Which Machine.?? Sovereign GT or X-Terra 70 For beach Work.

[Ray-King]

Hiya guys and gals,
I've just returned to TreasureNet after being away for quite a while. ( Lost interst and out grew my Ace 250 ). I have now got back my interest and entusiasm and am looking to buy a more advanced machine. I have decided to go for a MineLab machine but am having a real problem choosing.
The models i would like are the Sovereign GT or the X-Terra 70.
I love the sound and looks of both, but i know from experience that that isn't all to look for.
I made the mistake of not doing enough research, plus i didn't find the TreasureNet site until i'd paid for it and it was in transit to me.
My first machine was the Garret Ace 250.
Don't get me wrong it has been a GREAT little detector to get me started and to learn with and i've had alot of successful finds too, but i'm affraid it just isn't up to job that i NEED it to do, which is 98% salt water Beach hunting.
Had i found this site in time then i could have saved a bit longer and got it right the first time. But hey.!!! we all make mistakes don't we.
But this time i ain't gonna be so silly which is why i'm posting on here, because i know you guys are in the know and are always So helpful and honest, plus you are really the experts in the field, so who better to ask.!!!
So if anyone can give me thier opinions and reasons etc for each machine i would be truely grateful for any help.
I do like the idea of a display but if you guys recomend the Sov without a display then i will seriously take that on board too.
Anyway guys, a BIG thankyou in advance and i hope to hear from as many people as possible to help me make the right choice.
All the very best of love and luck to you all, and happy hunting too.
Your friend Ray King.
P.S.
If there are any different coils or accessories etc that you think would be good to add then please mention those too.
Thanks again guys and
all the best.
It's Really good to back here too.!!!

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

Ray, you don't say what kind of beach hunting you going to be doing. Are you going in the water, wet sand or just dry sand?

I have never used the X-Terra 70, but I do have 2 ML Sov GTs and an Excal 1000. If your 98% beach hunting and not going in the water deeper then your knees, with little or no surf the Sov GT is an excellent choice. I say no deeper then your knees and no surf only due to the danger to the unit if it gets wet.

I have 2 Sov GTs, one is a custom water proofed Sov GT and both units have the WOT coil. The water proofed Sov GT I use in the water up to chest deep and I love it, combine it with the WOT coil and you have a fantastic beach hunter. It handles the salt mineralization with no problem, has great tones, automatic tracking, and the silent search is a great additional feature. If your going to get your controls wet, get an Excal.

Hope this helps and good luck....

 

[Dixie Digger]

i agree with TH on this one,,,but iv had both the WOT and S12 coil and like the S12 better.its lighter and more stable in salt sand than my WOT was and i see no diff in depth..but eather way you will have the best beach hunter on the market today.if i had my GT waterproof like TH's that would be the ultimate detector!

Ray, you don't say what kind of beach hunting you going to be doing. Are you going in the water, wet sand or just dry sand?

I have never used the X-Terra 70, but I do have 2 ML Sov GTs and an Excal 1000. If your 98% beach hunting and not going in the water deeper then your knees, with little or no surf the Sov GT is an excellent choice. I say no deeper then your knees and no surf only due to the danger to the unit if it gets wet.

I have 2 Sov GTs, one is a custom water proofed Sov GT and both units have the WOT coil. The water proofed Sov GT I use in the water up to chest deep and I love it, combine it with the WOT coil and you have a fantastic beach hunter. It handles the salt mineralization with no problem, has great tones, automatic tracking, and the silent search is a great additional feature. If your going to get your controls wet, get an Excal.

Hope this helps and good luck....

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Dixie, my WOT is very stable in the water, not sure what your problem was with yours. I get no falsing with it, I always hunt with a shoulder harness on both the Excal and Sov on the beaches so I have no problem with weight at all.


If it will help you at all with additional pictures of my Water proofed Sov let me know.

