Gain Settings For Trash & Deep Sites Along With Deep/Fast

[Critterhunter]

As I've said before, I'm researching settings for a few friends who just bought Etracs, although I don't own one myself at the moment. One friend in particular doesn't like doing this kind of stuff while I love it, so I've been snooping around and asking questions after having read the manual and Andy's book. Most of the settings for various sites I've pretty much pinned down but I still have a few questions.

Right now for deep/non-trashy sites we are going to use deep on and fast off, and the reverse of that for trashy sites. For the deep sites many are using 28 for gain. I hear this will amplify deep coins yet still provide a volume distinction to tell target depths. How do you feel about this?

Second, with fast on deep off in trash do you think gain should be lowered? Reason why I ask is because I have read that a high gain setting will cause the VDI to stick or slow down and hurt unmasking. If that's true then I need a good number for it in high trash. I was thinking 24 might be better in trash?

 

[CDDZ]

24 Gain sounds like a good start in high trash, I use that setting in most of my yard hunts. The gain setting affects all target, where as deep affects weak(deep) signals only

 

[NebTrac]

I spent a little while thinking about your inquiry and how I'd hunt what with the sites your planning on hunting. I guess I'd have to see what was there and at what depth. To start out with I'd running Deep Off and Fast On at both sites. I run my gain around 24 and have deep coins (9") come in loud and clear with both factory Koss 30's and also my SunRay Pro-Golds. I'd just leave those settings and see what turns up. If your finding the newer trash at that 5/6" depth, then I might think about running Deep ON, higher gain and also going into Manual Sens.

NebTrac

 

[CDDZ]

I spent a little while thinking about your inquiry and how I'd hunt what with the sites your planning on hunting. I guess I'd have to see what was there and at what depth. To start out with I'd running Deep Off and Fast On at both sites. I run my gain around 24 and have deep coins (9") come in loud and clear with both factory Koss 30's and also my SunRay Pro-Golds. I'd just leave those settings and see what turns up. If your finding the newer trash at that 5/6" depth, then I might think about running Deep ON, higher gain and also going into Manual Sens.

NebTrac

Why would you run with deep on with trash at that depth. The DEEP setting amplifies weak signals. Volume GAIN amplifies ALL tragets. I think you may have it backwards Neb.

 

[sugar]

i cant add much to the above posta as still learning but i am sure there is alot of us that watch your posts and try and take it in what you are saying so thanks for that guys keep discussing best settings for different sites and happy hunting to you all

 

[NebTrac]

I spent a little while thinking about your inquiry and how I'd hunt what with the sites your planning on hunting. I guess I'd have to see what was there and at what depth. To start out with I'd running Deep Off and Fast On at both sites. I run my gain around 24 and have deep coins (9") come in loud and clear with both factory Koss 30's and also my SunRay Pro-Golds. I'd just leave those settings and see what turns up. If your finding the newer trash at that 5/6" depth, then I might think about running Deep ON, higher gain and also going into Manual Sens.

NebTrac

Why would you run with deep on with trash at that depth. The DEEP setting amplifies weak signals. Volume GAIN amplifies ALL tragets. I think you may have it backwards Neb.

You're absolutely right on there CDDZ. The way I was thinking, is the experience I've had around my hunting ground. Most of the stuff I see around here is 5-6 inches deep. I feel no need to run Deep ON. At 24 gain I can hear the deep targets just fine - the 7-9" penny and dimes. I'm not saying I catch it all by no means, but what I'm finding is the FIRST SETTLERS "ERA" LOST COINS and RELICS.

There are a few places that the targets are deep and due to flooding I'd like to spend a little more time fiddleing with the settings there.

I agree that if you know the targets are running a consistant 8" deep and over, then for sure DEEP ON or MAXED gain would be the way to go. The reason I was saying "newer trash at 5 to 6" in depth (I'm talking 70's type pull tabs and what not), then the older stuff might be deeper and you'd want to adjust for that.

