What is the best way to protect the Minelab GT?

[Sir Gala Clad]

I would like to know what is the best/most effective way to use and protect a Minelab Sovereign for hunting all three domains (dry sand, wet sand, shallow protected waters ususally ankle to knee deep in a single hunt on a salt water beach:

1) Tape a plastic freezer bag for extra protection over the Minelab hip and chest bag and where it high around your neck being careful not to go deeper than waist deep in protected waters or bend down when retrieving?
2) Permanently install into a Ikelite water proof case.
3) install protective rubber membranes over each miniature toggle switch.
4) Recommended alternative(s)


As it is very humid and rains frequently a key concern is moisture building up through condensation under any protective covering.
Also, is it possible to retain the flexibility of being able to change coils and head phones in a Ikelite water proof case, or will not hardwiring the coil and headphone eventually cause leakage .

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[njal]

From what I can tell the GT.
is one tough cookie.
Very resilient, I cant remember how many time's
I have been caught in the rain with it ,had it splashed with saltwater.
I just use the bag when I remember to take it with me.

 

[jcono]

How would hardwiring cause leakage? It is sealed or it is not.
If a unit is in a truly watertight container, it will not build up moisture- it is airtight. As you can see in Hamid's post, no detector is safe unless it is in a substantial housing... the unit I am selling is suspended in the middle of its case, so even a moderate amount of leakage won't touch the Sov.

 

[Sandman]

Using a case to protect the Sov GT is the best way to go and you can modify the case so you can adjust controls with out having to open the case. Treasure_Hunter can give you better advice on this. If only using a plastic baggie to ward off salt spray, be sure to have the baggie open at the bottom so condensation doesn't build up in the bag causing detector to be unstable. The Sov GT is the king of the beaches so long as it doesn't get wet.....

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

Jcono: The coil and headphone of most beach and water metal detectors are hardwired to the control housing (box/pod) for ruggedness and to eliminate the possibility of eventually leaking through the connector(s). The downside to this is that the metal detector is not flexible as you cannot change coils and headphones to meet beach conditions E.G. small coil for currents/trashy areas, larger coils for long beach's with little trash, change headphones dependent upon wind, etc.

I am not sure that when an item is designed to be watertight that it is also airtight and have often wondered about that. For instance does the manufacturer/repair center use a clean room or take precautions that the air is dry/not contaminated during assembly/repair. When flying at high altitude do the O ring sealed control and battery Pods on the Excalibur outgas during flight as a result of partial pressure of air inside the sealed pod being higher than the partial pressure of air outside of the pod.

Why would the water tight container also not build up condensation as the watertight seal has to be broken each time the batteries are changed.

The control box being suspended in the middle of the watertight container is a good design feature against condensation, if you catch it in time, but it only takes a little amount of salt to short out electronic components.

Hopefully Treasure_Hunter and others who have experience using water tight containers around a Sovereign will provide additional informational information on the advantages and disadvantages of this approach along with how well it works/does not work.

 

[Can Slaw]

Here what I did to protect mine. I have mine hip mounted in a canvas tool pouch which is splash proof. (Lowe's)
The coil cable connection and threads are sealed with silicone grease to prevent corrosion.
I picked up a piece of scrap sign vinyl to match (free) at a local sign shop and cut it to fit over the speaker making that splash proof. The sign vinyl is peel and stick and waterproof.
I put marine weatherproof boots over the switches which have really helped to keep the sand and salt spray out.

So far so good after four years. Hope this helps, great wet sand machine

 

[Buried Crap NJ]

The bag around the housing is the best bet, with the speaker covered. Even if your not in weather the sea mist will cause over long periods of use problems. Remember these are just tools of the trade and should be treated like such. They are expected to last only so long. Used correctly they will pay for themselves in a short time, thus not owning you a thing. Then the rest of your finds will pay for 3 or 4 new detectors before this one gives up the smoke! Used the machine as it was intended and you will reap the rewards. Remember these are obsolete detectors and have been drop by Minelab but they will fix them for about 2 years.
BCNJ