steveg Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 Hello all! Based on requests from several folks who are curious, I went ahead and did some air testing with my new Minelab 6” coil, attached to my Equinox 800. I wanted to give some idea of the relative capabilities of this coil as compared to the 11” coil. While all the normal caveats of air testing apply – such as air-test results in no way mirror in-ground results, etc. etc. etc., I do think there is at least a little bit of value when doing side-by-side air testing of two different coils for comparison purposes. Anyway, how much value exists in such a test is up to each individual to decide; I simply wanted to provide the data. I also did a Youtube video, which I will post a link to as soon as it is done uploading. In the video, I did NOT record the testing of all the coins; I ran only the silver Roosevelt dime in the video to show you, audibly, what quality of signal I listened for in order to call it a “hit.” In other words, how repeatable of a signal I listened for before I assigned a depth value to that particular coin, with that particular coil. The rest of the video is just some discussion of a few points regarding the coil, and the testing. Anyway, here is the data… Minelab Equinox 800 11” and 6” coils, air-test comparison, done indoors Park 1 Mode Sensitivity 18 Noise Cancel Channel 7 All-metal mode (horseshoe button engaged) Ground Balance 0 Recovery Speed 4 (on the 800, equivalent to 2 on the 600) Iron Bias 2 (on the 800, equivalent to 1 on the 600) Here are the results: After this “apples to apples” comparison, where I tested both coils using identical settings, I then re-tested a couple of coins (specifically the silver dime and the silver quarter) on the 6” coil, but this time bumping sensitivity to 22. I found that I was able to run sensitivity about 3 points higher, as the 6” coil is (as expected) less affected by EMI. Since “18” is a rather conservative sensitivity for a 6” coil, (but that is as high as I could go with the 11” in my indoor testing, and since I wanted to keep it “apples to apples”), I wanted to see how much depth gain I would get on the 6” coil if I bumped sensitivity up some. Here are those results: In summary, you can see that the 6” coil (at 18 sensitivity) loses roughly 1 ¾” depth on each coin, in an air test, as compared to the 11” coil. You can also see that by bumping the sensitivity on the 6” coil up from 18 to 22, you “gain back” most of the loss of air-test depth, getting to within ½” to ¾” of depths achieved by the 11” coil, set at 18 sensitivity. SO…while you DO lose depth with the 6” coil, as expected, you may – in a real-world scenario – be able to gain most of that depth back, due to being able to run it at a higher sensitivity setting. Overall, I am thus far impressed with the coil, and can’t wait to use it “in the field,” where I can begin to get a feel for its REAL value – its ability to separate, in trashy sites. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EL NINO77 Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 Thanks for test,,,small coil - we can also use the lower recovery speed, so the results can be similar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveg Posted August 26, 2018 Author Share Posted August 26, 2018 Here's the video, for what it's worth... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chase Goldman Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 10 hours ago, EL NINO77 said: Thanks for test,,,small coil - we can also use the lower recovery speed, so the results can be similar... True. That works best on dry sand though. If there is any kind of mineralization, lowering recovery speed and associated swing speed increase ground feedback noise and limit the degree to which you can increase depth in this manner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Herschbach Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 Great info Steve... thanks! There certainly are times a small coil works better than a large coil. Better see through in dense trash, and sharper hits on tiny targets. But I think we can sum up and say that on coin size targets in the open, the 11” coil gets a couple more inches depth than the 6” coil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeachHunter Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 I know this is an older post but I happened upon it with a google search. Awesome comparison tests Steve. The information is very much appreciated. I just put on the 6" coil, with your CF lower rod, to do some backyard air tests and the small coil is truly amazing. it gets a little deeper than I had anticipated. Your carbon fiber lower shaft works perfectly with the small coil. Even though small in size, I'm going to give it a try down at the beach and see what it can do. Best of Luck! BH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Gillespie Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 On 8/25/2018 at 11:49 PM, steveg said: Hello all! Based on requests from several folks who are curious, I went ahead and did some air testing with my new Minelab 6” coil, attached to my Equinox 800. I wanted to give some idea of the relative capabilities of this coil as compared to the 11” coil. While all the normal caveats of air testing apply – such as air-test results in no way mirror in-ground results, etc. etc. etc., I do think there is at least a little bit of value when doing side-by-side air testing of two different coils for comparison purposes. Anyway, how much value exists in such a test is up to each individual to decide; I simply wanted to provide the data. I also did a Youtube video, which I will post a link to as soon as it is done uploading. In the video, I did NOT record the testing of all the coins; I ran only the silver Roosevelt dime in the video to show you, audibly, what quality of signal I listened for in order to call it a “hit.” In other words, how repeatable of a signal I listened for before I assigned a depth value to that particular coin, with that particular coil. The rest of the video is just some discussion of a few points regarding the coil, and the testing. Anyway, here is the data… Minelab Equinox 800 11” and 6” coils, air-test comparison, done indoors Park 1 Mode Sensitivity 18 Noise Cancel Channel 7 All-metal mode (horseshoe button engaged) Ground Balance 0 Recovery Speed 4 (on the 800, equivalent to 2 on the 600) Iron Bias 2 (on the 800, equivalent to 1 on the 600) Here are the results: After this “apples to apples” comparison, where I tested both coils using identical settings, I then re-tested a couple of coins (specifically the silver dime and the silver quarter) on the 6” coil, but this time bumping sensitivity to 22. I found that I was able to run sensitivity about 3 points higher, as the 6” coil is (as expected) less affected by EMI. Since “18” is a rather conservative sensitivity for a 6” coil, (but that is as high as I could go with the 11” in my indoor testing, and since I wanted to keep it “apples to apples”), I wanted to see how much depth gain I would get on the 6” coil if I bumped sensitivity up some. Here are those results: In summary, you can see that the 6” coil (at 18 sensitivity) loses roughly 1 ¾” depth on each coin, in an air test, as compared to the 11” coil. You can also see that by bumping the sensitivity on the 6” coil up from 18 to 22, you “gain back” most of the loss of air-test depth, getting to within ½” to ¾” of depths achieved by the 11” coil, set at 18 sensitivity. SO…while you DO lose depth with the 6” coil, as expected, you may – in a real-world scenario – be able to gain most of that depth back, due to being able to run it at a higher sensitivity setting. Overall, I am thus far impressed with the coil, and can’t wait to use it “in the field,” where I can begin to get a feel for its REAL value – its ability to separate, in trashy sites. Steve Wow,I wonder how it would compare to in ground targets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveg Posted December 30, 2018 Author Share Posted December 30, 2018 BeachHunter -- THANKS for the very kind words! I'm glad the info was helpful, and I am really glad you are happy with the lower rod! Thanks, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dewcon4414 Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 Those numbers seem pretty fair Steve. Because running 23 or so with the standard on the beach im getting like Tom said about 13" on a clad dime air testing there....... and thats in beach 1. Dont you wished we could have seen this kind of difference with the 15"? That would have been a game changer for beach hunters...... who would need a PI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveg Posted December 31, 2018 Author Share Posted December 31, 2018 dew -- indeed! That WOULD make the 15" a game changer for beach hunters...instead, what I'm hearing is about 1/2" to 1" depth increase, with the 15", compared to the 11". Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now