"New" Sovereign on the way

[Odanscoils]

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One of my favourite finds with a Sov,a queen Elizabeth sixpence ftom 1562.I Like it because it has the double bend and hole typical of a love token.Some Elizabethan era chap would have made this for his sweetheart to wear as a necklace as a token of his love.......great bit of history in this find.It was found in a field close to a church with saxon beginnings so quite a historical area.
Bit of a messy find though as it was located under a huge cow turd.

Incredible Recovery.
Maybe sumday they'll let me over thar.

 

[Odanscoils]

Bit of an update about the Sov i bought off ebay...........it took a long while to arrive due to inclement weather conditions in Scotland......where the machine came from.The machine was in excellent condition as described.......even the box is in great condition.
Unfortunately the Sov didn't work even though it had been advertised as in fully working condition.The seller was contacted and he accused me of lying in so many words saying it left him in fully working condition.After a few snotty exchanges i told him i was sending it in to be repaired and i would be sending him and ebay the report from the repairers,i suggested he may want to put something towards the repair costs once he had seen the report and surprisingly he said he may be willing to consider this after seeing the report.......guilty conscience maybe?
Anyway i sent it to a Minelab specialist repairer over here and i was contacted today and told there were three problems with the machine.......there is no way that the machine had left the seller in perfect working order.All the problems are now sorted and the repairer has put a little mod on the machine for me that has given the machine an extra 3 inches of depth......happy days.Now i have to contact the seller again to see if he is willing to give me something towards the repair costs.
Puts me off buying detectors from ebay but i now have a fully working Sov in great condition with a depth mod so at least thats a bit of a plus.......should have it back tomorrow and can't wait to get to the beach with it.
Happy hunting.

May I ask what was wrong ?
And especially what was the mod.
As much as I don't want to crack a New machine with less the 30 hrs on it.

 

[Nauti]

Bummer... sorry to hear about your ordeal. Its rare but also I've been burnt on two ebay purchases over the last 20 years and it sucks. Just out of curiosity what was the sellers feedback rating? I have yet to get burnt when the seller has a feedback score of 100%. If I were you I'd take a photo of the repair bill and send it along with a message (via ebays message center) and politely ask if the seller if he would please consider some type of restitution to offset your expense. Worse case he says no but you can have the satisfaction of leaving him some negative feedback.

I hate to admit it in this forum but back in 2005 I purchased a brand new GT from Minelab because it looked like my company was going to lay me off. I figured I'd better buy it while I still had money coming in. Ironically not only did I not get laid off but I got super busy working 12 hour days and ended up working for them another 10 years until I retired. When I wasn't working all my free time went to doing a major remodel of our house - NET- No time for detecting [sigh] Sad to say but to this day the GT has never left the closet in our spare bedroom. I check the forum from time to time just to make sure its still a popular detector albeit discontinued. After seeing your post I went in and checked on mine. I was disappointed to find the cable sheathing on the included Tornado 1000 Coil has dry rotted and cracked in multiple places (figuring I can cut the cable near the coil leaving enough wire exposed to stagger the spices and reuse 6 pin connector from the free end. Anyway... after reading that your repair center put a "little mod" on your GT unit it got me to thinking, was wondering if after sitting iin a closet for the last 17 years if any of you GT owners reading this think in would be beneficial for me to send my unit to Minelab for a tune up? firmware update, and/or possible mod?

His rating was good,i only ever buy from people with top ratings......thats why it is so disappointing.He has ignored my last two messages after saying he may be willing to put something towardscthe cost of the repairs.
If i were you i would i would definately get the Sov sorted,i still believe its one of the top machines out there........minelab created a machine that was ahead of its time i think and was discontinued as it was still taking sales away from some of their newer machines maybe??

 

[Nauti]

May I ask what was wrong ?
And especially what was the mod.
As much as I don't want to crack a New machine with less the 30 hrs on it.

As soon as i get the report back i will post a picture on here......whether they divulge the secret of their mod i can't say.......it may also be on the report.I thought an extra 3 inches was brilliant and will definately make a difference at the beach.

 

[Confetrit]

Nauti, sorry to hear of the problem with your Soverign when you received it, but it sounds like the repair technician got it straightened out with


adding an extra 3' depth. Maybe the seller will throw in and help with the cost of repairs. Best of luck to you sir. Go Save some more History!

 

[Odanscoils]

As soon as i get the report back i will post a picture on here......whether they divulge the secret of their mod i can't say.......it may also be on the report.I thought an extra 3 inches was brilliant and will definately make a difference at the beach.