What led me to "think" about CritterHunters post so much was not whether or not they should have Deep ON or OFF at whichever site....it was the "One friend in particular doesn't like doing this kind of stuff while I love it". I think without CritterHunter doing a bunch of running with the machine they might both get frustrated. So I was going for a "set it for the most part and leave it for a hunt or two" and see what you're machine is telling you.

As a side note - One thing I have noticed is that when running in Auto, I have a hard time telling the difference between say 3" targets and 8" targets. I've really never noticed the amplification difference (and thats running Deep OFF and gain set at 24). Only when I switch to Manual sens. do I hear a distinct difference, and that's been since day one with the E-Trac. I don't know if dropping the gain even lower would rectify this or not. I've tried it a time or two and then I "chicken" out thinking I might be missing something and go back to 24.

I guess now that the "honeymoon" stage is over with my machine, I'll use this season to try a few different settings and see what happens.

NebTrac

 

[CDDZ]

Same here with taking the gain much lower than 24. Supposed to have decent weather here all week I will mess around with the setting a bit more. I recall hearing the depth modulation a few times at older sites, usualy turned out to be an IH. With silver on the other hand I don't ever recall hearing it....... Etrac loves the silver!

 

[NebTrac]

Chad,

I went out to the test garden for a minute. With the SunRay's it isn't until that 18 and 16 mark that I could really tell the difference in depth in Auto. So it does do what its supposed to....(yeah, I was assuming it being my own fault - ). I guess that was one setting I never really messed with too much. Having all kinds of fun diggin' good stuff up where it was.

These were 8" deep IH's, makes me wonder how deep the stuff was that sounded really weak...maybe I don't want to know.

NebTrac

 

[Gaz]

I spent a little while thinking about your inquiry and how I'd hunt what with the sites your planning on hunting. I guess I'd have to see what was there and at what depth. To start out with I'd running Deep Off and Fast On at both sites. I run my gain around 24 and have deep coins (9") come in loud and clear with both factory Koss 30's and also my SunRay Pro-Golds. I'd just leave those settings and see what turns up. If your finding the newer trash at that 5/6" depth, then I might think about running Deep ON, higher gain and also going into Manual Sens.

NebTrac

Why would you run with deep on with trash at that depth. The DEEP setting amplifies weak signals. Volume GAIN amplifies ALL tragets. I think you may have it backwards Neb.

It's correct that Volume gain amplifies but it's not exactly correct that it's ALL targets.

Many people know that I run TTF with DEEP OFF and FAST ON because I think it's the fastest way to use the ETrac.....anyway....turning DEEP OFF turns off additional filtering
that amplifies weak signals leaving strong signals unaffected.

VOLUME GAIN does the same the thing. By turning it up, it amplifies the weaker signals more the stronger signals.
If you look in your manual, the graph showing the linear relationship between signal strength and amplification is quite good. As volume gain increases again....weak signals thump through and the strong signals only increase their amplification marginally.

This is what DEEP ON does but with the additional filtering slowing the machine down.

This is why I choose DEEP OFF, FAST ON, VOLUME GAIN 30.

Gaz.

 

[sugar]

i do try and follow what you are saying at the moment i run TTF with deep on fast on volume gain 30 i run mostly on paddock land with the 15 x 12 sef coil any comments would be appreciated i am willing to try anything in the field i think if i find a target then i can switch to a suggested alteration and see which i prefer i need to get deep thanks you guys i am having a great time because the etrac keeps telling me it knows something is there and guess what it is always right how cool is that happy hunting you guys the machine is awesome

 

[Gaz]

...contrary to what alot of newbies think.....DEEP ON does nothing to increase your depth. It just amplifies weak signals......

 

[sugar]

yes and isnt that what we are wanting to do i feel a but coming is there some trade off????????????????

 

[pro778]

I always run with my gain at 30 and long tones. When I hit a good target it screams dig here. Last week I tried lowering the gain down to 10 or 15 to see the difference. I couldn't stand straining my ears to hear some little sound. I hit a 1911 penny at about 8" with the gain at 15. I could hardly tell what it was. I pumped up the gain and it rang thru like it was on the surface. I'll stick with the gain all the way up from now on. I didn't see any difference it the FE CO numbers on either setting.