Returning to the world Of BBS.....(1/19/17 Update..Picked up a scorcher of a GT went ahead and modded it too)

Picked me up as DAN In PA call's them Closet Queen...

Guy local had it ..never ran it but once..

Sovereign XS2a-PRO

Forgot how fun they were...I've been thinking of how much I loved it 25 years ago..I ran one for a decade...

I've seen the Sov do some amazing feats!!

Even coins under larger than nail iron on occasion..

Thought I would do a quick Vid to show why I like them!!

Buckle Killers and silver Killers..

Got a site I'm working on right now that it will be quite useful!

[www.youtube.com]

7-19-16 hunt
[www.youtube.com]

Meter mod and tone change

[www.youtube.com]

1/19/17 update on GT
[www.dankowskidetectors.com]



Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla



Edited 13 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2017 01:29AM by Keith Southern.

Ziiiiiiiiiing ------ ziiiiiiiiiing ------ ziiiiiiiiiing!

Gotta love the sound of a Sov when hitting deeeep silver

One of the few machines that can blank out iron ON TOP of a coin/etc and STILL see/hear the coin!

Nice rig there Keith

Keith, give us a rundown on the Sovereign models and their differences. I've seen XSs and plain (original) Sovereigns FS on Craig's List.
Any one model better than others for specific work/sites?

Thanks.

Wayne

Pleasant Garden, NC
AT Max, Nokta Impact, MX Sport, Nokta FORS Relic, GPX 4800, Infinium, Racer, Deus, F75SE, Nautilus DMC II (order of acquisition, last to first)

Does an archeologist argue with a plow? A bureaucrat with a bulldozer?

I have used every model except the original Sovereign. I have never really seen any difference in performance between them. I like the model Keith has. The XS-2A myself. It is simple to use. Basically turn it on and go. Now having said that I think there is a difference between the coils. I think the newer Tornado coils are hotter. They were on the Sovereign for the last two models the GT and Elite. Straight shafts were available for last two as well. They mount differently than the earlier models. The things to watch out for when buying an older model Sovereign: Make sure it has a complete battery system. The rechargeable might be shot, but you need the little circuit board to hook up AA's. The older Sovereigns had 550 meters. The newer had 180 meters. The 180's were much better. People tried to convert them which could be done, but I have seen some junk where people didn't know what they were doing. The last thing is the coil and cable. Most Sovereigns saw salt water. People neglected the cables and I have seen dry rot. They also had a habit of tightening the coil bolt to tight and actually pull the coil apart. Always rinse after your detector was in salt water. The best wet sand detector? It's in the top three on everyone's list.

Keith, an interesting flash-back for a moment. I personally enjoyed the BBS series over the FBS, and the XS-2a Pro was my favorite of the Sovereign series. Not the best balanced, but better than those earlier Explorers, and the last two I had came with a '180' adjusted meter, different from the one on your unit. They do have some talent a lot of the competition didn't have at the time, but weight and balance were fatiguing for me. Today I know they still do just as well as they did then .... but for me and the types of sites I hunt, they still don't hold water compared with some of the excellent offerings on the market now.

One of the more interesting detectors from the past, however, and like you, I don't know why they didn't try to improve thr weight & balance of the design.

Monte

"Your EYES ... the only 100% accurate form of Discrimination!"
Stinkwater Wells Trading Post
Metal Detector Evaluations and Product Reviewsmonte@ahrps.org ... or ... monte@stinkwaterwells.com503-481-8147Fisher-1, Makro-1, Minelab-1, Nokta-1, Tesoro-2, White's-1Garrett MS-3 -- Killer B's 'Hornet' & 'Wasp'Note: Detectors are listed alphabetically by Brand. Models are chosen based on search site conditions.*** All working well today to make memories for tomorrow. ***

Thanks for posting the video Keith. The sov is one super sucking coin machine even in heavy ferrous ground conditions. The only downfall like you and many others state is the weight / balance issue.

I have a chance to buy a Sovereign XS2a-PRO. What would be a far price for one? Also how would this detector compare to a CTX or deus in a iron site? I'm looking for something that will pull the silvers out of iron filled and trashy sites and goes deep. I have a old park I hunt and have hunted it with both the CTX and deus. Good finds are getting very hard to find. Will the Sovereign help. Do you get iron wrap around with this detector like a lot of the detectors today? Thanks

I've owned and used them all Wayne...there all about the same..

the coils are what makes the BBS in my opinion..and they were different types..the type I have here is not my favorite it's the BBS thick coil..

