Etrac or explorer se pro?

[swund1703]

I am using a whites v3 and after enough YouTube videos I'm fining minelab detectors to be pretty sweet. I hunt mostly estates and trashy king of areas in dirt and sometimes talk grass and weeds. Would like to know which minelab machine would give most accurate data for gold and the perform the best with mineral and electrical interference. Aswell as the best for bumping brush and talk grass. Whist will be the cleanest sounding machine? Price doesn't matter to me. Thanks in advance.

 

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[cudamark]

I'm not sure there is a lot of difference in performance between the E-trac and Explorer but I'd give the E-trac the edge. Both are excellent machines but if money is no object, I'd get the CTX3030. It has a faster processor speed, multiple target I.D. and the bonus of being water proof and a GPS built in.

 

[christo000]

If u want fast responce dues all the way, & very lite to how Long have u been using the v3. Id it an i, I been doin very well with my v3i & invested in the sef coils both the 6x8 & 10x12, they r great with EMI depth & trashy áreas its definetly a big difference over the dd coils

 

[Longhair]

Minelabs hate air, so they won't do well in tall grass. The Explorer and E-trac are exactly the same technology, so one isn't likey to do any better than the other.

A T-2SE, F-75LTD, or Deus would be better.

 

[RandyNorthridgeCa]

If gold is your target I would think that your v3 is the right machine for you. Don't get me wrong, both the SE and E-Trac will find gold but you're going to have to dig a ton of trash to find it. As far as silver goes in trash or at depth (in my opinion), the SE and E-Trac will run circles around the v3 and without a doubt the E-Trac will sniff out more silver than the SE if the user knows both machines well and uses good detecting technique.

 

[cudamark]

How will the V3 avoid you digging trash? Can it tell a nickel from a pull tab from a gold ring? I haven't seen any machine that will do that with any degree of certainty.

 

[christo000]

Oh she is pretty good with it when I threw on the sef or even the stock its easy to c trash along with tones & even a Picture id that it'll tell u what % sure it is that #,vdi along with that I have the spectra graph & mainy Ive been using polor plot which of my lines arent shooting off to the right all nice its trash same thing of there all bunched up its pretty clear trash from good with sizing graphs,polor plot & also the 3 frequncies ur runnin at the same time of reds highest pretty much can count it as junk Blue & green good but allways just double check with the graphs

 

[DeepseekerADS]

The Explorer is documented as having greater depth capabilities. But then the E-Trac is no slouch. It's a difficult learning curve on either. But, I am in fact finding coins with large rusty nails laying just about on top of the coins. That's the MineLab advantage.

The E-Trac is a beast. Once you understand it you own the ground beneath it.

 

[swund1703]

V3 is pretty accurate by telling a nickel from trash but I have always dug trash to find gold. It has the sizing that helps but like you said no avoiding digging trash. If I'm hunting open areas like farm ground or estates.i usually turn off trash which turns off gold but as for parks and beaches I should drive a garbage truck.

 

[swund1703]

By the way I purchased and etrac loaded with decent digger pouch headphones and a sun ray inline probe. Sweet deal at unbieveable price

 

[christo000]

V3 is pretty accurate by telling a nickel from trash but I have always dug trash to find gold. It has the sizing that helps but like you said no avoiding digging trash. If I'm hunting open areas like farm ground or estates.i usually turn off trash which turns off gold but as for parks and beaches I should drive a garbage truck.

Oh ya no dought all the toys sizing polor plot I do still get some trash but not nearly as much its gotta really b a tricky peice all machines especially ones said r real good detectors that go very deep still will get trash every now & then

 

[cudamark]

I have no problem with digging some trash. I don't want to pass up a good target because my machine figured it was junk. I just have a hard time believing everything a detector says. I've found lots of great targets that various machines have said was junk. I know the technology is getting better all the time but I don't think they can I.D. anything close to 100% yet. If I get a nickel sound, I'm still digging it, even if it's scratchy, sketchy, reading only one direction, etc. I know it's likely to be a pull tab or wadded foil ball but I still hope for a gold ring, and occasionally get one. Better than ignoring it and passing on a great find.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

By the way I purchased and etrac loaded with decent digger pouch headphones and a sun ray inline probe. Sweet deal at unbieveable price

Make sure you get the book by Andy Sabisch - it will absolutely shorten your learning curve.

One thing I did learn on my own was to start out running at the recommended sensitivity, and maybe a little less. I was getting sooooo many false signals it was driving me crazy. Not good for the trying to learn it mode. Once you get used to it, you can start to understand what it is saying.

And these charts you see about FE-CO coin values, do not absolutely depend on them. You'll get good coin signals which are well out of line with the values on the charts. Go for the tones themselves, but do pay attention to the values.

And! Go slow, especially when you hit a signal - even barely move the coil.

I used to try the Pinpoint mode, but was always off in the actual location. Look up Goes4ever's website on his pinpointing method. That is more accurate for me and I'm actually getting the targets in my first dig.

Pinpointing with the Etrac - Saving History One Piece at a Time

I find the E-Trac emulator was good for speeding up the learning curve on using the menu system. You won't find the software on MineLab's site unless you pay for Platinum membership. I forget where I found it now, except that I googled until I did find it. Really does help learning how to navigate quickly.

Good luck!!!



Hopefully this will help with some of the initial frustration you will have.

 

[Minrelica]

The E-Trac and the Explorer SE Pro are two totally different machines and the folks on the Minelab forum (who own both) urge people to not ditch the SE for the E-Trac... Some say that the SE even works better in certain situations and they can be run much hotter than the E-Trac... Knowing that plus being a SE PRO user myself... I'd still like to get an E-Trac but keep the SE

Enjoy your Minelab swund... I know you will

 

[swund1703]

Etrac has found silver everyday I've used it. About ready to throw it away so I don't break my steak. Lol.

 

[swund1703]

Thanks for all the info folks. Going out tomorrow maybe ill find a coin in relation to Independence Day. Lol

 

[cudamark]

Etrac has found silver everyday I've used it. About ready to throw it away so I don't break my steak. Lol.

I thought your said you are using the White's V3?

 

[swund1703]

I own both now.

 

[Fletch88]

I own both now.

In your research did you consider a Safari? That's what I've got my eye on. From my research it's same technology as SE and Etrac without all the bells and whistles? I've recently bought a Sov GT and its pulling coins out of places I've hit hard with ATP and Vaquero. It's so quite until theirs actually a target worth digging! Except if course for can slaw! They all will pick that though.....

 

[swund1703]

I've always had the attitude go big or go home. Damn near bought the 3030. Besides that bei
G waterproof and a GPS I decided the etrac would be fine for my needs. One big selling point of the etrac for me over the explorer or the safari was there such a ton of people with the etrac that the trouble shooting and conversations with questions involving an etrac would be beneficial. As for functionality the safari wil do but I just wanted to be one of the crowd with a bad ass machine. No regrets buying the etrac.