Settings please

[Jim upstate NY]

whats everybody running as far as trash density and ground? I am wondering if running high density is perhaps causing a lack of depth? I have mine in high trash all the time, as I do believe it actually does what it says its supposed to, but wonder for you guys getting the deep coins that maybe your running normal.. and maybe the trash density takes away from depth? how about sounds? I am running normal audio as that is how I always ran on the explorer.. I am also running fast on deep off as I am in the trash.. maybe these guys using the same settings as mine are the reasons the depth isnt coming.. as for me I never seemed to think the fast/deep settings on the explorer had much affect on depth itself so just kept mine in fast.. Got plenty of 10 inch plus coins using fast on deep off, but maybe the etrac has changed something that affects it drastically over what it did on the ex..
Again just because I havent gotten anything deep yet, doesnt mean it cant with my settings .. I really haven't had it in many places with real deep stuff that wouldnt be hidden by iron anyway

 

[jbow]

I have been running in the low trash setting more than high, it seems to work well. I play around with the fast and deep settings. Lately running with both on. The ET seems to handle both on very well. Auto sens is a real depth killer. It is good for hunitng clad or shallow jewelry in a park or something but I get no depth in auto. Forget the null, it does not seem to matter at all. I have been running my sens at 27 and above. Two or four tone ferrous, relic mode. I get a few falses but nothing to write home about. A good signal seems to distinguish itself from a false. Then again I have dug a few falses. The 11" coil is great, I see no need for a small coil in most situations. I suppose a small coil after hunting with the 11 would be something to try in a productive trashy area. I have also been using "pitch hold". I like it a lot but sometimes it gets stuck on a mid tone. If you try it and it does that, just press the arrow that switches between auto and manual sens. It will restore your threshold tone and also remind you to check targets with both auto and manual. That is a good way to check the depth against what the guage says. If it disappears on auto it's probably either really small or deep.

Keep that sens as high as you can. I think that low trash helps. Fast on, deep on.

J

 

[digitrich]

Jim, I too as you know, have been getting the same results as you. I wonder the same thing, that maybe all of these "filters" are robbing my depth.

I have noticed that when I use "difficult ground" I get more chopping of the tones and only surface or shallow coins come in clean, so I have stopped using it and the same with the "dense trash" setting. I am guessing that if I let in or accept nails, I have no purpose for the dense trash setting anymore.

As for fast on, seems to me it does not affect my quality of tones at all, however, when I turn it off, I see a rapid loss of signals, very noticeable . I don't see myself turning off fast any time soon.

Haven't really used deep much other than to experiment with it a little, so I can't tell you much on that. On my SE's, I have had good results with deep on, fast off in sites where there was allot of surface clad (1-4 inches deep) above older wheats (at 4-8 inches) but I had to turn my gain to 5 or lower to be effective with it set up that way and I just listened for the faint deepies. Giving the fact that I am not seeing targets with the ETrac below 5 inches, I don't see where I would use the deep setting.

I have had good results with smooth and long audio's, but it is something to slowly get used to, some days, I just don't have the patience for it, others, it is an excellent way to get even better separation in the trash.

I wish I could tell you a solution, heck, I wish some one could tell us a solution. I myself am at a loss and it is not from a lack of trying. If you still have your SE, see if both the ETrac and the SE air test at the same depths. Dick at ML said I should be seeing 6-8 inches air testing on a quarter and mine does half of that unless I turn it on manual sensitivity and crank it past unreasonable normal usage levels. My SE does it in auto sensitivity just fine. From that, I am thinking there is something wrong and he agreed, saying I should send it in to be checked out.

Whenever I turn my machine on manual sensitivity and push it, the falsing of nails to 1-30 to 1-34 gets much worse and my machine actually ID's worse and gets less depth, basically becomes unstable and sloppy. My best results while maintaining stability have been auto +3, fast on, deep off, neutral soil, low trash. And my deepest coin to date has been a 6 inch deep wheatie on edge that only repeated in two directions. That is the only target I have found at 6 inches other than some very deep soda can tops and large iron relics falsing high, like normal.

I think it would be helpful if guys listed their deepest coins found with what settings they were using at the time, maybe there is a correct way, maybe not.

I now have 55+ hours on my machine and can pluck 20-30 targets an hour with it, just nothing deep.

 

[Ray-Mo.]

I just went and air tested mine and at auto 19 it ID"ed and sounded good at 9" on clad quarter and at 30 manual it did the same at 19" I lie not.IN open screen 30 manual it did about 15".I had it in coin mode with gain at 27.I also noticed signals sounded better in manual,more choppy in auto.Getting raedy to go hunting till dark with my 15 yr old son and a mystery guest you all will recognize from the forum,Ray.
PS. fast on deep off ,high trash on.

 

[mham2]

I just did the same air test on clad qt and the best I could get was 6" and that was wide open with manual sensitivity of 28.in auto it started breaking down at 5"I checked it at every possible setting with the same results . I guess I will have to send this detector back in for a check.I have been to 6 different old locations that should have some old deep targets there and nothing but a wheat penny at 5".I kind of suspected something was wrong with this unit, I will call the factory Monday and see what they have to say.

 

[jbow]

I checked mine several different ways with a clad quarter, (except for #7 useing a clad dime). Did not noise cancel, and the results are...

1-4 are using "Jason's relic mode" as downloaded from a post here. 5-7 are using QM open.

1: Manual 19: fast on; deep on; difficult; low: 8" solid hit, 9" breakup, 11" chirp.

