Minelab E trac or Whites Spectra V3i for coinshooting?

[bonepicker]

Hi, I would like some opinions/advice from some of you more experienced treasure hunters.
Maybe some of you have not experienced using both detectors to compare them, but you can share your experiences using either one of the two.

I am still new at metal detectoring and have been learning alot.
I have been coming here and reading and watching your videos.
I purchased a new whites v3i almost 4 months ago.
I hunt several times a week and have been hard at it trying to make some good finds, but still havent gotten the results i had hoped for.
I live in south mississippi and most of the areas i hunt are high trash.
I have found a few silver coins, several wheats, a couple V-nickels, buffalos, etc.
The V3i seems very difficult to setup sometimes, and i am not getting the desired depth. Or i do get a good deep signal, and then it ends up being a trash signal several inches away from my coil much shallower.
When i watch most of the videos on youtube, you guys are always using the minelab e trac, is the Etrac a superior machine? and is it easier to setup and get started with?
Im trying to decide, if i should keep on pluggin with the v3i, or switch to a e-trac.
My main interest is coinshooting, the v3i has prospectin, meteorite, relic, etc., which sounds neat, but really not much interest for me, esp for my area.
Also how does the e trac work on salt beaces, because im right on the gulf of mex. and plan on workin the beach some this summer.

thanks

 

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[justanotherbarber]

Starting with a machine like that you WILL get frustrated, that's why they make entry level detectors. You don't learn to drive using a Lamborghini. Any brand entry or mid range will work better for you, but keep the Whites till you get more experience.

 

[Swartzie]

Four months is hardly enough time to learn a machine. Stick with what you got for now.
-Swartzie

 

[bonepicker]

I figured why not start out on a top of the line machine. Instead of buying a mid level machine and wishing i had a better one. And then possibly wanting to have to upgrade within a year.
My finds havent been so great lately, I suppose maybe im just getting frustrated. And yes, i guess 4 months isnt very long.
Normally i might get a wheat or two, some clad, and alot of junk metal, and pull tabs.
Then i come home and look in todays finds section of this forum, and see all the good stuff other people are finding. So i wonder what the hell is goin on here. I notice alot of people are using the minelab etrac and pullin silver out of the ground like crazy, very deep i might add.
I have one spot im almost certain no one has ever hunted, and i can go there and find a wheat almost every time, but no silver. Except for a 43S war nickel.
In other areas i have found a 1898 barber dime, 1964 washington quarter, 1943P war nickel, but none were very deep, and all at different locations.
The V3i has alot of different settings and adjustments to make for different ground conditions, etc., and is sometimes alot of work trying to get it to run smoothly and still acquire targets at a decent depth. I would rather spend less time trying to setup a machine, and more time diggin targets.
Maybe the v3i is too much machine for me, that is why i was wondering about the etrac. Or maybe you guys can make some reccomendations. My bud just got a Garrett AT Pro and has been doing ok, and its waterproof.

 

[liftloop]

bonepicker

Don't let that mine labs fool Yaa, You have the best detector out their, the reason why the mine lab guy's pull out some good find is all in the research and if you found a V nickle and a buff-low nickle, and silver man that's good it took me two years to find a buff-low nickle, just take your time stick with your preset pro grams learn your detector. my first full year I filled a shoe box full of crap with my mxt and when I did find my buff-low nickle it was with my 5900 di pro in the middle of no were in all metal mode the needle bounced at nickle,silver,and I pulled out a Missouri tax token, a 1935 quarter, and the buff-low, it was a coin spill. man I was pumped. you can try different coils. but research is the key no-ING your detector is the other key give it time. the better finds will come. and be happy your not swing an ace 2 fiddy or you wouldn't even found what you found. some times I wounder a bout those min lab guys. them pear-headed-pea-brains.

