Thinking of buying a Sovereign GT but...

[Dan B]

I have a few concerns.

First, with the unit mounted under the arm cuff, how do you switch to pinpoint mode? Seems like I would need a third arm!

Second, how can you tell the depth. I currently use a Tejon, and I pinpoint (conveniently with the trigger) in VCO mode. The lower the pitch, the deeper the object. Does the Sovereign have anything like VCO pinpointing?

Finally, I hunt areas that are so dense with trash that it's hard to find an area clear enough to GB. How would the Sovereign do in an area like that. The trash consists of pulltabs, bottlecaps, clippings from chain link fences and more. I have been able to pick thru it with the 5.75 concentric coil, and recover close to 800 coins in this one location. Would the Sovereign be able to match that capability, but on a deeper level?

Thanks for any feedback,

Dan

 

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[Sandman]

First, with the unit mounted under the arm cuff, how do you switch to pinpoint mode? Seems like I would need a third arm!

This does require you to stick out your arm straight to reach the pinpoint toggle with the other hand. However, pinpointing can be done without using the pinpoint mode. When I get a signal, I pull the coil away and slowly move it forward while making small sweeps. When you first hear the signal again it is just off the tip of the DD coil.

The Sov has no VCO pinpointing to help with depth. You can get an idea of the depth by raising the coil till the signal stops. Just as accurate as Tesoro's.

Just like the Tejon, to GB you must find a clear piece of ground without metal under the coil. Once in GB your set to go in either GB Track or Fixed GB. In Disc. mode you may hunt with Iron Mask on or off. Iron mask on means it will null on iron like a nail and still report on the coin under it or very near unlike other detectors that will disc out the iron if adjusted to do so and also have the good target not respond due to the null.

Even with the larger coil the Sov Gt will recover more coins deeper and with out having the null hiding any. Smaller coils are also available for it for sniping if you feel the need for confidence.

Just my two bits,
Sandman

 

[Dan B]

Thanks Sandman. Very helpful.

I have another question about the Iron Mask. If the composition of trash is mostly aluminum, the Iron Mask isn't going to do much, correct? If I run the Disc low so as not to miss out on rings, won't there be a barrage of tones, even in silent mode? Is this a scenario where a meter is helpful?

Thanks,

Dan

 

[Sandman]

The iron mask will only null out on iron. The aluminum foil will sound off unless you dial in some disc. Most yellow gold rings will read at pull tab or above, but there are some white gold thin ones that will be in the foil range. On land, I disc out foil and the sound is unique on foil too. A meter can read differently depending on the shape of the foil too. The same goes for the orientation of coins in the ground.

 

[Michigan Badger]

I had the Tejon and it's a great machine. But, I believe the GT is even better and deeper.

You mentioned ground balancing the Tejon. I recall the times when I spent 15 or 20 minutes just trying to find a clear spot to ground balance it.
This is the great shortcoming of all manual ground balance machines.

The Minelab Sovereign GT has automatic ground balance (not factory set). Unlike manual machines, the GT is always tuned to maximum ground balance.

To cut-to-the-chase, comparing a Tejon to a GT is diffinitly NOT apples to apples. It's like comparing a Dodge Neon to a RollsRoyce.

Badger

 

[Dan B]

To cut-to-the-chase, comparing a Tejon to a GT is diffinitly NOT apples to apples. It's like comparing a Dodge Neon to a RollsRoyce.

Really? You had both, so I consider you an expert on the subject.

Can I ask you how easy the transition was from the Tejon to the GT?

Your comment about searching for a spot to GB sounds very familiar to me. Sometimes I can barely find a spot big enough for the 5.75" coil. So in your opinion, the GT would shine over the Tejon in this type of environment?

What about scanning speed? Does the GT need to be swung that much slower than the Tejon? I generally go pretty slow in these high trash areas, but out in the open, especially at a new location, it's nice to cover some ground to find the places where people were. I have heard this referred to as "cruising". How does the GT do at that (low trash, few targets).

Take a look at this picture. This is the school that has produced close to 800 coins with the Tejon. The area outlined in red would take about 3 hours. Does that seem about the same as what it would take with the GT?

