Myers Depot Metal Detectors

Why does my E-trac never have clean signals?

Iron Patch said:
I think the E-trac is probably just an explorer where Minelab took back more control over how it's used. That's definitely not something I'd want to pay extra for.
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On the etrac they did combine the VDI #'s & the smart find screen & also added a bit faster processor, which I'm sure if you took the explorer out of the deep mode & switched it to the fast mode it would be about the same speed, other then that & the pro coil I just don't see much difference..
 
Lightningjack said:
On the etrac they did combine the VDI #'s & the smart find screen & also added a bit faster processor, which I'm sure if you took the explorer out of the deep mode & switched it to the fast mode it would be about the same speed, other then that & the pro coil I just don't see much difference..
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Screen doesn't matter to me because I don't use it, and I don't buy into the faster recovery being better because if it was such a big deal the majority of units out there that are much faster should be better, but they're not. You can swing an explorer plenty fast in clean ground but have to slow yourself down in trash, and the same goes for the E-trac. People who believe a faster E-trac finds more are the ones who count on the detector doing most of the work and that's not how you find targets in trash. They're also probably the same people who take a long sweep in the junky areas, just like in clean ground, and that's another no no when trying to get the last targets out of the patch.
 
Iron Patch said:
Screen doesn't matter to me because I don't use it, and I don't buy into the faster recovery being better because if it was such a big deal the majority of units out there that are much faster should be better, but they're not. You can swing an explorer plenty fast in clean ground but have to slow yourself down in trash, and the same goes for the E-trac. People who believe a faster E-trac finds more are the ones who count on the detector doing most of the work and that's not how you find targets in trash. They're also probably the same people who take a long sweep in the junky areas, just like in clean ground, and that's another no no when trying to get the last targets out of the patch.
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well now I know that you are not a E-trac owner, and giving advice on a MD that you do not own??? well I don't get it... here I am a newb with the E-trac maybe looking for some solid advise from someone that has one and uses it and this is what I get...:no: it's like an ACE150 owner giving advice to a ACe350 owner.
 
gunwolf said:
well now I know that you are not a E-trac owner, and giving advice on a MD that you do not own??? well I don't get it... here I am a newb with the E-trac maybe looking for some solid advise from someone that has one and uses it and this is what I get...:no: it's like an ACE150 owner giving advice to a ACe350 owner.
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I didn't realize the ace 350 was so much more complicated than the 150. :yes:

Trust me, I know more about how to use your detector than you will for a very long time. The fact Minelab changed the controls around a bit and gave it a faster processor really doesn't mean much at the end of the day, except for their bottom line and you paying more money.

And as I said in another post the problem with the E-trac that this thread is about could very well be an equipment issue and I believe I am the only one to suggest how to fix that, and not just talked crazy settings. The guy has detected a long time so it doesn't make sense he's got a proper working detector and he's screwing up so bad the experience is terrible. If I had money to burn I'd place a pretty good bet it's the Sunray probe switch that is to blame. Could also be a bad coil too, but first things first which is to get rid of the probe. Problems with these things can be a little tricky sometimes to diagnose which is why I owned two Explorers for quite a few years. It gave me a back up and made figuring out any possible issues fairly easy by trial and error.
 
Iron Patch said:
I didn't realize the ace 350 was so much more complicated than the 150. :yes:

Trust me, I know more about how to use your detector than you will for a very long time. The fact Minelab changed the controls around a bit and gave it a faster processor really doesn't mean much at the end of the day, except for their bottom line and you paying more money.

And as I said in another post the problem with the E-trac that this thread is about could very well be an equipment issue and I believe I am the only one to suggest how to fix that, and not just talked crazy settings. The guy has detected a long time so it doesn't make sense he's got a proper working detector and he's screwing up so bad the experience is terrible. If I had money to burn I'd place a pretty good bet it's the Sunray probe switch that is to blame. Could also be a bad coil too, but first things first which is to get rid of the probe. Problems with these things can be a little tricky sometimes to diagnose which is why I owned two Explorers for quite a few years. It gave me a back up and made figuring out any possible issues fairly easy by trial and error.
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maybe you have been detecting for alot longer but time to come off that high horse..what do you mean that you know more than I will about MY detector than I will for a very long time? if this is possitive re-enforcement from this site then I want nothing to do with it...I have been helped by many on here that will take the time to explain the E-trac to me. if you are so far above me in MDing then so be it, but don't rub it in. I am doing well in MY hobby that I chose, with the MD that I chose to buy. I will continue to pursue my hooby while taking abreak on this forum from negative comments like this.
 
gunwolf said:
maybe you have been detecting for alot longer but time to come off that high horse..what do you mean that you know more than I will about MY detector than I will for a very long time? if this is possitive re-enforcement from this site then I want nothing to do with it...I have been helped by many on here that will take the time to explain the E-trac to me. if you are so far above me in MDing then so be it, but don't rub it in. I am doing well in MY hobby that I chose, with the MD that I chose to buy. I will continue to pursue my hooby while taking abreak on this forum from negative comments like this.
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Don't see why you would have a problem with what I said. I would hope I'd know more about using the top end Minelabs than someone who is new considering I bought mine shorty after they came out. (The explorer that is) I've also been helping people for at least 11 years on these forums and solved many a problem for frustrated users. I didn't say anything negative, just stated the facts, and if you don't want to hear it then maybe it wasn't a good idea calling me out suggesting I was not able to give good advice having never used an E-trac.
 
