Sovereign Tips ?

[SWMO Mark]

I recently picked up a Sovereign XS and was wondering if anyone had some good tips on how to get the most out of this detector? I know there are some books available out there, but I was wondering if there are any little known tips available that arent published. Thanks, Mark

 

[Birdseed]

I hope this is not going to sound trite, but my advice to you Mark is to get hold of a good set of headphones, the makers manual and set up the detector as they suggest. Now go to your favorite location and flog the ground for at least a day or two at these settings. Dig every signal. Your arms and back will ache and you will have a bucket of junk, but slowly you will start to pre-empt what is coming out of the hole. As your confidence improves, start to make small adjustments to the controls, just a little at a time. Only adjust one control at a time and really learn what it does. My tip is to start with the threshold control, adjust for the lightest/finest threshold you can comfortably hear and listen to the ground. Too much threshold and small or deep items are lost, also your ears and brain will ache with fatigue. Too little and you will miss the subtle changes the detector is seeing. Next I suggest the sensitivity control. I don't know if the XS has an "Auto Sensitivity" position. (My Sov is a GT). If you have Auto this is a good place to start. You will hear what a stable detector sounds like in this position. When you venture out of auto for the first time, tend to use a lower sensitivity to start with. On the GT lowest sensitivity is in the most clockwise direction of the control knob. Start to detect in the lower quarter of the control and slowly increase sensitivity a little at a time until the detector starts to become affected by ground conditions. Then back off till stability returns.
I mostly hunt in discriminate mode unless I am on a particularly clean site when I use All Metal. You will make this decision yourself as you become familiar with the detector.

Remember the makers instructions are the best starting place. Make small changes using one control at a time.

Soon it will become second nature, there are no secret settings

Pete in Tasmania

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Birdseed gives great advice.HH Ron

 

[cubfan64]

I agree with Birdseed too. There's only so much one can learn from books and reading other people tips and hints - for most of us, the best thing to do exactly what Birdseed recommended and just get out there and dig everything for awhile. It won't take long before you'll start hearing things and making sense of what the detector is telling you - then when you do decide to get some of the books, much more of it will make tons of sense to you.

 

[Rick(ND)]

Most the first time they try a Sovereign don't like it as it is different than what they have used before. Birdseed is right on the setting to start with so it will make it a little easier to learn. Start slow and easy as the Sovereign don't like speed and try to keep a threshold as much as possible as it will null on iron and anything that is disc out, The Sovereign also changes the threshold tone to any target it see and keeps it until the next target it sees, so by going slow you can hear every target it see whether good or bad. To me being a coin hunter I would throw down a nickle or a quarter once in a while just to see how they would sound tone wise to help learn it. Don't worry about depth to begin with as that will come with experience.
Good luck and have the patience as it will be worth it as you will see the more you use it the more you will learn about it and the better you will do.

Rick