Compare The Competition To Your Sovereign Or Excal

[synthnut]

Critter ,
You know as well as I do that everybody runs their machine differently ....What works for me in my area , may not work for you in your area .....Just like learning the Sovereign , you have to learn the E Trac and what settings work best for you ...... Andy's coin program is not a bad program to start with ....It's a VERY broad program and includes more than what I want for my type of hunting , but works very well just the same ..... Here's the way I would set my machine for a trashy park ....My program discriminates more than the coin program , but run the Coin program to get your feet wet ..... It iwll probably have more than what you want in there , but after hearing so much of what you don't want , you will make a mental or a written note as to what you DON'T want to hear, and you will see after you did the target what you want or don't want .....

Sensitivity :.......Auto +3
# of Tones ......Multi
Sounds .......Conduct
Variability .......26
Limits ...........30

Expert

Recovery Deep ....OFF
Recovery Fast ....ON
Trash Density .....High
Ground ......Difficult
Noise Cancel .....Whatever it noise cancels to in the beggining of hunting that particular area ..... I will type some settings up and send them to you ......Again, they may not be what you want for your type of hunting , or for the area you hunt ......or to your liking !!.....Remember you like to notch out pull tabs ....I don't .....I would have my Audio Response as ...Normal and you might like yours at ...LONG ........ I run my Threshold pitch higher than the factory setting because I hear targets better at higher pitch ....You may not like that .....A lot of it is PERSONAL PREFERE NCE .......Once you set your machine up and work with it for a while , you will either leave it , or change what you don't like .....A LOT of the settings are settings that you will more than likely never touch again once you set it up and get it to your liking ..... I would venture to say that once you set your machine up to your liking that 1/2 of the settings that you mess with will remain the same when you run your machine .....It will get to the point where you will know the area that you are hunting and the targets that are there, or you think will be there , and you will make a preset for that area ....You will then go to that area , turn the machine on , go to the preset for that area and punch it in , noise balance , and OFF YOU GO !!!.....That's It !!......Your settings will alll be in the preset and will be remembered each time you go back to them .....Jim

 

[Critterhunter]

Thanks for the info. Any reasoning for your audio settings...limits, variability, etc?

 

[Critterhunter]

Here's something about the Etrac that I don't like...Everybody says to watch the conductivity number and ignore the ferrous number because past like 4" or so the ferrous can range wildly up and down the scale. Gee, then that means it's got the same single dimension conductivity discrimination and ID as any other metal detector on the market if you can't trust the ferrous information.

 

[Rick(ND)]

The E-Trac is a 3 step ID , first like the Sovereign you have the tone as the tone has to be there plus a good repeatable or mostly repeatable, then comes the conductivity like the Sovereign, but the E-Trac seem more accruate at deeper depth than any other detector and then comes the ferrous number which in the first 4 or 5 inches shouldnt varry more than a few number depending on if there is iron or trash next to the good target. Now on deeper targets it will varry more and I have seen good coin targets read as high as 20 and as low as 8 instead of the 12 we look for, but it seem to stay more in the 10-14 area and will bounce depending on how you hit the target. I most cases it has the good tone, excellent conductivity ID so the it is one i will dig mostly anyway, but it is nice to look at the ferrous numbers on the real iffy ones that are deep as if over 23 and bounces to maybe a 2 you can bet it is iron and mostly reas 30-1 or so.
The E-Trac by far is the best ID once you spend the time to understand it while the Sovereign is the easiest to understand by comming at the target from differnt angles and checking how repeatable it is and wiggeling over just that one small area.

Have you ever used a E-Trac as it is differnt then the Explorers and works a bit different, but to me works much better and the only detector that could replace my GT as my main detector.

 

[Critterhunter]

Yea, I've been playing with a friends, reading/researching/setting things up for him, etc. Since the ferrous scale can change wildly past roughly 3 or 4" from what I've read, that means you are relying on a conductivity scale of only 1 through 50. To me that can be a giant step back in discrimination, instead of having well over 100 on something like a GT with a 180 meter. Also, even if the ferrous is correct, the etrac packs most targets into the 12th line on the ferrous. If all tabs have a 12 ferrous number (I'll be testing this soon by scanning in a random tab test pool to chart ring percentages while avoiding trash) then that means the tab resolution will be much lower, thus not being able to split hairs on targets.

