just picked up an original sovereign

[gary in idaho]

Hi all, I just bought this detector Friday night:
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?44,776575
I've used minelab gold machines in the past, sd 2000, xt 17000 and 18000. Never had a sovereign though, so I was wondering if anyone could give some tips for a first time user.
Thanks,
Gary

 

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[vondrewvious]

Hey Gary,
Advice I would give for a newby with a sovereign are as follows:

For starters, dig the repeatable signals. At first, digging blips and iffy signals may drive you nuts. If it's a good target, it will signal strong over and over.

I use no notch.

You will find a million opinions on this but it's my opinion to loose the digital meter.

Swing it casually, your not cutting grass here. You don't need to swing it as slow as some will suggest. Just take it easy.

There seems to be two distinct methods for pinpointing. The "X" method and the "Wiggle method". For whatever reason, I cant seem to do wiggle with my Sov. It works on my Xterra. So I suggest "x"ing the target. In a nutshell, wiggling is going back and forth a couple of inches as you draw he coil back. When the signal disappears, the target is at the tip of the coil.

Good Luck, You'll love it.
I still use mine on the beach even though the Xterra is my primary detector. Sovereign Kicks Butt on salty wet sand.

 

[Keppy]

Hi all, I just bought this detector Friday night:
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?44,776575
I've used minelab gold machines in the past, sd 2000, xt 17000 and 18000. Never had a sovereign though, so I was wondering if anyone could give some tips for a first time user.
Thanks,
Gary

Is that the first Sovereign they put out about 1992?.......If so i had one of the first sovereigns bought it in 1992 or 1991 sold it 2 years ago for i called minelab and they they do not have all the parts to repair the first Sovereign or the gold striker...and no one can repair a minelab but Minelab. They have some parts left for those 2 detectors but not every part so it depends what goes wrong if they could fix it or not.........I called every detector repair place in the States and was told no one can repair a minelab but Minelab............. ..As long as it keeps working you got one of the best Sovereigns Minelab made ..now there are some things they can repair on it and some they can not if something goes wrong just send it to Minelab and it might be something they still have parts for good luck .......That detector looks to be in really nice shape who ever had it took good care of it...............

 

[gary in idaho]

Hi Guys, thanks for the feedback. Yes Jim, it's the original sovereign except it's got the tornado coil. I heard the original sovereign is one deep seeker with the iron mask switch on, according to some old time users. Actually I didn't find out about the fact that Minelab doesn't have the parts to fix these machines anymore 'till after I bought the machine. If it's built as well as the XT 17000 and 18000 (the conrol box, switches and knobs look identical) hopefully I'll be allright. I put those 2 machines thru a lot of abuse in the Arizona desert for years and they never failed to perform. It also has a mod done to it by L.David Keith the owner of Dixie Metal Detectors http://www.dixie-metal-detectors.com/
I tried to find out exactly what his mod does but all I could find out is that " it enhances the performance". I guess all I can do is hope that she has a few more good years left in her.
Anyone using the tornado coils? Just wondering how well they perform.
Thanks again,
Gary

 

[Keppy]

Gary , yes that was the best Sovereign they made as they tried to make the Sovereign better on the newer model's they never had one as good as that first one not even the GT i have now.It might work for years for you then if it does have something go wrong it might be something they still have a part they can put in.They still have some parts for it.............Jim

 

[Keppy]

Gary. i forgot i have a copy of the instruction video for the first minelab sovereign it was put out by minelab with Gary Storm of detectorpro doing the instruction.email me if you think you want it........Jim

 

[gary in idaho]

Thanks Jim, mighty nice of you! Will be taking the Sovereign out tomorrow, hope to get lucky.

Gary

 

[gary in idaho]

Well I took the Sovereign out for the first time today. My first impression is that it's probably the most sensitive detector I've ever used and I've used more than a few. I finally wound up running it in discriminate preset mode and preset sensitivity, iron mask. Swung it low and slow, all the different tones are a little mind boggling, the old meter is little help 'till you hit a coin, then it locks at the far (right) side and tone sounded on the high side and very crisp, no mistaking that sound. Wound up finding a '07quarter, '86 dime, 2 pennies from the '70's and a blue jeans button. My question is what is that machine gun tone, if you know what I mean, I figured it was junk or iron. My first impression is this machine is a damn good detector but may take some time to learn for sure. I tried searching in all metal but had to stop as I was getting signals, chirps, blips just about everywhere. I ordered the book by CJC and Gadabout - Jim is sending me a video for the original Sovereign. I'm going back out again tomorrow, I do believe with this awesome machine field experience may be the best teacher.

