Biggest waste of $1500 bucks I have ever done:thumbdown:

[digitrich]

Many recall I sent my first ETrac back because it couldn't get the depth of my SE's and falsed to 1-29 to1-35 constantly. Well, the new one is the same, only worse in the falsing department. The farmers out here finally cut the corn and beans In just one field I have pulled about 400 hundred Indians, about 200 seated and barbers and about 75 shield and V nickels with my SE's. Some areas are full of flat nails and I thought the ETrac would produce more there.........................................nope. My F-75 seems the only unit fast enough to do it. In the less trashy areas, I ran the ETrac wide open, in all metal, fast on, deep off, low trash, neutral soil, auto +3 and manual....just stable. It falsed in all metal, over and over and over to the 1-29 to 1-35 range constantly. I tried ferrous tones and conduct tones with the same results. I am thoroughly disappointed and unimpressed. This machine not only cannot duplicate the depth of my SE's, it's audio flat out sucks. Try this, swing the ETrac for three straight days and then pick up another Explorer and you tell me if you didn't miss the sweet sounding music. My guess is, and this is for Jim out in New York specifically.......If a guy is already extremely proficient with his SE, the ETrac is a waste of his time....period. Want faster recovery, buy an F-75 or wait till MineLab fixes this blunder of a machine. I will buy the next ETrac only because by then, I would expect Mine Lab to have corrected their obvious mistakes, like the lack of an all metal mode, the destruction of what used to be beautiful tones, the E12 trac issue, the general lack of depth in comparison to their previous models and yes I have had both machines (ETrac and SE) over the same target with the ETrac ID'ing it wrong or not even registering the hit what soever and the SE having NO problem. Yes, the faster processor is nice, but at the cost of stability, depth and ID.........OH, HECK NO!!! Save the "It's not an Explorer" for the suckers....I know it's not an Explorer, it's more like a Bounty Hunter, excellent separation with crappy tones to a depth of 4-6 inches....oh gee, now I can hunt clad in a playground....joy.....joy. Yes, "it's not an Explorer".........it could never be an Explorer without a great deal of improvement. This thing would have to study to be stupid!!!! Shame on you MineLab "It maybe my soil"... but the funny thing is....My SE's and my F-75 don't have a problem with it. I am going to see if I can't trade it off to some one for the new Whites PI, maybe a deeper machine is the ticket in these fields for what's left now. For the guys who want to pick up an Explorer and shorten the learning curve to nearly zero, the Etrac is a God send......but what are they going to do when they have gridded out their local spots and the finds are getting thin???? I honestly feel a competent Explorer 1/2/SE user and/or F-75 user would still find things the ETrac can't and won't. I have this nasty habit of disliking going backwards. Sorry to sugar coat it......I didn't want to offend anyone.

 

[Shambler]

UH OH!, you know you're in trouble again with the DIPs (defenders of inferior products)

You just saved me $1500..I'm keeping my EX2.

 

[Steve from Ohio]

Sorry to hear of all your problems with the E-Trac.

I have one on order and have been reading your trials and tribulations with the E-trac model in past posts. It seemed you had a good one from the air tests you did. Guess the field is where the rubber meets the road.

I have been reading the glowing reports of the E-trac from others and then your troubles. I have seen this with other detectors also. The F-75 is a great example.

I have a few friends who have the E-trac and they are very happy with it. Their recommendation of the E-trac was enough for me to put one in lay away. I've used a friend's E-trac for about 2 hours so I am not an expert in E-tracking.....but what I have seen so far I like. My only problem now is a football injury will keep me from detecting for a while. I'd rather have a bad machine than a bad knee any day!

One thing I have noticed with many detectors is that you should never carry a cell phone with you while detecting. It makes my F-70 go nuts and my friends who own E-tracs report the same. Jumpy numbers and all that.

I have an F-70 and although a great machine, it is not as exact with ID'ing as the E-trac and while my friends can tell me pretty much what they are digging almost always, my F-70 can only give me an idea of what I am digging when going deep. Most times the F-70 can match the E-trac in depth, and is definitely faster on recovery. But the E-trac to me seems to be a more accurate and more repeatable detector when it comes to the deep coins and relics. The numbers I see on the E-trac screen don't jump like they do on the F-70. Your E-trac seems to be the exception.

My 70 seems to be erratic on the deep signals. It will hit it the first time and then not be able to hit it again accurately. In the SL mode, the recovery is much slower than the E-trac and that is annoying.

It is possible that you have gotten a second "bad" unit. Or it just may be that the detector gods do not want you to have an E-trac. Maybe it just is not the machine for you.

