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Is a GT the best Minelab for the Beach? Which Coil to use?
- Thread starter Beachnut
- Start date
Tony
Member
Beachnut,
1. I believe that the Sovereign is the best beach (wet and dry) detector on the market.
2. I believe the best coil for the beach is the 10" stock Tornado coil. The WOT can come later if you want that extra coverage.
3. I have a meter but don't use it on the beach.
4. Anyone wanting to part with their Sovereign is
or had too much to 
The Sovereign isn't hard to master (and yet you hear that all the time).....iron will null...and the foil is the lowest of the tones, lower than the gold in my experience.
Tony.
1. I believe that the Sovereign is the best beach (wet and dry) detector on the market.
2. I believe the best coil for the beach is the 10" stock Tornado coil. The WOT can come later if you want that extra coverage.
3. I have a meter but don't use it on the beach.
4. Anyone wanting to part with their Sovereign is
or had too much to The Sovereign isn't hard to master (and yet you hear that all the time).....iron will null...and the foil is the lowest of the tones, lower than the gold in my experience.
Tony.
nick hunter
New member
Hello
I own both a Quattro and a Sovie GT.
I do not know about the Etrac, but I find it way too complicated to hunt beaches. On the beach, you dig everything, so Digital isn't a must. It is certainly a superior detector for other types of hunting, but beach hunting is very different.
So my Quattro. I didn't look at the meter the last times.
Then I got the Sov.
First impression was "why didn't I buy this unit before?"
It is deeper than the Quattro on large targets.
It is deeper than the Quattro on small low conductive (18K) gold jewelry.
You just turn knobs to adjust it, with experience this becomes a second nature.
I agree with the 10" Tornado being the best coil to start with.
I love the hipmount facility (FBS units are HEAVY).
The pinpointing is way better than the Q.
And the "Auto" mode is helpful, it's a true one. I use it in trashy areas.
I get 14"+ on our larger coins here, ways deeper on larger targets., and all that in the wet salt sand.
BUT
Don't think of the Sov (Quattro-Safari-Etrac) for quick coinshooting on the beach. I have a Compadre for that particular summer hunting, and foud about 3.000 coins with it this summer. The Minelabs null to much for coinhunting, but they are great once the beaches are cleaner, and especially on the wet.
HH
I own both a Quattro and a Sovie GT.
I do not know about the Etrac, but I find it way too complicated to hunt beaches. On the beach, you dig everything, so Digital isn't a must. It is certainly a superior detector for other types of hunting, but beach hunting is very different.
So my Quattro. I didn't look at the meter the last times.
Then I got the Sov.
First impression was "why didn't I buy this unit before?"
It is deeper than the Quattro on large targets.
It is deeper than the Quattro on small low conductive (18K) gold jewelry.
You just turn knobs to adjust it, with experience this becomes a second nature.
I agree with the 10" Tornado being the best coil to start with.
I love the hipmount facility (FBS units are HEAVY).
The pinpointing is way better than the Q.
And the "Auto" mode is helpful, it's a true one. I use it in trashy areas.
I get 14"+ on our larger coins here, ways deeper on larger targets., and all that in the wet salt sand.
BUT
Don't think of the Sov (Quattro-Safari-Etrac) for quick coinshooting on the beach. I have a Compadre for that particular summer hunting, and foud about 3.000 coins with it this summer. The Minelabs null to much for coinhunting, but they are great once the beaches are cleaner, and especially on the wet.
HH
I've had the GT for some time and love it. I have the stock 10" Tornado coil and agree with the others that it's a great coil. I've heard and read some awesome things about the WOT on the Sov but don't know anything about the butterfly coil. I have never tried either but may give the WOT a try down the road. I really like using the pouch to chest mount the unit too. That and the straight shaft that comes with it make for some easy hunting that doesn't tire you. At 63 I have to think about these things, lol. Also, I agree with the others about meters on the beach. It's all about sound and though you mention you would like to hunt without headphones once in a while I would advise against it, especially on an ocean beach. The sound of waves and wind is always present, even on calm days. On rough days it can be deafening. I use Black Widow headphones most of the time but also have an older pair of KOSS (don't remember the model, several years old) and they are both good at limiting ambient noise. The Black Widows can be loud but that's what I need. Best of luck. --Jerry
Thank you all for the input!
