Getting To Know The Minelab GT - UpDated 10-2-07 Ring Find

[Michigan Badger]

The more I use the Minelab Sovereign GT the better I like it. 8)

I've been hunting a site (my test site) where they pile snow and in so doing also drag a lot of dirt. This makes for deep modern coins and jewelry. It's the ideal spot to test new machines and maybe even find something good.

Since I've only had the GT for a couples weeks my main focus has been learning the sounds and how to pinpoint with the DD coil. Pinpointing didn't take long at all. Now all solid targets could be dug with a screw driver if I wanted to use one. In some ways I think the DD coil is more actuate at pinpointing than the concentric. And the ground coverage is vastly superior. Yep, DD is the way to go for many machines.

Depth is something that always concerns us and I've been watching that also. Now I'm purposely digging a large hole and carefully removing layer after layer of soil until I reach the target. This is very time consuming but I'm doing a test.

Last evening I dug a small piece of tin at my test site that was a good 9+ inches deep. The piece was a little longer than the diameter of a quarter and about as wide as a dime. It gave a very loud solid signal I heard even with a fast swing speed (I liked that a lot!).

I have also dug lots of Memorial pennies and some clad in the 5-8 inch range.

Our hunting time is nearing an end for this season so I'm mostly using what little THing time I have left to really learn the GT. Already I can ID about 30% of the targets by sound only.

Thanks for reading this.

Comments?

Badger

 

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[Sandman]

Re: Getting To Know The Minelab GT

Now you are starting to understand why some of us swear by Minelabs and not at them like others seem to do. Testing your detector like you are is smart SOP. Good Luck, you are making your own now............

 

[Michigan Badger]

Re: Getting To Know The Minelab GT

Now you are starting to understand why some of us swear by Minelabs and not at them like others seem to do. Testing your detector like you are is smart SOP. Good Luck, you are making your own now............

Yes, since you and most of the other knowledgeable hunters on here have been pro Minelab for the last several years I should have wised up much sooner.

I did own the Excal in 05 but now am pretty convinced I just didn't understand it and the sites I was hunting didn't have much to find.

If all one has used is a "beep N dig" machine, a Minelab can be a bit intimidating at first.

Badger

 

[uriykir]

Re: Getting To Know The Minelab GT

good for u

 

[thompy]

Re: Getting To Know The Minelab GT

ive wanted to try one, how is the weight for swinging

 

[Michigan Badger]

Re: Getting To Know The Minelab GT

ive wanted to try one, how is the weight for swinging

Due to the design with arm rest, etc., it's very easy on the arm. Actually it tends to put less strain on me than the Tejon which is a lighter machine.

It handles much like a Nautilus with the Whites rod modification. Although I think the GT feels even better.

One thing you'll notice right off with Minelab is the quality. The quality of workmenship on these detectors is something to behold. The GT makes most other brands look cheap.

Here are several things to consider:

1) tones - The Sovereign GT gives forth very distinct tones for all targets.
2) true automatic ground balance - your machine is always right on.
3) excellent depth - I think it's better than any other brand I've tried yet
4) sensitivity to tiny objects - I sometimes wish it wasn't so sensitive to tiny bits of nonferrous metals. This baby will find the birdshot for you!
5) excellent pinpointing - it's all a matter of understanding how DD coils pinpoint
6) target separation - I'm still studying this but as of today I'm very pleased
7) battery life - I'd say very good - I've been using alkalines
8.) settings - unbelievably simple - once you make up your mind about what you want to find, set it and then from that point you just turn it on. The technology does the work for you.

a) set discrimination to full counterclockwise (zero)
b) set notch to full counterclockwise
c) set to AUTO sensitivity
d) set to IRON MASK on
e) set to THRESHOLD on
f) set THRESHOLD to barely hearing tone
g) set to pinpoint

Lots of work, right? Now your done. Leave these setting alone and all you do now for the next 10 years is turn it on and off. Oh ya, this machine is real tuff

Oh, once in a great while you might want to adjust the THRESHOLD and change batteries. But if you don't want a threshold sound, simply select SILENT search and you'll wonder if the detector is even on.

