Questions about how you handle bad ground like Felix's red clay in Virgina and the old Gravel Capitol of the US in Oxford MI.

[Ron from Michigan]

Sometimes what we think we know we don't. What is the exact depth we lose by using auto sensitivity? How effective is the threshold adjustment to help nulling out? Will the frequency shift between Noise Cancel Band 1 and Band 2 help in bad ground. Could a decrease in the volume control with these other factors make a positive difference in bad ground. Not forgotten the coil size and the manufacturer. This is meant to be an extended post with information gathered by Sovereign users to help or eliminate various ground problems. Including electrical or magnetic interference. Your help is appreciated.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

I've heard a lot of seasoned Sovereign users tell new people learn this detector in Auto. For beginners this could be confusing especially when using any 180 meter or 550 meter, which in auto ID meters bounce and will not lock on to a number. In my coin garden the Sovereign in auto will pickup dimes and pennies at six inches and quarters at 7 inches with no problem. There is a method to go even deeper in the Auto mode. Example a deep target that the wiggle doesn't quite bring it in range as a good target, lay a dime on the ground just out of the target area. Sweep your coil over the surface dime while the Sovereign still holds that zing sound go over the out of reach target, tried this with a 8 inch quarter it picked it up with no problem, also tried this on a 9 inch buried half and dime with no problem. Note the coil for this test was a 10x12 SEF coil. Further test to continue. HH Ron

 

[Ron from Michigan]

At the coin and trash garden I used the smaller 800 Tornado coil in Auto I was surprised. The small coil in auto picked up all the 6 and 7 inch targets with no problem. The ID meter still has too much bounce. The 8 inch quarter was out of reach but the deep silver halve was easily reached with a nice tone. The smaller coil didn't respond to the 9 inch silver dime but picked up the 9 inch halve better than the 10x12 SEF coil. Now, out of the coin garden back into the bad ground at the park. Used the 800 coil and set the sensitivity control on Auto. This helped to maintain the threshold at the factory setting the two hours hunt only yielded a brass button and a fresh dropped nickel. The next search at the same park I switched back to the 10x12 SEF coil and set the sensitivity at the 10 o'clock position. First target a faint signal with a 177-178 on the meter. The target was about 9 inches deep a 1919 penny encrusted completely. The next two targets 180 were at the same depth both 1959 Lincoln pennies at this point nothing earth shaking.. Test will continued. HH Ron