In any case, thanks for the information and good luck in your dealings with the E-trac.

 

[Jeb NWR]

I`ve only read half way through your post digitrich and i can categorical tell you YOUR WRONG !! You should have gone on the MLO and asked how to operate it on there . The E Trac in " competent" hands ,easily out performs the SE .(and that`s a fact)
Can i ask how long you had it for . To learn how to use a new Detector properly can take anything up to 18 months on the scale of an Explorer/E trac. How long did you give it , Weeks /months ? and then you threw the towel in and Slagged it off and rubbished it. Abysmal !

 

[Mike Bearden]

For many, many years I would spend MY MONEY & MY TIME, to hold Minelab seminars for detecting clubs within a 500 mile radius ... mostly specializing in the Explorer & XTerra series up until the ETRAC came along. The pure satisfaction of helping others better understand their machines and meeting some great folks in the hobby is priceless when you actually see the results when it all clicks and makes sense to them.
Minelab has been good to me over the years with a few detectors donated to my cause .. it makes sense that these kind of events actually help SELL Minelab products in the long run.

This year was the first time I actually had to cancel my seminars because I simply can't afford the price of the ETRAC to learn it and share the knowledge with others as I've done for many years.
My Wife was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 2 years ago so our money is much tighter than it once was.

I use to be in the loop pre se with Minelab about the new products being introduced and always got the chance to prove or disprove them in the field... but not anymore, don't know if it's the corporate takeover or what happened but they no longer support my efforts whatsoever !

Not meaning this to say I wouldn't relish the chance to put some hours on the ETRAC because I would ... but don't see it happening anytime soon because $1500 is a lot of money for me.

So digitrich .... I hate to hear about another dedicated hunter such as yourself give this kind of opinion on the ETRAC ... but it is what it is and I for one respect you for speaking out.

Good Hunting
Mike

 

[Ray-Mo.]

Quote
UH OH!, you know you're in trouble again with the DIPs (defenders of inferior products)
With that attitude you are better off without an Etrac !

It is amazing to me how so many people are swayed by a very few outspoken unsatisfied Etrac users when the vast majority of users are very pleased.
It is human nature to speak out when not happy with something while all the satisfied are content to use the machine and post some of there finds once in a while.

I call it ABS ( adult baby sindrome.) When a baby is happy it is usualy quiet but when it is not happy it cry's long and loud .
Not all top end machines will work for all experienced detectorist .That is why we have so many different top enders available.

For ever neg. post on the Etrac there are dozens of positive posts so anyone considering an Etrac should see the light.If not they are better of keeping there old machine as the Etrac must be mastered with an open mind and no hangups on a previous machine,especialy the Explorer series and they are great no question about that from me.Remember your history concerning advancements.The horseless carriage was thought to be inferior to the horse and buggy at one time and argued quite loudly as so.

I have hundreds of hours on the F75s and like them a lot but not even in the same ball park with the Etrac where I hunt.I don't like to over hype a machine but neither do I criticize one untill I have put a lot of hours on it in many different environments as on machine may very well excell at one location while a different machine will excell at another.

Not all top end machines will clik with all users no matter how great there experience as I mentioned above and the only way to find out is to use one personaly,PERIOD. All the post in the world good or bad will not change this fact.My oppinion only and I approve this post, Ray.

 

[digitrich]

I'd vote for you Ray Ray has a very good point, there is nothing wrong with the ETrac, it is just wrong for me.

 

[Jeb NWR]

Well DigitRich why Slag it off so strongly then ? > The problem obviously was USER ERRORS !
Put it another way,you could be a car driver maybe, but get in a 20 gear 40 foot tractor Rig and you`d probably turn it over on the first bend. It doesnt mean the tractor Unit is rubbish though. It was the Driver driving it that hadn`t a clue how to handle it..
Same with the E trac just because it was too complicated for you to understand doesn`t make it a rubbish detector !
I got a feeling you were trying to use it as an SE rather than approaching it as a entirly new detector and then hanging tough on the learning curve . I really do think your going to regret your decision to abandon it when you hear the futurepositive reports of people who hung on in there and learned its ways ,and came out loving its performance. The E trac is only as difficult as you make it.

 

[jimpugh]

228-435-4773 11pm-600pm M-F

I have a TDI first 200 units as far as I know
That is a great Pulse unit.......

