whats the best coils for the gp3000

[airboy]

hey everyone just want to get your opiniuns on different coils for the gp3000. iv got the stock 11"DD, and a ml 8" mono. From the little time i have used the3000, I preffer the 8" mono over the 11"dd. I would really like to get some thing bigger than what Ive got, something in the range of 14-20in. any suggestions on differnt brands? pros and cons? thanks you guys are great hope to here from you soon Ron

[nuggethunting]

Hello Airboy,

To ask what is the best coil is like asking what is the best truck (Chevy or Ford). Everyone has their own opinions on their favorite coil(s). I think to cover all bases you need about 3-4 coils. There is no reason to get too carried away.

I think you need one small coil for shallow areas and bedrock type hunting. The top two choices for this in my opinion would be the Coiltek Joey 10x5 elliptical or the Minelab 8-inch mono round.

I then would decide on a mid-sized prospecting coil. For years the Coiltek 14-inch round mono was the hottest selling coil on the market (over 3,000 sold). Once the Coiltek Wallaby 14-inch elliptical hit the market, it took some of the lime-light from the 14-inch round. For a mid-ranged coil my favorites would be (depending on mineralization) the Coiltek 14-inch Mono Round, Coiltek Wallaby DD Pro or Coiltek Wallaby Mono.

When it comes to a large coil (18-inch and bigger) I would suggest the Coiltek BigRed 24x12 Elliptical DD Pro or Mono. I hit some nice pieces with this beast over the years. My friend (Leaverite) just hit a nice 1.6 ouncer with the BigRed DD Pro. Searchcoils this size are considered speciality coils, and you will only use them in certain places. With larger coils you will need a good bungee system. Recommended a heavy duty bungee or the "Swingy Thingy" or the new "HipStick."

Keep in mind, Coiltek makes Mono, DD Pro (more power than DD's), Anti-Interference and Waterproof coils.

[airboy]

thanks Rob

ive got the 8"mono,and like it, but is the ml 11" dd just junk? ive got the heavy duty bungee so here comes the big ones!!!! and are the green coils such as the "rubbish bin tops" trash also?

THANKS KEEP UM CU MMIN

[nuggethunting]

Hello Airboy,

The stock Minelab 11-inch DD is a decent coil. The old Minelab "Trash Lid" coils were notorious for being very noisy. If it's the trash lid one, slightly concave, they are made out of fiberglass. The one I had for my SD2000 fell apart in no time. It was also so unstable that just a blade of grass would set it off!

The newer Minelab plastic molded 18-inch round wasn't too bad. I never used it much, but it was much quieter and build stronger.

Since you have the Minelab 8-inch round mono, I would now decide on a mid-sized or larger specialty coil. For most areas a mid-sized coil will give you good depth and sensitivity. They are also a bit cheaper than the huge coils.

Just my opinions,

Rob Allison

[Lamar]

Dear airboy;

I have a GP3000 and a nice range of coils for it and my 3 favorites coils for my GP3000 are the Wallaby PP Dro, the CTK 14" round mono and the Platypus DD Pro. And I also think the stock ML 11" DD coil isn't all that great, the same as you do. I also have a ML 8" mono and I think that it's a fantastic little coil. With the 3 coils that I just mentioned, you should have about 90% to 95% of your detecting needs. I also have a CTK 18" round mono and while it's a great coil, I only use it very occasionally. The reason why I like BOTH the CTK 14" round mono AND the CTK Wallably DD Pro coils is because between those two they cover about 80% of the ground that I detect in. I also like the Platpus DD Pro because it's a small, easy manuverable coil that gets into some very tight quarters and it also has the nice benefit of being waterproof.

Your friend;

LAMAR

[airboy]

Rob

can you compare the minelab 18"dd(the black one) to the 11"dd(white) is it the same thing in a bigger case? would it be worth getting if i have the chance?

And what do you think about the coil tech 10x17 mono (ufo)

I have a chance to get these two in a trade!!!!!! How much do you think this is worth(the minelabs new and the ctk ufo is used)

thanks Ron

[nuggethunting]

Hello Ron (Airboy),

I don't care much for the Minelab 11-inch stock DD or the Black Minelab 18-inch DD. The Black 18-inch is from the GP Extreme. It's a dual configured coil just like the 11-inch GP stock coil. The Black 18-inch is very heavy, but I have found gold with it.

If I had my choice, I would take the Coiltek UFO over both. The UFO has great coverage per swing, very lightweight, waterproof and gets good depth. It will also find fairly small gold near the surface.

Now keep in mind, I'm not sure if I would want to swing the UFO all day though. It's light enough, but a coil that big will not get around obstructions well like a small or mid-sized searchcoil.

P.S. I just noticed you had the UFO down as a 17x10. Actually the 17x10 is the "Mini-UFO," the "UFO" is 24x12.

Hope this helps a bit,

Rob Allison

[Lamar]

Dear airboy;

You might wish to seriously reconsider using an 18" or larger coil, my friend. I have an 18" Coiltek mono and it is a good coil, but I like the Coiltek 14" mono better for nugget detecting. It seems the myth that larger coils go deeper is mostly just a myth after all. I've sort of discovered how coils work in conjunction with PI detectors and this is what I've found out. It's the output power of the detector itself that determines depth to a much larger degree than the size of the coil. In heavily mineralized ground, the larger coil penetrates the ground deeper due to the diametrical distance between the windings (the distance as measured across the face of the coil, that which determines the coil size) BUT that same coil ALSO picks up more of the ground mineralization too, and so all of that extra depth is generally negated when the coil is used in mineralized ground. In other words, in heavily mineralized terrain, my CTK 14" mono coil gets about the same depth as my CTK 18" mono does, but because the 18" coil is making the audio circuitry on my detector noisier, therefore it becomes much more difficult to detect nuggets at ALL depths, and this means LOST GOLD! My 14" mono is much quieter and therefore more sensitive, which means a greater chance I like my 18" mono coil in lightly mineralized ground and there are a couple of spots that I detect in here in Bolivia which are ideal for this coil, but everywhere else I prefer the 14" mono. We have a huge area here which is very desert-like and lightly mineralized and my CTK 18" mono REALLY kicks butt in it, but in all other environments I leave it at home. Oh, I also like the CTK 18" mono for relic hunting, but that is an entirely different story.

