2 questions regarding the Sovereign GT

[willy]

Wondering if anyone has used the GT for prospecting &, also, how does it react to coins from other countries. I've had 2 Sov's & 1 Excalibur & found them to be truly lacking in sensitivity to low conductors & horrible with Canadian coins. In total, I put in about 6 months of solid detecting with said detectors, enough time to get a handle on them. I liked the detectors, but they were missing too much. I also tested them with IN GROUND targets against my 3 other detectors (and some others), the result being the minelabs were quickly sold. Now, I'm wondering if the GT rectifies these deficiencies or if it's just a small improvement. Now, I don't want to get into a mud slinging fest here, just giving my observations in the ground I'm hunting & hoping for something better. ..Willy.

 

[Tony N (Michigan)]

You are kidding about the Excalibur not being very sensitive to gold? When I had mine you wouldn't believe the small gold stuff I'd find with it. Didn't have it long though due to moving and needing cash for a new roof. But if I had to do it over again I would buy one in a heart beat.

My Minelab Explorer also finds very small gold things at increddible depth at the beach too.

 

[willy]

Well, I prospect for gold & have done so with a number of detectors, including a CZ6. None of the BBS Minelab detectors I used would come anywhere near to the other detectors in small gold sensitivity. I tried a number of nuggets & no-go. This was with WOT, 10" & 7.5" (8"?) coils. If you have any doubts, get onto a prospecting forum and ask about how suited a Sov. or Excalibur is for prospecting, especially the small stuff. When the GT came out there was mention of it being (possibly) used for prospecting but... nothing so far. ..Willy.

 

[Gonzo]

I just read a review somewhere that said the GT stood for Gold and treasure. Just what I read, I have no idea if it has any validity

 

[adam in cal]

dude your are crazy ........not good on low conducters??????// dude the thing smokes nickels gold and of course pull tabs out of deep turf .....its one of the best .....what detectors did you decide to keep ??? please ........i think you must not have givin it enough time .........its way hot on low contucters .....

 

[adam in cal]

the sovereign isnt a nugget machine .......plain and simple if you are trying to compare a sov. to a gold detector and hit small nuggets then the sov . isnt for you ........its hot on small gold jewelery nickels and the like not nuggets ........the minelab gold machines are what you shold try ...........good luck .......

 

[Tony]

The GT's are being successfully used for gold prospecting here in Australia....they can handle bad ground and disc out iron junk that previous prospectors left behind......I use the GT on the beach and it just hits all our coins/gold rings hard and at great depth.

I also have the Goldquest SS PI which beats the GT for depth (especially the gold rings) but for cleaning up after a hot summers day at the beach when there's junk everywhere...the GT is the first choice.

Regards,
Tony.

 

[Tony]

n/t

 

[willy]

I spent a whole whole winter hunting with the Excalibur & Xs2a and, previous to that, about 3 months with an original Sov. I used these machines almost daily during this period. The detectors were compared against: GTI 1500, Cobra II (modded), White's 4900, Gold Stinger, MXT. I'm not, when saying small low conductors, talking about nickels & pulltabs. Those are relatively large. I'm talking about nuggets measured in grains. One surprising find was that a teardrop shaped lead fishing weight (about 1/8 oz) was almost invisible to the BBS detectors IN MY SOIL. BTW, I was asking for info./help re. BBS detectors, not insults. ...Willy.

 

[willy]

Hi Tony. It's good to read something constructive. Did you ever try to see just how small of a nugget the GT could pick up? I wonder if it can give the MXT a run for it's money. I suppose that I'll have to find someone from Canada that has one to tell me if it has problems with Canadian coins. It gives one a sick feeling to scan over a $1 coin on the surface & have it null out as iron. ..Willy.

 

[Tony]

Willy.....don't some of the Canadian coins have an iron core sandwiched inside or plated on the exterior ? Just thought I'd read it somewhere on another forum. I know this is the case in the UK where they are cost cutting by having an iron component replace part of the non-ferrous component of some coins. Even a coin that is steel plated will probably null on the Sovereign due to the iron component (of stainless steel).

This is what I do know about the Sov GT...

1. It can handle heavy mineralised ground very well in AM mode and lesser mineralised ground in DISC mode....I have personally done these tests right here in Western Australia, which is famous for big nuggets and heavy mineralised ground to "protect" them. I have been informed from a well respected prospector that his GT handles the bad ground better than his Eureka Gold (specifically designed for gold prospecting)....obviously the ground balancing is far better with BBS than running at a few specific frequencies as is the case with the Eureka Gold VLF.

2. I can pick up 1 grammers about 6" off the top of heavy mineralised ground. When buried (not a perfect test)...depths are still about 4" deep in this type of ground. Again, nugget depth tests are subject to the influences of nugget shape, composition (silver or copper content can enhance detectivity) and of course ground conditions.

3. It is very sensitive on gold jewellery.

4. It loves our Aussie coins (especially the "goldies" our $1 and $2).
All our other coins (cupro-nickel)...sound great and are completely distinguishable from one another by the increasing tone and meter reading, from 5c..10c...20c...50c.

My honest opinion is that the GT is one of the most versatile and superior all round detectors available....can be used at the beach/parks/relics/gold hunting.

Hope this helps somewhat,
All the best,
Tony.

 

[Tony]

Willy...if you Google "Canadian Coin Composition" then it confirms what I suspected....Here's some of what is said:

Jun 30, 2004

RE: Canadian coin composition - All information cited is from this website - http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Canadian_dollar

Currently: 0.01 (penny): 94% steel, 1.5% nickel, 4.5% copper plating

Also, between 2000-2002, the Royal Canadian Mint altered the composition of its coins. Formerly 99% nickel in the case of silver-coloured coins and the loonie, and 98,4% zinc in the case of the penny, they are now plated steel...

 

[willy]

If it wasn't for all the magnetite in the soil here, I'd just drag a biga$$ magnet behind me. There are a few saving graces though. Because most detectors have thier ID's calibrated for US coins, other detectorists tend to leave more coins in the ground for Willy to find. The strange thing is, a lot of the larger (new) coins, like the 25c, $1, $2 coins, still ID up above zinc penny on a lot of detectors when not buried deeply in the ground I hunt. Bury that same coin down 3-5" and it might read as iron. Even silver coins buried 6' might read as iron. That's why having a detector with good low end resolution is needed here. ..Willy.

 

[Rick(ND)]

Willy,

I will agree on the newer Canadian coin the Sovereign is not the best as it hate iron which the newer Canadian dimes, quarters and nickles are or a composition using iron, but the pennies it has no problem with as I beleive they are copper. Now the older Canadian silver coins it has no problem with, just the newer coins after 1967 it seems.
We used to see a lot of Canadian hunters post some great finds with the Sovereign in many of the worked over area, but these were mostly the older coins.