Happy Trails
Jim Pugh

 

[backslyder]

Excuse me while I throw some water on my face and say Whewwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!! I think someone at the beginning of this Etrack thing was R E A L L Y Po'd, about his new Etrack. I'm actually a Quatro owner, looking to buy an Etrack or possibly the Explorerer SE Pro. I'm trying to do my homework on both of them, by reading all these "real world" forum posts, but I'm still being very cautious before I make any kind of a decision. I'm not a new comer to Minelab and I've read the owners manual on the old Explorer II. I know about the two numberical readouts, the iron mask, and have a pretty good idea of the issue of separation of targets, but boy, oh boy was this ever a conflict of interests on digitrech's new E-trac. Sounds like the majority of the "responders" think he may be "jumping the gun" on the new E-trac, so I'll just wait and read more "real life" experiences with both detectors. I think it's gonna come out better in the "wash" of more time, more experience, more real life experience with E-trac. I love the idea of being able to separate the trash better without having to go to that darn teeny, tiny coil (the 5" delux) of which I own one for my Quatro, only because you are severely limited on the ammount of ground you can cover with a small coil like that (although it does separate the trash), but I guess we're looking for the best of both worlds: A top of the line detector that will not only discriminate amazingly, go deep but also separate the trash with a bigger coil. Ok, I'm all done here, but I'll keep reading all your posts and see who wins, or rather, see what the "time tested" outcome of the pros and cons of each of these two detectors shows forth. Sincerely, Marc Trainor.

 

[backslyder]

One last thing!! I really love all you guys out there. I honestly appreciate the imense intellegence and thoughtfulness of most of your posts, and the true comradery that this forum provides. I know that we don't always agree on things, but for Pete's sake, that's what this forum is all about. It lets us all agree to disagree, sometimes, but at least share our experiences with each other in a hobby that is truly important to most of us. I know I'm getting too "gushy" again here, but I really do mean it!!! Where else could we talk about this stuff with anyone who even had a clue as to what a modern day metal detector really is. I know my own friends just "smile" when I tell them I'm going out detecting, but I know darn well they don't know what discrimination is or pinpointing, but you guys do, and that's why we're all here, so, OK, I've said my peace, and I still hope you all have a good week detecting, and let's keep this thing going on the pros and cons of the new E-trac. Marc.

 

[coinnut]

What I'd like to see is some of those people that are claiming depths of 10 or more (in ground) inches, to go to Digitrich's fields and make them perform. This way we can see if Minelab has many bad machines or none at all. After all, if my machine comes back from repairs and doesn't go deeper than 5 or 6 inches, I'll be pissed too! Before you hang him, give him the benefit of the doubt that his machines are not working like some of yours. There may not be anything incompetent about that! Some machines seem to have issues and it ain't user incompetence! So get off of the E Trac high horse. I love what mine has done so far, I just wish it would do it from the 6-10" range.

 

[grumpyolman]

Interesting about the Cell phone. I always have mine with me and I was getting erratic high numbers yesterday and had the phone in my pocket closest to the detector. I usually carry it in another pocket. I;ll have to investigate that. Anyone else think the cell could cause problems?

 

[Rigit]

Runing ET with the peddal to the netal is like driving in fog on full beam it needs to be eased up until it starts to sing.

 

[Kal]

Gee over 675 coins in one field with your se's. Sounds like you don't need an etrac also sounds like you don't have a clue on how to operate an etrac.

 

[Beachcomber]

Well we heard these kind of things form many people when the Explorer first came out. It was called every name under the sun by different people but over time many of us learned the Explorer and were able to do extremely well with it. The SE is the Explorer version that most seem to like these days. Now the new kid on the block is the E-Trac and it is so much different than the SE that it is getting the same kind of bashing the Explorer originally had. Over time the majority of us will figure out how to get the most out of it. Others won't be able to deal with it and will move onto something else. That's the way it's always been. Also all machines don't work well under all conditions. The conditions you hunt in may be conditions that cause the E-Trac problems but not cause problems for the SE. Doesn't mean the E-Trac is bad....just means it doesn't work well in your area. I like you am an Explorer All Metal hunter so the E-Trac has been a bit of a struggle for me to get used to but I am getting the hang of it but I also have migrated to hunting with a mostly open screen with it similar to the way I hunted with the Explorer. I know the SE is an awesome machine so if it works better for you than the E-Trac then the SE is what you should be using. I have been getting very good depth with the E-Trac but the beaches I have been hunting have allowed it to run with an Auto Sensitivity of 25-27. At those settings it goes very deep. But if you end up in an area where the Auto Sensitivity knocks it down to 16-20 you will not get much beyond 6" of depth on a coin sized target. It really needs to be running in the 25 and higher range to get the depth. I think this is where the SE is probably excelling. In areas where the E-Trac lowers it's sensitivity way down you are probably hunting much higher in Manual Sensitivity with the SE and discriminating with your brain and doing an excellent job of it. For the Beach the E-Trac is an improvement over the Explorer. It goes deeper, falses less, and is much smoother operating. But in some areas like the areas that you hunt and that Jim Hunts in NY that doesn't seem to be the case. Whatever you end up doing good luck!

