Who Says Minelabs Aren't Sensitive To Tiny Stuff?

[Neil]

You be surprise as how many claim to find real deep targets, but they are those that fall in the hole and why those that use a Sun Ray probe I believe more as they know how deep the target is when they use it. Also actual in the Field finds are more accurate as it is what we expedience our self and not what we read or do test with. I think Critter needs to find a job soon as he spends too much time on the Internet and doing test and not actually out getting experience with the Sovereign.

Rick

Speaking of work, I just benefited from receiving a bunch of days off due to a shift change, and have been able to catch up on reading the forums. Critter has been posting like crazy all over, I guess thats what oodles of free time does to some. Ive got a lazy nephew who is out of work, says he is looking for a certain job, will only work what he wants. I just dont think like that, been working since a teenager and havent stopped. I am looking forward to retirement, but thats a good 10yrs off unless I opt out at 62......but medical is so expensive so I will see what happens. Until then Im back to picking up side jobs along with my regular job

 

[Neil]

When I was out there a few years ago on the beach when I used my Explorer EX II in the dry sand compared to the land hunting I do in ND a 10 inch quarter and penny would sound like it was 2 inches down.

Rick it really is a whole different experience than land hunting, so much easier too. I didnt get much land hunting in this year since I only do it in the coldest of weather to avoid ticks, but when I do it always a major battle with roots, rotting iron and just overall tough digging. We had us a real mild winter which reminds me Ive got to drain down my snowblower and refill it with fresh gas........didnt pull it out once this year.

 

[Critterhunter]

I mentioned that I have to save my gas money to hand out resumes, so I can't go detecting very often. That's how bad my situation is that the moment. Glad you can take some joy and find some humor in that. It's easy to forget how bad other people have it in this economy when you're the one with a job. The net is a cheap way to occupy my time when not job hunting, and I don't think anybody is forcing you to read my posts. I use the scroll bar all the time.

 

[Critterhunter]

BBS does better on low conductors than the FBS machines, whats odd is that on my GT I can have the sensitivity down low, way low and still hits hard on the low conductors, for my hunts on the sports field looking for lost jewelry as I don't need depth for that type of hunting.

Would like to see someone put up some pics to show a piece of jewelry the Sov will hit that an explorer or etrac wont. Ive never seen it and dont find this to be true at all. If anything its the other way around, especially using the sov in disc.

Neil, find me some posts where anybody has ever said the FBS machines hit better on gold rings. I've seen many posts over time where Sov/Excal users have mentioned that they seem to do a better job at that than their FBS machines. My GT for sure does better on gold rings than my Explorers did. I think it's a issue with the audio of the Sovereign having more "meat" to it than the much shorter/more processed audio of the FBS machines. There is more to sound off and listen to when sweeping over a gold ring with a Sovereign.

 

[Critterhunter]

Here's just one thread about the Sovereign/Excal hitting harder on gold rings...

Hello,

I have an Explorer XS since 5 years (an Sovereing Xs2 before),
I met an other beachcomber with a Sovereign GT (10.5 inch coil),
we made some benchmarks with few gold rings in the
wet sand, each time the Sovereign had a better response,
the sound was louder and clear than my Explorer
(10.5 inch, gain 8, volume max, sound 1, manual sens 24, mode deep).

About my Explorer, I can't have a sensivity heigher than
25 on the wet sand because I have some false signals (the area
between the coil and the cover is clean, noise cancel done,
cell phone shutdown), the GT is always with the maximum of sensitivity.

Do you think the GT is better than the Explorer, because it can
work with the sensitivity at max?

 

[Critterhunter]

Amazing what you can find with a little searching. Here's another blurb from the Etrac forum...

I may be imagining it, but I honestly don't think the E-trac hits on ring sized gold as well as the Sovereign or Excalibur. I may give the E-Trac the nod for tiny golds items like ear ring backs, but neither is exceptionally good at very small items.

 

[Critterhunter]

I also find it interesting that the Explorer guy mentioned he isn't able to run his sensitivity too high, while the Sovereign was maxed out. More than a few times I've read similar experiences with FBS machines versus BBS in rough ground. I found my Explorers had issues with sensitivity in my soil. Very picky and having to be adjusted all the time to keep things stable. It's only a theory but I believe the higher frequencies (up to 100 khz) of the FBS machines are reflecting off my ground minerals in a negative way. I could very well be wrong but that's my best guess.

 

[Critterhunter]

But the sensitivity issue is one thing I do like about the Etrac. With a +3 Auto setting that machine takes much of the guess work and hassle out of getting good depth while not having to constantly try to adjust sensitivity to keep things stable as I had to on my Explorers.

 

[Critterhunter]

A few more quotes I dug up from the Explorer or Etrac forums on gold rings on the Sov/Excal versus the FBS machines...

The Etrac is awesome in the sand! Found some get deep coins well over a foot deep. The excalibur is better as far as rings and gold go.

The SE is a great detector, but for Gold, my choice is hands down the Excal/Sovereign.

