Explorer SE mistake or not, help !!!:ranting:

[howlow666]

Where to start, well names Jason and have been on the forums a while now but just got into this one. I have purchased an Explorer SE after having a few Minelab detectors and thought this was the next step. I had a xs2a, Quattro, xterra 70 and now the Explorer with the stock coil. The reason I am posting this message is because it seems that people who have been using explorers and e-trac's have shed some light I was unaware of. For the record I did like the sov xs2a alot even though it was a tank and heavy, but the quattro was not very good at all. It was heavy as well and was so slow to reset that it was taking forever to cover any ground, and pinpointe was usless and I couldnt use it at all. The nail rejection was not great, and sounds much like what I am reading about the explorer I just got. Now if I thought it was the coil alone ( slimline stock ) maybe be ok with it and get something better, but sounds like a general problem with the detector. I have tried to stick with them and move up the line but now feel I have wasted my detector funds for the season on an unreliable detector. I myself can only manage a detector every year or two and usualy sell the one I have to help out getting another. I must say I am discouraged and not to sure why I seem to buy Minelabs thinking I have the best to learn I do not . And the money I spend goes up and up and the quality seems to go down down. Well wanted to know if I have made a mistake with the explorer or not ? Hope to hear what you think. HH,

Jay

 

[rbholt80]

well i dint have the ex2 but i do have the etrac.
i have been a fisher guy for 15 years out of my 25 years in this hobby.
but February of last year i wanted to see what the minelab hype was about so i got the etrac.
it was tough to switch from fisher to minelab.
i couldn't understand the etrac and the tones it made. i didn't get it at all. almost 2 months into the etrac and i was still not getting it.
one day my wife had to actually hold my arm to stop me from throwing it out the window of the car wile driving down the highway, that's how pissed i was with minelab.
She asked me to take a break for a week and rethink things. so i did. i also stopped following the crowd so to speak on setting and things on the etrac.
I found me a fresh virgin site to hunt and changed my setting to what i figured would be better for me and BAM it all came together.
i started finding very deep coins and old coins and rings and relics and i could tell by the tone what it was or may be.
i love it now. i don't hunt with any of my fishers at all now.
so i really don't know what to say to you and i know how you feel. maybe just throw it all out the window and start over on the ex and rethink it.
could be a lemon or could be the mindset that is influenced by all cool aid drinkers that run the same settings and preach that's how you have to run it. bla bla find what works for you. find the settings run up some disc on it change the tones find what works for you and if it still don't feel right don't worry about it cause there are other brands and models that will work just as good.
well that's my emotional support for you and i hope it helps some way. please don't take anything i said the wrong I'm trying to help.

 

[C&RHunter]

I believe Bryce hunts with an SE and has great success with it. So I really don't think you wasted your money on it. it just may take some time to adjust to that machine. I haven't had an SE, but do have an XS and an Etrac, the basics of the machines are about the same. One thing that I personally found out, was not to try and do a lot of things with the machine at first. Once I was used to certain settings and things were coming around for me, then I might try some other settings. I think if you give it time, you will be pleasantly surprised with your results.........Good Luck..

 

[dewcon4414]

A new coil such as the SEF will improve the pinpointing as well as seperation. I use the SE and dont have any problems. Even with the large coil i can sift thru trashy areas and pull some keeper targets. Maybe because i used to used the DFX that i found the SE easy to learn.... the key being ignore those loud ground targets and listen for the deep round modulated tones. They almost sound like interference.... but wil repeat. You might be better off starting out in Ferr sounds so you arent fighting the iron bounce high pitch sounds. Rarely do you start out kicking butt... you will likely see your finds swrink thats normal. Try hunting in a non-trashy area for awhile until you get used to the tones and where targets fall on the smartscreen and so you can get a better handle on the deeper targets.

Dew

 

[Hotcz70]

don't take things very slowly...and I mean very slowly. The explorers are a different beast than any other detector out there.

The factory presets are there for a reason...and they work quite well for a new explorer user.

I bet I have typed this next statement over 100 times in the last year or so... Take your time...slow waaaayyyy down...leave it in the factory presests for some time until you get used to the language the beast is speaking. If you mess with settings...or try too much too fast...you won't be able to RESELL it because.... you will end up wrapping it around a tree

Just my personal opinion...and I know...'cause I've been there.
[attachment 152096 stormylightning.gif]

 

[Jason illinois]

n/t

 

[Patrick(MI)]

I'm still swingin the XS and won't give it up till they pry it from my cold dead fingers. You're 2 levels up from me so the machine you have has to be way more powerful than mine and I'm still getting down to the 11 - 12 inch range.
When I first got my XS I had switched from White's detectors. I decided I was going to learn the new sounds or get my ass kicked trying. Spent 3 solid days hunting with it in factory settings till I was digging the good stuff. Really deep finds came later as I grew more comfortable with the machine. But hey Charles from NY used his with the stock coil and he did very well.
You hang in there Hoss. It'll happen.

