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Which meter.... Minelab or Sunray? Also coil recommendations

Dan(NM)

Well-known member
I'm considering a Sov GT, I have never used a Sov and am not that sure which meter to get. Any idea which one is accurate at depth and is more reliable? What accessory coil would you recommend for a first time Sov user,Thanks.
 
Well you know the Sunray meters aren't made anymore, right? If you can get one, they're great. But an older modified Minelab Sovereign meter or the new 180 meter from Minelab will work just the same. The 10" Tornado coil that comes on the Sovereign is a great coil. Depending on the type of hunting you do would determine what other coil you may want. If you're going to do farm fields, the beach, and maybe woods hunting I would absolutely get a Sunray S-12. Awesome coil. For working in parks and trashy places you might want to get an 8", though the 10" would be fine if those types of spots won't be your normal hunting. It all depends on how much target separation you'll need (trashy areas) or how much extra coverage you want (Beach, fields, woods).

I recommend you learn the machine with the stock coil first. If the beach is your deal, lose the meter and go with the tones. No need for a meter on the beach.
 
you can only use the new GT meter with the GT, Something about a voltage change and the older Sov meters will read o's. Not sure about the Sunrays.
 
Hi Mike,

I have located a Sunray meter,but, if the performance isn't that far off I might opt for a new Minelab meter.
I don't hunt farm fields or the beach. I do need target separation. Should I get a Sunray 8" or a Minelab 8"
 
Is there a difference in actual performance, or is one waterproof and not the other?
 
I have use all the meters other than the new one of Minelabs. I guess I havent used them all as I have one of the new Patriot that Joe Patrick makes to see how it will compare to my SunRay DTI 3 I have. The SunRay is the one I like the best so far as it will sit up higher on the GT shaft so you can see it. The New Minelab sit a little lower and harder to see. If you use a older Minelab digital meter you may have to do a internal calibration to it as it may not read high enough. Maybe Art will tell us more about this as he tried it with a Elite meter.
Now I like the 180 numbers and find doing a rescaling of a 550 meter of the older Minelabs worked OK too and seem like the calibration stayed a lot better than when it was a 550 meter and found for a begginer it would do well, but on the real close tones the SunRay seem to be a little better. The SunRay was a little more touchy on the calibration as a little turn made quite a difference, so I feel the SunRay is a little more sensitivie and why I use one on all my Sovereign I have used and now the GT.

Now your GT comes with the 10 inch Tornado coil which is a good one, if you need a smaller one and one to learn on I find the older 8 inch coinsearch were excellent and easier to learn on, the S8 of SunRays also was a very good one and feel it is more sensitivie, but the signals are not as big sounding as the coinsearch coil is. I havent tried the 8 inch Tornado coil that is the newer Minelab coil, but I am sure it has to be better than the BBS 8 that was on the XS2 and XS2a. If a bigger coil is needed than the S12 of SunRays is the way to go as it has great coverage and the best depth. My deepest coin was a barber quarter at 13-14 inches useing a S12.
I would recomend you stay with the stock coil untill you learn your GT unless it is too trashy and need a smaller coil, then try to find a used 8 inch coinsearch as it will help you learn the GT faster.

Good luck and have some patience and go slow so the GT can see those deep targets, you will be glad you did when you see what this detector can do.

Rick
 
There can be a few problems with calibration.

I got a new Minelab Elite meter to put on my GT. Would not adjust high enough.

Barely would adjust high enough on my 2a.

The internal trim pot was set all the way down causing the main adjustment range to fall short of where it should have been. Problem was corrected by cranking up the internal adjustment.

There is another gremlin here :devil:

The Max ID voltage from my 2a measures 1.734 - 1.735 volts. It's apparently somewhere in between.

The GT measures at 1.732 volts.

This does not sound like much, but since the meter is so sensitive, just a little difference in ID voltage between detectors can exceed the ability of the main adjustment to allow calibration.

I was able to find an internal setting that would make the meter work on either detector with all the different coils.

There you have it. If you have a problem, then you know the cause and the cure.

HH
 
You can use the older meters on the GT. I can use both the XS and the meter for the Elite. Sunrays appear to work too.

David@Dixie says the new GT meter simply don't work on older Sovs.

HH
 
The mounting bracket on the DTI 3 is a bit different as it is made out of metal and sits back a little further so it is easy to turn on the light when needed.
Also Dan the DTI 2 you have does it have a metal calibration control or is it nylon?? If it is the nylon it is the earlier one that you can turn too far and break it, the later models had a metal one that was much more durable. I think if you have the early one it can be sent down to Florida to be updated, but there is a charge for that.

Rick
 
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