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New E-Trac, First Impressions:jump:

M

MHirschmann

Member
So I have been playing with my new ET for the past couple of days and I have to say, it is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME. I couldn't agree more with the comments that the ET is not a glorified Explorer. This machine is completely different. I thought it would take a while to learn the new menu/setup, but after a few hours of tinkering with it and playing with the emulator, I already know where everything is and how it works. I have downloaded both ETrac Xchange and ETrac Manager and they are both great, but I must say, I prefer ETrac Manager already. I have loaded others patterns as well as creating my own patterns simply by inputting everything that I have at home (coins, jewelry etc). This machine is awesome. I wish that that the various detector shops/Minelab had done a better job at communicating exactly how different/great this machine is, I would have bought one much sooner. I havent taken it on a hunt yet but I will this afternoon. I have noticed that the machine is much more stable than my Se Pro and it is better in my test garden. I can't wait to go out and hit this old farm this afternoon, I'm sure this machine will bring me nothing but happiness. Although I didn't originally think I owuld use the PC interface much, after playing with it for hours connected to the computer, I completely see the point of it now and am sure my machine will spend almost as much time being tweeked on my computer as it does out in the field. I thank you all for your information here on the forums as this is what pushed me to get the ET finally. I think the Se Pro wont see too much time in my hands now that I have this new machine. For others of you that are thinking about the switch, I can't stress enough how the ET is not an Explorer. This was a hard fact for me to accept before I bought one but now that I have a few days, and countless hours playing with it, I have to stress again that the ET is a completely different machine. My review is by no means the say-all, be-all, but from my point of view, this machine is fantastic. I hope to post up some ET finds as soon as I recover them from our warm Minnesotan soil. HH -Marc
 
Congratulations on your new E-Trac. I've had mine for 2 months and I really enjoy it. You should read Andy Sabitch's book on the E-Trac/SE Pro.
Great information about getting the most from your detector. Happy hunting.
 
Thanks reltolbert, I already have Andy's book as I have progressed to the E-Trac via an Se Pro (and I bought Andys book the same day that I bought the Se Pro). Im really glad that the second half of the book now applies to me. I can't wait to get out with this machine but I have to wait until tomorrow. Happy Hunting!
 
HAPPY HUNTING and please as a newbie to detecting only eight months let me know about the plus factors of having the programes loaded as i have not used the computer side at all and i am looking for deep targets thanks have a great time are you working conductive or ferrous love to get an update
 
Hi Sugar, thanks for your message. I am not using ferrous. I honestly like cond-multi tones the best for my style of hunting. Some people simplify by lowering the number of tones, but I prefer to hear them all. I know some people on here like ferrous but the reduced tones arent for me. I loaded TTF onto my machine as one of my modes and i can really see where that can/will come in handy in the right place. If you have an ET, I can already highly recommend, with my limited experience with this machine, that you get yours connected to your computer. I have been loading different patterns like crazy and modifying them since I picked up my machine. I feel that there are the gold "old-fashioned" turn on, tweak, and go machines and then there are ET's. The flexibility, when hooked up to my computer, to make minor changes, is amazing. I have opened up the stock coin pattern quite a bit already as I have found it to miss deep targets in test garden. I really like Andys coin pattern opened for gold. Everyone has a different pattern that is going to work well for them, given their area, ground and the type of targets you are looking for. Making/managing these changes on the ET is just so easy that I cant think of owning this machine and not running it through a computer on a regular basis. I am no expert, as I just picked up my ET last week, but I do know Minelab machines and this one is a completely different beast from any machine I have ever owned. I hope my message helped you in some way. Try connecting yours to your computer, upload some patterns, create some modes and give it a try. If you dont like it, hit reset and you havent lost anything other than time. Good luck and let me know what you think if you give it a try. HH -Marc
 
thanks for your time it should be fun i will tell you what i am hunting ok i have fifteen acres once owned by the cistercian monks i have an old roman villa in a field to the north five bronze aged burials in a field to the south and in a field with three humps i have dug about three hundred targets using two tone ferrous and auto sensitivity. ok most of the finds are buttons and georgian and victorian coins i have however dug one roman coin 270 ad and i am trying to prove the waterway to the south of the land is the cardyke dug by the romans i am trying manual sensitivity but at this point i have to add i am tone deaf and cannot seem to hear the different tones you guys go on about i know that there is far more down there than i dare to imagine and am looking for away to increase my depth without falsing i realize you may not be in a position at the moment to give me an answer to a great programe but i know you will get to it quickly as i can tell from your lingo that you will understands its quips much quicker than myself anyway i will leave my scenerio with you and if you come up with a great programe for depth that may be easy on the ears i would love to hear from you again or from anyone else that can get really deep thanks tou guys and gals HAPPY HUNTING
 
