Nugget Finder Advantage Coils

I don't want to rain on anyones parade, I use and like the coils from both manufacturers, I also like Minelab coils.

So what is bothering me, is this, "water resistant" is NOT waterproof, so are we argueing about the degree of water resistance?

Thanks alchemist(grey), yes I see on

http://coiltekmanufacturing.com.au/coiltek-specs.htm

that all CoilTek coils are water resistant. There are some that are waterproof but they are potted in solid resin like the UFO's and Platypus coils.

Hi All
I have never had the problem of water getting into any coil.Although in earlier days I did have problems with stress fractures occuring either side of the wingnut.To remedy this problem its best to loosen the wingnut when not in use
Cheers dig

G'day Beer Beeper,
Here's the info, it's clearly stated hear wether the coil is water/proof/resistent.

http://coiltekmanufacturing.com.au/coiltek-specs.htm

Obviously they call a coil water resistent if it hasn't the full protection, to cover themselves, but this doesn't mean that you can't immerse it and use it as a waterproof one, as long as you observe the precautions I listed above in an earlier post.

I apologise for any spelling mistakes, I'm in a real hurry.

Bye
Grey.

Gday

The only time that I would have a concern about the water resistant capabilities of the coil I was using would be while using it in the wet grass or if the ground was still muddy, as I would not be using it in the rain because neither me or the rest of the detector is water proof either.

Anyway most of the problems can be avoided by taking proper care of your coils in the first place, being that they are made of plastic, even if it is uv stabilised, they need to be cleaned and stored correctly if you want them to last, this means not leaving them out in the weather like in the back of the ute to bake and gather condensation internally.

As some one else mentioned you need to relieve the stress on the tension nut as well, also I put a bit more side tape on mine so that it will help absorb the bumps against rocks a bit better, the tapes cheaper than the coil replacement, if the conditions have been damp then remove the skid plates when you are home, clean it out and re tape them again.

If I had reason to be submerging the coil then I would just buy a purpose made coil and keep it on hand just in case, instead of using a standard coil and worrying about whether I was going ot stuff it up or not.

cheers

stayyerAU

Hi Mulgadansa,

mulgadansa wrote:Thanks Brett/JP
Interesting stuff to think about though.
Does anyone know if there is a thin(say <1mm) sheet material around that will completely blank out a detectors signal?
cheers
Brett

I don't think it's possible. I had a look at this problem some months ago.
As soon as power is applied to the coil, a magnetc field is created which "streams" out similar to the Earth's magnetic field. (I.E. South Pole and North Pole magnetic field.)
Putting a deflector-shield on top of the coil would (imho)
1. initiate an eddie current in the shield
2. tell the operator "Dig Me"
To counteract this effect would mean more circuitry and less search-deptht. (methinks)
Perhaps by using some gadget wizardry and strong magnets, the height of the magnetic field on top of the coil could be concentrated and reduced and perhaps this height-reduction could mean deeper ground penetration.
But if it would work, only the Mine-Lab Gods will know, not mere mortals like me.
BTW, I've been enjoying the DVD's and learning a lot.

Best regards
Frank

Gday Frank
Glad you're enjoying the dvd's.
Re the emi shielding, I've been talking to a couple of companies in Asia who specialise in EMI shielding and I think they've got some material that may stop or reduce the amount of spiking I've been getting. It will be easy to test once I have some material.
cheers
Brett

...so is there somewhere we can get more information on these new N/F coils... N/F work for me... and not only are they water resistant but they also find me gold....
Ray

mulgadansa wrote:
emi shielding, I've been talking to a couple of companies in Asia who specialise in EMI shielding

Hi Brett,
I would be most interested to know more about this shielding stuff. Keep me udated please.

Best regards
Frank

Gday

I have just got a new Nuggetfinder 20" advantage mono coil, and have not used it as yet, has anybody been using one of these, and if so how did you find its performance compared with say an earlier 20" nf sl mono?, any real changes to the sensititvity or stability?

Thanks

stayyerAU

Hey stayyerAU
Lets know when u use it looks like u the only one that has one..am thinking of getting one about 14inch mono...

