Wanna see the Sov rod I just finished?

[tony (Orlando FL)]

With all the straight rod talk, I realized I really need another rod assembly to use on the beach with my Elite.

I dont use a meter there and I also hip mount while at the beach so a simple rod would work just fine.

This is version 1.0 and seems like it should work well (enough)

Of course, it has some flex in it because it IS sch40 PVC. But for about 1.50$ I can deal with the flex all day long.

Instead of using an existing lower rod, I simply made the coil connector from a 1/2 inch T cut as you can see in the first few pics. I made a wooden plug to fit inside of the T so that the coil would be secure when mounted by the coil bolt/nut.

I approximated all my dimensions and one important aspect was included which was that it needed to fit in the car.

I added a remote all metal / disc switch in the handle..

I used an old arm cuff I had laying around here. and it seems to be fine.

I have been using this setup in the yard today and find the flex is not a big deal, (probably because I made it) It is not an issue like rod creaking that happens when the pieces do not fit together well.

Time will tell if it is durable enough and if I have the dimensions close enough.

Click the link in the next line to check it out.

Check it out by clicking ->rod building slide show

 

[Cupajo]

Should work just fine Tony!

The shaft can always be stiffened with a piece of smaller diameter PVC tube inserted in the shaft!

Several sizes are availible and it would not increase the weight enough for concern.

I like to make mine a bit longer so I can increase my swing coverage a little.

Good job Friend,

CJ

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Tony,one of the most important items for cross country skiing are the poles.I have been an avid xc skier and racer for a number of years.These poles help propel the skier and flex is very bad,energy lost which causes a loss in speed and a lot more work.I used Swix Stars $300.00 which are a composite stiff and light with very little flex.Anyway I went to a less expensive about half the price,but was a more flex rating pole for work outs. This switch added minutes to my lap times and made the skiing a lot more difficult.I think flex has the same effect with the rod asm on metal detectors.I think a aluminum rod asm is probably the best way to go.A little flex with the side to side coil motion can make swinging the coil a lot more work. HH Ron

 

[Cal_Cobra]

Looks good Tony (can't beat the price ).

As poorly made as my XS2a-pro rod is, it's an abomination at best. Bottom plastic rivets falling out, everything creeks and twists and turns as I swing it, and it's about as ergonomic as a one ton gorilla BUT the Sovereign electronics are a different story, and it's a good thing the engineers that designed the rod didn't design the electronics or they'd be about as good as an electric flyswatter

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Cal_Cobra, the bottom part of the lower rod asm was twisting on mine to.I went to Meijers and got that double tube epoxy mix.I took the lower assembly apart and applied the glue to the outside and inside of the short shaft.The epoxy I used harden in 30 minutes after mixed just barely able to slide together back in place.Anyway that fixed the flex and twist.which gave a better feel especially with the wiggle to lock on a deep target.Tony,Cal I have a couple bars left of aluminum to make a rod asm I'll let you have for shipping cost.HH Ron

 

[tony (Orlando FL)]

Ok here is my status after first use on the beach this morning..........

While the rod has flex, its not too annoying UNTIL the coil ends up sticking to the wet sand like a suction cup, this really brings the flex to light.

The flex is good for doing the sov wiggle.

It started to drizzle and made me realize I should cover the am/disc switch with some type of rubber or other water proof material.

The hand grip would benefit from some sort of cushioned grip like pipe insulation or similar.

Considering that I didnt have a separate rod for the beach where I could leave the coinsearch coil with the long cord mounted permanently, this rod gets the job done, nothing more.

It was a fun project and I appreciate all the others that have inspired me through their own posts which included pics with great ideas. Hope this lil project got the wheels turning in a few of your heads in order to possibly build your own straight rod too.

Keep in mind, this and other configs can be used for other units too not just the Sovereign.

 

[tony (Orlando FL)]

Hi Ron,

thanks for the kind offer on the rod material, I will pass for now and surely regret it later. Even if you lived next door and carried it over I would decline because I would feel obligated to make another rod (lame excuse eh?)

You are right about the flex wasting energy in this detector rod, ski poles and walking stick setups etc etc.. Main thing is, it WAS fun to do and try out. Brian in CAL seems handy, I bet he would put a rod to good use.

Thanks again for sharing,

Tony

 

[Cal_Cobra]

Hey Ron,

Thanks very much for your offer, very generous, but I just had Plugger rig me up a new custom straight shaft setup which should arrive tomorrow. I plan to take the bottom rod, pull the plastic rivets/pins out (or whatever they are) and use some JB Weld to epoxy them in so the bottom rod will be stable. Now I just need to round up a suitable switch for the joystick handle for the AM/DISC switch.

hh,
Brian

Cal_Cobra, the bottom part of the lower rod asm was twisting on mine to.I went to Meijers and got that double tube epoxy mix.I took the lower assembly apart and applied the glue to the outside and inside of the short shaft.The epoxy I used harden in 30 minutes after mixed just barely able to slide together back in place.Anyway that fixed the flex and twist.which gave a better feel especially with the wiggle to lock on a deep target.Tony,Cal I have a couple bars left of aluminum to make a rod asm I'll let you have for shipping cost.HH Ron