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2009 Year in Review (or Why the E-Trac is awesome)

Nick A

New member
Well, I was out on Dec. 31 in the cold and snow looking for silver coin #300. I came home with a pocket of clad, that last one was just too elusive. Hopefully this is not a sign of what's to come in 2010! So, now I take stock and look back at a really fabulous year of detecting thanks to the Minelab E-Trac, which has definitely paid for iteslf in just 9 months (I started the detecting year mid-March with my Minelab Explorer SE).

$349.63 in clad coins
Over 4,700 total coins and tokens.
299 silver coins, 1244 wheat cent
Dozens of rings, most silver, two gold.

2009 was my 19th year of detecting, but by far this was truly the best year ever. In 2009, I found my first large cent and oldest coin, dated 1820. Then just a few weeks later, a second large cent, 1844. I found my oldest silver coin, a beautiful XF 1833 bust dime, which amazingly came from the most heavily detected park in the city.

Dog licenses dating back to 1924, a small tribe of Indian cents, two Civil War storecard tokens, nickels of every sort...

It's been great fun and a great challenge. I started the year aiming for 100 silver coins, thinking I would be quite lucky to get that many. Instead, with the E-Trac, I quickly surpassed my initial goal for the year. A friend and fellow E-Trac user, Dave and I have pulled over 550 silver coins from local parks and schools in 2009 and we both wonder what we will do in 2010, as many of our old haunts are not hunted out, but finds are few and far between. We muse about larger or smaller coils, what could possibly give us more of an edge to be able to do as well again in the coming year.

You can see in the first picture the silver coins I found using White's and Fisher detectors 1990-2007 (about 225), the silver coins found in 2008 with the Explorer SE (52) and the pile from 2009 with the E-Trac (and a little bit of the Explorer, 299). I'm still amazed when I look at these totals.

I still was not able to add a seated coin to my collection, so this will definitely be one of my goals for 2010. I may also have a goal of 2010 wheat cents, which should fill a half gallon mason jar. But as always, I am open to finding whatever ends up under the coil! Good luck to all in the coming year! :twodetecting:
 
That's awesome, Nick. How would you compare the E-Trac versus the SE? Kinda curious what caused you to switch "so soon" from one to the other. (I got an SE late this year, and was totally amazed with how it performed, and am now contemplating the same next step to an E-Trac over the winter).

HH,
DirtFlipper
 
DirtFlipper said:
How would you compare the E-Trac versus the SE? Kinda curious what caused you to switch "so soon" from one to the other. (I got an SE late this year, and was totally amazed with how it performed, and am now contemplating the same next step to an E-Trac over the winter).

I used the Explorer SE during 2008, and was super pleased with the results I achieved, but I was still on the learning curve and found the Explorer screens to be a bit clunky and not user-friendly. I liked the results, but did not really feel like the machine and I "clicked". I was always working to push the Explorer. I decided to try the E-Trac as it had some improved features, early reports were very favorable and the things people were commenting on were the things I liked... simpler to use, more user friendly screens/data presentation. I also did not pay full retail and got it used through a trade, so it did not require a large cash outlay for me. Turns out the E-Trac and I really clicked. I really feel the machine and I work as a good team. I'm curious why you are considering the E-Trac. Perhaps my comments would make more sense if I were commenting on your reasons for wanting the E-Trac. I strongly feel that the Explorer and E-Trac overall are great machines and will find the same targets (especially with the Pro coil), but the E-Trac is more user friendly and turn-on-and-go.
 
Nick A said:
DirtFlipper said:
How would you compare the E-Trac versus the SE? Kinda curious what caused you to switch "so soon" from one to the other. (I got an SE late this year, and was totally amazed with how it performed, and am now contemplating the same next step to an E-Trac over the winter).

I used the Explorer SE during 2008, and was super pleased with the results I achieved, but I was still on the learning curve and found the Explorer screens to be a bit clunky and not user-friendly. I liked the results, but did not really feel like the machine and I "clicked". I was always working to push the Explorer. I decided to try the E-Trac as it had some improved features, early reports were very favorable and the things people were commenting on were the things I liked... simpler to use, more user friendly screens/data presentation. I also did not pay full retail and got it used through a trade, so it did not require a large cash outlay for me. Turns out the E-Trac and I really clicked. I really feel the machine and I work as a good team. I'm curious why you are considering the E-Trac. Perhaps my comments would make more sense if I were commenting on your reasons for wanting the E-Trac. I strongly feel that the Explorer and E-Trac overall are great machines and will find the same targets (especially with the Pro coil), but the E-Trac is more user friendly and turn-on-and-go.

