Hey guyz, Ive been looking to upgrade from my ML X-30. The SOV GT is certainly one of my top choices. Wish I lived closer to the beach (SE TX. Gulf) but still try and make 6 or so trips a year, so 90% of my hunting will be around old homes, parks, schools etc... looking mostly for coins/jewelry. Would the GT (with meter) be a good fit or would you opt. for something different? On a 0-10 scale where would you put the GT as a land coin/jewelry detector?
Find's Treasure Forums
Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!
You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.
Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.
Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.
Click here to register!
Need Support Help?
Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you
The GT or ??
- Thread starter RLTW175
- Start date
This is where I use my GT 99% of the time in old parks, ballfeilds, schools and some yards too plus a few churches and it is one of the best detectors you can get. It takes time to get real good with it and for some have a hard time learning its tones, but once you do you will be impressed at what the Sovereigns can do in many area where others compared worked out.
If you want a simple to use detector and not have to learn a lot the Whites MXT is one great detector and will do well, but no Sovereign.
If you want a simple to use detector and not have to learn a lot the Whites MXT is one great detector and will do well, but no Sovereign.
Critterhunter
New member
Having spent the last few weeks reading/researching the Etrac it is not a simple machine if you want to max it out. Some settings are very site specific with no clear answers on just where to set various things. I've been printing/reading up on it for two friends who just bought one and don't like to do this kind of research, expecting me to help them set some programs up. The GT is said by some to be just as deep and with a 12x10 or 5 inch coil will hold it's own in unmasking against it. Another more simple to use yet just as deep machine would be the T2 Special Edition. Several times I've read it's just as deep as the Minelabs. Talked to one guy on the phone who owns it and an Etrac says he thinks the T2 is a bit deeper in his soil and never uses his Etrac anymore. Just more hassle and weight. Out of all the machines on the market for best performance it comes down to the GT, Etrac, Explorer SE, and T2 Special Edition. F75LTD is the Fisher name for the T2SE and is the same machine. With any of the above machines you are on the cutting edge in depth/unmasking IMHO.
Critterhunter
New member
Also, look down a page or two for the Compare The Competition thread.
enough said.
I have a GT and MXT and although I love the GT, in parks where trash is an isssue (which is most parks around here) I use the MXT more often. The target ID is so helpful on the MXT that I save a good deal of time in trashy locations. In fields or on the beach you can't beat the GT however. If I had to pick one for parks, schools and houses only, I'd go with my MXT. But man is it a tough choice!
Mike
Mike
Thanks for the replies fellas, and yeah it is a tough choice. I know the MXT has an excellent reputation for being a sold all around detector - I had looked into it some time ago. There is no doubt that any of those already mentioned as well as many other would be a step-up from my X-30. Even though I do enjoy the 30 - just feel I need something that can better discriminate between the goods and non-goods!!.... 
Thanks again.
Thanks again.I have not owned the Whites machines but do hear good things about the MXT
This being said , I have owned the Soveriegns, still own an Excal and have an E Trac which replaced all my Sovereigns ...... The initial learning on the E Trac is more involved than learning the Sovereign ..... THIS is what takes the time involved in what it takes to run either machine ......The E Trac has far more settings than the Soveriegn , but once you understand the settings , you are not messing with them every time you go out and hunt .....You can make presets on the E Trac to coincide with whereever you are hunting and it already comes with factory settings that you can tweak for your own area , and save as a preset .... Once you set up your presets for your area, it's actually EASIER to run than the Sovereign , and actually gives you more ways to check your target as to whether or not you want to dig or not dig ...... Critter mentions that they give you no clear indication on where to set specific things ......That's true .....Minelab gives you guidelines as to what every setting does, and gives your examples, but every area is different so nothing is etched in stone .....It's like saying " eat 3 bites of this food, and you will be full " ......Maybe it takes someone else 6 bites of the food to be full .....So Minelab will say what the function does , but does not tell you that it is mandatory to use it ....You basically use your own discretion ....Mix and match so to speak until you find what works for you in your area , and then you save it for a preset .....So you can have a Beach pattern , a Park pattern , or a special cherry pick pattern , or a coin pattern , a relic pattern ......The list goes on ........The E Trac is a much more involved machine INITIALLY but is much easier to run once set up properly, and can do everything the Sovereign can do better .....except chest mount and go into the water ....It will however hunt shallow water fine ....
