Unstable Sovereign GT

[docaudio]

I have used a Excalibur and traded a AT pro for a Sovereign GT that looked to be in good condition . I thought the set up would be similar . I have tried it in my yard at home and it seems very unstable . In soom areas it does not stablize and if I set the coil on the ground it wil beep but not the same sound you get when you hit a target. Could the soil be that bad , I know I had a lot of backfill in that part of the yard when the house was built or is my set up bad or do I have a problem with my detector.
Thanks for any help
Greg

 

[Cameraniac]

Are there any buried electrical cables nearby? I know they will mess with my XS.

 

[bootyhoundpa]

like daddy mentioned ,it could be emi from powerlines buried or overhead... try switching sensetivity to auto and disc mode with iron mask on or could even try silent search mode...if it still acts up it most likely emi or a bad coil... try it at a different location... also make sure the battery is charged as they will sound off when the battery is running low... should read somewhere about 14vdc when charged... good luck..

 

[Cameraniac]

like daddy mentioned ,it could be emi from powerlines buried or overhead... try switching sensetivity to auto and disc mode with iron mask on or could even try silent search mode...if it still acts up it most likely emi or a bad coil... try it at a different location... also make sure the battery is charged as they will sound off when the battery is running low... should read somewhere about 14vdc when charged... good luck..

Yeah, I hunted a park just the other day and there are certain areas where I had to turn the sensitivity all the way down to be able to hunt semi-comfortably. Funny thing is that I really didn't notice any loss of depth after doing so. I love my Sovereign.

 

[docaudio]

Thanks for the info , I know there is a cable TV and the power to the house is buried in that area . How would I know if I have a bad coil ? The batteries Have a fresh charge.
Thanks

 

[Cameraniac]

Thanks for the info , I know there is a cable TV and the power to the house is buried in that area . How would I know if I have a bad coil ? The batteries Have a fresh charge.
Thanks

What makes you think that you have a bad coil? Does it act up everywhere you use it or just where the tv and power cables are buried? As already mentioned, the power lines can cause the problem that you are experiancing with your machine.

 

[Cameraniac]

Thanks for the info , I know there is a cable TV and the power to the house is buried in that area . How would I know if I have a bad coil ? The batteries Have a fresh charge.
Thanks

What makes you think that you have a bad coil? Does it act up everywhere you use it or just where the tv and power cables are buried? As already mentioned, the power lines can cause the problem that you are experiancing with your machine.

Also, with the Sovereign, having the sensitivity set too high can cause erratic operation. The sensitivity does not have to be set high to be able to find deep targets. I'll usually adjust it to where it just starts to become erratic and then back off a little. It all depends on the ground conditions. In some areas, the sensitivity can be adjusted to the maximum setting withuot ill effect while other areas might require that it be dialed back some.
It's been awhile since I owned a GT but if I remember correctly, clicking the sensitivity dial out of auto puts you at the highest sensitivity setting, not the lowest. I could be wrong about that so you might want to check just to be sure.

 

[Rick(ND)]

You are correct as when turned all the way counterclockwise and clicks is auto sensitivity and when you turn it clockwise after the click is full sensitivity and all the way clockwise is the least sensitivity.
I would try taking the GT out to a different area and see if it does the same, if it does than it can be the coil or even the factory rechargeable battery has a bad cell in it so it don't have the right voltage and giving you the low battery alert, so if you have a alkaline battery holder I would try 8 good alkaline batteries in it and see if that makes a difference. If it does than the battery pack is bad. Even the charger can be bad so if the 8 alkalines help than I would make sure the charger is working too.

Rick

 

[bootyhoundpa]

Assume for the moment that your coil is fine..like any troubleshooting you want to start with the simple ,easy ,cheap things and then progress towards the more complicated things..... take machine to a clean area, tinker with settings 1st..if you can get it to run stable-problem solved,if not 2nd thing i would do is do meter reading of the fully charged battery,14vdc or there abouts.... if problem isnt resolved yet then 3rd i would check coil plug ,coil wire and coil itself.... gently wiggle cable,finger tap connector and coil if any of these cause unit to sound off it could be a coil or connection issue... if at this point the problem isnt resolved it might be something inside the brain but over 90% of the time its something simple... i guess you could post a video of how its acting to get better feedback if problem is t resolved....

 

[docaudio]

Thanks so much for the Great INPUT. This is Aw some info and the thought process . If the rest of the functioned as the forums work, it would be a better world.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Most people new to the Sovereign will consider it noisy,which with the different tones gives the user a lot of information.Once learned it spoils most users how well the Sovereign can ID targets,especially deep ones compared to other detectors.Take it slow and learn to use this unit and you'll be hooked.Remember the volume control is for gain so keep this control knob to the max.Oh very important for very bad ground, use your frequency shift which is a noise cancel band toggle switch 1 & 2 ,one band may work better than the other in hot ground.There have been books written about this detector,which may require a little time for a learning process.By the way the Sovereign is hot on larger gold jewelry and since I've been moderator have talked to a dozen of hunters who have found rings appraised that could buy a good vacation or car,which you won't see on a post for obvious reasons.Good Luck

 

[GeorgeinSC]

The Sovereign is a different animal than most detectors. When I bought mine i thought that I had wasted a bunch of money. I finally put a meter on the machine and the light at the end of the tunnel became a glimmer. Every time I use it the light gets just a teeny bit brighter. After three years I think I am beginning to understand the machine. It has paid me back far more than what I invested in the machine. In fact i went so far as to purchase a second gt just in case mine ever gave up the ghost and would not be repairable. I do not plan on living long enough to not have a GT in my arsenal.