Nothing more than the ongoing nagging suspicion of what more could be squeezed out of heavily hunted areas... I'm actually quite happy with the SE (using it with the Pro coil). However, reading about how the E-Trac "unrolled" the conductive axis (allowing the range to go up to 50) made a lot of sense to me, and I'm wondering about its ability to work through iron relative to the SE. The ability to see where the auto sensitivity is landing relative the setting seems useful too. Probably a few other details like that seem like nice touches.

I was just curious if you'd noted anything in particular, having switched from one to the other.

HH,
DirtFlipper
 
wow great finds..i hope i can do almost as good..thanks for the info, im getting an etrac soon, :clapping::thumbup::detecting::minelab:
 
I am astounded...no...floored...no...completely amazed...no...utterly completely amazed in an astounded, floored sort of way! ha-ha. Nick, you are a great detectorist. Your finds are outstanding. I'm speechless.
 
John - Maryland said:
Nick, is this mostly from one area? Where do you have the most success? Just wondering.

Parks and schools, some private property, but mostly just the same older schools and parks everyone (and me) have been hunting for years. Anywhere there have been a lot of people regularly for years. I'm sure these places were loaded with a veritable carpet of coins back in the 60s and 70s, I'm just using the best technology and techniques to tease out what's left.
 
DirtFlipper said:
Nothing more than the ongoing nagging suspicion of what more could be squeezed out of heavily hunted areas... I'm actually quite happy with the SE (using it with the Pro coil). However, reading about how the E-Trac "unrolled" the conductive axis (allowing the range to go up to 50) made a lot of sense to me, and I'm wondering about its ability to work through iron relative to the SE. The ability to see where the auto sensitivity is landing relative the setting seems useful too. Probably a few other details like that seem like nice touches. I was just curious if you'd noted anything in particular, having switched from one to the other.

For me really the biggest difference is the interface. It's so intuitive and easy to use. I was using smartfind screen on the Explorer and it took a long time to learn where stuff would fall on the screen. Eventually I was learning to use the sound more and the meter less (which made the switch to E-Trac easy). Also both machines sounded the same - I set them up that way, so there was little to get used to as far as the audio. Both machines have great target separation. I prefer the E-Trac in trashy areas over the Explorer, but that's because I like the target ID better. I think if you are proficient and persistent with the Explorer SE and Pro coil, you will not find much you missed in going over it with the E-Trac. Unless you are unhappy with the Explorer displays, have insatiable curiosity or extra cash burning a hole in your pocket, I would not bother switching. I happen to have insatiable curiosity and was unhappy with the Explorer displays, so trying out the E-Trac made sense.
 
gibsondan said:
I am astounded...no...floored...no...completely amazed...no...utterly completely amazed in an astounded, floored sort of way! ha-ha. Nick, you are a great detectorist. Your finds are outstanding. I'm speechless.

Thanks Dan! You sir, are also a great detectorist! And you know first hand a few of the parks I have hunted :twodetecting: We'll have to get together in the spring, Dave and I are curious to see if that big coil of yours can find some things we've missed at a few sites where the targets have been deep.
 
Way to go Nick!!! I'm excited to try out my new E-trac when the weather gets better. Hopefully 2010 will be my best year yet.

Congrats again on an awesome year.:clap:
 
That is a excellent assesment of the powers of the two machines.Very well put.Congrats on the finds.We need to get you back east and into the 1700's
Good Luck in 2010
 
Great year Nick ! You really un-earthed the silver. Some nice ones there for sure. I have ran into the same problem with the Etrac, It pretty much sterilized all my spots of silver. LOL I for sure have to find some different spots to hunt now that haven't seen an Etrac before.
 
2009 looks like it was a lot of fun and an aching back to boot. Looking forward to asessment of 2010. WTG and good luck in the years to come. Etrac-joe
 
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