Cache Hunting with E-Trac

[KatManInMO]

As I've mentioned before, I'm planning on buying a new E-Trac as soon as practical. I've been keeping track of this forum for quite some time, absorbing as much information as possible. My interest in coin-hunting and cache-hunting led me to the web site of Sergei in New York (see Andy's book). Sergei uses a Minelab Explorer, and his excellent site (I highly recommend you visit) and valuable information and recommendations eventually led me to this forum to find out what I could about Explorer versus E-Trac. Getting a copy of the E-Trac Instruction Manual, a copy of Andy's most recent book, and the excellent information from everyone on the Explorer and E-Trac forums at Findmall have gotten me to where I am at present.

I'm learning a lot about the E-Trac and I'm anxious to get mine as soon as I can. I have a lot of sweet places that MUST have coins beyond the reach of detectors other than Minelabs I do have some questions, however, about using the E-Trac for cache hunting:

How will pieces of brick, coal "klinkers" from coal-burning stoves, and ash and partially-burned wood (from a fire that destroyed a farmhouse sometime in the past), and various melted substances also from the same fire affect the ground condition? I know there is a LOT of iron - some of it extremely small - surrounding the old house site. I get iron and other signals from tiny pieces as often as every inch or two in some areas around the property. Of course the remains of the house and some of the soil around it was pushed into the cellar hole by a bulldozer (I would guess about 6 inches or less soil was removed from the immediate surrounding area of the house). Would the High Trash mode be better than another? Would the Roman Coins pattern be useful? I think it would be pretty much impossible to detect right at the old cellar hole because of trees and other waste wood, but perhaps reasonably close otherwise. It is quite possible there is one or more caches on this property near the house, around outbuildings, and in surrounding farm fields. Would a larger coil, such as the 12 X 15 Detech SEF be useful on the E-Trac for caches at this, and other locations - some places possibly as deep as 2 to 3 feet?

Also, how might the E-Trac react to a cache of silver, or gold coins, or perhaps a mix of coins that have been buried in a cast-iron pot covered by an upside-down cast-iron skillet (for example) - a very common way to bury a cache of coins or other "valuables"? Would the E-Trac see only the cast iron, or would there be some indication that there's more than just iron?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks! KatMan.

 

[Jesse W. McComas]

No problem...Gig away my Son...Dig away!!! HH...Jesse.

 

[KatManInMO]

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[sharpshooter]

[size=medium]KatMan - You have asked some good questions of which I also would like to know the answers.

I can only relate the experiences that I've had with my E-Trac for the last 3 months.

Hunting primarily in an old park, I have managed to find many good targets others had missed over the years with their machines. The E-Trac does a very good job of finding coins hiding among the trash.

If I had a place to hunt that I thought had a cache, I would get the the 18" x 15" EXcelerator S.E.F. Butterfly Search Coil to get the most depth possible out of the E-Trac. As far as being able to see coins inside a cast iron container, my guess would be no. I only have first hand knowledge of 2 cache's being found by people I know of. One was a mason jar at an old home site (silver coins), and the other was a cache of old pennies wrapped in a cloth, probably a bandana, found at an old CCC camp in Arizona. The cloth was so badly deteriorated, not much of it was left. If I was cache hunting, I would dig all signals if possible.

Never hunted in the klinkers with the E-Trac. Tried it once with a different machine and found it very difficult.

I know it's not much help. Good Luck.[/size]

 

[Ralph Sun Ray]

"Also, how might the E-Trac react to a cache of silver, or gold coins, or perhaps a mix of coins that have been buried in a cast-iron pot covered by an upside-down cast-iron skillet (for example) - a very common way to bury a cache of coins or other "valuables"? Would the E-Trac see only the cast iron, or would there be some indication that there's more than just iron?"

Answer:

The E-trac will only pick up the iron. There would have to be some coins visible to the coil for it to pick them up and respond with a signal. A detector cannot see "through" another metal, only around or between. Hope this helps.

Ralph (Sun Ray)

 

[Lubelaczek]

Are you sure what you saying? I have seen videos showing silver or gold coin covered by iron plate and being detected. I will try to replicate this at home tonight.

 

[Ray-Mo.]

That is getting a signal from any metal through iron or any other type of metal for that matter. Special effects in some videos are very misleading to say the least,Ray.

 

[Richard@BackwoodsDetectors]

Also, how might the E-Trac react to a cache of silver, or gold coins, or perhaps a mix of coins that have been buried in a cast-iron pot covered by an upside-down cast-iron skillet (for example) - a very common way to bury a cache of coins or other "valuables"? Would the E-Trac see only the cast iron, or would there be some indication that there's more than just iron?

Metal detectors will not see the coins in the iron container but they do "see" a large piece of metal and the E-TRAC, like any other detector should give a signal that coves a large area. That target you would investigate...
Secondly, the E-TRAC capability to identify correctly is engineered to coin size targets, not large iron objects 2-3 feet deep. A iron object that deep and that big should give a somewhat false reading with a relatively low ferrous number and a high conductive number..... For example, one of the best relic machines on the market, the Sovereign will null on iron but put that iron deep enough and big enough, the detector will be "fooled" i.e. cannonball and give a good reading.... .... This is only my experiences, yours may be different... Thanks Richard

 

[TheMarshall]

[size=large]A cache in an up-side-down cast iron pot.[/size]

(The contents have no bearings on the matter, as far as the detector is concerned)

An ALL METAL screen.