I just finished reading Andy Sabisch's explorer/etrac book. It's a good read. It is quite complicated to understand the first go around. I read it straight through, now I am going back and taking notes. SERIOUSLY... get this handbook. The manual isn't enough to get you understanding the machine. It tells you what the functions are, but Andy puts those functions to use and in combination with each other. Read it...

I realize now why Andy's coin pattern is better than the stock coin pattern. And there are quite a few other nifty things in there. For instance, I believe that "baw baw baw" sound you're referring to may be too high of a discrimination pattern.

I notice that my threshold is virtual nonexistent as well in most cases. That is because of the iron in the ground. The machine nulls constantly (where the threshold disappears). But the "baw" sound I think you're referring to is discrimination related. Those half tones that bonk out. I find that those tones for me I can get to read a high tone with some chop. I dig them to see what they are and it's usually HIGHLY rusted iron objects, often very small fragments.

According to Andy's book, good targets can range from FE 10 - 27 and the CO numbers should be relatively consistent +/- 1 or 2. Don't be fooled in quick mask if you see your 12/46 bounce to 20/46 or 27/46 because the ground conditions and depth will make the FE bounce.
 
gunwolf said:
maybe you have been detecting for alot longer but time to come off that high horse..what do you mean that you know more than I will about MY detector than I will for a very long time? if this is possitive re-enforcement from this site then I want nothing to do with it...I have been helped by many on here that will take the time to explain the E-trac to me. if you are so far above me in MDing then so be it, but don't rub it in. I am doing well in MY hobby that I chose, with the MD that I chose to buy. I will continue to pursue my hooby while taking abreak on this forum from negative comments like this.
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Listen to Iron Patch. I have owned both an Explorer SE Pro and now an Etrac and I can honestly say there is nothing that my Etrac found that my Explorer cant / didn't. Essentially the sights I totally pounded with my SE Pro, I found nothing but trash after hitting with my Etrac. True story. I wanted so bad for my Etrac to discover something I missed with my Explorer, but it just didn't happen, and at multiple sights. I hate to say it, but it's as if anyone with the $$$ to drop on a Etrac is automatically an expert on the hobby. It just don't work that way. Wish it did.

That being said, and how the FSB Minelabs react to targets as a whole (Explorer, Safari, Etrac) Iron Patch knows his stuff, and is worth a good listen/consideration.
 
All kidding aside.... I totally agree about Iron Patch knowing his stuff especially when it comes to the minelabs..
He's personally helped me out on a couple issues I had with my explorer & is a very nice guy once you get to talking to him...
 
Jressman said:
Listen to Iron Patch. I have owned both an Explorer SE Pro and now an Etrac and I can honestly say there is nothing that my Etrac found that my Explorer cant / didn't. Essentially the sights I totally pounded with my SE Pro, I found nothing but trash after hitting with my Etrac. True story. I wanted so bad for my Etrac to discover something I missed with my Explorer, but it just didn't happen, and at multiple sights. I hate to say it, but it's as if anyone with the $$$ to drop on a Etrac is automatically an expert on the hobby. It just don't work that way. Wish it did.

That being said, and how the FSB Minelabs react to targets as a whole (Explorer, Safari, Etrac) Iron Patch knows his stuff, and is worth a good listen/consideration.
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I think the Explorer II was the best detector Minelab made. That's because the XS had too many issues early on, and the SE has a different coil. Having been around since the start you sort of get some gut feelings and for me it has always screamed that the E-trac was no better, and probably worse if they messed with it. I still think I'm right but if I'm ever proven wrong I have no problem dropping the cash the same day to order a new detector. I actually wish it was better because getting an advantage is the whole reason I bought an XS in 2000.... but like I said I think the Explorer II was the best it was and probably will be for a while yet.
 
E-trac is really no better than an Explorer II. They function basically the same. Don't use too much discrimination, listen to the tones and listen to iron patch. FBS tech is FBS tech. Swing a minelab slow in trash and use TTF on that E-trac. It'll help out a lot. Short swings help too. Wide swinging is only good in fields or low trash areas.
 
Bonesquat said:
E-trac is really no better than an Explorer II. They function basically the same. Don't use too much discrimination, listen to the tones and listen to iron patch. FBS tech is FBS tech. Swing a minelab slow in trash and use TTF on that E-trac. It'll help out a lot. Short swings help too. Wide swinging is only good in fields or low trash areas.
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Sounds like you're getting it. :yes: When I first started I was using the regular sweeps in iron, then hunted with a guy doing the wiggle sweep and he was out digging me two buttons to one. That day I changed and it felt very change cutting down my sweep from a couple feet to several inches, but it definitely works at getting the tough targets. But you need the experience to know what the mixture of sounds is and I clearly remember 10 years ago him showing me targets he said were good and to me it just sounded like a mess. But eventually I was able to sort out the sounds too, and now this many years later it's what's normal. If I hadn't changed to those short sweeps I don't think I'd be able to pick out near as many buttons as I do, at least the very masked ones that come once the site is picked clean.

One error I made at the start was thinking I knew more than I really did, but it wasn't to the point where I figured I couldn't learn more and if someone had a trick I would steal it! But now I am very stuck in my ways and nothing changes, so I'll never get better or worse, but that's ok because it works.
 
Iron Patch know what he is saying, there is not a huge difference between the two, I have a couple of friends who have both E-Tracs and Explorers and have found great stuff with both. As for Andy's book read it over then put it away for awhile until you get significant hunting time with your machine then re-read it and it will make more sense.
 
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