 

[Ray-King]

Hiya Guys,
Thank you all for the info so far.
Sorry i wasn't clear in my post as to what type of beach hunting i'm gonna be doing. So here goes. hehehe
I would be hunting all the beach, Dry, damp and wet / Surf line. The damp and wet sand in particular as i've heard that some of the best stuff to be found is in the surf line.?? I had never really thought you could go in as far as your chest b4 so have never really considered this. I really don't think i'm that brave enough to go in that far, even though the water round here is warm and clear. So knee depth would probably be as far as i'd go.
I live in Tenerife which is a tropical island just off the NW Coast of Morroco/N Africa, and i'm surrounded by Beaches so i have ALOT of choices where to hunt. Also there aren't alot of other detectorist here either which should hopefully make rich pickings for me.
I must say, so far, you guys are really swaying me towards the GT and i have to admit that the GT has been my prefered choice for a while now until the X-Terra 70 came along to confuse me some more. hahahaha
You mentioned 2 different coils, the WOT coil and the S12. Who makes them and where am i likely to get one from, bear in mind that i would probably be getting it in the UK, but from the internet if needs be. Also are these coils Concentric or Double D, Round or Oval in shape, and what size are they too.?? Reason i ask is that i've never seen one on the Net B4 so am curious. I do know a little about the Tech side of things, enough to tell the difference anyways. hahahaha. Sorry for the silly questions but i'm fairly new to this great hobby and really want to do the best i can in it. So i'm sure with your help, i'll achieve that goal.
I'm still waiting to hear something about the X-Terra 70, but i will let you guys know which way i go when i get it, but my Gutt feeling so far says i'll be going for the Sov GT.
Anyway Guys Thank you so much for all your info and suggestions so far and Please keep them coming.
All the very best to you all and happy hunting.
Ray King.

 

[Dixie Digger]

if you plan on getting in the water id go with a CZ21 or Excal.they both work well in salt water or on land and you just never know when a wave will take you off your feet and dunk a $900 GT that is not water proof .! DD

 

[Dixie Digger]

i know 2 other guys that run GT and WOT and they had the same problem i did,you could only run the sensitivity about 1/3 open or it would chatter.with both the S12's iv had i could run sensitivity wide open with no chatter.this was all on the same beach! and i also run a swingy/thingy for the weight of coil and hip mount everything. they both are good after market coils much better than the stock ones! and iv got your pic's of the water proof GT saved.i did a CZ5 same way 2 years ago. thanks DD

Dixie, my WOT is very stable in the water, not sure what your problem was with yours. I get no falsing with it, I always hunt with a shoulder harness on both the Excal and Sov on the beaches so I have no problem with weight at all.


If it will help you at all with additional pictures of my Water proofed Sov let me know.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

The interference could have been something locally to your beach or different then beaches in Fla. At times I run mine in auto ,at other times what ever it takes to be stable, but rarely ever above 1 o'clock, most times betwee auto to the 1 o'clock position. It could easily be the difference in the sands and locations.

 

[gmanlight]

I have s12 coil on gt and run it wide open Can only run at 1 o'clock with stock 10inch coil

on the same beach

 

[PhipsFolly]

TH or DD... I am considering getting a GT and would like to know who makes the WOT & s12 Coils and what the difference is between them and the factory DD... can you you explain? Also how would one go about waterproofing a GT? Your help would be appreciated... Phips

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

WOT is a 15" coil made by Coiltek, they use to be a Minelab subcontractor, making all of Minelabs coils before Minelab took the production in-house. Coiltek focused on "tweaking" optional coils to produce enhanced performance in terms of sensitivity and detection depth.

Here is a good field report by Andy Sabisch if you want to read it.

http://www.losttreasure.com/fieldtests/ArchiveView.cfm?ID=lt20001152

I can't really comment on the S12 as I have never used it other then to say I have heard good reviews on it, but I can highly recommend the WOT, I have nothing but good to say about it. I have two Sov GTs one is waterproofed and one not, and they both have WOT coils.......