We just spent the day hunting Morro Bay and Cayucos. I nearly got skunked with my Whites 6000 DI PRO. My wife beat my finds, hands down ,for the first time with her MXT that she just had the control box replaced on. (It failed in just 3 weeks from new! Maybe NOW it really works!)
I should have read down the posts BEFORE posting my questions about the coils. I like to sweep at a good medium fast rate to cover more ground, (not too fast that I miss something). Is it true that you have to move along real slow with the GT?
Neil I was looking at the E-Trac, but it seems it is more of a COIN machine than a Jewelry machine. At least that is what everyone is raving about them about. I rarely ever see anyone say they found a ring with an E-Trac, just tons of wonderful old, deep coins! Have you found any Jewelry with yours? Do you really like it that much better than the GT, for working the beach & small surf? It sure seems like there are a LOT of used E-trac's for sale already, (just scan the adds), for a detector that is so new. I would like to find a detector that would do Gold prospecting AND beach work, but it looks like it just makes the detector a "compromise" and not the best at doing either or.
I just would like MORE JEWELRY! Less penny's , dimes, and pull tabs! Have to admit, even a near skunked day of hunting the beach is better than any day at work! Can't beat the beauty of the sea and shore!
Beachnut
We just spent the day hunting Morro Bay and Cayucos. I nearly got skunked with my Whites 6000 DI PRO. My wife beat my finds, hands down ,for the first time with her MXT that she just had the control box replaced on. (It failed in just 3 weeks from new! Maybe NOW it really works!)I should have read down the posts BEFORE posting my questions about the coils. I like to sweep at a good medium fast rate to cover more ground, (not too fast that I miss something). Is it true that you have to move along real slow with the GT?
Neil I was looking at the E-Trac, but it seems it is more of a COIN machine than a Jewelry machine. At least that is what everyone is raving about them about. I rarely ever see anyone say they found a ring with an E-Trac, just tons of wonderful old, deep coins! Have you found any Jewelry with yours? Do you really like it that much better than the GT, for working the beach & small surf? It sure seems like there are a LOT of used E-trac's for sale already, (just scan the adds), for a detector that is so new. I would like to find a detector that would do Gold prospecting AND beach work, but it looks like it just makes the detector a "compromise" and not the best at doing either or.
I just would like MORE JEWELRY! Less penny's , dimes, and pull tabs! Have to admit, even a near skunked day of hunting the beach is better than any day at work! Can't beat the beauty of the sea and shore!
Beachnut
Neil
Well-known member
Beachnut said:Thank you all for the input!
I should have read down the posts BEFORE posting my questions about the coils. I like to sweep at a good medium fast rate to cover more ground, (not too fast that I miss something). Is it true that you have to move along real slow with the GT?
Neil I was looking at the E-Trac, but it seems it is more of a COIN machine than a Jewelry machine. At least that is what everyone is raving about them about. I rarely ever see anyone say they found a ring with an E-Trac, just tons of wonderful old, deep coins! Have you found any Jewelry with yours? Do you really like it that much better than the GT, for working the beach & small surf? It sure seems like there are a LOT of used E-trac's for sale already, (just scan the adds), for a detector that is so new. I would like to find a detector that would do Gold prospecting AND beach work, but it looks like it just makes the detector a "compromise" and not the best at doing either or.
I just would like MORE JEWELRY! Less penny's , dimes, and pull tabs! Have to admit, even a near skunked day of hunting the beach is better than any day at work! Can't beat the beauty of the sea and shore!
Beachnut
Beachnut PM me your email and I will send you some pics and explain how one is the better machine. Rather not get into it here on the Sov forum.
and not to sound contradictry myself if I could only own one machine it would be a Sov, its truly a very versatile machine.
Neil
I wont be back online till sometime tomorrow.
Tony
Member
Beachnut,
You mentioned that you also anticipate gold prospecting.
Well, I can advise you first hand that I have used my Sovereign GT in some of our famous (or should that be infamous) highly mineralised ground, here in Western Australia.
