My First Field Report on the Platypus

[nuggethunting]

Hello All,

This weekend I camped out on the 24Karat Gold Hunters Club claims with some friends. Figured the hill would be a good place to test how the Platypus Mono works. I was very impressed on how quiet the coil was in the hunting postion, the lightness and overall strength of the coils design. The coil is deadly on small gold at depth. I didn't find any big targets, but did find three nuggets at depth with the new searchcoil.

Steve S., Leaverite and a few others were impressed with their new Platypus coil. I showed the coil to a few Minelab users and they wanted one right away!

No doubt Coiltek has done it again with another great searchcoil for the Minelab metal detectors. This is the first, small, completly waterproof mono searchcoil available for the Minelab SD, GP and GPX series.

That's right, the new coil will work on the Minelab SD2000, 2100, 2100v2, 2200d, 2200v2, GP Extreme, GP3000, GP3500 and the newest GPX-4000.

Take a gander at the pictures below to see the new coil and some gold nuggets that were found with it.

Take care,

Rob Allison

[Dakota Slim]

Hi Rob. I hope your rock breaking paid off. I spoke with Steve up there on Saturday and he showed me the small rocks that were getting stuck in the cracks inside the loops. Why is that coil made that way? I may be interested in a Platypus but mono coils seem to be more noisy than my DD at Rich Hill. Would a DD be quieter in highly mineralized soil? Does the DD have those same cracks?

[grubstake]

Cracks? What are you talking about Slim? The open coil design? I don't have any problems with it, Grubstake

And as far as being more stable, I guess if you have a 2200 on down, a DD coil is more stable in mineralized ground, for those detectors, but the 4000, has no such problems, I have been able to run a mono coil with the 4000 where I never could before with the 2200, and 3500 also. The ground up here is very, very bad. Grubstake

[Dakota Slim]

Hi Gary. I have a GP Extreme. My mono coils are fine in NV but they are much noisier at Rich Hill than my DD.

The "cracks" I am talking about are visible in Rob's photo above and if you have one you should be able to plainly see about an 8th of an inch gap between the top and bottom parts of the coil on the inside of the loops. It goes all the way around on both sides of the loop. As I said, Steve had a bunch of little rocks stuck in his and he said he was going to have to tape over the cracks.

[nuggethunting]

Hello Dakota Slim,

I didn't have any problems with rocks, but didn't hunt the pushes much. Steve was hunting the "birm" piles and pushing his coil through the soft material. If you keep the coil flat it's tough for the rocks to get between the coil and coil cover. It's just a matter of preference if you want to tape those spots to elliminate small rocks or dirt to get under the coil.

The DD's, or DD Pro's from Coiltek are a bit more stable for the most part over Mono coils. However, like Grubstake mentioned the Mono's are very stable on the Minelab GPX-4000. Monoloop's also are a bit more sensitive and get a bit more depth over the same sized DD or DD Pro.

Yes, The DD Pro Platypus uses the same mold as the Platypus Mono. Heavy Duty Coiltek tape is available, or I suggest high quality electrical tape, not the "el cheapo" stuff that get real sticky and falls off when it gets hot.

P.S. The gap is about 1/32nd, not even close to 1/16th of any inch, let alone 1/8th of an inch.

Hope this helps,

Rob Allison

[Dakota Slim]

Thanks Rob. I really am interested in a Platypus and have been since I got my extreme but now I'm really curious about that gap Steve was catching rocks in. If he is catching small rocks, how would one keep water and mud out? Tape???

[grubstake]

Slim, I really don't like coil covers, no matter what coil or brand, dirt still gets in, but the coil cover on the platy, has nothing to do with it being water proof, but will catch dirt. I prefer to epoxie the bottoms of mine with PC-7, it doesn't have metal in it like JB weld, and it tacks up like modeling clay, and you can wet your finger and shape it with rounded edges. This is what I will do on mine, it works well, I use my DD platy. and thats how it is done. Also my stock coil for my Soverine is done like this, sand and water are kept from getting in the coil cover, because then you wont have one on it, just the epoxie. Grubstake

[nuggethunting]

Hello Dakota Slim,

Everyone has their own preference on what they want to do with waterproof searchcoils. If I was going to hunt just the beaches with beach sand, I personally would remove the coil cover to elliminate sand from getting under the coil. This might not be the best method, but I know wet sand won't wear down the searchcoil on the bottom.

If you're hunting under water where you might be scratching or beating up the bottom, I would suggest leaving the coil cover on the Platypus.

