Potential Sovereign user questions.

[Dan(NM)]

I've been hunting since 1988 and have used almost all the top of the top line detectors since then. I became a big Minelab guy when the Explorers came out and was convinced nothing was as deep or accurate at depth I went thru the FBS line all the way to the Manticore. I never did try a Sovereign and I'm wondering if it's even worth taking one for a spin. If I decide to get one, what can you recommend for a starter unit and which coil thanks for any and all feedback.

Dan

 

[Rick(ND)]

Dan,

I used many different detectors since 1973 and many I liked and some I dont, in 1996 I heard Minelab Sovereigns were kicking butt, so I tried one and at first I really wondered if I made a mistake, but after some time and with the help from those on this forum it took time and patience and learn a lot about this detector. Once I learned it I was unstoppable and going over many areas others have given up on and got many deeper and coins in with the trash in these well worked areas.
Its really a turn on a go detector and not all the adjustments many detectors have, but for the depth you have to go slow and listen close for the tones so it can report what the coil is seeing is where it is slow swinging , some run no disc and go by the tones and how repeatable they are. The Sovereign hates iron and a fast coil swing, I use a 180 meter on my Sovereigns to help tell the tones that may sound the same as some are close. The meter just tells you what you are hearing and going slow and doing the Sovereign wiggle over any iffy signal you can tell if it is good or bad. It does take a little time to understand, but to me it was so much easier than my Explorers as the Sovereign keeps the tone of the last target it see so I can tell if it went over a different target and for me with my bad hearing the Explorers the signal was too fast and could miss them easy.
now the models they made several that were upgraded, there was the original , then the XS which I started with it had a 8 inch coinsearch coil which help me learn mine better, but not waterproof, then they made the XS2 Which came with a 10 inch waterproof coil and a drop in battery pack, then Minelab nex model was the XS2a which added a toggle switch to go to single tone which defeated the purpose of the tones.. Next was the Elite and to me it just didnt as good as my XS, but some swear by them, for me everything sounded deeper that is really was and didn't get as much depth either, plus the controls were in different arraignment that what we were used to. The Last on they made was the Sovereign GT which went back to the original control set up plus added a couple more toggle switches, one was for silent search so the tone can be shut off if needed, didn't like it, but do see a purpose if in a area with a lot of iron as it is in a constant null of the iron, but soon as I got some reg signals I went back to reg disc.
The Sovereign will impress a person when you get to know it and sometime it will really surprise a person, 2 thing I remember is when I got a iffy signal, but with the wiggle and going around the target I could hear something good, but yet iron, when dug was a Franklin half with a big 3 inch rusty bolt on top of it. Was going where a ballfield bleachers were gone, and this was loaded with pulltabs and thought it was going to be tough, but tried anyway, got a couple of deeper Wheaties, lot of pull tabs signals and one that sounded like a nickel , but read as a beaver tail which number wise read as a 140-141 on my 180 meter and nickel reads 144 and sounded deeper for a beaver tail, dug down around 9 inches a popped out a nice gold ring. that was very old according to the jeweler. That why I say the Sovereign can really impress a person and why so many have them and wont give them up. If I have a place to detect for one day only for coins and not dig much I would run my Sovereign GT and pick out the coins and leave the trash.

I bet you can see why I like the Sovereigns

Rick

 

[Dan(NM)]

