Increase in depth w/Nel coil

Kenkoehn1950

Jr. Member
Jan 18, 2013
94
71
Denver, Colorado
Detector(s) used
Spectrum XLT, ATPro
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I have been using the AT Pro in Denver with little luck of finding anything deeper than 6". Garrett is telling me that it's due to the 92+ mineralization. Can anyone that is using a Nel coil with their AT Pro, tell me if they are getting increased depth using the Nel coil vs. the stock coil. And if so, how much? I'm asking anyone for suggestions to overcome this high mineralization.
 

I have been using the AT Pro in Denver with little luck of finding anything deeper than 6". Garrett is telling me that it's due to the 92+ mineralization. Can anyone that is using a Nel coil with their AT Pro, tell me if they are getting increased depth using the Nel coil vs. the stock coil. And if so, how much? I'm asking anyone for suggestions to overcome this high mineralization.
Today I went out on the field for the first time with my AT Pro, stock 8.5" X 11 coil, not NEL Coil test yet.
I found my first coin today at 2-3" deep, it was a quarter dated 1990, and I also dug a lid of a can of car additive of some sort at 8.5" deep.
I've got pics that I'll post later.
That was surprising just because of what I've heard, but while I hear things, I also like to verify, and that was nice to know I could've easily gone 10" deep with no problem

I do have a NEL Hunter Coil I haven't tried out yet.
In the same hole I dug that piece of aluminum lid, I will dig up a couple of inches deeper and bury a coin to test both of my coils.
My Garrett Lescher was 3/4 of its length into the whole.
I will post pics later when I get a chance
I was skeptical my AT Pro would go deep, but I think I debunked that myth.
I didn't bring my tape measure with me, that's why I didn't bury the coin I was going to use for testing. I wanted to be more accurate with my field test
 

The bigger the coil, the deeper the target as a rule of thumb. You start to run into problems however, when there are several targets under the coil, which can mask each other and totally block a deeper target, or change the ID characteristics of targets. Also, if using the coil over high mineralized dirt, you have to turn the sensitivity down, or risk losing depth or again ID characteristics that the machine is giving you. There is nothing wrong with switching to a larger coil, just use it in the right conditions and make the setting changes to your advantage.
 

I have been using the AT Pro in Denver with little luck of finding anything deeper than 6". Garrett is telling me that it's due to the 92+ mineralization. Can anyone that is using a Nel coil with their AT Pro, tell me if they are getting increased depth using the Nel coil vs. the stock coil. And if so, how much? I'm asking anyone for suggestions to overcome this high mineralization.
You're in Longmont, you've said?
I mean, I'm close enough to you where we should get together for some testing.
I don't have the large NEL Coil yet for added depth, but if you want, I have the NEL Hunter, slightly bigger than the stock 8.5 x11" that we can do some side by side tests since you also have an AT Pro.
Let me know. hopefully the weather will be back to nice in a few days...
 

Actually, I'm in Aurora. I have found targets at deeper depths, but hardly any coins deeper than 6". Yeah, that would be great! I usually hunt the parks and older schools in metro Denver, but can come up northwest and cross check our two machines.
 

Actually, I'm in Aurora. I have found targets at deeper depths, but hardly any coins deeper than 6". Yeah, that would be great! I usually hunt the parks and older schools in metro Denver, but can come up northwest and cross check our two machines.
No problem, I can come to you as well.
I was thinking about hitting Cherry Creek Reservoir.
Let's wait for the weather to clear and we'll get together for a little hunting session.
Cheers...
 

Actually, I'm in Aurora. I have found targets at deeper depths, but hardly any coins deeper than 6". Yeah, that would be great! I usually hunt the parks and older schools in metro Denver, but can come up northwest and cross check our two machines.
Maybe your coil hasn't went over a coin that was deeper than 6 inches.
 

Actually, I'm in Aurora. I have found targets at deeper depths, but hardly any coins deeper than 6". Yeah, that would be great! I usually hunt the parks and older schools in metro Denver, but can come up northwest and cross check our two machines.
I have an area set up to do a coin depth test.
You're welcome to participate in it. I hope we get over this artic blast hitting Colorado right now soon, so I can go back and do the test
I found a pull tab and an aluminum thin lid part of the pull tab that was probably out of an oil additive for engines that was 8.5" inches in the ground and my AT Pro detected it with no problem, my Garrett trowel tool was 3/4 of the way deep into the hole.
It was giving me double tones so I knew there were at least two items underground.
As it turned out the pull tab eas at arounf 6" deel and the lid was at 8.5".
The lid measured 3" in diameter. I know it's way bigger than a coin, but knowing it goes deep on large objects it's refreshing. I have no doubt it would've detected it a little deeper
I'm going to use the same hole to bury a coin 10" deep and test both of my coils over it
I'm just as eager as anybody else to run a depth coin test with my AT Pro both with the stock 8.5x11" stock coil and my new NEL Hunter Coil measuring 8.5x12.5"

My set up for these findings, including a 1990 US Quarter in the same area was:

Pro Mode zero
Iron discrimination at 30
Ground Balance at 80. Ran smooth, quiet and it only gave tones on actual metal, ferrous or non-ferrous. No false tones...
Sensitivity all the way up.

