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Sovereign on the way out?
- Thread starter keppy
- Start date
Critterhunter
New member
If you keep waiting for the next great detector you'll always be waiting, because new machines are coming out all the time.
I would be surprised if Minelab discontinued the GT. Mainly because that would make their entire coin/relic line up of land machines computerized with screens. Some people just don't like using computer screens and setting things that way. That's one of the reasons why the MXT/M6 are popular, because they still retain dial controls for certain things.
In terms of production cost a large portion of that goes into the design and manufacturing tools for a new machine. It takes a certain amount of time in sales for those costs to be over come, and I would bet Minelab has paid off all those bills for building the Sovereign years ago.
What they need to do is some simple mods to the existing GT that wouldn't really require any changes in electronics, so existing equipment could be used to build the units. Lighter upper/lower shaft/arm cup/grip. The savings in aluminum alone would benefit them. They are wasting a lot on that heavy upper shaft and arm cup. Lipo battery pack which can be sold as an accessary to older GT owners for additional income. It would drop more weight and increase run times. A version of the Pro Coil. Since the casing/tooling for that already exists, all they'd need to do is change the gauge/winding of the TX/RX coils inside it and use the Sovereign pre-amp coil circuit. If they didn't want to bother with that then contract with Detech to sell the 12x10 with it. Remote PP jack on the back of the control box, and sell a remote PP cable/switch that mounts easily on the hand grip. Again, can be sold as an accessary and not with the unit. Discrimination dial that can go all the way down to zero iron discrimination. Keep the existing Iron Mask On/Off switch intact as that's an added ability and not a reflection on variable iron discrimination. A second smaller dial on top of the existing notch dial to narrow/widen the notch's window of rejection.
That's about all I would like to see done to the machine. Just the weight saving thing and remote PP would open up sales to many more customers such as women. Keep all the other existing controls on the GT too.
Oh, and the meter price needs to come down to like $50 or so, and one should be included in the box with new models.
I would be surprised if Minelab discontinued the GT. Mainly because that would make their entire coin/relic line up of land machines computerized with screens. Some people just don't like using computer screens and setting things that way. That's one of the reasons why the MXT/M6 are popular, because they still retain dial controls for certain things.
In terms of production cost a large portion of that goes into the design and manufacturing tools for a new machine. It takes a certain amount of time in sales for those costs to be over come, and I would bet Minelab has paid off all those bills for building the Sovereign years ago.
What they need to do is some simple mods to the existing GT that wouldn't really require any changes in electronics, so existing equipment could be used to build the units. Lighter upper/lower shaft/arm cup/grip. The savings in aluminum alone would benefit them. They are wasting a lot on that heavy upper shaft and arm cup. Lipo battery pack which can be sold as an accessary to older GT owners for additional income. It would drop more weight and increase run times. A version of the Pro Coil. Since the casing/tooling for that already exists, all they'd need to do is change the gauge/winding of the TX/RX coils inside it and use the Sovereign pre-amp coil circuit. If they didn't want to bother with that then contract with Detech to sell the 12x10 with it. Remote PP jack on the back of the control box, and sell a remote PP cable/switch that mounts easily on the hand grip. Again, can be sold as an accessary and not with the unit. Discrimination dial that can go all the way down to zero iron discrimination. Keep the existing Iron Mask On/Off switch intact as that's an added ability and not a reflection on variable iron discrimination. A second smaller dial on top of the existing notch dial to narrow/widen the notch's window of rejection.
That's about all I would like to see done to the machine. Just the weight saving thing and remote PP would open up sales to many more customers such as women. Keep all the other existing controls on the GT too.
Oh, and the meter price needs to come down to like $50 or so, and one should be included in the box with new models.
Tony in FL
Member
Critterhunter said:
I definitely agree with you there. This is like waiting for the next more powerful computer. Since there are always improvements on the horizon i.e. GPU, CPU, memory, hard drive, SSD, etc., one could wait forever.
Critterhunter said:
Friendly wager - within 2 or 3 years the Sovereign will be history OR it will be overhauled with newer technology i.e. digital control unit with integrated LCD display.
HH!
They have really never changed the Sovereign since the first one made in about 1992....... and it will go as deep as any VLF detector out there............ Even your E Trak or any top of the line detector it just does not have all the bells & whistles......Tony in FL said:Critterhunter said:
I definitely agree with you there. This is like waiting for the next more powerful computer. Since there are always improvements on the horizon i.e. GPU, CPU, memory, hard drive, SSD, etc., one could wait forever.
Critterhunter said:
Friendly wager - within 2 or 3 years the Sovereign will be history OR it will be overhauled with newer technology i.e. digital control unit with integrated LCD display.
HH!