 

[bonepicker]

Whoah,
I like your encouragement and enthusiasm liftloop. But please, lets not turn this thread into a pissing match.
Found a mississippi tax token while swingin my v3i, but it was ontop of the ground by a home that got knocked down by katrina.
We have had alot of hurricanes to hit the area over the years=high trash.
Was thinking about using a smaller coil for the real trashy sites, but i believe you lose depth in doing so.

 

[pwcguy]

You have a good machine. Take your time and learn it. Unless you really don't like it. Some machines just don't work for everyone.
The E-trac is a really good machine too. From what others have said it is a little easier for beginers to pick up than the V3i.
As stated allready reaserch is the key to finding the good stuff. If your in a hurricane effected area like it sounds you are, then there will be tons of junk that you will have to sift through to get the good stuff. I can see why you would be getting discouraged.

 

[ds6191]

"some times I wounder a bout those min lab guys. them pear-headed-pea-brains."
I have a Etrac and I don't THINK I'm a pear-headed-pea-brain. Give the Whites more time,you are making good finds with it.Like the others have said. Location, Location, Location. Dan

 

[cosmic]

I had a Etrac then a V3I and now a Etrac.. I did like the V3I but the Etrac performed better for me.. You need to find a target rich environment
to learn either.. You can't find whats not there.. So stick with the V3I for a full season and dig good solid signals.. A small coil as a 5.3 will help you greatly..

 

[bonepicker]

This is the kind of input i was wanting to know. Whether it be in favor of either machine. I have never used an e trac, so i have no means of comparing the two. I would like to know if the e trac is alot easier to learn, and if it is a better machine for deep silver. Also does it work well in high trash, and does it separate targets better.

Liftloop
Don't let that mine labs fool Yaa, You have the best detector out their,
PWC
Some machines just don't work for everyone.
The E-trac is a really good machine too. From what others have said it is a little easier for beginers to pick up than the V3i.
Cosmic
I had a Etrac then a V3I and now a Etrac.. I did like the V3I but the Etrac performed better for me..

I would like to state my opinion of the v3i:
The color display and the coin icons, are what sold me on the v3i. It made it look so easy, and the technology has progressed so much since i was a kid and owned a bounty hunter.
The 3 different colored frequency bars were neat, and each color/frequency hits on metals differently. So if u know what metals are more dominant to each frequency you will have an idea of what the target is before you dig it. However, i was told if you use 1 frequency, that your processor will not have to work as hard to process the three frequencies. Running 1 frequency gives you processsor speed, faster response, and more depth. So i normally run single frequency green/2.5khz. 2.5 is the dominant frequency for silver and copper. So i havent found that having 3 frequencies has been very beneficial for me, unless im digging shallow targets.
On shallow targets this machine works great, but havent had much luck on the deep targs, when i do end up digging them.
I hear when the target gets deeper the vdi# isnt always accurate depending on ground minerals, oxidation, etc.
Im no little guy, but im getting older and my joints arent what they used to be. The v3i isnt heavy at first, but after several hours of swinging it, i will begin to feel fatigue in my elbow and shoulder. If i dont feel it right away, i will usually feel a lil sore the next day, but not always. Depends alot on how often i go. I found that the e trac weighs 3.5lbs., i couldnt find the weight of the v3i anywhere, but it feels like a lil more than 3.5lbs. So minelab proudly displays the weight, whites doesnt.
I could probably sell the v3i now with 18 months of a transferrable warranty and get most of my money back. Then spend a lil more and buy a new e trac, or buy a used one for about what i can get for my v3i. Might give the v3i a lil more time, but if i dont start getting better results soon, i am going to have to make a big decision. Which is why im here asking you guys these questions.
I saw some videos of some people goto NOLA parks and kill the silver, so i decided to drive 90 minutes to NOLA and hit some parks. I went 2 different times and all i ended up with was 1 wheat, alot of clad, trash, and a 1915 Bronze panama pacific international exposition coin. Which rang up silver at 5", it is the shape and size of a silver dollar, and when i first pulled the plug back i thought i had a dollar. Nope just a commemorative coin they sold back in 1915 to raise money for this exposition. Dont get me wrong, it is still neat coin, but not silver.
Oh yeah and also found a big piece of silver plated jewelry, with a bunch of fake diamonds in it the same day. Costume jewelry. bling bling. woulda been nice if it was real.
Guess i need to need to start posting some pics, but most of my coins are toast, and my cam doesnt do good close-ups.

