Coil for the E-Trac.

[Eagle 1]

I am going to order A E-Trac. But I need to know what coil should I get with it. It comes with 11 coil so I need a small coil witch one is the best. I see the Minelab also has Commander coils any good or should I stoy with the std. small coil.

Eagle 1

[marchas45]

I use the 8 Excelerator Concentric Searchcoil in the woods and such. Hopefully I will be trying it out tomorrow morning in a park. thumbsup01

[Eagle 1]

I was thinking smaller. I don't think 8 would be that difernt. ?

[marchas45]

I was thinking smaller. I don't think 8 would be that difernt. ?


It has a lot better pinpointing for one thing. thumbsup01

[MNDigger]

You might be really suprised how well the 11 coil separates even in heavy trash. I know other Etracers can attest to it too. I know Angel hunts heavy trash most of the time and as far as I know he only uses the stock coil too. You may want to hold off and save yourself some money and try it out first.

[Ron in WY]

Hot Dang....... This is the thread I've been looking for.

Having the E-TRAC for a short while makes me wonder if another coil would be helpful. After reading comparisons between the Sunray 8 and the 6 X 8 SEF..... I must admit that they both sound good but seperation of targets is probably just as good with the 11 stock pro-coil.

So.....maybe the Sunray X-5 would be a little better on seperating targets but also allow you to get better info (Sound...Fe-Co#'s) on each of the co-located targets? Does the smaller coil give more accurate target info? More accurate target info might be a go signal for me to get the small coil.

Next choice might be the large WOT or SEF coil. I know it will vary depending on what area you are in but is there a reasonably large increase in depth with the large coils or not enough to justify a sore back?

Considering that the stock 11 pro-coil is so adaptable to most situations... how to procede? Maybe a small and a large one? If you had to choose between the X-5 or the 15 WOT...which would it be? HH

Ron

[Jack Flynn]

I've in the last month aquired the Sunray X 12 and the X 8....I just put a wanted add up for the X 5. Both of them pinpoint superbly and that X 8 is just small enough I can run the sensitivity at 27-30 and am getting 8 inches deep, that's the deepest coin I've dug with it so far. Maybe just maybe my stock pro coil is not built quite right but the above mentioned coils are so much clearer and sharper sounding and do not have the scratch or crackle that I have in my pro coil. I just might send it back to ML for a check up or get them to exchange it if something is wrong with it. I'd have to give a thumbs up to the Sunrays. Anybody got an X 5 for sale?

[OkieDigger]

I have the 6x8 SEF coil and as far as separation and pinpointing goes, it's basically the same as the stock Pro coil. It's a great coil and I do use it from time to time, but not very often. I thought I would use it more, but the Pro coil is so good that I rarely need to. That said, the SEF does have its uses. It's smaller and can get into areas easier than the Pro coil. That smaller size does allow it to work the trash better, but it has to be a very, very trashy site to have an advantage. Fortunately I have some sites like that. If I were to do it over again, I would probably go with a 6 concentric coil or DD coil from the same manufacturer.

[Eagle 1]

How good is the pinpointing on the E-Trac 11 coil is it on the money ded center. Also how close can you get to a pole on a swing set with it.

Eagle 1

[OkieDigger]

How good is the pinpointing on the E-Trac 11 coil is it on the money ded center.

Once you get used to it, which took me some time coming from White's, it's fairly accurate. The only time you will have issues with pinpoint is on rusty nails or on edge coins.



Also how close can you get to a pole on a swing set with it.


Not as close as I'd like. The E-Trac seems to put out one heck of a field and when you've got it cranked up past 18 you can detect a fence pole from a foot away. If you think you'll be doing a lot of detecting around metal posts or objects, you might think about getting a smaller coil. Maybe some others with smaller coils can chime in on that.

[mascard1]

The pro coil is the coil!...separates like a knife!...I think if you want a coil get the 6 excelerator...small enough to separate..yet big enough for some coverage... The pro coil can stay up with anything above a 6' inch coil...I had the 5 sunray..man it is small...like swing a silver dollar on the end....You can get a excelerator 6 at a good price...TAKE IT EASY!!!!!!!