Dan,

I used many different detectors since 1973 and many I liked and some I dont, in 1996 I heard Minelab Sovereigns were kicking butt, so I tried one and at first I really wondered if I made a mistake, but after some time and with the help from those on this forum it took time and patience and learn a lot about this detector. Once I learned it I was unstoppable and going over many areas others have given up on and got many deeper and coins in with the trash in these well worked areas.
Its really a turn on a go detector and not all the adjustments many detectors have, but for the depth you have to go slow and listen close for the tones so it can report what the coil is seeing is where it is slow swinging , some run no disc and go by the tones and how repeatable they are. The Sovereign hates iron and a fast coil swing, I use a 180 meter on my Sovereigns to help tell the tones that may sound the same as some are close. The meter just tells you what you are hearing and going slow and doing the Sovereign wiggle over any iffy signal you can tell if it is good or bad. It does take a little time to understand, but to me it was so much easier than my Explorers as the Sovereign keeps the tone of the last target it see so I can tell if it went over a different target and for me with my bad hearing the Explorers the signal was too fast and could miss them easy.
now the models they made several that were upgraded, there was the original , then the XS which I started with it had a 8 inch coinsearch coil which help me learn mine better, but not waterproof, then they made the XS2 Which came with a 10 inch waterproof coil and a drop in battery pack, then Minelab nex model was the XS2a which added a toggle switch to go to single tone which defeated the purpose of the tones.. Next was the Elite and to me it just didnt as good as my XS, but some swear by them, for me everything sounded deeper that is really was and didn't get as much depth either, plus the controls were in different arraignment that what we were used to. The Last on they made was the Sovereign GT which went back to the original control set up plus added a couple more toggle switches, one was for silent search so the tone can be shut off if needed, didn't like it, but do see a purpose if in a area with a lot of iron as it is in a constant null of the iron, but soon as I got some reg signals I went back to reg disc.
The Sovereign will impress a person when you get to know it and sometime it will really surprise a person, 2 thing I remember is when I got a iffy signal, but with the wiggle and going around the target I could hear something good, but yet iron, when dug was a Franklin half with a big 3 inch rusty bolt on top of it. Was going where a ballfield bleachers were gone, and this was loaded with pulltabs and thought it was going to be tough, but tried anyway, got a couple of deeper Wheaties, lot of pull tabs signals and one that sounded like a nickel , but read as a beaver tail which number wise read as a 140-141 on my 180 meter and nickel reads 144 and sounded deeper for a beaver tail, dug down around 9 inches a popped out a nice gold ring. that was very old according to the jeweler. That why I say the Sovereign can really impress a person and why so many have them and wont give them up. If I have a place to detect for one day only for coins and not dig much I would run my Sovereign GT and pick out the coins and leave the trash.

I bet you can see why I like the Sovereigns

Rick

Thank you Rick for taking the time to give some great feedback. Which coils on a GT do you feel are a must have for hunting deeper coins with nails intermixed? I feel like I need to at least give a Sovereign a try. Again, thank you for the input!!

 

[RichW]

I've been hunting since 1988 and have used almost all the top of the top line detectors since then. I became a big Minelab guy when the Explorers came out and was convinced nothing was as deep or accurate at depth I went thru the FBS line all the way to the Manticore. I never did try a Sovereign and I'm wondering if it's even worth taking one for a spin. If I decide to get one, what can you recommend for a starter unit and which coil thanks for any and all feedback.

Dan

They are great machines. I own the XS and the GT. I should sell one but I haven't been able to convince myself to do it. I also own an Excalibur 800. As Rick says they hate iron. It's really pretty hard to describe them, they are just "different" from anything else I've ever used. I'm dealing with a lot of iron on my beaches and old sites so I prefer the smaller size coils. I think Sunray made an 8 and 5" coils for them. I never used one but I'm told they are great but hard to find now. If you ever hunt in an area loaded with bottle caps, no problem with the Sovereign?Excal. Good luck

 

[Suncoast Kid]

My favorite coil has to be the Detech SEF 12X10" Butterfly coil. I run an Ultimate 15 on the beach sometimes. The waterproof Minelab 8" Tornado coils were great for a smaller one, but very hard to find anymore.

 

[Rick(ND)]

Thank you Rick for taking the time to give some great feedback. Which coils on a GT do you feel are a must have for hunting deeper coins with nails intermixed? I feel like I need to at least give a Sovereign a try. Again, thank you for the input!!

I find that to find the deeper coins with lot of trash or iron for me is the 8 inch SunRay coil as I have seen the 8 inch Tornado coil has also been a winner. The bigger coils seem to see too much in trash and have to swing the coil slower and listening more to hear a good target close to trash. For me the 10 inch Tornado that came on the GT is really the biggest I have used on my Sovereigns.