Anxious to hear how well it performs after the mod.
What coils do you have for it ?
I really enjoy the 13" Ultimate.
I bagged the box in an old blue leather purse of my wife's. I throw it over my shoulder. Works great except when I have to get down and dig deep. Have to take it off because it gets in the way swinging in front of my chest.
I Only swing the coil and meter on the shaft.
I'm thinking of getting the 5" round coil for it to work in trash and hopefully for gold in Alaska.
The way it handles Hot ground on an iron infested beach here. An old iron ore shipping dock next to it.
94-98 GB on my mxt.
I'm pretty sure it will do very well up there.
I bought it new for my daddeo up there.
Never really detected before.
Tried it a couple times , though never really figured it out before he passed.
Little brother finally sent it back last year.
Maybe 20-30 hrs on it now.
Recently discovering it will see good targets while in the iron, rejected null.
Has me excited.
Truly thought it wouldn't hear anything in the null.
Very anxious to spend a lot of time with it.
Any info on small coils for it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Nauti]

Well there is the report and the faulty pot proving that the machine could not have been working when the seller sent it out.....he is now refusing to reply to all my messages even after he said he may be willing to help with repair costs after he had seen the report.....oh well.
The 3 inch mod has given my machine an extra 2.6 inches according to the report.......doing a quick air test at my house has given me cause for much optimism........even with the 10 inch tornado coil i'm getting great depth on a very small gold ring......i will do a proper depth test soon at the beach in the wet sand and post the results.I wantedvto get out today but unfortunately we are in the middle of a severe storm.Not all bad though because it will take a lot of sand off the beach.......less sand and more depth on the machine.......i will be laughing all the way to the bank.
The only "small" coil i ever used on past Sov's was the little joey coil from coiltek.I tried this coil and it never came off the machine again....i loved it,great seperation,depth and quite light.This coil found me a medievil posy ring and the oldest coin i've ever found (will post a pic later).
As most of my hunting is done on the beach i am looking to buy a larger coil.....looking at the nel range of coils which seem to be doing good things although most seem to be low on stock at the moment over here.
Looking forward to testing the machine at measured depths and posting the results....i will dig out my US coins and take them to the beach to give you a better idea of the machines depth.
Glad you are enjoying it Odanscoils........happy hunting everyone.

 

[Odanscoils]

View attachment 23302
Well there is the report and the faulty pot proving that the machine could not have been working when the seller sent it out.....he is now refusing to reply to all my messages even after he said he may be willing to help with repair costs after he had seen the report.....oh well.
The 3 inch mod has given my machine an extra 2.6 inches according to the report.......doing a quick air test at my house has given me cause for much optimism........even with the 10 inch tornado coil i'm getting great depth on a very small gold ring......i will do a proper depth test soon at the beach in the wet sand and post the results.I wantedvto get out today but unfortunately we are in the middle of a severe storm.Not all bad though because it will take a lot of sand off the beach.......less sand and more depth on the machine.......i will be laughing all the way to the bank.
The only "small" coil i ever used on past Sov's was the little joey coil from coiltek.I tried this coil and it never came off the machine again....i loved it,great seperation,depth and quite light.This coil found me a medievil posy ring and the oldest coin i've ever found (will post a pic later).
As most of my hunting is done on the beach i am looking to buy a larger coil.....looking at the nel range of coils which seem to be doing good things although most seem to be low on stock at the moment over here.
Looking forward to testing the machine at measured depths and posting the results....i will dig out my US coins and take them to the beach to give you a better idea of the machines depth.
Glad you are enjoying it Odanscoils........happy hunting everyone.

Again Thank You Nauti
The Joey coul. Was that the 5×10" coil ? Orange?
Frustrated I can't find a new one. Years actually I've looked for one.
The Nel 3.5×6.5" interests me.
Or their 5" round.
Coiltek has a 6" I think. Those any good ?
I have the 15" WOT by Coiltek for my old Explorer xs.
Though even when I was younger it's heavy.
Dug a silver plated can/bottle opener at a little beyond arms reach laying on the ground.
Nice clean blonde sands. Still that was Deep.
Happily the repair was just a pot.
Anxiously awaiting Any fun you have with your New Sovereign beast.
Happy Treasure Hunting.

 

[Nauti]

Yes,it was orange but later ones were black.Absolutely cracking coil....i can't find one either but i keep looking.I used to have the wot on a quattro......i found some good stuff with it but as you say it was heavy.
The little nel snake elliptical is interesting along with the sharp.It looks like the snake may have a seperation advantage and the sharp a slight depth advantage according to Nels own comparison chart.I'm looking at the Nel thunder for the beach as its a good compromise on depth seperation and coverage.....the standard 10" tornado is too small for me on beaches.

 

[Nauti]

This is the oldest coin I've ever found....Sovereign GT and little joey coil on ploughed land.It's a celtic potin and it's over 2000 years old.The casting sprues are quite prominent on this coin......they were cast and then snapped off the sprue.This is quite a scarce type potin.The triangular lines on the second photo represent a bull.The orangey colour on the coin is due to the high mineral content of the soil it was found in....it was an ancient site with thousands of years of occupation including celtic and Roman settlement.

