I'm trying an Elite last couple of hunts'
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Photo of your Sovereign
- Thread starter Ron from Michigan
- Start date
Later Ron
Crazyman,
Noticed that you have both rigs set up on 'S' rods rather than the new style straight rods. Personal preference I assume. No meter, No pin-pointer either? Also looks like the housings are set up as a hipmount rather than chest mount?
How did you arrive at this current arrangement? Do you use a pinpointer?
Rich
Noticed that you have both rigs set up on 'S' rods rather than the new style straight rods. Personal preference I assume. No meter, No pin-pointer either? Also looks like the housings are set up as a hipmount rather than chest mount?
How did you arrive at this current arrangement? Do you use a pinpointer?
Rich
Rich, yes I most always hip mount mine. Once I set it up for the site I'm hunting I slide the control box behind my hip out of the way. I rarely use maximum sensitivity and I pinpoint in discrimination mode so there is no need to reach the controls to make adjustments. The only time I chest mount is when I'm wading or while testing different settings. When I use my meter I have it on my belt also. with the control housing behind my hip and the meter in front of my hip so I just need to look down when I need to. I keep each coil on it's own rod so it's a quick change if I need to switch when out exploring different sites. Here is a pic. of my meter setup. You can see the meter on the belt in it's case in the picture with the Elite.
Goodmore,I like the extension.The in box meters look cool but I need the visual reading out front for that lock on wiggle.Great Photos
Critterhunter
New member
Bet that extension helps to balance the machine better. Can you feel the difference?
Critterhunter
New member
Will try to take some new photos of my custom light weight GT and post them in a day or two. I've posted pics before but not in it's completed forum with Whites arm cup. This machine never tires me out now. It's lighter probably than anything I've owned except Tesoros.
The good about the meter mod:
It is always with me if I want to use it. I don't even have to run back to the car.
I hip mount most of the time and not having the extra wires is just fantastic.
The weight is better with this meter than any other. Especially if you count wire weight.
The Bad:
No instructing how to use the Sovereign without sharing headphones.
This mod will void your warranty. (My Gt was used so this didn't apply to me)
Seeing the meter while using a shaft mount is just not practical.
For some reason my 15x12 SEF will not register. All my other coils do. I Had an Elite with the meter mod also. The same results. The SEF works perfect every other way.
As far as the extension goes:
I mounted my Excalibur to the back of a Sovereign GT Shaft. I used an extension made by Plugger. I liked this the best after several other mods. I tried over/under rods. I tried an extension on the S rod. I made my own rod. (Homer Simpson probably could of made a better one). So after trials and errors I liked the Excal on the back of my spare GT shaft the best.
I see the extension on Ebay for 20.00. I figure if I like the Excal behind the arm cup maybe the GT will feel good also. Turns out I do like it. To me it looks like it is made from an Elite S shaft sawed off. Then a piece was fitted and glued inside. The clip has the factory rivets like my Elite S shaft had. Who ever made the extension did a good job of drilling the holes nice and straight. Something My home made job lacked.
It is always with me if I want to use it. I don't even have to run back to the car.
I hip mount most of the time and not having the extra wires is just fantastic.
The weight is better with this meter than any other. Especially if you count wire weight.
The Bad:
No instructing how to use the Sovereign without sharing headphones.
This mod will void your warranty. (My Gt was used so this didn't apply to me)
Seeing the meter while using a shaft mount is just not practical.
For some reason my 15x12 SEF will not register. All my other coils do. I Had an Elite with the meter mod also. The same results. The SEF works perfect every other way.
As far as the extension goes:
I mounted my Excalibur to the back of a Sovereign GT Shaft. I used an extension made by Plugger. I liked this the best after several other mods. I tried over/under rods. I tried an extension on the S rod. I made my own rod. (Homer Simpson probably could of made a better one). So after trials and errors I liked the Excal on the back of my spare GT shaft the best.
I see the extension on Ebay for 20.00. I figure if I like the Excal behind the arm cup maybe the GT will feel good also. Turns out I do like it. To me it looks like it is made from an Elite S shaft sawed off. Then a piece was fitted and glued inside. The clip has the factory rivets like my Elite S shaft had. Who ever made the extension did a good job of drilling the holes nice and straight. Something My home made job lacked.