 

[Critterhunter]

After further use of a friend's Etrac I won't be buying one. I'm glad I've had exposure to this machine before making a decision as it kept me from making a mistake. I'm not arguing that it isn't a great machine but it does have issues that I don't care for. First, I don't like that most targets are compressed into the 12th ferrous line. With a conductivity scale of 50 one could argue that in a very real way it has less resolution than other detectors on a vast span of targets. Secondly, the ferrous scale being vastly unreliable due to ground, depth, target orientation, or nearby items makes developing patterns very touch and go. Finally, I'm shocked by the variations in ID among exact same coins due to how microscopicly it looks at them. That's what bothers me the most. The ID is just too fluctuating for my tastes.

I also don't care for it's audio. It relays far less target information and doesn't tip me off to things like gold rings or other good finds versus trash.

There's an old saying that a bigger net catches more fish. I feel it's easier to get a 180 response on fringe coins than a display that can't make a firm decision and assign targets to more solid zones. My list of machines has narrowed down to an SE Pro (I like it's discrimination pattern better) or a T2 Special Addition, F75LTD (same machine for the most part), or perhaps one of the other technetiks to add to my line up.

 

[Critterhunter]

After wasting my time researching/reading the Omega looks like it has some potential. Some say it's lower frequency penetrates ground minerals better and also hits on silver harder at depth than the T2SE or the F75ltd. More research is in order...

 

[Tony in FL]

After wasting my time researching/reading the Omega looks like it has some potential. Some say it's lower frequency penetrates ground minerals better and also hits on silver harder at depth than the T2SE or the F75ltd. More research is in order...

Prediction: One day Critterhunter will come back to the E-trac / Explorer (or a descendant thereof) in lieu of one of those single frequency machines.

 

[synthnut]

I really don't understand your logic at all Critter .......Maybe Im not suppose to ......You complain about only 1 ferrous line of 50 squares when there are 1,750 of them in the matrix to tell you what your target is ..... ......You come from a machine where the numbering system gangs a few different coins and targets on one number 180 , yet you comlain about a number 12 Ferrous line being too compressed ? .... ....You don't like the sounds that the E Trac makes when there are NUMEROUS ways of chenging the pitch , and the audio to suit your style, yet you talk about going to machines that do nothing more than "beep " a few tones ? ...... ....... I think more than anything else that I have gathered from hearing you speak of the E Trac , is that it is just too complicated a machine for you to run .... You want a manual to tell you EXACTLY how to set the machine up ......Given choices which most of us totally enjoy , intiminates you, and confuses you to the point that it overwhelms you ..... That's easy to understand in the beginining ....Once you spend time with the machine , it all starts to come together ....It's not gonna happen overnight .....The other machines you speak of are much easier to run and learn .... That's not a bad thing .....Easy is good !!......Easy is Fun !!...... I love being foot loose and fancy free running down the beach with my little AT Pro and banging away at targets left and right without a worry in the world while running it ...... There is a time and a place for every dtector , and when I am in an area where I have dig down 8 inches or more , and I know that there is some SERIOUS Silver in the ground , my AT Pro will wait for my running on the beach and having fun and my E Trac will be my machine of choice ...... and I will be able to run my E Trac in all kinds of soils , and all kinds of conditions , that the other machines you mention will not be able to run in .....You talk about highly mineralized soils , or a lot of iron in many area's where you live ? ..... Have fun with an F75 !!..... Hope there is no clay where you live ...... You have really not given the E Trac a chance , but that's OK .....The machine has to fit the person running it , and if it's not a good fit for you , it's not .......I'm sure you will find a machine that will accomodate your style and be to your liking .......I wish you good luck in whatever machine you choose .....Sincerely, Jim

 

[Rick(ND)]

Love my Sovereign and like the Explorers too, but the E-Trac like the Sovereign takes time to learn and understand fully and when a person does they will know why so many of us like the Sovereigns and the E-Trac as we do and have some nice finds to prove what these detectors can do. Just got to use them in actul hunting and understand them.

