Not sold on 2 tone ferrous!

[Digger]

The E-TRAC has 50 conductivity tones and 35 ferrous tones. But you can only listen to one mode at a time. Maybe you are getting the number of tones mixed up with the Variability setting, which has a maximum of 30. Or the TID Limit, which is maxed out at 30. Regardless, I agree with much of your analysis of using 2-tone ferrous and having to look at the meter when evaluating modern trash. But as I've said repeatedly, each hunt mode has an application. JMHO HH Randy

 

[jbow]

TTF is the way to go at old iron sites and especially at "hunted out" places.... but IMO a little disc is a MUST. I think using TTF with an open screen defeats the whole purpose and the ET will not work the TTF magic without a little disc.

Also if you switch to an open screen in QM to check what you are hearing and seeing and the target you are hitting is a heavily iron masked coin or relic... that open screen is likely to just key in on the iron and tell you that the target is only iron. I also find Pitch Hold to be very useful in either F or C. Pitch Hold is one of the things that came over from the Sovereign platform... it will reset the threshold tone to the last TID and if you just hit a peep from a non-ferrous target, that helps IMO. You can lightly bump the coil flat on the ground and it will usually reset to your preset threshold tone, or flip in/out of pinpoint to reset it.

Anyway, TTF works well for me... really well.

J

 

[Southwind]

Well as usual it's seems hard to find any information giving consistent technical info on Minelab. Kellyco has the E-Trac as "Number of audio tones = 30"

 

[pointer80]

Hi all, I've only owned my minelab E-trac for a couple of months and can tell it is a awesome machine. I can also tell that two tone ferrous has it's place. I know this by the finds posted by goes4ever and Dan03usmc and a few others. I just can't argue with proof like that. I am going to experiment with it. I have so much to learn but I will take any weapon an stick in my arsenal especially one that seems to be a proven method. HH. all

 

[Goes4ever]

My mistake. The E-Trac has 1750 target ID segments not tones. Only 30 tones.

Point still remains that in multi tone you don't need to look at the meter to tell a piece of foil from a quarter, where you do on 2 tone.

I agree with that 100% BUT in conductive with an open screen you will have to look at the screen to see the difference between 35-45 and 12-45 because in conductive all 45's sound the same

And like I said 100 times I do not use TTF at parks, I use it MOSTLY at old homesteads that are not littered with aluminum and foil. It is littered with iron.

 

[utahshovelhead]

Wow! I am pretty sure after 5 pages that eveyone is more sure of there own use of TTF than they were before. Lots of good info though for all of us to try and see what we might be able to do with it.

 

[Myownwings]

This has truly been an interesting thread. Although I just purchased the Etrac, I have had major success with it, probably from my experience with the DFX and the constant search for optimal settings for the day. The Etrac to me, is just in tune with how I think a detector should be. I now rarely get fooled by trash (I often dig it just to prove I knew it was trash), and also because after a while I need to dig to relieve my arm from the slightly uncomfortable balance. The bunch of Silver I've found (mainly mercs) have always sounded so true that there was no doubt in my mind, and I was right. Now, to the question. This whole TTF thing has me kind of excited. I'm dealing with a home built in 1802 and for the past 208 years it must have been the mantra of the families that lived there to always throw any iron they had into the yard. Nails, axe heads, plow parts, water wheel components, just throw it in the yard. In the basic coin mode I have had the threshold go silent for over thirty feet at a time. I have gridded and hit this site multiple times in multiple directions but I know all the iron is hiding the really good stuff. So this TTF thread indicates I should at least try it. What I need help on, is what would be a reasonable pattern to start with. Open screen would probably be a bad idea. I'm looking for a just fast and dirty Quick mask. Any help from you advocates of TTF would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Goes4ever]

This has truly been an interesting thread. Although I just purchased the Etrac, I have had major success with it, probably from my experience with the DFX and the constant search for optimal settings for the day. The Etrac to me, is just in tune with how I think a detector should be. I now rarely get fooled by trash (I often dig it just to prove I knew it was trash), and also because after a while I need to dig to relieve my arm from the slightly uncomfortable balance. The bunch of Silver I've found (mainly mercs) have always sounded so true that there was no doubt in my mind, and I was right. Now, to the question. This whole TTF thing has me kind of excited. I'm dealing with a home built in 1802 and for the past 208 years it must have been the mantra of the families that lived there to always throw any iron they had into the yard. Nails, axe heads, plow parts, water wheel components, just throw it in the yard. In the basic coin mode I have had the threshold go silent for over thirty feet at a time. I have gridded and hit this site multiple times in multiple directions but I know all the iron is hiding the really good stuff. So this TTF thread indicates I should at least try it. What I need help on, is what would be a reasonable pattern to start with. Open screen would probably be a bad idea. I'm looking for a just fast and dirty Quick mask. Any help from you advocates of TTF would be greatly appreciated.

I start with the relic screen and then also disc out 01-01 thru 01-31...........give it a shot

 

[Myownwings]

Thanks Goes4ever...I was hoping it would be you to answer.

 

[Gaz]

....just my experience.....putting any black at the bottom of my 2 tone ferrous screen made it VERY erratic!!

I also think that by putting any disc at the bottom is detrimental because you will be nulling the iron again which is what we are trying to avoid.

JMO obviously but again, it's what works for you on your ground!!

Good hunting,

Gaz.