The GT performed admirably. I did have to run in All Metal (needed the auto/manual ground balancing feature) as the detector "nulls" in Disc.
Your ground over in the US may let you operate in Disc.
IF you get a Sovereign and IF you dedicate some hours into learning it, then you will come to the conclusion that you made the right decision.
Tony,
PS To send a PM, just click on "Send Message" next to their username....the rest is easy...
You mentioned that you also anticipate gold prospecting.
Well, I can advise you first hand that I have used my Sovereign GT in some of our famous (or should that be infamous) highly mineralised ground, here in Western Australia.
The GT performed admirably. I did have to run in All Metal (needed the auto/manual ground balancing feature) as the detector "nulls" in Disc.
Your ground over in the US may let you operate in Disc.
IF you get a Sovereign and IF you dedicate some hours into learning it, then you will come to the conclusion that you made the right decision.
Tony,
PS To send a PM, just click on "Send Message" next to their username....the rest is easy...
Hey Tony
Thanks for the reply from 1/2 way around the world! (WOW!) Did you find ANY GOLD? Did you use the stock 10" coil, or something smaller?
Believe it or not, I do not see a "send message" next to their user name. Is this "send message" on the post they posted, or somewhere else on the forum? I am running "Firefox" and sometimes it does different things then the usual browsers...
Thanx for the help, and suggestion.
Beachnut
Thanks for the reply from 1/2 way around the world! (WOW!) Did you find ANY GOLD? Did you use the stock 10" coil, or something smaller?
Believe it or not, I do not see a "send message" next to their user name. Is this "send message" on the post they posted, or somewhere else on the forum? I am running "Firefox" and sometimes it does different things then the usual browsers...
Thanx for the help, and suggestion.
Beachnut
Beachnut,
I have used FirefFox forever and not had this problem. The "Send Message" Button is on the header of each message, second line down next to he user name.
Here is how it should look: (I made the send message button bold and used Toni's message to you as n example)
Re: Is a GT the best Minelab for the Beach? Which Coil to use? New
Posted by: Tony [ Send a Message ]
Date: 22 minutes ago
Best Regards,
Steve
I have used FirefFox forever and not had this problem. The "Send Message" Button is on the header of each message, second line down next to he user name.
Here is how it should look: (I made the send message button bold and used Toni's message to you as n example)
Re: Is a GT the best Minelab for the Beach? Which Coil to use? New
Posted by: Tony [ Send a Message ]
Date: 22 minutes ago
Best Regards,
Steve
Tony
Member
Unfortunately no gold...only because I didn't swing over any. Plenty of lead fragments though !
I used the standard 10" coil the whole time.
I'm using Firefox on my Mac.....strange that you can't see the "Send a Message" in the blue hyperlink.
***** Hold the press......I think I recalled that users with a low number of posts can't send personal messages until they reach a certain number of regular posts....check with Admin ******
I used the standard 10" coil the whole time.
I'm using Firefox on my Mac.....strange that you can't see the "Send a Message" in the blue hyperlink.
***** Hold the press......I think I recalled that users with a low number of posts can't send personal messages until they reach a certain number of regular posts....check with Admin ******
Beachnut said:
nick hunter
New member
Neil said:
Don't think so, Neil.
The Q was the first Minelab I could afford, it was sold by its third owner. It took me quite a time to master it (although I found a gold ring during my very first outing with it) and I thought the meter would be of any help on the wet sand. But it isn't. Conductive/ferrous sounds are much better. So I stopped looking at the meter, the exception being the depth gauge sometimes, but again...(The pinpoint screen is terrible : Never could pinpoint with the Q !).
This is not to say that FBS units are worthless, on the contrary : I found enough gold with it to repay it an buy a 5 months old Sov.
Being used to european analogic detectors (C Scope and XP), The Sovie was a real relief for me. I could use my earsagain !.
