master_cat
Senior Member
So y do i hear the e trac dont pic up small gold the other does will etrac pick up lead and brass well
etrac questions and v3i
- Thread starter master_cat
- Start date
the etrac is in "salt mode" all the time. meaning the GB is set up to disc out the salts found in beach hunting wet sand,,,, this means grain sized gold is also disc out, small gold like earing backs and such,,,, but it will find everything else !!!!
master_cat
Senior Member
So it will find civil war stuff then like the buttons buckels and bullets are there memberss taht use this detector for this stuff
If I were in an area that held civil war relics, I wouldn't hesitate one bit with using the e-trac to search with on a daily basis. Your just going to have to quit analyzing and take a leap of faith and buy the dang thing. Trust me, Its like anything else with practice and many hours of use, you will become proficient with it and one day you will look back and wonder why in the heck you spent so much time fretting over it. To be fair though one can become just as good at using the V3 and just as happy they purchased it. Good luck and when your ready call or PM my friend and forum member Dale aka: bigboar.
Damianicus
Elite Member
Not that I'm near affording either, but one of them will be my pro machine one day (after I buy a mid-level one).
From what I've read, the E-trac is a turn-on-and-go MD, that you can tweak with a downloaded program.
The V3i is a set 9 things then start hunting machine. And then spend countless hours tweaking 49 more things. I LOVE the cordless headphones, the color screen and the target options. But it comes down to how much setting you like doing vs how much swinging you like doing.
From what I've read, the E-trac is a turn-on-and-go MD, that you can tweak with a downloaded program.
The V3i is a set 9 things then start hunting machine. And then spend countless hours tweaking 49 more things. I LOVE the cordless headphones, the color screen and the target options. But it comes down to how much setting you like doing vs how much swinging you like doing.
honestly (no wait I will lie here LOL) the reason I went with the ET over the V3 is, yes I wanted the color screen and the wireless and the other kewl things about it,,,, but truly I think I would ALWAYS wonder if I had the set-up right,,,,, the ETRAC will get as much, as deep and with little set up time and little room for user error. The color screen I can't fix but RS has wireless HP so I went with the ET. I like to tweak on things but really wanted more swing time than bling time
You don't have to tweak anything on the V3i, just choose your program, ground balance and start detecting.
If you hunt different places that change drastically from condition to condition (ground mineralization, EMI or heavy iron) you have the ability to change the machine to work better.
You don't have to, but it does give you that option.
If you hunt different places that change drastically from condition to condition (ground mineralization, EMI or heavy iron) you have the ability to change the machine to work better.
You don't have to, but it does give you that option.
master_cat
Senior Member
i can get one of them right now i just want to make the right choice lol
ELCruisr
Senior Member
Stop agonizing over the choice. You're losing time! Pick one, they're both great, and then put your time into learning the machine. There will be a learning curve with any machine. But the one that knows his machine will always bring home some goodies.
Damianicus
Elite Member
$1500 in this economy is worth some agonizing 
Big Boys Hobbies
Forum Sponsor
Master, feel free to give me a call. I can answer all your questions you have. Love to help! Thanks, Bart.
randy
Forum Supporter
I've found several musket balls with the E-Trac, so no worries on lead relics.
ELCruisr
Senior Member
$1500 in this economy is worth some agonizing
But people will agonize over the which machine to the point of going nuts. I was that way at first and several old hands told be some good advice. Just buy a decent machine, ANY decent machine and then learn it well. Both of those machines are top end detectors capable of many different types of hunting. Sure there are always loyalists who will argue that their choice is the best. I own one of them and, yes, it's a good machine. I've also hunted with folks using the other. I'd be happy with either one!
The point is to jump in and start learning and not agonizing over the choices. Unless you're looking for a specialty machine like a nugget hunter or something to wade into saltwater with pick one and start having fun!
JimboG
Senior Member
I recommend trying out both on the types of objects you are concerend about in the ground that you detect. Start out in the basic coin and jewelry modes with no special settings just to see how they compare. Try a ladies gold ring at various depths for instance. Then let us know how it turned out! If you don't know anyone with those detectors try a MD store or post on the hunting buddy area to see if someone would help out.
