Several people have reported issues with the Detector Pro interfering with the Explorer or E-Trac (or the Safari / Quattro). I initially had the same complaint but a quick call to Gary at DetectorPro solved the problem rather than dumping it.
There is a FREQUENCY control under the door on the Pistol Probe. When you turn your Minelab on and noise cancel it, press the ON button on the probe and adjust the frequency until you eliminate any interference with the detector. Obviously you want to have the probe away from the coil as you would laying it down and digging the hole but that just makes sense. Granted there may be a slight adjustment each time you start out but once the adjustment is made, there is no interference.
Should that point be better explained in the manual? Maybe but it does explain the purpose of the frequency control fairly well. It does say "Frequency Control: Adjust this control if you are getting electrical interference (from your detector)".
It also states "The frequency control is used only if other electronics are interfering with the probe (constant noise). Some multifrequency detectors can cause interference. If you have electrical interference, turn the frequency knob in either direction, then readjust threshold control. You may have to experiment with the frequency adjustments until you are not getting inference."
Once I made that slight adjustment in how I used it, all interference was eliminated. By the way, it is not just a Minelab thing either . . . I had to do the same thing with my Whites DFX.
The big advantage of the Pistol Probe (or the new Garrett ProPointer which my wife and son use and I have in my field bag as well) is that they are far more rugged than past probes and are far easier to operate when checking each hole; i.e., simply push the button, find the target, and move one - no adjustment prior to each use or falsing in the hole.
For me - and many I have talked to - there are two other big factors that made the buying decision an easy one to make.
1) No additional weight added to the detector: Granted the E-Trac has better balance and ergonomics than the Explorer, Safari or Quattro but adding 11 ounces back onto any of them is not an option to many people. Even the DFX which has better balance and wright gets heavy with a probe affixed to the shaft. I broke my collar bone a few years ago in an accident and the weight albeit slight made extended use painful. The X-1 is an excellent product but for those that feel the basic detector is heavy enough already, check out the difference adding 11 ounces makes before going that route.
2) Versatility: The newer probes allow you to get performance that past probes never provided and do not tie you to using it on only one detector. If you have several different detectors, you will have a probe that works with any of them without buying one for each.
Before this post starts an "X-1 Firestorm" let me reiterate that the X-1 is an excellent product, does provide target Id capabilities similar to the detector it is used on (since it is an actual coil switchable on its control box) and does not need batteries since it uses the battery power from the detector but the additional weight is a factor that for many makes a big difference in opting for that route. Also, the fact it is limited to the specific detector it is mounted on is another consideration.
I had never been a probe guy for the reasons discussed above but after using both the DetectorPro Pistol Probe and the Garrett ProPointer, I quickly found myself using a probe all the time. The DetectorPro is larger but goes deeper and when relic hunting, the extra depth has helped me in many cases. The Garrett is more compact and is a dream to operate.
So as far as interference goes, not a problem with the Minelab detectors + the DetectorPro probe. Gary did extensive testing with Minelabs before releasing the probe and a slight adjustment eliminates the interference issue.
Hope this helps
Andy Sabisch
