Everyone has different opinions , and they are ALL OK for what each individual's needs are ........My opinion my differ from others , but I see the E Trac as I have said in the past , as an EVOLVEMENT of the Soveriegn ....... The Sovereign is a great machine, and does VERY well for itself when you learn the various tricks to using it .....There is planty of tricks that need to be learned and other factors that need to be taken into account when running a Sovereign .... There is MORE to learn on the E Trac ....There are many more settings , and many more features that you will be dealing with on the E Trac .....It will take you MORE TIME to learn the E Trac , but once you do , you will be rewarded with a machine that will give up the goods in spades ...... There is NOTHING that the Sovereign can do that the E Trac can't do .....but there are MANY things that the E Trac can do that the Sovereign CAN'T do ..... I originally thought that I would have more "Hands On " with the Soveriegn , and that I could adjust things on the fly as the controls were right there in front of me ......This was completely TRUE !!!.....What I did NOT expect , was the fact that once I learned the E Trac , that I DIDN'T have to do any adjusting !!!.....It was more like a SET IT and FORGET IT machine .... The time I spent fiddling with the knobs on the Sovereign , to get a target to sound good , or to check the target , and the "wiggle " I had to do what I call the "Sovereign Rituals " , I acutally spent MORE time dealing with the Soveriegn than I did with the E Trac when finding and ID'ing targets ......In the beginning the E Trac is intimidating , but with the help of others, and with patience , experience, and LEARNING THE MACHINE which you have to do with ANY machine , you will truely be rewared with a SET IT and FORGET iT machine ....If you let the E Trac overwhelm you , it can do that very easily .....If you learn the functions and what they do, and what combinations to use for your conditions, it's a great , and easy machine to run ...... There are targets , and locations of hunting that are easy with either machine , and some claim better depth with each machine and better ID'ing of targets ......i have had both machines , and I can tell you from EXPERIENCE , that the E Trac when learned , is a far superiour machine .....Yes , it's twice the price , but if you are serous about detecting , and your time is as valuable to you as it is with me , the E Trac is a bargain ....Jim
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Considering Sovereign GT
- Thread starter Tony in FL
- Start date
Tony in FL
Member
dbsmokey said:
Hi - with respect to the boots I pulled this link from another thread:
http://www.dixie-metal-detectors.com/dmd-cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=84_113&products_id=492
Jim--You have almost convinced me to buy an ETRAC. Almost. The thing that I liked the most about the SOV GT from the get-go was the simplicity of operation and no screens to tweak. After reading posts on this forum and others, I decided to buy one and everything that was said about it I MOSTLY found to be true. At that time I was comparing the GT to the Explorer1. To me it looked like Minelab had the game figured out, and as an old 1980's hunter getting back into the game, the GT was the one more appealing to me. No screens to squint at and no programs to tweak ,no formulas to remember and no buttons to push. With a minimal amount of dial- in the GT was ready to hunt anywhere and would produce good finds if there were good finds to be found. What I learned from this forum and from the old SOV hunters posting back when I was just beginning to understand the GT, was that good hunting techniques, especially hunting techniques related directly to the GT were just as important as any tweaking I could do to the GT itself. So I started working hard on how I hunted with it. You might call it working on the basics. Like concentrating on keeping the coil on the ground, concentrating on swing speed, concentrating on locking on to good targets , identifying bad targets, target evaluation, sizing, etc., etc.I didn't worry about depth and I didn't look at numbers. The question was--is it a good tone. Then I started playing with A/M. I'm sure all old SOV hunters will know what I am talking about. Eventually I added the accessories that I felt I needed to enhance my GT hunting techniques. A meter, an inline probe, a variety of coils from 5in, 8in, 10in, 14 in, better rods and mountings options and, covers. A got some hunting advantage from every accessory I bought for my GT. But I did find that the meter was a pain to use in bright sun and for me to see anytime because of the small numbers.. I think I paid $130 for it and now they are almost $300. And when hooked up with all the other cables was a nightmare to clear off for beach hunting.