The Sovereign is STILL one of my favorite machines ..... It has a tone to it that you will either love or hate ..... You do have to learn this machine also as it gives you various tones and squeaks and crackles that you need to learn to decipher, and you will also have to learn the Sovereign "wiggle " and other ways of determining what the target below is ..... There are a lot of targets that are ganged up in the 180 number on the meter , so you basically dig every 180 sginal .....If you are on the beach , or a park, you will dig a LOT more Pennies than you will with the E Trac because of the numbering system .... You cannnot discriminate nearly as well as you can on the E Trac ...... it is not nearly as feature packed and can't do nearly as much as the E Trac does ..... This is where the time involved in setting up the E Trac comes in .....On the positive side , it does not take much to set up a Sovereign .... You set your initial settings and GO !!.... I don't have to miss the tones of my Sovereign because I have the Excal which is basically a waterproof Soverign ..... They are great machines on the beach , and will go deep ......The Sovereign is a good park machine , but the E Trac does so much more when properly set up ...... The Iron discrimination is far superior on the E Trac ..... The target Matrix is far superior on the E Trac ...... You will spend as much time learning the wiggle , and all the other Sovereign techniques which all take time to do in the field , when trying to recover targets, as it will take you to learn the E Tracs functions .... Too many times with the Sovereign I found myself doing the Sovereign dance , trying to figure out whether or not to dig a target ....With a E Trac , a couple of button presses and I'm either digging or on my way ....
Bottom Line ....If you want a more simple machine that can stil do what you want to do ...go for the Sovereign ... If you want a more elaborate machine that is the superior machine with places to store your own programs for your area , and you are not intimidated by a more involved setup process , go for the E Trac .......
The T2 that Critter mentions is a great land machine, and so is a Fisher F75 .....They are single frequency machines that excel on land , but don't try to take them in the wet Saltwater sand or in the Saltwater .....and don't take them in certain areas of the country that have various clay deposits .....The Minelab machines excel in all of these areas as they are multi frequency machines .....
You won't make a bad choice with either the Sovereign or the E Trac ..... They are both great machines in their own right ......If the new higher Soverign price is what you will have to pay , HANDS DOWN buy the E Trac !!!.....Not even a question ......If you can get the Sovereign for the old price , I would STILL get the E Trac ..... If you don't mind an older Sovereign there can be some great values out there an you can try it out to see if you're gonna like it ....The Sovereign really hasn't changed much at all over the years , so a good shape older one will work as good as a newer one ......That's the route I would go if not sure of what machine to get .... You will find that you don't even need a new Sovereign if this is the machine you like .....Jim
This being said , I have owned the Soveriegns, still own an Excal and have an E Trac which replaced all my Sovereigns ...... The initial learning on the E Trac is more involved than learning the Sovereign ..... THIS is what takes the time involved in what it takes to run either machine ......The E Trac has far more settings than the Soveriegn , but once you understand the settings , you are not messing with them every time you go out and hunt .....You can make presets on the E Trac to coincide with whereever you are hunting and it already comes with factory settings that you can tweak for your own area , and save as a preset .... Once you set up your presets for your area, it's actually EASIER to run than the Sovereign , and actually gives you more ways to check your target as to whether or not you want to dig or not dig ...... Critter mentions that they give you no clear indication on where to set specific things ......That's true .....Minelab gives you guidelines as to what every setting does, and gives your examples, but every area is different so nothing is etched in stone .....It's like saying " eat 3 bites of this food, and you will be full " ......Maybe it takes someone else 6 bites of the food to be full .....So Minelab will say what the function does , but does not tell you that it is mandatory to use it ....You basically use your own discretion ....Mix and match so to speak until you find what works for you in your area , and then you save it for a preset .....So you can have a Beach pattern , a Park pattern , or a special cherry pick pattern , or a coin pattern , a relic pattern ......The list goes on ........The E Trac is a much more involved machine INITIALLY but is much easier to run once set up properly, and can do everything the Sovereign can do better .....except chest mount and go into the water ....It will however hunt shallow water fine ....
