I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, so if not, please excuse me.
I've been looking at the E-TRAC and the Spectrum V3i, wondering which one I should eventually purchase. I've asked for comparisons on various boards and based on the answers, still wouldn't be able to make a 'clear' decision.
Then I started playing with the E-TRAC Emulator. If the 'real' machine operates like this Emulator, then I've made my decision - fantastic!
I noticed that some settings can make quite a bit of difference in the response that some targets give. For example, using the Long Tone, I can differentiate between a bronze Memorial Cent and a 'wheatie', by the sound. This doesn't happen when using the Normal Tone - both sound very similar, with only a very slight difference in pitch of the tones. But with the Long Tone, I can reliably get a 'single' tone when I scan over the Memorial Cent (sometimes 'warbling' tones, but a good part of the time, I can get a 'single' tone). But with the Wheatie, I get a 'warbling' tone all the time.
To me, this is amazing. I watched videos on Youtube of people using the E-TRAC and I thought that all of the various tones would be more confusing than useful, at least to me. But after playing with the Emulator, I see that I was wrong - the multiple tones, once learned, can be VERY valuable in determing what the target really is, before digging it. I did notice, too, that the unit can be set to use 1, 2, or 4 tones, as well, so it can still 'emulate' the other machines that don't have the 'flexibility' in generating sounds.
So, is this emulator giving me an accurate 'picture' of what I can expect with an E-TRAC? (I hope so
).
John Rayfield, Jr.
I've been looking at the E-TRAC and the Spectrum V3i, wondering which one I should eventually purchase. I've asked for comparisons on various boards and based on the answers, still wouldn't be able to make a 'clear' decision.
Then I started playing with the E-TRAC Emulator. If the 'real' machine operates like this Emulator, then I've made my decision - fantastic!
I noticed that some settings can make quite a bit of difference in the response that some targets give. For example, using the Long Tone, I can differentiate between a bronze Memorial Cent and a 'wheatie', by the sound. This doesn't happen when using the Normal Tone - both sound very similar, with only a very slight difference in pitch of the tones. But with the Long Tone, I can reliably get a 'single' tone when I scan over the Memorial Cent (sometimes 'warbling' tones, but a good part of the time, I can get a 'single' tone). But with the Wheatie, I get a 'warbling' tone all the time.
To me, this is amazing. I watched videos on Youtube of people using the E-TRAC and I thought that all of the various tones would be more confusing than useful, at least to me. But after playing with the Emulator, I see that I was wrong - the multiple tones, once learned, can be VERY valuable in determing what the target really is, before digging it. I did notice, too, that the unit can be set to use 1, 2, or 4 tones, as well, so it can still 'emulate' the other machines that don't have the 'flexibility' in generating sounds.
So, is this emulator giving me an accurate 'picture' of what I can expect with an E-TRAC? (I hope so
).John Rayfield, Jr.