2: Manual 30: fast on; deep on; difficult; low: 9" soild hit, 10" breakup, 15" chirp

3: Auto +3 (19) fast on; deep on; difficult; low: 6" soild hit, 7" breakup, 8.5" chirp

4: Auto +3 (19) fast off; deep off; neutral; low: same as above

5: Auto +3 (19) fast off; deep off; neutral; low: same as above

6: Manual 30 fast off; deep off; neutral; low: 10" solid hit, 11" breakup, 16" chirp

7: Manual 30 fast off; deep off; neutral; low; 8" solid hit on a dime.


I guess I got a good one.

Anything else you want me to try?

I have two 11" Pro coils. I will compare them tomorrow on one setting. I wonder if it will make a difference. I guess I could also compare the SE to the ET too but I am not sure how to set them both up so that it will be an equal comparison.


Julien

 

[digitrich]

I am lucky if I can get 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That cinches it Ray, mine's going to the shop, thanks allot for the info, I am not bloody crazy after all.

 

[digitrich]

n/t

 

[Jim upstate NY]

than my etrac does with the pro coil.. I hunted a park for 4 hours today with the etrac and pro coil... deepest I was digging were screw caps at 6 inches just barley coming in.. other than that a bunch of clad at 2 inches or less.. also I figured out the high tone falses were those 1- 30's, every one I dug disappeared so I notched them out.. went across the street with the explorer before dark and x5 and was getting targets clearly at 6 inches.. now I am afraid to sell the etrac, dont want to dump a dud on someone. so I will wait till you get yours back and see if it improves

 

[jbow]

You get a good soild sound at 19" on 30 manual?? Is the signal broken?

I thought I was getting good depth but.. you are getting better... Joe is getting worse... are these machines hit or moss and all over the board??

I can see a bad one or two in production but three different machines, same settings, three different air tests?? I don't like that much.

Let me be sure i've got this correct. You are getting a solid unbroken signal at 9" in auto 19, digitrich is getting 5", and i'm getting 6"... you're getting 19" solid in manual 30... i'm getting 10" solid in manual 30...

You have a hot machine. I bet they would tell me that nothing is wrong with mine... I'd love to check mine side by side with yours or with any other one now.


J

 

[jbow]

n/t

 

[Jim upstate NY]

with coin on top of ground or waving in front of coil? I will check mine in the AM.. I do know I can get 15 inches on a quarter on top of the ground with teh explorer at sens 24 and pro coil... I think judging from the clads I got today with the etrac that were shallow, I was losing them at sens 24 at about 5 inches off the ground.. I am having a hard time judging depth with the etrac by audio , so I was lifting the coil to see where they went away... everything coin sized would go away at about 6 inches above the ground and the coins were all less than 2 inches deep.. I am now hoping that my machine is just messed up like yours... seems like its working though.. does your give a high ping and blank out audio every once in a while?

 

[tmanfromtexas]

Guys, I dont own an etrac but since my machine (another brand) is in the shop for the SECOND time in a month, my hunting buddy has let me use his. He told me that when he set it up he put it in coin mode, and put on the auto sens and iron mask. No other filters, no change to nothing except I hunt in 4 tone and he had it set in multitone. I have dug wheaties at 8 inches with good repeatable signals. I have dug the same amount of silver in the last 7 days with about 14 hours as I have all year. That is no shyte. I know what its like to have a bad machine. TRUST ME I REALLY DO, its frustrating. The thing I have noticed on the etrac is once you get a high tone, you can look at the numbers but if the tone disapears, go to all metal, if the FE numbers jump up past 30 it probably is iron, if it stays below and your cond. number is steady its more than likely a good target. I got two of those today and dug mercs both times at about 7 inches. Just an observation that I have had. TMAN...

 

[unearth]

Hello All-
I just did an air test with my E-Trac with settings 5 - 7 as described above in jbow's post. I haven't downloaded Jason's relic program. I had the E-Trac on the ground and waved the coin in front of the coil. I had a piece of paper on the ground starting at the coil with 1" measurements from 0" to 20". Here are my results.
#5; auto +3 (17) fast off; deep off; neutral; low: 6" solid hit; 7.5" a bit of a break up; 8.5" chirp
#6; Manual 30 fast off; deep off; neutral; low: 10" solid hit; 11.5 a bit of a break up; 14.5" chirp
#7; Manual 30 fast off; deep off; neutral; low: 8" solid hit on clad dime

I have to add that using manual 30 there was a lot of noise, but the readings and the high conductive sound came thru enough at the deeper depths that I would dig the target.

 

[jbow]

I set mine on a plastic table in the middle of the driveway and put a wooden yardstick through the coil to measure the distance from the coil. I wave the coin in front of the coil. I just listened to the audio, I didn't think to look at the screen.

Julien

 

[digitrich]

Check it in auto, auto +3, manual 30 and manual 25-27 and let us know.

Clean ID measurement
Tone only- starting to break up
and chirp

 

[Erik in NJ]

Great report Tman - glad the E-Trac is working so well for you - hope you'll keep posting your results here! Regards, Erik

 

[Jason in TN]

My deepest in ground target with the relic program I posted is a 56 cal three ringer at about 12in. Was running auto +3 was showing a sensitivity of about 23 most of the time.

 

[Jim upstate NY]

for a measurement I use a string marked in increments of 3 inches

 

[Jim upstate NY]

it seems to be the high iron that does it... in cleaner ground it seems to settle in at 20, but have had it go as low as 4.. I dont think I can get anything but surface targets at that level of sens..