ET Pinpointing - Such a Simple Thing...NOT!!

[grumpyolman]

I have been reading on how good the ET pinpoints and some saying it's so good it's 'scary'. I can't figure out the pinpoint worth a darn. I hit the pinpoint and listen to the sound and watch the bars at the top get darker and converge on the center, then look under where the rod connects to the coil and start feeling for the coin. Always, I have to go the probe to get a better location and on shallow stuff I even put the probe in pinpoint. I have found a way to make it work for me but there is a lot of wasted time doing this. I have other machines I can pinpoint with no problem but with the ET I'm lucky if I am withing 12" of the target. I read Andy's book and the part about pinpointing. I pretty sure it's operator error but is there maybe something fishy about my coil that is causing this? Got silver each of the last three times I went out. Some were deep but I had to use an excavator to find the target. (That's a little exaggeration.) Jim

 

[JCJEXPLORER]

Jim, I've had no problems except w/ very small targets. (Example: Buckshot lead small) What pinpoint mode are you using?

 

[Steve from Ohio]

Have you tried "SIZING" mode for pinpointing?

I use that exclusively and it really is so good it is scary. Best pinpoint system I have ever seen on any machine.

I can locate a coin to within an inch and I do not need to dig craters to find coins. Plus it helps to have a Pistol Probe pin pointer just to verify.

 

[Sonny(IN)]

Do you find the coin in the center of the coil or do you drag the coil and then get the coin off the front end. That seems to work well also. works because of the DD coil ,,coming off the front end.. Both ways work well...

 

[Trocar]

I have the same trouble.[size=medium] Most of the time I end up digging a foot circle. It's very seldom it is ever over the item I'm digging. But, I have found a method that is working for me. I'm from the old "Whites " detector way of thinking and I love the feature to reduce the signal when pinpointing by clicking the switch several time close to the target. I've found that when I have a hard time getting the Minelab to give me a close idea of the location, I find the strongest signal with Pinpoint on, and hold the head there and click the Pinpoint button out of pinpoint and then click it again back into Pinpoint. Most of the time the signal has been greatly reduced in size and under the middle of the head. Sometimes it seems to disappear. I then move the head off the target and start over again by re clicking the pinpoint a little off the strongest signal. That way I will get a small ,short signal over the item. This system doesn't always work because of other targets in the area of the main signal. It locks on to any metal with the pinpoint even when hunting in discriminate, as I do mostly. Give this method a shot. It has helped me and saved the detector from me wrapping it around the closest tree, which I've come close too a few times now. All in all, it's a great detector (I still have buckets to learn about it.) but every time I take it out to my old hunted out camps I find relics deeper than my other detector can pick up ,and in all the masking junk.
Hope this helps----[/size]

 

[unearth]

Hello-
I was having some difficulty in pinpointing for a while, but after reading about pinpointing in Andy's book, I'm having much better luck. I'm finding the targets usually within 1 or 2 inches of the center. Now my plugs are smaller.

The method I'm now using is on page 55 of Andy's book. "The Wiggle". Give it a try, it might work for you.

HH Gary

 

[Hungry]

Jim, Center the coil with the bars like you are doing, Then pull the coil back towards you until thje signal stops, Then push the coil forward untill you get a signal again. The target will be about 2" back towards the centre of the coil from the front edge. Try this out at home, you'll see this is spot on. Bob

 

[grumpyolman]

Lots of things to try and I thanks all for the lessons. I use factory settings, except for sensitivity, high trash, difficult ground and deep on. I can't seem to find a pattern that repeats where the target is from one coin to the next. I haven't done the wiggle as I thought that was more of an Explorer method. I'll re-read Andys book where suggested and look into the sizing changes.
The machine automatically desensitizes when going over the target so I don't do the pinpoint button more than once, I look where I am getting the strongest signal and visualize the coin is under the coil where the rod attaches to the coil. It's not there and it's not CONSISTENTLY somewhere else or I would make that accommodation and dig 3" to the left, etc., of where I thought it was. I am sure it's me and not the machine. I seem to have tackled a lot of the other hard parts of the machine but I can't pinpoint for darn. Jim

 

[Kal]

forget about using the button for pinpoint. When you get your signal just work the signal while moving the coil backwards and when the signal disappears its right in front of the coil usually right in the little v of the coil. Works every time for me.

