Coil covers F75 ????

Hey tom and others I just did a little hunt on a NC beach..Nags Head..I came home and did some cleaning and removed the 11" coil cover and it was full of sand..I never rubbed the ground with the coil...
What is your taughts on coil cover..does it hender performance at all or is there no difference..I dont mind doing maintenance at all or cleaning..But I was very suprised at the amount of sand that got inside the coil cover but I like the idea of the protection..I need to get one for my small coil..is it best not to run a coil cover at the beaches ..thanks in advance..james

I can tell you this. Years ago when we wanted to mess with one of our hunting buddies we would put black sand inside his coil cover. I don't know if beach sand with a beach unit or unit that is compatable with beach hunting would be affected by sand between the coil and cover.They're made to cancel out salt minerals. Sand is abrasive as heck and will wear a coil down quickly,though. Can't hurt to keep it cleaned out.

I know Tom's opinion on covers but I'll let him tell you why.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/2008 03:05PM by Kas.

I do NOT like coil covers..... to put it bluntly. Some detector coils are cheap/brittle....and require a coil cover. As for the Fishers (and newer Minelabs) , the epoxy coils are very durable.

FIRST: Let me say this; A coil cover is approx 1/8" thick. This means that the coil will additionally be held off of the ground 1/8"...... and will reduce detection depth by 1/8". ----Negligible performance loss.

SECOND: It is very standard that the coil cover will NOT install so perfectly.... so as to give zero gap between coil and coil-cover. On average,,,,,, the gap between coil and coil cover is also approx 1/8" air-gap. NOW......... This means that the coil will NOW be (at minimum) 1/4" above the ground....... resulting in a 1/4" reduction in depth performance. (1/8" coil cover thickness + 1/8" air-gap = 1/4"). A 1/4" loss of detection depth is more than just "negligible". It hurts...... as the type of coins & relics we are hunting are at the deeper depths..... and the 1/4" loss of detection depth is ONLY at the DEEPER depths...... the area of detection that we MOST want to ascertain.

THIRDLY: You now have a 1/4" detection depth reduction/loss induced by the installation of a coil cover,,,, BUT....... Now,,, couple this UNWANTED situation with: having the inevitable mineralization/dirt/grit/sand/water/salt-water added into this air-gap...(between/inside the coil and coil cover) subsequently....with this mass of mineralized dirt "sloshing" around inside that coil cover. BAD, BAD, BAD!!! Who knows how much additional depth & performance loss is (now) induced. Your buddy hunting without a coil cover .... has the 'trump' card.

I can NOT tell you how many times I have found valuable targets that could only be ascertained by "scrubbing" the coil. Lifting the coil just 1/8" off of the ground... and I would have COMPLETELY missed COUNTLESS valuable targets. God forbid I had a coil cover installed...with sloshing mineralization/dirt and a 1/4" induced air-gap between me and DEEPEST of targets..... the ones that I want THE MOST!

In Summation/My philosophy: I am MORE than willing to "wear out" a coil ..... "forcing" me to replace a coil every few years.... rather than forfeiting the deepest of targets due to the installation of coil cover. Save the money from the coil cover and put it towards a new coil when the old one fails.
---Truth be known.... I have YET to replace the original 15-yr old CZ coil... and I "SCRUB" the ground religiously! Do NOT miss the deepest of targets.

Tom

To bad the salespeople encourage you to buy all the extras (like a coil cover) you really don't need when you're a novice.

The only extra thing to buy is -- YOUR VIDEO!!!!

Good to see your posts again!

Thanks tom your point makes very good sense..After cleaning the grit/sand outa the cover which fits like a glove to the coil I can see how the sand grinding and sloshing could possibly cause more premature wear under sandy or extreme conditions if I had a long hunt planed...thanks..james

The sand is not a good thing to get under the coil cover, if your getting that much sand try razing the coil off the ground about 2". On the small coil I take bath room caulking and put a little on the top of the cover and coil where water and sand can't get under the coil.

Some caulks are semi-conductive. Be careful. No "self-defeating" allowed! .... And on this same topic; Some tapes are semi-metallic and/or electrostatic. Be careful once again. It's best NOT put anything on the coil.

Tom

good info john s..Nags head nc, is like being in a constant sand blaster all the time..the winds are 20mph or + +..It was Dark And I tried to keep the coil 2" away from the sand..lesson learned for sure..I might try the small coil on my next trip..thanks..

