Those small coils can make one hell of a difference in very trashy areas and although depth is lost (compared to larger coils) the target separation and ability to get in-between trash targets is a real bonus. For parks a small coil will always produce the goods.
Yes I have a 8" for the etrac but the 3030 has a 6" which requires a snails pace - really only for very trashy parts of a site. I'd much rather be using a big coil on clean ground and digging some deep holes for older stuff but the small coild definitely have a place in our armoury.
That's why it's called a sniper coil. It's for special situations as you know! Next to fences, up against difficult areas. I wouldn't leave home without it in my kit. I've found very fine jewellery that the 5X8 didn't pick up. Anyway, each to his own and Cheers from Oz.
I concur with Pondguru. You need to use the coil for what it is designed for. I recently purchased a CORS Point coil which is very similar to the Garret Sniper except it has about an inch to an inch snd one half more depth. It needs to be used in those trashy areas where it's ability to seperate signals is fantastic. I used it on three different park hunts and the results were stellar to say the least. I hunted the edges of a 4 volleyball court area and having searched before with the stock coil I knew there were coins on the fringes, but I could not seperate them enough to justify digging them. With the CORS Point I was able to return and seperate those signals digging over $2.85+ in change. The area has been searched many times and by a few pro diggers and this is clear because there were no nickels to be found anywhere. I also dug at two oceanfront parks after having searched the beaches first as a change of pzce. At each park I cleaned up over $3.00 in loose change at each park in the picnic areas. You would clearly struggle to get good signal seperation even with the 5 x 8 coil. There are so many bottle caps and pull tabs and iron in those parks you would never be able to dig good targets. I hate digging pull tabs as they sound a lot like nickels (tabs usually 53 on ATP), but there are some signals you have to dig to make sure you are not missing out on something. I feel that I still missed a lot of finds because I am still learning the use of the coil and the areas I searched need to be looked at several more times. Among my finds were a 1944 wheat penny and a 1952 silver Roosevelt dime. Both lkely to havd lain there for quite some time. If I were you I would dig that coil out again and go search again along fences, hedges, and foundations. Areas with narrow or tight acess, and especially along sidewalks and any high trash area the older the better! There are always targets & coins left behind by other detectorists who don't have the equipment, or perhaps the time to search an area thoroughly. Being retired I often hzve both the time, and perhaps most important the patience to use the right equipment for the job at hand. Finally since you are not impresed with the coils performance at least sell it or give it to someone who will make use of it for it is a shame to not use it in the manner it was meant to be used. Trust me I have used mine and found it worthy!
I didn't mean to naysay the sniper's usefulness. It's just that it's a very specific-task tool. And I felt a 5x8 could get about as close and still do well detecting larger areas. But also as you said you have more patience and time. I don't buy everything I review, I'd go broke. This was borrowed from a friend (who never uses it, wink).
Yes the Sniper really has some specific uses as I see it. You may want to borrow it again and try it in areas like I suggested or areas you may not have thought good to search because they are seemingly impossible due to the trash. Seperation is the coils key performance area. I really like the challenge of hunting those areas I could not really hunt before because of all the chatter. I think that is why Garrett calls it the Sniper because you peer through the clutter and nail your target!
I know this is going to sound excessive and like I have money to burn (I don't) but it was taking up so much of my hunting time changing coils that I purchased another AT Pro just for the sniper coil. Now I can take both with me and clean out an area in minutes instead of hours. I'm not sure I like it on my AT Gold though? Maybe you could give me some tips about the sniper coil and the AT Gold? Many thanks again for your info to date. Cheers from Oz.
