Probably been asked 1000 times...

[Monkeys Uncle]

When it comes to patterns, some E-Trac swingers prefer Andy' s coin pattern over Bill s Trashy Park. Still others use wide open Quick Mask or a slightly modified pattern thereof. Probably depends mostly on location or type of desired target, i.e., abundance of iron or modern litter (can slaw, etc.) or relics versus precious metal...BUT, I'm curious (????). WHICH DO YOU FOLKS TEND TO USE? If none of the aforementioned, PLEASE identify what and why you choose it.

Yes...this is kind of a poll,,,,,,but not the political kind and.....hopefully more accurate. Personally, I tend to switch back/forth between Andy and Bill patterns plus go to QM when target found. Problem for me is, I can't decide which I ought be using (or stick to) for BEST RESULTS. I'm always thinking..."I should be finding more/better targets...got to be doing something wrong".

 

[Elmy]

The best way is to modify either one to your liking and it all depends what you are after...dimes...quarters ...old coins...new coins.....or jewelry.
Andy s is a more open pattern than bill s therefore more is detected under the coil and more noise coming from the detector.
Depends..... do you want to hear it all or just the coins.....you modify them to your needs.

 

[north1]

I hunt in TTF with open screen and 6x8 set coil. Hunt primarily old farmsteads with A LOT of iron and limited amounts of nonferrous junk. Seems to work or me. Like to hear and see it all and two tones at least allows me to keep my sanity in doing this. Also allows for an increased ability to pick keepers out of the iron. Need to pull out all the stops using target ID’s, pinpoint sizing, etc. I know I might be giving up some depth with the smaller coil but even in two tones it most often sounds like a string of fire crackers going off on every swing. Low and slow. I love my etrac and have since it’s inception.

 

[Monkeys Uncle]

Going to a old farm house today. Owner calls it a "Harvest house" because it's where the migrant workers stayed during harvest. Used to be 5 on the property but today, there's only one remaining. Owner claims it is over 100 yrs old. Hunted there once before. Lots LOTS of iron and rusted nails. Will probably use TTF and perhaps Trashy Park pattern and will switch to Quick Mask when high tone to check FE. Will also try Quick Mask to ID all targets. Wish me luck. Due to workers likely being "low income", I don't expect to find much...hoping for IH's, a Buffalo nickel and perhaps a Merc dime or two. Finger's crossed.

 

[Elmy]

ok... in multi conduct tone.....Look for a conductive number of 47.....If you pinpoint your target and then hit the detect button and with a tight wiggle across it from all angles and hit a 47 once or more ...you can suspect a silver dime in the hole...a quarter will usually hit 48-49. And definitely use the quick mask to see if it is a nail coming in the 30's in quick mask....you will get more targets in multi...but you decide the way to hunt it.

 

[Elmy]

Lets say I want to target a silver dime....and I mean a clean dime with no trash in the hole or around it.....and yes , iron can drag a dime signal way down to the high 30's....
I would target the dime as a 47 co number....so I would go 3 below and two above on discrimination conductive numbers.....so I end up with a pattern of 44 to 49 co....
Now accept ferrous from the top down to 23 .....reject all the other numbers.....when you hit a target...you should see a 47 pop in as you check it from all angles ....if not a 47....walk....hit quick mask to check for numbers in the 30's....
If you get 30's ....it is a nail or Iron...That , my friend, is how I cherry pick any and every coin I want.....Not an everyday hunt pattern...but a proven one for me using the dependable etrac...same works for an indian penny...id 36 co...or any clean coin.
CLEAN COINS.....not coins in trash and iron....But you can get the coin this way....not every coin...but a clean coin.

 

[Monkeys Uncle]

Lets say I want to target a silver dime....and I mean a clean dime with no trash in the hole or around it.....and yes , iron can drag a dime signal way down to the high 30's....
I would target the dime as a 47 co number....so I would go 3 below and two above on discrimination conductive numbers.....so I end up with a pattern of 44 to 49 co....
Now accept ferrous from the top down to 23 .....reject all the other numbers.....when you hit a target...you should see a 47 pop in as you check it from all angles ....if not a 47....walk....hit quick mask to check for numbers in the 30's....
If you get 30's ....it is a nail or Iron...That , my friend, is how I cherry pick any and every coin I want.....Not an everyday hunt pattern...but a proven one for me using the dependable etrac...same works for an indian penny...id 36 co...or any clean coin.
CLEAN COINS.....not coins in trash and iron....But you can get the coin this way....not every coin...but a clean coin.

Very poignant! Over the last several weeks (with yours and others advice), I had pretty much arrived at this very technique. Your instructions (above) states it in very VERY plain language. Don't know why Minelab or Andy S haven't explained it in this manner?? EXCELLENT job and MANY THANKS!!!!!!!!!!

ETA - Didn't make it to the 'Harvest' house today...TOO HOT!

 

[Elmy]

Thanks...years ago people were having a hard time cleaning up their clad coins and stated that the banks and stores wouldn't take them...I told them and this has been many years back just take a cup of white vinegar and a couple of teaspoons of salt...I used a tumbler with aquarium gravel and laid the clad on top of the gravel and put the salt on the coins ,then added the vinegar....1/2 hour of tumbling and their done....rinse them off with water thoroughly...and dry with a towel or rag...if not using a tumbler use a jar with a lid and shake thoroughly every 10 minutes or so....
I never got a response back but saw a lot of people were now pushing vinegar and salt to clean clad.....so YOUR RESPONSE TO MY POST is VERY much appreciated.

