I received my (new to me) explorer II w/ 1050 coil in the mail a few days ago. This is the first Minelab I have owned. I have spent a good amount of time downloading and reading the manual and reading Andy's Etrac/Exp book. The Etrac/Exp. emulators really helped familiarize as well as all the advice and tips on this forum. After assembling the machine, I began testing to see how all the coins sounded and where they landed on the smart screen. I really don't see myself using the digital screen. In fact, I noticed I really don't look at the smart screen much either in the field. I do tend to look at the depth gauge to get some idea but that's about it. When the targets sound small and clean and "right", I dig. I didn't find anything in the 10"+ range, the deepest were maybe 5-7". I still have a few bugs to work out but things seem to be going ok. I am happy I purchased the Minelab and feel a little less like I am still walking past the good stuff. TC & HH, JJ