Using the Minelab Sovereign and Excalibur

[neilo]

The Sovereign and the Excalibur are essentially the same machine. The Excalibur being the ?underwater version, they both work on the BBS technology of 17 frequencies which gives more depth, better target identification and better handling of highly mineralised soils. Both machines come with a built in automatic Iron mask feature which operates in discrimination mode it allows you to pick up ?good targets which are close alongside pieces of iron which would normally be blanked out and ?missed by other detectors. In the early model Sovereign this feature ?was an option and could be turned on ?or off by switch. In discrimination both machines have a graduated turn knob the more right you turn the knob the more the conductivite items are ? discriminated out. The Sovereign has a second knob which is a discriminating notch feature which narrows down the area which is being discriminated, this is feature not fitted to the Excalibur. ?
The target identification tone is fully variable the lower the tone the lower the conductivity e g Alfoil will give a low tone were as copper will give a very high tone as it is much more conductive. With experience you can generally identify your targets before you have dug them just by the tone of the signal.What you will notice is the constant change in tone of your threshold as you swing over targets. If you have just been over a piece of iron your threshold will blank out, momentarily vanish, then return at a very low tone. Where as if you have just gone over a good target you will get a ?sharp signal not blanking out identifying its conductivity then after your threshold returns at a higher pitch.
On deeper targets which or too deep for the machine to identify accurately you will get a good signal to start with but as you dig down closer to the target, if the signal begins to falter or blank out it will be a deep iron target. Be aware that if you are digging a deep target and it suddenly vanishes the chances are you have knocked the target with your digging tool and have turned it sideways making it too small for the machine to pick it up. Keep digging, ?chances are it will be in your next scoop full of dirt.Failing that you might have already dug the target out and it is laying in your pile of dirt beside you but it is very small and is sitting sideways making it too small for the machine to pick it up , try moving the dirt pile around then detect over it again chances are you will be able to find that small target, I have found that small ?gold chains are bad for vanishing when they are bunched up you will get a good signal but if you open them out they become very thin and difficult to detect.
For general detecting in sports grounds and parks ?using the Sovereign I run the sensitivity on auto, with the discrimination turned on but turned down to its minimum settings, with the volume turned to full and threshhold just audible. The reason I use Auto in parks is that most of your targets are shallow.More depth can be acheived by using the machine in manual sensitivity but it is not necessary here. I turn the discrimination down to its minimum because jewelry especially chains and thin gold rings will be discriminated out even at ?low settings where alfoil would be. If the park is badly littered with rubbish then it is possible to use the notch feature and discriminate out the most common piece of trash be it ring pull or whatever, ?but I ?would sooner dig a bit of rubbish than run the risk of missing some nice piece of jewelry or coin. The volume on full because the variabity of the tone of the target is greater and it is easier to identify your targets, I recommend using headphones with their own volume controls as some signals of large objects near the surface can be too loud and could possibly damage ?your hearing.
The threshold run it so you can just hear it but listen for minor fluctuation this could be small targets chains and jewelry also listen for faint low to medium signals this is a typical ?of gold.
When using the Sovereign in the outdoors ?for general relic or coin hunting turn your sensitivity to manual and turn it up until you start to receive false signals then back it off slowly until they stop. In this setting you will increase your machines depth capabilities. If you turn the machine onto all metal it will also detect deeper than in discriminate. Some people run in all metal all of the time and flick over to discriminate to help identify the targets. Pin pointing is best acheived by criss cross pattern over the target but with the machine tuned onto all metal as this helps narrow down the location by its shorter sharper signal.If your Sovereign is fitted with a digital id meter you will find it only works on discriminate mode and if you go over an iron object it will show a minus figure,gold 200 to 450 and ?silver 5oo plus roughly, it is dependant on how you have the meter callibrated. I have used my Sovereign in the sea wading in shallow water with the control box in a back pack, you must have the underwater coil fitted to do this.I detected this way for years and after a couple of near misses with large waves started using the Excalibur.
The Excalibur is heavy on land but once you are in the water the control housing acts as a float and the machine becomes bouyant and easy to handle. The machine can be seperated and mounted on a shoulder harness which makes it easier to handle on shore, but you have to be careful not to strain the waterproof seals on the cables where they connect to the control box by pulling on them. If you use your machine in this configuration secure your cables back agaisnt the control box by using some electrical tape so that they are not straining on the connections at all.
Settings I use on this machine in the water are manual sensitivity ?setting as high as I can get, targets sink very deeply in the sand so you want as much depth as possible , but also more sensitivity to small targets. Volume full, you want to be able to hear the different faint tones and signals. ?Discrimination on but turned down to minimum settings, this allows the iron mask to work, blanking out iron and picking up good targets. As I said at the beginning both machines are basically the same so whether using them in a park or wherever, the ?settings I would use would be the same for each. When using the detectors if you get a target which gives a good signal from all directions it will be a good target if the signal only sounds from one direction it will be iron being blanked out. Also if you get a signal which ends abrupltly it will be rubbish, good targets give a clear smooth long signal. ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Well I think this is long enough getting typing cramp seeya Neilo ?