Silicon is another option, but you will have to scrap it off if you need to ever replace a coil cover.

P.S. I still have a couple in stock, but they are selling fast. Let me know if you're interested in on.

Talk with you soon,

Rob Allison

[FlakMagnet]

Dakota Slim, the easiest way to take care of the crack is to run a bead of silicon around

the edge of the coil cover, it takes care of any problems with getting anything caught in that

little gap. Before I did that with my Platypus, I was constantly having to clean out dirt particles

from the coil cover. If you get dirt in between the cover and the coil it falses something terrible.

BUT do not let a small thing like a gap in the coil cover stop you from getting

one of the hottest coils you will ever use.

It is absolutely as good as Rob and Grubstake say it is.

Not that I'm some expert, but honestly it doesn't take an expert to know

that this is a superb coil.

Being able to use it in shallow water, or in a damp-from-dew or rainy environment,

is also a real plus.

My two cents...

All the best,

Flak

[Dakota Slim]

Thanks Gary & Rob. Epoxy would make sense for a platypus - or silicone and the cover. It could have been that Steve's coil cover wasn't on as tight as should have been because the gap in his looked to me like it was about an 8th of an inch and there was definately a bunch of little rocks stuck in it. Dirty water between the coil and the cover would mean constant cleaning.

Rob, as I explained Saturday, I have some other Minelab GPX issues to deal with before I buy another coil.

Flak, thanks for your input. It was a pleasure meeting you up at Rye Patch. Is your Platypus a DD?

[nuggethunting]

Hello Dakota Slim,

I will take a look at Steve's coil one of these weekends.

Do you have a GPX? Thought I heard you mention you still have a GP Extreme.

Talk with you soon,

Rob Allison

[scorpion]

Hi Rob!

Those are some nice nuggets!

Did you find them on the pushes or off the pushes?

How deep were they and what were their weights?

That is some nice florescent pink dirt you were digging in!

I'm getting all my stuff ready. I was putting the A/C compressor and related equipment in the Jeep yesterday. I noticed I had some corrosion on the top tank of my radiator. I had to pull it anyway in order to mount the condenser coil. Not much corrision, but enough for me to want to have the radiator rebuilt or replaced. I spent more time getting the lower fan shroud bolts off and the lower hose off than it took me to remove the radiator mounting screws! Oh the wonderful feeling of having coolant run down the arm while breaking the hose seal!

At some point I'm going to have to break down and put 4.10 or 4.54 gears in the differentials. That 3.73 with my 32 inch tires makes 5th gear damn near useless. And makes my gas mileage suck unless I want to run in 5th gear at 65 to 70 mph top end. I can get 85 in 4th, but gas mileae is 11.5 mph. That is 2.5 mph higher than if I tow the jeep behind the suburban. Too bad the suburban is 4WD.

How has the weather been treating ya'll? I saw on the news last week that areas north of Phoenix got hail the size of golfballs.

It is getting tough to have to work. The 10th is just next week!

RICH HILL OR BUST!

See ya'll soon!

Karl

[Dakota Slim]

Rob, I have the Extreme.

[FlakMagnet]

Slim,

Yes, my Platypus is a DD.

I got it right away when I watched Grubstake use one a few years ago.

It's a very "hot" coil.

Nice meeting you too...

Flak

[crownkingsteve]

Hello Everyone,

There's a couple things I noticed with this coil. I put in a easy 6 hours hunting with this coil at Rich Hill last saturday. On a couple of old pushes. No gold. I found small dozer shavings at around 4 inches deep. shape may have something to do with that, cause they wont weigh on my grain scale. That I have not experienced with my Joey or my e-mono 14" nuggetfinder. Plus, I put my coil over same types of dozer shavings at maybe 1" and it about blasted my ears out. When i went to dig them I was expecting a lot bigger piece of metal or gold. I think this is a great coil. As far as the crack goes, probably around 1/32nds of a inch. As far as I'm concerned, any open spoke coil should be taped on the inside as well as the outside.

Some grains of sand got between the coil and the coil cover. But the way I abuse my coils, I'm not surprised! I've had my Joey coil for less than a year, and I've worn holes thru both the bottom and the top, not just the cover, on the Rich Hill granite. I have to patch it almost every time i play in the boulders at Rich Hill. Platypus mono = great coil for it's size. Thats my 2 cents worth.