The Sovereign is STILL one of my favorite machines ..... It has a tone to it that you will either love or hate ..... You do have to learn this machine also as it gives you various tones and squeaks and crackles that you need to learn to decipher, and you will also have to learn the Sovereign "wiggle " and other ways of determining what the target below is ..... There are a lot of targets that are ganged up in the 180 number on the meter , so you basically dig every 180 sginal .....If you are on the beach , or a park, you will dig a LOT more Pennies than you will with the E Trac because of the numbering system .... You cannnot discriminate nearly as well as you can on the E Trac ...... it is not nearly as feature packed and can't do nearly as much as the E Trac does ..... This is where the time involved in setting up the E Trac comes in .....On the positive side , it does not take much to set up a Sovereign .... You set your initial settings and GO !!.... I don't have to miss the tones of my Sovereign because I have the Excal which is basically a waterproof Soverign ..... They are great machines on the beach , and will go deep ......The Sovereign is a good park machine , but the E Trac does so much more when properly set up ...... The Iron discrimination is far superior on the E Trac ..... The target Matrix is far superior on the E Trac ...... You will spend as much time learning the wiggle , and all the other Sovereign techniques which all take time to do in the field , when trying to recover targets, as it will take you to learn the E Tracs functions .... Too many times with the Sovereign I found myself doing the Sovereign dance , trying to figure out whether or not to dig a target ....With a E Trac , a couple of button presses and I'm either digging or on my way ....
Bottom Line ....If you want a more simple machine that can stil do what you want to do ...go for the Sovereign ... If you want a more elaborate machine that is the superior machine with places to store your own programs for your area , and you are not intimidated by a more involved setup process , go for the E Trac .......
The T2 that Critter mentions is a great land machine, and so is a Fisher F75 .....They are single frequency machines that excel on land , but don't try to take them in the wet Saltwater sand or in the Saltwater .....and don't take them in certain areas of the country that have various clay deposits .....The Minelab machines excel in all of these areas as they are multi frequency machines .....
You won't make a bad choice with either the Sovereign or the E Trac ..... They are both great machines in their own right ......If the new higher Soverign price is what you will have to pay , HANDS DOWN buy the E Trac !!!.....Not even a question ......If you can get the Sovereign for the old price , I would STILL get the E Trac ..... If you don't mind an older Sovereign there can be some great values out there an you can try it out to see if you're gonna like it ....The Sovereign really hasn't changed much at all over the years , so a good shape older one will work as good as a newer one ......That's the route I would go if not sure of what machine to get .... You will find that you don't even need a new Sovereign if this is the machine you like .....Jim
Another thing to keep in mind, a new GT with a new digi-search meter and a rechargeable battery system runs almost the same as a new Explorer SE Pro! And only $200 less than an E-trac!
Lots of do it yourselfers go the used and modify route, almost need to with the new price points on the Minelabs.
Ouch.
Rich -
Lots of do it yourselfers go the used and modify route, almost need to with the new price points on the Minelabs.
Ouch.
Rich -
telerobotics
New member
There is no doubt the GT is an excellent machine. I have owned the E trac since it came out also the V3. I have many hundreds of hours on them all. Used them though out the USA. If its full of trash i go to one of those. But for areas with very little trash i love a beep and dig machine and dont pay much attention to the meter only for an idea what it might be. I have found from many years of detecting yes you may dig trash, which i do alot, but it is those times when the screen says trash and it is a great find you realize the limitation of target ID. Only in heavy trash do i use ID i am going to dig that much. I am just saying sometimes the ID system can miss guide you over a good target. I have a friend that i travel with and he only uses Tesoro products and keeps up real well and sometimes does better any where he goes but digs alot of targets. You can dig it faster than sitting trying to fiqure out if it is good or not.
Critterhunter
New member
mike5853 said:
The MXT won't get the depth of a Sovereign. Seen it in action and a friend soon got rid of it because of that. As for trash, BBS technology will ID it better than a single frequency machine, provides more tones than an MXT or M6, and the Sovereign has MORE target resolution over the majority of it's scale than they do. I know, because we scanned in a bunch of tabs and rings on them to make some charts.
The only better resolution an MXT has is at the very top of the scale on a few more coins, but when I'm old coin hunting I go by depth or proximity to trash (if it's shallow I only dig coins in trash looking for masked old ones). I don't care what a machine says the coin is. Dug too many silvers that read as zincs or wheats to trust that. Besides, the MXT's ability to ID targets, like most other detectors, drops off after about 6" or so with any kind of mineralization, where as Sovereigns can ID much deeper in any ground.
Ask yourself this...would you rather be able to split hairs on coins less than say 6" deep which are more than likely clads anyway, or do you want to know a target 9" deep is a coin and don't care what kind of coin it is? Besides, I can tell wheats, zincs, quarters, and silvers on my GT by how the meter reacts most of the time. Dimes I have trouble with. I want my ID resolution where it counts, in the gold ring range to split hairs on tabs and rings. Using the ID to try to cherry pick coins will cost you many good coins. If your machine says clad dime at 8" deep are you really going to take the chance of passing it up? All the easy silver less than 6" deep is gone at public sites, so I only look fork masked coins that shallow, and when they are masked you can not trust what type of coin it thinks it is. A silver dime laying with a pull tab or nail CAN read as a zinc along with being scratchy. And as said, if it's deeper than 6" I don't care if the machine tells me it's a 1995 zinc penny made at a specific mint, I'M DIGGING IT!