 

[bonepicker]

My past 4 month finds. Just thought id try my camera and share the pics of what i have gotten with my v3i.
I didnt take pictures of the wheats. Most are in pretty bad shape.

 

[mfitzy111]

good finds- nothing there to be feeling bad about! personally I'd just try other locations - you have to be over good stuff to find good stuff...(most places local for me have been hit to death by other people over the years -so I feel your pain there.) and speaking of pain... I can relate to shoulder and elbow pain- tennis elbow (both arms- not from swinging but likely from digging!!!) so one thing I can say is look in to getting a chest rig as moving anything (even light gear) for hours on end is going to leave you hurting. I just got an AT-PRO (it is the same weight as my ace350 with out the belltones!) and I have an Etrac. it's a little heavy over the AT-PRO but I can say from using it -the sounds it makes over silver is unmistakable!

one thing might be to really research your area and find old places - it's tough with everything posted now a days. I can tell you from my experience I have yet to dig a silver half or quarter- but dimes, jewelry and nickels I've hit them. I even hit a 1825 large cent. your machine can likely find deep targets, it might be you just need to work with it more before thinking that you need a better machine (I did that too going from an ace350 up to a minelab, then getting a water detector so I can find good stuff in the swimming holes I've been dreaming about going to! the minelab etrac a great machine for land, but I never wanted to risk getting it wet and trashing it.

maybe you can find,buy or borrow a half dollar and bury it in a test garden- figure out the noises you need to work on while working over it. dig it up and learn from it- I know it worked for me with the etrac as far as giving me ideas of what certain sounds should be like... 13/14 gold,pulltabs,nickels 13-13 - 12-37 wheats, 12-38 pennies, 12-44 dimes and the list goes on and on... I confirm noises with numbers- but like people on here said don't let a number limit what you can dig. you can come across something your not familar with and pass up something good and uncommon like a 3 cent piece. (I've never dug one but it would be a bummer missing it because I didn't see the right numbers to dig).

as far as trash goes in an area -the suggestions of using a smaller coil are valid...you might want to check in to that. I know my etrac in a trashy area is confusing, I'm just glad to have a garrett pro pointer to help me find my last target (a crushed silver ring) because the area was trashy, and I'd have missed it moving with all the junk targets...

if you really want to coinshoot the etrac is good and your whites is good- if you know anyone local with an etrac you should ask to work with someone who knows his etrac well and can show you one in action, same with your whites -if you can find a local club you'd be miles ahead of the learning curve. I'm not sure I'd dump a detector at four months because your not finding enough good stuff...me personally I know if I am going to work with something I'm going to do it for a year or two..and see what happens.

I'll take heat for this but I liked my ace350 and was happy with my finds, (belltone not so much) I wanted to find more stuff, better stuff and deeper stuff...so I upgraded to a minelab etrac (picked it up from Woodlands - Mike Post is the best) and started learning another detector. it takes a while and practice is the only way... I still dig a lot of trash and now playing with the ATPro is another language sooooo it's all good. I think I'm starting a can slaw collection in the back of my car...

consider this for a minute: have you been digging all targets from your whites- just to learn what it's telling you? how long does it take to learn another language? just some food for thought, and remember everyone is going to have a different opinion on every detector out there- it would seem that the guys who find the best stuff are the ones that do the research, and maybe not the most lucky -though luck helps!