[OkieDigger]

The pro coil is the coil!...separates like a knife!...I think if you want a coil get the 6 excelerator...small enough to separate..yet big enough for some coverage... The pro coil can stay up with anything above a 6' inch coil...I had the 5 sunray..man it is small...like swing a silver dollar on the end....You can get a excelerator 6 at a good price...TAKE IT EASY!!!!!!!


Welcome to the forum mascard1! Stick around a bit, I'd like to know what you think about the 6 Excelerator coil. Is this the 6 EQ II?

[Eagle 1]

Dose MineLab make a 6 coil for the E Trac. ?

Eagle 1

[OkieDigger]

I could be wrong, but I think 8 is the smallest coil you can get from Minelab for the E-Trac.

[marchas45]

Hi! Eagle1 you can also get a 6 DD EXcelerator EQ 2 Pro
Search Coil for Minelab (Explorer, E-TRAC, Safari, Quattro)

[Eagle 1]

No That ok It needs to be a Minelab coil.

Eagle 1

[OkieDigger]

No That ok It needs to be a Minelab coil.

Eagle 1


Why?

[Eagle 1]

I have a $150.00 to Minelab votcher burn up. I can only use it on Minelab stuff. thumbsup01

[coinnut]

I have a couple of after market coils. Don't really care for either of them. If Minelab doesn't make a small coil (5 would be super), then I would stay with the stock coil and spend my Minelab money on a second battery and charger. If there was anything left, I would buy an extra set up of shafts, just in case they come out with a small coil sometime later. Always good to have spare parts. Just some thoughts for you.

[deltacornbread]

Can we make this thread a sticky? One of my want to buy for 2010 is a small coil for my Etrac. Nothing wrong with the stock coil, but I hunt in some EXTREMELY trashy areas and would like a smaller coil for this. However, if and when i buy one, i would like to make an informed decision and the best way to go abbout this is to hear from others who have traveled this path.

[hoser]

Oh Man I'm gonna be watching this thread like a hawk. Where I hunt on old military camp sites there is a ton of downfall timber and a lot tangle. A smaller coil would be just the ticket for this. But I don't want to just jump headlong into something I won't use very much either. Hope this thread keeps going for a long time. :yes:

[Eagle 1]

I wonder how hard would it be to make your own coil. Just thinking out of the box And what would you need.
Has anybody tryed this :huh: Then you could make in any shape or size you would like could it be done.

Eagle 1

[coinnut]

I have read a lot about coils and am NO expert by any means lol But, coils need to be wound properly, to a close tolerance. The shape of the coil is not just random either. Many designs have been tested and retested, nulled and thrown out. If you want to play around and try some, that would be fun. thumbsup01 But if you wanted to make a better coil? I suggest lots of courses in electronic engineering lol and a great imagination never hurt either. I wish I was that smart to make the next best coil :confused:

[Eagle 1]

Thanks for the info, I dont think I will try it it's cheeper to buy it. But I think if I had the extra $$$ and :crazy: I would try it.

Eagle 1

[Diggler]

Nobody mentioned the 18x15 SEF coil... Been seeing some videos with good results. Pinpointing seems good. Separation seems good. Depth seems great. Weight seems weighty... Anyone here try one?

Retail Price $899.95
Was $699.95
Special Sale Price $299.95

Wonder how long it's been on sale and how long the sale will continue...?

[Jason in Enid]

I read some posts about the 18x15 coil. Most people really seem to like it, but is has a limited area of usefullness. You need a lot wide-open ground, very little trash AND some type of support like a slingy-thingy cause they are HEAVY. I have also heard that they get a little more depth than the pro-coil, but not a lot.

Honestly, I wouldn't pay that much for a coil but if I found one for sale, used I might buy it.

[Diggler]

So far in my limited Etrac days... the stock coil is great. If I had to get another right now it would surely be smaller. 6 most likely.

[Jason in Enid]

I love the stock coil and use it most of the time. If there is a lot of junk, or I am trying to change things up on an area I have hit hard I will switch to my SunRay X8 coil. I think it's a great coil and it does a wonderful job. I don't know if I would use anything smaller. When you drop from the pro-coil to an 8 inch coil you are reducing the coil size by 33%. If you drop to a 5 inch you are reducing by 60%. Since the DD coil basically detects along a strip, you only lose 33 and 66 percent of detecting area. You also lose depth when moving to smaller coils. It's all a trade off... how much depth do you want, how much detection area do you want, how much weight can you handle.

