first outing with the etrac

[marjam]

Just finished my first hunt with the etrac. I had been using a dfx with a 10x12 sef coil and have found some nice stuff with it. But I had read on this forum and others that if you like to coinshoot, and I do, its my favorite, that the etrac is the way to go. I went to a baseball field I have hunted in the past. I have pulled out mining scrip, wheats, and quite a bit of clad. The last time I went there, I didnt find much at all, but since I had the new machine, I thought I would give it a shot. I ended up fiinding 15 coins all clad, one buckle, and a few pieces of copper in a about an hour and a half. Now I cant say for sure that the dfx missed these targets as I dont remember if I hunted this particular part of the field. I do know that a place I did hunt with the dfx I found one coin in that area today. I found the etrac to be easy to use, but I know I have a ton more to learn. I look forward to taking it to a spot where I would swear is cleaned out and give it a whirl. That field was taken up today, but if it finds targets at that field, I will report back. If it doesnt it will just mean that the dfx and other detectors I have had didnt miss anything.

So far I am pleased that I got it. I cant wait to see how it hits on the older coins.

 

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[fella]

Congrats! Enjoy!

 

[Fletch88]

Congratulations on a great machine! I'm still learning mine too and having great fun doing so!

 

[Jason in Enid]

Some people learn the E-Trac quick, some people takes awhile. If you get frustrated, just give it some time. If you don't have the Andy Sabich book yet, GET IT! It explains the settings much better than the user manual.

 

[Mach1Pilot]

Swing it slow! Then primarily hunt by ear, and use the numbers to back it up. If the numbers don't agree with what you are hearing... Dig anyway.

 

[marjam]

Thanks for the tips. I read quite a bit before I went out so I wouldnt be too overwhelmed. that helped alot, I also read that the minelab didnt pinpojnt very well. In all honesty I only found it to be a little more challenging than the dfx. Whites machines are known to be great pinpointing machines, and I was able to pinpoint the targets just as good with the etrac. And there was some trash around too. I think by me having the sef coil on the dfx really helped the pinpointing for me on the etrac. I didnt have to use the minelab wiggle at all yesterday. Not saying it wont ever be used, though. Once I learn more about what I hear, there may be some goodies mixed in with heavy trash, and I may need it. I will check out Andy's book. I can say to anyone though wanting to switch to an etrac is before they go out the first time is read what others are saying, the tips, what the numbers mean, etc. If I wouldnt have did this, I would have been very frustrated my first time. I have detected for many years, some things like sweep speed and other tricks you can carry over, but the machine itself speaks another language, so read quite a bit before going out the first time. I still have alot to learn on this machine, but I have at least a starting point now. Thanks goes to you guys on this forum and others for sharing your knowledge of this machine. It is much appreciated.

 

[roygpa]

Congrats on your finds. I got my E-trac a week ago after using a Fisher F5 for about 6 months. I've been out maybe three times and have yet to find any coins or anything of at least marginal value. I've read that many people get frustrated with the E-trac at first and that's the stage I am in right now. Did you start out with the Minelab setting or your own?

Thanks for making me realize, there's still hope for me and my E-trac.

Roy

 

[Frankyg]

I've had the E-trac since they first came out. Before that I had various versions of the Explore and at first I hated the sounds it made. Pinpointing sounded like a banshee giving birth and I was getting a lot of false signals. I soon got used to it though and slowed my swing to eliminate the false signals. I still don't like the sounds though but I put up with them. The big plus with an E-Trac I found was the depth it goes to and when I went on sites that I've been digging for years I found lots of new stuff. Well worth the money.

 

[marjam]

Congrats on your finds. I got my E-trac a week ago after using a Fisher F5 for about 6 months. I've been out maybe three times and have yet to find any coins or anything of at least marginal value. I've read that many people get frustrated with the E-trac at first and that's the stage I am in right now. Did you start out with the Minelab setting or your own?

Thanks for making me realize, there's still hope for me and my E-trac.

Roy

I started with the minelab setting. Really at first all I did was perform a noise cancel and then started detecting just to see what it would do. I later went into the coin stock program, but it seemed to hit better just doing the noise cancel and detecting. The coin program has alot more discriminated out so that is probably why. Checking signals at different angles helps too, rotate to the side and sweep again when you get a good signal. I noticed when the numbers stayed near to or the same, it was a good target. But I am just learning too, and others can tell us both alot more on little tricks to the machine. Good luck to ya..........

 

[Fletch88]

Some people learn the E-Trac quick, some people takes awhile. If you get frustrated, just give it some time. If you don't have the Andy Sabich book yet, GET IT! It explains the settings much better than the user manual.