Critterhunter
New member
Can't imagine why an SEF coil won't work with that internal meter. My 15x12 works fine with my DigiSearch meter. Are you sure you're SEF coil(s) aren't missing the extra pin outs on the cable that the meter needs to see in order to work? Hmmmm.....Bet I got it. Are you using extensions on your SEF coils (because I'ved heard some complain they aren't long enough for say hip mounting)? If so, your extensions don't have the pins needed for the meter connected inside them.
On another note...Just noticed that practically the entire forum page has "Critterhunter" as the latest response. Haven't been on in a few days so that wasn't my intention by responding to some stuff to catch up. (Homer Simpson Voice)..."Must...lay...low...for a few days to avoid attracting more unwanted attention..."
On another note...Just noticed that practically the entire forum page has "Critterhunter" as the latest response. Haven't been on in a few days so that wasn't my intention by responding to some stuff to catch up. (Homer Simpson Voice)..."Must...lay...low...for a few days to avoid attracting more unwanted attention..."
Critterhunter,I have replaced connectors on a dozen Sovereign coils and this is what I found.Both Tornado coils have only four wires the newer BBS coils used four also.The old BBS coils used five wires.The meter works off the Sovereign's control box fifth wire,so the box has five wires to the connector.The coil only needs four wires.When the meter is installed in the control box speaker the fifth wire is cut and you can no longer use a meter on your rod asm?
Wildherre,nice photos.Thanks
Critterhunter
New member
OK, here is my land and water setups. Haven't used the water setup with the 10" coil yet...
The land rig is lightweight. Custom upper aluminum shaft and Whites tall man carbon fiber lower rod. 15x12 SEF coil with spray on bed liner to drop some more weight. Running on a lipo for added weight savings. Grip is lighter than stock and features a remote pinpoint switch. Arm cup is a Whites, which is also a lot lighter. Stand is aluminum landing gear for RC craft. Much lighter as well. I think the weight is 4 pounds 13 ounces from memory, much lighter than the stock rig with the 10" coil.
The water unit is the stock upper/lower rods. I drilled two drain holes right above the coil plastic mount where it ends inside the lower shaft. Used a measuring tape stuck down the lower shaft to measure where it ends so I could drill right above it for complete water drainage. Also took off the little plastic end cap at the end of the upper rod since I want water to escape and not be trapped. This coil also is using spray on bed liner. I found the 15x12 to be too much drag for me in the water and since I never use the 10" Tornado for land anymore I figured it could have it's permanent home on my "water hunting rig". Didn't want to use the stock foam grip for this setup either because it's uncomfortable and the foam holds water, so I used a bicycle end bar (cut down) and a rubber bike grip for it as well as my land unit. Still have to put the plastic cap on top of the grip (just built the thing today). Obviously I don't need a meter in the water, and since the box will be chest mounted right below my chin I have easy access to the stock pin point switch and so don't need a remote one for the water rig. For now I plan to enclose the control box in a plastic back and wrap a rubber band around it to close it off where the coil cable exits. Then just poke the headphone plug right through the bag for added splash insurance. Oh, and I drilled the snap pin adjustment hole on the shaft all the way through since it has two heads but only one hole is drilled from the factory for one head to snap out. By doing this you'll greatly stiffen the rod, which is important in water hunting. Mine had a little play until I did this.
I think I'll head up to a boat supply store and pick up one of those waterproof boxes meant to hold flares and such. I plan to just enclose the GT control box in it once settings are done on site. Since the 10" coil is only going to be used for water hunting for now on (at least until I get a 12x10) I plan to just drill a hole in the box for the coil cable to exit and a permanent set of headphones to always use on this unit as well. That way I can just coat the exit holes with Shoe Goo (a heavy clear rubber cement meant for fixing boots and such, best there is) to seal it. Once all this is done I'll still keep the box chest mounted high but now I won't have to worry about getting it into the water. Cheap/easy way to make a water machine that is as good or better than an Excalibur without spending hardly any money at all. Eventually I plan to find somebody selling a Sovereign control box (any model) alone for say south of $75. When I do that I may make the waterproof box with external controls.
