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Anyone with experience with Etrac?
- Thread starter John (Ma)
- Start date
sprchng
Well-known member
I have at least a couple thousand hours on the etrac and a couple weeks on the Deus.
The Deus makes putting the etrac down pretty easy but if I had a really important site to hunt I'd still pick up the etrac because of the experience--I see the Deus has a lot of potential and is a comparative joy to swing from a physical standpoint. Lots more settings and adjustments on the Deus to explore if you like that sort of thing while the etrac becomes a turn on and go machine much faster. Etrac has more descriptive tones and better overall discrimination especially at depth as advertised. In my ground the Deus has shown the ability to go as deep as the etrac , especially in 4khz , but you have to rely on tones as to what you're digging--that's true with the etrac as well as the VDI gets pretty jumpy deep but it's better than the Deus.
It will be interesting in a couple of months to see which one is the backup and which is the work horse!!
The Deus makes putting the etrac down pretty easy but if I had a really important site to hunt I'd still pick up the etrac because of the experience--I see the Deus has a lot of potential and is a comparative joy to swing from a physical standpoint. Lots more settings and adjustments on the Deus to explore if you like that sort of thing while the etrac becomes a turn on and go machine much faster. Etrac has more descriptive tones and better overall discrimination especially at depth as advertised. In my ground the Deus has shown the ability to go as deep as the etrac , especially in 4khz , but you have to rely on tones as to what you're digging--that's true with the etrac as well as the VDI gets pretty jumpy deep but it's better than the Deus.
It will be interesting in a couple of months to see which one is the backup and which is the work horse!!
I loved my etrac and owned it for about 6 months. My silver count sky rocketed and I was finding silver everywhere. I loved the tones and how I can tweak it all i wanted. I have had a injury on my shoulder about 2 years ago and the weight of the etrac. Also i hated how to change the coils with aftermarket coils it was hard to. But honestly it was the weight that was my issue and that you could not update it to have the latest software.I have tried every harness and it was just way to much wires and cords. It made detecting hard.
The reason I got the Deus (Mind you I have 3 weeks with this machine so far)
-Weight (its like a feather) I could swing the Etrac for a half of day but have ice on my shoulder all night the Deus is unreal it honestly feels like a toy
-I think it has more options on programming then the etrac ( you can set up to 5 tones and set your own tone for ex. I have iron as a grunt then foil and trash a one tone coins another tone) it makes it so easy
-Speed (the etrac is a slow machine and that is a fact. the slower you go the the better with the etrac but I would swing it way to fast anyways. The XP is a fast machine. Hands down its jawdropping.
-Wireless Wireless wireless need I say more
-its very compact
-cleaning ( I take mine in the shower ) not the head unit
-up to date and upgradeble
-double up (if you get the control unit and the headphone get the WS4 ) this is so if you get another coil you can mount one on the xp shaft and have another on another shaft and one person would have to hunt by tone. You get 2 detectors!!!!!
-I have the 9 inch coil and love.
-anyplace i had the etrac null out I took the XP and picked out missed goodies (if you look at the link i found a silver plated fork in a very trashy area that was only inches deep that the etrac missed every time i hit that area.
-The battery life is amazing
-waterproof (i live near lake michigan ) and able to hunt the water now with the etrac i had to be carefull not to dunk the machine or in the rain. With the deus you can get a waterproof case that mounts on the shaft and no more early days when the rain moves in.
things i miss on the etrac is the quickmask mode but the deus has a XY mode that is very good and gives more detail.
The reason I got the Deus (Mind you I have 3 weeks with this machine so far)
-Weight (its like a feather) I could swing the Etrac for a half of day but have ice on my shoulder all night the Deus is unreal it honestly feels like a toy
-I think it has more options on programming then the etrac ( you can set up to 5 tones and set your own tone for ex. I have iron as a grunt then foil and trash a one tone coins another tone) it makes it so easy
-Speed (the etrac is a slow machine and that is a fact. the slower you go the the better with the etrac but I would swing it way to fast anyways. The XP is a fast machine. Hands down its jawdropping.
-Wireless Wireless wireless need I say more
-its very compact
-cleaning ( I take mine in the shower ) not the head unit
-up to date and upgradeble
-double up (if you get the control unit and the headphone get the WS4 ) this is so if you get another coil you can mount one on the xp shaft and have another on another shaft and one person would have to hunt by tone. You get 2 detectors!!!!!
-I have the 9 inch coil and love.
-anyplace i had the etrac null out I took the XP and picked out missed goodies (if you look at the link i found a silver plated fork in a very trashy area that was only inches deep that the etrac missed every time i hit that area.
