HELP... took to sov out today and I am CONFUSED!

[nc-joe]

Spent about 2 1/2 hours at a "hunted out" site. I got several good signal, but the only thing that came up where square nails? checked, rechecked and checked again, no other signals from the holes. After the nails were retrieved, I put them on the ground and scanned them, no signal.

After about an hour, I did a test. I took a fresh dug square nail and put it 3 inches from a quarter, I could not get a signal on the quarter. I thought the 17 frequencies were to help find good target near iron.

I tried several different setting, including "iron mask" and "normal" It made no difference. I also know there are a ton of pull tabs at this site, but even with the DISC and NOTCH turned completely counter clock wise, I did not dig a single pull tab.

What is going on?

 

[adam in cal]

before you dug the nails did you check the signal in All Metal mode?? had you done that I think you would have had a clue that perhaps they were iron nails, deeper square nails do sometimes (often) give a good response and a decent meter reading as well, I dig my share of square nails and it does totally suck. And the quarter next to the nail will just null out and you will get zip from the quarter. There is nothing wrong with you or the machine. The sovereign hates iron and it is very tough to hunt iron infested sites with the sovereign. If you click real quick into all metal the nails will squeal and you can then tell its a nail.........the quarter close to the nail probally would give some kind of audio response if you sweep super slow and from various angles, sounds like you had a crummy day (A thing I know al too well). .....It will be better next time ....................A

 

[Rick(ND)]

First thing I feel is not going to well worked out sites until you understand the Sovereign a little more. If you went to some newer areas where there is coins not so deep it may make it easier to understand. If you are after deeper target you will be fooled a little, but much less than most other detectors. If you don't dig some of the iffy ones you will not get as many good targets either. As you use the Sovereign a bit you will learn a few tricks to tell the good from the bad, like a alum can may sound good, but if you lift the coil up you will see the signal sounds the same, but a coin it will get weaker as it is smaller.
Now on the nail and the quarter it must be nulling out right?? You know it don't have time to see the quarter so I feel you are swinging the coil too fast over it or the nail is very big. I test all my detectors out like this on my bar floor full of nails as I will find one in all metal, then place a coin on top and then right beside the nail in the floor and see if I can get it. The Sovereign will give a slight tone change to know it seen something good if you are going slow enough, then I just move the coil over just that area back and forth over just that target and it will see it just fine.
It takes some time and some practice to get to know the Sovereign for some and I found I too started in a well worked area and as soon as I went to a newer area where wasn't so worked over is when I learned a lot and when back to those well worked areas and did very well.

Rick

 

[joecoin]

Rick, when you do that nail test, after you first find the floor nail in all metal, are you switching to DISC, or staying in all metal?

Also, when you get a tone change, what is the change?

Louder or softer volume or no change?

Higher pitched or lower pitched or no change?

Smoother or more broken or no change?

Thanks,

joe

 

[Rick(ND)]

I switch to disc after I get the nail, then I will put the coin on top of where it is the loudest and sometime to one side of it. Without the coin it just nulls and when I put the coin on top of it I swing over it a little faster and it just nulls, but then I slow down and I hear the null than a positive tone signal. Now when I go over just that Small area and start to wiggle the coil back and forth trying to only get the positive signal the tones and meter readings will start climbing to a good one of 179-180 maybe only for a split second, but enough to let me know there is a target there that is good. The shallow the target is the louder it will be while when it gets deep the volume will not be as loud. That is another thing with the volume control on the Sovereign as some will say it makes no difference, but this is a target volume control not a threshold volume control so it is recommended to run max if you want the deep ones. When the target is deeper is when the signal will be weak and small and by doing the wiggle of the coil the tones and numbers will be trying to climb, but may not make it to a good one, but as long as it is climbing and not locking on I will dig as these are good target on the very edge of detection depth.

 

[joecoin]

Okay, once again, thanks for the explanation.

 

[plugger]

sometimes a "halo" developes around a rusted iron object and it will sound good, until you "bust" the halo, and then, the signal will disappear. Sqaure nails tells me that you are in an older area and even though the good targets will be few and far between (they didn't have alot of money & jewelry to lose), it's worth the effort to hunt the heck out of the site. Like Rick is explaining, I have found lots of good targets by just leaning on my coil to stand back up after recovering a different target. While pushing down on the rod, the coil would move a little bit and I would get a little bit of a good signal, I'd start working that spot and as I removed the top soil, the signal would start to climb and I have found dimes that were so deep (10" or more) that I would never have heard it at my normal sweep speed. Slow down and get that coil in the dirt, the less air the better. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! HH!

plugger

 

[nc-joe]

This is an older church site. It was built in 1900, and I have cleaned the coins that were in the first 6 inches and not near any nails, with my White's. I got the Sovereign because if there is a nail anywhere near a coin, you will not find the coin with a White's. And since the church as caught fire twice and been remodled twice, there are alot of nails in the yard. I have pulled coins form 1864 to 1995 from this site and I know there are many, many more, they're just next to, or under the nails.

 

[nc-joe]

After digging 4 more square nails today, I decided to retreat from the yard and off into the woods. I found where the picnic grove used to be. I only dug about 10 targets, 3 of which were coins. a 1958 wheatie, 1961-D memorial and a 1946 nickel.

It's gonna take some work, but I will get this thing figured out.

And it didn't take me long to figure out I need a straight shaft. Ordered one this evening.

There is just no good way to hold the S shaft.

 

[adam in cal]

n/t

 

[nc-joe]

The original Sov. with an 8 inch coinsearch coil and bar meter.

 

[adam in cal]

are running it with the Iron mask switched ON .......That picture of the church looks like a great spot ......I think if you go super slow and stick with it some more goodies may show up for ya...take care ......