Critterhunter
New member
With the Etrac it's got too many settings for my taste. One small example, do you set gain at 24 or 30 for deep coins? The higher it's set the less ability you have to tell shallow from deep targets. What about the deep on setting? Slows things down. Then there is volume limit. No cut clear answers from site to site. Would drive me crazy always wondering what should be set where. Some of these settings are designed to address problems. IE: Turn off deep and turn fast on to remove some filtering to speed the machine up, but this can cause the ID to be more eratic. If it wasn't so loaded down with software there would be no need to choose between the two, trading off some stability in order to gain some speed. I didn't even mention the trash density setting yet and how that can make the ID unstable. Awesome machine? Yes, but the more you overtake the plumbing the easier it is to plug up the drain.
Critterhunter
New member
And a higher gain setting camn cause the ID to "stick" and slow down. It's like undoing one knot and then another one forms.
A lot depends on the person and their huntiing need, the Sovereigns and the Explorer/ E-Trac are made for those that have the patience to use the very best and adjust them to what they want to hunt and ground conditions as with these setting you can get max performance, but if you are the type to go out once in a while to hunt and keep up with the big boys without knowing your detectors its not likely you will be happy with one of these.
Many spend too much trying differnt setting without knowing what they can do and blame the detector as it is no good only to find out the detector is fine, but the operator has a problem. Take the Sovereign Explorer or E-Trac and use it according to the factory setting learn all you can then try other setting and remember what works for one person on the East Coast may not work for others in the country.
If you are the type of person with no patience or only goes out very little, then there are other detectors that are turn on go out there for them as the Sovereign,Explorers and the E-Trac are made for those that are serious about detecting, not those that read the fourms all day and not really going out to use and understand the detector itself.
How many got a Sovereign for the first time and hated it, then spent the time to learn it and now love it?? I will bet many have.
Many spend too much trying differnt setting without knowing what they can do and blame the detector as it is no good only to find out the detector is fine, but the operator has a problem. Take the Sovereign Explorer or E-Trac and use it according to the factory setting learn all you can then try other setting and remember what works for one person on the East Coast may not work for others in the country.
If you are the type of person with no patience or only goes out very little, then there are other detectors that are turn on go out there for them as the Sovereign,Explorers and the E-Trac are made for those that are serious about detecting, not those that read the fourms all day and not really going out to use and understand the detector itself.
How many got a Sovereign for the first time and hated it, then spent the time to learn it and now love it?? I will bet many have.
Critterhunter
New member
What's wrong with researching forums? That's like telling a med student that studying as much as possible is a waste of time. It's not possible for some of us to hunt all day due to other commitments such as watching kids, being around for the wife to give you orders, and so on. In my case neither one of those are problems for me but I'm still not able to hunt at times yet can squeeze in a half hour or so on the computer. Experience is a really good teacher but that doesn't mean research and exploring the findings of others has no place. That makes zero sense to me. I say hunt when you can but when that;s not an option then research and read as much as you can. Knowledge is king. Be curious about the findings of others and you never stop learning/exploring/trying new things.
As for the MXT, I am not saying it isn't a great detector. If I was primarily a clad hunter or did some prospecting I'd own one. But for old coins deeper or in trash, or for gold rings both on land (better audio on Sovereign) and in the water or in the sand, it's Sovereign all the way. MXT won't compete in those areas. The MXT/M6 are great ring hunters due to their audio, but the Sovereign is even better in audio and ID, and will get coins and rings much deeper.
Many people have the wrong impression that the Sovereign is a beach machine. No, it's as lethal on land as it is in the water. No site is ever worked out when you own a Sovereign.
As for the MXT, I am not saying it isn't a great detector. If I was primarily a clad hunter or did some prospecting I'd own one. But for old coins deeper or in trash, or for gold rings both on land (better audio on Sovereign) and in the water or in the sand, it's Sovereign all the way. MXT won't compete in those areas. The MXT/M6 are great ring hunters due to their audio, but the Sovereign is even better in audio and ID, and will get coins and rings much deeper.
Many people have the wrong impression that the Sovereign is a beach machine. No, it's as lethal on land as it is in the water. No site is ever worked out when you own a Sovereign.