Cheers
Nick
Neil
Well-known member
Hey Nick,
your second sentence was "I do not know about the Etrac, but I find it way too complicated to hunt beaches". that sure is contradicting itself.
anyways let me eplain how difficult it is to set up the etrac to hunt for gold which is what I mostly do with it and what beechnut is inquiring about:
push power button, turns machine on.
set threshold level to just audible.
set sens to auto
push quickmask button, clear screen and come up about 2 or 3 bars, just enough to knock out small iron.
push noisecancel button, wait for machine to pick best channel for hunting area your in.
hunt.
now every time you hunt it at the beach, you simply hit the power button and then noisecancel and
hunt.
sounds like the sov is akin to some other machine youve hunt with and thats one of the reasons you like it. excellent, youve found a detector that works well for you, stick with it!
Ive never used the Quattro you mention but a friend of mine had one and said it was very slow recovering from target to target. if thats true then thats one of the problems I found with the sov, you can overpass targets adjacent to other targets. you can see how slow the sov really is if you use it, then right away pick up a etrac/expllorer/tesoro(many others) and search the same area. you really have to go slow with the sov. I would bet anyone here who has used an explorer after using a sov have seen how much quicker the explorer recovers from target to target, especially once they open up the iron mask. in previous posts Ive said that putting an adjustable iron mask on the sov would be an awesome upgrade for it.
your second sentence was "I do not know about the Etrac, but I find it way too complicated to hunt beaches". that sure is contradicting itself.
anyways let me eplain how difficult it is to set up the etrac to hunt for gold which is what I mostly do with it and what beechnut is inquiring about:
push power button, turns machine on.
set threshold level to just audible.
set sens to auto
push quickmask button, clear screen and come up about 2 or 3 bars, just enough to knock out small iron.
push noisecancel button, wait for machine to pick best channel for hunting area your in.
hunt.
now every time you hunt it at the beach, you simply hit the power button and then noisecancel and
hunt.
sounds like the sov is akin to some other machine youve hunt with and thats one of the reasons you like it. excellent, youve found a detector that works well for you, stick with it!
Ive never used the Quattro you mention but a friend of mine had one and said it was very slow recovering from target to target. if thats true then thats one of the problems I found with the sov, you can overpass targets adjacent to other targets. you can see how slow the sov really is if you use it, then right away pick up a etrac/expllorer/tesoro(many others) and search the same area. you really have to go slow with the sov. I would bet anyone here who has used an explorer after using a sov have seen how much quicker the explorer recovers from target to target, especially once they open up the iron mask. in previous posts Ive said that putting an adjustable iron mask on the sov would be an awesome upgrade for it.
Hey Neil
Would love to see your pictures, and discuss more about Sov Vs. E-trac. I am looking to bid on a Sov. TODAY, possibly, but am still hesitant. I like that my 6000 DI Pro Sl can sweep fairly fast, and cover lots of ground. I am not too sure I would want to slow it all down now that I am use to "moving on". Also the California beaches I sweep can be VERY trashy! Since I can not PM, here is my email m.dutra@sbcglobal.net. I do not think anyone here will abuse me.
Thank You all for your help on this very hard (and expensive) decision!
Beachnut
Would love to see your pictures, and discuss more about Sov Vs. E-trac. I am looking to bid on a Sov. TODAY, possibly, but am still hesitant. I like that my 6000 DI Pro Sl can sweep fairly fast, and cover lots of ground. I am not too sure I would want to slow it all down now that I am use to "moving on". Also the California beaches I sweep can be VERY trashy! Since I can not PM, here is my email m.dutra@sbcglobal.net. I do not think anyone here will abuse me.
Thank You all for your help on this very hard (and expensive) decision!
Beachnut
Neil
Well-known member
Beachnut said:Hey Neil
Would love to see your pictures, and discuss more about Sov Vs. E-trac. I am looking to bid on a Sov. TODAY, possibly, but am still hesitant. I like that my 6000 DI Pro Sl can sweep fairly fast, and cover lots of ground. I am not too sure I would want to slow it all down now that I am use to "moving on". Also the California beaches I sweep can be VERY trashy! Since I can not PM, here is my email m.dutra@sbcglobal.net. I do not think anyone here will abuse me.
Thank You all for your help on this very hard (and expensive) decision!
Beachnut
Hey Beachnut, I emailed you and sent my phone number as well to talk with you a while ago. I will be available for another 2hours or so then I cant account for my condition........Sunday night football and plenty of the cold beer
Neil