...For Gold, I do much better with my Excal.
HH Alton

The Sovereign BBS circuit seems to have a bit better signal/depth on the smaller rings, particularly the Sovereign GT

And for good measure, here's another blurb about the stability of the Sovereign over FBS machines...

The new Sovereign seems to be the wet sand low tide machine to get, mostly because it is very stable on the wet sand compared with the Explorer which falses a lot

 

[Neil]

BBS does better on low conductors than the FBS machines, whats odd is that on my GT I can have the sensitivity down low, way low and still hits hard on the low conductors, for my hunts on the sports field looking for lost jewelry as I don't need depth for that type of hunting.

Would like to see someone put up some pics to show a piece of jewelry the Sov will hit that an explorer or etrac wont. Ive never seen it and dont find this to be true at all. If anything its the other way around, especially using the sov in disc.

Neil, find me some posts where anybody has ever said the FBS machines hit better on gold rings. I've seen many posts over time where Sov/Excal users have mentioned that they seem to do a better job at that than their FBS machines. My GT for sure does better on gold rings than my Explorers did. I think it's a issue with the audio of the Sovereign having more "meat" to it than the much shorter/more processed audio of the FBS machines. There is more to sound off and listen to when sweeping over a gold ring with a Sovereign.

If you need to read others posts to prove it to yourself critter, thats a sure statement of what you really dont know yourself. I know myself from using and having both so why would I need to hunt down posts of other people I DO NOT KNOW, where I have no way of KNOWING whether or not they are being honest or exaggerating or many other things. The only thing your proving by reading and posting other peoples stuff ALL THE TIME is because you dont know yourself, because you never speak from experience. Didnt you get a good talking to about that from Monte over on either the Whites or Tesoro forum? And havent the Etrac folks now sent you packing as well?
Just keep it real and no one has a problem with anyones posts even if they are not correct. Your fake front is what bothers people most, its so easy to see through.
So please, stop whining about illegals in this country and dont give them a reason to come here by going out and working, even if its something you dont like, its sure beats sitting on your can. This country does not owe you a living, no one does. No one is laughing at you, thats just another ploy of yours to try and get people to feel sorry for you. I did in fact at first feel sorry for you months back when you first posted about not being able to find work because no one would hire you, but then a bunch of guys said the same thing, work for yourself, do what you have to and so on, but get going. And now months later your still whining and Im not feeling any sorrow anymore, your just another lazy american blaming illegals, the government, the area your in, and on and on and on. Just another leach on society in my eyes.
I will read what I like and respond if I feel it necessary to keep things honest and real. Keep your posts honest and we have no problem.....post garbage and Im going to point it out so people who dont know dont get fooled by you like they have in the past.

 

[Critterhunter]

Yes, there are many "pro" Excal/Sovereign posts in the Etrac/Explorer forums, and I had no part in it.

 

[Rick(ND)]

Some like the Sovereign and some like the Explorer and E-Tracs and even some like other detectors as it all has to do with how much you want to learn and how fast you can understand it, then there are those that want a detector to work without understanding what it can and can not do. Back in the late 90s I remember all the post that thought the Sovereign was one of the worst detectors made only because they didn't want to spend the time to understand it. When the Explorers came out many Sovereign users switched over to the Explorer and said the Explorer was getting good finds out of area where the Sovereign has pounded to death. Then there was those that hated the Explorer after the first day they had it, wasn't because it was a bad detector, but they just didn't want to spend the time to learn it. Now when the E-Trac came out many Sovereign users and Explorer user switch to the E-Trac, many Explorer users hated it as they tried to run it like a Explorer which you can not do, some Sovereign users that tried the E-Trac loved it, some didn't, but in reality if you took a experienced Sovereign hunter and a experienced Explorer or E-Trac user that knows their detectors I am sure you will find the Explorer and E-Trac users will find more than the Sovereign user as we know it can do more then the Sovereign can as it has been proven many times.
I love my Sovereigns as i know them well from in Field experience and found coins explorers have missed too only because i know my Sovereign, I have also done good with the E-Trac in places the Sovereign has been over many times and will say the E-Trac one of the best detectors on the market, but only if you spend the time to understand it by actual use and not trying to copy others programs they have done well with. The Sovereigns too are great detectors and to me it is much easier to use and understand, but for some they find the Explorer and E-Tracs are easier.

Rick

 

[matthias]

Neil. I respect you and your feedback big-time. However, I'm not happy to see things get personal in this forum. Critterhunter is a very prolific poster here as you know and I for one enjoy and embrace the information he posts. Do you really feel you did the right thing by bashing him the way you did? I have found these forums to be 99% incredible. When something like this happens I cant stand down. I'm not looking for trouble. I just wish you would reconsider your words toward Critterhunter. Peace. HH. Matt

 

[dfxone]

Matthias, I agree with your post to Neil. Let us all respect each others opinion whether we agree or not. Let us all just get along with each other. Cheers and Good Hunting to all. Don

 

[Rick(ND)]