Hi Sugar, your problem sounds like one that I have read on this forum quite a lot. Maybe you should try a different set of headphones which put through different/better sound(s) for your hearing. Your patterns can be perfect but if you don't hear those tones that you are looking for, the pattern loses a lot of importance in my opinion. I prefer sounds over what the digi-screen says. I am 25 years old and luckily have great hearing. If you have a local detector shop maybe they can let you try a few different headphones so you can see if you find some that work for you. Alternatively, I hope that someone on here with hearing/tone difficulties can chime in and recommend some headphones that have worked for them. Since I dont have that problem, I cant give you any honest/true advice. At this point, it sounds like you are doing great with the patterns you are running, maybe the targets you are missing are not a questions of pattern, but rather a question of hearing what your machine is telling you. Your spot sure sounds like a great/fun/exciting place to hunt. If there is one pattern I can recommend, I would try Andys coin program that has been greatly opened up. It sounds like your approach of using TTF is perfect for where you are though. I would keep going as you are and maybe trying some different headphones. Oh, one question quickly, what pattern are you using TTF in? I am sorry that I cant really help you too much at this point. I am heading out for an extremely long day of dive and land hunting tomorrow and will think about your situation a bit more when I have that fresh air going into my head. I hope this helped at least a little and I hope to get some useful answers for you soon. HH -Marc
 
One other thing that just came to mind, have you tried a different coil(s)? This could greatly increase your success as you can run a smaller coil "hotter" and your falsing issues might be cured. I have had great luck using my 4.5x7 DD excelerator coil when things get too noisy. Let us know what coil(s) you have tried and maybe I, or someone else on here, can recommend something for you situation. It would also help if you let us know your ground conditions, general area as this can greatly influence recommendations. You dont have to let us know too much obviously, your spot sounds hot and I wouldnt share where you are either, but some general area information and ground information would be helpful. -Marc
 
thanks for the info and your time i am in the uk and i am using the large 15 x 11 sef coil which i have found revealing i have thought about a better pair of earphones but i had dismissed it as you have brought it up i think it is a reason to relook at a better pair i wonder if anyone can tell me if i would be better for depth with a smaller or bigger coil???????????????????to see if i can get anymore help i think i will put a topic up to try and get anymore ideas hope you have a great hunt talk soon
 
Having put quite a few hours on my new ET now, I have made one more observation that many other ET users have mentioned. I have noticed that I can not rely on the numbers too much when making a decision on a target. With this machine, the numbers and plotting are great, but they are not fool-proof by any means. Most of my targets do not correspond to the air-tested ID database that I have created, or downloaded from other users here on the forum. For those of you just getting on this machine, I can't stress enough that you have to learn the tones, they never lie with this machine, in my so far limited use of it. The numbers will generally tell you if the target under your coil is worth investigating or not, and they can give you a general idea of whats there, but they by no means tell you exactly what is there. When it comes to nickels, the machine seems to lock on and be very precise (just like many of you have mentioned). On most other targets, however, I have to rely on tones and use the information the machine gives me to make a more detailed decision. All I can say so far is this machine is fabulous. It is stable, precise, easy to use and the ability to upload and edit other peoples patterns has been absolutely invaluable. Learn those tones guys and ladies, thats all I can say. Once again, this is just my opinion so far, I am not a expert but what I have said is an accurate description of my findings/experience with this machine so far. Hope this helps someone out there. HH -Marc
 
Came to the same conclusion
However, I still look at the numbers and then make my decision
Or, it just makes it more comfortable to look at numbers just like comfort food :)
 
A pull-tab or aluminum can will sometimes produce a tone like a quarter or dime. For me it's best to look
at both the numbers and listen to the tones. I agree with banditicey's comments.
 
I agree with both banditicey's and reltolberts comments. The screen comes in as a secondary reassurance for me as well. I always check the screen before digging but I certainly don't walk around looking at the screen and making my decisions based on what what my eyes are telling me. Ears come first, eyes come second. If there is another thing that I can absolutely recommend to those that aren't doing this, turn 90 degrees around a signal and then turn another 90 and listen to it again. I have picked through so many items with this technique and I find it invaluable when hunting with this machine. If you aren't already doing this, make sure you do. It will save you a lot of time digging things you don't want to be and it will surely increase your good finds to junk ratio. I know this has been said by a lot of users on here, but hopefully someone that isn't doing this already reads this and tries it. Also, hit sites from different angles. I have recovered quite a few keepers out of parks in the last week that I had previously gone over with my Se Pro, but the difference was I approached the park from a different angle than I usually hunt. Try hunting form the back of a park, towards your car rather than doing it the usual other way around. You will probably be surprised at how many "new" signals you get when you go over an area that you just cleaned from a different angle. Hope this helps. HH -Marc
 
Hi,

Re: the computer / Etrac Exchange program...
One thing that i would like to see is a pattern editing capabilty
it would speed things up a lot if you know where you want to black out

congrats on your ET and happy swinging :detecting:

T59
 
Thanks T59. I completely agree with you. I downloaded "E-trac manager" which does allow you to edit an upload patterns. I like this program much more than the "E-Trac xChange" program and I use it now over the xChange program every time. Here is the link to downloading the "E-Trac Manager" http://etracman.ic.cz/ . I like it much better than the xChange program. Hope this helps. -Marc
 
I have E-trac. I need some help with it . If you can get back with me that would be great. I need answers to some questions. thanks mitch. please email me a gmcsonom@yahoo.com
 
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