Oh, one more thing...the GT ignores iron so if you collect nails this one isn't for you.

 

[Michigan Badger]

I dug this little ring late last night which is not unusal for me.

The reason I made this post here is to show you the tiny sized metal the GT will detect if you set it to "see" them.

See that little spot in front of the ring? It's about 4mm in diameter. Pieces of tin, lead, etc., this size can sould like a memorial cent at 3 inches with the GT.

It's tiny hard to see targets like this that can cause new users to think their GT is falsing.

Just thought you might like to know.

Badger

 

[JOe L]

Badger, keepin any eye on ya here, I'm thinking about a Sovereign GT and you seem to be helpin that decision. Keep the info coming.. Joe

 

[Michigan Badger]

Badger, keepin any eye on ya here, I'm thinking about a Sovereign GT and you seem to be helpin that decision. Keep the info coming.. Joe

it's a winner Joe...no kiddin.

One thing too I've noticed is about ever 10th coin I dig is a nickel. I've dug a good 7 or 8 nickels the last couple of weeks. Usually I find about 5 or 6 all summer.

The good thing is, many gold items detect very much like nickels.

The Sovereign is a nickel killer. This is good news!

The trick is to set the discrimination at zero and run in IRON MASK mode. This will hit nickels (gold) and yet tune out most trash.

If one sets the notch on pulltab this will eliminate about 80% of them. But some good things sound like pulltabs so I don't use the notch much.

I continue my testing.

Badger

 

[Rowdy]

Badger,

I've also been following your progress with interest, and have a question about using the GT. How do you go about pinpointing? It appears that the switch is in the back of the box, and you would have to switch it to pinpoint with you off hand. That seems like it would be awkward, if that's how it works.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I may not be doing it the same as Badger, he is far, far more experienced then I, but for me I very rarely ever use the pinpoint mode, and I'm using the WOT with mine. I use one of 2 methods and they very rarely ever fail me.

I Sweep left to right, mark the strongest point by sliding the coil back and forth on ground making a mark, turn 90 degrees and do the same, target is always under the "X" my coil made on the ground. I also use the Excal method where once target is detected, I back up coil and move forward slowly till signal returns, target is below the front leading edge of the coil (thanks Sandman (

 

[Michigan Badger]

Badger,

I've also been following your progress with interest, and have a question about using the GT. How do you go about pinpointing? It appears that the switch is in the back of the box, and you would have to switch it to pinpoint with you off hand. That seems like it would be awkward, if that's how it works.

Good question.

I started using the all-metal mode to pinpoint and just like you mentioned I found that awkward.

Then I discovered something really great. If it's a good target the GT will pinpoint just fine in discrimination mode. It's those pieces of foil and other trash that can be difficult to pinpoint in discrimination.

Now I rarely bother to toggle into all-metal mode.

The trick is to swing the coil back and forth moving back toward yourself until you hear that peak tone. Then make a 90 degree turn and do it again until X marks the spot. If the target keeps moving it's trash. If the coil locks into a nice tight little signal---dig! The target will be at the top of the coil. I dug some coins tonight and all were nearly dead center the plug.

One thing about the GT is the deep targets can sound shallow. I plan to look into the meter for the GT to see if it can help with depth. With my Tejon I could tell depths better because the signal would get considerably weaker with depth. This isn't always so with the GT.

The silver ring sounded a lot like a pulltab an inch deep and I almost didn't dig it because of the strength of the signal.

THE SUM: With the Sovereign GT, listen for those solid, tight, and small sized signals that sound clear even when you X the spot.

 

[Murph]

I just started using a sov gt myself. It is truly a machine I think I can grow with.

Something I have noticed while pinpointing in disc is it will actually work to discriminate for you also. Many trash targets will sound off one way but when you turn ninety degrees you get the tell tail null and target is likely trash. Its hot on bottle caps but this pin point method usually works to let you know.

