Difference in Depth Readings

[The Nutty Teacher]

Hello Folks,

Clearly posting questions on the regular E-Trac Forum is a serious breach of protocol, so I'll post
my questions here.

I've had my E-Trac up and running for a little over a week now. Yesterday was the first day I ran only the
E-trac doing old homes where the lawn had been removed. I found three silver dimes, 1907 to 1953,
four tokens, and a few wheat pennies.

Last Friday, I used 15" WOT coil that I used for years with my Explorer II, on the E-Trac at a similar site
with greater success. I noticed however, that the depth indicator on the E-trac was reading about three inches
deeper than where the actual targets were found. I believe I was pinpointing correctly for both the E-Trac and the WOT.
There could be a legitimate question here as the WOT pinpoints toward the front, while the E-Trac 11" DD pinpoints
much more toward the center of the coil.

Yesterday, when working in similar sites, with the E-Trac with the stock 11" DD coil, the depths indicated were
where the targets actually were.

My first question is, is there some reason the 15" WOT reads deeper with the E-Trac?
My second question is, should I purchase the 15" X 12" Butterfly Coil or the 10" X 14" DD Excelerator coil
to more evenly match a larger coil to the E-Trac?.
My third question is, as I seldom detect beaches,which of the two coils I've mentioned, would be more useful?

Thank you in advance for your, hoped for, replies.

Respectfully,

The Nutty Teacher

 

[diggin jimmy hoffa]

The Etrac is calibrated to the 11" Pro Coil, so the depth readings will be off if you use a bigger or smaller coil.

I can't remember exactly what the formula is when using a different size coil.

As for the other questions, sorry but I can't help there.

Good Luck
DJH

 

[The Nutty Teacher]

Hello DJH,

I really appreciate the reply.

I haven't checked the E-Trac's responses with the two smaller Explorer II coils yet. Those are next steps.

Respectfully,

The Nutty Teacher

 

[diggin jimmy hoffa]

Now that I have given it more thought, I do believe that a small coil will show on the depth meter that an object is deeper than it actually is and a big coil such as the WOT will show that it is shallower than it actually is.

It's been a while since I had used the WOT coil, but I do think that is the way I remember it.

If you already have the WOT coil, there really wouldn't be much need to get the 15x12, but that is just my opinion.

Good Luck

 

[The Nutty Teacher]

Hello Again DJH,

Your recent comment is exactly what has been bothering me, as the WOT consistently gives me a 3"
deeper reading.

There is a very slight possibility that other ferrous targets are lurking beneath my target during the pinpoint mode. I'll
find a place void of lurking subtargets to retest this mystery.

Thank you again for your comments.

Respectfully,

The Nutty Teacher

 

[Explorer.se]

Hello Folks,

Clearly posting questions on the regular E-Trac Forum is a serious breach of protocol, so I'll post
my questions here.

I've had my E-Trac up and running for a little over a week now. Yesterday was the first day I ran only the
E-trac doing old homes where the lawn had been removed. I found three silver dimes, 1907 to 1953,
four tokens, and a few wheat pennies.

Last Friday, I used 15" WOT coil that I used for years with my Explorer II, on the E-Trac at a similar site
with greater success. I noticed however, that the depth indicator on the E-trac was reading about three inches
deeper than where the actual targets were found. I believe I was pinpointing correctly for both the E-Trac and the WOT.
There could be a legitimate question here as the WOT pinpoints toward the front, while the E-Trac 11" DD pinpoints
much more toward the center of the coil.

Yesterday, when working in similar sites, with the E-Trac with the stock 11" DD coil, the depths indicated were
where the targets actually were.

My first question is, is there some reason the 15" WOT reads deeper with the E-Trac?
My second question is, should I purchase the 15" X 12" Butterfly Coil or the 10" X 14" DD Excelerator coil
to more evenly match a larger coil to the E-Trac?.
My third question is, as I seldom detect beaches,which of the two coils I've mentioned, would be more useful?

Thank you in advance for your, hoped for, replies.

Respectfully,

The Nutty Teacher

Maybe you can reset the machine and that would solve the issue with the WOT.

 

[UtahRich]

Just a thought here. Not saying that this is the issue above, but a related problem some might be having.

I've had problems when pinpointing and trying to get a depth reading of being too quick on the pinpoint button. What I mean is that I am slowly moving the coil in normal discriminate search mode back and forth over the prospective target and then I switch over to pinpoint with part of my coil still over the target, effectively 'detuning' the detector before I even get that first depth reading at full pinpoint level. This gives me an inaccurate, deeper reading on the target. Similar can happen if you are hunting a trashy site and there are adjacent targets to what you want to pinpoint. With most detectors, IF you switch over to pinpoint, with your coil over any target, seen or unseen, you have just detuned it. The depth reading won't be accurate.


Rich (Utah)

 

[Explorer.se]

I hear what you are saying Rich so in essence its better to go low and slow then right? So the machine can pick up proper depth then, right?

 

[UtahRich]

Let me rephrase a little bit -

If you push the Pinpoint button while part of your coil is still over the target, you won't get an accurate depth reading.

And, if you push the Pinpoint button while the coil is over an adjacent target, you won't get an accurate depth reading.

It can be a little tricky to get an accurate depth reading if you are in an area with lots of trash.

Rich

I hear what you are saying Rich so in essence its better to go low and slow then right? So the machine can pick up proper depth then, right?

 

[Explorer.se]

Let me rephrase a little bit -

If you push the Pinpoint button while part of your coil is still over the target, you won't get an accurate depth reading.

And, if you push the Pinpoint button while the coil is over an adjacent target, you won't get an accurate depth reading.

It can be a little tricky to get an accurate depth reading if you are in an area with lots of trash.

Rich

I hear what you are saying Rich so in essence its better to go low and slow then right? So the machine can pick up proper depth then, right?

Ok I hear you. It makes sense I have a WOT and I have not used it so much but the pinpointing was an issue for me before. I will reexamine my use of the WOT. Thank you Rich.

 

[UtahRich]

Explorer SE,

As you gain more and more field experience with your etrac (and this principle applies to other detectors as well), you will get very good at hearing a target and knowing from the audio response whether that target is a possible keeper. Don't be afraid to tinker with your settings when you find targets and see if alternate settings give you better results. Find a target, good or bad, and see what happens when you change things. How do the audio and visual respond? If you do this on a frequent basis, you will become a believer on the settings that work for you where you hunt. Consider the settings used by others as starting points for yourself. Experiment. If you settle on those exact settings, great, if you find some even better, excellent.

Best of luck out there.

Rich

 

[Explorer.se]

Explorer SE,

As you gain more and more field experience with your etrac (and this principle applies to other detectors as well), you will get very good at hearing a target and knowing from the audio response whether that target is a possible keeper. Don't be afraid to tinker with your settings when you find targets and see if alternate settings give you better results. Find a target, good or bad, and see what happens when you change things. How do the audio and visual respond? If you do this on a frequent basis, you will become a believer on the settings that work for you where you hunt. Consider the settings used by others as starting points for yourself. Experiment. If you settle on those exact settings, great, if you find some even better, excellent.

Best of luck out there.

Rich that is some great advice and I will do it as I love my Minelab Explorer SE Pro and my Etrac and I do want to become one with both of my machines. I have my work cut out for me but you are right I need to do my due diligence.