What's The Concensus? : Wind The Coil Cable Or Not?

Nicholas West

New Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2018
Messages
17
What's the consensus among you detectorists far more experienced than me? Wind the coil cable around the pole, or leave it straight or even hanging?

Does it really matter? Does it have an effect either way?

I've seen a few mentions of this from guys who swear by not winding it.

Fisher F44 with an 11" oval coil.
 
If you want to attach it to the pole with straps and then wind it from half way all the way up to the head unit.
Most just start wrapping near the coil.
NOBODY leaves a coil wire hanging and swinging in the wind.
The coil can pick that up as it moves so you will be made fun of big time if someone sees you do this.
 

Attachments

  • wrong.jpg
    wrong.jpg
    48 KB · Views: 522
Last edited:
It's really up to the user but in the US they're pretty much always wound to the right looking down at the coil.

Now in Australia, in keeping with protocol, they're wound to the left because OZ is below the equator and even water goes down the sink backwards there (spins to the left).

The choice is yours but finds may vary...

Not many people know this...
 
But does winding or not winding the cable around the pole actually have any effect on the function of the MD?
 
But does winding or not winding the cable around the pole actually have any effect on the function of the MD?

Sigh....
Having a loose coil wire swinging over a coil definitely will have a bad effect.
It won't hurt the MD but all the falsing could drive you out of the hobby.
Catch a loose coil on something and rip it out if the coil or the connector on the other end that will probably turn your day into a bad one too.
 
I don't think my question was very clear....sorry guys....

Does winding the coil cable around the pole change the pickup characteristics of the coil itself, as opposed to having the cable go straight up the pole away from the coil?

I know that a loose hanging wire is a physical risk to the coil, but I was thinking more about whether a coiled cable next to the coil itself changes the magnetic resonance characteristics of the detector, therefore affecting its operation.
 
A loose coil cable with create erratic detector behavior. It will not hurt the detector, only your ability to find anything you are looking for..:heybud: ... except if you are looking for a lost hubcap. :sarcastic:

Wound around the shaft, or run alongside or in the shaft, as long as it stays in one place and doesn't shift and move, it's fine.
 
A loose coil cable with create erratic detector behavior. It will not hurt the detector, only your ability to find anything you are looking for..:heybud: ... except if you are looking for a lost hubcap. :sarcastic:

Wound around the shaft, or run alongside or in the shaft, as long as it stays in one place and doesn't shift and move, it's fine.

+1

When using my 15" Coil if it is not Snug and TIGHTLY Wound it gets very erratic and is un useable, wound and tight it is stable.
like others I go straight up from the coil about a foot and start winding.
 
I have a lower shaft for each spare coil. Cable goes straight up the lower shaft and held in place with zip ties, then wound around above that.

As far as LEO and their use of detectors, they're generally looking for things on the surface, so being sloppy isn't as critical. Still, you'd think they'd at least try and be a bit more "professional".
 
I know that a loose hanging wire is a physical risk to the coil, but I was thinking more about whether a coiled cable next to the coil itself changes the magnetic resonance characteristics of the detector, therefore affecting its operation.

To a first order ...no, it doesn't change the characteristic of the detector. But if there is relative motion between the cable and the coil when swinging, the detector may detect the movement and give erroneous readings.
 
To a first order ...no, it doesn't change the characteristic of the detector. But if there is relative motion between the cable and the coil when swinging, the detector may detect the movement and give erroneous readings.

Thanks for typing for me Rudy🙂
 
For beach hunting I go straight up the shaft and secure the wire with silicone tape. I'm using a chest mounted Sovereign most of the time. The thing about winding the cable is people usually fail to leave enough slack for the coil to bend back in the event of waves, falling, or other tragic events. Stress on cables is not good. If done properly there is no problem with it. Of course people that tend to wind their cables usually never unwind them. This leads to other problems. Dry rot of the rubber being one. Especially if hunting in salt water. Silicone spray that rubber to keep it flexible. And of course wound cables will developer a memory and coil up by themselves over time. Detector companies that have the cable combining up the inside of the shaft had something good. But then again you still need to do maintenance on the cable. I know guys that never clean their detector at all. It's just a tool that they use. I am not like that. I was taught to take care of my belongings. I consider the hunt not over until everything is clean.
 
The Ace 250 was peculiar in this respect in that it was found that running the first 6" straight down the shaft BEFORE wrapping the rest of the wire in the normal fashion actually helped with reducing feedback, I.e., erratic noise. It could be thus for detectors with wiring close enough to the coil to induce magnetic fields. Only one other wiring related problem I have found in 50 years is winding so tight it pulls against the connector when sweeping.:cool:
Years ago it was found that replacing a metallic coil wing nut/screw with a plastic one slightly improved performance- so having this clearance between coil/wiring might have some value.
 
I definitely wrap the coil cable but there is a fine line between too loose and too tight.
 
Back
Top Bottom