 

[Andy Sabisch]

The E-Trac excels in finding good targets amongst trash. In many cases, trying the "Wiggle" either pulling it towards you or pushing it away and looking for the point the signal drops off will not work when under these conditions. The Pinpoint circuit will get you within a 1-2 inch circle of the target. If you are having problems, especially with shallow targets, try lifting the coil off the ground several inches and then dropping it down when you have the strongest indication. Using the NORMAL pinpoint mode vs. SIZING is also recommended. Finally, you can try de-tuning the E-Trac by moving towards the target, switching out of pinpoint and then back in . . . this will de-sensitize the coil and make pinpointing easier. Be careful you are not over some other stronger target or the one you are looking for will have disappeared.

Hope this helps.

Andy

 

[mike - in]

I have for the backhoe is 12" so I seldom have problems getting the target.

 

[jeff & Maria]

n/t

 

[grumpyolman]

Yaeh! But the 12" bucket disturbs the signal too much and the probe on my belt would continually vibrate...Hmmm! That could be a GOOD thing.


Jim

 

[BuckeyeBrad]

is if the coin target that you're not centering up on very well is actually on edge to some degree. I've noticed that each successive version of the Explorer (yeah, yeah, I know... this isn't an Explorer any more ) gets better at sniffing out coins that are on edge than the previous version. I remember when I first got the SE and after a couple hunts was thinking I might have made a mistake dumping the II. I was hitting sites that had produced well in the past but were seemingly pretty smoked now. I started finding a lot of good old deep silver and indians but I was almost always quite a ways off on where I thought they were to where they actually were. At first I was thinking pinpoint problems with the detector and then to confirm, I started recovering the targets very carefully in order to see how they were actually laying when detected. ALL that were pinpointing "of center" were on edge (except a few that were colocated with ferrous trash like Andy alluded to) and I gotta assume that's why they were missed originally with my previous detectors used at these sites and why the pinpoint was seemingly "off". Try that and it will show if that's what you're dealing with now or not. Just a thought.

 

[grumpyolman]

I decided today, before I go hunting for real, I'll throw some coins in the grass and put a blanket or something over them. Then I'll poke my ice pick through where I think the target is and see if I hit something solid. No! I don't usually use an ice pick. A detecting buddy showed me an oyster knife that he uses for the shallower stuff. It's a great tool. The end does not have a sharp point and it has two edges that can be sharpened a little to slit the grass. You can then put the point under the target and pry it to the top like you would a weed in the garden. They are tough and you don't have to worry about breaking the blade. I've pried on stuff that would break a knife blade but it doesn't touch the oyster knife. It's about 3 1/2 inches long and anything deeper than that you probably ought to flap or plug. It's got a nice fat rubber handle too. Jim

 

[ZincolnDigr]

As Steve suggested, use the "sizing" pinpoint mode. Works great!

 

[grumpyolman]

I went out and tried the method Andy suggested. Holding the coil off the ground while using the pinpoint function. It worked much better that way. I still had some problems that I will explain in a new post. Jim

 

[fallenCrow27]

I read a post on youtube from gary brunn, he has tested out the ET and everyone has great ideas but what works for me is either pinpointing mode but making sure that your not over the target when you start pinpointing. If you didn't know allready the machine when holding it parrallel to the ground will begin a sized reduction on the object, where each sweep slow will take longer, whilst a faster sweep will shrink the target to roughly cm's of the target. I have had my ET for about 2 weeks and have practiced at home in my clean yard. I believe when spring hits since I live in the tundra land of Maine I will be very good and targets will be aplenty.