 

[Bronson]

I'm with you on that Gaz. I run in 2 tone ferrous with just part of the 01 line disc'ed out. I have tried it with a bit of disc at the bottom and i got a lot of chirps and blips, it made it very hard on the ears with all that noise. I wont be putting any disc at the bottom from now on. It is as you say though, personal preference.

 

[gregliss]

I'm also with Gaz on that one, just some disc across the top to deal with iron fulsing and that should be enough. Works really well for me in the sites you're talking about.

 

[Myownwings]

So, using the basic relic pattern and taking out the top line except for the silver notch is not a good method?

 

[Bilko]

I do not disc out the first FE line at all since alot of my finds show as 01 initially.I disc out from 23 FE. I still get a few low beeps which is fine. If I go to an open screen, I hear loads of low beeps which I wouldn't be able to put up with.I have found some amazing finds with TTF,especially with my 18x15 SEF

 

[Goes4ever]

So, using the basic relic pattern and taking out the top line except for the silver notch is not a good method?

well it certainly works for me on old farms and the fields in my area

 

[Bell-Two]

So, using the basic relic pattern and taking out the top line except for the silver notch is not a good method?

well it certainly works for me on old farms and the fields in my area

And it worked for me, I had the good fortune to go out with Terry last week and he gave me instructions on using the TTF. It takes patience to use it properly, when I tried it before I was swinging too fast even though I thought I had slowed the swing enough. I tested the field where we were hunting with both standard coin pattern, a modified coin pattern and TTF, and I can tell you I would probably would not found the stuff I did without the TTF option. A nice 1911 D Barber dime and a 1902 Indian Head and a couple of nice buttons were the result. It is an option that has to be used in the proper place, is it easy to use, not at first but I think it is an important tool to be used with the E-Trac. I have a couple of other sites I will need to go back to and try it there. Find a spot, anywhere, that you are getting constant nulling, put your machine in TTF set up like Terry says and see what you find, even in a park where there is nothing old you will be amazed at the highly conductive signals that are being masked by the iron, now in a park they may and probably are trash, but think of an old homesite and fields, that the masked highly conductive target may be a desirable target. Think of TTF as another tool to work with, not using it is like leaving your pitching wedge in the bag and never using it around the green.

 

[jbow]

and also because after a while I need to dig to relieve my arm from the slightly uncomfortable balance.

Reach down now and then and tweak the length of the shaft, especially when working on a slope. Any time I begin to notice any discomfort I tewak the length and it really helps me, seems to change the stress points a little. I think you'll find it really helps.

FTT speaks my language too, it is so "turn on and go" and at the same time has excellence, a rare combination indeed!

J

 

[jbow]

I think it is the best method but you will have to try for yourself. I always start out with only the relic pattern in FTT. I think it helps to unmask targets in iron, it is very little disc. I never disc out the top when I hunt in ferrous but I do when I hunt in CO. In CO I use a pattern that nulls a few numbers across the bottom, 49 and 50 on the right and 01-02 across the top and I disc back in 41-43 of the 01-02 line... but in FTT, I just use an expanded relic pattern that was posted early on called "Jason's Relic Pattern" from Jason in TN. Maybe I can upload them one day, Jasons pattern is in Andy's book and FWIW, Andy, who was one of the testers and has written and studied detectors for decades, has the opinion that to benefit from the ETs full unmasking abilities you must use a little iron disc... because of the way the software is written...

I have found masked targets at pounded sites using that relic pattern and FTT. Granted they are still an iffy, one way signal but that one way, they remain stable on the CO number, switch to open screen QM and lose it because the iron overpowers it.

FTT in iron and "hunted out" sites. CO/multi with the bottom and top 01-02 nulled (except 41-43). Just experiment some. Try to find some one way target in FTT using the relic pattern that you think may be something, then switch to other patterns, QM with the screen open, CO/multi with different patterns, and FTT with just 01-02 nulled and see what you get... then dig the target. One tie isn't going to tell you anything good, you need to do it until a pattern emerges for you and you get confidence in what you're doing and you know why you're doing it... you'll see.

J

 

[Barry NY]

A few of us headed out to one of my personal favorite spots today...and I made a couple of new friends including Ron DeGhetto of The Gold Digger detector sales in NJ.

Ron and I both had E-Tracs. Ron doesn't usually detect on fairly clean plowed field sites so I set him up with 2 tone FE with the 1 line disc out (with the CO add backs - the GAZ way) and sent him on his way. There were also 2 Explorer users and one other new E-Trac user (who doesn't like 2 tone FE) hunting for the day.

I've been using 2 tone FE as my usual mode for all my plowed field hunts since trying it out a few months ago. I believe that you can actually swing faster than multi CO - as I believe the E-Trac locks onto a good high tone FE signal even if the coil just gets a whiff of the target - which could be a few inches from the coil edge (at least with my 12x10 SEF). So I get to cover lots of ground.

Anyway the proof was in the results - Ron got 2 beauty large cents and a very interesting large copper eagle token. I got 3 large cents and my oldest silver ever - a 1769 2 reales. The other guys got a thing here or there but no way as much in terms of targets dug. Sure we dug more junk but the keepers were there...

I whizzed the reales up (with spit and aluminum foil) 'cause it already was fairly well worn and slightly bent anyway just to get the date showing better (not worth much from a numismatic standpoint - so don't yell at me for screwing it all up)....

Thanks
Barry

 

[Goes4ever]

wow that is an awesome coin, congrats