Sweep speed and search coil control are the keys to learning how to use the Sovereign GT no matter what type of treasure you are searching for.
For a beach hunter like myself, a proficient Sovereign user should be one of the slowest people metal detecting on the beach. This allows sufficient time for the Sovereign circuitry to process and relay the target information back thru the users headphones.
A slow sweep speed also helps in recovery speed making it possible to hear conductive targets close to ferrous targets. If you maintain a disciplined slow sweep speed it is possible for you to “cherry pick” choice conductive targets from very trashy ferrous infested areas such as beach entrances. A good exercise to help you maintain the correct sweep speed is to count during the search coil sweeping process. Count, one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi as you make each sweep of the search coil.
Try to overlap each sweep of the search coil by approximately fifty percent, this action will ensure that you are not missing any valuable targets as well as not covering the ground too quickly.
I prefer to classify the movement of the search coil over the ground as a sweeping motion and not a swing. Sweep the search coil as close to the surface of the area being metal detected as possible, the search coil has to remain level thru out the whole of the sweeping motion.
A good tip for beach hunters is to secure the search coil cover to the search coil using plastic ties, snip the excess plastic tie on the bottom of the search coil. The excess plastic tie will only make a mark in the sand when you have the search coil close to the ground.
Raising the search coil at the end of each sweep is the number one mistake I see other beach hunters making. This bad habit can easily be corrected by shortening the arc of the sweep and not over extending the sweep.
Hip or chest mounting the Sovereign GT control box will lighten up the shaft and help you to keep the search coil level thru out the sweeping motion. Try to remember when you are metal detecting with the Sovereign that it is not important how much ground you cover, but how you cover the ground!
Dig all two way repeatable signals in the basic beach and land hunting control settings I have mentioned previously. Locate the target by passing over the target area using short pin pointing sweeps.
The target signal will increase in volume as you approach the exact location of the target using ever shortening sweeps over the top of the target. You will find the Sovereign GT to be one of the easiest metal detectors to use for pinpointing targets.
Gary Drayton
www.garydrayton.com
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