Having fun with my GT

[Tony N (Michigan)]

I went to the play area in the community I live in to try my new GT around the office.

I found plenty of nickels which is a real good sign that jewelry is not far behind. The nickels seem to give a much more robust round sound rather than the aluminum but right now I have to pretty much dig it all until I figure the sounds without my meter.

I can't wait to take this machine into some of the old places I've been to and see what I've been missing.

 

[Rick(ND)]

The first year with my Sovereign XS I was digging so many nickles I couldn't believe it, I think it was because everyone was disc them out because of the pull tabs. I got more nickles than I did dimes the first year with the Sovereign. Now when you get the meter back from Minelab and get to use it more I find freq 2 works the best and you will see on freq 1 the nickles will read with a higher number than we post on the forums. In freq 2 the nickles will read like the older Sovereigns with number 143-145 and in freq 1 they will read 146-148 range. Now some of the war nickles will read different on the meter with them reading all the way to 151, but they still seem to have the same tones, so once you know the tones I think you will see more war nickles even though the meter will read higher. Now on some of the V nickles that are real deep these number will read lower and it is rare to see low numbers for me, but I have seen a couple read all the way down to 139, but had that nickle tone to them.
My record for nickles was 167 in one day and feel it was a place them throw coins for the kids at and those that have detected this spot afterwards rejected the pull tabs for years as they were from 1/2 deep to 4 inches deep.
Good luck with the GT without the meter as many do use it this way as it will with getting to know the tones too as you will dig more plus you may even find some gold too as you wont be dependent on the meter.

 

[Tony N (Michigan)]

Rick, thanks again for the hint concerning freq 2!

I have a question, do you notice even a little less depth using the meter since there is now the longer line from the meter to the box added into the equation? Or is there no depth loss at all?

Also, do you have any opinion on lessening the length of the chord going from the coil to the meter? Do you notice any better depth?

The Explorers all have just enough chord going from the coil to the box and was wondering if this should be the case for the Sov too?

 

[adam in cal]

Good to hear it, you will perhaps learn more without that meter for awhile anyhow, The nickles are very distinct sounding and you will peg those out even with tons of canfetti around, I occasionally hear a aluminium silver that fools me into thinking I have a nickel but it rare, when you think it sounds like a nickel it almost always is. The sovereign is so hot on the nickles plus I think people usually run to high of a disc setting and tend to miss the nickels,I once found 27 nickles in a supposedly ''hammered'' site and three of those were War nickles .....The thing is a super machine and once you get to your comfort level it is hard to beat.......I try other machines from time to time , but I cant ever achieve the comfort level of the sovereign, if its there I feel fairly confident the sov. will sniff it out ........ good work Tony , and I wish you many golden days in the near future ..................

 

[Tony N (Michigan)]

It truly means alot to me! So often we meet with discouragement from different people in this life that like to hammer us down, and then someone comes along and says a kind word to pick us up. I appreciate what you wrote!

I'm still waiting for that first really deep coin to find so I will know what to really listen for. I'm sure that will come with time. For now I am investigating deep hits but no coins yet.

 

[Rick(ND)]

Tony,

To tell you the truth I never used my Sovereign without a meter so I cant say if it will affect the depth. I get plenty of depth with the meter on and find it helps me ID more accurately. Cutting the coil wire down helped me I feel on my 8 inch Coinsearch coil I and never tried any other coil with the cable cut down on. The 8 inch Sun Ray coil can be ordered with the shorter cable and those I have used and they worked great for me and don't know how much difference the longer cable coils were. One thing I feel is that the difference may only be noticed when you know your Sovereign well as it is just a slight advantage that will help a little.

