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S1 Probe
- Thread starter mazarelo
- Start date
Critterhunter
New member
Some guys on here are big fans of the Sun Ray probe on their Sovereigns and swear by them. It's a fine product and gets really good depth. I'm just not a inline probe guy and prefer the less weight/bulk of the Pro Pointer. I had the inline probe on my Explorers and didn't care for the extra shaft weight or mess from extra cable wires. I also found it a hassle to need to use two hands to remove/replace the probe on the shaft easily, and would end up getting the detector rather muddy from that on wet days. I also can't tell you how many times I forgot to flip the switch back and would go for minutes hunting without noticing.
With the Pro Pointer I can use it left handed while still holding my digger in my right hand. I can remove it from it's holster on my hip, turn it on, super tune it if I need to (using my thumb), located the target, turn it off, and put it back in it's holster all using my left hand only. That's a big perk to me.
One big perk to the Sun Ray is you hear the target through your headphones. That's really nice, as I like to slide an ear muff off to the side a little with my Pro Pointer so I can hear the audio better, as I like to hear the audio and feel the vibration to find targets. Not having to do that with the Sun Ray is a perk for sure.
Another perk for some is the Sun Ray will discriminate targets through your machine. Some of my fondest memories of hunting with my Explorers were waving that Sun Ray probe into the hole and seeing a potential silver coin ID on the screen and hearing a good flutey silver tone in my heaphones. That I liked for sure. But, on the other hand, I prefer not to discriminate out targets with my probe once I'm bending down and commited to digging whatever it is out of the hole. I don't want to leave any metal, even iron, in the hole to have to hear next time I hunt the site. Besides, there could be a coin behind the junk. If you thought you had a silver signal when detecting anyway are you going to stop looking for it when you dig the hole and the first thing your pin pointer sees is junk? Not me. Of course you can flip the detector to PP mode and not have the Sun Ray discriminate, so that's another perk for it.
The Pro Pointer has really good depth, and on the rare occassions I can't hear the target I just super tune it and the depth about doubles or more maybe. Saves me from getting up to re-pinpoint the target with the detector. The biggest thing I like about the Pro Pointer is no cables and not attached to my machine, as I want my GT land shaft as light as possible and clean of as much clutter as possible.
Another big perk is you can lay your machine down and still go over to help a friend locate a target he's digging with your Pro Pointer. Sometimes too if there is a lot of noise around I can't hear the Pro Pointer as well so it's nice to have the vibration to help guide me.
The Pro Pointer gets about close to a year for me in battery life, so I don't mind it needing it's own battery, but the Sunray has that advantage of not worrying that your pin pointer battery is going to go bad.
Another perk to the Pro Pointer is you can use it with other machines, and hold on to it if you sell a machine and buy another.
Those are about all the pros and cons for me anyway to both. Some swear by the Sun Ray and for good reason. Some swear by the Pro Pointer and have their reasons too. The choice is yours as to which way you go...
With the Pro Pointer I can use it left handed while still holding my digger in my right hand. I can remove it from it's holster on my hip, turn it on, super tune it if I need to (using my thumb), located the target, turn it off, and put it back in it's holster all using my left hand only. That's a big perk to me.
One big perk to the Sun Ray is you hear the target through your headphones. That's really nice, as I like to slide an ear muff off to the side a little with my Pro Pointer so I can hear the audio better, as I like to hear the audio and feel the vibration to find targets. Not having to do that with the Sun Ray is a perk for sure.
Another perk for some is the Sun Ray will discriminate targets through your machine. Some of my fondest memories of hunting with my Explorers were waving that Sun Ray probe into the hole and seeing a potential silver coin ID on the screen and hearing a good flutey silver tone in my heaphones. That I liked for sure. But, on the other hand, I prefer not to discriminate out targets with my probe once I'm bending down and commited to digging whatever it is out of the hole. I don't want to leave any metal, even iron, in the hole to have to hear next time I hunt the site. Besides, there could be a coin behind the junk. If you thought you had a silver signal when detecting anyway are you going to stop looking for it when you dig the hole and the first thing your pin pointer sees is junk? Not me. Of course you can flip the detector to PP mode and not have the Sun Ray discriminate, so that's another perk for it.
The Pro Pointer has really good depth, and on the rare occassions I can't hear the target I just super tune it and the depth about doubles or more maybe. Saves me from getting up to re-pinpoint the target with the detector. The biggest thing I like about the Pro Pointer is no cables and not attached to my machine, as I want my GT land shaft as light as possible and clean of as much clutter as possible.
Another big perk is you can lay your machine down and still go over to help a friend locate a target he's digging with your Pro Pointer. Sometimes too if there is a lot of noise around I can't hear the Pro Pointer as well so it's nice to have the vibration to help guide me.
The Pro Pointer gets about close to a year for me in battery life, so I don't mind it needing it's own battery, but the Sunray has that advantage of not worrying that your pin pointer battery is going to go bad.
Another perk to the Pro Pointer is you can use it with other machines, and hold on to it if you sell a machine and buy another.
Those are about all the pros and cons for me anyway to both. Some swear by the Sun Ray and for good reason. Some swear by the Pro Pointer and have their reasons too. The choice is yours as to which way you go...
Critterhunter
New member
Also, check in the Sovereign accesseries sticky for pics and info on mounting ideas for the Sun Ray. Some guys mount the meter on top of it and such. Some really good ideas to be had for it...
Maz,at this point you will get the same resale value.I have used the Sunray inline and all the other probes.The Sunray S-1 is by far the best for me,Its more convenient,and performs better.My suggestion use it for a couple of weeks you have nothing to lose.The Garrett is a great probe,but the S-1 is better.Good Luck Ron.