-The battery life is amazing
-waterproof (i live near lake michigan ) and able to hunt the water now with the etrac i had to be carefull not to dunk the machine or in the rain. With the deus you can get a waterproof case that mounts on the shaft and no more early days when the rain moves in.
things i miss on the etrac is the quickmask mode but the deus has a XY mode that is very good and gives more detail.
Using the Deus more more I love it...
One thing That I LOVE one the Deus is the DISC and TONES... first off DISC IS THE DEVIL as Bart from Big Boys always said.. and the more Disc you loose depth no matter what machine.
The etrac for example 12-46 is a dime or quarter but in deep deep areas can read 24-46 or in iron area 30-46. So If you were running 2TF and wanted to DISC some iron you would have to Block out lets 24 and down.
Well you can be missing some silver then.
With the Deus
I run the machine complete open and you have complete control of the tones.
I can make everything but coins one tone and everything else another
I can set from 0-60 and set the tone for a grunt
then I can set 61-90 and set that for another tone (coins @ 8hz)
Then i can set 91-99 (iron) to match the grunt of the first 60 or another.
The tones on deus are dead on you can just like the etrac adjust the volume gain. so you can have deep sound soft or have deep sound loud
I love this feature I hope understood it.
One thing That I LOVE one the Deus is the DISC and TONES... first off DISC IS THE DEVIL as Bart from Big Boys always said.. and the more Disc you loose depth no matter what machine.
The etrac for example 12-46 is a dime or quarter but in deep deep areas can read 24-46 or in iron area 30-46. So If you were running 2TF and wanted to DISC some iron you would have to Block out lets 24 and down.
Well you can be missing some silver then.
With the Deus
I run the machine complete open and you have complete control of the tones.
I can make everything but coins one tone and everything else another
I can set from 0-60 and set the tone for a grunt
then I can set 61-90 and set that for another tone (coins @ 8hz)
Then i can set 91-99 (iron) to match the grunt of the first 60 or another.
The tones on deus are dead on you can just like the etrac adjust the volume gain. so you can have deep sound soft or have deep sound loud
I love this feature I hope understood it.
DukeOBass
Active member
Also, be warned, the Deus is a very noisy machine. Coming from an E-trac, which has a really quiet threshold hum to a ton of squeaks and squawks can make you want to pull your hair out. Many people get discouraged very quickly and end up trading the Deus out fast. You will eventually learn how to quiet it down so that you don't lose depth. You will have to put a lot of time into figuring out what does what and how it interacts with other settings because the Deus allows the user to adjust everything not like the Etrac where you can basically turn the machine on and go.
I also see a lot of people trying to use other people's settings and get really fouled up by it because the soil you may be hunting in may not be soil like "Joe's Super Hot Coin Program" kills in.
I also see a lot of people trying to use other people's settings and get really fouled up by it because the soil you may be hunting in may not be soil like "Joe's Super Hot Coin Program" kills in.
hunter_46356
New member
"and the more Disc you loose depth no matter what machine."
Never a truer statement...... but how does picking your tones make the Deus deeper?
"If you were running 2TF and wanted to DISC some iron you would have to Block out lets 24 and down."
But the more you disc. the more depth lost so why not, not discriminate and hear the iron and not lose the depth?
You can open the Etrac, just as you say to can open the Deus. and that's how they should be compared.
You can program an Etrac from 1,2,4 to Multi (2 tones then you can also change how these tones are heard by the user. Normal, Smooth, Long and Pitch Hold. All have there place and believe it or not make a difference in different conditions. Both apparently have several but different audio options. does it make one better than the other? Users preference. Does assigning a tone to a target make it deeper? Assigning how a tone is heard on the Etrac makes deeper targets sound out in trash. I've already proven this to myself.
I agree with DukeObass when he talked about people change detectors before they really know the full potential because they didn't put in the time to understand it's capabilities. Many jump on the next big thing and make it sound as though it's the do all of detectors.
I still find silver where CTX and Deus's have been. Does that make mine better? Not at all.
Some make it sound like the Deus never finds a rusty nail, when it said it should be a silver coin. Pretty sure that's not true..... and if it is.... order me one up.
Never a truer statement...... but how does picking your tones make the Deus deeper?
"If you were running 2TF and wanted to DISC some iron you would have to Block out lets 24 and down."
But the more you disc. the more depth lost so why not, not discriminate and hear the iron and not lose the depth?
You can open the Etrac, just as you say to can open the Deus. and that's how they should be compared.
