Can't Wait to Get an E-Trac

[AngelicStorm]

Hey, I am new to these forums and I think it will be very beneficial. I have an AT Pro right now and am very disappointed with the depth that it lacks. 6" max for the largest of coins and when turned on their sides there is an even bigger loss of depth. When I bought the AT Pro about a month ago, I was expecting something that can go fairly deep and be very accurate. The AT Pro also lacks the Tone ID Separation of different types of Ferrous and Conductive metals to the degree that the E-Trac has. From the countless reviews I have read, the E-Trac seems to be everything I wanted before I bought the AT Pro. I hope that it proves itself to me once I get one. The Tone ID Separation and Depth of what people claim the E-Trac can achieve is probably what I am missing with the AT Pro and the reason why finding deep silvers etc and gold is so rare.

Please let me know if any of you have any suggestions for me.

 

[Sailorman]

Owning both I can assure you that it is deeper but not as much as you think! I've hit coins down to a measured 9" without great difficulty on the AT-Pro. A lead sinker at 11" and a stove lid at 16.

The ETrac does give better info on target ID so I dig less junk with it but there are places where I still prefer the AT-Pro. If I were you I'd keep both, they have their places.

The silver has to be under the coil for either one to find it, in some places that silver is mighty rare!

 

[ronfin]

I've worked with a BHD 3300, and now the ETRAC, and I can't even compare the two. The ETRAC makes me look like Indiana Jones with all the coins I've been finding. I think I'm almost at 900 coins in 3 months, hit 3 more silver today to bring my total to 42 on the year, and once you train your ear to listen for the different kinds of tones, you'll only use the TDI for reference. It does give you amazing info, and is truly an awesome machine. When you get take your time. Slight learning curve of about 2 weeks to really start to get a good feel for it.

 

[banditicey]

I had a Light Bulb moment today as I was detecting in TTF and realized this was not an option in most MD's or if any

It certainly was not an option in my previous Detector, the DFX, and my Silver count showed that difference

Good Luck

 

[AngelicStorm]

Owning both I can assure you that it is deeper but not as much as you think! I've hit coins down to a measured 9" without great difficulty on the AT-Pro. A lead sinker at 11" and a stove lid at 16.

The ETrac does give better info on target ID so I dig less junk with it but there are places where I still prefer the AT-Pro. If I were you I'd keep both, they have their places.

The silver has to be under the coil for either one to find it, in some places that silver is mighty rare!

What type of coins were you getting at 9"? I have never been able to get past 6" under the ground. I have even done tests to see if me thinking I wasn't going deep was my imagination. Even after I tested a Half Dollar it wouldn't even read at 7" under the ground with me scanning right over it and when I turned the Half Dollar sideways it wouldn't read at 4" under the ground. This makes me think I am missing so many good targets . I have seen a lot of reviews about people with the E-Trac finding coins 10"-14" usual all the way up to 19" under the ground which is a pretty significant difference from the 6" I seem to can't surpass with my AT Pro. If you're curious, the settings are as follows....

Pro/Custom Mode
Dis.: None
Ground Balance: 75-80
Ground: South Carolina Soil
Coil: 8.5"x11"

 

[Sailorman]

A great deal can depend on the soil. I've hit wheat pennies at that depth with the AT-Pro on a few occasions and those were in the roots under trees. The soil was very moderate with ground balance around 70. Surprisingly the silver that I find around my area has never exceeded 7". A 1905 quarter was only at 2" but right on a tree root. Silver is a rare find around here and I envy the folks who seem to find it all the time in other parts of the country. This area was a poor area back in the day and cash money wasn't very common. That and the fact that between snow birds and locals almost all the easy sites have been hit hard for years.

I got the Etrac for it's trash separation with a small coil in the places many have given up on and it does well there as long as I do my part. It's also doing good for me looking for relics in my ground. On the beach it's also done pretty darn good in both wet and dry sand. My record depth there was a Hot Wheels car at a measured 16" hunting in pin point mode.

The AT-Pro though is my go to machine if I'm just swinging a park, totlot or parking area. Also the ability to hunt in the rain or wading is nice. I guess it depends on what you're hunting for and where. I regard both as tools for different situations and like them both.

I have one very tough spot that has produced some silver but it's an old beach at a mineral spring and the ground conditions drive both machines crazy. But for that very reason very few have tried to hunt it. You put up with tons of noise and chatter and chasing false signals but there is some stuff there if you work through it.

 

[AngelicStorm]

Yep, wheat pennies seem to be the common denominator at that 6" depth. I also would say the AT Pro is very good at finding many wheat pennies. One of the pluses it has is nailing pennies up to 6" deep. I have also found a good bit of rings and luckily a gold bracelet. Wish the the ID and Tones were a little bit more versatile for things like gold on it.

In my same area there are tons of trashy areas (talking bottle caps, pull tabs, and beer cans). I guess people loved drinking around here in the 60s-70s. It is proving itself to me from all the evidence. There is also a lake near here that has the hardest dirt ever and like your detectors, it makes mine go crazy too. You have to listen through a labyrinth of false signals which can make for headaches.

I can't agree more about the AT Pro being a nice go to since it is waterproof. Rainy days would be the AT Pro days for sure.

