OK, I've joined the ranks of GT owners but...

[Ism]

I have what appears to be a problem with my detector.
I've searched the forum for an answer but didn't come across one. Here;s what its doing out of the box with a full charge on the battery.
I set the Sov to the initial disc setup in the manual. I was running it in my test bed this morning and all was as it should be. Then I hear some slight popping in the speaker and the threshold drops an octave or 2. I switched the unit off and then back on. The threshold returned to normal until I pass the coil over a coin. It shifts back into the lower octave threshold. A couple more swings and it shifts back to the higher octave (normal) threshold tone. The detector still senses the object in either condition but I don't think that's how its supposed to operate.. Anybody have any advice?

 

[goodmore]

Sounds to me like GT is doing exactly what it is supposed to do. The threshold changes when you run over targets. If you run over a nickle the threshold changes to the nickle tone and will stay there until you run over another target. If you run over a quarter the threshold changes to high tone. What probably happened is you you ran over iron or the detector saw iron. The GT will null. That means go silent for a second. Then the Gt will have a low tone for the threshold until you run over another target. Or you ran over a discriminated target. The crackle you described makes sense. You will not get a good tone because of the discrimination, but the threshold will change. If you are on the beach or anywhere detecting and the threshold changes you need to investigate why. Basically it is letting you know that you ran over a target and you might want to go back and check it out. Some people like to reset the threshold to a certain tone by scanning their scoop or putting a coin in their shoe. They scan it to reset the threshold.

 

[Ism]

Now I see what you described in the manual but didn't have my comprehension engaged. Thanks for your clear explanation of this phenomenon.

 

[Rick(ND)]

This is what makes the Sovereign different then what many are used to. The Sovereign is a different beast and those that spend the time to get to know them from experience will do well, actually GREAT. You have to swing the coil slower as it does see more and being every targets changes the threshold with the different tones you will want the Sovereign to see them all and let you the operator decide what to dig and what not too. Once you get to know those tones you will be able to tell the good from the bad tones so you learn to ignore some of the tones when you hear them.
To help learn the Sovereign run auto sensitivity so the threshold will run smoother until you get to know it better than turn it to manual and run it as high as you can where it don't chatter (mine is at 10-12 o'clock position 90% of the time)and go slower and listen closer yet for the real depth.
Ask if you have any more questions as there is some well experienced people here.

Good luck
Rick

 

[GunnarMN]

My 1st time out with my GTi was bummed it was doing all kinds of funny sounds --- It was hard to pinpont with it was speeking a forighn language I thought now what hav i don but now I have learned its language and its very simple and it pinponts great and ifeel more confidant with this machine than any i have ever used - It would be good if you bought clive cliniks book on the GT now when out in the park i know exactly what its telling me but get ready to dig deep and give it some time Its gong to be alright bro .

 

[Snoopy36]

I had mine on FULL sensitivity the first few weeks with the GT somehow thinking it was on AUTO! I hated the machine until it clicked (well...literally) that I had it on Full sens

Auto Sensitivity is the way to go for me. Going manual is still a bit scary.... but I will try it soon.

I had the xterra 705 for a while so I was used to a beep and dig machine. This SovGT is in a league of its own and it is my no. 1 machine - the poor xterra sits in the garage or in the car waiting patiently to get used again....

Cheers
Snoop

 

[JimmyCT]

I experienced the same thing as Gunnar. Confusion, "what the heck is that noise" syndrome?, "why the heck is it doing that to me?" kind of questions. This all started clearing up as soon as I started asking questions on the forum and getting out in the field. I feel having this forum made the difference of me KEEPING the unit and learning it. Like RickND stated, this machine is a different type of beast. The machine isn't just a beep and dig (well sort of) this machine has an assortment (as you know) of tones to the different metals and speaks a language like no other. I feel it can "see" things that other detectorists walk right over (especially with one way signals) With this machine, I investigate more then I ever have when the threshold changes. If you don't have a meter, I highly suggest you buy one. Although no longer made, I have the DTI II meter and made my learning the machine TONS faster to leaning the tones. There is also a digisearch meter that was made by minelab. TO ME it is well worth buying one. Now ( a little over 3 months) of owning this machine, I can seriously say that this is by far the best machine I have ever owned. This baby unbelievably sniffs out coins in areas that were supposedly cleaned out. See some of my postings at the coins I found. I hunt a lot of public areas and go to places that others won't even bother with because they deem it "cleaned out" With the GT. All those places you think have been wiped clean, give them another try with the GT as you will be suprised like me. One thing I learned by several on this forum - Dig the one way signals. That is how I found some of my best finds ever.