I still say that once you sit down , and understand the E Trac , and know what the various settings do, you actually spend LESS time once you get to your detecting spot running the E Trac than you do the Sovereign .....Now if the E Trac confuses you from the very beginning and it overwhelms you , and you are not one to roll your own , then a machine that is easier to set up is surely in order ...... There are quite a few folks who have been intimidated by the E Trac BECAUSE it has so much to offer.....What they DON'T realize is that once you understand the machine and what each setting does, it's really a peice of cake to run !!..... I've learned both machines from scratch, and it has taken me every bit as long to learn the idiosincrocies of the Sovereign as it has to learn the actual functions of the E Trac .... I can find, identify, and dig a target MUCH FASTER with the E Trac than I can with the Sovereign .... Bottom Line, that says it all right there, ESPECIALLY if you don't have as much time to hunt !!..... With the E Trac I dig more Silver , and with the Soveriegn , I dig more Pennies ..... Heck , you want EASY, FAST , and LIGHT !!...ACCURATE , and better iron abilities than the Sovereign , and cheaper too with a meter ID , get an AT PRO !!!..... The falsing issue is fixed now !!..... Technology marches on !!.....Jim
Neil
Well-known member
synthnut said:
I thought the Explorer was tough at first, now its a breeze. When I got my Etrac one of my first thoughts after hunting it a short while was how simple minelab made this thing to operate.
Now Im looking into a G2, that sure looks like a sweet little machine and 2.8lbs with battery, plus it works on wet sand........
Neil ,
A lot of the new breed of detectors will work on Wet Salt Sand .....It's a matter of HOW WELL they will work on wet salt sand .....I've already had my AT Pro at one Saltwater beach where it G.B.'d just fine and just about 20 miles away on another beach , and it did not G.B . worth a darn ..... It ran noisy no matter where you G.B. it at ......So not every beach is 100% .....The beaches where a lot of these detectors work great on are down south ......Different make up altogether ...... Try before you buy if possible ...... They are STILL Single frequency machines that have to be G.B.'d especially going from the dry sand to the wet sand .....We are SPOILED with the ML machines !!.....Jim
You have an E Trac , and you porobably already have your presets saved for the area's that you hunt ....How hard is it to hunt with your E Trac compared to your Sovereign ? ...... Which one finds and recovers targets faster ? ...... I read what Critter has to say about his views on the E Trac and he STILL does not get thte fact that once you know what each feature does , it's really just a set it and forget it machine ....... and a matter of going to a preset and punching it in, doing a noise cancel for the area , and just go hunting !!....I know , and I"m sure you know that it's just that simple !!.....Thanks, Jim
A lot of the new breed of detectors will work on Wet Salt Sand .....It's a matter of HOW WELL they will work on wet salt sand .....I've already had my AT Pro at one Saltwater beach where it G.B.'d just fine and just about 20 miles away on another beach , and it did not G.B . worth a darn ..... It ran noisy no matter where you G.B. it at ......So not every beach is 100% .....The beaches where a lot of these detectors work great on are down south ......Different make up altogether ...... Try before you buy if possible ...... They are STILL Single frequency machines that have to be G.B.'d especially going from the dry sand to the wet sand .....We are SPOILED with the ML machines !!.....Jim
You have an E Trac , and you porobably already have your presets saved for the area's that you hunt ....How hard is it to hunt with your E Trac compared to your Sovereign ? ...... Which one finds and recovers targets faster ? ...... I read what Critter has to say about his views on the E Trac and he STILL does not get thte fact that once you know what each feature does , it's really just a set it and forget it machine ....... and a matter of going to a preset and punching it in, doing a noise cancel for the area , and just go hunting !!....I know , and I"m sure you know that it's just that simple !!.....Thanks, Jim
Neil
Well-known member
synthnut said:
Jim Ive found a few single freq detectors that work on the wet sand, but how quiet they are and how much disc you have to use has always kept them behind the multi freq detectors and like you mention, the single freqs all have to be ground balanced for each area, you dont have to with the minelabs.
I dont have any presets set up on my etrac, I run it alot like I do explorers which is minimal iron mask or say have nails punched out, gain right at factory preset, threshold and sens adjust for each site, and of course on the etrac the ground setting. The Etrac is as simple as the Sov to hunt, you just have more flexibility. The Etrac resets quicker and its easier to locate a target with it and that noise cancel feature, just like on the explorer, is fantastic. it really quiets the detector down and helps you get the most out of your electonics.
Im through with critters comments on machines he doesnt use/have, so him making etrac comments in any way is pure rubbish and should be treated as such.