Etrac Capabilities

[Budman231]

Question for E-Trac users...

Can an E-Trac distinguish a pull tab from a nickel (Audio or Visually) ?

Bud

 

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[Digger]

Not beyond about 4" and not 100%

For me the dead giveaway for a nickle is the 11-12 FE and CO and a solid ID no jumping around. Still not 100% but really good odds.

 

[cudamark]

On mine, the nickel is almost always 12-13. Pull tabs are usually 12-14 to 12-22 but I've dug quite a few that were 12-13 also. As for sound, it's subtle but I think the tab sounds a little more boingy if you know what I mean. The nickel just seems to have a slightly "cleaner" sound. I still dig both so it's a mute point with me. There are just too many good pieces of jewelry that also reads in that range. I make a game of it trying to guess which it is....tab, nickel, foil, slaw, or gold ring! I've gotten to the point where I'm correct about 75% of the time.

 

[madforclad]

I'd have to say no. Nickels usually identify 12-13 on mine, pull tabs pretty much the same so I always dig. I remember reading somewhere someone said that 4 tone ferrous can produce a different sound between the 2 however I have never tried it.

 

[Budman231]

Thanks guys. I'm an At Pro user and we seem to get a lot of flak for digging pull tabs because nickel/gold signals are in the same range. I am interested in an E-Trac and was curious if this pull tab/nickle/gold thing was true for higher end machines also. Sounds like it is...

Bud

 

[cudamark]

Yup, I don't think there is a machine on the market that can tell the difference with anything close to 100% accuracy. I'd hate to miss a gold ring because the machine "guessed" wrong!

 

[madforclad]

Pull tabs dug = 1,000 Gold rings found = 2. LOL!

 

[Pointman]

With nickels it is just a solid signal with no bouncing around. I think they are around the 12-13, 12-15 range also for me. The CTX is the same a solid signal without any deviation. I dig everything in that range though.

 

[Jackalope]

Nickels are usually 12-13, the higher the Co value travels (like 12-20), the less likely it is a coin.

 

[cudamark]

Nickels are usually 12-13, the higher the Co value travels (like 12-20), the less likely it is a coin.

12-20 probably won't be a coin but it could be a big gold ring. Once you get up into the 12-30's you get back into possible coins again.

 

[cudamark]

Pull tabs dug = 1,000 Gold rings found = 2. LOL!

You must be hunting some nasty parks! The ratio at the beach isn't near that bad!

 

[DiggerinVA]

Thanks guys. I'm an At Pro user and we seem to get a lot of flak for digging pull tabs because nickel/gold signals are in the same range. I am interested in an E-Trac and was curious if this pull tab/nickle/gold thing was true for higher end machines also. Sounds like it is...

Bud

With newer niickels my ATpro is always 50-52 if it ever jumps to 53 its a pull tab.....now older buffalo's or V's can read lower depending on depth and condition.....but i have heard of other Atpro users digging nickels that were 53's....but i have not yet dug a 53 that was a nickel. And no machine made(that i know of) regardless of price can tell a golld ring from a pull tab, nickel, foil, etc....

 

[DiggerinVA]

Now Etrac is impressive on bottle caps, etc. it is hard to fool that machine.....

 

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

Question for E-Trac users...

Can an E-Trac distinguish a pull tab from a nickel (Audio or Visually) ?

Bud

If someone ever makes a detector than can do this you will be able to name your price! Sometimes I think I have figured something out then BAM another pull tab! lol

 

[PullTabPete]

12-13 or 12-14 is almost always a nickle for me. If it gets around 12-15 to 12-20 usually a modern pulltab, depends how much time I have if I dig those, maybe I skipped a few gold rings?

Always a treasure hunt - you never really know until you dig.

Pete

 

[Roger Mn.]

Yes it can. I can detect over thousands of targets and only pic out the coins and gold rings. I could not dig all the targets at my age but I do dig lead ,brass and copper items because of the good tones. I just cashed in $30.80 worth of scrap. No aluminum. That's still there for the new detecting guys to find.

 

[Mach1Pilot]

Its a very subtle difference, but it can.... like someone said the nickles sound "cleaner", pull tabs seem to jump a bit more... the numbers will be similiar but maybe one or two conductive numbers different from each other. Its still not 100% accurate, which for me is no big deal because as a relic guy I dig just about everything thats non-ferrous anyway.

 

[Roger Mn.]

With newer niickels my ATpro is always 50-52 if it ever jumps to 53 its a pull tab.....now older buffalo's or V's can read lower depending on depth and condition.....but i have heard of other Atpro users digging nickels that were 53's....but i have not yet dug a 53 that was a nickel. And no machine made(that i know of) regardless of price can tell a golld ring from a pull tab, nickel, foil, etc....

I can tell the difference between a gold ring and a pulltab with the Minelab E-Trac just by the sound and they will also come up in different areas on the screen. So if I couldn't hear I could still see the difference were it shows up at. I also can tell aluminum foil by tone. I used the Whites DFX for years and I can tell you the E-Trac is better and deeper. Fourteen inches on six different Indian head and wheat cents and just as loud that deep as it was on top of the ground. Practice . If I had to go back to a lesser machine I'd probably smash it on a tree.

 

[Roger Mn.]

Just remember if the E-Trac isn't screaming out loud it's probably not worth digging.

 

[cudamark]

I can tell the difference between a gold ring and a pulltab with the Minelab E-Trac just by the sound and they will also come up in different areas on the screen. So if I couldn't hear I could still see the difference were it shows up at. I also can tell aluminum foil by tone. I used the Whites DFX for years and I can tell you the E-Trac is better and deeper. Fourteen inches on six different Indian head and wheat cents and just as loud that deep as it was on top of the ground. Practice . If I had to go back to a lesser machine I'd probably smash it on a tree.

In an air test, it's fairly easy. In the ground, with mineralization and other metal close by and it's a different story. I once found a gold ring that was on a steel key ring. No way that sounded good let alone like a gold ring. Jewelry comes in all shapes, sizes, and alloys. If they're mixed together on a bracelet, necklace, etc. it could sound like anything and come up anywhere on the screen.