Nel Thunder 10x14 Coil question- AT Pro

JaMoSo82 · Mar 23, 2018

I needed a larger coil for my ATP but also one that had good separation. I know this is not typical of larger coils, but from the reviews I was reading I decided to try the NEL Thunder coil.

It got here last night, so I hooked it up and took a morgan dollar and some other coins out to test it, and I noticed that when I passed over the target, it would double or triple beep depending on what part of the coil passed over it (ie 2x for the top and bottom and 3x in the middle), with that sweet tone. Is this normal? I am used to the garrett 5x8 with a single beep over a good target.

Any pointers or tips with this coil would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Oldest coin- 1946 wheatie.

John-Edmonton · Mar 24, 2018

This form is currently "Maxed" out with ML products. You might want to post this on this friendly metal detecting forum - http://metaldetectingforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20

Or, try a different forum altogether. You might also want to post "NEL THUNDER coil on AT Pro" on You tube as there are numerous videos to show it's effectiveness!

MrNovice · Mar 24, 2018

WTH, this is the Equinox section and guy comes over posting a question about an AT Pro??? :roll:

Just kidding, the double beep is normal even for the stock 8.5x11 coil...just means the target is near the surface of the coil. Not sure about the triple, probably means about the same on an that even larger coil. Audio depth reference I would assume, someone will be along shortly that knows for sure though.

calabash digger · Mar 24, 2018

How much depth did you really gain by going to that bigger coil? I use to swing the tornado and attack coil on the at pro I had.

JaMoSo82 · Mar 24, 2018

calabash digger said:
How much depth did you really gain by going to that bigger coil? I use to swing the tornado and attack coil on the at pro I had.

Doesn't seem like too much more but then again i didnt really use it much yet. The coil doesn't pinpoint well, at least for me. I have had it pinpoint to each of the points shown below which, not knowing where it is in the first place, makes it annoying as hell. i might give it another try, but i just switched back to my standard 5x8 because i needed separation for the area I'm working right now.

Oldest coin- 1946 wheatie.

John-Edmonton · Mar 25, 2018

JaMoSo82 said:
Doesn't seem like too much more but then again i didnt really use it much yet. The coil doesn't pinpoint well, at least for me. I have had it pinpoint to each of the points shown below which, not knowing where it is in the first place, makes it annoying as hell. i might give it another try, but i just switched back to my standard 5x8 because i needed separation for the area I'm working right now.

Oldest coin- 1946 wheatie.

Did you try raising the coil to try and get the pinpointing to function better, or try de-tuning the coil?

Stiffwrists · Mar 25, 2018

JaMoSo82 said:
Doesn't seem like too much more but then again i didnt really use it much yet. The coil doesn't pinpoint well, at least for me. I have had it pinpoint to each of the points shown below which, not knowing where it is in the first place, makes it annoying as hell. i might give it another try, but i just switched back to my standard 5x8 because i needed separation for the area I'm working right now.

Oldest coin- 1946 wheatie.

I'm new to the Thunder too. I've had it a week or so. I was frustrated with the pinpoint at first too. I've figured out the best way for me. I'm to the point where I can even pinpoint in the dark. Here's how i do it. I'll try to explain it the best I can. No matter how I explain it, it will seem harder than it really is, but stay with me. It's a DD coil so I use the same "wiggle and pull back" technique I use with the stock coil with just a little modification.

#1. Hit the repeatable target and wiggle the coil over the target so it repeats quickly as you wiggle a very small tight area over the target. At this point, you know that the target is somewhere right under the vertical line of the coil.

#2. As you continue to wiggle over the target, pull the coil back towards you. Keep pulling back until the signal stops off. (It may take a lot longer than you are used to with the stock coil, if the target is near the back of your coil when you start to pull back)

#3. Once the signal stops off, the target will be at the front of your coil. At this point I make a quick swing just under the target and just above the target. (These swings should have no audible tone.

#4. Then push the pinpoint button as you swing the center of the coil directly over the small area that you just swung below and above with no audible sound. The pinpoint will be loud and give you an accurate depth reading. Dig right in that spot.

With practice, this takes less than 3 seconds. I can now do it in the dark. It is much better than going over the target and trying to pinpoint from different directions IMO.

The Thunder coil quickly covers much more area and works the best in non trashy areas. It's a nightmare when you have more than one target in a line under the coil. It really shines in areas with not a lot of trash like old ballfields. It detects deep and the audio response and VDI are more accurate on those deep signals that are barely reached with the stock coil.

Stick with it and give it some practice. It's an awesome coil. I've already found great deep targets with it.

calabash digger · Mar 25, 2018

I'm gonna tell you something and all the garrett boys will be upset. This is the truth if I have ever told it. I bought at pro 500.00,attack coil 200.00, bought tornado coil 200.00 and a 5x8 coil for 100.00. So I had a 1000.00 bucks in it. First separation is lost, second only minimal depth is gained. The coil transmit power does not change on the at pro so no matter how big the coil your only going to so much. After I did all that I was still not satisfied and still wanted more. I had watched the hoover boys and they promoted that big coil junk... and yes I did say junk!

