Love my Explorer`s

[ralphiejc]

I`ve been using the Explorer`s almost exclusively since they first came out in 99..I have the XS,II and SE pro..I`ve been so successful with them finding gold,platinum,silver etc that I had a shirt made showing the Explorer on the front and a jewelery box(that was filled 4 times) full of finds on the back..I called Minelab and got the ok to use the Explorer photo on the shirt for personal use..as long as I dont sell them they said its ok..I like it better than wearing a generic `metal detecting`shirt...I normally dont by/wear shirts advertising companies but these Explorers have paid for themselves many times over and this is just a small way to show my appreation..Hope you Explorer users like it..Ralph

 

[Coin Rescue Inc]

Cool shirt!

 

[TwoRivers]

I like it! You've done quite well on your finds........

 

[IDXMonster]

It's nice having something that's a "one off", nobody else has it,and the shirt is pretty cool Ralph! Since you've been an avid user of the Ex, what might be the lesser known tips and tricks YOU use to find all of your good items? In your opinion,though both matter,is it more location or user skill? Do any of your machines respond differently in the audio over gold or say,a pulltab? If so,can the difference in audio be put into words? One of the times I found a small ring with my EX2 I knew it was a very different signal,and though I had a good feeling it was a ring,I didn't know for sure. I was using the Excelerator E 5" coil and the hit was clean but abrupt,like a very tight pattern. A bit off center it went away. My IDX Pro responds the same way to rings,very very solid but in a very small spot. Any "special info" you'd like to put out there as far as gold and platinum hunting goes? I think the majority of EX users are able to hit the higher conductors quite well,at least after awhile but the mid/low conductors will always be a challenge,due to the un-uniformity of jewelry and garbage.
Did I say..."Nice shirt!"

Kevin

 

[chipper97]

Great looking shirt! I love my Explorer SE pro too and hoping to make it "Explorer's" as well soon. Looking to pick up a nice XS. Sounds like you've had a fantastic 16 year stretch with the Explorer's. I've had mine for just under a year and 1/2 and have had some nice finds so far. I personally don't believe I could've taken any other machine into some of the hard hunted sites I've been and found as much silver(and a couple of gold rings). I've hunted with a CZ 5, and long ago a Garrett Master Hunter 7. But the Explorer tops them all. I've had joker's ride by while I'm in a park shouting "you ain't gonna find **** out there!" I had a nice chuckle knowing what I'd pulled from that park over the past year. Maybe if I'd been wearing your shirt they'd have understood. Continued good hunting!

 

[ralphiejc]

Kevin (+ others),Glad you like the shirt,I love wearing it.It expresses my passion for the hobie and my satisfaction with the Explorer.Thanks.... in regards to the machines-I found one falt in the SX ,that was corrected in the II + SE and that was hearing the response tone well before the cursor(crosshairs)would move to a coordinate on the screen .Annoying at first but after becoming familiar with the tones the cursor location became secondary....I respond to the tones.... other than that I cant think of any major differences.Factory say faster processors as the new replaced the old. From the beginning I wanted to get the most out of the machine,in terms of discrimination(the reason for bying it )..So as I became familiar with it I gradually kicked up the variability and limits to max, giving me the most tone discrimination available.Bench testing is a good way to learn some of the tones...I always used the`smart` screen rather than trying to remember numbers in the digital display and used conductivity, with coins,silver-High..gold,nickles,pulltabs-low..Just my preferances... You mentioned Pulltabs!!!Damn them!!.Like trying to get rid of an x-wife..(Oops!!..thats not politically correct...sorry)One thing I did early on was to put a clear laminant sheet over the screen.(the type used to protect id cards and such)Then I bench tested, dropping the sensitivity to 2 and ran every piece of gold I could gather under the coil(one at a time) and using a fine marker put a dot at the center of each crosshair location.After a while a pattern arose and even though Ive done that with over 100 pieces of gold there were only maybe 20 dots on the screen..(the darker verticle spots in photo)Not to say thats the only locations gold can show up on.There were more tone differences though.Then I ran numerous pulltabs under the coil,complete,bent,broken etc and they all came up on one of the `gold`dots..except for the footprint tab (newer type with 2 holes)which fell between the break in the verticle gold pattern with a slightly different tone than other tabs.Moral?Pulltabs are here to stay!.unless some company figures out how to seperate tabs from gold and markets it....but it seem they like to `spoon feed` us with advancements with machines so that may take a while...They do offer GPS though..... The Explorers can be very frustrating machines in the beginning because they give you a lot of setting options..They take time to learn but its time well spent As you know if your not sure gold is where your hunting ,you dig everything and hope to get lucky..But I was fortionate enough to hunt 10yrs at beaches used from the late 1800s (found gold wedding band dated Nov.25,1879)and abandoned in the late 60s))that were loaded with gold waiting to be found...(EVERY TH`S dream).So with the Explorer I was able to be very selective ..I dug everything that fell into or near the gold response of the machine and ignored coins(high tones,pennies,dimes,quarters and yes,even silver tones).When you can dig gold why waste time digging coins. Bottom line-learn your machine..do research for potential` hot spots`...and yes,luck always plays a part!!.... By the way,Andy Sabisch has a good book out with tips on the explorer and is well worth reading.. HH Ralph

 

[digthattone]

Great idea ralph using the laminate ...might just try that.
Thx.

 

[Dan-Pa.]

Indeed once learned a super unit....A super lightweight one would sell like hotcakes....are you Minelab manufacturers listening...???

 

[Nuke em]

Indeed once learned a super unit....A super lightweight one would sell like hotcakes....are you Minelab manufacturers listening...???

Not likely , anyway the Explorer range has been discontinued for a while now.
Maybe a new lightweight E.Trac will come ? unlikely though , it would effect the CTX sales .

 

[Dan-Pa.]

Explorers may be slow but are deeper and have that dig me whine on silver that the E-tracs do not..May be discontinued but still in Minelabs files and could easily be remade although doubt if they could shave off much weight...

 

[Nuke em]

They could shave off weight but its not in their nature .
I think maybe the Explorer is better on Silver i think the ET is better on coinage , the ET has far better target info or at least the numbers. Both are the same on Gold though.

 

[Wheat Cent]

They could shave off weight but its not in their nature .
I think maybe the Explorer is better on Silver i think the ET is better on coinage , the ET has far better target info or at least the numbers. Both are the same on Gold though.

Currently the best mine lab machine as far as silver tones is the safari it's the easiest to determine that the target is silver since most targets will only ring up 37-39 when they are silver. The explorers are good but very slow. The etrac is a joke and I feel mine lab will discontinue it first. The ctx is a much more viable long term investment but mine lab over charges for it. So most will just buy a safari if that happens.

 

[Nuke em]

I feel the ET is the best in terms of bang for buck , has more settings than the Explorer and the Safari and much lower price than the CTX with most of the settings that count.
I find Silver or Gold equally with either the ET or Explorer .
But anyway it depends on settings and discrim which ever you have.