Critter does get old sometimes with post after post about the same thing and trying to make those that use and know our detectors well as he knows more than we do and spend all day trying to find others that agree with him like the debate on how much better the Sovereign is over the Explorer or E-Trac as this has to do more with how much you use and understand the detector you use. I love my Sovereign and do well with it, but if I go with one of the guys that knows their Explorer or E-Trac as well as i know my Sovereign they will get deeper coins and can separate targets better too. Now If I hunt with some that use the Explorers or E-Tracs I can out do them easy with the Sovereign only because i know my Sovereign from experience, not from reading others post or doing air test and test gardens.
Pay attention to those of us that have the Experience with the Sovereign or any detector that the person knows well and watch out for those that don't use a certain detector and tries to bash it as they don't have the patience to learn it. A few of them you pay close attention too is Neil and Ray plus a few more as I know they have the actual experience of using a Sovereign and knows it well. We used to have another one we don't see anymore and that was Art from Ohio I believe as he was trying to explain the Sovereign and answer questions and was shot down by some that didn't have the experience and thought they were experts.
I don't think we need to bash anyone here as we have a great forum and don't need a moderator like some do, but sometime we just have post what we feel about a certain subject and hope we can discuss it without getting too personal.

 

[matthias]

This is this and that is that. Look at what you are saying. LOOK at what you are doing.

 

[Critterhunter]

I never get personal or call people names that I don't agree with. That's not my style, so I try to ignore it when others decide to use personal differences in opinion as a reason to bash. It's all good. I believe the internet is an incredible tool and that information is king. You can never go wrong but reading as much theory, advice, and opinion on metal detecting as far as I'm concerned. That's why I like to dig up searches on various aspects of the hobby and share what I found with others. Thanks for the support.

 

[Critterhunter]

Look, I know I'm a big Sovereign advocate. I'm just trying to point out a few pros and cons of various machines. That's not to say that the Sovereign doesn't have some SERIOUS issues too. Every machine does. For instance, the recovery speed on it is the slowest I've ever used on a machine (with perhaps the 6000 Pro XL being a close tie in some respects). However, the recovery speed can be compensated for by slowing down your sweep speed. Still, there are days when I am in the mood to swing fast. You can do that to some extent on the Sovereign but not if you don't want to miss close by targets or deep ones.

Then there is the weight. I had to make a custom shaft for my GT and do some other things to drop the weight down. Then there's the lack of a pinpoint trigger, which I also had to modify to have one. The irony is that I rarely use PP mode anymore to zero in on targets. But, nobody should have to do that sort of stuff to make a detector more enjoyable to use.

Then there's the PPing using the center of the coil. I still haven't mastered that on my GT and that's why I use the tip of the coil most of the time. It's easier to PP with using the center than my Explorers were, but the SE Pro and the Etrac have a MUCH easier to use PP than the Sovereign does.

Of course there are also much better machines out there than Minelabs when it comes to small gold and gold chain sensitivity.

All these things, the pros and cons, are things that need to be weighed when deciding which detector to buy. For me the pros of the Sovereign out weigh the cons. For others the reverse is true. I just don't see anything wrong with pointing out a few of those pluses and minuses to use as a guide. Could you imagine trying to decide what detector to buy before the age of the internet? Knowledge is power in my view.

 

[mike k.]

How about swan shot (very small U.S. war of 1812 musket balls) with a sovereign and wot coil at 14'' !! Also I do a lot of water hunting and find a lot of small stud ear rings with my excalibar 1 and wot coil .I find that the combination of the wot coil and sovereign or excalibar makes this machine very sensitive to small items.I operate with very low discrimination.Every year I find some gold chain . -------------- happy hunting

 

[Nauti]

You be surprise as how many claim to find real deep targets, but they are those that fall in the hole and why those that use a Sun Ray probe I believe more as they know how deep the target is when they use it. Also actual in the Field finds are more accurate as it is what we expedience our self and not what we read or do test with. I think Critter needs to find a job soon as he spends too much time on the Internet and doing test and not actually out getting experience with the Sovereign.

Rick

Speaking of work, I just benefited from receiving a bunch of days off due to a shift change, and have been able to catch up on reading the forums. Critter has been posting like crazy all over, I guess thats what oodles of free time does to some. Ive got a lazy nephew who is out of work, says he is looking for a certain job, will only work what he wants. I just dont think like that, been working since a teenager and havent stopped. I am looking forward to retirement, but thats a good 10yrs off unless I opt out at 62......but medical is so expensive so I will see what happens. Until then Im back to picking up side jobs along with my regular job

Neil,i think you're comments are a bit out of order.....i do not think CH has a lot of free time by choice but by circumstances beyond his control.What would you have him do while he has no work.....sit in front of the t.v all day doing jack s..t???A lot of the posts on this forum are started by him and provide us with an outlet for debate whether we agree with his comments or not.....i'd like to see him out detecting more again but while he has no work he can post as many times as he wants as far as i'm concerned...i've learned many things about my GT as a direct result of his info.It's good that you have always worked Neil but don't look down your nose at those who have none.....it does not mean that they are all lazy.I speak from personal experience which is why i think your comments are rarther insulting.......perhaps you can offer CH a full time job polishing your ego.