In regards to the depth achieved by the AT Pro and it's ability to hit silver or jewelry, it is excellent at hitting the shallow targets up to 6" deep. I have managed to get lucky with a few silvers like your 1905 Barber Quarter at only 2" deep. Maybe that was because the tree root was helping to suspend it or forced it up as the tree grew. Trees are really good places to look, especially old ones.

The E-Trac would probably be my go to for open fields and spots of land that don't have a lot of trash in the ground for the depth. I might consider looking into a small and large coil for the E-Trac. The reason why people might achieve 19"+ on coins with the E-Trac might be the 18x15" SEF Butterfly Search Coil that is available.

Impressive depth on the Hot Wheels car at 16". I found a metal train that was as big as the Hot Wheels car about 7" down with my AT Pro.

 

[E-TREC-Virginia]

You better be strong, young, and in good shape if you plan on using the 18X15 inch SEF coil because that thing is VERY VERY HEAVY. Or plan on using a Swingy Thingy.

 

[AngelicStorm]

Oh, I'll probably get a swing considering how heavy it could be. Any idea on the depth it can achieve? I would like to have an idea besides one that suggested 19" you know. Always better to be sure of what it can potentially do before getting it.

 

[therover]

I would keep the AT Pro as it does have some advantages over the E-Trac (recovery speed and waterproof are 2 of them) and the AT Pro compliments the E-Trac very well.

As far as those big coils go....be wary. Depth isn't everything. If you cannot control the coil and the sweep speed and angle for optimal performance, then it is pointless. The stock Pro Coil does a darn good job on depth. I have an E-Trac and the stock Pro Coil is the biggest coil I have. I went the other way and got a SunrayX-8 and Sunray X-5 for it. The Sunray X-5 is my main coil for coin hunting. Awesome depth and the separation and sensitivity is super. Plus, I can control that coil perfectly and know I have it parallel to the ground from one end of the sweep to the other, and I can make sure I am overlapping and covering every inch of ground and not missing much.

If you are hunting open fields and beaches for 90% of the time, than a bigger coil is viable. I say if 30% of more of the time you will be hunting in parks, semi-trashy areas and older home sites, an 8 or 5 inch coil is a must and should be the second coil you get and not a bigger coil than the stock Pro Coil. Just my opinion but I do know that bigger coils mean harder to control which effects a lot of things.

Also be aware that a bigger coil means it will 'see' more of the ground, hence be affected by ground mineralization more than a smaller coil, you may not be able to run your sensitivity as high, it will not be as sensitive to smaller targets and the possibility of target masking increases as more potential targets ( both good and bad ) may be under the coil at the same time.

 

[E-TREC-Virginia]

Oh, I'll probably get a swing considering how heavy it could be. Any idea on the depth it can achieve? I would like to have an idea besides one that suggested 19" you know. Always better to be sure of what it can potentially do before getting it.

The Pro coil that comes with the E-Trac is a very good all around coil. I purchased a 12X10 SEF coil for a little more ground coverage and use it as my everyday coil for non trashy areas. The 12X10 gives you a little extra depth (maybe 1 to 2 inches depending on your ground conditions) as compared to the stock Pro coil. I've found dimes at 10 inches with the 12X10 coil. I use the 15X12 SEF mostly at the beach to cover as much ground as possible. The 15X12 coil also works well in areas that contain VERY little trash and low ground mineralization. It's a big coil and the target separation is an issue if to much trash is present and if your ground is highly mineralized, you may have to back off sensitivity to a point where it hurts your depth. For trashy areas, I use the 6" DD EXcelerator EQ 2 Pro coil. It does an excellent job separating the good targets from trash and goes pretty deep for such a small coil. Found dimes up to 6 - 7 inches with it. If you want a mid size coil, the 8X6 SEF is an excellent coil that is used by many of the experts on the forum. There are a number of manufactures (Detech, SunRay, Coiltek) that make excellent aftermarket coils for the E-Trac and you'll get various opinions on which is the best. I'll suggest some below for your reference. I am not recommending one coil over the other and it's up to you to decide what fits your needs based on where you hunt and what your conditions are. By no means is this a complete list. One thing I can say, is everyone of the coils noted below are used by members of the forum, perform well in the field, and are quality products.

Small Coil (Used for Trashy Areas and/or Tight Confined Areas) = SunRay X5, 4.5 x 7" DD EXcelerator, 6" DD EXcelerator EQ 2 Pro
Mid Size Coil (Good in Trashy Areas and Could Be Used For Everyday Detecting) = EXcelerator 8x6" SEF (Butterfly), SunRay X8,Coiltek 5x10 Joey
Larger Mid Size Coils (Everyday Use) = Stock Pro 11" FBS DD Coil, SunRay X12, EXcelerator 12x10" SEF (Butterfly), Detech 13" Ultimate DD
Larger Coils (Beach, Field, Areas Without Trash) = Coiltek 15" DD WOT, EXcelerator 15x12" SEF (Butterfly) Coil

 

[Ken in Georgia]

Thanks for the list Steve...

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

The stock E-Trac coil will surprise you. Give me a call if you have questions. Love to help you!

 

[AngelicStorm]

The stock E-Trac coil will surprise you. Give me a call if you have questions. Love to help you!

Thanks.