ETRAC FE/CO questions VDI

TheCoilist

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Okay, so going to a trashy field yesterday I was doing some testing with the patterns I installed on the ETRAC.

I have some questions about the FE/CO numbers I should be looking for. It seems that the emulator program with US coins installed was giving some good numbers for me to listen/look out for. Well, I didn't see too many of those signals in the ground.

My question is what FE/CO numbers are the ones REALLY to look for? I was told the numbers to look for are as follows:

FE: 1-3 AND 11-13
CO: 11-15 AND 25-50

Now, I guess I am trying to find out why none of the coins I dug rang up in any of those ranges. One being a wheat penny which was actually ringing in at a 12/44 a couple of times on the machine. I use the numbers because I am still learning/processing the tones. I would get lots of great sounding tones for FE/CO numbers that were not in that range listed above.

I also was finding a lot of 18/4* and 19/4* numbers which I didn't dig thinking it was too high of an FE number. Though the tones sounded great on multi/conduct tone response.

I guess maybe I am still not understanding the FE/CO numbers. Anyone care to explain this for me? Thanks!
 
I asked a similar question myself.

You numbers look good.

For coin shooting and general use what you said is normally the case.

FE 11-12 CO 25-50. USUALLY

These are just a guide and can vary greatly. Depth/Soil conditions can make these things vary and jump around.
 
So what is the purpose of throwing the machine into a wide open quick mask?

My other curiousity is why would patterns be so widely open for instance people say the coin program on the etrac's default is a good one to use, but it's such a wide open program, it picks up everything under the sun. Not just items close to the coin's range.
 
Quick mask can be useful to determine if something is iron. Sometimes you will notice a possible good target that is jumpy, but when you throw it in quick mask you notice its FE is in the 30's which means iron.

My pattern I use most of the time is more open then the stock coin program. Stock coin will make you miss a lot.

Sometimes things can be "discriminated" initially but actually after a few swings sound and look good. You don't want the machine and yourself to be fooled by the first swing.
 
It's just interesting to me how different this machine is versus the garrett line which I am used to.

The FE/CO numbers bounce so frequently how can you ever be sure. I mean I pulled out the wheatie for example, it was all over the place. 12/44 is what initially got me digging, but I only saw that come up maybe twice on the screen. Everything else was so scattered. It was also the only thing in the hole. That's in part why I am confused. It wasn't even 6inches down and the signals were so across the board.
 
a good thing to do is download and play around with the etrac emulator and the US coin zip file, this will give ya a general idea of the numbers but i've noticed alot of times the FE number will be all over the place if its near junk targets or soil conditions. i first and foremost listen for the good tone and use the VDI as a secondary source of info
 
a good thing to do is download and play around with the etrac emulator and the US coin zip file, this will give ya a general idea of the numbers but i've noticed alot of times the FE number will be all over the place if its near junk targets or soil conditions. i first and foremost listen for the good tone and use the VDI as a secondary source of info

I have and use the emulator and the coin zip. Even use my patterns to see where they pop up. But that's what I was saying earlier, the zip file does NOT vary as much in the real world. What I pull out of the ground didnt match the zip file numbers. This is what was bugging me. I was getting a lot of high tones that were not dug because I was focused in the ranges mentioned above.

I listen to the tones, do the slower swing and do my 90 degree turns and then check the numbers on the VDI. But I don't get those good 12/44 13/13 etc. I get numbers like 18/47 19/49 etc. And they do sometimes change on the quick mask screen and so I skip them.

I guess a better question is when do you know to dig? Do you just dig everything with a high CO number? Do you dig it if you only get one good number in the range? When do YOU dig your targets?
 
If quick mask isn't showing FE in the 30's I dig it

I will have to try this method and see if it helps. Most of my quick masks were bouncing signals. It wasn't consistantly in the high FE numbers in the quick mask. But that link posted helped me identify something I didn't think of which was crushed cans. There was a lot of crushed cans in the field. Never though to raise the coil a foot off the ground to see if it was still being read. Good input!
 
in my area i've found that most of the CO numbers have been pretty close to the emulator with the exceptin of worn mercs which have fallen around 43 or 44 and indian head pennies which so far the only one i found with the etrac was a 38 or 39. if the CO numbers are close i pretty much will dig it if the FE number is anywhere from 9 to 15, so far everything i've dug with FE numbers beyond that has been some sorta trash. if the targets are deep (beyond 6 or 7 inches) and have some unusual FE numbers i'll normally take a look just ta see whats down there
 
I am new to the E Trac myself. I have listened to experienced people on here and in person. They all told me the same thing. Watch the CO numbers, but the main thing is to listen for good tone. I think your watching the screen too much. Listen and dig. Check screen to only confirm.
 