If I'm not digging a lot of targets the pro coil WILL wear out both my arms. I can hunt all day with the X8. It's not a lot of weight difference, but I guess it's enough difference for my arm.

[coinnut]

Nobody mentioned the 18x15 SEF coil... Been seeing some videos with good results. Pinpointing seems good. Separation seems good. Depth seems great. Weight seems weighty... Anyone here try one?

Retail Price $899.95
Was $699.95
Special Sale Price $299.95

Wonder how long it's been on sale and how long the sale will continue...?


I bet it's a great coil for the beach, but I had the 15x12 and it kept pulling the E Trac shaft out of the machine, it was so heavy. I can only imagine the 18x15 :shocked04: :shocked04:. I think for most hunting, the front to back swipe is too large and will have you going over too many targets in one sweep. The price coming down is probably becasue there was way too much of a price increase from the 15x12 to the 18x15 to justify. No way would I ever pay that much for a coil unless I knew there were caches of coins buried deep, all over a property lol Other than that, around that 200 bucks is my limit.

[Diggler]

Here is one of the videos of the 18x15: 1:loveit:15 SEF Coil Test with neswiper (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4NylJAGPUY#)
Good technique for short grass or sand...

[MercMan]

I just bought the Sun Ray Stealth X-5 for my etrac. I got to use it this weekend for the first time. I went to a school yard that has been heavily searched over the years(not only by me but many other detectorist). In an area apprx. 5:blackeye:100 there is a lot of trash, highly mineralized and one side of it has fill dirt from a new ball field. With the stock coil I found 4 silver dimes and 6 wheats over two seperate hunts. I took the sunray coil and in 2hrs pulled 7 wheats, two 1943 P nickels and two more dimes. Most of these targets were right up next to bad targets. Some as deep as 8 +. Two of the wheats had the old style pull tabs come out of the hole first but the sunray coil was able to separate the good from the bad. So far I am impressed.
Nice thing about the smaller coil is it really forced me to slow way down. I know some of these targets were questionable with the stock coil and that is the reason I passed over them.

Very nice coil and does not seem to sacrifice depth at all.

Tom

[Jaybird]

I aquired the Minelab FBS coil that measures about 7 1/4 in Diameter, from an Explorer user in December and have had limited usage with it but I know I can get closer to metal poles and fences at a slightly higher sensitivity settings (around 26 - 28). I have also been able to pull wheaties about 6 - 7out of worked out local parks where the Pro coil has been, but trash or iron was usually close by. It has a DD configuration but I don't know exactly if it is or not. :-\ I don't see it on the Minelab site.

[tmanly]

anyone ever tried the NEL Tornado Coil?

http://nel-coils.com/catalog_26.html

[coinnut]

Can't understand a word of it. Russian? I take it?? I would love to try any other coil out there, but I can't spend 200 bucks everytime I get the urge to find a better coil lol So far I have tried the 12x15 SEF and the 12 Sunray and I must say the 11 is a better all around coil (in my hunting). The 12x15 is also good (better in a field), but a lot heavier. If anyone gets a chance to test that coil, I would love to see the results :yes:

[Tony Two-Cent]

I aquired the Minelab FBS coil that measures about 7 1/4 in Diameter... It has a DD configuration but I don't know exactly if it is or not. :-\ I don't see it on the Minelab site.


Is this it?

http://www.minelab.com/usa/products/consumer/accessories/coils/8-fbs-coil

[deepsilver75]

My own opinion would be to get the Sun-ray x5 coil i think its about a 4 inch coil, it will find coins in very trashy areas very easily it is also good for rings and jewelery because it can tell the difference between trash and good items

[grover]

My go-to coil has been the SEF 10x12 coil for the past 3 years. I am mainly a coinshooter, but will hit the beaches during the summer months and after the winter storms. Our parks here in So. Cal, luckily are not really full of iron and lots of trash, but pull tabs are abundant though. (why do people remove those rascals anyways?)

I have to admit, I have found lots of good coins with the 11 Pro Coil that comes with the SE Pro & E-Trac. But for me, I find the SEF gives better performance. I am able to crank up my sensitivity a bit higher than the Pro Coil and the SEF still runs stable without much falsing. Depth is not really an issue for me because of deep holes Minelab makes me dig. Targets in the 5 to 7 are strong and my VID numbers are accurate, but I am looking for those iffy, deep signals. It did take me a while to get used to it when pinpointing, but once you figure that out, it's dead on. Separation has never been a problem, but I'm swinging a Minelab. 2 weeks ago I found a '39 merc with a nail sitting directly on top of it. It's times like that we all say, thank you Minelab.

