Coiltek has a long history of producing search coils for Minelab metal detectors . . . . . as a matter of fact they used to make the coils for Minelab as a sub -contractor. When Minelab took production in-house, Coiltek focused on "tweaking" optional coils to produce enhanced performance in terms of sensitivity and detection depth. Over the years, users of all models from Minelab have benefited from Coiltek's R&D efforts, and for those in the US, hats off to Doc at Profile Prospecting Supply for being the Coiltek "champion" in getting the word out and distributing their coils.
The Minelab Explorer (and now the Quattro) series has been extremely successful in terms of sales based on the success experienced by hunters in all types of ground. While the stock 10.5" DD coil has proven effective for general treasure hunting, the use of an optional coil or two will re-open areas everyone else has given up on. Coiltek had two coils available for both the FBS (Explorer/Quattro) & BBS (Sovereign/Excalibur) detectors. The WOT is a 15" DD coil that provides exceptional ground coverage and detection depth that most non-users would consider to a "fish story". The Joey is a 5"x10" elliptical DD coil that allows good targets to be picked out from amongst trash as well as get into tight areas that a round could would not.
Well, Coiltek wanted to see if they could develop another coil for these detectors that provided advantages over the stock coil. After months of R&D, they released the Platypus coil - a 8.5” x 11.5” elliptical coil that incorporated some innovative technology called “PRO” first introduced on their coils for Minelab's gold machines such as the GP & SD models.
Doc contacted me to see if I wanted to test out the new Platypus coil and with what had been a mild winter so far, offered to put it through its paces. Well, as luck would have it, two days after the coil arrived, the weather turned nasty and the temperature dropped into the teens (which is COLD for the southeast!).
Stuck inside, I did some bench testing with the Platypus on both an Explorer II and a Quattro. Initial impressions were positive in that the coil produced solid signals and accurate target ID’s on both detectors with the depth being slightly better than the stock 10.5” coil.
The prototype coil that I received weighed 20 ounces which makes it lighter than the stock coil. Doc indicated that Coiltek was looking at further reducing the weight by making the coil shell thinner when the production version is released. The Platypus coil also is better balanced based on the connection to the shaft being at the centre of the coil rather than being offset as the stock coil is. Considering the only negative comment people tend to have about the Explorer or Quattro is the weight / balance of the detector, switching to a lighter, better-balanced coil is a plus in itself . . . . . . and improved performance is simply icing on the cake! The Platypus is waterproof (unlike the Joey) which makes it and ideal choice for beach hunters that hunt in the wet sand / surf line.
The weather finally warmed and I was able to get out and do some hunting in Virginia as well as areas surrounding my home in the Carolina’s. When I test coils or detectors, I bring along a handful of short surveyor markers (12” wire with plastic flags) and mark targets that are detected. This allows me to compare signals between coils (or detectors) without recovering the target and disturbing the ground matrix and target halo.
The first chance I had to use the Platypus was relic hunting with the Quattro near Charlottesville, VA. I hit the site of a Revolutionary War era house that the owner gave me permission to search before the entire area was developed. I received a number of good signals in the side yard area with the Platypus and marked each one. I went back and re-hunted the area with the stock coil and focused on the response received from the marked
targets. First, there were no other targets detected with the stock coil that had been missed by the Platypus. Three of the marked signals were now marginal and one produced no response at all. These turned out to be a colonial flat button (9”), an 1883 Indian Head (8”+), part of a silver spoon (10”) and a silver 3 cent piece (surprisingly my third in the last 3 months).
Returning to SC, I did some coin hunting at sites around my house and again, did the testing by marking targets and then comparing the Platypus with the stock coil in terms of target detection and response. I chose several sites that had large trees and rocks in them to see how the Platypus’s design helped to search around these obstructions. As I had found in Virginia, I was able to detect several targets that the stock coil either missed or produced a signal that most hunters would have passed up as being simply falsing or chatter. They were either deep or very small targets at depths of up to 8” with a clear, repeatable signal.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
STABILITY: The Platypus exhibited very little falsing when the coil was bumped against sticks or rocks as other coils tend to. Dipping the Platypus into a frigid SC lake produced no chatter even when left in the water for 15 minutes.
ELECTRICAL INTERFERENCE: I intentionally used the Platypus on both an Explorer II and a Quattro in areas near transformer substations and under high voltage wires with no adverse effects. Once Noise Cancel was used, both detectors were able to detect targets deeper and more consistently than when using the stock coil in the same areas.
OTHER COMMENTS: The Platypus coil is great for getting into tight areas a round coil would not be able to reach – even one smaller than the stock coil. Detection depth seemed to be a tad hotter than the stock 10.5". In trashy areas it definitely stood out in terms of being able to separate targets better and produce crisper signals making it easier to pick out the keepers from the trash.
Target ID and depth reading was right on with both the Explorer II and the Quattro – just make sure the coil is ON the ground before you check target depth when using the Platypus on the Quattro or the readings will deeper than the actual depth. In iron trash-filled sites it nulled out less than the 10.5" coil which allowed for a faster sweep speed and required less re-checking areas where nulling occurred on the round coils. Overall, the Platypus makes an ideal replacement for the stock coil for those that want better balance, less weight, enhanced sensitivity and better performance in trashy areas. Like all the other Coiltek products that Doc carries, it’s a quality item at a fair price that will produce results in the field!