 

[bonepicker]

I think alot of my sites have been hunted hard over the years, and if any good targets are there they are deeep.
I probably need to do some research, locationx3.
Alot of areas are posted, and many of the areas in the woods are either private or so overgrown with bushes and vines, it is impossible hunt it.
And i dont really like knockin on peoples doors, so i have been limited. Sometimes you never know what to expect when they answer.
I have been reading some at the whites forums and i notice alot of people there are experiencing the same learning curve.
There are so many adjustments that can, and sometimes have to be made. And this has discouraged/aggrevated alot of people.
It is like learning a new language.
I did bury the silver quarter in the backyard at 9", and i can hit it. I cant see the difference in sound between a silver quarter, a clad quarter, bottlecap, mardi gras doubloon, or beer can, which all ring up in the silver range on the v3i. Im not using SMM, which some people prefer, but i havent gotten used to it, or care for it very much. It all has pretty much same tone.
Seems like i remember u said, when the etrac hits silver, you know it.
If you run all 3 of whites frequencies, it will help you figure out what it is. The dominant frequency will tell ya, most times, but that still doesnt always tell ya whether its silver or clad..
Whites forums help some. But im still new and i feel like im taking an electronics computer engineering course.
Does it really need to be so difficult to understand.
That ATPro is startin to sound tempting, especially since summer is coming. The V3i coil is waterproof, but im like u mfitz, i dont want to take the chance of droppin it in the water.
Thanks for the advice

 

[chukers]

I am an experienced whites user.... but when I got the V3i at first it was confusing as heck, it does have a very long learning curve it I was getting ready to send it back when I talked to Whites and told them what MY issues were... mine was mostly because of that D2 coil, I hated it... I didn't like how it pin pointed I didn't like the wight of it and I didn't like how it made trashy areas almost impossible to hunt. so they gave me the option of trading it for a V rated 950 coil and that for me made all the difference! Pinpointing is way way more accurate trashy signals are easier to tell what they are and its much lighter. In fact I heard they the NEW ones are coming with the 950 coil or at least you have the option of choosing... dunno if that is true.

now I can find a coin next to a trash target and the coins I find are deep I have found dimes and pennies 6 to 10 inches deep other targets even deeper... but a majority of coin finds are 1 to 5 inches... they just do go that deep here in Texas.

Now with all that being said I too want to know how the E-trac compares... I have a spot where I have found lots of coins in the last few year that I want to try or get someone that has an E-trac to see if I missed anything... so I understand your predicament... The V3i is a great machine as good as any other... once you learn it. and it is the most balanced machine I have ever used. If you have any questions on it let me know I'd be glad to chat with you about it.

Chukers

 

[bonepicker]

Thx chukers. hopefully we can get some more people to post here with their experiences.
I have heard the eclipse 950 is a good coil. I definitely know what you mean mean about the D2's pinpointing disability. Thank god for the Garrett Propointer. My bullseye2 PP'er tore up fast.
I was thinking about getting the 6x6 5.3 eclipse coil for better target separation in trashy areas , maybe i will try the 950 eclipse instead, and get more depth than the 6x6.

 

[junkhunter]

i tried v3i.ran with it for a year then got rid of it.my old xlt ran circles around it.machine was to dang noisy and made for a tweeker.i just want to turn it on and roll.xlt was that kind of machine.e trac is that kind of machine.v3i does get some insane depth.I dug a frag from a 100 pounder at 2 feet.The relic mode is great.The coin mode stinks.Beach is so/so.I got etrac out of box,put battery in,went out door,got wheat cent,indian cent,v nickel in 1st hunt.

