Machine "Lock on" and an On Edge Target w iron attached

[earthmansurfer]

Hey Guys,

The ground will probably be frozen here shortly so I thought to put up a couple of videos which are more on the educational side. I thought had noticed this "E-Trac locking on to targets" and got it on video. This is where you get a so so signal and then it appears to get better.

I recovered this disc or dog tag like object attached to a small iron rusting iron ring at around 6". The E-Trac gave a very clear repeatable signal on it, which is interesting considering it was exactly on edge at 90 degrees. I think this is a great example of recovering a target that is touching iron.

Further, notice how the E-Trac "locks on" to the target after initially not giving as good of a signal and VDI. Just repeated short sweeps of the target seem to do this. I never realized another detector I had doing this?

As usual watch the video on YouTube at 480 res to be able to see the screen. I wonder why it doesn't give the option here, maybe because I have revenue sharing turned off? (no ads)

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO7h5NcU9JM[/video]

 

[Jason in Enid]

I have noticed the same thing. Iffy, junky sound with just enough high tone to make you check it out more. Sweep, sweep, sweep and it locks in. Can't explain it, because the detector doesn't know you are over the same target or different targets. Just one more reason to love the E-Trac.

 

[Bowie]

Well, I havent many hours on the machine yet. However, signals like that have turned out to be a false off iron, for me. I keep digging iffy signals but its turning out to be more like Im trying to force a target to be good,lol. Does that make sense, hahaha.
I am finding coins now, but I have had to change my locations. Where I was in nasty spots full of iron and modern trash, (vacant lot where a older home has been torn down or burned) to one where the house is still standing, thus less nails in the ground. I am finally finding coins in a spot like this, but havent run across a deep target, deep being 8 to 10 inch range. Most have been 4 to 6 inch.
I have tried TTF, in an old plantation site located in a soybean field. No luck, I just havent run my coil across a target or just cant seperate/interpet the signals I am receiving.
So far, for me, the target has to be pretty much islolated, Im having no luck finding a conductive target mixed in junk targets, and I have dug very very many holes so far. Ive also used a smaller coil. Maybe I just havent run across a target yet, mixed with junk targets.

HH,
John

 

[earthmansurfer]

Hey John, thanks a lot for sharing your experiences there. If it makes you feel any better I'm hunting a spot with lots of coins that has seen lots of use and few detectorists. So, I don't think I'd normally be able to find so many deeper (I won't say deep as I hear the E-Trac goes deeper, like 12"!). That said, with lots of people, lots of trash have come.

I don't get fooled by iron that often, but I think it's because most of the iron where I'm at is really really old, like over 100 years and so it is easy to differentiate. Since your new I'll share with you a good tip that has been mention here quite a bit I see. When you find a deep iffy target, go to an open quick mask and see if the target spends most of the time in the lower right corner. Sure, some coins will make it down that far but most don't go below 24 to 27, and I think that is on bounces. When a target is really in that lower right corner, it is often iron. The second part of the test would be to see if it pinpoints off center. But, be careful as it's always possible it's a coin next to iron. Anyway, since we are both new, the best advice is to dig and have fun digging. Think of it as "paying your dues" in a sense.

Further, when I find a deeper target (say past the half way point on the depth meter.) I start changing settings - one at a time - to see the response. It's all like a learning game. I'm not trying to see how many deep coins I can find (well, ok, to a point I am) but rather I'm trying to see what each setting does. It's one thing to read that the audio long setting helps in trash or on deep targets. It's another to switch from normal to long and see what it does.

Often when I get a target I guess "this is iron" or "this is a deep coin". Even if I'm wrong it's sort of like a game.

I play with TTF as well, but there is a bit too much trash where I hunt. And actually, the iron is so thick that when I do find a coin in TTF I switch to conductive sounds and it just stands out better. But it's a process.

By the way, what is your soil like? I have had many detectors in these parts and wasn't finding many deep coins, if any. It was the soil for sure that was my main obstacle.

Anyway, lastly, the "lock on" is worth investigating deeper. It clearly is a nice advantage of having an E-Trac.

All the best learning your machine,
Albert

 

[Bowie]

What is the soil like. Most places, while running in Auto+3, I get readings of 20 and above, like the place I hunted today, it was 28. I understand everything you have stated and thanks!
I have hunted mainly with my older Whites unit, an XL Pro and have found many silver and older coins over the years but I dont ever find anything below 6 inches, sometimes, but rarely, maybe around 8.
So, I got to thinking , why not try a new unit. I like to find silver coins. The E-Trac and Explorers have a very good reputation for finding silver coins. I hunt in old sites with a lot of old nails, cast iron pieces, farm implement pieces. So I was excited to get the E-Trac as I have read that it excels in those kinds of environments.
I learned something today, I need to slow down, thought I was slowed down, but I need to slow down more, or it seems that way.
I think, at this point, this machine is going to be excellant hunting in town, old homes, schools and parks. But at this point, I dont know about the farm fields. I may just purchase another Tejon. I havent done to well with TTF, or I havent learned how to use it well, I should say.
I was confused at first, blaming the iron falsing and its high tones, but I am using more disc now, and hunting in a bit cleaner areas to learn the tones. I will keep doing that for the next several months and see how it turns out for me.
You know, it just may not be for me, then, as a lot of guys have told me, you gotta learn it, then it will click one day.
Also, you have to have that coil over a coin, no coins there, no signals.
Thanks again,
John

 

[EtracTom-AdirondacksNY]

Yes you need to go fairly slow with this detector like 4=5 seconds on each direction of your sweep ie. 4-5 left to right then 4-5 right to left slow down and really listen like your painting with a paintbrush is how the sweeps go.

Keep the coil flat on the ground it doesn't like air under it for maximum effectiveness.

TTF you run a pretty much open quick mask screen and just discriminate out from cond 1 fe 1 to cond 30 fe 1 across the top most line of the screen to knock out iron wrap around false signals. You can hear all the low iron grunts but your listining for only the HIGH TONE signals and then double check in a 90 degree direction change and check target ID no's to see if you want to dig or not. It's that simple really. In a field I would dig all high tones. In a park I would check my ID first and then decide.

If in Auto+3 you get above 22 sensitivity then try GROUND NORMAL instead of DIFFICULT which is what you run it in all the rest of the time unless it's a sandy area like a beach or a plowed field which has air in the soil now from being plowed.

ALso run TRASH HIGH pretty much all the time as that gives it the see through capability of signaling on a good target next to a discriminated out bad or bigger target or nearby bad target. If the area doesn't have many signals try TRASH NORMAL instead.

Good targets sound cleaner on the signal iron is more broken and screetchy scratchy. If in doubt og to wide open iron mask screen and if the cursor is in the bottom right hand corner it's iron junk don't dig move on. If the cursor stays up at about 1/4 of the way off the bottom like ferrous 25 and up towards the middle of the screen like ferrous 20 or 19 or 17 then dig it up. The conductive number is really what your only interested in to give you an idea of what potential the target may be.