Sovereign XS learners permit

[david bull]

OK, so this is my first experience with the Sovereign.I have done pretty good in open field hunts other than digging a lot of square nails and larger iron(not really a problem when relic hunting).As suggested on some posts I run volume-max,signal-auto or 3 oclock,threshold-barely audible,disc&notch-0 and have experimented with signal settings.Yesterday I dug a .54 minnie at 6" that gave a storybook tone and pinpoint.What do I need to look for on deeper targets?Do I need to increase the disc to quieten this detector on the iron targets or should I just dig the stronger high tones?I tried a yard hunt, but there were so many confusing tones that I just used my xl-pro in that search.Pointers please! Thanks DBULL

 

[JimmyCT]

Hi DBULL,


When I first bought my Sov GT, the tones were very confusing and nearly drove me to drink and I really thought I had made a bad decision in buying the detector lol
( I would later learn it would be the best detector purchase I ever made) So I bought a sun ray meter and this helped big time in figuring out and learning targets beneath the coil. I feel it can do the same for you. I keep the the disc and notch (for the majority of the time) at zero. Right now, keep the sensitivity in AUTO until you learn the detector. (at least this is what I did) Now I fiddle with manual sensitivity and does make a difference. But it can also confuse someone ( like me ) as well if just beginning to learn the detector.

In junky areas a meter can really help ( it helps me anyways) in dicipher tones when they are real close together. Last week I was hunting in an iron infested junk hole and in the midst of all of it, I catch a glimpse of a mid-tone ( it shot up to 146 on my meter) and I was able to work the signal / isolate the best I could with the sov wiggle, then dug. I was rewarded with a V nickel from the late 1800's. Part of the date is worn (it is either a1887 or 1897) point being that "glimpse" of a tone and meter reading made me investigate further. To me, if I didn't have the meter, I may have not of dug. Not that I rely on the meter, but I do use it as a "second witness" when the first wasn't too sure (that's really me) of what was "seen" ( The first witness being AUDIO and with my hearing loss, I NEED a second witness - the 180 meter )




At this point since you have your learners permit, ( I still have mine too lol ) just start digging all the nice solid repeatable signal and learn what the objects are and what they sound like. Hope this helps. Most of all, have fun and happy hunting - Jim

P.S.

If you don't have the manual you can download it here and save to your computer.

http://www.minelab.com/__files/f/10475/Instruction%20Manual%20Sovereign%20XS.pdf

 

[david bull]

Thanks Jim;That helps somewhat in that I've been digging every tone that breaks the threshold instead of just the repeatable ones.I guess that the broken tones are the ones that are the most confusing.I picture a good target next to iron.Will the deeper targets give a solid tone with the "wiggle"?My detector has a bar graph meter. but I pay little attention to it. DBULL

 

[JimmyCT]

Wow lol you are doing A LOT of digging if you are digging every tone that breaks the threshold. You will be able to start your own scrap yard. I find that broken signals are iron junk "peeping" through. However, there are some very good somewhat solid signals that end up being junk. I dug several piece of iron junk today. Sometimes those false positives shine on through and I dig. For the most part that is where the Sun Ray 180 meter really helps. Deeper targets will give a good repeatable tone with the wiggle. Sometimes though they are only one way. For instance, I come upon a target and wiggle back and forth (maybe and inch or so) and can get my meter to climb to 180 and a nice high pitch but when I turn 90 degrees it will null out. That could very well be a coin lying next to a nail or other iron object. It just takes a lot of time in listening intensively and getting to know the machine. Let the machine explain to you in tones what it is seeing. Sometimes when I am out in the field and have a questionable target, I will close my eyes and wiggle the coil around and in doing this, I can actually concentrate much better and "see" much clearer what the machine is saying. - Jim

 

[david bull]

Jim;My test ground was union army camp within walking distance,so digging a little iron while learning isn't a real problem.It's when I get out in lawns that I'd rather leave the trash in the ground, DBULL

 

[JimmyCT]

I certainly understand what you are saying and share the same concern. Listen for the nice solid tones and you will do just fine. - Jim

Jim;My test ground was union army camp within walking distance,so digging a little iron while learning isn't a real problem.It's when I get out in lawns that I'd rather leave the trash in the ground, DBULL

 

[AustinEd]

For yard hunting where I have to deal with a lot of trash I usually use the notch. You can run the Disc up to just under nickel and then set the notch just above nickel. This does eliminate some rings but trash is very little problem. If you set the disc and notch fine enough you can actually get rid of beaver tails from pull tabs and still find nickels. Sometimes I use this setting to just nickel hunt since they are a more difficult target. It is surprising what else good pops up when you concentrate on nickels.

 

[tometusns]

just got my used sovereign this evening. It has the sunray meter on it and I`m very excited about trying it out. I`m printing off the manual as I type. Thanks for the link to it.