When I feel I need a small coil it will be the SEF 6 EXcelerator EQ2 Pro because of my past experience with SEF coils.

To wrap this up, for me, SEF coils ROCK!!!

[tracyjm]

I had the same question when I bought my E-trac. I wanted a smaller coil and went with the 6 EXcelerator EQ2 Pro. I can't imagine another coil performing much better for the size than it has. I hunted a park that had been beat to dead over the years. I was shocked at how many coins I found with the smaller coil. I found two 1905 Indian Heads about 8 apart that had such detail on Liberty on the headband that I would bet money they were lost right after they were minted. This was in an area of an old main fairgrounds full of trash. I also found a Barber dime dated 1900 that was a good 7-8 inches deep. I'm sure the X-5 is a great coil but in my opinion so is the 6 Excelerator...

[markg]

The 6 EXcelerator EQ2 Pro is all the small to medium size coil you'll ever need. But I've had my eye on the Ultimate 13 DD for the Etrac and from what I've read is lighter than the stock coil and gets about an inch more in depth.
:cool:

[markg]

Well I've got an Ultimate 13 coming for my Etrac. I'll be doing some real world hunts with this coil and hope to video some too. :grouphug:

[CyberSage]

Good choice Mark! The Ultimate 13 coil stays on my E-Trac all the time now. I think you will really enjoy it. It's just uncanny how it maintains the seperation despite it's size. Very cool! :cool:

[Kuletule]

I have had the 8 x 6 SEF, the 8 inch minelab and the Sun Ray X-5 stealth coil. Additionally, I had the joey. If you are looking for a smaller coil, without question, I would get the stealth X-5 asap. Next, I would choose the joey coil.

The X-5 works well in heavy iron conditions, gives good depth for it's size and beyond that, it is superior on scraped lots and playgrounds, as it allows you to get close to adjacent targets.

The Joey is often overlooked as a goto coil, but I have used it on scraped lots as well as heavy iron infestations.

Finally, my 3rd pick of the four cited would by the 8x6 SEF. The footprint is wider than the joey and the X-5, but it gives great depth.

The Minelab 8 inch is just too close to the stock coil for my tastes. I just was not impressed as much as the other coils.

Anyway, good luck to you with whichever decision you choose.

Be grateful that you are not like me, and just bought the CTX 3030 and all coils with it. LOL I was going to hold on to all those other coils and my EX II and Etrac, but alas, I have decided to sell those and might get another machine. I have only 16 hours on my CTX and it is feeding a lot of information to me that I don't have down yet and I am truly impressed with it regardless. I am learning, just as I did enroute to having all those other coils I am getting rid of.....LOL

HH

Dennis

[SovereignGT]

So how did you end up liking the concentric coil on the Etrac(I know this is an old post) I bought the 8 concentric and wondered if it works well...

I use the 8 Excelerator Concentric Searchcoil in the woods and such. Hopefully I will be trying it out tomorrow morning in a park. thumbsup01

[POKIE73]

i have the x5 sunray have not got out with it a lot but have found a few goodies with it in a hard hunted park i got a old indian head that i know i went over with the stock coil so i belive they do the job the only problem is you do not cover much ground you have to pick out a small area and work it slow good luck dennis

[roadapple]

Always interesting reading about different coils which produce great results for each of us ! I personally have the 11 inch Minelab Pro, Sunray X5, X8,and X12 also the SEF 8x6 , SEF 10X12 and the SEF 12x15. I like them all for what each can bring to the table in there own specific way and would not part ways with any. Happy hunting :detecting:

[nalc472]

I used the x-5 on the e-trac last hunt. My buddy had the stock 11 coil on his etrac. He went right over the Civil war button I found and I snagged
it with the x-5. It had a Co reading of 41. He went over it with his coil and said I would dig it. and boom a CW button46016

[Caretaker]

anybody have any feed back on a 4.5x7 dd coil for the ETrac, I have a small coil on my AT Pro and like it, want one for the ETrac too