MINELAB E-TRAC

[rattpack55]

Hi Tippyhound, thanks for the message here. I think you are right that this machine will find anything. I have been out and wore my hand out digging. I wore the skin off my hand and can now only use one hand for awhile lol. I seem to find everything that is 6 to 12 inches deep or deeper. I have found no silver yet. I need to go find some old houses or old parks that other people have missed. I will go back to the local dealer than I purchase from he is local. He is Windy City Detectors but I will get back with him. He is always busy so far. I am a little hard of hearing but not much and I hear this machine loud and clear. My back also bothers me and I just reposition my arm or detector and keep going. I don't have any good finds or anything yet but i'm still hopeful. I wanted to go to Florida this past weekend but I didn't make it. Ok thanks for the help. Good detecting to you. Mark

 

[tippyhound]

Hi Rattpack55 - Sounds like your putting the hours in and digging the signals. I don't know of any other way to get experience. Try to remember the FE/CO numbers your digging, what your digging, and the tones you are hearing.
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Go to the top of this forum page and you will find a Link to a lot of TDI numbers for thr E-Trac posted by Ray-MO. Make a copy of them and carry them with you when you are hunting, can't beat having a good referance point when you are out there digging.

I have had my E-Trac for only three weeks and so far have found two silver dimes a 1914D Barber Dime and a 1947 Rosie, neither was over 5" deep. The Rosie was one sided but had a really high pitched tone, turned out there was a piece of iron (nulled) less then a inch from the dime. By the way I am only using the 4 tone audio CO response. I found the multi tone was a little to much for my hearing problem.

I have found many nickles and clad and also copper pennies, but so far Indian Heads and Wheaties are eluding me. We are having very dry weather conditions in central Illinois right now and this may have something to do with the lack of deeper coins. Also I don't like digging on public lands when it is so dry, good way to get us kicked out and a park or school put off limits.

Wish you were closer, wouldn't mind having some one working with a E-Trac to hunt with. A little fun competition and someone to compare finds with always makes the hobby more enjoyable.

Check out U-Tube video's and type in Minelab E-Trac Learning. I found two video's there that showed me a couple coin programs that have helped in really trashy areas.

Again I hope this helps to some degree, The old coins are there just keep digging. Rick

 

[rattpack55]

Hi Rick, thanks for the message here. I will look at the videos on Utube. I tried at work but its blocked by the firewall at work lol. Now why would they NOT want us to get on Utube at work? So I will check when I get home this morning. I went out and all I found this last time was two pennies new the surface. I know I found some other coins but I did not dig them at the park. I checked the FE and CO and i'm positive they are good coins but they were over 6 inches deep at the local park. I am making some of my own dig tools and some soft brass probes. I have one probe made already but i'm going to make some more. I'm was getting some good readings on the coins I didn't dig in the park yet like 12 - 43 but the park ground is hard as a rock and I already wore blisters on my hand so that is why i'm going to modify my digging tools. Make them easier on the hands. If you would like to get together I am coming down that was on the 26th of Oct and coming back on the 29th. Maybe we could meet on the afternoon of the 26th or maybe the half way early on the 29th? My blisters are healing and should be ok by then. Please let me know and we can have as you say a little competition. Thanks Mark

 

[tippyhound]

Hi Mark- Glad the hand is doing better and good luck on the probe. Weather man is saying we will get some rain this coming Sat. & Sunday but he has promised that before.
Wife and I got out for about an hour this afternoon and found my third silver dime (1945-S Mercury Dime) in the three weeks I've owned this E-Trac. It was hard earned as I left the discriminate open trying to work through some very heavy trash and we dug a ton of crumpled old aluminum Beer caps. Read close to nickles. Also got a clad quarter and two copper pennies, and a very ornate bronze button about 3/8 " across.
Man is that ground hard, the Mercury Dime was 5" down (read 12-44 12-45 and the high pitch sang like a bird) and I literally had to chip it out of the ground.
Unless this rain comes soon I think I'm going to quit till we get some. Just to much work and a probe is useless. Best of luck Rick

 

[rattpack55]

Hi Rick, thanks for the message. I didn't go out the last few days cause of my hand even though its been nice. My hand is getting better every day. I have made a few probes and have enough things to make at least two more probes. Yes the ground is very very hard. I had some really good readings but my hand was to sore to dig them up as they were all more than 6 inches deep. I also got some good readings that showed my target was over 12 inches deep. That is how i tore the skin off the palm of my hand trying to dig up a target that read 12 inches deep in the hard soil. I was getting silver readings in like 6 places I was not able to dig up cause of my hand. I do also hope it rains a little while i'm sleeping lol. I would still like to meet up with you some time. I made my probes but I think I could use a Pro Pointer or something like that for deeper holes. Ok well take care and God Bless Nice finds you have there. I would love to find some Mercury dimes. Thanks again Mark

 

[electricmetal21]

I own an E-TRAC and an Explorer II. Both are great machines. There's no machine out there that will give you more information about the targets you're seeing.

But, that's just it, they give you A LOT of information. They give you so much information it feels like you're getting information overload. They pick up all the metal they see in the ground (and they see a lot of it, junk metal, pop tabs, iron, silver, gold, coins, old rusty nails, and everything else) and present it to you on your screen. It's up to you using the Minelab numbers, the screen, your knowledge, and the machines discrimination to sort it all out and learn what the machine is trying to tell you. They're somewhat complicated to run and they're not turn on and go machines. But, once you get past the learning stage, you won't want to run anything else.

 

[electricmetal21]

Why are we getting these artifact detecting team advertising posts on this website?

 

[BiggestDawg]

I am also new to, and learning, the E-Trac after using a Whites XLT about 10yrs ago. All the above is excellent info but my 2 cents (zinc) is buy Andy's "The Minelab Explorer & E-Trac Handbook"! Read it and read it until the pages fall out......

BD

 

[rattpack55]

Hi all thanks for the messages here. I'm not getting out as much as I wanted to. I have to work 11 days in a row. I work full time job and this week I have to go work for the Army reserves for 3 days. As soon as I get down with that back to my full time job again. I was close to home detecting and I was digging a target and my room mate picks up my detector and he found a quarter on the surface in less than two minutes ha ha ha. I have not found a quarter yet or any silver yet. Seems everywhere I go so far has six inches of top soil dumped on it. I know my E trac sees targets at least a foot deep. I have not dug any deep ones yet cause my hand is still healing. But I will be again soon. I just made me four brass probes with rat tail file handles on them. They look like they were bought in a store. I am still coming up with an idea how to dig easier since the ground is so hard. Ok thanks everyone. Is there anyone in the area of Ohare that might like to detect together? Please let me know. Mark