Chattery Sov GT.

[Count Pierre]

My Sov GT started falsing on the beach today, in both the wet & dry sand.

I was running Sensitivity on Auto, & couldn't figure out what was wrong.

I ended up pulling the coil cable out of the control box with the detector still switched on & putting it back in.

This stopped all the chatter, & I had no problems for the rest of the hunt.

Question is.....is this a common occurrence with the Sov, or is there a problem??

 

[Rick(ND)]

I don't feel it is any real problem as I have seen some of this if the cable nut is not tight as the connector may be moving a little bit and not making a good connection. This also can do this if using a Sun Ray meter or probe too as the first thing I check when it starts chattering is check all the connections are all tight. If hunting on a salt water beach I think this would be very common as the salt spay will cause corrosion.

 

[Count Pierre]

Thanks, Rick.I feel better about it now.

I'll do a major cleanup & watch it, because I only use the Sov on the beach.

 

[Des D]

CP,

That's an interesting post.

Can you walk us back thru your hunt and say when it "began to" false?
Can you say that the beach was definitiely wet and dry?
Was there [a transition area] where both wet and dry "merge"
Or, was there really any dry areas at all and there was a good chance that nearly all the beach sand was [wet] from either rain and/or melted snow?
Where in the country are you?

NB: I would hazard a guess and say the detector was 'over compensating' in Auto and perhaps REDUCING Sensitivity (button rotation clockwise) might have cured the falsing?

Good Hunting

Des D

 

[Des D]

CP,

I forgot to ask, had there been an exceptionally high tide and previously 'dry sand' areas were now wet?
And, was there a stone layer several inches beneath the sand [in the dry areas]?

Des D

 

[ZOFCHAK]

Did you try turning the machine on and off at all? I've had that issue with just about every Sovereign and Excal I have had. I'm not sure what causes it, but sometimes they just get really chattery and a quick on/off of the control box usually sets them back to normal. Perhaps temporarily pulling the coil performs the same function.

 

[Critterhunter]

If the plug being re-plugged in seemed to fix it, then two possibilities- dirty/bad pin connection, or you might have a short in the cable right behind the plug. Wiggle the cable right there and see if it gets worse or better. Also, take a bit of dialectric grease (spark plug boot grease) and wipe an ultra THIN layer on the pins. They often sell this stuff in little 99 cent packets right at the counter at auto parts stores. It's also great for conditioning seals on stuff to prevent them drying out and keeping a good seal. It's meant to be used on the boots of spark plugs to prevent the boots from drying out or sticking to the plug.

This stuff prevents oxide build up, that is fairly common among low DC amp draws and not removing/reconnecting something too often where it can build up resistance. I use the stuff on rechargeable batteries where I don't often remove them but rather just charge them in the holder on a device. One such example is my RC plane transmitter. I charge the 2600ma nimhs right in the transmitter.

The reason why rechargeable packs are soldered end to end is so that oxide can't cause any resitance and thus no current flow, and it doesn't take much when dealing with very low currents to stop the flow of electrons. I use the stuff too whenever unplugging/plugging back in a sensor or other wire connector on a car. You don't want to overkill the stuff though or it will stop current flow. Just a micro thin layer. I usually just dab it on thick and then wipe it off with my fingers.

If an electrical connection is often being plugged in and out, or if removing batteries often, then the physical action of that cleans the oxide off the terminals or battery ends.

Another possibility is you have sand trapped between the coil cover. Clean under it as that can often cause instability with a detector. One of the reasons why I like using spray on bed liner and no cover, besides dropping a few ounces of weight at the end of the shaft.

Also, could be random EMI in the area. One friend with a new Excalibur was sure it was bad due to it acting up out of nowhere at a beach. One day I was hunting there with my GT and suddenly it went bonkers. Looked at my watch and realized it was right around the same time he had his problems, and so I think it was something nearby coming on like an invisible dog fence or a security system.