So I talked to the wife and bought a XP Deus for under 1300.00 full setup. You know what I found out ? The Deus 9 inch coil was deeper than the AT PRO with a 15 inch ATTACK coil . Oh yeah and its the best unmasker on the market in iron.

So the moral of the story is this instead of just trying to mod the at pro upgrade your detector. It only has so much horsepower under the hood.

You don't have to spend 1300.00 now. The equinox 600 can be had for 600.00 and the 800 can be had for 800.00. I have been using the 800 and it has Deus performance and more...

I'm not a paid shill for minelab and I don't get a check from deus either like some of the garrett shills promoting detectors that they know are subpar in performance to the equinox or others on the market today .

Try a Nox 600 if finances permit and if I told you anything above that's not true . I will make a public apology post on this forum in this section.
Just think 200.00 for another coil or a brand new detector that will whoop the socks off the at series including the AT MAX for 600.00 .... :?:

Theres is plenty of info out there today on Equinox. I know that's off topic but it might save you some time and money down the road and increase your finds too... just saying.

calabash digger · Mar 25, 2018

JaMoSo82 said:
Doesn't seem like too much more but then again i didnt really use it much yet. The coil doesn't pinpoint well, at least for me. I have had it pinpoint to each of the points shown below which, not knowing where it is in the first place, makes it annoying as hell. i might give it another try, but i just switched back to my standard 5x8 because i needed separation for the area I'm working right now.

Oldest coin- 1946 wheatie.

I got a video coming up where I test detectors on a 5 to 5 1/2 dime on EDGE the AT GOLD is in that mix with the 5 x8 coil. You might want to check it out..will be later today before I get it posted.

detectorben · Mar 25, 2018

calabash digger said:
I'm gonna tell you something and all the garrett boys will be upset. This is the truth if I have ever told it. I bought at pro 500.00,attack coil 200.00, bought tornado coil 200.00 and a 5x8 coil for 100.00. So I had a 1000.00 bucks in it. First separation is lost, second only minimal depth is gained. The coil transmit power does not change on the at pro so no matter how big the coil your only going to so much. After I did all that I was still not satisfied and still wanted more. I had watched the hoover boys and they promoted that big coil junk... and yes I did say junk!

So I talked to the wife and bought a XP Deus for under 1300.00 full setup. You know what I found out ? The Deus 9 inch coil was deeper than the AT PRO with a 15 inch ATTACK coil . Oh yeah and its the best unmasker on the market in iron.

So the moral of the story is this instead of just trying to mod the at pro upgrade your detector. It only has so much horsepower under the hood.

You don't have to spend 1300.00 now. The equinox 600 can be had for 600.00 and the 800 can be had for 800.00. I have been using the 800 and it has Deus performance and more...

I'm not a paid shill for minelab and I don't get a check from deus either like some of the garrett shills promoting detectors that they know are subpar in performance to the equinox or others on the market today .

Try a Nox 600 if finances permit and if I told you anything above that's not true . I will make a public apology post on this forum in this section.
Just think 200.00 for another coil or a brand new detector that will whoop the socks off the at series including the AT MAX for 600.00 ....

Theres is plenty of info out there today on Equinox. I know that's off topic but it might save you some time and money down the road and increase your finds too... just saying.

This is spot on. You don't even have to buy a Nox that is not what I'm saying. Just upgrade your detector if at all possible. It will save you time, headaches, and possibly even money. I went through the same process with my at pro. I had nel storm coil, 5x8, and stock coil. And still got outperformed by all my detectorist friends with better machines. Once I starting using the etrac I finally realized how limited the abilities of the at pro really are. It is a great starter machine but once you are in need of more depth, better separation, or features it is time to move up to a better machine.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

JaMoSo82 · Mar 25, 2018

calabash digger said:
I'm gonna tell you something and all the garrett boys will be upset. This is the truth if I have ever told it. I bought at pro 500.00,attack coil 200.00, bought tornado coil 200.00 and a 5x8 coil for 100.00. So I had a 1000.00 bucks in it. First separation is lost, second only minimal depth is gained. The coil transmit power does not change on the at pro so no matter how big the coil your only going to so much. After I did all that I was still not satisfied and still wanted more. I had watched the hoover boys and they promoted that big coil junk... and yes I did say junk!

So I talked to the wife and bought a XP Deus for under 1300.00 full setup. You know what I found out ? The Deus 9 inch coil was deeper than the AT PRO with a 15 inch ATTACK coil . Oh yeah and its the best unmasker on the market in iron.

So the moral of the story is this instead of just trying to mod the at pro upgrade your detector. It only has so much horsepower under the hood.

