from folks who used it and or if you have pics of Success with this coil.

Certainly a wall hanger with Minelab and probably 30+ yrs old, but if you know please chime in?

Anyone else have any old Minelab Wall Hangers collecting sea gull chit?

[Steve Herschbach]

It's an original SD 2000 coil. Lot of massive nuggets found with that crude old bugger. 

[Norvic]

Yeah come with both the 2000 and early 2100s, two first ones I got worked on one channel only, third worked OK on both channels (no worries ML replaced quickly), they definitely got gold and taught us early on PIs + big coils = big gold deep. The ML plastic 18" replacement was much more reliable. Did not see many users using the small coil in those days, nothing wrong with it just those door stoppers at depth in mineralized ground way beyond the VLF capability was the go. 

[Norvic]

Whoops we mustve posted same time-Sats latency Steve.

[Aureous]

Fun Fact: These were the 1st Nuggetfinder coils! Designed and handmade by Rohan's Dad Barrie for Minelab. I only ever trialed mine with the 2000, too unwieldy for me, left it in the shed.

[Gerry in Idaho]

My 1st gold finds with a PI were while swinging the green SD-2100.

I immediately noticed the depth difference vs VLF's and so I called Minelab to become a dealer.  The well known Kevin Hoagland (now with the GPAA) told me to wait a month and they would have the newer model SD-2200.  It was green as well but the 18" coil was a flat smooth hollow one.  Some of the deepest gold I've ever found was with that detector.  Not sure why I don't dig as many deep holes anymore, but I attribute it to, no nuggets of that size are left at that range?  You tell me.

Sure the newer technologies are finding smaller nuggets at depth, but I sometimes wonder on those 5+ gram solid slugs, why can't I seem to find those at 18 to 24"+ depths? 

Curious, if anyone has tested an old SD with big coil vs a GPZ on solid big gold?  I think it would be pretty close.  But then again, I could be dreaming and the GPZ might be doing it's job just fine.  I do know the battery size of the SD and the GP series was like a 4 or 5 pound brick.  I actually seen those batteries being used for Motorcycles.

Sure miss those deep holes, as many of the areas I hunted was no trash, so as soon as you hit the 6" and below mark, it was 99.9% gold.

Thanks for all your comments gents.

[Rob Allison]

Hey Gerry,

    When the SD2000 first came out, several old-time electronic prospectors I knew couldn't wait to get this coil and Pulse Induction detector over some deep ground.  One guy I knew that traveled from Arizona, Northern Nevada, California and parts of old Mexico was doing a pound of gold per day with this set up.  He was smart enough to also get on one of the first flights out of the US to Western Australia and got 160 ounces the first season, which he claimed was a short season due to the time he arrived.  

I would guess 10's of 1000's of ounces were picked up in a few years from prospectors across the Globe using the Minelab SD2000 and the Trash Can 18" Mono (Fiberglass) searchcoil.  

I'm sure a lot of it was the right timing, the right ground with the right detector.  

Rob

[Norvic]

Many of us joined the 1Koz club in no time behind that rubbish lid, to a certain extent this success was/is being replicated by the GPZ w/. X CC coils more recently. 

[dig4gold]

Yes I have one of those early "trash can lid" mono coils.

D4G