I agree with Ron as the S-1 is the best pin pointer for the Sovereigns, then the Uni Probe built into the headphones then the Pro Pointer by Garrett. The S-1 is a disc probe so once you switch to all metal to pinpoint the target, then just turn the S-1 on and use it to either pinpoint if the target is not deep, if deep then dig out a plug and go into the hole with the S-1 as it has more depth than the Pro Pointer, but not as much as the Uni Probe. When you are close to the target or see 2 different target with the Sun Ray you can switch the detector back to disc and it can tell you which is good and which is bad. I use it a lot on iffy signals that I am not sure of as I go in the hole in all metal and when I get closer to the target I will switch back to disc and tell if it is a good one or not. On the Uni Probe built in to the headphones you just switch the switch on it for the probe and shuts off the audio from the Sovereign and turns on the probe which is smaller, but being a pulse probe you can hear a target deeper than any of the others, but it will not disc so I use this on any detector that I don't have a probe for like my CTX 3030. The Uni Probe is a bit more expensive that the others, but remember you are getting a set of top quality headphones which are over $100 alone. They also make a pocket probe too built by the same company (Detector Pro) and I feel the ones built into the headphones are better. The Pro Pointer is the best hand held I have seen, but just don't have the depth the Uni Probe or the S-1 Sun Ray has for us that like to dig deep or those coin targets on a angle where pinpointing can be off 4 inches to one side of the hole you just dug.
Give the Sun Ray S-1 a good try and I feel you will want to keep it on your Sovereign.
Rick
Give the Sun Ray S-1 a good try and I feel you will want to keep it on your Sovereign.
Rick
deepdiger60
New member
Three good reason,s to use the S-1 probe
1- You hear the target in your head phones
2- Great depth and coverage in the hole
3- You can not lose the S-1
A few other reason,s the extra few oz,s weight is meaningless you can mount it anywhere on the shaft . If you hip or chest mount you can get the 50" wire on the S-1 . If you want to wade in shallow water you can just slide the S-1 off your shaft very easy . GL Jim
1- You hear the target in your head phones
2- Great depth and coverage in the hole
3- You can not lose the S-1
A few other reason,s the extra few oz,s weight is meaningless you can mount it anywhere on the shaft . If you hip or chest mount you can get the 50" wire on the S-1 . If you want to wade in shallow water you can just slide the S-1 off your shaft very easy . GL Jim
sand4brains
New member
all right floks i dont get it iam useing new propointer with my mxt my new sov is on its way back from mine lab had it for 6 days and found the slinte search did not work.in the mean time i bought me a propointer and as i said above useing with my mxt and as sone as i turn on the propointer i here the beep in my head phones the beep beep increas the closer i get to the target.well in advance befor the propointer vibrets or puts out vocal beep.i have nuget buster head phones made by decte pro i belive not sure this happens each time i turn the pro pointer on as long as the detector is with in two feet when i set it down to dig target whats up ?
The detector is picking up interference from you probe is why you hear it in your headphones when the probe is turned on. The freq of the probe must be close to the freq of the detector is why this is happening. The probes signal strength is not as strong as the detector is why the probe has to be close to the detector,
Critterhunter
New member
You didn't say which pin pointer you were using, but the MXT/M6 are notorious for getting erratic around the Garrett Pro Pointer. The new Minelab pin pointer was said to be designed not to interfere with detectors but I think I just read recently that it's also interfering with the MXT/M6. That's from memory though, so I could be wrong. Just thought I read a blurb about that a little while back.
I like the S-1 on the GT. I want to figure out a different way to "holster" it to make that part of things easier, but other than that, I like it a lot. It was different for me to hear the sound in my headphones at first, and there are only a couple of times I forgot to flip the switch back to "coil", broke myself of that habit right quick... I do have a vibra probe that I use as well. That's what I started out with. But for sure, you can't lose your probe when it's tied-in to the machine. I might belt-mount the box with a holster for the probe just to get the weight off the shaft, but it's not that bad in terms of weight.
Critterhunter
New member
Some guys put a coiled springy wire to their Pro Pointer, like those meant for keys you keep on your belt, so they won't forget leaving it on the ground because when they get up it's coming with them no matter what. A few times I forget mine and had a heck of a time finding it's green color in the woods. I keep meaning to put some bright orange tape around it near the battery cap so I can spot it easier, but just the same I too broke myself of the habit of forgetting it or my digger on the ground. It's almost a religion to me now to double check I have them both in my left hip holster as I get up from digging a target.
I have used the sunray as well as various handheld probes. Having left (but fortunately never lost) the Minelab pinpointer I now just carry it in my left hand while detecting. I'm so used to carrying it now that its almost impossibe to lose it. My experience is that the holster gives a false sense of security. You think the probe is always there- until it isn't.
After getting up from retreiving a target I get the same feeling I get when I'm in the car without my seatbelt on if the probe isn't in hand.
Sometimes I have the lesche and the probe in hand during detecting.
Haven't lost em yet! Even so, I could write a book on all the other stuff I've lost on detecting expeditions.
It just comes down to having a comfortable routine and sticking to it each time.
After getting up from retreiving a target I get the same feeling I get when I'm in the car without my seatbelt on if the probe isn't in hand.
Sometimes I have the lesche and the probe in hand during detecting.
Haven't lost em yet! Even so, I could write a book on all the other stuff I've lost on detecting expeditions.
It just comes down to having a comfortable routine and sticking to it each time.