My favorite all time stock coil was the White solid 8 inch coil....though the ears were prone to breakage...

My next favorite was the Tornados that came on the Elite and GT..

As fars after market I like the 10x12 for depth from S.E.F.

Now I ever never used a smaller than 8 inch and I'm wanting to try some of the NEL 5 inchers..the way these machines report off the WIGGLE..a super small coil in iron and trash maybe exceptional if???these thing go deep with just a Creep of speed..

Slower the better...

as far as the machines I like the Elites battery and coils...and GT..Same...

the early models the XS had the best coil..White solid 8 inch..

they all seemed to run the same to me as far as depth and sound and in ground performance..

I did have a pre XS just called sovereign..and it was Sizzly hot..

Hey they brought the 4500 back maybe they will bring the Sovereign back...DUMB DUMB move in my opinion to abandon one of the best units ever designed in terms of performance..Bruce was way ahead of the time's when he built the SOV...Still a Phenom in alot of aspects ..Just turn on and hunt SIMPLE..dig no trash SIMPLE..

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

Yes for CERTAIN things Monte they have no equal..

A revamped modern housing..

Could you imaging a SOV in a setup like a AT-PRO...and keep the cost at about 700.00 bucks..

It would take the world by storm..

Wheres the thinkers at these companies..

No body and I mean nobody has the SOV..technology..USE IT MINELAB>>>>

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

Fair price McCrory??

about 400.00 it seems on Ebay for a decent unit..maybe more with added accessories ..a GT can bring like 500 to over 650.00 or more there newer..

But they all are very sturdy and last forever,,,if they look decent they usually havent been ran alot..heck there's some in the field 25 years old running perfect...LIke the CZ's they last and last and last..

You might luck up and find one cheaper ..there's ton's of them in closet's..I found mine for a song here locally..

Im sure there was hundreds of thousands made..

And thanks for the reply EPL II!!

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

Thanks Keith! Just wondering about the other questions I asked. How would the Sovereign XS2a-PRO do in iron and trashy sites compared to the CTX and deus? Do you still get iron wrap around with this detector and how deep will it go compared to the other 2 detectors? Thanks

Maybe I could start a New thread if anyone thinks it's warranted..

Ask for a New Sovereign maybe all terrain or just a land version ..in an Xterra type box???

The ultimate would be a AT-PRO challenger...ALL TERRAIN but BBS and have visual ID ...Shouldn't be that hard to do..not CTX type housing fancy but keep it simple..and keep price simple..could you image the money they could make with a All Terrain Sov for 700.00 dollars??
Just get this technology back on the market...too good to let it sit idle...simple effective and works in adverse ground with no adjustments...

I for one would start a thread on a couple of forum's and then send the link to Minelab..let Minelab see people still want this technology in a modern design.

We can do it if Yall think it holds water..

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

in iron its not a DEUS or CTX..especially not a DEUS..

Its a great Tool..And it does un-lock COINS especially ..But its not a DEUS in iron..But at the same time its DEEEP and its easy to use and its DEEEP AUDIO on silver is second to non ever made..

Now the small 5 inch coil I've never used in iron and It could bring a new dimension to the BBS in iron..

one thing for sure if the targets have never been disturbed and tombed int he soil the Sovs work well on finding some COINS in co-locate conditions..they don't do well in disturbed soil.Like recent plow for unlocking intermingled..

It relies on that fusion of soil and intermingled targets to report..

Sov's can surprise you on high coins in iron...

Great technology Great trash unit..especially modern trash..

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

Keith,

Nice Demo.

I still own an original test model Sov Xs2a AND 2 x 800 BBS coils [ wound by ] the infamous Bruce Candy himself.
Also retain a test model GT as well or an [ M i 6 ] as it's code name was back then.

Value of a Used XS2a is [ buyer dependable / condition / meter or not ] etc. 400 - 450 USD$ would be a realistic price without a meter

A GT in good nick this side of the pond can command EU 650.00 = USD$725.00 without a meter.

Just my 2c worth

Des D



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2016 06:03PM by Des D.

I believe!, I believe! lol Yes! Please, start the threads They would sell them like hot cakes!! All the same technology in a lightweight Xterra housing with a built in "180" meter along with lightweight coil selection. I am already standing in line.....

