My new 49 Dollar GT.

[crazyman]

A guy on the big E had this GT control box for a buy it now price of 49 bucks. He didn't have a battery pack or a coil to test it so he didn't know if it even worked or not but said he would refund the money if it didn't work. I put my Elite battery pack in it and hooked up one of my extra Sovereign coils and it works great. Tested it in my test garden with no problems. I have extra coils and rods so I just need to get a GT battery pack for it.

 

[Critterhunter]

That's one heck of a deal! It even looks brand new. I always wondered how people could seperate stuff like that. I figure it gets lost while moving or the wife throws out the rest of the stuff and nothing is left but the box. From what I've heard from people who've owned prior Sovereign models you are going to love the GT. A bit deeper and more sensitive. Also said to lock onto deep coins solid without the "climbing number" thing that can't quite make it to 180 some times. In my testing thus far so long as I can hear it the meter says 180, even if the audio is very fringe.

 

[crazyman]

Critter, the guy said he inherited it along with a bunch of other Minelab stuff. He had a Musky XS and Relic Hawk control box also for $49.95. I should have bought them also at that price. After testing the GT in my yard and one short hunt it seems that in bad ground iron mask off might actually be a bit deeper. It definitely runs smoother with less electrical interference. I know that I can run my sensitivity a bit higher with it off also but I'll have to use it on some nasty black sand beaches around here to test it more.

 

[Sven]

Could have been mine, the Relic hawk was snatched out from under me during contact with the seller trying to get him to sell to a Canadian bidder.
I sure could have used the XS box since the cats knocked mine off the table during a mod when some one knocked at the door with a result of it not working. Spoteed a scratch on one of the electrical traces, will look for more scratches and try to repair them......

Just didn't have any luck last week.

 

[Critterhunter]

That sounds like my luck. The other day when painting the new upper shaft for my GT I had some very bad luck. Everybody was gone for the weekend so I figured I could get away with painting it in my basement since it's not as warm in the garage. I was cleaning the shaft with some mineral spirits after sanding it and when I reached down to pick up a towel I knocked over the mineral spirits which went EVERYWHERE. Several rolls of paper towels, open windows, and burning scented candles later...I think I masked the smell enough to stay out of trouble.

You're the first I've heard say the GT might be deeper with Iron Mask OFF, but then again I know you said your ground is really really bad mineral wise. I'm thinking that with it OFF the machine isn't as noisy so you can tolerate running sensitivity a little higher, resulting in more depth? I've heard a few say they prefered it OFF to make the machine run smoother. All I can say is they must be used to some very smooth/quiet machines because I don't find the GT with Iron Mask ON to be noisy at all. But then again I'm used to running my machines with zero discrimination when coin hunting so I can hear everything including iron to get a better "feel" for the landscape.

I've also heard that turning it OFF seems to block out electrical interference but I also haven't found that to be a problem. I'm hunting near electrical devices as much as I did with other machines and the GT still allows me to crank up the sensitivity high at most places. After all I heard about Sovereigns being prone to electrical noise I'm marking that problem up to older Sovereigns. Maybe the GT has better shielding or something because she's smooth as butter for me. In fact, just yesterday I had sensitivity at max using the 15x12 coil and it didn't false or chatter on me at all. I'm very impressed. I always hunt in noise band 2 with Iron Mask ON and the machine isn't giving me any trouble, but I'm sure if the ground is REALLY bad you might have to resort to what you are trying.

I'm very interested in hearing what you find with further field use and testing. You're proving grounds are much tougher than most people's from what I've read in your prior messages.

 

[crazyman]

Sven, to bad. They went pretty fast. It was evident that he didn't know much about detectors as he had the GT control box listed as a meter. I really didn't expect it to work anyway so I was happy.

 

[crazyman]

Critter, I'm not sure yet if it's deeper or not with mask off. I can run sens. higher even with the 10 inch coil and it does run smoother. I didn't find any real deep targets to compare with it on or off on the first short hunt. At one time the 7 inch deep wheat penny that I found that day would have been considered deep in my ground with any other detector but those are easy with the Sovereigns. The beach will be a better test

 

[Critterhunter]

Could have been mine, the Relic hawk was snatched out from under me during contact with the seller trying to get him to sell to a Canadian bidder.
I sure could have used the XS box since the cats knocked mine off the table during a mod when some one knocked at the door with a result of it not working. Spoteed a scratch on one of the electrical traces, will look for more scratches and try to repair them......

Just didn't have any luck last week.

Here's what to try also...Besides looking over the board with a magnifying glass I'd also wiggle all the components on the board with your finger (make sure you are grounded or don't have a static charge that could fry an IC). More than likely you've got a loose solder connection somewhere. Also make sure the battery plug where it plugs into the board is hooked up good. Turn on the unit and check where the power inputs to the board to make sure you've got power to it. A bad battery lead might be a problem. Final resort would be to turn it on and start wiggling various parts on the board with a finger to see if it starts working. Shouldn't be anything in there that can shock you running at 10.5V DC. Also feel the heat sink on the voltage regulator(s) in the one corner of the board to see if they are warm, which they should be after being on a bit. Chances are you've just got a short somewhere. Just need to find it.

That's a good tip for people who are looking for a big screen. Most stop working due to heat causing a loose solder connection, normaly around one of the IC chips that I think are used as amplifiers. They get real hot and many don't have proper heat sinks on them, causing them to work free from constant cooling down/heating up. If you see a big screen in the trash it's worth sticking in your garage to check out. Just don't use your hands to check for shorts on it! Try a big wooden stick and start tapping various things. A good kick in the side of the box might fix it for a while too.

 

[Critterhunter]

I'll be interested in hearing how you think the GT compares to your older Sovereigns versus what I've read others say. Particularly in your bad ground.

 

[ZOFCHAK]

So you're the lucky one who bought that! What deal I have been looking for a Sovereign for a while and saw that one in the completed listing about 30 minutes after the sale .

 

[straker]

I was the lucky individual that snagged the Musky XS control box for $49. I was too late for the Sovereign GT. Oh well...I already have a Sovereign XS-2a and Musky Colt. The Musky XS will be a welcome addition. The Relic Hawk was tempting,but I didn't get it for obvious reasons. It would no doubt be hard to get the other components...rods,coils and special battery that had the headphone jack moulded into it. I could be wrong on that last item,but I'm sure I'm right. I had a Relic Hawk and sold it to a guy in Tenn.

 

[crazyman]

I came very close to buying the Musky XS also. He had some great deals there.