Explorer SE

[Architex]

I have posted this on another forum but got no response so:

I have one of the "original" SE's, bought new in 2006. Used it a lot and never noticed a problem. I have had to lay off detecting for a few years but am now back into it. From a forum I learned that the coil that came with it may have some kind of problem. SO my questions are: Did all the coils of that vintage have a problem or just some of them. If mine has a problem how would I know that since I have never used another coil?

I am asking because the suggested solution is to buy the coil that now comes with the E-Trac but I am not anxious to blow $209.00 if it's not necessary.

Any help out there?

 

[roadapple]

TEST IT !!! Just get all up and running take ....take the detector outside with good clean ground and put out some test coins to see how they react with signals .......remember just because we read something bad about equipment that someone does not care for does not make the equipment bad unless you have poor results when you use it. Give it run just the way it is before dumping it. Best of Luck !!

 

[Architex]

I have done that long since and noticed no problem.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[5900_XL-1]

The hunt buddy I run with has one of the older SE machines with the Slimline, he's had it a long, long line time...he kills it in silvers on out hunts! I own a newer Pro coil and we compare signals a lot. His Slimline is solid.

 

[Architex]

OK then. Thank You.

 

[Charles (Upstate NY)]

Frisbee the slimline coil into the trash and put a SE Pro coil on. To further answer your question, that was a poor coil design and some falsed horribly requiring you to turn down your sensitivity to deal with the faulty coil. Some early SE's also had serious issues in the control box and malfunctioned badly. On some the screen would freak out, parts of the display jogged up off the top wrapped around back up through the bottom. Other problems with these units would only be noticed by very experienced users of the Explorer II, used to running the machine at limits. It was quite obvious the bad units were not performing properly. I purchased two early SE machines, both were bad. I located a 3rd with a later serial number and that one worked fine.

For this reason I have steered clear of Explorer SE's altogether, the Explorer SE Pro with its redesigned pro coil is far superior imo, been using one ever since. Best coil ever produced for an Explorer imo. Its a silver monster and not just coins but tiny silver jewelry, how small? Small stud earrings, even the silver backs of stud earrings, very fine silver chains. I spent several seasons hunting beaches with the machine, its a beast.

As for low conductive targets here feast your eyes...

 

[Charles (Upstate NY)]

No I'm NOT done yet...guess what this is...its 2 Spanish 8 reales from a shipwreck. Read on to see how deep these were...

Here's another example...

Now we are going to talk about just how deep an Explorer SE Pro and its stock Pro coil can go. During a beach replenishment a giant dredge sucked sand up off the ocean floor and pumped it up onto the beach, rebuilding the beach worn back due to storm erosion. The dredge ran across a 1700's shipwreck offshore and pumped shipwreck coins up onto the beach. As this loose replenishment sand began eroding back with each storm, it exposed the coins.

I had arrived at the 'spot' late one day, a well known hunter had already located and recovered 8 coins in the small area that was giving up coins on that day. I spent an hour or so checking north/south of his spot nothing. I stopped to say hello on my way back to my truck. He had not been able to find any more coins. He was using an eTrac or CTX I don't remember which. He said go ahead and see if I could locate any in his spot.

I walked 3 feet and BANG, no not some screaming loud silver signal, not even a whisper. The target was only enough to barely disturb my Explorer SE Pro. The cursor just kind of wobbled on the screen, dang it was way down just above the pull tab zone and barely even making an audio tone. I run my machine CRANKED on the beach so this thing, whatever it was is DEEP.

I told him well I don't know what's down there, but there's something there, there, and there 3 targets. We dug out a crater about 2 feet wide and deep so I could stick my coil down in the hole, BINGO she was screaming silver now. 4 hours later...we had recovered over 40 Spanish 8 reales, the oldest a World coin from the 1750's.

I have dug thousands of targets inland in the dirt with Explorers, but the best place to practice running an Explorer and testing just how deep, or how small a target they will go is on a beach. I have used the original Explorer, the II, SE, SE Pro, eTrac, and CTX. Nothing has outperformed the SE Pro with that coil. Most head to head contests of my SE Pro vs an eTrac or CTX resulted in me first having to find the deep/difficult target, then those guys tweaking and reprogramming their machines until it could at least match the SE Pro. Not to say those machines are not good, they were eventually able to get their machines on par with my SE Pro.

 

[Architex]

-- moved topic --

 

[UtahRich]

Great Story Charles,

Thanks for sharing and the pics.

Rich -

 

[Tony N (Michigan)]

Great story Charles,
Would you mind sharing with us your settings?