Trash density HIGH

Ground DIFFICULT

NOISE CANCEL

FERROUS audio

PITCH HOLD

2 TONES

MANUAL SENSE 25 ? (Your choice depending on local soil, trash, interference)

PIN-POINT SIZING

Then you dig EVERY signal, any tone.....

Yes...its as simple and as thankless a task as that....

YOU ARE TRYING TO DETECT A LARGE CAST IRON POT.....REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT'S UP-SIDE-DOWN OR NOT, OR THE TYPE OF CONTENTS.


The fact that something is inside is irrelevant......UNLESS IT HAS BEEN BROKEN AND THE CONTENTS SPREAD OVER A WIDER AREA.

If you want to estimate how deep your E-Trac will detect in that set-up.....then check out any local iron storm drain cover of equitable size.

If the site is a homestead, littered with ferrous trash....then use AUTO-SENS.

p.s. Why would anyone bury the pot inverted?

Has anyone ever uncovered such a find, regardless of how it was discovered?

The best of luck.........Are you following a hunch or a rumour?...........TheMarshall.

 

[Hard Nosed Dave]

I've found a similar target. Rather than a cast iron pot , it was an enameled pressed metal, soup plate, about 12 inches diameter , placed upside down over a silver plated bowl.

There was nothing in it.

I can remember that it was actually the first really deep target that I'd ever dug when I first started using the Explorer XS.

It was about 3 1/2 feet. Just discernible target in a ferrous sounds, open, all metal, iron mask, deep, manual sens. I kept the gain at about 6 or 7. There was a lot of junk around , but I just stuck to what seemed the deep(some where just small that seemed deep). It was the very low tone sound and I dug it as an iron target that was deep and located at what was the rear of the building envelope(back yard) of the many timber(jarrah) "transportable demountable" house's on stumps that were once there but where removed and transported elsewhere in the early 70's. Originally an part of a settlement that serviced a timber mill site that was started there in 1930's.
There were no banks nearby and it was quite remote from any of the regional centers or a capital city (now of course, it's just part of our suburbia).
It was populated by local and immigrant stock. Took me a while to realize what it most likely what it was to find two plates in this manner. The practice of burying one's valuables in this and other ways like in glass jars, was quite common amongst the many new arrivals to this country. They must have brought the practice of burying there valuable stuff like this, instead of keeping it in the house, for safe keeping, from their countries of origin. What surprised me is that my ex mother outlaw who was of convict stock, about 7 generation, had been doing the same thing of burying her valuables and still was up until recently since and as far back as she can remember. She told me that she learned it from her dad, who just didn't trust banks. They did this even though lived in a capital city......some habits just don't die.

Ahhh.......cache's. They are a beautiful thing. By the way , using this approach of trying to find a deep buried cache of goodies and digging the deep targets of any type, brought me to finding an old rusty all iron Martini Enfield rifle about 3 years ago. Probably owned by one of the settlers.........who had buried it about a foot deep under a big tree in the back yard of an old 1800's pioneer settlers cottage. Sorry that's about as old as it gets around these parts. It was a large iron target....no doubt about it BUT what was it doing buried out there. I dug and much to my surprise there it was........very rusted and all the timber bits where very rotted away.

So to find a cache that was buried in a cast iron post , you'll be digging it up as a cast iron pot and the only way to tell of it's contents will be to actually see with your own eyes, what's inside it.

The Etrac won't detect through it.


David Di

 

[KatManInMO]

Thanks for all the info! I suspected that what one would be detecting would be just the cast iron, but I wasn't really sure. If there is any confusion about my scenario or example for a cache, I was talking about a cast-iron pot buried right-side-up, but with a larger cast iron piece, such as a frying pan, used as a cover for the pot, essentially covering and surrounding the top of the pot to keep the contents protected. I remember reading many years ago about caches being buried in this way once in awhile. I guess people used what they had to try to give the best protection to what they had buried. I remember finding an up-side-down cast-iron fry pan ages ago with my first detector, and I was really excited, until I found that there was nothing under it! One of lifes disappointments, along the way!

All the answers you've all given to my questions are really helpful. I've learned a lot from this forum. I'm also learning a lot from Andy's book and the E-Trac instruction manual. I've got a lot more to learn, but I wish I had my E-Trac now to get the experience I know I will need.

At some point I hope to share what I've learned and experienced by posting my results on this forum. Thanks, again. KatMan.

P. S. -- As the weather improves so you all can get out there and detect, I hope this will be a banner year for you!

 

[Hard Nosed Dave]

that are say at least 7 inches in diameter and at a depth of more than at least 6 inches plus on the Etrac using 4 tones and Sounds Ferrous and similar sets on the Explorer SE will sound off like an aluminum soft drink can or a big copper coin. If such a target is much bigger than say a copper coin though and it is too close to the coil, you'll get the overload sound.The signal from the cast iron fry pan and it's lid that I just tried on both the ETrac and Ex SE on is quite a good solid, rich sound at a respectable depth on the 4x7 Excellrator Elliptical coil. Curser placement varies on the two detectors and heads North West on the Explorer when it's just with range. That's what I've so far observed. This is not a field test that I have tried it in and the results could vary if I did.
I would be inclined to dig such a signal at depth it if I was in a field that might like have such deep buried targets. It's to good to pass up. I'd also use the sizing PINPOINT option on the Etrac. That would help to determine the targets size a little. I would dig a buried target it showed that the target wasn't too big.

So I can say that, the cast iron pan and lid that I tried are sharing their signal "realms" with large copper coins and aluminum cans on the Etrac and the SE Explorer.

I'll be looking for these signals next time I do an old home site for sure.

David Di