 

[Keppy]

Well I took the Sovereign out for the first time today. My first impression is that it's probably the most sensitive detector I've ever used and I've used more than a few. I finally wound up running it in discriminate preset mode and preset sensitivity, iron mask. Swung it low and slow, all the different tones are a little mind boggling, the old meter is little help 'till you hit a coin, then it locks at the far (right) side and tone sounded on the high side and very crisp, no mistaking that sound. Wound up finding a '07quarter, '86 dime, 2 pennies from the '70's and a blue jeans button. My question is what is that machine gun tone, if you know what I mean, I figured it was junk or iron. My first impression is this machine is a damn good detector but may take some time to learn for sure. I tried searching in all metal but had to stop as I was getting signals, chirps, blips just about everywhere. I ordered the book by CJC and Gadabout - Jim is sending me a video for the original Sovereign. I'm going back out again tomorrow, I do believe with this awesome machine field experience may be the best teacher.

...Gary , Video in the mail , I run my all my model Sovereign's i have had in the discriminate mode almost 100 % of the time.And my..GT.. the same.........I got my first sovereign in1992 from a dealer in Painesville,Ohio called..Snoopy sales...He moved to S.C. dont know what ever happened to him..Well any why i think you will find that once you use a sovereign you will always have one no matter what you get you will always go back to the sovereign.....

 

[vondrewvious]

The sovereign will grow on you bigtime. I found they enjoyment level increased the more time I had on it. I know exactly the "machine gun" noise you are talking about. I suspect it is electrical interference. Buried wires or something. I also found that it will act a little hayire if there is a transformer at the top of a telephone pole or one of those green box transformers on the ground.

 

[gary in idaho]

Actually I went back to that same spot today and the machine gun tone was bits of aluminun foil from someone that bbq'd and left there trash. Thanks Jim for the video, also I wound up buying the original 8" searchcoil tonight from David at Dixie Detectors, from my understanding he bought all the 8" coils for the sovereign that minelab had left in their warehouse and from what I understand these are a good deepseeking coil. Also it's the original coil that came with my sovereign so I hope I made a good decision. Also bought some boot covers for the toggle switches from Rick in North Dakota. My son made the best find today using my Vaquero with the old Lobo ST 7" X 3" elliptical concentric coil. I believe a cereal box freebie.

 

[Keppy]

Gary, You got the video already the U.S. post is doing better........Jim

 

[gary in idaho]

Didn't get it yet Jim, maybe today or Monday, I was just saying thanks for your kindness for sending me the video. I'll let you know when I get it. How did you like the original 8" searchcoil?

Gary

 

[Keppy]

Didn't get it yet Jim, maybe today or Monday, I was just saying thanks for your kindness for sending me the video. I'll let you know when I get it. How did you like the original 8" searchcoil?

Gary

....Gary, ..Jeff of..Pa uses the sovereign with the 15 In. WOT coil i asked him about it ......... ....for ther were posts that said they could not pinpoint with it and it did not go any deeper then the 10 inch coil..wrong they were wrong ..you have to take what some people say and let it in one ear and out the other.......Jeff of Pa told me it pinpointed the same as the 10 inch so i got one i love it .......Those post were wrong it pinpoints just like the other coils and it is deeper..Now on the Original 8 inch that was great coil i see were you got a new one i will check with the dealer you said and if they are new i will get one of the original 8 inch coils they were a super coil good in trashy areas and were deep.............

 

[Keppy]

Gary..Got your PM..Thanks..Jim

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I use 2 Sovereign GT's with the WOT coil, one for land, another that has been waterproofed for use in the water. I have absolutely no problem at all pinpointing with it. If I "X" the target it is dead center in the X every time, and that is without switching to the pin point mode. I rarely if ever use pinpoint on any of my detectors......

In the surf I find the heal of the coil with my foot when I have pinpointed the target, place my trusty back-hoe scoop (Beach Brute II) just in front of my toe of foot I marked the coil with and dig, no problem in recovery except sometimes the target is deep.

I tried to switch back to the standard 10 inch coil, but it looked so tiny after using the WOT that I gave up after 15 mins and put the WOT back on. I can cover so much more area with the WOT, I have seen no loss in depth, and it is a hot coil as well.

LOVE the Sovereign GT and WOT combination.......................

 

[mrauditor]

Gary:

I have been using the Sovereign XS since 1996. Andy Sabisch personally gave me a hands-on introduction and short hunt to become familiar with it when he lived in GA. I recently used it at Daytona Beach in wet and dry sand and it performed flawlessly. There were also a lady and her husband there hunting at the same time and she was using the Quattro MP and he was using the Explorer. They also were having good finds.

Thanks.