 

[Bud-sc]

Love my Sovereign Elite on the beach...I have a D2 and Manticore. Now if you ask me which machine is the deepest it's definitely the Sovereign hands down....in pinpoint or all metal it's just has deep as a pi machine.....my deepest ring was founded with a Sovereign GT in all metal.... hunting very trashy beaches I watch guys non stop digging bottle caps has I am moving right along swing because I know what the bottle caps sound like.....oh yeah something very unique about the sovereign in all metal it loves chains!!! Even the small thin chains....there is a old YouTube video where a group of guys were testing machines depth at the time the CTX just came out but a guy took his Sovereign GT swung it one target and he pick up his coil well over 5 ft off the ground still hearing the target in the ground......that pin point or all metal is a beast!!!!!

 

[Odanscoils]

Really love my GT.
One of its unique abilities is in the iron null it will still hit a good target.
Especially silver. Loud and clear.
I have found a few coils for it over the years.
The 8 &10" tornadoes. 8" Sun Ray.
The 13" ultimate which I love.
The Coiltech 5×10" treasure seeker.
Which I rarely take off unless I'm going Deep.
Then it's the ultimate 13"
The 6" round coiltek is a sweet trash coil. Deep too.
I'd say the 13" ultimate coil for depth.
And light weight too.
Then any of the 8-10" round concentrics.
If you can find the 8×10" coiltek it's a keeper all around coil.
And recently the Nel Snake coil. 3-6".
Not much time on the snake coil.
Though it hits targets 4-6" away from the coil in a swing. I'll get a blip or quiet zing. Telling me to go back and find that one. Also much deeper on the GT than any other machine I've run a sniper coil on.
I guess it's just the power of the GT doing it

It's still available.
I'm betting it'll be a killer in nails.
Picking out those silver's we've All missed over the years.
Weight is the biggest nemesis of the Sovereign's. Especially us old farts.
I put my box in an old blue purse of my wife's and sling it over my shoulder.
Only swing the coil and meter.
Still bulky.
Though if I ever sell my machines.
The GT and Explorer xs would be with me until the end.
The xs I dug the deepest target ever running the WOT 15" coil.
In blonde sand. Found a silver plated ivory handle 1950's bottle can opener.
At over 30". I was certain I had found another aluminum rim. Just kept getting louder and louder. I was determined to know what it was. Had many Gawkers on that dig. I'm sure if I had the 15" on the GT it would have hit it easily. Though that coil weighted over three lbs.
Still in the detector closet on a lower shaft.
I can't even swing it today.

NEL Snake 6.5 x 3.5 DD Search Coil for Minelab Sovereign [NEL 6.5X3.5 Sov] : Dixie Metal Detectors!, The Original https://share.google/52KEiEqEBytg150Pw

 

[Rick(ND)]

Itis nice to see there is a few of us that can see the power this detector has, but it does take a while to learn how to use it. As far as coils the original Coinsearch was the best to learn the Sovereign with, but wasn't waterproof , the 8 inch Sun-ray for me got a bit deeper but didn't have as wide of signal and found this was great for coins close to trash. For bigger coils the Sun-ray S12 was my favorite and the 15 inch Coiltek was too heavy for any length of time. Now smaller coil the 5 inch worked OK and I think I would like to try 6.5X3.5 NEL snake coil as I seen a few that seem to think they are good and the only way for me to try one. Another one I might try is the 13 inch coil if I was detecting a large area that is not too trashy if I wanted deeper coins.. I know I did a field test on a 8--10 and 12 inch concentric coils and like the 8 inch, the 10 inch was so so, but the 12 inch was awesome for me as I went over a worked area with my Explorer several times before and decided to try this coil there and was surprised what I had left behind with the Explorer and they were not that deep either. 6-7 inches. The only reason they were not made is that was about the time Minelab quit making the Sovereigns .
I liked taking my Sovereigns to all the old places that been hit hard over the years as the newer coins were gone and left me the older coins that the Sovereigns would find me. I tried many different detectors since 1973 and the Sovereigns is the ones I keep and sell the others off.
The Problem now in my old age I cant get out much if I want as my body don't let, my mind say I can, but the body no you are not going too.

Thanks for letting me go on and on on the Sovereign and relive my experience and maybe I will get time to post some of my finds.