I think a good point has been made on the costs comparison. and I believe the ETRAC will give you more bang for the buck. But when you start adding accessories to the ETRAC, especially at today's prices, the cost is really up there. Having said that, I think you are getting what I would consider enhanced technology with the newer ETRAC. The whole concept of multiple screen tweaking still does not appeal to me and the viewing size has not improved. Miniaturization for old eyes does not work. I am looking for a newer detector with enhancements that the GT does not provide. I like the idea of an ACCURATE depth readout (is that possible?). Not that you can't gauge depth with the SOV, you can, but I'm talking accurate. I certainly like the looks of the TEC G2 screen. It looks really big and readable and a couple arrow pads to set options, make it look good for me. But is it a coin hunter?
But this is A SOV/EXCAL Forum so lets stick to it. For newbies that want to learn the SOV, my advice is to stop worrying about the mechanics of it and start working on the basics of it. Oh--and when you get it all down pat and you still haven't found any gold coins, maybe there are no gold coins where you hunt.. I'm still looking for a gold coin. The GT hasI pretty much satisfied all my other detector goals. Hey Crazyman give me some help here. No , don't tell me to turn iron mask off. HH .
Don.
I think a good point has been made on the costs comparison. and I believe the ETRAC will give you more bang for the buck. But when you start adding accessories to the ETRAC, especially at today's prices, the cost is really up there. Having said that, I think you are getting what I would consider enhanced technology with the newer ETRAC. The whole concept of multiple screen tweaking still does not appeal to me and the viewing size has not improved. Miniaturization for old eyes does not work. I am looking for a newer detector with enhancements that the GT does not provide. I like the idea of an ACCURATE depth readout (is that possible?). Not that you can't gauge depth with the SOV, you can, but I'm talking accurate. I certainly like the looks of the TEC G2 screen. It looks really big and readable and a couple arrow pads to set options, make it look good for me. But is it a coin hunter?
But this is A SOV/EXCAL Forum so lets stick to it. For newbies that want to learn the SOV, my advice is to stop worrying about the mechanics of it and start working on the basics of it. Oh--and when you get it all down pat and you still haven't found any gold coins, maybe there are no gold coins where you hunt.. I'm still looking for a gold coin. The GT hasI pretty much satisfied all my other detector goals. Hey Crazyman give me some help here. No , don't tell me to turn iron mask off. HH .
Don.Don,
I bought my Sovereign when I had an E Trac ....I too wanted more "hands on" with the controls without any dealing with menus .......What REALLY surprised me was that once I set my E Trac up for the area I was hunting ( beach , park , tot lot , etc ) and I saved a preset for that area , all I had to do was load the program for the area that I was hunting , and the only other button I had to push every now and then was the Quick Mask button to double check targets .....That's it !!!...... With the Sovereign I was turning every dial on the machine to try to check targets , and I was guessing and hoping more than actual knowing what the target was ......The masking is a HUGE DEAL when comparing on both machines ....The number ID'ing on the E Trac is also far superior to the Sovereign also, but you can also go by tone alone .....and have your choice of how many tones you want ........ I agree ...It is a Soveriegn forum , but the poster made reference to an ETrac and I gave him what advise that I could for the question he asked ..... i would do the same if he asked me about a specific coil if that coil is what I used ...... Variety is the spice of life .....i'm glad that you like your Soveriegn ....I will be looking into an Excal tomorrrow so I'm not against the Sovereign/ Excal , but if they made a waterproof E Trac , which one do you think I would buy ? .......Thanks, Jim
I bought my Sovereign when I had an E Trac ....I too wanted more "hands on" with the controls without any dealing with menus .......What REALLY surprised me was that once I set my E Trac up for the area I was hunting ( beach , park , tot lot , etc ) and I saved a preset for that area , all I had to do was load the program for the area that I was hunting , and the only other button I had to push every now and then was the Quick Mask button to double check targets .....That's it !!!...... With the Sovereign I was turning every dial on the machine to try to check targets , and I was guessing and hoping more than actual knowing what the target was ......The masking is a HUGE DEAL when comparing on both machines ....The number ID'ing on the E Trac is also far superior to the Sovereign also, but you can also go by tone alone .....and have your choice of how many tones you want ........ I agree ...It is a Soveriegn forum , but the poster made reference to an ETrac and I gave him what advise that I could for the question he asked ..... i would do the same if he asked me about a specific coil if that coil is what I used ...... Variety is the spice of life .....i'm glad that you like your Soveriegn ....I will be looking into an Excal tomorrrow so I'm not against the Sovereign/ Excal , but if they made a waterproof E Trac , which one do you think I would buy ? .......Thanks, Jim
Critterhunter
New member
I know of quite a few people who have sold their Etrac's or SE's and went back to the Sovereign or to a T2, F75, or Omega and claim better performance *in their soil*, so don't take it as gospil that the Etrac or SE is the answer to all problems and hunting areas. I know my FBS machines (Explorers) do not get as good of depth in my soil than my GT. I attribute that to perhaps the higher/more frequencies of FBS machines (much higher than what is needed for good gold sensitivity IMO) reflecting off the ground minerals in my soil. They could only manage as good of depth as my deepest other machine (QXT Pro), and the ID was far less good, both due to my Explorers having more trouble with my soil and also too high of target resolution, making ID at depth or in rough ground iffy at best.