Use your ears and don't worry too much about the numbers. The numbers are a very general guide at best. As you dig more and more targets you'll start to unconsciously make connections between certain types of signals and certain types of targets...then just when you think you've got it figured out you'll dig up something totally unexpected. :lol:
 
Use your ears and don't worry too much about the numbers. The numbers are a very general guide at best. As you dig more and more targets you'll start to unconsciously make connections between certain types of signals and certain types of targets...then just when you think you've got it figured out you'll dig up something totally unexpected. :lol:

Well, to be honest the wheatie was unexpected. I had been digging zinc all day then the wheatie popped up with the same VDI as the zincs. Then next to where the wheatie was found another signal that I thought would be a dime signal... actually was a dime signal. I was so irritated, dug up a 1965 dime! 1 freaking year off! lol Again, I think my problem is everything has fill dirt around it so I am just not getting the depth I need to pull up good targets. I noticed the crushed cans everywhere and completely flattened cans which tells me it was fill dirt. Need to go deeper!
 
Ah ha! See I found a thread (i love this forum!) about sensitivity. I am running auto +3, apparently that is no bueno for deeper targets. I took the suggestion of the "out of the box" settings and they weren't suffice for my area. I will be trying to manual sensitivity soon to see if there is a difference!

Knowing the VDI structure may not have been my problem. It may have been the limitation of targets. My targets were mostly less than 6 inches and most of which was trash. The wheatie and older dime were the deepest targets. So it may just be the depth that I need.

Does everyone agree that multi tone/conduct is still one of the better settings to be on vs TTF?
 
First off, the emulator is pretty worthless compared to real hunting. It give you "air test" numbers. The numbers you see in the field will be off based on ground minerals, EMI, ground moisture, an co-located targets and probably a hlaf dozen other things I haven't realized yet.

The Etrac looks at targets responses differently than any other brand on the market. Coppers get funky repsonses some times. Amount of corrosion (theres one more I forgot) combined with depth and moisture can make them read anywhere from CO 36 to CO 47. Silver coins typically read as CO 45 and higher unless other factors bring it down, but every one I have found so far has been CO 42 and higher. I have found lower reading silver, but it was cut dime pieces, not a whole coin.

Co-located iron can really mess with your FE numbers. the 12 line is the "perfect case" number. The number can be as high (lower on the screen) as mid 20s on a coin. This is where quick mask comes in. Open it up and check the target. If you get mostly high 20's and 30's then it's iron. If it stay above that level with only an occasional bounce down to the 30's then it may be a coin or token.

It may also be a rusty nail. The more you open up your personal acceptance range of targets, the more junk you will dig. But you will also dig old coins that others walked past for decades.
 
Ah ha! See I found a thread (i love this forum!) about sensitivity. I am running auto +3, apparently that is no bueno for deeper targets. I took the suggestion of the "out of the box" settings and they weren't suffice for my area. I will be trying to manual sensitivity soon to see if there is a difference!

Knowing the VDI structure may not have been my problem. It may have been the limitation of targets. My targets were mostly less than 6 inches and most of which was trash. The wheatie and older dime were the deepest targets. So it may just be the depth that I need.

Does everyone agree that multi tone/conduct is still one of the better settings to be on vs TTF?

When you are in places like yards and parks that have a lot of aluminum junk, then yes I think that multi/conduct is the better setting.
 
This is where quick mask comes in. Open it up and check the target. If you get mostly high 20's and 30's then it's iron. If it stay above that level with only an occasional bounce down to the 30's then it may be a coin or token.

So, when in Quick Mask, if the number is lower than 20 and higher than 39 for the majority, it would be a good target to dig?
 
So, when in Quick Mask, if the number is lower than 20 and higher than 39 for the majority, it would be a good target to dig?

I'm not understanding your question.

When in QM, if the FE number is MOSTLY higher than 27 then it's probably just iron.

When in QM, if the FE number is MOSTLY lower than 27 then it's probably a coin or token.

Iron targets will often bounce bewteen the 30's and 01 without much in between as well.
 
Sorry, my fault. I misread what you were saying. That's why I was confused. My fault. Yeah I was finding that my numbers were bouncing in QM quite regularly. But it might have well been mixed junk near the target. But I'm watching more YouTube videos and see what you're saying.
 
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