Now you want some deeper coins and want to know what they sound like?? Here is something to try if you have a old area where you feel there can be some of the real deep targets at and where people have been that could lose some of the coins. If you haven't read it yet I will mention it again, you can not go too slow with the Sovereign, but can go too fast very easy. What this means is the real deep one may be very weak as they are deep and the circuitry may not have time to respond to a deep one before it is past the coil. By going real slow and that maybe only moving the coil a foot in 5 seconds while listening close to any tone changes and then trying to get that tone change to repeat by doing the slight wiggle over just the target which is less than a inch at times. These are one you want to check out, the tone is trying to climb and may not make it to the correct tones, but sure trying. If these are deep and the area old chance are it is not new trash.You can not run silent search or sensitivity in auto or you will never hear them. The Sovereign when going slow enough will see these deep ones. Some like was said above may null a little too being they are so deep,but they also will repeat too.
I was always going to tell many if you feel there is deep coins close to a place where people have been is to stand in one place and just move the coil slow and easy for 5-10 minutes without moving and see what you can get for signals. I learned this my accident when i was forced around a tree in a park as I was in the way for Frisbee golf. I just kept swinging the coil and got slower and slower while waiting and heard a faint tone change and dug a old wheatie, went around that tree just barely moving and got 5 more Wheaties, a IH penny and a merc dime all going real slow and listening close. It took me a good half hour to go around a 3 foot tree. I had a guy try one in this park too around a tree and he got nothing untill I told him he had to take a half hour to go around it so go real slow and take you time and listen. He got several Wheaties and a silver rosie if I remember right. The problem was he was going too fast even though he was going slow it was too fast to hear the deep ones.

 

[Tony N (Michigan)]

Thanks for the tip, Rick.

I understand what you say about going slow. If I can get out tomorrow I will have to do the slow thing.

I'm curious, have you ever had one of those deep hits that was just barely coming in on the Sovereign and then go to the Explorer to see it it would see it as good or better or worse?

Tony

 

[w6pea]

Tony

I think you stated that you had one of Clive Cynicks books. I would sit down and read it again and again until it falls apart. He gives a lot of good information.

Enjoy you new Sovereign Gt. I do mine.

 

[Tony N (Michigan)]

n/t

 

[funkyoldude]

Hi Tony:
I vote "No" on shortening the coil cord. If you are using a new Minelab coil, (i.e. Tornado et al), they have a built-in pre-amp that boosts the signal before it's sent to the control unit. Shortening the cord will not decrease the resistance significantly to reduce the received signal level.
The meter uses the coil cord to get DC power, and does not use the receive signal, but actually works off a separate DC signal voltage sent from the Control unit, probably derived from the same voltage that makes the tone go up and down in your headphones. (I assume you are using headphones, and not hunting with the speaker).
Some Sov hunters claim that shortening the coil cuts down interference, but if you are new to the Sov, I would suggest that you dig a few thousand targets before you start modifying or trying different coils.
Just my very humble opinion.
Good Hunting

fod

 

[Tony N (Michigan)]

Got out this morning and only used the Sov GT.
This detector is definately different from my Explorer.
I feel kind of blind without a meter. I have used detectors that didn't have meters though so I know what it's like.

I need to get one of those red-tipped canes till I get my meter from Minelab.

Two guys were driving by from a detecting club and stopped to chat. They weren't very impressed with all the trash I was digging but, well, that's what I gotta do till I learn this animal. And it is what I gotta do to find any gold ring too. One guy had an White's xlt and the other had a real old 6volt model Whites that came out before the XLT. They too said there wasn't much silver around anymore to find.
Maybe if I master this Sov there will be silver again? Will see. So far no go.

One thing that did amaze me is that this Sov will blow my ears off on pennies down 6 or so inches. When I hit them I think they are near the surface.

 

[w6pea]

I never thought of that glad I didn't shorten the cable on mine.

 

[w6pea]

I don't want you to think I'm trying to tell you what to do. But can I suggest use your Gt without the meter until you get used to the sounds. then put the meter back on it. I have one on my GT and it seems to be usless to me on the beach. Sometimes I wish I would have not gotten it.

 

[Tony N (Michigan)]

Hi w6pea,
Thanks for the tip. I can understand why one would definitely not want to use a meter on a beach and go only by sounds.

As it is, I can only go by sounds since I have no meter.
Pulled out a nice little silver ring yesterday and a wheatie from a small park.

Tony

A hit, back in 1611*,
You'd find it in every motel--
"How to be Happy in Heaven
While Your Children are Burning in 'Hell'"

*King James Version

 

[Tony N (Michigan)]

n/t

 

[w6pea]

Tony
Now that you have it in your hands, take it and put in your porcelain palace every time you are going to be in there READand every-time you have a chance read it. Read it until it falls apart.