 

[mfitzy111]

guys just my experience here you want to hear what it sounds like for silver under the Etrac coil? you really have to down load this application and listen for yourself.

http://www.thebeepgoeson.com/display.asp?page=E-Trac_Emulator_ZIP

for my setup you can hit silver and it sounds almost like violin tone. the clad stuff is really close but not as high pitched. copper pennies more of a lower tone, nickels/foil/gold lower tones with nickel being distinctly higher then foil. there is a learning curve but you really can't miss silver once you hear it you just know your over it...so totally - you can download the application, install it -down load a package for US coins and open that package then run your mouse over older silver coins, and clad coins- to hear what you'd hear in the headphones. it's an app so it's close enough...
the other thing is TTF mode with the etrac for trashy areas you can run that and find higher tones to pick out keepers in junk. Chukers was talking about finding stuff in trashy areas-after changing coils- I have heard that before from Mike Post about using a Joey coil in trashlands) but this is another solution, Terry (goes4ever) has a whole article about TTF (two tone ferris) so you hear just one tone for iron and one tone for everything else -meaning you're digging for everything else but iron. he has found some great stuff using this mode- thing is you have to set it up (easy) and go swing low and slow with it...

here is a link to Terry's site/page and his how-to setup guide, I know it's no secret. (one important thing is he stresses research -because even if you have the best, your not going to find anything until your over an old people meeting place of some kind.)

http://goes4ever.mymdforum.com/minelab-etrac/

hope this info helps you all.

~Fitzy111

 

[bonepicker]

Thanks Mfitz. That emulator thing is pretty neat. I downloaded the US coins app, but everything else is in french. Wish i knew how to get it to be in english, so i can read it. Can u run TTF in the emulator? I like the way silver sounds on the etrac. It does sound like a violin. I did silver quarter and clad quarter, i think i could tell a difference. Wish i knew someone who had one, so i could demo it.

 

[mfitzy111]

http://www.thebeepgoeson.com/display.asp?page=E-Trac_Emulator_ZIP

a little further down the page were the coins in english.

TBGO_E-Trac_US_Coins.zip�(corrected mislabeled coin - 3/19/09)

it might be a good idea to find a local club and ask around- someone is likely to have an etrac

but that being said - nothing is likely wrong with what you have, because you did mange to find silver coins (it's not like your going to fish them out all the time! even with an etrac I get clad, junk and pulltabs due to wanting to find a gold ring I've been digging it all lately) - you just have to get used to it. it's the learning curve on using any machine. it might take about 80-100 hours of use before you get comfortable with your machine.

I don't have that yet with my etrac- but I've been using it since last summer- yesterday while out I hit a high tone that sounded good- I dug it and actually found a gold plated 1887 watch... (too bad it wasn't all gold! :/) I know I passed this up last time I searched the area when I first got my etrac) I just decided I'd start digging all tones to see what I was missing- this would have been in the penny range I think - but the numbers didn't make sense to me at all-

anyhow- ask around I'm sure someone out there would let you take one for a test drive.

 

[smartmoney]

I have a V31 and I also hunt w/ 2 buddies who use the Etrac. One of my friends crushes it with the silver while the other, well i crush all the time. I have had my V3i for only 3 months so I am still learning. My old detector was an Eagle Spectrum, so since I was a long time Whites user, it was easy for me to pick up quickly. There are many settings to learn and most of the them influence the others. I usually use the 2.5 mhz frequency, but when I get bad interference, (EMI) I switch to 3- frequencies. I either hunt in relic or Hi-Pro when it comes to programs. If I am doing a ball field or trashy park, then I will use the C&J program. So far I have found about 25 silver dimes, including an 1875-CC seated at 8". It read 23-50 on the VDI, but I hunt by depth. The VDI numbers dont matter after about 6" or so especially on smaller items. I was thinking of getting an Etrac as an addition to my V3i and use both at sites. At this time I put the purchase on hold. The only problem I have with the V3i, is that bottlecaps read as silver quarters. I heard switching to the 950 coil will correct this. One important thing to remember w/ the V3i is the correct sweep speed. If you have a really slow sweep speed, then use the 5.0 band pass freq. The higher the freq, the faster the sweep speed can be. The slower the sweep speed, the more depth you will get as well.