Do Coil Covers Affect Depth?

Do coil covers affect depth? My brother says they do. I am sure it depends on the unit, but in general? Thoughts?

PS: air testing says no affect!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/2015 07:22PM by jckays.

I can see that happening if you never take off the cover and clean all the dirt out. I wanna say water inside the coil cover was giving me trouble one time. I could be lying but I always try and keep things dry between the cover and coil.

Ideally for trying to detect deep fringe targets, a cover installed could make this action less likely or impossible. The (actual) coil height above ground can be driven by a coil cover. Some may view this as hair splitting, but the cover when installed does make for a ground standoff. A dirty cover is another totally different animal, and yes debris/dirt in one could make for a less than desirable detecting outing. Some folks don't believe in using covers. They do so at their own risk.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/2015 08:20PM by tnsharpshooter.

I don't use covers. Dew and dirt gets in them....I have better things to do than removing & cleaning them. I'll never wear out the bottom of a coil so what good are they....

As far as affecting depth.....probably, if you don't keep them dry and clean.

If the thickness of the coil cover is 1/8", 1/16 or whatever, then logically you would lose that much depth when the cover is on.

As others have said, dirt and debris can get stuck between the cover and coil which could cause issues if there happens to be something metallic in that debris.

The other side of the coin is that a cover keeps the bottom of the coil spotless which is a plus when you go to sell the detector.

It would only affect a loss of depth on very small deep targets like BB's or staple size. In fact, it would be so minute that you WOULDN'T notice it.

Bey

I used to feel like it affected performance on my sovereign/s12. Like ozzie,I dont usually use them...except on the deus,cause dam coil cost so much,lol. My prospecting coils I have been spraing bedliner on since Im constantly scraping sand/ rocks. Ray

I been at this for some time. I feel the use of a coil cover is good in gravel and rocky soil.. I would think the thin plastic would have little if any affect on depth on dry or wet conditions.
Having said that, I do not use a coil cover here in Florida because the fine sand finds it's way between the loop and cover so easy. Water detecting, on the other hand has it's pros' and cons.
Broken shells and chunks of sharp coral can do a number on a coil. I have yet to wear out the bottom of a coil but others have. As far as the effect on value, eh i would be more hesitant buying a coil that had been
treated with undercoating rather than a few scratches.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/2015 08:31PM by DFXer.

I know I have reported on this subject several times here on this forum ...... but, worth the repeat.

Say a coil cover is only 1/8" thick.
Say there is a 1/8" additional air-gap between coil and coil cover.

((( We are now at 1/8" + 1/8" = 1/4" distance )))

Now add sand, dirt, grit, mineralization between coil & coil cover.

With all of the above........... I have experienced/witnessed 0.5" - 1.0" loss of depth in real conditions...... real world....... real dirt. This (initially) was with my own equipment. But now............ with hundreds of customers detectors having been sent to me for calibration/validation/certification..... I have quite a large data-base of additionall/ampl data for a more broad overall aggregate collective data-base to report with/from. I have also witnessed (first-hand).... many real-world deep targets that were missed..... due to installed coil cover.

Now........... a deep gouge in the bottom of a coil......... can also render a handicap to the overall performance of a detector.

Use a coil cover sparingly/wisely!!!

but is there any pixie dust you can apply between them to enhance performance ?

If dirt, water, saltsand are trapped under sure can cause problems so keep clean. Due to the thickness of same doubt if much depth is lost and probably more due to faulty swing.
If your not sure you are keeping if reselling would be easier to sell for higher price. Myself would shy away from a used unit with no coil cover...
Most salt sand hunters do not use and usually coat to protect the coil....

Thanks everyone!!

jckays Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Do coil covers affect depth? My brother says they
> do. I am sure it depends on the unit, but in
> general? Thoughts?
>
> PS: air testing says no affect!
I have never seen an increase of depth by using one. ;-)

Sometimes their hard to get off also, throw in tiny flakes of magnetite ( Fe3o4 ) & maghemite (Fe2o3)=mineralization and more depth loss. Don't run with them anymore. Drive Fast Take Chances! Makes you want to buy one of those construction/roofing magnets and sweep all your hunting areas, you'd be surprised what you pick-up! HH

I use a coil cover for water hunting..... why because i went thru 3 in about 6mos with them wearing down and splitting. I now use marine epoxy on the cover. But as you can tell i really scrub the bottom to get that kind of wear...... some coil control compared to some guys i get better depth. Yes you loose depth especially water hunting if you dont clean them constantly because the GB changes and they get chatty. Thats a real good indicator. The more sensitive the machine the more affect there is going to be especially if you run on the edge. BUT..... everything can affect depth. IF.... i didnt use a coil cover id still go to loctite marine epoxy to protect the bottom of the coil. Goes on like peanut butter and is easy to work with compared to some..... AND doesnt have any metal in it ..... some do. I cant say BBS isnt as affected by the black sand in the coil as much as the FBS is.

I never use coil covers. Do not see a need. The coils that are made today are made of some incredibly scuff resistant material. I did use them but found that they get 'stuff' in between the coil and the cover and that 'stuff' can cause falsing. I hunt hard and sometimes scrape the ground and rocks with my coil. The bottom of my coils I use on the F75 has no real visible marks after 7 years of use. I see no reason to use a coil cover. Just my 2c worth.

XP Deus Full & MI-6
Teknetics Minuteman

Thanks Tom,I feel vindicated.

Im not a fan of a coil cover...

If I was in say beach sand or rocky terrain alot I might add one but for woods and fields and such it would take forever to wear a coil through if ever..

Now sand can take a toll on a coil if your a scrubber for sure..

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

Epoxy is hard stuff especially the loctite marine epoxy. With the hours i put in and keeping the coil ON the sand even it wears in a couple of weeks. I figure better than average coil control gains me any loss i MIGHT loose from a cover. Ive gotten a lot of small gold that others walked over just because my coil touched it vs floating by it. Obviously you loose depth and more so with the black sand than the coil cover id say. Try to resale a water machine with a worn coil thats hard wired.

Fitting a coil cover might give you the confidence to swing your coil closer to rough/gritty/stony etc ground, and might consequently give you more depth.
However, depending on your detector & coil, getting the coil closer to the ground might not get you deeper, it's all to do with the complexities of ground pickup vs. target pickup.
I only use a cover on my 5 inch coil, which gets a hammering on crop stubble, it wouldn't last a season without one.

Sorry about the link to another site but i dont know how to do pictures on here. But i thought id add this to show you what we water hunters are faced with as far as wear and use of a coil cover. Coils are expensive on water machines that are hard wired...... and even at $35 a pop per month on a coil cover you can see why many of us use them and use marine epoxy on them even. They get a lot more wear out there than dirt hunting. We loose depth..... but a coil swap is close to $300.

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