DIRT DOBBER
Forum Supporter
Yep, not to mention if you bought one and used it for 6 months and then decided to try the other one you're not out much cheese. They don't depreciate like a car.......
BTW, yes the Minelab will scream out on CW relics, all of them. Just ask me, I live one mile from one of the largest CW battlefields (Stones River) (actually within a few hundred yards of the Confederate left flank's original line) and pick minie balls, buttons, percussion caps, etc. very easily with the Minelab. They are like bottlecaps for me. They are everywhere and impossible not to get. Most are at 6"-8" and many from 10" or more on the SEPRO.
MaterCat, Don't worry about hesitating on your purchase as, for me, I like to know everything I can before buying. I also realize once I buy it, all the studying I did was for naught. You still have to learn the language of your choice and you will start from square one. It's kindof like agonizing about whether you are going to learn Mandarin or French. You can lose too much time. After all, the real work is ahead of you....
master_cat
Senior Member
hey dirt u live verry close to me im over here in lebanon man i got some prime area here to when i get watever i choose we should hook up and hit some stuff
DIRT DOBBER
Forum Supporter
Yep, right up the road. I'm in. Let's do it. I've been doing a lot of woods hunting around Triune (Between Franklin and M'boro) on hilltops looking for CS camps so I could use a break from the 'long hours, little results' detecting. Find you a beeper and hit me up.
master_cat
Senior Member
ya i got some old lock houses behind my house that date way bak they it use to be the big hang out picnics all that good stuff bound to be somthing back there these picnics where happening befor old hic dam was built also military manuvers where held back there also tree with names carved in it kinda cool some old share crop houses my house dates back to civil war bound to be somthing to find lol
lawsonland
Senior Member
Here are my thoughts,
I currently have both, V3i and Etrac. I had the V3i for over 2 years. I just got the Etrac around Dec 12th. Since then I have found more silver in less then a month then I did in the last year with the V3i.
There are some excellent points with the V3i and I am sure its an excellent machine but it isn't for me.
I haven't completely given up on it, but even just using it in the "factory" settings (a couple minor changes for audio preferences) does not seem to work in the ground around my area. Even though you could make adjustments, I want to just hunt and enjoy myself and know that I am finding most of the stuff I pass, which is how I feel with the Etrac.
With the V3i I always left with doubts and questions, If I tweaked "this" maybe I would have found more.
Whites has unbelievable service, quality and the V3i has the best screen, ID setup, pinpointing and the wireless headphones and its UPDATEable. If they design new software you can send it in to upgrade- won't have to buy a new machine
The cons with the Etrac are the screen (very hard to read at times) the pinpointing (haven't figure out how to size and pinpoint two objects next to each other at the same time and see their ID) the V3i could give you frequency info that showed there were 2 different objects and helped determine what to dig.
I would recommend the Etrac if you want to have a short learning time and just hunt
The V3i can grow. I will probably keep it to continue learning and hopefully they will update the software to provide auto adjustments for some of the settings.
I currently have both, V3i and Etrac. I had the V3i for over 2 years. I just got the Etrac around Dec 12th. Since then I have found more silver in less then a month then I did in the last year with the V3i.
There are some excellent points with the V3i and I am sure its an excellent machine but it isn't for me.
I haven't completely given up on it, but even just using it in the "factory" settings (a couple minor changes for audio preferences) does not seem to work in the ground around my area. Even though you could make adjustments, I want to just hunt and enjoy myself and know that I am finding most of the stuff I pass, which is how I feel with the Etrac.
With the V3i I always left with doubts and questions, If I tweaked "this" maybe I would have found more.
Whites has unbelievable service, quality and the V3i has the best screen, ID setup, pinpointing and the wireless headphones and its UPDATEable. If they design new software you can send it in to upgrade- won't have to buy a new machine
The cons with the Etrac are the screen (very hard to read at times) the pinpointing (haven't figure out how to size and pinpoint two objects next to each other at the same time and see their ID) the V3i could give you frequency info that showed there were 2 different objects and helped determine what to dig.
I would recommend the Etrac if you want to have a short learning time and just hunt
The V3i can grow. I will probably keep it to continue learning and hopefully they will update the software to provide auto adjustments for some of the settings.
