detector

[gun runner]

Hi All
I'm thinking of buying a sovereign gt I have a X-Terra 70 great machine but I would like to detect around rivers and beaches fresh & salt. I'm not going to sell my X70 just thinking the Sovereign might be better in these areas

 

[mohayes1046]

It is being used in all those places you want to hunt. The only problem is that not all the coils are water PROOF, they are all water resistant but the coil wire where it enters the stress relief at the coil is the weak link. There have been a lot of different things done to seal off this spot for its leak potential.

Some have applied a black rubber sealant around the wire where it enters the stress relief support which can be purchased at most hardware stores.

I would recommend taking time to read the FAQFAQ's at the top of the page in depth as there is a lot of great information there on the type of hunting you are considering.

If you want a TOTALLY waterproof machine, that is a different matter and you will probably want to invest in another machine.

Mark

 

[Android]

Particularly in the salt, you can't get better than the sovereign. I own both and they are very different machines but on the beach I always grab the sov.
BTW all the sovereign coils I have ever used have been water proof.

 

[nero_design]

I know of a couple of full time beach detectorists and they both use a Sovereign GT. These people actually make a living doing this - I've seen their monthly hauls too and they must know/access some great places because it's always in the thousands of dollars range in jewellery and watches and on a weekly basis their coin count is in the hundreds of dollars (each) range. They seem to frequent a few major beaches and tourist hotspots though. Not all of us can do that. Most beach pros are hard to sway when it comes to their detector of choice ...but for many, the Sovereign GT is either easy to learn or has a long learning curve. If you buy one and get to understand it, you'll find it will find virtually anything you want it to. If you don't use it all that often, it may be a tough cookie when you do take it out to play. The Sovereigns are highly regarded for beach work.

 

[David]

OR the electronics are almost identical between the Sov GT and the waterproof Excalibur II. Except the Exc II does not have tracking in the All Metal mode.

Beach detectorists sometimes use large coils also. As a person can get very large coils for the Sov GT like the 15" WOT and 15x18" SEF while the biggest coil for the X-70 is 10.5" round giving less immediate beach coverage. BUT the Sov GT is a slower sweeping machine so at the end of the day maybe they both cover about the same amount of ground in a day.

In non-wet saltwater soils the best of both worlds of a large coil like a 15" WOT--14" ExCellerator and fast sweep speed, is the Musketeer Advantage. It's owners manual states about rapid speed hunting with no loss of depth. So the Musky is better to use than the Sov GT in non-wet saltwater soils IMHO. Up on the dry beach sand(and in black dirt plowed homestead fields) I would prefer to use a Musky over a Sov GT(to get about 2 or 3 times more effective ground coverage in a day at about the same depth if not deeper by the Musky) BUT not on damp or wet saltwater soil where the Sov GT is much better.

Android, you own both. How does the depth compare (in a non-wet saltwater soil) in regular soil between the X-70 w/ 10.5" MF DD and the Sov GT with the stock coil ?? (Yes I know the Sov GT will get more depth than any single frequency VLF made on the market in wet saltwater soil.)

 

[Android]

Well, in the dry sand at the saltwater beach, I guess it's a toss up. I don't really get very many deep signals in the dry sand to compare them to. For what i'ts worth, I dug a soda can at 24" or more with the 18" excelerator coil. That was in the dry and the signal was loud and clear.

 

[gun runner]

Thanks Every one for your Input I bought a Sovereign GT now if the snow would only go away

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

I've heard about that couple a few times now Marco. They make my mouth water so much I just wanna go out and buy one. But at the end of the day, the detector that you know the best, is the one that you will be most successful with; except the beach with a Sovereign! I reckon that it'd take a good dose of patience to learn, due to my previous experience with it. It is a machine of subtleties.
Mick Evans.