HH

Beachcomber

 

[McNickle]

n/t

 

[Andy Sabisch]

There are probably as many different variations in soil conditions as there are areas to hunt. For example, there are some sites in Atlanta where the super hot ground and red clay will shut down ANY detector . . . don't care how proficient you think you are, NOTHING works there. Those that live there or have hunter the north side of town know where I am talking about. The Explorer as well as the E-Trac were crippled there. But, go even a few 100 yards away and guess what, bullets at 10" plus are plentiful.

I will speak from personal experience garnered from testing the E-Trac since the beginning of 2008. As part of the testing, I had the unit at sites in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, Virginia, Florida and Canada to name a few. Ground conditions varied greatly and the detector did work better in some areas than others. But in none of the areas was the detection depth capped at 5-6 inches. Targets in the 7" to 10" range (coin sized) were found in each location. Did it require changes to settings to get that depth? Yes - small changes at times, more significant at others. The one thing that stood out was that trying to hunt "ALL METAL ALL THE TIME" was not the way to get the E-Trac to perform. It tended to cause far more falsing than the Explorer would produce with those settings but running with some discrimination tended to settle the unit down and NOT result in missing good targets. We did a lot of marking targets BEFORE digging them - checking them in a blank Quick Mask and then with a pattern and then against an Explorer SE. There were no targets that all metal on the E-Trac would have found that a pattern would have missed - at least nothing we were interested in (nails and iron trash can stay).

There has been a good deal of griping about the E-Trac since it was introduced. I guess most posters have forgotten how much griping took place when the Explorer first came out until people learned how to get the true performance out of it.

The point that has been brought up time and time again here as well as on other forums and by Minelab is . . . . .

[size=x-large]

"The E-Trac is NOT and Explorer"​

[/size]

People that are masters with one model tend to have more trouble getting the most out of a new one . . . there are lessons to unlearn. The Explorer --> E-Trac migration has been seemless for some (I'm sure many of us wish we had the success Ray-MO has had going from an Explorer to an E-Trac!) and on the other side of the spectrum, some have been unable to see any value in the new detector and have cursed it from day one.

I hope this is not taken wrong but unless you have a unique dealer that has a gun to your head forcing you to buy and keep your E-Trac, if it does not do as well as your Explorer has done (about 400 hundred Indians, about 200 seated and barbers and about 75 shield and V nickels sounds amazing to me . . . . . ), then stick with what has been producing for you. Many of us have tried different detectors and settled on one or two (or more) that work for us in our area. We sell the rest and move on . . . . .

There's no reason to make the time in the field more painful than it seems to have become. I for one like to get out and clear my head swinging a detector - if I have a detector that finds stuff great, if not, I find one that does . . . . . Spending time getting aggravated is something I can do at work - why do it to yourself when you are trying to relax?

I have spoken with a number of E-Trac users here as well as in Europe that are finding targets a depths equal to or deeper than their Explorer had reached. They have found how to get it to perform at that level and yes, the settings vary from one to another. A few had said they prefer their Explorer and have gone back that way . . . . to them it is NOT going backwards but rather to a detector that works better for them.

If you are finding deep targets, post your results . . . . . . and if you feel it gets at most 6", then dust off that Explorer and use what you are comfortable with and start digging up all those keepers that are still out there.

One point of view . . . . . .

Andy Sabisch

 

[Relic$Hunter]

It is very hard for some to admit they have spent 1500 on less than they expected.
I am usually the one to go spend the money first for something new and especially from Minelab series of Explorers but this time I decided to wait on the feedback to roll in before I spend a this kind of money.
I love the Explorer 2 and out of numerous detectors I have found this one to go the deepest than any.
Lets get this straight I am not trying to beat up the E-Trac I just am looking for Honest opinions I really love the part about being able to hook up to my computer but I have not heard much about the benefits yet still checking the forums.
The Goldmax Vs E-Trac video I just watched really impressed me on the Goldmax.Where can you buy one????

Thanks for the info!

 

[M.L. Hinds]

n/t