 

[Anonymous]

I have owned about 10 detectors to date,I just acquired a the excal1000. I also own the Whites Dual field and I also own an old Garret Cx3 . I love all of them and I think they are the best machines for me.
The DF is the deepest and most stable detector I have owned.I have always want the excalibur for the obviuos reasons.
And the garret detector is old but overall it beats any detector I have ever owned.Last week I decided to take it out at my local beach ,when I arrived there were to other detectorist where I usually hunt they where using minelabs.Ok I said to myself I waited till they left,I decided to detect the very same area they were hunting and in the 2 hour hunt I found around $15 in coins my first gold ring and a silver ring .The Garret is equiped with 12"coil and doesnt miss a thing,but the only trouble is its unuseable in wet sand..and thats where the Df and Excal come in as for a genuine comparison between the 3 my old garret in dry sand beats both the df and excal for depth. I think for its age I think the garret is the best detector I have ever had and will never part with it ..

 

[Critterhunter]

After wasting my time researching/reading the Omega looks like it has some potential. Some say it's lower frequency penetrates ground minerals better and also hits on silver harder at depth than the T2SE or the F75ltd. More research is in order...

Prediction: One day Critterhunter will come back to the E-trac / Explorer (or a descendant thereof) in lieu of one of those single frequency machines.

I highly doubt now that I'll buy an Etrac after seeing how picky it is about target ID. More than likely I'd first opt for an SE Pro, but using the Etrac reminded me about what I didn't like on my Explorers. Still, an SE Pro can be had used for a very reasonable price. On the other hand, AI'm more apt to buy one of the Fisher/Teknetics clones of each other. Light, just enough computer controls to max things out and not make things slugish.

 

[Rick(ND)]

I have and they are good too if you get to know them well. If you think the ID is jumpy on the E-Trac or the Explorers it is nothing compared to F-75 or T-2. I found the F75 SE to be more stable and chattered less so they have improved them from the F-75. I did OK with mine and still have it but money got tight and decided I had to sell one or 2 for now. I like the fast response and able to swing faster then my Minelab, but so many false signals you had check many just to see if they were good or bad. Found out by swinging the coil faster on the iffy one wondering if it was a false signal or not got me solid signals on good one and broken up on iron.
Depth wise was good, but when it got over 4 inches it seem the ID did a lot of bouncing even more than the Explorers. Myself found the ID when deep the Minelabs were far more accurate that the F-75 or T-2 and seen where the Explorers when doing a side by side comparison on actual in the ground targets the Explorers seen many the T-2 or F-75 didn't see of ID as iron. I also see where I used my F-75 in a trashy area where a sidewalk had come out using 2 tones and picked up many nice targets my Friend James(ND) missed with his Explorer XS, so they are good detectors too for the right purpose.
I do like the F-75 SE or the F-75 LTD as it is light weight and the battery life is great even with a back light on all the time. I am sure someday i will get another one if my old body holds up for a few more years yet.

 

[Critterhunter]

I was just reading over Andy's book again on the Etrac and found several times mentioned thaty the Pro Coil does a much better job at target seperation than the old 10" Explorer coils. One small story related an old Explorer model that a guy used to work a site. Down the road he picked up a pro coil and went back and found coins he had plain out missed due to trash with the 10" coil. I still say most of the improved seperation on the Etrac is due to the pro coil. From what I've read the 12x10 seems a good match with some prefering it over the pro coil. I'm telling you, strap a 12x10 on your GT and it's like a whole new machine. Faster, more crisp response. Laser like seperation.