 

[Michigan Badger]

I just started using a sov gt myself. It is truly a machine I think I can grow with.

Something I have noticed while pinpointing in disc is it will actually work to discriminate for you also. Many trash targets will sound off one way but when you turn ninety degrees you get the tell tail null and target is likely trash. Its hot on bottle caps but this pin point method usually works to let you know.

Yes, I've found this too. This is why I like to hunt with a slight threshold sound. If that threshold dips even slightly just before the target signal it's most likely trash.

 

[EasyMoney]

I'm not really sure why there are so many self-help forums concerning an Explorer. Yes, it and the DFX are a bit on the complicated side and slow to set up in many cases, but there seems to be a lot fewer discussions concerning the operation of a DFX, or, a Coinstrike. And yes, I do know that a Coinstrike is a bit underpowered compared to the two other mentioned, but still the Explorer owners have a lot of troubles setting them up for different applications, or so the posts indicate. People do seem to have a lot of troubles with them.

Sovereigns are a different story for the most part, and there is a simple site that tells a person of average intelligence how to set up his Sov to produce specific and dependable sounds for each target, therby eliminating the standard sliding flute noise that bounces all the way from here to Africa, and produces so many different ones that it confuses the average user..

My Sov Elite Pro is quite easy to understand, read, and interpret. And yes, with a lot of practice I can finally pinpoint to a 4" circle in many cases, although that is not always possible, especially if there is another target too close. But most Minelabs really aren't that much to deal with and they do very well on wet, salt, high iron beaches. Inland and in littered and full-of-crap parks they are more tedious and slow to work, and other detectors outshine them there in most cases concerning target separation. And yes, I do know that at times they even pass over good targets while cancelling a few bad ones, because mine does that if I swing it fast like I do a CZ or MXT, etc. Still, I can't quite figure out why so many people have so many problems with Explorers of various setups. Are people really that lame, or is it that Explorers are just plain tough to use and Sovs are a whole lot easier, with certain exceptions, of course?

 

[Michigan Badger]

I think people get it into their heads that something is difficult and that's the way they see it no matter what.

There has been so much press on how difficult the Explorer II and SE are to use that even some who have mastered these machines seem to have gotten caught up in the hype.

In many of my own posts in the past I got carried along with this stuff.

I haven't used the Explorers yet but most likely will hit them hard this coming spring.

As for the Sovereign GT, I found it simple. But then I've been detecting since 1968.

I recall how I heard so many bad stories about how difficult the Nautilus IIB is to use. Finally I bought 2 machines and laughed myself to tears when I read the manual. Within minutes I was digging coins and relics. It too is a simple machine to setup and use. The problem with Nautilus in general is the coils damage too easily (get out of tune) and they're extremely affected by weather conditions (hate water in any form). Well, these are the two biggest problems. But all this talk about the super secrets of the difficult to use Nautilus are pure bunk. It's a simple machine.

The really difficult things in this hobby are:

1) finding good sites to hunt
2) getting off the butt and actually hunting
3) convincing the spouse that this really is a worthwhile hobby

 

[EasyMoney]

Makes sense to me..

especially #3

 

[muleskinner]

For me the trick was getting enough experience with the Sov. I'm so new to the hobby just finding decent places to hunt was the biggest challenge. How was I to know what certain targets sound like if I've never heard them before? One thing I can tell you is if after rotating 90 degrees and the target still has clear high tone, start diggin. Most aluminum trash or brass for that matter kinda breaks up at the beginning of the tone. The machine seems to hesitate to tell you it's the good stuff. I did have the pleasure of digging an 1800's dime buried at 8 inches, and it was a bit more faint, but clear and repeatable. Like Murf said if the target seems to move, your machine is warning you.
As far as the meter goes, I'm sticking with it. It's just enough of a help to make it worthwhile. It is quite accurate. I do think the 180 mod might be worth while.
Good luck
Muleskinner

 

[EasyMoney]

Sov, that's the same thing I discovered. Both had about the same depth and the Sov had a little better discriminator than an Explorer.