E trac - First day out!

[coinnut]

Took my E Trac for a good hunt to my favorite Barber and Indian site! Remember there is a rookie at the wheel of this new Minelab!! Although I did good, It didn't seem to do what I had hoped for. I was looking for deep silver, but all I could muster was about 4 1/2". This place is highly mineralized and I just couldn't get the depth I thought I would. It also didn't handle the mineralization like I thought it would. Some targets were iff and only 1 - 3" deep. Others were more solid. The real solid ones were pull tabs!!! But I will give it time, make some adjustments and hopefully I can master this beast. All in all, a good day.

[sectshun8]

I know you were looking for depth, but sheesh, witch a day like that, you can't be disappointed. Wheats, IHs, barber, Merc and a Walker!

I see a large lack of nickel...

[RickO]

Dang.. I would not be complaining about that hunt.... and especially with a new MD.... that is great results... imagine, as you get to know the machine... HH RickO

[booker]

Nice haul on the silver--Great looking walker

[billiard rich]

Nice hunt'n! If I found stuff like that on my first-time out with a new machine, I don't think I'd ever change the settings.

[Cfmct]

Great looking finds Coin

[Ed in KC]

Very nice hunt! Did you have an SE before?

[SkiWhiz]

Nice haul coinnut, hopefully you'll be able to get more than 4 1/2" out of it. Steve.

[SeabeeRon]

Boy coinnut, if I could find coins like that I wouldn't care what depth they came in at!! (but I get your point!)

[coinnut]

Originally Posted by Ed in KC

Very nice hunt! Did you have an SE before?

No SE or any other Minelab product. But as people are starting to find out this is no SE or EXII. It's kinda tame so far compared to what you can do to the previous models.

[coinnut]

Yes, you do see a lack of nickels. There were zillions of all types of pull tabs and broken, bent ones too. The E Trac is supposed to seperate them, but due to the mineralization they all read the same. So I'll leave them for someone younger

Originally Posted by sectshun8

I know you were looking for depth, but sheesh, witch a day like that, you can't be disappointed. Wheats, IHs, barber, Merc and a Walker!

I see a large lack of nickel...

[SkiWhiz]

Hmm $1,500.00 machine and it can not tell a nickel from a tab . For that kind of money it should be fetching your coffee in the morning. Displays/VDI's/usb capability/etc. bah humbug I'll stick with my used less than $200.00 Tesoro detectors . Just teasing you, I am sure that you will do well with the Minelab after getting some time in with it. Steve.

[coinnut]

Originally Posted by SkiWhiz

Hmm $1,500.00 machine and it can not tell a nickel from a tab . For that kind of money it should be fetching your coffee in the morning. Displays/VDI's/usb capability/etc. bah humbug I'll stick with my used less than $200.00 Tesoro detectors . Just teasing you, I am sure that you will do well with the Minelab after getting some time in with it. Steve.

I don't blame you Steve. I'm using my DFX first and then using the Minelab second! I think Minelab has a lot of explaining to do, or it will lose vital, loyal customers. I think they dropped the ball on this one. I'm going to continue to tweek it, but it doesn't look like I will get it to do what I want. I will try Andy's book, which should be comming out soon. We'll see. HH

[SkiWhiz]

Sorry, I double posted somehow. Steve.

[SkiWhiz]

I would like to see someone like yourself - have your DFX your Minelab Etrac and a non metered Silver uMax (or something like it) and take them all to where ever you go detecting and get a beep, see what the DFX says it is, the Etrac says it is, and thumb the disc. on the non metered detector to see where the beep gets knocked out (this is how us non display detector users do our "guess" what the target is) and see if there is a huge difference in accuracy,depth,stability,etc. between the different detectors. I would love to be able to afford the different detectors so I could give an honest review. I am willing to bet that when it comes down to "gettin er done" there isn't going to be a big difference between them. I hope that the new Etrac does well for them. Even though I am a Tesoro fan I have always wanted to get a Minelab Musketeer Advantage Pro, I like the looks of it & the reviews it has received, maybe someday when I have the extra $$$ Never hear anyone on the forum posting anything about the Minelab Musky come to think of it. Highly mineralized soil really hurts depth with any machine as you know. Be nice to see how much more depth you gain with the Etrac in a less minerialzed area. Steve.

[OkieDigger]

Looks like a great day to me.

[UK Brian]

SkiWhiz,

The Musketeer like the Tribune before it was and is an excellent detector and perhaps the best bag for your bucks for land detecting.
Minelab shot itself in the foot by trying to brainwash people into thinking multifrequency was the only way to go whilst the Musketeer is fast in use and deep.

In the U.S. it (with 15" coil fitted) it and the Nautilus are still the two relic machines to go for.

With the stock coils excellent for coinshooting. The only poor area is wet sand performance like most other single frequency machines.

Unfortunately you have missed the boat a bit because they slashed the price when the X-Terra's came out. Demand was such that the price was soon increased. I loved the Musketeer whilst the X-Terra 50 and 70 didn't last long with me.

Re the E-Trac. I had no trouble getting the depth of the previous Explorers but don't want the gimmicks of the new model. Instead I've just replaced my old Nautilus with a new one.

[coinnut]

Originally Posted by UK Brian

SkiWhiz,
Re the E-Trac. I had no trouble getting the depth of the previous Explorers but don't want the gimmicks of the new model. Instead I've just replaced my old Nautilus with a new one.

Yes, I hope with time and adjustments I can get that depth here. This site was highly mineralized (-94). But time will tell. In my yard I was getting 9" on a freshly buried quarter, but when I went to the mineralized site, I was getting about 6". I have to play with the disc patterns and probably make a custom program for it. Manual Sensitivity greatly boosted the depth, but target reliability numbers were worse off. This will take sometime to get right. (years probably) Happy Hunting everyone.

[frankthetank]

I'm with skiwiz... I want to see a head to head between a few of these $1000 machines vs. something in the $250 or less range.

With the price of silver dropping to $10... I can buy a lot of Morgans with that extra $750!!!!!

[Lubelaczek]

...you missing the point or just kidding. Why spend $250 on MD and $750 on Morgans. Buy 'em for whole $1000.