The only way I can describe the Sovereign GT: it is a key to the ground that many keys can't open. Is it the best detector in the world? No it isn't and there will never be. However, with the technology built into this machine, you will find stuff that others walked right over (many items being shallow in depth and old) as this is what I am finding out on my hunts. Have fun learning it, sweep slow, and investigate those one way signals. (Look at GUNNARMN posts here and on youtube as he performs some tests) I have to emphasize I only have several months under my belt whereas others have years & years of experience. If I can say what I am saying only after a few months, I am confident in 3-4 months from now of you using with the GT, you will be saying things like me.

What really got me hooked on this machine, even before I bought it, were the posts of the "one way" signals. I went HUH? but I was intriqued but what I was reading and said to myself, "self, I want one of these machines" Now, I can say that I have experienced a one-way signal & found my best find to date that other detectors went right over. Best of luck in your hunt! - Jim

My 1st time out with my GTi was bummed it was doing all kinds of funny sounds --- It was hard to pinpont with it was speeking a forighn language I thought now what hav i don but now I have learned its language and its very simple and it pinponts great and ifeel more confidant with this machine than any i have ever used - It would be good if you bought clive cliniks book on the GT now when out in the park i know exactly what its telling me but get ready to dig deep and give it some time Its gong to be alright bro .

 

[Ism]

Thanks all for your helpful replies. I have been playing with it I'm my test bed and I can see that I have much to learn but this baby clearly detects the coins that my other detectors have difficulty with. I can't wait to take it to a couple old parks that have been "hunted out".
I will be watching for a meter on the auction sites.

 

[Rick(ND)]

I wondered what did I get myself in to with this crazy sounding detector, that was back in 1996 when these forums first started and I seen what others were finding so i had to try one. With the help of some of the old timers which most are not on here anymore, but the owner Gary (Guvner) which was a dealer back then in Minelab and may still be started this forum and with him and other kept me and other interested in this great detector of Minelabs. At that time many had tried it for a day or so and sold them again because they didn't have the patience to understand them, most all first impressions where "what did I get myself in for, or something is wrong with this detector" Many at that time said have patience, learn the tones and kept a few of us interested in this great detector. I had a new CZ7 and a Garrett GTI 2500 i was also trying to learn, but kept coming back to the Sovereign as I sen all the find others were finding. Then one day I took all 3 to a old park that many said was worked out on a camping trip. Started with the CZ7 and got a lot of rusty trash and got a Buffalo nickle too, then when close to my camper I got out the GTI 2500 and used that for several hours and got a couple of Wheaties and old Canadian dime. Next morning I decided to try the Sovereign again and everything seem to click that day as as soon as i walk out of the camper I started getting a few Wheaties, then 5 in one hole, then a V nickle popped up and a buffalo along with a barber dime all in areas i know been hit hard. The rest of the weekend was great using the Sovereign as I got over 45 old coins that day as everything clicked for me with the Sovereign. I also learned more every time out with it and within a week I decide to try the hardest hit pack in Fargo that no one had picked anything out of other than new. I got a lot of nail that were iffy, some deep military shell casing from around 1870 area, but also got my first seated dime with the Sovereign that was very iffy and know it was very deep and wish they had made a Sun Ray probe at that time as I almost gave up on it. I also got 2 IH pennies too that day. Been back several times with the Sovereign and always seem to get at least 1 IH penny, but very rare a new coin and everything was 7 inches or deeper or next to a rusty nail. I learned more each and every time out with it and seen some very deep coins and those that gave one way signals I found out by going all the way around them with the tip of the coil you can tell which ones are false signals of iron and those of a good target, nail seem to move while the good targets seem to stay in the same area even though they are one way and many will change to 2 ways signals when hit right.
Over the years some thing I learn by accident, but one is the real deep ones you have to go very slow and listen very close and have the sensitivity cranked up so it will false, but not so high it will chatter. Around the Merry go round of the park I learned the Sovereign at that i mentioned before we know everyone goes around them first and I had to many times, but this time I went real slow and wiggled the coil more and got some real odd threshold changes, so with working them and listening close I could tell the tones were trying to climb, so I would dig them and was surprised so see some merc, IH,Buffalo, V nickles that were over 8 inches deep and a few not too deep either. My deepest was a barber quarter with a nice buffalo nickle at 13-14 inches deep using a old style white S-12 coil of Sun Rays. Signal was so iffy, but knew something had to be there, went though the 10 inches of gravel and a good 3 or more inches of dirt to find it and if it would not have been for the S-1 Probe I know I would have never found it. Took a good 2 1/2 hours to go around this merry go round, but it was worth it as I believe it was around 20-25 coins I got around it with all being older ones.
This is why I all ways say you will learn more about the Sovereign from experience in actual hunting with it, not by air test or preburried coins, just by getting out and actually using it and understanding it and remember to have patience, get out to use it and be prepared to learn something new each time out with it.
I am sure glad I didn't give up after trying it and wondering what did I get into with buying a Sovereign and the help Guvner and some did for me back in 1996-1997 and Ralph at Sun Ray for his help and for his development of the DTI meters, which were the best, the S-1 probe which made it so easy to find the targets and still feel it is the best probe for the Sovereign and will not be without one. The S-8 coil which showed me I don't need a smaller coil for the trashy sites plus letting me do the field test for the S-12 coil for the deepest coil I have ever used on a Sovereign yet decent in trash too if you go slow.
I am glad to see others seeing the power of the Sovereign and what it can do in the right hands, but i will bet they didn't like the Sovereign the first time they used it, most people I have talk to didn't like it the first time out with it, but wont be without one now.