 

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[southern gent]

Right you are neilio. Just don't forget, sometimes due to ground conditions good targets can sound like trash. For example: When I find gold in the water here in upstate S.C. it has the same tone as a nickle, but at Myrtle Beach Gold sounds like Gold,and nothing else. The only thing that comes close is of course lead. At any rate I love the tone ID on all my Minelab detectors. It's very hard to use anything else. HH! Chris

 

[neilo]

The thing with gold jewelry is it varies so much in its make up and the sound from two rings of the same carat can be different it all depends on what the jeweller uses as an alloy with the gold, some use more silver than others so you get a higher signal. I have found large 18 crt gold rings that I thought were aluminium cans the signals have been so strong. Usually the majority gold rings tend to be fairly low tone signal but there are exceptions. I dig all signals regardless, this is where having a good long handled sand scoop is a must. Then there are times when the detector picks up signals which are just too deep and you have to give digging to me this just shows how powerful these machines are. seeya keep swinging, Neilo

 

[Sandman]

Excalibur

Nothing beats an Excalibur in the water except maybe a PI and they only do it on depth, not discrimination. I always seem to hip mount all my detectors and the Excal is no exception. I used a length of square wood to fasten the unit and battery together and a neck strap goes around my neck. I always tape the coil cord straight up one side of the shaft to cut water resistance and keep it from wear by flexing. The arm shaft attaches to my belt with a bungee cord and the belt holds the pouches.

Neilo covered the Excal's operation well and I won't repeat it. Some guys float a screen sifter, but that leaves it open to kids fast hands and being turned over by a wave. I use a long handle scoop called The Scoop an it was made by Sunspot products. I like it, but in heavier waves I like a fully covered bucket so the waves don't wash out your target. Naturally in drier sand I use a screen scoop with a long handle. ( I don't like to bend over.) When I start digging a really deep hole and the target is not small like a coin or ring, I cover it up again. I worry about it for weeks afterward, but I've dug to many anchors and trash cans.

It is very important to use the largest coil as not so much for it's depth, but the square inches it covers. Keep swings very low to the ground and don't swing the coil up at the ends of the swing. The Excal's DD coil is hot along the center even at it's deepest depth so you don't need to over lap as much as with other detectors.

HH,
Sandman

 

[Michigan Badger]

I'm new here and just happened to notice this posting. This is good stuff! Thanks much.

I purchased a Minelab Excalibur with 10 inch coil last spring. I recently sold it due to low back problems. It just got to be too painful bending and digging.

I found that the Minelab technology is very good but tends to be slower than some other machines. I found that the signal dropped out often and I had to wait for it to recover. It's a deep machine but requires more patience than when using some others.

I read online that someone (using the Sovereign) could find treasure his partner (using a Fisher) had missed but his partner could cover 10 times more area than he could in the same amount of time. Since many targets are not super difficult to detect, his partner may have been finding more goodies.

A couple months ago I made a find with my Excalibur that was worth several hundred dollars. I had hunted that area many times with other brands and never got a signal. The Excal gave an ear-splitting tone and I thought it was a beer can just under the surface. It turned out to be a small cache of old coins at 12-14 inches depth. I was shocked!

Question: In the same area I mentioned above, I hit a spot where the ground just canceled out my signal no matter what setting I used. I buried a half dollar to test the spot and couldn't detect it at 4 inches deep! What caused this? It was a small area of about 3x6 feet.

 

[southern gent]

In answer to your question Zeb, I would have to assume that the soil in the area either has a bit of iron in it or an abundance of minerals. Either way you should have gotten a signal after a moment. Which answers the question as to why we often get a signal in the surf then have to wait to get it back. The reason is overload. I have had many issues with that , but I can live with it due to the Excalibers depth. HH! Chris

 

[amazed_by_the_finds27]

i recently became interested in metal dectecting. im looking to buy a minelab,sovereign xs2 pro metal detector, can anyone tell me about this machine and what it's best for and what im looking to pay.

 

[neilo]

Hi Iam the guy that did the original write up on the sovereign and excalibur machines The sovereign is an excellent machine for beach use in that it is not affected by interference from salt or black sand.their depth on the beach is generally only beaten by the pulse induction machines, but they do not have the discriminating capabilities of the sovereign.The machine can be hip mounted and can be used in shallow water providing the control box is kept dry.I used to use mine in the sea and mounted the control box in a shoulder bag I have found a lot of jewelry over the years by using this method . The machine is also an excellent machine for use in parks for coin hunting and relic hunting. In the gold feilds in Australia there has been a lot of gold found with these machines around the old diggings where there has been a lot of rubbish and these machines with their excellent discrimination have been able to pick it out.I dont know the American prices of the machines but I have no doubts about recommending this machine which I have been using now for close to ten years.

good hunting Neilo

 

[johnnyboy25]

to amazed: don't limit your search to the xs 2 pro.any of the sovs will do they are basically the same detector althogh many people prefer the older models over the elite.you can hunt just about anything anywhere (i'm told it's not a good nugget hunter but other than that it rocks).you should be able to find one with a digital meter for under $350.also you might want to think about a sunray probe.i have one on mine and it's invaluable...so good luck and hh

 

[barbarosa]

Thanks very good info I bought a Sov. last yr and am still learning its tricks. Compared to my other machines I have found I am not digging deep enough so it does pick up deeper targets..