Rick

 

[Odanscoils]

Itis nice to see there is a few of us that can see the power this detector has, but it does take a while to learn how to use it. As far as coils the original Coinsearch was the best to learn the Sovereign with, but wasn't waterproof , the 8 inch Sun-ray for me got a bit deeper but didn't have as wide of signal and found this was great for coins close to trash. For bigger coils the Sun-ray S12 was my favorite and the 15 inch Coiltek was too heavy for any length of time. Now smaller coil the 5 inch worked OK and I think I would like to try 6.5X3.5 NEL snake coil as I seen a few that seem to think they are good and the only way for me to try one. Another one I might try is the 13 inch coil if I was detecting a large area that is not too trashy if I wanted deeper coins.. I know I did a field test on a 8--10 and 12 inch concentric coils and like the 8 inch, the 10 inch was so so, but the 12 inch was awesome for me as I went over a worked area with my Explorer several times before and decided to try this coil there and was surprised what I had left behind with the Explorer and they were not that deep either. 6-7 inches. The only reason they were not made is that was about the time Minelab quit making the Sovereigns .
I liked taking my Sovereigns to all the old places that been hit hard over the years as the newer coins were gone and left me the older coins that the Sovereigns would find me. I tried many different detectors since 1973 and the Sovereigns is the ones I keep and sell the others off.
The Problem now in my old age I cant get out much if I want as my body don't let, my mind say I can, but the body no you are not going too.

Thanks for letting me go on and on on the Sovereign and relive my experience and maybe I will get time to post some of my finds.

Rick

Nice.
Love to hear anyone telling of their pleasures detecting.
Though slow and heavy like us old farts.
The Sovereign's will hold their own with just about anything made today.

I know companies like to make the next new thing. And make money.

If only companies will bring back the Sovereign and other old greats like the V3i in a lighter waterproof streamlined machine.
Could bring life back to us and the hobby.
Did I say hobby.
The obsession of digging our next great treasure.
The best addiction a person can have.

 

[Odanscoils]

Really love my GT.
One of its unique abilities is in the iron null it will still hit a good target.
Especially silver. Loud and clear.
I have found a few coils for it over the years.
The 8 &10" tornadoes. 8" Sun Ray.
The 13" ultimate which I love.
The Coiltech 5×10" treasure seeker.
Which I rarely take off unless I'm going Deep.
Then it's the ultimate 13"
The 6" round coiltek is a sweet trash coil. Deep too.
I'd say the 13" ultimate coil for depth.
And light weight too.
Then any of the 8-10" round concentrics.
If you can find the 8×10" coiltek it's a keeper all around coil.
And recently the Nel Snake coil. 3-6".
Not much time on the snake coil.
Though it hits targets 4-6" away from the coil in a swing. I'll get a blip or quiet zing. Telling me to go back and find that one. Also much deeper on the GT than any other machine I've run a sniper coil on.
I guess it's just the power of the GT doing it

It's still available.
I'm betting it'll be a killer in nails.
Picking out those silver's we've All missed over the years.
Weight is the biggest nemesis of the Sovereign's. Especially us old farts.
I put my box in an old blue purse of my wife's and sling it over my shoulder.
Only swing the coil and meter.
Still bulky.
Though if I ever sell my machines.
The GT and Explorer xs would be with me until the end.
The xs I dug the deepest target ever running the WOT 15" coil.
In blonde sand. Found a silver plated ivory handle 1950's bottle can opener.
At over 30". I was certain I had found another aluminum rim. Just kept getting louder and louder. I was determined to know what it was. Had many Gawkers on that dig. I'm sure if I had the 15" on the GT it would have hit it easily. Though that coil weighted over three lbs.
Still in the detector closet on a lower shaft.
I can't even swing it today.

NEL Snake 6.5 x 3.5 DD Search Coil for Minelab Sovereign [NEL 6.5X3.5 Sov] : Dixie Metal Detectors!, The Original https://share.google/52KEiEqEBytg150Pw

Oops. I really need to reread before posting.
Keeper. The 5×10 Coiltek Treasure coil.
Ultimate 13" coil. And 8-10" concentrics.
The newer Nel Snake 3×6".
And the 5×5 Nel Sharp I forgot about.