 

[Nauti]

Another nice Sovvy find...king John short cross penny.Again,little joey coil on ploughed land.King John reigned from 1199 to 1216 so nice and old.

 

[gfatizzi]

Hi Nauti,
For a large beach coil, I HIGHLY recommend the NEL Tornado 12X13. I've tried many large coils and this one seems to have them beat for sensitivity and above all STABLE operation. It is not susceptible to falsing from bumping the coil or EMI like many larger coils are plagued with. I love the NEL line of coils so much, I just recently purchased a 5.5X9.5 Sharpshooter coil to try out for my trashier spots. Can't wait to give it a whirl!

 

[Odanscoils]

View attachment 23307View attachment 23309
This is the oldest coin I've ever found....Sovereign GT and little joey coil on ploughed land.It's a celtic potin and it's over 2000 years old.The casting sprues are quite prominent on this coin......they were cast and then snapped off the sprue.This is quite a scarce type potin.The triangular lines on the second photo represent a bull.The orangey colour on the coin is due to the high mineral content of the soil it was found in....it was an ancient site with thousands of years of occupation including celtic and Roman settlement.

Awesome.

 

[Odanscoils]

View attachment 23314View attachment 23315
Another nice Sovvy find...king John short cross penny.Again,little joey coil on ploughed land.King John reigned from 1199 to 1216 so nice and old.

Those coins are Incredible.

 

[Odanscoils]

Yes,it was orange but later ones were black.Absolutely cracking coil....i can't find one either but i keep looking.I used to have the wot on a quattro......i found some good stuff with it but as you say it was heavy.
The little nel snake elliptical is interesting along with the sharp.It looks like the snake may have a seperation advantage and the sharp a slight depth advantage according to Nels own comparison chart.I'm looking at the Nel thunder for the beach as its a good compromise on depth seperation and coverage.....the standard 10" tornado is too small for me on beaches.

For what I'm hoping to do.
I believe the Snake maybe a better choice.
Gold nuggets.

 

[Nauti]

Hi Nauti,
For a large beach coil, I HIGHLY recommend the NEL Tornado 12X13. I've tried many large coils and this one seems to have them beat for sensitivity and above all STABLE operation. It is not susceptible to falsing from bumping the coil or EMI like many larger coils are plagued with. I love the NEL line of coils so much, I just recently purchased a 5.5X9.5 Sharpshooter coil to try out for my trashier spots. Can't wait to give it a whirl!

Cheers for that bud......the Tornado is another coil i am looking at,it's hard to make a choice so any info is useful and much appreciated.Hope the sharpshooter does the business for you........i would be interested to hear what you think of it,i cant get hold of my favourite ever coil for the sov which was the little joey so will be looking for something with similar performance.The sharpshooter is around the same size as the joey so it would be interesting to see how it performs.

 

[Odanscoils]

Cheers for that bud......the Tornado is another coil i am looking at,it's hard to make a choice so any info is useful and much appreciated.Hope the sharpshooter does the business for you........i would be interested to hear what you think of it,i cant get hold of my favourite ever coil for the sov which was the little joey so will be looking for something with similar performance.The sharpshooter is around the same size as the joey so it would be interesting to see how it performs.

I thought the Joey was 5×10" ?

 

[Nauti]

I thought the Joey was 5×10" ?

It is.......the sharpshooter is 9.5x5.5 and an elliptical type coil so i was wondering if it would have the same type of performance as the joey.The sharpshooter being half an inch shorter but also half an inch wider may have the same type of characteristics as the joey did......if i can't get hold of the joey the sharpshooter may provide a good alternative......what do you think??I've looked everywhere for a joey but like you i''m not having much luck.

 

[gfatizzi]

It is.......the sharpshooter is 9.5x5.5 and an elliptical type coil so i was wondering if it would have the same type of performance as the joey.The sharpshooter being half an inch shorter but also half an inch wider may have the same type of characteristics as the joey did......if i can't get hold of the joey the sharpshooter may provide a good alternative......what do you think??I've looked everywhere for a joey but like you i''m not having much luck.

I think you would be better served with the Sharpshooter as it is about the same size and waterproof where I don't believe the Joey coil is. Also I believe the Sharpshooter to be less expensive. Win all the way around! HH George

 

[Odanscoils]

What about this one ?

Coiltek 10" x 5" DD Treasureseeker Coil for Minelab Sovereign Metal De

Coiltek 10″ x 5″ DD Treasureseeker Coil for Minelab Sovereign Metal Detector Double D search coils provide increased depth and separation compared to a standard concentric search coil. Strengths Fully submersible coil Very light weight for all day use Easy Pinpointing Ultra-sensitive to small...

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