Your friend;

LAMAR

[airboy]

so ive decided when I can I'll be getting the CT 14" mono and CT14" PRO DD

any comments onthe 14" ProDD is it big enough since its really like a 7"mono??????

[Lamar]

Dear airboy;

The CTK 14" round DD Pro will go down to about 12" depth, depending on detector settings and ground mineralization, but if I were you, I'd go with the CTK Wallaby 11X17" DD Pro and the CTK 14" round mono. Since you already have the ML 8" round mono, you will be set for just about anything that comes your way with the addition of these 2 coils.

Your friend;

LAMAR

[airboy]

Lamar,

thanks so much for the input. Now Ive got to find someone to buy the dredge or trade! anyone, anyone at all?

[Lamar]

Dear airboy;

No problemo my friend! When I started thinking about buying some additional coils, Rob informed that the Wallaby DD Pro was an excellent coil and thta I'd love it, and sure enough, I do! It is truly a very sensitive coil without giving up any depth. One thing that you might wish to be aware of is the different methods that you should use when switching from a DD coil to a mono coil. First, as you might already know, a DD type of coil transmits it's seek pulse in a straight line along the center of the coil, from front to rear (or heel to toe), about 1 to 2" in width. The signal is relatively even in strength along it's entire axis, with slightly more strength in the very forwardmost and readward most portions, say 1" as measured from the outermost ends of the toe and heel, respectively. The monoloop coil transmits it's seek pulse in a cone shaped pattern, much like a snowcone with the point of the cone pointing downwards. Now, if you can visualize this pattern, then you will be able to relaize that in order for you to be able to achieve maximum coverage of the ground in which you are detecting in, then you will need to overlap your swings substantially, like 35%. In order words, in order to make a full coil width swing with an 18" monoloop coil, you will need to to make 3 swings, the first swing, then advance the coil ahead 6" and complete the second (return) swing, then advance the coil ahead another 6" and complete the third and final swing. In other words, with a monoloop coil, only advance the coil head 1/3 of it's diameter for the next swing. This method is unecessary with a DD coil and you only need to overlap your swings a couple of inches, just to insure that you didn't leave any gaps in your swing pattern. I've also discovered that with a 14" monoloop coil, you will want to slow down your swing speed about 25% from what you will be using for your Wallaby DD Pro. The bigger the monoloop coil, the slower your swing speed should be. I also have a coil pattern preference too. For monoloop coils, round is the way to go, for DD coils the oval shape is the way to go. The reason for this obvious once you study coil patterns briefly. The monloop has a cone shaped pattern and using an oval loop flattens the sides of the cone, thus giving up some depth. For a DD coil, the oval shape is best because you can narrow the sides of the coil face that are not being used and add to the heel to toe length, thus giving more ground coverage, plus the ability to work the coil is tighter quarters. Here are a couple of other recent observations which I've made in reference to coils. The ML 15X12 mono coil doesn't give any better depth preformance than the Wallaby DD Pro and it's slightly less sensitive to small nuggets along the outermost fringes of it's depth. Therefore, the Wallaby DD Pro is a better buy. The ML 8" monoloop is a superb coil, but the 10X5 joey monoloop is every bit as sensitive and the depth between the two coils seems to be equal. The Joey is the better purchase decision becuase of it's narrow design, it can work in very tight spots. The CTK 11" monoloop is just as good of a coil for *scrubbing* as the ML 8" monloop is, with the added benefit of slightly more depth, while remaining extremely sensitive to small gold particles, especially the ones is suspension in the surrounding matrix. The CTK Platypus is as sensitive to gold as the 10X5 Joey DD Pro coil while the added bonus of being waterproof and only having a slightly larger footprint than the Joey. Be aware when using the Platypus is water, you will want to keep the coil face as close to the water covered ground as possible, even to the point of *plowing* the coil into the soft soil. Also, listen VERY closely for changes in threshold, as the water seems to dull the return signal of a target quite a bit. Again, slowing down and scrutinizing every inch of the area which you are detecting in greatly increases your chances of success while using the Platypus DD Pro in water. The 18" CTK monoloop has found a new *modus opurendi* (an operating method) with me, and that is relic hunting. That big dood is outstanding for covering large areas and it's ability to detect carbon (as in old camp fires) is excellent. If there happens to be any processed metallic relics lying about (such as copper, brass, iron or tin artifacts) then it is sure to locate them. Oddly enough, I've yet to find a single gold nugget with my CTK 18" mono coil, but it's given me the most pleasure out of all of my coils. Maybe I'm just weird.

Your friend;

LAMAR

[airboy]

wow thanks for all the help.

[nuggethunting]

Hello Airboy,

I think everyone gave you some good advice. Now it's up to you to decide what you're going to get. I think any of the choices above will work well.

I pretty much have all those coils in stock if you decide to make a purchase in the future.

Take care,

Rob Allison

[airboy]

yes this is more info than I thought Id get

thank you, to everyone who put up posts.