You can program an Etrac from 1,2,4 to Multi (2
tones then you can also change how these tones are heard by the user. Normal, Smooth, Long and Pitch Hold. All have there place and believe it or not make a difference in different conditions. Both apparently have several but different audio options. does it make one better than the other? Users preference. Does assigning a tone to a target make it deeper? Assigning how a tone is heard on the Etrac makes deeper targets sound out in trash. I've already proven this to myself. I agree with DukeObass when he talked about people change detectors before they really know the full potential because they didn't put in the time to understand it's capabilities. Many jump on the next big thing and make it sound as though it's the do all of detectors.
I still find silver where CTX and Deus's have been. Does that make mine better? Not at all.
Some make it sound like the Deus never finds a rusty nail, when it said it should be a silver coin. Pretty sure that's not true..... and if it is.... order me one up.
Southwind
Well-known member
I currently have the CTX, the E-Trac and the Deus. I would say the E-Trac is the easier to use right out of the box. The tones of the E-Trac and CTX are really tough to beat when it comes to hearing that deep silver. The Deus is every bit as deep, but has been stated, it just takes a little more time to understand a completely different machine. The Deus knocks the socks of either the E-Trac or CTX when it comes to the gold.
When it comes down to it I wouldn't say one is better than the other, only different.
When it comes down to it I wouldn't say one is better than the other, only different.
I have dug my fair deal of nails and iron with the deus let me tell ya. I have chased nails deep. bottle caps are horrible. learning a trick by putting the machine in Coops program to avoid caps. I dont think any machine can avoid iron... but i do see a increase of targets with iron in same hole and iron above targets. Where with the etrac i would just avoid a choppy signal. Which is my fault. I do notice in areas i been at with the etrac the dues is silent but other areas where the etrac nulled out the deus was hittings targets.
I miss the etrac but dont miss the pain in my arm due to my injury.
I miss the etrac but dont miss the pain in my arm due to my injury.
DukeOBass
Active member
The Etrac is an awesome machine! I really liked mine and only switched out because there was no Etrac II. MineLab machine are very simple to adjust.
The Deus is not the machine for someone who doesn't want to take the time to or doesn't have the aptitude to learn it. It is one of the most versatile on the market and when adjusted for your site can be a formidable piece of electronics.
The Deus is an iron magnet so you really have to know the machine in order rule out trash or you will dig a lot of it. Deep rusty nails can sound like good target on both the Deus and the Etrac especially if they are bent or curved. Circular shaped iron is going to fool almost everyone.
The Deus is not the machine for someone who doesn't want to take the time to or doesn't have the aptitude to learn it. It is one of the most versatile on the market and when adjusted for your site can be a formidable piece of electronics.
The Deus is an iron magnet so you really have to know the machine in order rule out trash or you will dig a lot of it. Deep rusty nails can sound like good target on both the Deus and the Etrac especially if they are bent or curved. Circular shaped iron is going to fool almost everyone.
sprchng
Well-known member
DukeOBass said:
This is a good point.
I've always run with a threshold and it does take some adapting. The F75ltd was the same way and I found that it tends to make someone used to a threshold run a little too hot just to hear an occasional false signal or some ground noise to keep you convinced the machine is running. I tend to use the GB to create a "threshold" which is probably running it too close to the edge. While on that topic and because I'm too lazy to test the machine right now , does the Deus run a threshold in the "gold" program? I have had no need to test that program yet.
hunter_46356
New member
When talking about running any detector hot, we all do it for one reason.To squeeze every last fraction of an inch from the machine. But at a cost. Everyone knows that running the Etrac hot contributes to falseing. I'll never dig an iffy target until it's been sampled several different ways. One of them is to drop the sensitivity either manually or the quickest way, one button into Auto. If the signal completely goes away then I'll go back to manual and start dropping to see if the numbers stabilize or the tone changes. On a good target the numbers usually settle down and the sound may or may not change. Further sampling with Quick Mask and another program such as TTF if starting in Multi or vs/vs. increases the probability of a good target.I may even try Deep ON or Off and Fast on Fast off depending how the original program was set up. Most of the time when running hot I'm looking for deep stuff. Since I'm running an after market coil to improve depth I run deep off, fast on to increase the Etrac's ability to separate the bad from the good target. One more confirmation is how the target pinpoints. I you get a two way signal that pin points in two different spots gives a high probability of a bad target. Some may say this all take too long but once you get it down it's very quick. Time well spent compared to digging a deep hole to find nothing but that rusty nail. Even sampling with everything above you will still dig those occasional bad targets. The variables will always be there no matter what you do or what machine you run.