A must read for sure! The Etrac was pretty daunting before I read it. Now it's all falling into place and the temperatures are cooling off enough to hunt. I'm not much on hunting in 95 degree weather. Try Gogs minimum iron patterns from the place minelab owners can download patterns

 

[marjam]

A must read for sure! The Etrac was pretty daunting before I read it. Now it's all falling into place and the temperatures are cooling off enough to hunt. I'm not much on hunting in 95 degree weather. Try Gogs minimum iron patterns from the place minelab owners can download patterns

I will do that. I just downloaded 6 patterns from a forum today including andys pattern. I got them loaded and I am going to try one of them tomorrow.

One of the questions I have about the etrac is does the etrac ever give an iron signal on silver? It may not have happened on the smaller silver coins, but have the larger coins ever rang in with a high ferrous number, and if so, can you remember the fe co number? I know with my dfx, it happened some. Vdis would be in the very high 90s in certain soils. Thanks for all the replies. the pointers are very valuable and appreciated.

 

[Jason in Enid]

The only time you will ever see an E-Trac give an iron VDI for silver is when the silver is covered in iron.

 

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

Anytime the threshold goes away you have to almost stop the swing. In high trash areas slow way way down so the amazing processing the Minelab E-Trac uses has time to catch up. It will pay off.

 

[roygpa]

Over the weekend, I did find four coins (all modern) with my E-trac, one penny in a park and another penny and two quarters in my yard which I have been over again and again with my Fisher F5. I have three other spots in my yard that just might have coins. The Etrac said they were deep about 8 inches and when it did give a signal it was in the 12-45 range. I mark spots that I save for a later date with brightly color golf tees.
I am learning the E-trac, slowly but surely.

Roy

 

[marjam]

Anytime the threshold goes away you have to almost stop the swing. In high trash areas slow way way down so the amazing processing the Minelab E-Trac uses has time to catch up. It will pay off.

Thanks bart I noticed that on a couple of targets this weekend. I will try that next time

 

[marjam]

Over the weekend, I did find four coins (all modern) with my E-trac, one penny in a park and another penny and two quarters in my yard which I have been over again and again with my Fisher F5. I have three other spots in my yard that just might have coins. The Etrac said they were deep about 8 inches and when it did give a signal it was in the 12-45 range. I mark spots that I save for a later date with brightly color golf tees.
I am learning the E-trac, slowly but surely.

Roy

Congratulations Roy keep it up

 

[Jason in Enid]

Anytime the threshold goes away you have to almost stop the swing. In high trash areas slow way way down so the amazing processing the Minelab E-Trac uses has time to catch up. It will pay off.

Some iron, especially nails, can fool any detector made today. The hardest thing to learn with the E-Trac is learning to tell the difference between a false signal and a real one. You have to watch the coil and pay attention to exactly where the coil is when you get a beep. Iron falses will move around a few inches as you go back and forth past the target. A good target next to iron will beep in the exact same spot each time, even if you get a null next to it. These are impossible to pinpoint because the iron keeps responding in pinpoint mode. You just have to learn when to dig. You will still get fooled occasionally, but not a lot.

2 iron objects close together will also give a good response in the middle when swinging along the "long axis" of the targets. When you turn and swing at a 90 degree angle you get a null like you would expect.

 

[Fletch88]

I just used the Etrac on wet salty sand with 13" Ultimate for the first time. Unbelievable target depth and ID. Ran combined reject AM, accept coin and jewelry, smooth response. What a difference between FBS of Etrac and BBS of Excal. I dug all pulltab signals just to be safe. Coin ID was so accurate even at 10-12". Very impressed with the stability and depth in Auto +3.

 

[Mach1Pilot]

Jason has this exactly right. Nice post!

Some iron, especially nails, can fool any detector made today. The hardest thing to learn with the E-Trac is learning to tell the difference between a false signal and a real one. You have to watch the coil and pay attention to exactly where the coil is when you get a beep. Iron falses will move around a few inches as you go back and forth past the target. A good target next to iron will beep in the exact same spot each time, even if you get a null next to it. These are impossible to pinpoint because the iron keeps responding in pinpoint mode. You just have to learn when to dig. You will still get fooled occasionally, but not a lot.

2 iron objects close together will also give a good response in the middle when swinging along the "long axis" of the targets. When you turn and swing at a 90 degree angle you get a null like you would expect.

 

[marjam]

Jason has this exactly right. Nice post!

alot of good advice from everyone, I appreciate it. I went out this weekend and yesterday evening for about an hour. Found quite a few clad and one wheatie. I am hunting in sites I pounded with other detectors, so I am not expecting much, but I am finding good targets. Every day I understand a little more, I have dug my fair share of bottle caps, they tend to fall from 12 38 to 12 40. The wheatie I dug had a bounce from 12 36 to 12 41. And I had a clad quarter give a silver number of 11 47, but it wasnt very deep, about 4 inches, so I guess that is why. But I knew it was at least a clad by the way it sounded and the reading.