NASA-Tom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Some caulks are semi-conductive. Be careful. No
> "self-defeating" allowed! .... And on this
> same topic; Some tapes are semi-metallic and/or
> electrostatic. Be careful once again. It's best
> NOT put anything on the coil.
>
> Tom Tom the caulking I put on the small coil is = ingedient: vinyl polymer proprietary, calcium carbonate, water, alkyl phthalate, titanium dioxide, ethylene glycol, vinyl acetate. The name is kitchen & bath. Will do you think it heart anything?? what do you think. Thank

The only way to truly know is to perform a test-garden maximum performance test.... before & after. Then compare the results. I understand in your case, this (now) may be a little more difficult.... after-the-fact.

Tom

I sent in my CZ7a-pro in for repair to FRL without a coil cover (In warranty) and it came back with a coil cover. I left it on because some one at the repair shop must have thought I needed one. The coil had very little wear.

I didn't like it beacuse of the sand and it added more weight to the CZ.

Thanks for the info Tom. Mine is comming off!

from dealers such as Tom at Metal Detectors at Minneapolis that are made I'm told by Outdoor Oufitters that are super nice! I have one for both my CZ 8 inch and 10 1/2 inch coils. They are probably half the thickness of the Fisher covers, but very tough and fit tight with very little air gap...just a thought and another option for everyone out there. I just discovered this by accident one day when I bought a used ID Edge and one of these covers were on it...HH

Hmmmmm..... Good info Chris. ((( I still do not like coil covers ))).

What I do is coat the bottom with lock-tite marine epoxy. I don't have to worry about sand and fixing a ding or 2 is easy.
This only add about 1/16 of an inch to the coil/ground seperationand since I scrub my coild I don't think I am losing that much depth.

What I do is take the coil cover that comes with the detector and throw it in my junk box. Who knows, that cover may be the difference between no signal and a 1792 half dime. I don't ever use a cover and haven't seen where there is any real damage to the bottom of the coil. Who has ever worn through a coil cover? Most hunters don't detect that close to the ground, but they should. When I finally wear through my 15 year old 1266 coil, I guess I'll have to get a new one. In the meantime, I'm diggin' deep. Good hunting to all.

Way back when,. I managed to wear out 1 coil on my D-tex BFO & 2 coil covers for my TR 66 My coil stays on the ground all the time

i was justing getting ready to do my F75 coil and i found this forum. i have been using this marine grade for over 6 years - excal. coils, GT coils and ExpII coils

this is my first ever fisher product and a new CZ21


what is your trusted opinion on this product

thanks

max

Max,

I am apprehensive about using ANY type of epoxy on any coil...... do not recommend it....... and do not like coil covers in general. If you live in jagged/rockey territory..... then I would use a coil cover...and remove it after every few hunts for a good cleaning.

Tom

tom

here is what is on the actual package.

f y i and comment

thanks
max

I would need to know the ingred. ... but even with the ingred,,,,,, it is difficult to know what the electrostatic properties are. Even the MSDS may not expose ESD properties/characteristics.

Tom

Nasa Tom is the man, I agree with him if you can afford a high end machine then after a few years of detecing nothing wrong in having to replace the coil if you wear it out. You have to work your detector and make it earn its keep.

Although I agree completely that coil covers for ground hunting are unnecessary, and possibly signal attenuating, water hunting is a different story. When I'm using my 1280X in the water, I'm sweeping it about as fast as I can manage trying to overcome the water resistance. This also gives it the best depth potential. Unseen large rocks and other sharp objects are not uncommon and I'm hoping the coil cover on the 10.5" spider coil will absorb some of the impact. I've sealed the edges with silicone to keep the sand out and removing it won't be a problem. If you wear out or damage the coil, the 1280X has to go to FTP for repair, whereas you can just put another coil on the land machine.

Ron

like i said above i have been using it since 2004 with only good results - my ring count since i have used it has been ok - passing along only for info.

here is a post from monday, this was my first ever excal. i bought in 98 or 99, i first coated it in 2004, when i sold it, it had 6 coats back in 2006. 2007 i had another good year using it, so i do not think i does any harm - and no coil cover - i like that.

f y i only - max

[www.thetreasuredepot.com]

"All the time I've had it the thing has gone on and on about missing Max.

This week it's got used to it's new master and found 3 rings. A stainless, 10k class honker and a little 10k with rocks engagement ring.

Just took time. Now I gotta go hit the beach again!

Ben & Excal"