Manual Sens

[mikeothmer]

I'd really like to hear more from those of you who are trying The Manual Sensitivity. I've been playing with it some but work has not allowed me much time. Can most of you run at 24 plus? I was at 20 and back off a bit. I really wish there was more information available! Mike

 

[JamesBondaka]

I cannot run that high normally....I have tried setting the manual as high as I can get it but then again havent seen too much difference in running it high in manual as opposed to auto +3.....and its alot quieter.

If you dont know about Andys book for etrac...you should get it.

 

[ziphius]

This works for me: I run manual sensitivity as high as possible and only back off if I start to get a lot of falsing or interference. I've experimented with this over deep coin signals (deeper than 7 inches) and I would not have heard some of the coins if I had run in Auto sensitivity. Auto wanted to run the machine (or the highest channel) at 20-21. I only started picking up the deep coin once I got above 24. Some soils and/or conditions simply won't allow for jacking up the sensitivity too much though. You gotta experiment over real signals in the field. Takes some patience to not dig a signal right away, but that's how you will learn more about this great machine. Good luck. - Jim

 

[moonshine]

i keep mine at 24 and either adjust up to 26 or down from 24. usually i just leave it at 24. i DO get a lot of iron and ground signals.

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

It really depends on site and location. Manual almost always causes a more unstable machine since it brings all channels to same level. Auto + 2 or 3 is a great way to hunt.

 

[Ray-Mo.]

I run in highest possible manual 90% of the time.It is noisy and not for the novice as it takes a lot of practice to overcome all the noise and falsing at some sites.However most of the sites I hunt have been hammered for years and the extra depth pays off for me.I used auto +3 for a lot of hours before working up to high manual.If depth is not a big issue I still run auto +3 as it is so stable and a pleasure to the ears.Also in auto the ID numbers are more accurate and update much faster.I dig almost entirely based on tones/sound and depth so that is not an issue for me at most sites.

 

[MNetrac]

.I used auto +3 for a lot of hours before working up to high manual.If depth is not a big issue I still run auto +3 as it is so stable and a pleasure to the ears.Also in auto the ID numbers are more accurate and update much faster.I dig almost entirely based on tones/sound and depth so that is not an issue for me at most sites.

Can you please elaborate on what it means to hunt "based on tones/sounds and depth"? I hear this alot but am not sure exactly what this means - I use TTF mostly and do hear a lot of high pitched sounds that come in with ID numbers that represent trash and/or iron. I don't dig them, but if I didn't look at the ID and just used sounds and depth I would not be able to tell the difference between silver and trash.

Thanks for any clarity you can provide. I have had my etrac for about 3 months and am still learning.

 

[mikeothmer]

Thank you for all the Feedback. I had tried it some in the past but really lacked information . I have seen several members trying it lately and thought I might learn from or with them. I have read and reread Andy's book many times but lack feedback when I have questions and I didn't feel he went into enough depth on the Manual Sensitivity. The knowledge I gain from reading about your experience is very valuable to me and I would think others also. Thanks again !

 

[Ray-Mo.]

It is possible to glean a lot of info from the sound and tones given by a target plus using the depth gauge to leave the shallow clad at many sites.TTF does not give you much info sound/tone wise and that is why I reserve it for very old relic sites and the occasional extreme iron/nail laden site.I find TTF to be a severe handicap for most public sites with lots of modern trash,foil and can slaw/aluminum shards unless you are a dig it all to get the gold type hunter.

Another thing with TTF I read very little about is the fact that good targets at the max depth break up and will often give a mixed high tone and low iron grunt in my ground.Also smallish targets like small gold and smaller bullets/relics do the same thing at depth.Once you learn this you can often tell the difference in good and bad targets by sound but it takes some practice. Often target audio in multi conductive will degrade tone wise as well but not to the same degree as in TTF .For instance I dug a worn Barber dime several days ago at a full 10" depth that was a lower tone like an Indian head would normally be but still sounded like a deep coin to my ears and had that small solid signature sound a coin gives most times.

I find pinpoint mode to be a very valuable tool as well on deep targets to help me identify a coin or token verses a larger or other than round coin shaped target.Hope this helps you a bit and the more you hunt/practice with the E-Trac the more you will like it and understand it's language,Ray.

PS. A good set off high quality headphones are a must to get all the E-Trac and most other high end machines have to offer.

 

[MNetrac]

It is possible to glean a lot of info from the sound and tones given by a target plus using the depth gauge to leave the shallow clad at many sites.TTF does not give you much info sound/tone wise and that is why I reserve it for very old relic sites and the occasional extreme iron/nail laden site.I find TTF to be a severe handicap for most public sites with lots of modern trash,foil and can slaw/aluminum shards unless you are a dig it all to get the gold type hunter.

Another thing with TTF I read very little about is the fact that good targets at the max depth break up and will often give a mixed high tone and low iron grunt in my ground.Also smallish targets like small gold and smaller bullets/relics do the same thing at depth.Once you learn this you can often tell the difference in good and bad targets by sound but it takes some practice. Often target audio in multi conductive will degrade tone wise as well but not to the same degree as in TTF .For instance I dug a worn Barber dime several days ago at a full 10" depth that was a lower tone like an Indian head would normally be but still sounded like a deep coin to my ears and had that small solid signature sound a coin gives most times.

I find pinpoint mode to be a very valuable tool as well on deep targets to help me identify a coin or token verses a larger or other than round coin shaped target.Hope this helps you a bit and the more you hunt/practice with the E-Trac the more you will like it and understand it's language,Ray.

PS. A good set off high quality headphones are a must to get all the E-Trac and most other high end machines have to offer.

Thanks Ray!

 

[grouser]

Would you say the Koss headphones that come with the etrac are up to the task or do I need an upgrade? I have bad hearing and usually figure the extra money is not worth it to my ears ,,,, but welcome your thoughts

 

[Ray-Mo.]

n/t

 

[Southwind]

I used Auto +3 for quite awhile before I started using manual. I now use manual at 24 to 26 most of the time. I still switch back to Auto +3 in really trashy areas, but I am getting a little more goodies out of some areas using manual.