Ray

gday all, i have the old 20"superlight i use on the 35,very sensitive and fantastic depth, never had it on the 4000 because my mrs has always got it ,but the new advantage coil i've heard is made to compliment the gpx series.If its better than the SL YOUR ON A REAL WINNER
On the 14"advantage, a gent down at wedderburn this wknd told me out at one of the club camps they were testing the perfomance of coils wth some device that reads the coil output and the advantage 14"got a big tick. Second hand info, maybe someone can validate it. phill

Gday

I will getting away next week, and I will see how it performs, I have seen a cut away of one of the advantage coils and they do look remarkably well made, the windings are secured in place and theres no chance of movement so therefore there should be no falsing, the weight is about the same as the earlier sl monos even though the body of the coil appears wider, the dark colour grey looks a lot better and should resist staining, unlike the light grey one, the skid plate is a snug fit coming up quite high on the insides, and a narrower black coloured side tape is now used, the overall strength of the coil itself appears to have been improved as there is very little flexing, hopefully the plastic is an improvement on the earlier models.

The mounting bracket lugs (where the bolt goes through) appears to have been reinforced so there should not be any issues with that, the bracket itself is wide and well attached to the coil body, the mounting rivets for the bracket go all the way through the coil,(you cant see that unless the skid plate is off) however the otto shafts are a very loose fit and you will need to use a spacer of some kind, the minelab shafts fit nice and snug.

As far as brief backyard testing goes, the target response is very positive and crisp, I have a piece of course lead wedged between some pavers, about 5 grams, air test was about 12 inches, with a signal that would pull you up, the emi got the better of me and I gave it away, so I have not tried it on any smaller bits as yet, I will do that when I am away.


Thanks for the feedback

stayyerAU

G'day - I find it amazing in this digital age that nugget finder don't have a website

I think they would sell more coils if people knew about them, and could look up their specs.

Cheers - trashdigger

Hey trashdigger,
I suppose they dont need the added expense and as far as sales are concerned they would be doing ok with the market in the US and here...

Ray

Gday trashdigger and Ray

I guess that its because of the time it takes to set up a website and the time it takes to manage it, a lot of the websites you find are out dated anyway and it takes some time before new products appear on them as well.

The way that coils in general have advanced it would be a nightmare to try and keep up with listing new specs of this and that, they probably think that the time is better spent in testing and developement, as in the end its the quality that will sell the product or the price.

Thats why these detecting groups are important as they can often help you to make an informed decision about whether a coil will be right for you or not, and anyway I think that some of these manufacturers have a hard time keeping up with the demand now so they are probably happy with things the way they are.

cheers

stayyerAU

G'day - I didn't even know there were new N/F 'advantage' coils out Without continually phoning and pestering the detector shops if there's anything new on the scene, I'm not sure how I'd find out about such things.

I don't think I've ever seen an ad in GG&T either in recent years for N/F.

At least with Coiltek I can visit their site and see what's new. Saw the 18.5 Goldstalker a while back - thought that looks good - and bought one. Have now seen the 6" mono - that looks good too, might buy one soon. I haven't bought a nugget finder as I don't know what the range is. I found trackline detectors web page that show some N/F coils but not the new ones.

Cheers - trashdigger

Some info:
http://www.arizonaoutback.com/aboutnf.html

Click below each coil to find out about it:
http://www.arizonaoutback.com/nfcoils.html

20" Round Mono Super-Lite
http://www.arizonaoutback.com/nf20rms.html

No one ever seems to talk about the 24" elliptical coil? It would be better on smaller nuggets than the 20" round. I wonder if this one below will be made in the new Advantage configuration??
24” Elliptical Monoloop Super-Lite
http://www.arizonaoutback.com/nf24ems.html

Gday

I found some more info on specs for the Nuggetfinder Advantage coils

The main aim of the changes is to keep the coil specs in line with the Minelab 4000 and 4500, and as Rohan wanted to be able to offer a two year warranty, they had to revise the housing design and colour ( The darker colour being more UV stable)



PERFORMANCE: New Spec Litz wire--with modified shielding

Improved sensitivity and signal response on small gold

Improved stability particularly on the 4000 and 4500 models (EMI)

They work just as well on the GP range(sharper response on small to medium sized gold) Also great on the SD range.

Performance on large deep targets, much the same as the previous model.

HOUSING: Totally new design, even stronger and more rigid than before, Super Strong Epoxy reinforced Polyurethane bracket.

HIGHLY WATER RESISTANT: Fully sealed design with O ring sealed cable.
All models have been tested by completely submerging them in .5 mtrs of water for 48 hours.

WEIGHT: Even thought the Advantage range has more wire and a stronger design, weight remains roughly the same as previous models,achieved through innovative design and not cutting corners.

All models are still "Fully bonded with potted windings"

WARRANTY: Full Two year warranty

A full range of coils will be released, including a new 12" round mono coil as well.