I bought my GT used with the Digisearch meter for either $550 or $650, I believe. Either way, they usually come standard with a rechargable pack, regular battery holder, and a weatherproof chest/hip mount that can be put on the box while it's mounted on the shaft. It's designed to do that and will really help keep things dry. On the other hand, I've hunted with my GT in the rain with no issues, but I do have the rubber half boots (military grade from Dixie) on my switches. A used GT with meter can be had for about $550 to $650. Or, if you want a new GT then you can buy that, buy a used meter for about $50 to $70, and still be much cheaper than an Etrac new. In fact, a used Etrac will still probably cost you $100 to $200 more than a GT, meter, and a 2 or 3 coils, so long as you buy some of that stuff used.
My logic was this....Nothing left to try out there for the most part (owned almost all of them), and I for sure wasn't going to give the Explorer a fourth chance. So I figured I'd buy a used GT with used accessories (coils/meter), and then if I want to try an Etrac, T2, F75, or Omega (and perhaps a G2) down the road, I could get my money back out of the GT. These Sovereigns tend to hold their re-sale value better than most machines. Better than my Whites did for sure.
I bought my GT used with the Digisearch meter for either $550 or $650, I believe. Either way, they usually come standard with a rechargable pack, regular battery holder, and a weatherproof chest/hip mount that can be put on the box while it's mounted on the shaft. It's designed to do that and will really help keep things dry. On the other hand, I've hunted with my GT in the rain with no issues, but I do have the rubber half boots (military grade from Dixie) on my switches. A used GT with meter can be had for about $550 to $650. Or, if you want a new GT then you can buy that, buy a used meter for about $50 to $70, and still be much cheaper than an Etrac new. In fact, a used Etrac will still probably cost you $100 to $200 more than a GT, meter, and a 2 or 3 coils, so long as you buy some of that stuff used.
My logic was this....Nothing left to try out there for the most part (owned almost all of them), and I for sure wasn't going to give the Explorer a fourth chance. So I figured I'd buy a used GT with used accessories (coils/meter), and then if I want to try an Etrac, T2, F75, or Omega (and perhaps a G2) down the road, I could get my money back out of the GT. These Sovereigns tend to hold their re-sale value better than most machines. Better than my Whites did for sure.
I am getting progressively frustrated with the Sovereign. It does not handle well in the mineralized soil here. EMI has been a problem. When using Sovereigns around Etracs, interference is also a pain. I am tired of the cords hanging about, tired of the stupid V clip mounting system and tired of having to hip mount, else the detector is too heavy. I am also frustrated I have to spend, at minimum, $25 more to get boot covers, that will spare the detector from certain ruin. Those boots OUGHT to be stock with the machine, since they are so important. So should a vclip be stock, since they are required to add a meter or sunray pinpointer. It might get better for me, but at this point I wish I would have saved for an etrac.
