E-trac newb needs some help!

The learning curve on the E-Trac is as simple or complicated as you want to make it. Start with the stock coin program with just a few changes in your Expert settings.

Starrt your E-Trac up, the default will be the stock coin program. Hit your menu button, right arrow over to expert settings. Down arrow first thing you see is Recovery Deep default setting is off. I generally leave it off but if you are going to hunt where everything is deep you may want it on. Next down arrow Recovery Fast Default setting is off, I generally run Fast on, you toggle this off and on with either right or left arrow. Arrow down next is Trash Density, toggle High on for most usuages, unless you are in an area that is exceptionally clean. Arrow down Next setting is Ground, toggle this to difficult, this is pretty much a must setting for US hunting after making these changes hit the detect button. Now you are back in the standard coin program with these changes applied. Now hit menu button arrow back over to user modes. Arrow down to save, push right arrow then down arrow to first user mode then push right arrow, you should see the little disc symbol to the right. Hit detect button and you have saved all your changes into this user mode. If you turn off the detector and then back on it will automatically be in this first user mode with all the changes you have made intact. Your standard Minelab mode is still there of course under the Minelab modes you can never change those permantely only by saving under user mode do you get the program with the changes you wanted.

There are many other adjustments you can make such as audio, etc but do not mess with these until you get more experience with the machine. Below is a rough chart with numbers use them only as a guide not as absolute. Do not be afraid to dig trash as it is a learning experience.


TARGET FE CO NOTES

COINS
Clad Penny 12 37
Copper Penny (1959-1981) 12 41-44 Reads same as wheat penny
Wheat Penny 12 41-44 can sometimes spike as high as 46 but should bounce back around 42-44
Indian Head penny 12 33-37 Usually read around 36 but can go as low as 33 and as high as 40
Nickel 12 13-15 not sure how but war nickel (silver) will read the same sometimes
Dime 12 44-45
Quarter 12 46-47
Half Dollar 6-8 47
Silver Dollar 01 41-43
Large Cent 12 46
2 Cent piece 12 40
Flying eagle cent 12 23-24

Relics
Shotgun Shell 12 20 air tested - think CO should be higher
Skeleton key 12 38
Large button (quarter size) 12 47 Large military button Circa 1850's
Civil War Minnie Ball (.58) 12 32
Civil War Minnie Ball (.69) 12 33
Harmonica Reed 12 33-35
Square nail 35 42-46

Jewelry
14 k white gold ring 12 10 found at 5-6 inches, air testing read at FE 12 CO 5
1o Kt Womans ring 12 4
14 Kt Mans wedding band 12 31
18 Kt Band 12 3


Trash
Screw on bottle cap 12 35-40
Round pull tab 12 21-23
Tin foil 12 1-4
Square pull tab 12 18

**Important note*** Most Coins, Relics and Jewelry will be around 12 on the Fe side. Several things can effect this including depth, near by objects and Ground Mineralization. Most of the time the Fe side will stay between 9 and 17 on objects that fall along the FE line

Pretty simple really, to get started...Fire it up, do a "noise cancel" and start searching...Leave the factory settings and run in coin mode with auto sens. etc. for starters. Swing VERY slow and overlap your sweeps.Again,VERY slow! Check signals atleast a couple different directions. Listen to the sounds more than watching the numbers..Listen and watch for fairly consistant CO numbers and good repeatable two-way sounds/tones for starters...Dig and learn and Enjoy!...You can/will start changing settings as you get more comfortable and understanding it a bit more...Good-Luck!....

M-scope said:

Pretty simple really, to get started...Fire it up, do a "noise cancel" and start searching...Leave the factory settings and run in coin mode with auto sens. etc. for starters. Swing VERY slow and overlap your sweeps.Again,VERY slow! Check signals atleast a couple different directions. Listen to the sounds more than watching the numbers..Listen and watch for fairly consistant CO numbers and good repeatable two-way sounds/tones for starters...Dig and learn and Enjoy!...You can/will start changing settings as you get more comfortable and understanding it a bit more...Good-Luck!....

Click to expand...

Perfect advice from M-SCOPE.

You may want to do a master reset too. Just in case the previous owner has it out of whack.

After reading these posts and going over every newb Etrac thread I could find on the net, I feel much more comfortable with the machine, already...

I just needed some direction on how to get properly started... Of course it has to be raining today

Once again the members on this site have been extremely helpful

THANKS!

I read that some people really like practicing with this emulator ...

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?p=763131#post763131

Two words. Coin Garden.

Two more words. Andy Sabisch. His book "Minelab Explorer and E-Trac handbook" is extremely helpful.

I'd also get on youtube and start looking for E-Trac videos. Especially the ones with FULL digs, they'll help you out a lot.

Bell-Two has some really great advice.

Don't hesitate to ask on any little thing as well.

Some things that come to minde is:

1) For the most part the shallow coins (3 inches or less) are a little harder to pinpoint and understand. The reason is with the Pro-coil you're gonna get more than one "beep". So you need to be ready for that. The 6"+ coins are a lot easier to hone in on.

2) Falsing. You'll need to learn get used to hearing some Falsing. Especially with moist soil, like we have in the spring.

3) If you do not have one, I'd highly recommend a good pinpointer. My first choices would be SunRay X-1 or the Garrett Pro-Pointer. Either of these will save you MUCH frustration.

NebTrac

Get "The Book". (that's the Andy Sabisch book). De-mystified the Etrac for me in about 2 hours. Great stuff. Good luck and don't give up....the silver will soon find its way into your finds pouch!

Bell-Two said:

Next down arrow Recovery Fast Default setting is off, I generally run Fast on, you toggle this off and on with either right or left arrow. Arrow down next is Trash Density, toggle High on for most usuages, unless you are in an area that is exceptionally clean.

Click to expand...

Bell-Two's post is excellent advice.

Some comments on the above:

Recovery Fast will make the target id's "sticky". You will hear the tone but there will be a longer delay between the sound and what pops up on the screen. My own default is to run with Recovery Fast off, and to only switch on when high trash indicates it.

Make sure to set Trash Density to high. This is one of the most critical settings, in my opinion. There may be times when it is not indicated, but I have it set to high all the time. Basically, if you have a good target and a rejected target together (ie, coin and nail), Trash Density=high will cause the Etrac to give the accepted signal. Trash Density=low will cause it to give the strongest signal, and if that is the rejected signal the machine will null out.

These are just my own preferences and note there are no "right" settings. You will find successful Etrac users with different default preferences to suit their own hunting area and style.

Edit: As I read over all of the replies again, one thing which I struggled with at the beginning but now am glad I chose the option I did - when in conductive mode I use multi-tone. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but if I didn't start with it I think it would have taken a lot longer to get used to it or I may not have switched at all. It is very useful to be able to hear the difference between 43/44 and 46/47 and 49 Co numbers, among other things. Those high tones sneaking in will give you the heads up that it may be worth paying more attention to that spot.

This is great because most of my near by areas are beyond trashy and Im still learning. Great info guys. My question is would say eliminating parameters in the all metals help if you only keep Coins and Jewelry as accepts work? Here I dont really have relics to search for as a rule. Well unless I happen to run across somebodys 1800 Colt they droped and lost.