NF (Nugget Finder) or Coiltek for your 6000

[Teemore]

Seems the rush is on to heave us spending a bit more cash in our pursuit of the yellow stuff.
Coiltek have released their sizes, NF has posted a nice looking pic of a coil with heaps of gold on it ......
Personally find the standard coils OK ..... But will be going the 10x5" a to get in amongst the tussocks.
Which way will you swing? Get in on the Coiltek offerings or wait and see what NF intend to deliver.
Oh, don't be afraid to use the 14" DD it still finds those tiny pieces but is a bugger in dense areas ..... 5 for only 0.26g (and a nice button).

 

[Harald Hardrada]

Seems the rush is on to heave us spending a bit more cash in our pursuit of the yellow stuff.
Coiltek have released their sizes, NF has posted a nice looking pic of a coil with heaps of gold on it ......
Personally find the standard coils OK ..... But will be going the 10x5" a to get in amongst the tussocks.
Which way will you swing? Get in on the Coiltek offerings or wait and see what NF intend to deliver.
Oh, don't be afraid to use the 14" DD it still finds those tiny pieces but is a bugger in dense areas ..... 5 for only 0.26g (and a nice button).View attachment 905

I too like the 14" DD, I find it particularly good on specimens for some reason(as per photo), my speci count is heavily weighted in favour of the DD but vice versa for small nuggets with the 11"
So far not really impressed with the 17" Minelab.
I think I will wait to see what sizes NF bring out before I get another coil.

 

[Moneybox]

I have no reason to upgrade at this point but if I was going to it would be Coiltek regardless of what NF do. We are heading off soon so we'll see how the GPX6000 goes this year. Last year we revisited an area where we usually come home with a few big nuggets from the GPX4500 but all I got with the 6000 was shrapnel. Well mostly anyway with only one 10g piece an a couple better that a gram in 800 nuggets.

Mrs M is coming this time so I expect the 4500 will get a bit of a workout again but it will depend on the ground we find.

 

[Teemore]

Big open areas in WA are a far cry from the grassy tussocks of a lot of Victorian areas which demand a coil for tight spaces.
Guess in WA you'd go big or go home, never had the pleasure.

 

[Moneybox]

We do have some areas of spinifex grass and shrubs that are too prickly and tight to work trough but where we are here in the Murchison we ave very little ground cover of any kind.



The one big difference I've had with the Coiltek and NF coils that I've owned is that the edge of the Coiltek can be effectively squeezed into a tight spot with good results. The NF coils I've owned (and the Detech) are almost dead around the perimeter so that you need to have the face of the coil passing over the target.

 

[HarryHoudini]

It will be interesting to actually see the coils compared. It would be a hard sell to buy/prepurchase a coil without seeing result’s
Depends on size and sensitivity of nugget finder or coiltek before decisions are made. It does appear odd we have not seen testing and comparisons. In the past releases we would have had loads of youtube testers months before release to create a pre sale
Lets see testing.

cheers

 

[Teemore]

Is it just me? Am I just getting old and cranky?

Both NF and Coiltek are indicating their new coils for the 6000 are the bees knees for all those prospectors with deep pockets and never ending cash reserves .... or maybe just for those that haven't had success with the Minelab supplied offerings.

Are the "guts" just the same as the Minelab coils but in different sizes/shapes/colours ????

Maybe it's just my view but really think both should up their marketing efforts and explain to us just what is different with their offerings that set them apart from the ML coils.

What makes them better?? Why should we part with our hard earned $$$$ ??

Can only validly see 1 that makes potential sense, (for me anyway) a smaller elliptical coil for tight space amongst tussocks and rocks. But would the "guts" be different/better than what ML currently produce?

 

[HarryHoudini]

Is it just me? Am I just getting old and cranky?

Both NF and Coiltek are indicating their new coils for the 6000 are the bees knees for all those prospectors with deep pockets and never ending cash reserves .... or maybe just for those that haven't had success with the Minelab supplied offerings.

Are the "guts" just the same as the Minelab coils but in different sizes/shapes/colours ????

Maybe it's just my view but really think both should up their marketing efforts and explain to us just what is different with their offerings that set them apart from the ML coils.

What makes them better?? Why should we part with our hard earned $$$$ ??

Can only validly see 1 that makes potential sense, (for me anyway) a smaller elliptical coil for tight space amongst tussocks and rocks. But would the "guts" be different/better than what ML currently produce?

Yes does appear odd both have indicated new coils but very light on evidence of their performance. Maybe a preemptive marketing strategy to either compete with the other brand.

 

[Teemore]

Yes does appear odd both have indicated new coils but very light on evidence of their performance. Maybe a preemptive marketing strategy to either compete with the other brand.