Hope this helps...
 

Or it's because the ground in Colorado is much more mineralized then Florida. Only mentioning this because when I called Garrett, they admitted that when ground balancing and getting a 92 to 94 I will lose a lot of depth.
 

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Maximum detection depth on US 25 cent = a little over 7" ... click on link below...

Garrett AT PRO Metal detector Reviews
 

Or it's because the ground in Colorado is much more mineralized then Florida. Only mentioning this because when I called Garrett, they admitted that when ground balancing and getting a 92 to 94 I will lose a lot of depth.
You said you found HARDLY any coins deeper than six inches...you didn't say NO coins deeper than six inches...I thought since you had found some deeper than six inches that maybe you just haven't swung over many that were deeper than six inches...I guess you meant to say you've found NO coins over six inches...minerals make a big difference in the detectors performance...I wasn't trying to be smart with my post before, sorry if it sounded that way.
 

I live in Ohio and don't have the hot ground like you do but we do have pockets of bad ground and my pro hits coins deeper than 7" and the gold I just got last week hits even deeper in all metal. I have a test garden that is over a year old now and both detectors pick up the clad dime I buried at 8" and it has prob sunk since then. The pro struggles a bit on the nickel at 8" but the gold screams on it. The pro loves silver and I'm sure the gold does also but just got the at gold so I haven't passed coil over any silver yet in ground but it sounded good when I passed my coil over one of my silver coin finds I tested. You may need to get the at gold in your area it will handle that ground a bit better with the higher freq. if you can't afford to do that just know that the pro will find plenty of silver if you pass the coil over it. Some coins are going to be out of reach but use the headphones and listen to the tones in pro mode. The deeper the coin the farther the VDI may be off. I pulled a merc out very deep and all I got was a high blip and some iron grunt. When I dug it the pro pointer sounded off on bottom of hole so I had to remove more dirt. It was length of my digger in hole. Don't get to frustrated do some research and get to those older areas where the good coins are. Just my 2 cents.
 

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I have owned the NEL coils on Bounty hunters and the Fisher F series. I have used them on some Teknetics models and AT pro, I ponder each day on buying one for my Pro, but I can say you may get more depth, but not what you might think. The shielding is different on them, not so much better, but different. Materials used are not the same as here in the states. You can open up your settings and go hotter, but remember hotter is not always better. My personal Fav's for NEL are the Sharp, Sharp Shooter and the Hunter. The larger Tornado and Attack are good but their just not my bag. Your question on "Mineralization", well, its a tuffy! use a smaller DD coil, it see's less ground and is effected less because of this. Settings need to be looked at closer, remember the topsoil is what your balancing the detector at, not the deeper ground, and some times that's the problem, the type of ground that's beneath the topsoil. Good Luck! Stay Gold!!
 

I have to say that I have always been skeptical of claims of hitting coins at 10+" with any detector. Now that being said, I have on rare occasions hit coins at 8+" but the conditions were very favorable.
This is my second season with the AT Pro and I did buy a NEL tornado coil toward the end of last season but did not really use it a lot. This season I decided to put the NEL on one of my AT Pros and keep it on all season ( I do have a second AT Pro I run with the stock coil as well as the 5X8 coil in trashy areas where targets are close together) I was not disappointed.
I have been consistently hitting pennies and dimes at 6"-8" and deeper on occasion. A couple days ago I went to a old school a few towns over that we have been hitting for the last 30 years. I have not pulled silver out of here in years but this was the first time I used the NEL coil here. I kept hitting Wheaties at 6+" so I new there was some silver here somewhere and it was not long before I hit an 81-82 on the VDI. It was a bit weak and only semi consistent but I knew that at the 8+" it was ready that there was a good chance this was a silver dime. dug down 8" and nothing. Stuck the Whites TRX pin pointer in the hole and it was still directly in the middle on the hole. Dug 2 more inches and out popped a 1909 Barber dime!
 

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