 

[jeffmrgan]

give it time you'll learn to love it

 

[Howard Berry]

I have a SE and love everything but the weight. There is a learning curve and if you are patient you will figure it out. I'm not a patient guy. I want immediate results and wanted to throw mine in the river after the first day out. I was fortunate enough to have a friend and mentor that took me under his wing and taught me how to use the machine. My learning curve is almost a circle. I've learned that different soil conditions, temperatures and areas have a lot to do with the performance. Learning how to adjust the settings to compensate for such variables if needed take a long time to learn. I hope I never do figure it all out. That is half the fun for me. If you get tired of your machine just send it my way. I'll take good care of it.

 

[howlow666]

Well thanks everyone, I fully intend on seeing what I can do with it. I did pretty good with the Quattro all things considered, was just hoping the issue with just about rusted through nials was going to be a thing of the past. I find alot of sites I like to hunt have those nails with just a little left on the inside and can make me nuts because I was sure it was a good target. The ground here isnt that great and have noticed the 28 freq detector does a good bit better here than the 17 freq sov xs2a. I was thinking back as well and feel the 1050 coil I had on the quattro had a better feel and sound to it than this slimline one I have now. Will have to see what I can do to replace it with one such as what the explorer II came with if I can sell this one. Thanks again and will see you around the forum, let you know how I make out when the ground thaws. HH L8R

Jay


Pitch hold.......anyone use it ? if so what do you make of it.
Seems alot like my sov did by changing the threashold tone.

 

[dewcon4414]

Those 28 freq are a little diff than the Sov. The Sov's are fixed every 1.7 kHz while the Explorer has 11 channels each have 28 randum set freq's. Pitch hold is great if you hav good ears. I like to hear the changing of the threshold and sometimes if you are barely running the threshold it can switch to a freq that you barely hear. In open ground pitch hold is good because it catches those weak signals and changes threshold so you know to recheck the target. Down side for me was it switched to those high pitch tones with hot rocks and iron squeel too often. You come to learn hot rock and iron sound after awhile and you dont dig nearly as many nails.

Dew

 

[Big Fang Coin Biter]

A lot of people did not like the slimline coil. The first run or so of slimline coils had a high defective rate. Lots of guys used the slimline and it worked ok.

The guys sort of told you but didn't really explain. For those pesky high tones that turn out to be bent or corroded nails, a lot of guys like using Ferrous tones with little or no discrimination that way most of the iron will give you a low tone and then anything else usually hits with a high tone. The drawback for me, I hate looking at the screen every time you get a hit to determine what you have. I much prefer using conductive tones (the tone ID's the target), but the ferrous option is available.

Like Bryce said thought use the machine in the default setup without changing anything until you get the idea of the thing.

Here is the biggest thing you can do to boost your confidence - Find someone in or near your area that is familiar with the Explorer. They can check out your machine to see that it is working properly. They should also be able to shorten your learning curve by giving some tips and comparing signals.

Hope this helps - BF

 

[Crusty]

.
I too had a hard time with my Explorer SE after coming from a X-Terra 70 and 705. What really really help with me was going detecting with a buddy who really knows his Explorer. He was a great help and we would scan targets together and he would explain the nuances of the various sounds. Real in the field experience with another long time explorer user will help to straighten out the learning curve alot.

Dave

 

[howlow666]

Hey Big Fang CB I will take the advise and thanks for the help. I try to learn as much as I can befor hunting with a detector so I can have an idea whats going on. So many people have ther own way of hunting with the explorer, Im sure the best bet is to just go dig and see what I get and go from there. I myself dont find anything on the detector that I am unsure of, just the sounds and how the disc is going to be. I had found that with the Quattro the deeper targets often didnt id very well at all and was forces to dig by sound alone. Maybe I should put something over the machine so I can see what the screen is doing and go like that a few times and see lol. I havnt even been able to go hunting yet since the ground here is still solid, but will as soon as I can thats for sure. Thanks and will catch you around the forum. HH L8R

Jay

 

[dewcon4414]

Patrick.... dont sell the XS short its as deep at any of the Explorers if the operator knows whats he doing. I hunt with a guy that uses an XS and is VERY effective with it. Jay have you got the SE tones set up to the same as the Quattro? That might help. You should be able to get it close by using the Threshold Tone. I believe the Explorer has a little better TID than the Quattro, its faster recovery, and hits harder on targets. The smartscreen is going to jump... any machine is going to jump at 10" on a target. But.... the Explorers do have a distinct bounce that can be learned. Take a look at some of Mikes Moultry's screens.

Dew