Some claim all they learn was by hard knocks......I find that very, Very..... hard to believe. Everyone has someone to help them along in some way....No one gets to the top without a step stool.
YOU ARE VERY WELCOME....some will say this information is way off and you will miss coins....you will...but not clean hole coins ! I am in no way up to par with Andy S...or any minelab tech....
They are the tops with advice....I just tell what I have seen or have used...sometimes too much will get you in hot water with some.

 

[Monkeys Uncle]

Elmy...you may not believe me but I may have read your 'vinegar/salt' cleaning technique back when...I use the same method today, except I've quit using aquarium rock. After rinsing with vinegar and salt, I just tumble with a hand full of new/shiny clad and go with that. Thanks AGAIN!

ETA - When I wrote "rinse" above...I actually place new found coins in a plastic bottle, add vinegar-n-salt then shake vigorously for about 5 minutes.

 

[Elmy]

Probably.....Mom taught me that when I was first starting out detecting .She cleaned my coins with her magic coin cleaner to show me how it worked .....That had to have been 45 or more years ago she cleaned them and I could not believe it...they looked like new coins !

 

[Elmy]

Here is another thing if you don't already know it....turn on your etrac ...now hit the detect button....you should see a small screen at the top with large vdi numbers as you pass a coin across the coil...now in this mode...which I call old mans mode, you have large numbers , easier to see and when you hit the pinpoint button,....it will give you the targets vdi as you pinpoint it.

For us old fellows !

 

[jkline]

I'm no expert with the etrac, but I count on the sounds more than the numbers anymore, when there is iron about... and there is always iron about where I hunt.

 

[Elmy]

Sound hunting is good also....but you can count on the numbers also with the etrac.....a nail will bounce into the 30's using quick mask ....I was talking clean coins....no trash in the hole with the coin.
A nail can bring the numbers down into the high 30's conduct numbers from 47 conduct.....depending on how many and how big the iron is.
You are right....hunting by sound is great....but when you target a specific coin....you must really know what it sounds like , where numbers id the coin.

 

[Elmy]

Really... the only time I rely on sound hunting is when I am after a 3 cent nickel...I then switch to 4 tone ferrous and it is the only us coin in the bunch that produces a high tone...all others are low tone....
You can also get the 1 dollar gold coins and the flying cents and fattie indians (copper/nickel) coins with this method....however the 3 cent nickel comes in at a higher tone than any of the others.The copper/nickel cents and the gold have a mid tone ...higher than all the rest...but much lower pitch than the 3 cent nickel.....and again...I am no expert either...just what I have done from hunting experience ...and you get the 3 cent silver mid tone , if it is lying flat and just right it will sound off.

 

[IDXMonster]

Elmy...to clarify...a 3 cent nickel and a 3 cent silver are two different coins, just so the others know. A 3 cent nickel reads below a regular nickel if I recall correctly. I do have one, but no 3 cent silver, or “trime”.

 

[Elmy]

oh yes... a 3 cent nickel will read around 6 on an etrac....the 3 cent silver is around a 30 id but gives a mid tone in 4 tone ferrous ..,..just like a copper/nickel indian penny.
Thanks for clarifying that. It is right on the edge of mid tone/low tone sound on the etrac.

 

[Elmy]

Hey Monkeys Uncle...
One more thing to ponder....
Let's say we drop the discrimination to 5 under....for a dime that would be 42 to 49 co....
Now you have a chance to dig a silver dime in trashy conditions....dig if you get a 46 instead of a 47....
a 47 is the best way ...but when does it come easy....I have pulled masked coins this way before ...but not every dig gets the silver....
Try it and see for yourself....and the coin at 47 would hit a lot clearer with less disc.
Went out today at the old campgrounds and got a silver rosy this way....That is 3 hunts in a row for me with the etrac and each time I have pulled silver !
HH ...ELMY.

 

[Monkeys Uncle]

Hey Monkeys Uncle...
One more thing to ponder....
Let's say we drop the discrimination to 5 under....for a dime that would be 42 to 49 co....
Now you have a chance to dig a silver dime in trashy conditions....dig if you get a 46 instead of a 47....
a 47 is the best way ...but when does it come easy....I have pulled masked coins this way before ...but not every dig gets the silver....
Try it and see for yourself....and the coin at 47 would hit a lot clearer with less disc.
Went out today at the old campgrounds and got a silver rosy this way....That is 3 hunts in a row for me with the etrac and each time I have pulled silver !
HH ...ELMY.

Will do. Really appreciate your advice. Gaining much more confidence/knowledge and likely not 'walking over' good targets as I have in the past. Being lazy ONLY benefits others who are more detector savy and are willing to go after the deep stuff.

 

[Elmy]

As I stated before...it is all up to you what you want to try for....I have had silver merc's at 45 also.....try a few there and expect to see something dragging down the coins id down. Maybe a good item other than a coin also.
You have to chose your area and what is in the ground masking the coin.....that is why most chose a more open pattern...andy s or bill s.....or your own, which you are now perfecting according to your hunting style.
Just like coils...one will work extremely well on your etrac....but put it on another etrac and it may not hunt as good. Now you have a few things to try...Hope I have helped you somewhat.
ELMY

 

[Trashfinder]

I have set up a masked dime with a large nail and pulltab very near and not all in same plane. The only way i can get glimpses of this dime is using a mostly open screen. And you have to go mostly by tone but you will see the co number come up good some. For me at least to unmask in bad trash sites and not miss much you have to run the mostly open screen. You will dig a little more trash even with a lot of experience, but it is worth it to me.