You can set up the Sov as light as possible by using a Tamrac 517 telephoto camera bag on a 2" belt. See Joe Patrick's meter mod (if you want a meter), it's inside the speaker grill and the camera bag is waterproof. It only takes me a minute to be ready to hunt.
[attachment 178576 GTMeterMod004LargeWebview.jpg]
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[attachment 178576 GTMeterMod004LargeWebview.jpg]
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I feel the pain, and your frustration buddy. Mineralization is something I never have to contend with. Trash loaded ground, yes. EMI, yes. I have had the EMI problem but only when I got close to power lines with my 14in coil. I have had interference from Explorers when hunting with friends using them. I switched freq and the problem went away or they fixed the problem.. When you say mineralization what are you talking about?? Did ETRAC users have the same problem . Lay it out for us and maybe someone has an answer for you and can solve your problem. Believe me if it can be solved someone here will do it for you. Don.
There are MANY machines out there that can go plenty deep ....You could buy an F75 LTD and go MUCH deepter than a Sovereign or an E Trac .....If you're not hunting anywhere near a beach , it's a great land machine .....The Omega 8000 is another great machine , but you won't hunt the beach with that one either ...... There are MANY great land machines , but the problem is that they will NOT hunt the beach .... Deeper water machines than the E Trac ? ....Sure !!.....You can go with a PI machine , and you can dig everything because there is no discrimination ...... Cheaper machines ? Sure , but none that can compare to the E Trac on land and on the beach .... Ligher machines ? .....Plenty of them , but my E Trac is just as light when hooked up to a Swingy Thingy ....... There are PLENTY of machines that will better the E Trac and also better the Sovereign for less money , but NONE of them will do it ALL as well as an E Trac , and NO not even a Soveriegn ...... The Soveregn is a wonderful machine , and it does what it does very well , and if you are happy with the Soverign , by all means keep using it and be happy doing so .... and if you're happy not having to spend more money on an E Trac , then by all means this is the machine for you .....and if you can make it lighter than an E Trac by taking it apart and hip mounting it , or chest mounting it , by all means go for it ...... I bought one after owning an E Trac for al lths same reasons listed here .......There was one problem after all was said and done ....The E Trac is STILL far and away the better machine, and I don't care how you dress up or down your Soveriegn ..... How light or heavy you make it , or how many coils you buy for it .....
Jim. Your statements implying that no detector can compare to the ETRAC on the beach and in water is, how should I put this, I'll be nice----------------------------------- a stretch . I don't want any misunderstandings here--that's what you were saying wasn't it? Correct me if I got it wrong. If I have it wrong just disregard the remainder of my post.
I look at postings on the Beach and Water Forum a lot and I don't see many posts glorifying the ETRAC as a beach or as a water detector. I can only assume that you are just stirring the water and kicking sand to get this forums attention. I can't talk about the ETRAC as a beach/water detector because I have never used one on the beach or in the water. I did use an EXCAL one summer (three times a week for three months) in the water, sometimes in the surf up to my chest and I have of course used my GT in the wet/dry sand for almost five years. Both performed well and I would put them up against an ETRAC on any beach on any coast. I live in an area with a lot of beach hunters and I don't see any ETRACs on my local beaches or in the water. Maybe the ETRAC users in this area just haven't realized the full potential of that great detector. I do see a lot of EXCAL users. I personally use a Whites Beach Hunter ID (forgive me for not going with a Minelab) and I know some who use PI's. I know they sell ETRACs in Florida but I don't see many. My personal opinion is that anyone who purchases an ETRAC to use as a water detector must be , Ill be nice,again---mentally challenged.
I won't make any comments about beach hunting in the wet or dry sand with other detectors but I will give a big boost to the GT in that area. In the water it is a whole different game. I wouldn't tout any detector over another . Yes there are many who think the EXCAL is the best one going and I won't dispute that but I like my BHID for a number of reasons. So how to judge which is the better water detector? I don't. When I get a beep on my BHID and one of the lights shows blue (if the waves aren't breaking, so I can see the lights), I know I have something worth digging out of the bottom sand or if I'm in a river, out of the muck. You want to talk detector advantages in the water? I think touting one detector over another for in water use is a waste of time.