You don't have to spend 1300.00 now. The equinox 600 can be had for 600.00 and the 800 can be had for 800.00. I have been using the 800 and it has Deus performance and more...

I'm not a paid shill for minelab and I don't get a check from deus either like some of the garrett shills promoting detectors that they know are subpar in performance to the equinox or others on the market today .

Try a Nox 600 if finances permit and if I told you anything above that's not true . I will make a public apology post on this forum in this section.
Just think 200.00 for another coil or a brand new detector that will whoop the socks off the at series including the AT MAX for 600.00 ....

Theres is plenty of info out there today on Equinox. I know that's off topic but it might save you some time and money down the road and increase your finds too... just saying.

The only improvement I seemed to see about the 10x14 coil I have been using is the obvious larger footprint and maybe an inch in depth. I thought that it would be much more noticeable than that. And I will end up with the the deus and the nox800 for backup, but I can't just go and buy them at the moment. As for the larger coil, I was trying to get similar separation to the 5x8 with a larger footprint, moreso than the stock coil. Eventually I will probably give this setup to my dad who I originally got into detecting to try to get to be more active. It seems overpriced for not as much improvement as I expected. I will play around with it some more to see if I like it. For now it is frustrating me.

Oldest coin- 1946 wheatie.

JaMoSo82 · Mar 25, 2018

Stiffwrists said:
I'm new to the Thunder too. I've had it a week or so. I was frustrated with the pinpoint at first too. I've figured out the best way for me. I'm to the point where I can even pinpoint in the dark. Here's how i do it. I'll try to explain it the best I can. No matter how I explain it, it will seem harder than it really is, but stay with me. It's a DD coil so I use the same "wiggle and pull back" technique I use with the stock coil with just a little modification.

#1. Hit the repeatable target and wiggle the coil over the target so it repeats quickly as you wiggle a very small tight area over the target. At this point, you know that the target is somewhere right under the vertical line of the coil.

#2. As you continue to wiggle over the target, pull the coil back towards you. Keep pulling back until the signal stops off. (It may take a lot longer than you are used to with the stock coil, if the target is near the back of your coil when you start to pull back)

#3. Once the signal stops off, the target will be at the front of your coil. At this point I make a quick swing just under the target and just above the target. (These swings should have no audible tone.

#4. Then push the pinpoint button as you swing the center of the coil directly over the small area that you just swung below and above with no audible sound. The pinpoint will be loud and give you an accurate depth reading. Dig right in that spot.

With practice, this takes less than 3 seconds. I can now do it in the dark. It is much better than going over the target and trying to pinpoint from different directions IMO.

The Thunder coil quickly covers much more area and works the best in non trashy areas. It's a nightmare when you have more than one target in a line under the coil. It really shines in areas with not a lot of trash like old ballfields. It detects deep and the audio response and VDI are more accurate on those deep signals that are barely reached with the stock coil.

Stick with it and give it some practice. It's an awesome coil. I've already found great deep targets with it.

I will try this out. Thanks. I am just not used to it so it is frustrating.

Oldest coin- 1946 wheatie.

calabash digger · Mar 25, 2018

With a upgrade you will get( more depth) with out having to swing the trash can lid. Keep your eye on the Nox while your saving your money for a upgrade.. the 600 is a performer too. The 600 seperates well and is as deep as the Deus or deeper... big bang for the buck..

JaMoSo82 · Mar 25, 2018

detectorben said:
This is spot on. You don't even have to buy a Nox that is not what I'm saying. Just upgrade your detector if at all possible. It will save you time, headaches, and possibly even money. I went through the same process with my at pro. I had nel storm coil, 5x8, and stock coil. And still got outperformed by all my detectorist friends with better machines. Once I starting using the etrac I finally realized how limited the abilities of the at pro really are. It is a great starter machine but once you are in need of more depth, better separation, or features it is time to move up to a better machine.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

I only bought the AT Pro because I needed a waterproof machine And I got a killer deal on it. (AT Pro, 5x8 coil, 8.5x11coil, Ghost Amphibians = $400). When I get the Nox 800, I plan on giving it to my dad.

Oldest coin- 1946 wheatie.

detectorben · Mar 25, 2018

JaMoSo82 said:
I only bought the AT Pro because I needed a waterproof machine And I got a killer deal on it. (AT Pro, 5x8 coil, 8.5x11coil, Ghost Amphibians = $400). When I get the Nox 800, I plan on giving it to my dad.

Oldest coin- 1946 wheatie.

Got it. That makes sense.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

JaMoSo82 · Mar 25, 2018

John-Edmonton said:
Did you try raising the coil to try and get the pinpointing to function better, or try de-tuning the coil?

I tried both of those. When I raise it, the pinpointing was still in spots around the coil perimeter. The detuning didn't seem to help any.

Oldest coin- 1946 wheatie.

Nel Thunder 10x14 Coil question- AT Pro

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