Correct really nothing so far .... they usually come up with things like "punches 20% deeper" and the like but never explain why .... would have been nice if whoever is currently loading the video of the "Goldhawk" to have had a standard coil go over the same targets, obviously except for those found in tight spots with the 9" ... from what I saw the SDC may have picked them up.

 

[grubstake]

As I understand it, to get access to the all-important Minelab IC's required by chipped-coil detectors such as the 6000 and 7000, manufacturers have to pass Minelab testing to ensure their coils meet the required specifications for the intended detector. I'd assume this is to ensure that alternative coils are electronically consistent and don't damage delicate detector circuitry or excessively drain batteries, etc. However it may be that this requirement also effectively limits how adventurous the manufacturer can be with its coil design.

The alternative to a coil with the official chip in its circuitry, was used by the manufacturer of the Russian X-coils for the 7000. Apparently the 7000 coil chip is mounted in the coil plug, so intending X-coil users needed to butcher a Minelab coil to remove the plug and make up a patch lead from it, so that the X-coil could connect and talk to the 7000. If I remember rightly, Jonathon Porter explained that the X-coils had failed to satisfy Minelab testing requirements for the provision of official chips.

 

[Teemore]

As I understand it, to get access to the all-important Minelab IC's required by chipped-coil detectors such as the 6000 and 7000, manufacturers have to pass Minelab testing to ensure their coils meet the required specifications for the intended detector. I'd assume this is to ensure that alternative coils are electronically consistent and don't damage delicate detector circuitry or excessively drain batteries, etc. However it may be that this requirement also effectively limits how adventurous the manufacturer can be with its coil design.

The alternative to a coil with the official chip in its circuitry, was used by the manufacturer of the Russian X-coils for the 7000. Apparently the 7000 coil chip is mounted in the coil plug, so intending X-coil users needed to butcher a Minelab coil to remove the plug and make up a patch lead from it, so that the X-coil could connect and talk to the 7000. If I remember rightly, Jonathon Porter explained that the X-coils had failed to satisfy Minelab testing requirements for the provision of official chips.

Can't argue with any of that but it just potentially confirms that the NF/Coiltek options may be nothing more than ML technology in a different cover.
As I originally mentioned/wanted to know .... what makes them different/better than the ML originals to get us to past with our $$$.

 

[Aug]

The one big difference I've had with the Coiltek and NF coils that I've owned is that the edge of the Coiltek can be effectively squeezed into a tight spot with good results. The NF coils I've owned (and the Detech) are almost dead around the perimeter so that you need to have the face of the coil passing over the target.

That's very strange as comparably sized NF Evo and Coiltek Elite coils pinpoint the same - in a couple inches from the edge, where the receive winding is. The 15" evo and 14" elite would be nearly impossible to tell apart in a blind test, like if they were in the same housing. Have plenty experience with both, you may have had a bad coil or something.

 

[The Tester]

Is it just me? Am I just getting old and cranky?

Both NF and Coiltek are indicating their new coils for the 6000 are the bees knees for all those prospectors with deep pockets and never ending cash reserves .... or maybe just for those that haven't had success with the Minelab supplied offerings.

Are the "guts" just the same as the Minelab coils but in different sizes/shapes/colours ????

Maybe it's just my view but really think both should up their marketing efforts and explain to us just what is different with their offerings that set them apart from the ML coils.

What makes them better?? Why should we part with our hard earned $$$$ ??

Can only validly see 1 that makes potential sense, (for me anyway) a smaller elliptical coil for tight space amongst tussocks and rocks. But would the "guts" be different/better than what ML currently produce?

I don't know about the coiltek coils for the 6000, but the NF Xceed coils are filled in with the compressed corecell foam, have better sensitivity, are easier for pinpointing and you will find them a little quieter than the standard Minelab 11"coils.
There have been a lot of issues with the Minelab 11" 6000 coils, having very thin coiled wire, so once they heat up, they tend to get noisy.
The corecell foam holds these very thin coiled wires in place that stops them having the same issues as Minelab coils.

 

[davsgold]

As I understand it, to get access to the all-important Minelab IC's required by chipped-coil detectors such as the 6000 and 7000, manufacturers have to pass Minelab testing to ensure their coils meet the required specifications for the intended detector. I'd assume this is to ensure that alternative coils are electronically consistent and don't damage delicate detector circuitry or excessively drain batteries, etc. However it may be that this requirement also effectively limits how adventurous the manufacturer can be with its coil design.

