Searchcoils generally consist of two internal sets of coiled wires, a Transmit Coil (TX) and a Receive Coil (RX). Mono coils can be different in that one coil acts as both the TX and the RX. When the detector is turned on, the TX coil generates a magnetic field in the surrounding space.

When a metallic object is within this generated magnetic field, it will create a distortion in the magnetic field. The RX coil will sense this distortion and send a signal to the control housing.

A searchcoil's detection pattern is determined by the combination of the TX’s generated field pattern and the RX’s sensing field pattern.

The detection depth of a searchcoil, as a rule-of-thumb, will be approximately equal to its diameter, for a coin-sized object. However, as a searchcoil’s size increases and its field pattern becomes larger, the field pattern becomes less concentrated and begins to miss small objects. For a coin-sized object, this effect becomes noticeable when using searchcoils larger than about 15” in diameter. Since the field generated by a large searchcoil is larger, deeper and less concentrated than a small searchcoil, it is the best choice when hunting for targets that are usually large and deeply buried, such as caches or relics.

The concentric configuration consists of a TX coil and RX coil which are usually circular and arranged as shown at left. The advantage of this configuration is that both the TX and RX coils are wound as large as possible within a given searchcoil diameter. This provides the largest possible detection field and greatest detection depth, making the concentric coil potentially the most sensitive configuration available.

In addition, concentric coils also provide the most symmetrical detection field, allowing ease in pinpointing and consistency in target identification. For these reasons, they are the most commonly used searchcoil and will provide the best overall performance in most environments.

Unfortunately, this configuration is the most susceptible to interference from ground minerals, which results in substantial loss of performance when used over heavily mineralized ground.

A mono-coil is available only on Pulse Induction detectors and is a variation of the concentric configuration. The mono-coil can be manufactured with the TX and RX coils located together or as a single coil acting as both TX and RX.

The detection and performance characteristics of the mono are essentially the same as the concentric in that it provides the maximum possible sensitivity, but suffers some performance in mineralized ground.

The Double-D configuration is designed to significantly reduce ground interference and, thereby, recover the performance lost by a concentric coil over mineralized soil. With the Double-D, it is the arrangement of the TX and RX coils that produce a canceling effect of ground signals.

This configuration is called DD because both TX and RX coils are in the shape of a "D". The positive detection field of the DD runs beneath the overlapping center section from front-to-back. The remaining portion of the coil actually produces negative (i.e. canceling) detection fields. It is this canceling field that allows the DD coil to maintain performance over mineralized ground.

Because of its small positive detection field, the DD is inherently less sensitive than a concentric searchcoil of the same size, over non-mineralized ground. The Double-D will, however, significantly outperform the concentric coil over mineralized ground. For this reason, it is highly recommended when hunting over mineralized ground commonly found when prospecting and relic hunting.