 

[Rick(ND)]

The Pro coil on the Explorers are a improvement, but the E-Trac goes even further with the separation, depth and even easy to use. I got one of my hunting partners a Pro coil for his SE and he liked it a lot, then he got a E-Trac and tried running it like his SE with the Pro coil as he tried the same settings on his test garden and felt the SE maybe slightly better. Soon as he started setting it up different and found the E-Trac went a little deeper, better ID on deeper coin targets and finding more coins with nails that he ever did before with the SE with the Pro coil. Let him try my 15X12 coil I had and after a few hours he did not like it at all, so this coil was not for him.
I still do feel on the Sovereigns the stock 10 inch Tornado coil is one great coil Minelab came up with and if i wanted bigger the S-12 would be my pick at the 12X10 SEF would have to be quite a coil to do better then the S-12 and if i get a chance to try a 12X10 i will check it out.
One thing talking on coils is that i notice what works on the Explorers as far as brand and size is not the same results on the Sovereign, the Joey on the Explorer is great, but on the Sovereign it don't seem to work as good, felt the WOT also worked better on the Explorer too and the one for the Sovereign I didn't care for. Now on the Explorer or the Sovereign the Sun Ray 8 and 10 work excellent on either. I think this says something too as you see many of these different coils for sale, but notice try and see if there is a 10 inch Tornado, the S-8 or the S-12 of Sun Ray for sale, like trying to find that gold coin out detecting as they are far and few to be found.

 

[synthnut]

My pardner .has a 12 x 15 SEF on his E Trac and doesn't like it as much as the Pro Coil now that he has used it more ...... The Pro Coil is sharper , and for better or wose , finds even the smallest of targets better than the 12 x 15, including Gold !!..... I was hoping after hearing Critters report on the 10 x 12 SEF to have a really sharp , deep , coil on my Sovereign but found the 10 x 12 SEF to be a good coil with good seperation and pretty deep , but not as razor sharp as he described .....After speaker with others who bought the coil , some thought it was razor sharp like Critter did , while others thought that it was not as sharp as their 10" Tornado !!... I guess consitancy is the name of the game ...The SEF on my Soveretgn was nowhere near as sharp as the Pro Coil on my E Trac ..... I can fullly understand how different coils can have different effects on different detectors .....The SunRay S-5 on my Sovereign reacts very much like my S-5 on my E Trac ......One just as deep, and sharp as the other ..... It's a great woods coil on either machine ..... Jim

 

[Charles in Va]

Critterhunter, do you have any detailed instructions on using the Accucell 6 and Li-PO batteries. I bought a Accucel 6 and 2 Turnigy 1450 Li-PO batteries,3s 11.1 v. The Accucel did not have any instructions at all with it. I had planned to use this with my sov gt and also to charge my excalibur. Reading yours and Kered post this seemed to be the way to go. I would appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks Charles

 

[Critterhunter]

Charles, either shoot me a PM with your # or Jim and one of us will walk you through setting it up over the phone. With a bad finger takes too much time to type. You could also ask Kered to type info as he's in the UK.

 

[Critterhunter]

Found this interesting thread in the Etrac forum on the AT PRO doing better at a site he had previously worked with his Etrac...

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?63,1425175,1425244#msg-1425244

The AT PRO appears to be a great land/water unit and some of the threads I've read are getting silver at pretty impressive depths. Can't beat the price of one. For those Sovereign owners who want a water machine it would also make a nice back up as a land unit.

 

[Critterhunter]

Did a search in the AT Pro forum for the words Etrac or Explorer and it appears many are finding things with the At Pro they missed with the other machines. Garrett has a winner. A friend just bought one and I'm trying to talk another friend into selling off his old Whites water unit, which is a bacup to his Excal and so he never uses it, for an At Pro. That way not only does he have a better backup for water hunting, but now he'd have a great land machine as well. He has a 6000 Pro XL and just bought an Etrac, which he isn't all that happy with thus far. Told him the At Pro might become his preference for land hunting if he doesn't start liking the Etrac.

Here's that AT Pro forum search info...

http://www.findmall.com/search.php?79,search=etrac+explorer,author=,page=1,match_type=ANY,match_dates=0,match_forum=79,match_threads=0