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Never used a Minelab - SE on the way!

saginawian

New member
Hello all. I've been detecting for 12 years and never touched a Minelab. Really, now that I think of it - I've never hunted with anyone using a Minelab either. I've been a Tesoro/ Fisher user mostly. I just traded for a used SE - and I can't wait to get it and try it out! I'm getting the slimline coil and the FBS 10" coil with it. So what are the must have coils and accessories? I know this one has a killer learning curve (good thing I'm patient) - are there any good websites about this detector?

Thanks, Ian
 
The manual says no matter how long you have been detecting and ever how many detectors you have used STUDY THE MANUAL VERY WELL! The Explorer is different than any detector you may have used. But stick with it. It is probably the best detector you will ever use once you understand it....Jack
 
YOU MUST BUY A PROBE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The X-1 is the one you will need for the Minelab Explorer!!!! That is the best investment i have ever made for my detector,,,, You will start digging deeper holes... That in line probe from Sunray is a life saver!! i will never own another detector without one!!!!!! After you learn the detector,, Then start swaping coils,,, I love my 8 inch coil,, and my 12 inch SEF.. Hope the info helped!!! Good luck and Welcome to the world of minelab!!!
Derrell
P.S The learning curve isnt bad at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Thanks guys - Yep - that X-1 probe has got to be my first purchase then. I can only hope to be digging deep holes - with coins at the bottom! I'm totally hyped to get this detector. I know it's not the E-trac - but It's pretty darn good from what I read - so I'm going to hit my old spots and post everything I find. Should I consider the pro coil yet or wait to get used to the stock one first?

Ian
 
Ian,
i would just get know the machine,,,, The pro coil is nice,,, I have it and the SEF... It wouldnt hurt anything to buy a new coil.... But if you don't end up liking the machine... I would hate for you to end up spending the extra money,, I found tons of great things with the stock coil... just hunt slow and listen!!!!!! you will do fine!!!!!
Derrell
 
Congrats on getting your Explorer, first thing you need to know is its not a Tesero. I didn't care too much a few years ago when I bought my first Minelab, just didn't act like my Whites I had used all my life. When I finally figured out it wasn't a Whites I had more finds my first year as far as silver and Indians were concerned I was amazed! Derrell has the gist of it.Go slow, dig those deep "iffy" signals and just have fun, you will triple your finds! Its truly a turn on and go detector!! The more you dig when you first get it out the more you will start to understand how sweet this beast is!! Good Luck and hope to see some killer finds. If you can find someone close with a Minelab that could help too!!
 
Derrelld said:
Ian,
, The pro coil is nice,,, I have it and the SEF... It wouldnt hurt anything to buy a new coil.... Derrell


Which coil do you preferr... The SEF or the Pro... if you had to choose..
 
I would disagree that it has a killer learning curve. As long as you start out sweeping slow and use auto sensitivity, it's actually quite easy to adapt.

Must have coils? 6" Excellerator!
 
I bought the se back in May of last year. It can be rather difficult at first but reading the technical posts on this site, reading Andy Sabichs book and asking questions on this site will clear things up for you. After you do your reading, go slow and dig all the deep iffy signals. I was a little frustrated last year but after reading all the info over winter, I feel like it is all making sense now. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions. PJ
 
Forget everything you know about your previous units and don't worry about probes and acc. coils until you get your feet on the ground..I would use quickstart for a while and slowly move into advanced lest you get confused. Be prepared for a heavy unit, bunch of flute like tunes and pinpointing with a double D coil. Keep it simple and swing slowly
and if you know a proficient Explorer user it will cut down the learning period if he mentors you. When it arrives you will have in your hands perhaps the best silver coin unit on the market once its learned and your old hunting areas will become new hunting areas because of its abilities. As far as sites Google it and you will find lots of sites and material to help you out. Many proficient members of the forum so do ask questions and welcome to the world of exploring..
 
I can say from personal experience that it had a "learning curve" because I didn't put in enough time with it initially and got frustrated so the "learning curve" will straighten out really quickly if you put the time in.
 
mtpockets said:
Derrelld said:
Ian,
, The pro coil is nice,,, I have it and the SEF... It wouldn't hurt anything to buy a new coil.... Derrell


Which coil do you preferr... The SEF or the Pro... if you had to choose..

I loved the Pro coil when it arrived!! i found lots of deep targets!!!! The SEF is what i have had on the detector for the last month or so... And I'm having problems taking it off lol To me,, It pin points better than the Pro,,, And separates better!!! Soon i am going to take both of them out,, find a target and switch them out, to see witch one sounds better... I will post my thoughts as soon as i do!!!! At the moment i would choose the SEF!!!!
Derrell
 
It isn't so much what coils you use as it is just taking your time. I got lucky last year and was able to hunt with Bryce...who is probably one of the most gifted hunters out there. I learned so much hunting with him a few times that it cut the learning curve down a lot. The main thing I learned was to hunt by sound and to take my time. He never let me get frustrated when he was finding more than I was. He just told me to slow down....and listen to the sounds...until they started to make some sense to me.
My best advice would be the exact same that he gave me....just take your time...and swing the coil slowly.
 
I have to agree with Deeponedge,,,,,,when i first got mine which was used, I went digging with Derrel ,Jack and Tim , and the very first thing i learned was to go slow, and i didnt change any settings until i knew what the sounds were, its kind of a pain in the [you know what at first ] but after a few hours of hunting you will know what sounds are what, the main thing is ,DIG EVERYTHING AT FIRST, after a few hours then be picky on what you dig ,and mess with settings, How ever i dig anything that makes a sound , and i always dig the pull tab sounds,
 
Thanks for all the encouragement! Seems like this is the forum to come with Minelab questions - other forums barely get any feedback, lots of know how here. I have been reading the manual and watching video clip here and there and I'll be sure to detect slowly and dig everything at first. I'm thinking of a few spots that are low trash that shouldn't be too overwhelming for my first few hunts. I think I will wait to get any other coils as suggested, because the stock coil should give me good results to start with and I want to make sure I understand the machine first. Does the X-1 probe make the SE unbalanced? How does the coil wire attach - considering that they are made to be concealed in the rod? Well, since I barely know anything about the machine at this point - I don't even really have many questions to ask yet! I'm still trying to grasp the concept of the cross hair thingy and the lack of traditional VDI numbers. Oh yeah, I asked this a while back on another board and got some conflicting info. - can the SE be operated on a single tone setting - I'm a little concerned about the many tone thing being used to single tone machines for so long?

Thanks again all, Ian
 
try too much too quickly or you will probably get overwhelmed. The learning curve is NOT what many people say it is as long as you take your time and learn what the machine is telling you. When you first get an explorer you don't want to try 50 different suggestions from 50 different people. Just simply read the manual and pretty much use the machine at the recomended factory presets. Once you have spent many hours on it familiarizing yourself with the sounds....then you can begin to experiment a little with settings. Good luck...and remember...if you take the time to learn the language the SE speaks....you will be rewarded with some deep coin finds.
 
Good post Dan.
 
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