I think it would be great if minelab brought out an updated all terrain sov in an xterra like housing. Go for it Kieth! Minelab NEEDS to build this type machine. Interchangeable coils, waterproof to 10'. I bet they'd sell a ton too.


John

So if I own a CTX and deus the Sovereign XS2a-PRO would not do better in iron or trash? I'm I understanding this correctly? Thanks

Mccrorysjewelry2 ,

Many of us who have used The Sov / BBS technology always wished that Minelab made this phenomenal coin hunter in a lightweight package. Nothing more, nothing less. You are not missing anything if you have the phenomenal Minelab CTX and deus. All your needs are basically covered.

Thank you everyone for your help. I didn't want to put out $500 for a Sovereign XS2a-PRO if it wasn't going to be a improvement over my CTX or deus. Happy 4th!

I always wanted to try a Sovereign but never got around to it. Does it have good modulated audio like the rest of the Minelab's?

The one thing that needs said about the Sovereign and it's meter is that it is the best nickel detector out there. Get yourself a 180 meter and you can pull nickels out of a pull tab field all day long.

The Sovereign XS2a-PRO that I bought is on eBay. It comes with a meter and a 800 BBS coil. One of the pictures of the meter shows a number of 249. Does that mean it's one of the older 500 number meters? Is that good or bad? What kind of depth can I get on a dime size target using the 8 inch coil? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

That is an older meter. Depth depends on your dirt. But you can probably go by the coil size. 8 inch coil = 8 inches of depth on a coin. There was a guy here in PA that once installed meters in the speaker hole. I had about three of them through the years. Nice units. The meter was always with you. No extra weight or wires.

What size coils are available for this detector and how accurate is the meter at depth? Is the disc. very good on these detectors? Does it have problems with iron wrap around on deep iron? Thanks

Keith Southern Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Maybe I could start a New thread if anyone thinks
> it's warranted..
>
> Ask for a New Sovereign maybe all terrain or just
> a land version ..in an Xterra type box???
>
> The ultimate would be a AT-PRO challenger...ALL
> TERRAIN but BBS and have visual ID ...Shouldn't be
> that hard to do..
> Sov for 700.00 dollars??
> Just get this technology back on the market...too
> good to let it sit idle...simple effective and
> works in adverse ground with no adjustments...
>
> I for one would start a thread on a couple of
> forum's and then send the link to Minelab..let
> Minelab see people still want this technology in
> a modern design.
>
> We can do it if Yall think it holds water..
>
> Keith

"That's what I pointed out in another thread... a New VLF Hybrid tech - an auto switching and simultaneous VLF/BBS system in a platform like nothing we've seen so far...think bicycle helmets...in a really strong carbon fibre plastic mix. Twin coil processors DPT (dual processor technology) - one to process the ground signal only and auto GB the entire time to negate minerals - the other working in tandem with multiple processors in the tiny control box to focus on the target signal to produce finer / cleaner target ID's. In essence a huge improvement on their VFLEX system which by now is 'old hat technology' anyway. Such a device could kill off the French miracle in one fell swoop?"

Mccrorysjewelry2 The BBS technology inherently is ((and Ill go out on a limb and say)) the best Iron I.D. unit ever developed...It can get called out on occasion on Some iron but its rare and its also pretty much figured out its iron before dig it up .. the small nails can give it some high hits at times in certain dirt and such but still they can be figured out..Im talking foot deep nails...But all in all its way better at Iron I.D. exactness than any I've ever ran.

The original model Sovereign before the XS and the last model the GT also had the ability to Turn Iron mask on or Off...And like the sensitivity control the Iron mask control can be confusing or seem backwards...Iron mask on is what most of the world used after they got used to the first model so the models like XS and XS 2 and Elite and so forth just left it in the ON position internally..Since Iron mask ON is the machine's ability to Unmask around iron..When its on the machine uses a different process to analyze and I also believe from field use maybe even allows some rejected Iron to BLEED though a bit for unmasking..So when its ON the machine can give some Not sure on first swing reports of Iron like kettle pieces and plow points and axes..sort of a burp of sorts sound but on a rescan can usually be nulled out..LIke the Video I showed earlier on the Trailer hitch...Now wiht Iorn mask OFF the machien is even more aggresive at I.D.ing iron proper ..But it aslo allows for more masking of co-locate ferrous and ferrous targets..So people learned to get the most out of the machine in unmasking and in bad dirt to leave it ON for more perfrormance..So the models for awhile till the Final GT jsut left it on..and beleive me Ibve alwasy wanted it on...and enver had a problem with it being on as a hinderance to my hunt's..