Rick

 

[Rob in (Ca)]

Epoxy a fender washer (any hardware store) to your detecting shoe/boot.......when the GT go's into it's high threshold......... swipe the coil over the washer and the GT will do back to a low threshold


I don't think I could beach hunt for 5 -6 hours without the washer on the shoe trick................. When I 1st got the GT the (high threshold response) was a rude awaking


good luck & HH

 

[w6pea]

Welcome to the ranks you got one of if not the best Metal Detectors made.
Good luck it does have a learning curve practice and it will be like riding a bike once you learn how you will never forget.

 

[rollie29]

Very interesting reading Rick. Over the years I've owned and sold several GT's and always been upset with myself afterwards. I have used just about every make and model there is but I keep coming back to the GT. Fortunately, I have the GT as my sole machine now. I pretty much beach hunt 100% of the time and the GT is a killer in the wet sand as you know. I'm not much of a dry sander but I was wondering if you think it's wiser to use an 8" coil or the 10" stock? I've never used a meter but I wonder if you think it's worth investing in one. I would like to be able to identify the zinc pennies and all the trash so my back doesn't break.

 

[Rob in (Ca)]

What makes The Gt so great is that it's ideal for Dry / wet salt sand hunting........I got to my Beach at 600AM and after 30 minutes in the wet salt sand found out real quickly that the wet sand, was sanded out, so off to the dry sand. I ended up with a gold anklet and a pouch full of clad. The dry sand part of my Beach is full of Iron, so a PI would of been a pack and go home wash!....... Love the GT & S-12

 

[Rick(ND)]

Myself I never liked the bigger coils Minelab made for the Sovereigns, but this changed when they made the 10 inch Tornado coil as it is the first coil other then the older 8 inch Coinsearch Minelab made I liked. I feel that 10 inch Tornado coil is a great coil and had a 8 inch Tornado coil for a while, but sold it before I had a chance to try it.
I do dirt hunting my self and I need the meter to tell the difference in many targets. the new zinc pennies read 176-177 along with some of the very early wheats and the IH pennies so if it is a loud surface target chances are it is a zinc, but deep I feel it is a IH or a early wheatie. If it runs 177 and bounces to 178 I find it has mostly been alum screw caps and to me all of these sound the same like a good target. so this is why I like my 180 meters for my dirt hunting.
With the meter I can work on some deeper targets and ones I have a hard time telling what it is, but with the meter I can see that the numbers are trying to climb letting me know it is possibly a good target that is trying to come to the right tone, or close to it. To me to get all I can out of my Sovereigns and feel whey I am successful is the Sovereign with a good 180 meter and the S-1 probe.

Rick