Take care,

Steve

[pondmn]

Steve---------- Grubstake and I both use and two part epoxy called PC-7 Today I took the covers off both Platypus coils and epoxied them I was shocked at the trash in the cover in just one day. I had previously epoxied my Mini UFO and have never had a problem. Works great. Jerry

[nuggethunting]

Hey Guys,

Just wanted to give you a quick update on the new Coiltek Platypus Mono Searchcoil. Doc originally received 50 from Coiltek in Australia and only a few are left in stock. I personally sold over 20 within just a weekend and others are still inquirying about them.

Several customers have sent me back feedback and everything is positive! I'm trying to encourage several of the new forum members to post their results and findings.

Speaking of Coiltek, this is just the beginning my friends. We now have Trev back in the drivers seat (new owner) and some great stuff is just around the corner. I've personally emailed Trev some of my suggestions that I believe will be great sellers.

Wishing you all the best,

Rob Allison

[crownkingsteve]

Steve---------- Grubstake and I both use and two part epoxy called PC-7 Today I took the covers off both Platypus coils and epoxied them I was shocked at the trash in the cover in just one day. I had previously epoxied my Mini UFO and have never had a problem. Works great. Jerry

Hello Jerry.

All I had to do was tape the inside of the coil, but I was in too much of a hurry to get out and use it. Not a big deal at all, and the tape wont wear out on the inside like it does on the outside. Thanks for the advice though.

Hello Rob,

Wont be going out this weekend. Gotta get ready for my vacation starting next friday. Next time I use the platypus, it'll be on the pushes! 8 days & 7 fresh pushes to play on! No doubt it's gonna find me some gold.

See you all on the pushes

Take care

Steve & Kitty

[Dakota Slim]

I bought a Platypus DD from Flak and tried it out today with my GP Extreme. It is the best coil I have for the Rich Hill area by far. Flak sold his DD because he has a GPX and he bought the new mono. Flak used silicone to seal the gaps between the coil and the cover and that appears to me to be the best way to deal with it.

[IronMike]

Can anyone give me a comparison between the Mono Wallaby and the new Mono Platty? I am looking at adding one of these to the end of my GPX. I know several Wallaby's running around and their owners swear by them so that pretty much convinced me but if the New Platty is comparable then I do not know. Just looking for size weight, depth comparison.

Thanks

IronMike

[grubstake]

Mike, I think for its size, 11x8 1/2 and waterproof, that the platypus mono gets great depth, I don't have a mono Wallaby, but I do have a DD, and I think that the platypus will get as much depth, as the DD will. Its lite and very sens. so if I was you and hunting the creeks and high wet grass, I think I'd go with the platy. But its a personal choise. I like my DD Wallaby, but I think the platy. will beat it. Grubstake

[IronMike]

Thanks Grubstake, I was hopping that you would reply. I am liking the size difference thinking that the weight would be way less and that would be a big bonus but I am still not convinced about the depth in overburden. I try to stay out of the creeks because of that stuff I get just thinking about it. (Hope Shep will be OK since he just sucked on that nugget that was under the PO bush). I still have a couple of more dollars to save before I make the decision.

Thanks again,

IronMike

[FlakMagnet]

IronMike,

If you're working in the mother lode area, with the amount of nooks and cranies

that abound there, being mindful of having a fairly light coil,

plus having the advantage of having it be waterproof

I think you wouldn't go wrong with a Platypus.

However, I haven't used a Wallaby so my suggestion is lacking in that area.

Those who use them like them a lot too.

good luck with your choice.

Flak

[CaptGrumpy]

I am still new to my GPX 4000 and cannot make an opinion between the Wallaby DD and my Platypus DD except that I find myself using the Platypus more due to the locations I am detecting. The Platypus DD rocks and I would be willing to go out with IronMike and let him use it.

[IronMike]

Thanks for the replies.

Flak, congrat's on that lunker you got with your new Platy. What a way to break the curse on a new coil. I have been running my ML 8" mono for several years and it is starting to whack out on me so been thinking about replacing it. I have used the ML Commander coil, the eliptical one that came with the 3500 from Doc, and found it very sensitive and light weight but a bit too big to get up and personal with the manzanetia bushes. The Wallaby might be about the same, I do not know. The Platy looks too be just right but if it can not get the depth that the Wallaby gets, well you see my delemia, only a finite amount of money and time. I took a chance on a NF 16 inch DD but I am not a DD kinda of guy, so that one just sets around collecting dust and taking up space.

CaptGrumpy, thanks for the invite, maybe we can get togeather someday. My mob usually goes out on Saturday's to some miserable wore out spot, but we seem to get a piece or two after considerable work. I got your PM and will give you a call tomorrow.

Thanks again for all your help, you guys are the best.

IronMike