Side note about that also My buddy I used to hunt with back then was the Sovereign master around these parts..He hated digging Iron of any sorts..he was just looking for Buckles and Silver usually and the Sovereign from day one to him was a Godsend...

He bought a Elite once to use as a backup to his original...and saw the Switch for Iron mask was missing...he used it and said this things not like my first one..I said why..I had a XS and ran the Elite and said its the same as my XS..He said it more Burp in house sites...I Looked at his Original and said you run your Iron mask OFF I never knew that..I said no wonder you never dig buttons out of houses or lower conductors...So I figured out the pinout on the I.C. in the Elite and turned the Iron mask OFF on His Elite..He was hapy as a lark..LOL...No more burbs from Iron..he just wanted pure silence till he hit a goodie...of course he's the Buckle master down this way..For a reason..he dont waste time diigng anything else..

And that can lead to another quick story....I had fond an old house site a few years back...I was running a Fisher I.D. Edge..My other Buddy Troy was too...we working on this house Hard ..it had a lot of Bullets and Buttons and Neat things from the Civil War era like personal items and such..non military..Great site though..Full of Big iron..Even some federal /Colonial period stuff like horse gear pieces I had dug a beautiful 1790 type Horse Rosette...I called My buddy Sovereign user up...He came over scan the house Snags a U.S. Sword Belt plate out of there with Gold wreath still on the front under the eagle...scan some more then leaves...LOL...Dug it right there where I dug my Rosette..I go back over the site as I remember it was noisy there..and proceeded to dig every stinking piece of the large iron lying in that spot..LOL..Told Troy DANG them Sovereigns..LOL..

That's the hardest thing int he world to do is a dig large brass in large iron...it can sound the same.. Not to a Sovereign though...

Your other question ...now a days there's every coil Known for it..from 5 to 20 inches..no shortage..

Meter very accurate ..its tone linked..so the tone and meter align pretty well...Heck you don't need a meter if you get the ears tuned in the tones are 17 and they lock on the goodies..the high wee wee kitty cat sound soft deep and modulated will get you excited...Meters are better in trash tough ..Foil and such will be flat sounding and warbley..aluminum is high but not the high tone like coins..and it sounds Unround...so it has fantastic VCO tone Modulated audio..

Your meter will be a 550 unless its a modded meter..The 550 jumps more than the 180s.I have modded a few 550s to 180 so that's always an option if i can help you later if you don't like the 550...

I actually liked the bar meter on the first ones...I used ot have 4 or 5 lying around but sold them over time..When the numeric came out the bars where quickly discarded as inferior..when actually the Bars had the option Via button on control face to expand the nickel range....You would not believe the Buffalos I dug with that bar meter back in the day.It would dead lock a dirty Buffalo and V Nickel and on occasion Shields...

Joe Patrick I believe built a Analog meter for it that was full featured..Hard to find now and quite expensive...you can also get Sunray pinpointers for them..

I've turned the tone range up on my XS2 internally already..it shifts The factory sets it in the middle for the general public hearing range... I've shifted the lower tone higher and the highest tone even higher..I like to get that really really high pitched squeal on the deep bullets and silver..I hear nuances better in the Higher hz than in the lower so I tweak them for my hearing..

Keitting

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

Well my goodness Des!!

Sounds like Minelab is on their game ..

And sound 's like it will be superior to the current BBS...

I cant wait..!!!

Thanks for sharing!!

Nobody does ground handling like Minelab..If they enter world class unmasking too....LOOK OUT...!!!

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

Keith I sent you another P.M. Thanks

Closet Queen or not most modded unit ever trying to make it more ergonomic ...must have used 100 plus units over the years and only one that told me it was a silver coin by the audio...Found more large silver quarters and halfs with several Sov models than any unit I ever used....
PS: even found a silver and copper coin in one hole and knew that there was a silver coin in the hole several times...yep takes a while to get used to audio....as it is different..

How does the audio sound compared to the CTX. I use combined and have my tones for set from 105 kHz to 1150 kHz. I love my silver coming in at a very high tone.