Help with Quickmask

[jimmyk]

HI, all:

Picking up my new E-Trac today. I've downloaded the manual and have read Andy's great book, but I'm still real hazy on the Quickmask function. I read posts saying it's helpful with double checking a signal, but I need so real world experinece people to explain how you set it up and the benefits it provides. Sorry for being so dense. Never used an Explorer, so don't have that experience going for me. Thanks for your help.

jimmyk in MIssouri

 

[Des Dunne]

Hi jimmyk,

Quickmask is a handy tool for a number of reasons...
As others have said, it's a 'Quick' way to check signals: If using a lot of Iron Masking the audio from such targets might sound cut-off and/or muted. (as in the Factory set Coins program due to Iron Masking AND some Discrimination being on)
Having an 'open screen' (in Quickmask) offers a fast way to check those signals.

Alternatively, you can save the Quickmask into the Smartfind screen with a 'small bit' of Iron Masking active.
Essentially, the Smartfind screen would be [almost] wide open... say at an FE value of 31 or so!
Then, your Quickmask screen could be kept wide open and the cursor can then be observed more closely to see what it does on some targets that may be a bit tricky to ID as in deeper than average targets ( 8" + ) or, on-edge or buried at acute angle coins, and those times when a coin might be close to a piece of trash or iron. Use the Quickmask Button to jump from screen to screen...(don't press the Detect button as you will be asked do you want to save etc and can waste time or get confused and could mess up the pattern!)
Essentially though, the Audio is your friend and should probably be your primary aid in judging any target and then use the tone, cursor placement, FE and CO numbers and the depth gague as back up methods to suss out just what the targets are!
The other benefit of the Quickmask saved into your Smartfind screen is you can also "build" a pattern via the EDIT MODE SCREEN Auto-Reject button to instantly reject nuisance targets using the SMALL cursor and hopefully avoid digging more of them in a hunt. This method can be constantly re-done on different sites and it probably wouldn't give the best results to use the same pattern at each site: patterns are SITE DEPENDANT...meaning it would depend on just what trash and junk targets are buried along with the coins and artefacts you would like to recover. Having said all that, the GOLDEN RULE is: try not to use any Discrimination if at all possible!!!!

Good Hunting

DesiD

 

[jimmyk]

Thanks, Des. Got my E-Trac late, today. Looking forward to giving it a go tomorrow.

jimmyk in Missouri