When you think about it, even if you had to build a water machine from scratch you could do it real cheap and still be as good or better than any water unit on the market. $50 for a control box. $75 for a coil. $20 to $50 for a water proof box. Under $20 to build a shaft and you're all set.
Way off subject but while I was out in the yard with the camera I figured I'd take a few pictures of my vegetable garden to show off. 27 Tomato plants, a bunch of corn, and just about any other type of vegetable you can think of. I'm slowly covering the entire area with mowed grass so I don't have to do any hand weeding or tilling.
The land rig is lightweight. Custom upper aluminum shaft and Whites tall man carbon fiber lower rod. 15x12 SEF coil with spray on bed liner to drop some more weight. Running on a lipo for added weight savings. Grip is lighter than stock and features a remote pinpoint switch. Arm cup is a Whites, which is also a lot lighter. Stand is aluminum landing gear for RC craft. Much lighter as well. I think the weight is 4 pounds 13 ounces from memory, much lighter than the stock rig with the 10" coil.
The water unit is the stock upper/lower rods. I drilled two drain holes right above the coil plastic mount where it ends inside the lower shaft. Used a measuring tape stuck down the lower shaft to measure where it ends so I could drill right above it for complete water drainage. Also took off the little plastic end cap at the end of the upper rod since I want water to escape and not be trapped. This coil also is using spray on bed liner. I found the 15x12 to be too much drag for me in the water and since I never use the 10" Tornado for land anymore I figured it could have it's permanent home on my "water hunting rig". Didn't want to use the stock foam grip for this setup either because it's uncomfortable and the foam holds water, so I used a bicycle end bar (cut down) and a rubber bike grip for it as well as my land unit. Still have to put the plastic cap on top of the grip (just built the thing today). Obviously I don't need a meter in the water, and since the box will be chest mounted right below my chin I have easy access to the stock pin point switch and so don't need a remote one for the water rig. For now I plan to enclose the control box in a plastic back and wrap a rubber band around it to close it off where the coil cable exits. Then just poke the headphone plug right through the bag for added splash insurance. Oh, and I drilled the snap pin adjustment hole on the shaft all the way through since it has two heads but only one hole is drilled from the factory for one head to snap out. By doing this you'll greatly stiffen the rod, which is important in water hunting. Mine had a little play until I did this.
I think I'll head up to a boat supply store and pick up one of those waterproof boxes meant to hold flares and such. I plan to just enclose the GT control box in it once settings are done on site. Since the 10" coil is only going to be used for water hunting for now on (at least until I get a 12x10) I plan to just drill a hole in the box for the coil cable to exit and a permanent set of headphones to always use on this unit as well. That way I can just coat the exit holes with Shoe Goo (a heavy clear rubber cement meant for fixing boots and such, best there is) to seal it. Once all this is done I'll still keep the box chest mounted high but now I won't have to worry about getting it into the water. Cheap/easy way to make a water machine that is as good or better than an Excalibur without spending hardly any money at all. Eventually I plan to find somebody selling a Sovereign control box (any model) alone for say south of $75. When I do that I may make the waterproof box with external controls.
When you think about it, even if you had to build a water machine from scratch you could do it real cheap and still be as good or better than any water unit on the market. $50 for a control box. $75 for a coil. $20 to $50 for a water proof box. Under $20 to build a shaft and you're all set.
Way off subject but while I was out in the yard with the camera I figured I'd take a few pictures of my vegetable garden to show off. 27 Tomato plants, a bunch of corn, and just about any other type of vegetable you can think of. I'm slowly covering the entire area with mowed grass so I don't have to do any hand weeding or tilling.
Critterhunter
New member
Couple of minor corrections...
Actually using the spray on bed liner saved me about 3.6oz not using a coil cover, so I think it probably weighs about 4 pounds 9.5oz or so now.
Meant to say covering it with grass clippings I get when I mow the lawn, not that I'm covering it with grass that I'm keeping mowed!
Critterhunter said:
Actually using the spray on bed liner saved me about 3.6oz not using a coil cover, so I think it probably weighs about 4 pounds 9.5oz or so now.
Critterhunter said:
Meant to say covering it with grass clippings I get when I mow the lawn, not that I'm covering it with grass that I'm keeping mowed!
CritterHunter,nice photos.
n/t