When hunting old home sites which coil selection to use?

I wpuld go with the 5x8, get in close to all trees and branches, the bigger coils have a tough time getting through sticks and stuff. Not to mention it will desperate through the iron and junk better. GOOD luck and keep us posted!

The only way to go...5x8 coil.. end of story!

I pick the smallest coil i have, SO much junk in old spots...

Yep 5x8 low & slow

5×8!

maxxkatt said:

I am using AT Pro and have the stock coil, 5 x 8" coil and Nel Thunder. The old home site is in a wooded area pretty thick with trees but about 2-3 feet between trees.
On the initial search which coil should I use. I think I should use the stock and maybe 5 x 8" (if find the site is trashy) and then after digging and removing all signals go back with the Nel Thunder. Or should I just start with the Thunder?
Any ideas based on your experience would be helpful.

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Well it seems that the 100% of the replies say hit old home sites with the Garrett 5 x 8" coil. I had been hunting with the Nel Thunder and was finding deep targets, but not small ones like coins or buttons. So I will go back over with the 5 x 8 and after digging everything then later go back over slowly with the Nel Thunder to hopefully find deeper targets the 5 x 8" coil missed.

thanks for the advice, this is how I learn plus watching metal detecting videos from some of the more experienced detercotrists. Dirtfishing had a great video that illustrated how the 5 x 8" on the AT Pro found a small brass token surrounded by 4 - 5 rusty nails with two of them 5-6" in length. The audio just barely gave a ring of a high tone with other jumpy signals. That brought home to me that you should trust your metal detector's audio and your ears. After he cleared out most of the nails, the brass audio signal became much clearer.

went to site with AT pro and 5 x 8" coil results

maxxkatt said:

Well it seems that the 100% of the replies say hit old home sites with the Garrett 5 x 8" coil. I had been hunting with the Nel Thunder and was finding deep targets, but not small ones like coins or buttons. So I will go back over with the 5 x 8 and after digging everything then later go back over slowly with the Nel Thunder to hopefully find deeper targets the 5 x 8" coil missed.

thanks for the advice, this is how I learn plus watching metal detecting videos from some of the more experienced detercotrists. Dirtfishing had a great video that illustrated how the 5 x 8" on the AT Pro found a small brass token surrounded by 4 - 5 rusty nails with two of them 5-6" in length. The audio just barely gave a ring of a high tone with other jumpy signals. That brought home to me that you should trust your metal detector's audio and your ears. After he cleared out most of the nails, the brass audio signal became much clearer.

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Yesterday went to the site. It is at a crossroads in north atlanta. I knew it had an old home site and my neighbor who was a Mason told me that he heard from an older Mason 10 years ago that this was a civil war staging area. Found the site covered with two old trees near the house foundation and the rest about 40 year old pines and in between pretty thick with Chinese Privet which is a fast growing spindly shrub that is a very invasive tree here in GA. So for most areas I had limited swing area and the 5 x 8" coil was about the only way to get around. Found the foundation of the home that was demolished in the 50's. Found $1.29 in clad with one 1941 wheat penny. No Silver or no civil war bullets or relics. Spent about 2 hours searching in this area less than 1 acre on a major intersection that was now has commercial buildings on all 3 other corners. I guess the workmen used this shady area to take breaks and eat lunch since is is on a hill so would be perfect place to sit or lie down. Where I found the coils was littered with old beer cans with large ring pulls. The land is owned by one of the big filling station chains and has remained vacant to this day in terms of commercial development.

No swing......No ring.....period. Regardless of what coil you choose to use, if someone has lost it, your coil is over it, and your swing is correct you, will find it. But, if there are no targets, and you don't find them, don't blame the coil or the metal detector. I hunt in brush, blackberry bushes and around low tree branches and even the 8.5X11 coil gets snagged and tangled in the brush and, instead of shaking my coil over a good target, I end up shaking my head in disgust at my disappointment of not being able to finish searching a very prospective area. On the other hand, I can give the 5X8 coil a short side to side movement, more closely resembling a wiggle than a swing, with what has consistently proven to be excellent results. Can't talk about "trash" though because every target I recover serves to prove my gear is working and the beauty of a find is all in the eye of the holder......or, as the case may be here....the finder.

AT Pro, GPP-AT, $9.98 ebay Digger