 

[Ted S]

I am getting old too. I play with the Sovereign once in a while but I am about ready to let it go to someone else who will enjoy it. Getting old sure beats the alternative fellas..

 

[Odanscoils]

Itis nice to see there is a few of us that can see the power this detector has, but it does take a while to learn how to use it. As far as coils the original Coinsearch was the best to learn the Sovereign with, but wasn't waterproof , the 8 inch Sun-ray for me got a bit deeper but didn't have as wide of signal and found this was great for coins close to trash. For bigger coils the Sun-ray S12 was my favorite and the 15 inch Coiltek was too heavy for any length of time. Now smaller coil the 5 inch worked OK and I think I would like to try 6.5X3.5 NEL snake coil as I seen a few that seem to think they are good and the only way for me to try one. Another one I might try is the 13 inch coil if I was detecting a large area that is not too trashy if I wanted deeper coins.. I know I did a field test on a 8--10 and 12 inch concentric coils and like the 8 inch, the 10 inch was so so, but the 12 inch was awesome for me as I went over a worked area with my Explorer several times before and decided to try this coil there and was surprised what I had left behind with the Explorer and they were not that deep either. 6-7 inches. The only reason they were not made is that was about the time Minelab quit making the Sovereigns .
I liked taking my Sovereigns to all the old places that been hit hard over the years as the newer coins were gone and left me the older coins that the Sovereigns would find me. I tried many different detectors since 1973 and the Sovereigns is the ones I keep and sell the others off.
The Problem now in my old age I cant get out much if I want as my body don't let, my mind say I can, but the body no you are not going too.

Thanks for letting me go on and on on the Sovereign and relive my experience and maybe I will get time to post some of my finds.

Rick

If you have some nail infested areas I believe you will really like that little snake.
And it won't bite your wallet.
Quite reasonable actually.
I hit a silver quarter at 7-8" with it.
Loud and clear.
Just haven't had the opportunity to see if it goes deeper with my limitations.

And I would Love to hear any old hunting adventures.
I'm in the same boat.
Can't get past my yard.
I've actually been throwing handfuls of coins out there just to do a wee bit of detecting.
I picked up the Manticore in hopes it lighter weight would give me a chance.
Nope. Still the yard is my limit.
Unless my grandson goes with me to help me up.
It is just not happening.
I truly hope you can get out just a few more times.
The passion never leaves us.

 

[Suncoast Kid]

The hurricane just went by, the Deus II and Manticore are staying home, as I take the Sovereign GT with the Thunder coil over. There's just no way that I'm going to use anything else at the moment. It's still the Beast on the beach.

 

[Odanscoils]

The hurricane just went by, the Deus II and Manticore are staying home, as I take the Sovereign GT with the Thunder coil over. There's just no way that I'm going to use anything else at the moment. It's still the Beast on the beach.

Love to see what you find.

 

[Nauti]

I went out with my GT today for the first time in over a year.......just haven't been doing much detecting.I went to a local beach that is riddled with aluminium in all shapes and sizes and it didn't disappoint,it's all I dug.........no jewellry and no coins,just the dreaded ally.
I didn't do a long session it was more to make sure the machine was working well and to have a bit of fresh air,I will be doing a proper session on Monday morning.
Anyway,I still can't quite believe how good this machine still is after all these years,sensitivity and depth is still up there with anything that is produced today.The two photos show a tiny piece of aluminium I picked up today which gave a very positive signal........it is shown inside a very small wedding band that I found with the Sovereign a while ago and next to the end of a cotton bud in the other photo.........if it's finding stuff this small it isn't going to be missing much.
I also found a pull tab that I re buried at exactly 10 inches (I have a scale on my scoop handle) so I could check the signals I was getting at depth.........again another loud and clear signal,I don't know how much deeper it would have picked the ring pull up from as I didn't try it,but again,a loud and clear signal on a tab at 10 inches tells you all you need to know.
I've had a lot of success on inland sites with the GT too,even on our ancient sites that can be quite iron infested........it's far from useless in the iron if you know what you're doing with it.........auto sensitivity can help on such sites.
It's a shame that not many will get to try out the Sovvy as very few come onto the used market these days,I think most who own them keep hold of them now and it's becoming a bit of a legend that's highly sought after.Still an awesome machine.