A tip for new users: is to experiment with your manual frequency adjustment, as these new mono coils work better at a different setting than the previous model coils.

Reports coming in so far, show the new coil owners are really pleased with the outstanding response to smaller gold.

This info can be obtained by googling "Nuggetfinder advantage coils" and comes from the Arizona Outback website.



cheers

stayyerAU

Hi, I am trying to find some info on the newly released NF coils (size config & cost) that have been talked about here and on several other forums but I can't find a NF web site, and the shops that sell them only seem to have the "old" stock listed. Any suggestions pls.
Cheers Mark.

From what I can gather the new Nugget Finder Advantage coils are the same basic sizes and shapes as the old and also the same price, so if you order now you will receive the new Advantage type design for the same price as the older versions, just make sure you request the Advantage.

Hope this helps,

JP

See Bendigo Gold already selling them secondhand on Ebay, not a good sign. mallee00 and the mutt

Hi all,
Bendigo Gold only sell NF second hand coils that are part of their trade in stock I believe.
Any Advantage coils that appear at this early juncture would be factory seconds. Being both based in Bendigo, its a natural place to sell them. Cheers, Dwt

Hi All,
So has anyone used these new coils and apart from making them more 'water resistent' do they perform any better then the older coils.

Ray

Hi All, I would also like to see a report from a user of the NF advantage 18" Mono round coil as compered to the Coiltek one.Cheers Graham
PS. Would like to hear JP's comment.

Great point Graham
But I really think its up to the Manufactures of Coils and Machines to supply information on design/capabilities improvements.If for instance you spend 2 years on R and D improving a product,to give a consumer a real choice you should be proud to supply hard data.
Cheers Dig

Hi All. Picked up a 17" elliptical NF Advantage from Bendigo Gold just over a week ago. Tried it out last Saturday for the first time and picked up over 10g including one 5g nugget at approx 10" deep in an area that I have been over several times before. Too early to give a definitive endorsement yet, but I did find myself digging a number of deeper targets than I usually do with my 14" NF elliptical. Could have just been paying more attention. My general impression is that it is not as sharp as the 14" on small targets but I certainly cann't argue with the results so far.
By the way, Bendigo Gold did have one on ebay at the time and it was a factory second. Something to do with the mounting hole not being drilled quite right.
Cheers
Chris

Congrats Chris
Thats a nice day out Well done
Cheers Dig

G'day
Well it happened, my Goldstalker 14x9 stopped working after using it under water. I was pumping it doing a ground balance while it was submerged in a metre of water, and it went haywire. When I inspected it I found a small crack around the the upper and lower shell joint, it appears to have happened from hitting a rock.

As I was pumping, it must've sucked in water, if only I'd taken the time to inspect it at the start of the day. It still works, but squawks when it's swung, so it's most likely the coil shield shorted to the cable shield in the coil, which is normally done at the detector end. It's fixable and hasn't damaged my machine.

So, I stand by what I said eairlier about these coils being very watertight, but only if theye are in good condition. I will though now buy a waterproof zero buoyancy coil for my next trip.

Take the time and have a geeze at it before you dunk it!

Cheers
Grey.

G'day,
I cracked the shell open last night, thanks to Coiltek not gluing the shell halves excessively , they must do this to allow for cable replacement and repairs such as this. However there was mould growing inside it, and the foam was sodden, so it must have been taking in very small amounts of water for a while, and the large crack sealing its fate last weekend. I noticed lots of small spherical voids in the cement that joins the shell halves together, and it appears the small amounts of water must have been finding its way via a series of these voids into the housing. I think the voids would have been air bubbles in the cement at the time of manufacture. I must check my 18x12 and see if it has them too, it could be a chemical reaction going on between the ABS and the cement.

I have to eat my hat (no need for salt) now and say do not immerse your Goldstalkers in water unless you are absolutely sure the cable gland is well sealed and the joint between both shell halves is seamless, and and keep an eye on this closely.
I can repair mine, it's just a matter of drying it off and reassembling the halves using heaps of MEK (plumbers ABS glue) so that this time it will be waterproof for sure.

The problem with mine was that the shielding paint which is normally about 1,000 Ohms per centimetre becomes, when wet about 10,000 Ohms per centimetre. I would have thought wetness would decrease the resistance but it's actually the opposite with the conductive paint they use. So, effectively the shielding becomes inoperative when wet and the coil responds to capacitive ground effects along with increased EM susceptibility.

Cheers
Grey.

P.S. Sorry to add all this on a thread about Nugget Finder coils, but I made a statement earlier that needed to be clarified.