GB question on the sov G T ... maybe abit confused??

[Mark ( ohio )]

Am I understanding the manual correctly...I could hunt in just disc without GB"ing the detector ( just set sens and threshold and disc ) and start hunting..... OR.. set it to all metal and choose fixed or track ( actually which one, does it matter?? ) and pump the coil till the threshold evens out..... then flip back to disc and begin to hunt...

Thanks again for any help.. Mark ( ohio )

 

[bootyhoundpa]

my understanding is that you do not have to ground balance if you will be hunting in disc mode....... i believe ground balance only works in all metal mode..... with machine in all metal and switch in track ,pump coil up and down a few times till tone evens out,switch back to fixed--this will hold the ground balance you just performed if unit stays in all metal mode......unlike many other detectors ground balance does not transfer over to disc mode..... if someone else can explain it better feel free...

 

[GunnarMN]

ground balance only works in fixed all metal , and is intended for use in very bad ground, that is ground so badd that your disq would null , over a good target, the fixed all metal can penitrate basalt rock very nice to find good targets your disriminat mode will not see. if your ground is good no need to hunt in fixed

 

[Critterhunter]

The discrimation mode doesn't use conventional ground balancing so nothing needs to be done when hunting in discriminate. Instead, the BBS multifrequency used in this mode compensates for the ground signal in a very unique way. From what I hear it takes a digital picture of the ground signal without a target present and then compares that to the signal with a target present. This is NOT a form of automatic ground balancing or "tracking" that other conventional detectors use. Those forms of ground balancing are a compromise in that it doesn't get as good of depth as a manual ground balance and may track out deep targets. A manual ground balance also doesn't do as well as what the Minelabs use. The unique form of ground "balancing" BBS (Sovereign/Excal) and FBS (Explorer/Etrac) machines use is very different. It's the reason why these machines will get deeper than conventional detectors, even in the worst of ground conditions that other detectors can't even function in. It's because the multifrequency is able to see through the ground minerals in a way that other detectors can't. This is why Minelabs get deeper and have more accurate target ID and discrimination at depth.

In the Sovereign's All Metal mode it uses conventional ground balancing like other detectors. In this mode you can either hunt in fixed or track modes. You'd only want to use tracking mode if the ground conditions are changing very fast as you hunt (going from dry to wet sand back and fourth on the beach, disturbed ground, etc). Most of the time you would want to use Fixed mode because it will provide greater depth than tracking. Tracking can track out a deep target as you continue to swing over it, and won't give you as good of depth as fixed. To set a fixed ground balance you'd switch to tracking and hunt around for a few minutes, then throwing it to fixed. The other method (which most people prefer) is to pump the coil up and down slowly in a CLEAN spot. When the threshold stays the same or very slightly increases as the coil approaches the ground then it's set properly and so you can now switch over to fixed. If you set it when the threshold very slightly increases as the coil approaches the ground this will set the ground balance slightly "hot", which will give you a little bit more depth. That's an old trick used on many detectors.

Traditional metal detectors (all except Minelabs) use one of three ways to set the ground balance. First is a preset factory ground balance that can't be changed. This won't give you the best depth. Second is "auto" or ground tracking which changes on it's own with changing ground conditions. This won't give you the best depth either. Third is a manual fixed ground balance that you set your self. This form is the best, but as said it's still not as good as what the Minelabs are using in discriminate mode. A regular ground balance you set works by setting up a filter to compensate for the ground signal. Targets then have to break through that filter in order to be heard, which means the worse the ground gets or the deeper the targets are the harder it is for them to break through that filter. That's why conventional metal detectors don't give as good of ID at depth or as good of discrimination on targets as Minelabs.

In a sense BBS and FBS works like auto ground tracking in that it's constantly "adapting" or "compensating" for changing ground conditions, but it's not the same thing. Auto tracking on other detectors is a compromise and will track out deep targets. It can also be thrown off by large targets. A fixed ground balance on other detectors is also not as good as what Minelab uses. As the ground conditions change a fixed ground balance isn't adapting. A Minelab doesn't need to adapt. It simply ignores the ground signal. As said, due to it's multifrequency Minelabs use a very unique way to ignore the ground signal that is unlike anything used by conventional detectors. This is part of what makes Minelabs special, and why they have a reputation for being able to go where no other metal detector can. Nothing else can handle as worse or diverse of ground conditions as a Minelab.

 

[Mark ( ohio )]

n/t

 

[deepdiger60]

Hey Mark this is the way i GB my SovGT very easy way to do it ,Hope this helps Jim

 

[Jacob-Denmark]

Okay to sum it up.

I Hunt with disc on, auto sens, threshold just audible, no need to gb?

The track, fixed, pinpoint only works in All metal?

And gb done in All metal does not transfer when switch to disc?

 

[Mark ( ohio )]

n/t