 

[Odanscoils]

View attachment 81135View attachment 81134

I went out with my GT today for the first time in over a year.......just haven't been doing much detecting.I went to a local beach that is riddled with aluminium in all shapes and sizes and it didn't disappoint,it's all I dug.........no jewellry and no coins,just the dreaded ally.
I didn't do a long session it was more to make sure the machine was working well and to have a bit of fresh air,I will be doing a proper session on Monday morning.
Anyway,I still can't quite believe how good this machine still is after all these years,sensitivity and depth is still up there with anything that is produced today.The two photos show a tiny piece of aluminium I picked up today which gave a very positive signal........it is shown inside a very small wedding band that I found with the Sovereign a while ago and next to the end of a cotton bud in the other photo.........if it's finding stuff this small it isn't going to be missing much.
I also found a pull tab that I re buried at exactly 10 inches (I have a scale on my scoop handle) so I could check the signals I was getting at depth.........again another loud and clear signal,I don't know how much deeper it would have picked the ring pull up from as I didn't try it,but again,a loud and clear signal on a tab at 10 inches tells you all you need to know.
I've had a lot of success on inland sites with the GT too,even on our ancient sites that can be quite iron infested........it's far from useless in the iron if you know what you're doing with it.........auto sensitivity can help on such sites.
It's a shame that not many will get to try out the Sovvy as very few come onto the used market these days,I think most who own them keep hold of them now and it's becoming a bit of a legend that's highly sought after.Still an awesome machine.

In the iron when it nulls.
It will still sound off loud and clear on silver.

 

[Donna(NJ]

I remember waaay back when, when I was swinging the Sovereign at the beach. I was out with my partner and targets were few. I was swinging a Sov with the big 15" WOT coil.
I basically got a 'one way 'tic' and decided to dig it. Turned out it was a gold ring with a butterfly perpendicular to the shank. I was shockeded to say the least.
I used all the Sovereign's for about 20 years. My safety deposit is full. Awwwh the good old days.....

Great machine but heavy. Needs to be hip mounted with a straight rod. I had to pull one out from storage when my Equinox bit the dust. How easily we get spoiled with the wireless headphones !!! What a nightmare with all the cables coming out of the box !!! But I hunted that way for many years. I also trashed a few boxes by being hit by waves !!! never used it inland. Couldnt handle all the different tones with all the trash. Rich is right, long learning curve with all the tones. But then again, you learn to filter out the nonsense,

HH
Donna(NJ

 

[Rick(ND)]

I have tried many different detector over the years and the one I like to use is the Sovereigns and tried all the different models , the one I learned on was the XS wit h the coinsearch coil and almost gave up on it, but once I got to learn it well there has been no detector that got the depth and did the best ID. The second Sovereign that I am keeping is the GT as I feel it is a bit more sensitive and some nail sound good, but by going all around the target I can see a difference, more so than the other Sovereign. I also swear by the 180 meters over all the others as being very hard of hearing I can tell by the sound and meter reading doing the Sovereign wiggle to tell the good from the bad, but when not sure I dig anyway. For me it is the perfect setup and just love going over areas other say is cleaned out. I just got to swing slow and listen close to all the different tones and when it null too much I just have to slow down so the Sovereign to keep up seeing everything and doing the Sovereign wiggle it has really done well at getting the good target close to iron..
I just seem to get out much for the last couple of years as my body is not what it used to be as I had 2 heart attack and a triple bypass and still was able to do a little, but getting both my knee total replacement at the same time was the killer for me. Cant get down to dig and when I do I cant get up and fall when I try. will not use the shovels in my yards, parks and such I detect, those shovel's are for the fields and beaches not for the nice lawns is why I would not use them other than my lawn. I miss my detecting, but love seeing what others are finding.
Been hoping I can get out again, but we will see what happens as it is too cold right now here in ND.

Rick

 

[Ted S]

Get well so you can hunt again Rick! I put my Sovereign in the classifieds and never got a response!