The alternative to a coil with the official chip in its circuitry, was used by the manufacturer of the Russian X-coils for the 7000. Apparently the 7000 coil chip is mounted in the coil plug, so intending X-coil users needed to butcher a Minelab coil to remove the plug and make up a patch lead from it, so that the X-coil could connect and talk to the 7000. If I remember rightly, Jonathon Porter explained that the X-coils had failed to satisfy Minelab testing requirements for the provision of official chips.

Well for the GPZ7000 at least the chip in the plug does nothing more that tell the detector to turn on, infact even if you forget to connect the coil plug of the original ML coil and try and start the detector all that happens is it say no coil connected, so turn it off plug it in and no harm done.

Same as if you use the original coil plug to have your adaptor made to run X-coils nothing goes wrong when it is made properly, and you can still use the adaptor on the original ML coil if you wish as well as any of the large range of x-coils from an 8" all the way up to 22" and now I think a 26" as well, these x-coils can come in standard wound (bundle) or spiral (flat) wound except for the two smallest and there is also a range of Concentric X-coils as well.

As for not meeting Minelab testing requirements, well that's Minelab's position for whatever reason.

That's right they surpass the Minelab requirements in performance, ML requirements are bit like using your car stuck in 1st gear

It's a bit like buying a vehicle and saying you can never put different options on it that never came from the original manufacture

As for the gpx6000 and aftermarket coils it seems that the only choices are Coiltek and Nugget Finder, even though X-Coils have made a couple of coils for the 6000 that work but are not going to make any for sale from what I understand

 

[Teemore]

I don't know about the coiltek coils for the 6000, but the NF Xceed coils are filled in with the compressed corecell foam, have better sensitivity, are easier for pinpointing and you will find them a little quieter than the standard Minelab 11"coils.
There have been a lot of issues with the Minelab 11" 6000 coils, having very thin coiled wire, so once they heat up, they tend to get noisy.
The corecell foam holds these very thin coiled wires in place that stops them having the same issues as Minelab coils.

Firstly thanks for posting on topic about the 6000/coils.

So, what your'e saying in simple terms is that the ML product doesn't have anything to keep the wiring "steady", I assume allowing it to "move" creating the "noise" and have "thinner" wiring. Having thicker wiring and securing it better leads to the perceived better sensitivity, quieter operation and better pinpointing.

What causes the ML coils to "heat up", is it electrical current? or ambient temperatures? More importantly what stops the NF from doing the same thing? Early/previous 6000 user indications were that it operates better once the unit has "warmed up" after 10/15 minutes (guess this must be a 'furphy").

Interested to hear what you consider "issues" with the ML coils, by your comments I assume "poor sensitivity", "poor pinpointing" capabilities and "noisy" ..... or are there others.

 

[The Tester]

Firstly thanks for posting on topic about the 6000/coils.

So, what your'e saying in simple terms is that the ML product doesn't have anything to keep the wiring "steady", I assume allowing it to "move" creating the "noise" and have "thinner" wiring. Having thicker wiring and securing it better leads to the perceived better sensitivity, quieter operation and better pinpointing.

What causes the ML coils to "heat up", is it electrical current? or ambient temperatures? More importantly what stops the NF from doing the same thing? Early/previous 6000 user indications were that it operates better once the unit has "warmed up" after 10/15 minutes (guess this must be a 'furphy").

Interested to hear what you consider "issues" with the ML coils, by your comments I assume "poor sensitivity", "poor pinpointing" capabilities and "noisy" ..... or are there others.

If you're happy with your Minelab 11" gpx 6000 coil and you're finding gold then you have nothing to worry about and you don't have to part with your hard earned dollars.

There are others who have had their 11" 6000 coils replaced due to this issue and don't want to have to go through it again which costs time and gold, so an aftermarket coil makes sense if that helps your query, or one of them anyway.

Aftermarket coils are here for a reason, to give us gold prospectors an edge over the standard Minelab coils, different coils for different scenarios and like you have stated, a smaller elliptical coil makes sense!

 

[user 4485]

Nugget Finder 12x7:

 

[Goldchaser1]

Waiting on NF's offerings here,have one 17 allready and i thought we'd grab one for the bosses 6 but i think we'll wait for the 16x10 from nf,see what it can do.
Also running two side by side i'll have the 17 on quite often and i've called the boss over on quite a few faint targets and there has been a couple the 11 couldn't here,only a couple as i say but the 17 does what it's meant to do by what i've seen.

 

[Davent]

I've seen the 17 minelab coil work it's magic to.

 

[Goldchaser1]

I've seen the 17 minelab coil work it's magic to.

Hope you lot are killing it up there dave.
Just back from the pilbara and ran the 11's mainly,spinafex was thick,i ran the 17 on a cuppla creek beds chasing deeper bits b4 we left and one boy it sniffed out a few down deep....
The mid size elepticals would be good in the spinny to i imagine.