As someone who has personally used the high trash park pattern, and still do, I can say BS. I have tested many many targets with a wide open pattern vs this restricted pattern and there was no difference in depth. Not sure where you got this info but I call BS. I use the pattern almost exclusively now and compare each signal in a quick mask open pattern and it sounds better in the tight pattern.
Sorry, not buying it!
Now masking is a different subject.
Well is there anything such as bs to the bs here... I think so.
Detector, sir--- I disagree here with you.
Why does the etrac have a quick mask feature screen to begin with???
Granted the etrac does perform well with TID at depth in more mineralized soil
But it is the conductive ###s that remain stable/ more consistent/truer
Disc on the etrac deals with ferrous as well as conductive discrimination.
And even in milder soil--- as the distance grows between the coil and say a 9" deep dime---- this mineral level is added
Hence on deeper targets-- ferrous number not as ideal-- not 12 many times
Now a person can also go to Mr Sabisch's Minelab book
I had one at one time
Go and read where he says it is possible for a good nonferrous target to report as high as 27 ferrous
And I indeed have witnessed the same on a few targets- not all
And using 2 tone ferrous on etrac--- granted you can even run a wide open screen using it--- but it is very possible for a deep/ deeper target to give LOW tone--- not the diggable HIGH tone
So yes a person needs to open up their ferrous disc or they indeed are at risk of missing targets
And yes running tight conductive disc- the same but IMO not as critical per se as running a lot of ferrous disc.
Even considering the CTX--- what is the difference between ground coin and ferrous coin???? Ferrous coin is using more filter-- ferrous numbers usually more stable
But in the CTX manual-- ground coin for higher mineralized soil-- hence an op likely to see a larger window of ferrous numbers displayed on nonferrous targets
It can be deeper than ferrous coin due to the lesser filtering
This filtering or lack of is one reason the XS explorer is actually deeper than etrac--- when each is fitted with same coil
And there is plenty of post/info around to support this
If no one wants to take my word for it.
Now a person can run any amount of disc they want in whatever detecting site they want.
But granted the Etracs, or minelabs for that matter do use a different techs of sorts bbs, fbs---- they also are affected depth wise when employing discrimination
And this difference can vary depending on soil minerals and the site in general.
And to not talk about masking here, or try and convince folks it's totally different is flat wrong too.
A nail beside a deep dime for example can many times drive the ferrous number nuts.
And remember it is the first pass of the coil--this is generally what counts.
If you have your detector setup where it in fact can't alert a user to a target-- one will keep walking.
Take a deeper target-- can both the ferrous number and conductive number vary-- depending on coil position on a deeper target
Sure when ideally centered this is where the conductive number likely the most accurate--- but do we always flush a target with our coil every time???
And consider a hard hunted park.
Would it be fair to say, whatever good targets I.e. High conductors are left, they likely if detectable to NOT be textbook hits
Maybe the reason the good deep dime is still there is because most folks went in with their detectors primarily setup up to only detect the deeper/masked coins with too much discrimination--- and they never hear them.
Detector, your comment suggests etrac's tone produced is divorced from the way the screen is setup-- don't think so.
Based solely on my experiences, for example running a lot of ferrous disc in lower mineral soil-- very possible to miss a deeper dime with nail close by.
And in higher mineral ground easier to miss to deeper dime with no other ferrous item nearby.
I guess it would be fair to say--- you seem to think all detectable depth coins etrac is capable of detecting, can be detected using stock coin pattern???
Don't think so
Life is short play hard.
Btw
Here is a good read.
http://www.metaldetectingworld.com/metal_detector_sensitivity_depth.shtml
Cheers