Thanks for the feedback,

Dan

 

[Michigan Badger]

To cut-to-the-chase, comparing a Tejon to a GT is diffinitly NOT apples to apples. It's like comparing a Dodge Neon to a RollsRoyce.

Really? You had both, so I consider you an expert on the subject.

Can I ask you how easy the transition was from the Tejon to the GT?

Your comment about searching for a spot to GB sounds very familiar to me. Sometimes I can barely find a spot big enough for the 5.75" coil. So in your opinion, the GT would shine over the Tejon in this type of environment?

What about scanning speed? Does the GT need to be swung that much slower than the Tejon? I generally go pretty slow in these high trash areas, but out in the open, especially at a new location, it's nice to cover some ground to find the places where people were. I have heard this referred to as "cruising". How does the GT do at that (low trash, few targets).

Take a look at this picture. This is the school that has produced close to 800 coins with the Tejon. The area outlined in red would take about 3 hours. Does that seem about the same as what it would take with the GT?

Thanks for the feedback,

Dan

Hi Dan,

Thanks but I'm no expert on anything.

I have used both the Tejon and GT and both have their strong and weaker points as is true with all brands and models.

As for scanning speed, you know to get the really deep coins with the Tejon you have to move very slowly and check and recheck targets. This same thing holds true with the GT. If you move along a little too fast you'll only dig the shallow stuff down to about 6 inches deep. To make that 6-10+ inch depth you must hunt at a snails pace with both machines. I hear it's this way with all top VLF machines.

Depth wise I'd guess (a guess mind you) that the GT is consistently 2-4 inches deeper than the Tejon on coins. At least that's how it appeared to me (very unscientific). The Tejon can sometimes find stuff as deep as a GT, but not consistently. The reason for this is the Tejon doesn't constantly monitor the ground minerals and ajust to them. Anyone who has hunted for any time knows that mineralization can change quickly and sometimes radically in a short distance. I learned this using the Nautilus IIb with manual ground balance. If the GB got off even slightly I started to pick up all sorts of noise and my depth was terrible.

That area you show in you satellite shot would take me 2-3 days to cover with a Tejon or GT or anything else. I've spent as much as an entire day hunting a tiny area filled with trash. If you're covering that much area in 3 hours you're mostly finding the stuff 3-5 inches deep. Go back to your hottest spot and move along slower overlapping swings 3 or 4 times. Run the Tejon with too much sensitivity and listen for those tiny repeatable smooth signals in the mist of that noise. That's how I dug so many Indian cents with my Tejon.

If you get a GT you'll find that it's not as easy as the Tejon. Pinpointing is harder and Minelab is not a beep-n-dig machine like the Tejon. With the GT you're listening for those special tones. All Minelabs are really tone machines.

Badger

 

[Dan B]

Hi Badger,

Thanks for the feedback. I really appreciate it.

I've been working this school since September, but the rest will have to wait until spring. I'm pretty sure I can break 1000 coins at this school before I'm done. I think I will take your advice and hit it again with the Tejon. There were a couple of areas that produced a 1911 penny and a couple from the 20's and 30's.

One thing I can say about the Tejon is that it does do a good job on nickels and dimes. Out of the almost 800 coins, 90 were dimes, and almost 50 were nickels.

Dan

 

[Sandman]

Hi Dan,

Like Badger said, you must go slower to get the depth with both machines. Also the GT has a Notch adjustment so you can notch out pennies. Of the 800 coins and you had 90 dimes, 50 nickels leaves bending down 660 times if you only got one per hole.

Both detectors are good detectors, they just have to be used differently to get the best out of them. The important thing is to have fun with what ever your using.

 

[Murph]

As much as I love my sovereign for the beach when it come to the areas you are describing I don't think it would be a good idea. The problem will be the nulling over discriminated targets which there is no work around for. For example lets say you set the machine so that it is discing out everything under a nickel. Now when the coil passes over trash targets under the nickel range the thresh will null just like it does over iron when no disc is used. The null is just over a second long by my guesstamation. In other words its a slow recovery.