Lets talk about scoops and recovery methods and headphones that will be comfortable when it's 90 plus degrees and the humidity is the same, and when the waves are knocking me down and the rip is just ahead and a jellyfish just stung my leg and the damn bottom feeders are nibbling at my legs and is that shadow out there a shark? I actually got knocked down last summer with what I believe to be a big redfish because it didn't bite me only knocked me over and scraped my leg. If there are those who think the ETRAC would be somehow superior under those conditions -- signal better, sweep better, Disc better, do anything better? Well, I'll be nice again and just give them a smile. Actually what would really be the better water detector would be one that had a rod and coil that you could plant in the bottom and that would be strong enough to climb up on to get out of the water when the unfriendlys come around. Like I said before , this forum can be both entertaining and educational. Don.
I look at postings on the Beach and Water Forum a lot and I don't see many posts glorifying the ETRAC as a beach or as a water detector. I can only assume that you are just stirring the water and kicking sand to get this forums attention. I can't talk about the ETRAC as a beach/water detector because I have never used one on the beach or in the water. I did use an EXCAL one summer (three times a week for three months) in the water, sometimes in the surf up to my chest and I have of course used my GT in the wet/dry sand for almost five years. Both performed well and I would put them up against an ETRAC on any beach on any coast. I live in an area with a lot of beach hunters and I don't see any ETRACs on my local beaches or in the water. Maybe the ETRAC users in this area just haven't realized the full potential of that great detector. I do see a lot of EXCAL users. I personally use a Whites Beach Hunter ID (forgive me for not going with a Minelab) and I know some who use PI's. I know they sell ETRACs in Florida but I don't see many. My personal opinion is that anyone who purchases an ETRAC to use as a water detector must be , Ill be nice,again---mentally challenged.
I won't make any comments about beach hunting in the wet or dry sand with other detectors but I will give a big boost to the GT in that area. In the water it is a whole different game. I wouldn't tout any detector over another . Yes there are many who think the EXCAL is the best one going and I won't dispute that but I like my BHID for a number of reasons. So how to judge which is the better water detector? I don't. When I get a beep on my BHID and one of the lights shows blue (if the waves aren't breaking, so I can see the lights), I know I have something worth digging out of the bottom sand or if I'm in a river, out of the muck. You want to talk detector advantages in the water? I think touting one detector over another for in water use is a waste of time.
Lets talk about scoops and recovery methods and headphones that will be comfortable when it's 90 plus degrees and the humidity is the same, and when the waves are knocking me down and the rip is just ahead and a jellyfish just stung my leg and the damn bottom feeders are nibbling at my legs and is that shadow out there a shark? I actually got knocked down last summer with what I believe to be a big redfish because it didn't bite me only knocked me over and scraped my leg. If there are those who think the ETRAC would be somehow superior under those conditions -- signal better, sweep better, Disc better, do anything better? Well, I'll be nice again and just give them a
smile. Actually what would really be the better water detector would be one that had a rod and coil that you could plant in the bottom and that would be strong enough to climb up on to get out of the water when the unfriendlys come around. Like I said before , this forum can be both entertaining and educational. Don."Jim. Your statements implying that no detector can compare to the ETRAC on the beach and in water is, how should I put this, I'll be nice----------------------------------- a stretch . I don't want any misunderstandings here--that's what you were saying wasn't it? Correct me if I got it wrong. If I have it wrong just disregard the remainder of my post."
Don,
What I was implying was the fact that the E Trac as a DO IT ALL machine ....No machine can do what the E Trac does as a DO IT ALL machine as well as the E Trac can ..... There are other land machines that can go deeper on land , but they can't do the wet sand ......There are water machines that can go deeper and be fully submerged but they can't ID ....There are other machines that are lighter, less than 1/2 the weight, but can't do 1/2 what the E Trac can do ......There are other machines that are far less expensive, and you get what you pay for ......If you take all the various machines out there , and take their strong suits , there are PLENTY of them out there that can top the E Trac on CERTAIN functions ......The F75 on land is DEEPER .....The Omega 8000 is LIGHTER ......The Whites Dual Field PI can go deeper and is more waterproof as a water machine ....... The G2 is better on small gold ........EVERY Tesoro is cheaper and lighter ......The list goes on and on
Show me one machine that you can go to the beach and hunt wet sand effectively, and then take it from the beach , and drive to a park and find DEEP Silver and ID the targets effectively .....The only other machines that can do this are the Sovereign and the Excal .....The Excal can be fully submerged in water , but like the Sovereign , will not handle masking, nor will it ID in ALL METAL , nor does it have but 1/3 the features , nor will it ID as well as the E Trac ....You cannot change coils unless you modify the Excal either ........BOTH the Excal and the Sovereign users will have to go thru what I call "The Sovereign Rituals" to identify their target ......