The only benefit would be the iron mask feature that may allow you to grab some good targets next to or under iron and the fact that if you have the patience to deal with the slow recovery its a vary deep machine. It will sound off on coins 12 inches on the beach, that I know for a fact.

 

[Dan B]

Hi Murph,

That nulling that I keep reading about concerns me.

Definitely something to consider.

Thanks,

Dan

 

[Keppy]

Hi Murph,

That nulling that I keep reading about concerns me.

Definitely something to consider.

Thanks,

Dan

...I have been useing a ..Sovereign ..Since the mid 1990 and if any thing once you learn that nulling it is a help to you not a hinder i hunted trashy parks with lots of trash and came home with a pouch of goodies...................==Jim==

 

[Murph]

I would suggest finding one to try out in these trashy areas if you can. I love my sov and consider it one of the best machines I have ever had my hands on. However I have seen some people new to the machine become pretty frustrated in the type of trashy areas you describe. Especially those use to other brands. Old dogs new tricks type thing.

 

[NeilinFR]

The iron mask will only null out on iron. The aluminum foil will sound off unless you dial in some disc. Most yellow gold rings will read at pull tab or above, but there are some white gold thin ones that will be in the foil range. On land, I disc out foil and the sound is unique on foil too. A meter can read differently depending on the shape of the foil too. The same goes for the orientation of coins in the ground.

Hi Sandman,

Actually most gold rings read at or below pulltabs and are going to be found in the foil/nickle range. Its easy enough to tell with any metered detector or one that uses tones.

HH
Neil

 

[NeilinFR]

Hi Dan,

Like Badger said, you must go slower to get the depth with both machines. Also the GT has a Notch adjustment so you can notch out pennies. Of the 800 coins and you had 90 dimes, 50 nickels leaves bending down 660 times if you only got one per hole.

Both detectors are good detectors, they just have to be used differently to get the best out of them. The important thing is to have fun with what ever your using.

You cannot notch or disc out pennies with the Sov GT or any Sov. You sure you have a Sov?

 

[Dan B]

Can you eliminate zinc pennies?

Dan

 

[NeilinFR]

Can you eliminate zinc pennies?

Dan

No, zinc or copper cannot be disced out or notched out. Thats why I asked if this guy has ever used a Sov as his comments indicates he hasnt. Same thing with the comment on the disc setting when hunting for rings.
Any detector you have will show you were most rings fall, its no different with the Sov.



HH
Neil

 

[Dan B]

I guess the best way to find out about the Sovereign is to buy one. So that's what I did. Now I need to find that book that deals with the Sovereign and read it a few times before spring. If this machine is everything everyone claims it is, there may be a mint Tejon for sale in the spring!

Dan

 

[NeilinFR]

Some great honest info can be had from these two locations:

1. There is a dvd put out by a guy named Dankowski, I think its called Inland Coin and Relic Hunting or something close to that. He uses a Fisher detector but the research he has done applies to any detector. Type his name in your browser and do a little looking at that dvd.

2. The Clive Clynick Sov/Excalibur series books. Actually anyone you deal with for your detectors can probably get you the books or the dvd.
Clives books are great, again written from alot of actual experience.

The Sov will take awhile to learn, at least it did for me. But I also was lucky in that it was one of the first detectors I put alot of time in on back in the early 90s. So I wasnt trying to make it work like other detectors. Its unique no doubt.

HH
Neil

 

[Sandman]

About this notching out pennies, I meant to say Zinc pennies.

No, zinc or copper cannot be disced out or notched out. Thats why I asked if this guy has ever used a Sov as his comments indicates he hasnt. Same thing with the comment on the disc setting when hunting for rings.
Any detector you have will show you were most rings fall, its no different with the Sov.

I have some years on the older Sov and many also on the Excal's. Still some detectors are different from each other because of various manufacturing processes.

It has been my experience that around 90% of the gold rings are at nickel and above with most pull tabs being under nickels. That leaves some rings in the foil range. Due to the shape of the foil and orientation to the coil and the sweep direction it will read different numbers on any meter. To suggest that numbers on a meter will always show the id is silly. No offence, but this is not a exact science with regard to the ID'ing of an object.

You can take that Two cents to the bank
Sandman