For an ALL AROUND MACHINE ( jack of all trades, master of none ) the E Trac is a clear winner .... If there is a machine out there , that can do everything that the E Trac can do, and do it BETTER , please show it to me , and you can prove it to me , I'll buy it !!......Jim
BTW,
Just so you know .....To avoild going thru the hassle of building a water tight Sovereign , I just purchased an Excal ...... When they come out with a waterproof E Trac , guess who will be first on the list ? ....
Don,
What I was implying was the fact that the E Trac as a DO IT ALL machine ....No machine can do what the E Trac does as a DO IT ALL machine as well as the E Trac can ..... There are other land machines that can go deeper on land , but they can't do the wet sand ......There are water machines that can go deeper and be fully submerged but they can't ID ....There are other machines that are lighter, less than 1/2 the weight, but can't do 1/2 what the E Trac can do ......There are other machines that are far less expensive, and you get what you pay for ......If you take all the various machines out there , and take their strong suits , there are PLENTY of them out there that can top the E Trac on CERTAIN functions ......The F75 on land is DEEPER .....The Omega 8000 is LIGHTER ......The Whites Dual Field PI can go deeper and is more waterproof as a water machine ....... The G2 is better on small gold ........EVERY Tesoro is cheaper and lighter ......The list goes on and on
Show me one machine that you can go to the beach and hunt wet sand effectively, and then take it from the beach , and drive to a park and find DEEP Silver and ID the targets effectively .....The only other machines that can do this are the Sovereign and the Excal .....The Excal can be fully submerged in water , but like the Sovereign , will not handle masking, nor will it ID in ALL METAL , nor does it have but 1/3 the features , nor will it ID as well as the E Trac ....You cannot change coils unless you modify the Excal either ........BOTH the Excal and the Sovereign users will have to go thru what I call "The Sovereign Rituals" to identify their target ......
For an ALL AROUND MACHINE ( jack of all trades, master of none ) the E Trac is a clear winner .... If there is a machine out there , that can do everything that the E Trac can do, and do it BETTER , please show it to me , and you can prove it to me , I'll buy it !!......Jim
BTW,
Just so you know .....To avoild going thru the hassle of building a water tight Sovereign , I just purchased an Excal ...... When they come out with a waterproof E Trac , guess who will be first on the list ? ....
Tony in FL
Member
First I wanted to thank everyone for the valuable suggestions and comments to my original post. As I had stated my Excliabur 2 is being repaired by Minelab. Luckily I contacted them just before my warranty ran dry so the repair is on their dime. I have been pondering what to do since I don't want to risk being without a machine for a few months. Call me crazy but I decided to pull the trigger on a second Excalibur 2. The price was simply too good to pass up and I love to hunt in the water.
I will also likely be purchasing an E-Trac at some point in the future. It seems like the E-Trac adds some discrimination and unmaking capabilities that are pretty unreal. Since I already have an Excalibur 2 (and now make that two Excalibur 2's) buying a Sovereign at this point seems a bit redundant as the they are very close to one another with respect to capability. I will likely sell one of my Excalibur 2's down the road.
I will also likely be purchasing an E-Trac at some point in the future. It seems like the E-Trac adds some discrimination and unmaking capabilities that are pretty unreal. Since I already have an Excalibur 2 (and now make that two Excalibur 2's) buying a Sovereign at this point seems a bit redundant as the they are very close to one another with respect to capability. I will likely sell one of my Excalibur 2's down the road.
