E-Trac PMs Anyone ?

[fsa46]

Most sites, including this one, really won't tolerate negative posts about MDs in general. I am considering getting an E-trac, although I love my MXT Pro and will not part with it, I want to add another to my arsenal.

I would really appreciate PMs from people that have owned an E-Trac and did not find that is was all that it is cracked up to be. Please be specific as to what you didn't like about the machine.

I am particularly interested in hearing from people that had owned both the MXT Pro and the E-Trac.

 

[gmanlight]

What are you hunting fore and what kind of soil do you have.

 

[fsa46]

What are you hunting fore and what kind of soil do you have.

My main interest is COINS. Soil can run the entire gambit from as low as 30 or high over 70.

 

[gmanlight]

I think its safe to say the E Trac is a very good coin / silver machine.
For me it was not a great fit .
The swing speed /recovery, weight, and screen were some of the things i did not like.
I hunt more fields and old sites with lots of iron and not much for parks /coin shooting.
My hunting bud has the TEK Omega 8000 and it is a very good coin hunter.
Not as deep but light and easy to learn.

 

[Elton]

Some learn to use it quickly.Others struggle and do OK after time. Some never learn to use it properly.


You will be the only deciding factor of does it work well for you , or doesn't work well for you.

Etracs are great..it's the people using them that have to adjust..

 

[jackintexas]

Very good comments, Elton....Jack

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[jmaryt]

i just have to ask elton! if the "trac" is so good at hunting for silver,then why do
you use anything else? i understand the 'concept" of having other detectors to "cover all bets"
so to speak,however if your main "thrust" if you will,is to search for old silver,then one would get the impression that all you really need is the e-trac!
so that said,why bother with anything else? especially in light of the fact,the "trac" sells for north of $1,499.00!..just curious!
thanks!

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[jmaryt]

was wondering what makes the "trac' such a great silver hunter in trashy parks?
having trouble getting anyone to say why it has an advantage over other detectors
in the same environment! never owned one,and not familiar with how they operate!
must be something about 'em that everybody feels makes 'em a superior silver
"buster" in the junk!..kinda curious!..just sayin'

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[Larry (IL)]

If you would like the E-Trac or Explorer, only you can say. Both are great if your PRIMARY quest is coins, especially silver and copper. I had an E-Trac and sold it later in favor of an SE Pro but that was just because I was much more familiar with the SE and the way it displayed the targets. I could see no depth advantage of the ET over the SE but the ET does have some new features that are nice to have.

IMHO a used SE Pro could be one of the best deals on the market right now with nice machines going for $650 or less. That might be an alternative to see if an ET or SE might be right for you.

 

[dewcon4414]

I think Larry hit the nail on the head. jmaryt.... There is no one who will dispute the ET or explorers ARE the machines always compared to when it comes to copper and silver hunting. Because of their unique ability to work in tuff soil and slow movement. There are few machines that can move as slowly as they do without affecting the filtering system. That slow movement and the very improved Pro and SEF coils really separate the targets. Once learned, the tones are unique and in trash you are more concerned with tone than the visual screen. Often fast recovery machines are just swung to fast and once the signal is averaged you miss close targets. There is very little ML releases on it tech. unlike Whites and some of the other platform detectors. Its believed it works somewhere around the 3Khz range and is based on a PI platform. Without more info its hard to say why they like silver.... but why does the Whites like small gold items? Its just programing and freq.

Dew

 

[Elton]

I did not say the Etrac was the best everywhere, or even for everyone to use it. I said some use it and do great.. Just read the Explorer forum. Others buy them, and dump them pretty fast. Others stay with them, learn the operation, and they do very, very well with them. E-tracs, SE's and Explorers love Old deep Silver..That is a fact... Myself I use a variety of detectors, and choose them as to where I will be hunting.. I have "NEVER" been great at learning the E-trac..or finding super old coins. I do better with the SE pro.. My favorite go to detector is the T2........Light, fast swinging, good solid results.. that said I have to be realistic and accept the fact the Explorers, ETrac, and Se are fantastic detectors that produce exceptional finds.........I will also say this The E-trac users are a dedicated bunch of detectorists who spend hours, and hours detecting. The Casual detectorist who only hunts for a few hours every week most likely will not be as successful as the person who spends many, many hours detecting using the ETrac, and, or explorer series detectors. Once learned You "May" not need any other detector but an E-trac for fantastic success. You could make that same statement about a Whites, Garrett, Fisher, Technetics, and other brands..learn it..learn it well, and you will get good finds.. You also have to have a bit of blind luck, and or good research for great places to detect. The Multi frequency detectors, over all, seem to have an advantage for seeking good targets in multiple areas.........your odds are sometimes better.

 

[jmaryt]

elton!..staying with one detector,and knowing it well is the best advice possible!
i guess i am frustrated by the fact i cannot get a definitive answer as to why this
e-trac does so well!..people claim it's the next best thing to sliced bread on the old
deep silver,but when "pushed" for a defining reason as to HOW,and WHY this is so,
it "appears" that the answers are not forthcoming! i can only "assume" at this point,the answer may lie in the "multi-
frequencies" transmitted into the ground,however "assumption can be the mother of all (EDIT) ups" so it is entirely
possible the answer may lie else where!..just sayin'

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[Larry (IL)]

staying with one detector,and knowing it well is the best advice possible!


Hogwash, many hunters often use several detectors for specific reasons. I for one use three, White's V3i, Minelab SE Pro and Tesoro Cibola. The V3i for general hunting, relics and jewelry.... the SE for "worked out" parks and the Cibola for competition hunts and tot lots. Others have water detectors and there are many other reasons as well. Whatever detector you have you should know it well, yes.

I think most of the Explorer and E-Trac users like their machines for deep silver and copper hunting because of the distinctive audio response, at least I do. When I get a deep target with my SE the audio response gets my attention immediately and I can then determine if it is a target that I want to dig or not. The Minelabs are thought to be deeper than other detectors and for many of them that is true but I have yet to find a target with my SE or my old E-Trac that my V3i can not hear as well, it is just that the audio response of the V3i is not as distinct and could pass as a something that I might not want to dig. That is why I prefer the SE/E-Trac for deep target hunting.

The how and why Minelab has the distinct audio is a company secret and I don't think we will know anytime soon. Although the multi-frequency is a factor, I'm sure it is not the answer because other manufactures have multi-frequency machines as well.

 

[Elton]

It's a combination of factors that make the explorer series a good choice for many people.. The Distinct sounds of the E-trac is one of those factors. The Multi frequency is another, Same for the SE pro that I find works best for me. So user ability also comes into play. There may not be any one reason a detector of any brand works better for some, and not others.. It could be the belief in the detector your using, and your ability to get the best out of it. I know you ( Larry) have demonstrated many times over the abilities of the Great Whites Detectors..and the Minelab detectors..Maybe to answer jmaryts question it's machine, ability, belief in what your using...and the ability to adapt the detector to the areas your hunting. ??????????? add a little determination to be successful and you get a winning combination..

 

[jmaryt]

yes! i was wondering if the "flutey" type sound on the you tube videos was a factor,but,to be honest didn't give that much credence
because,although "distinctive",OTHER detectors (f-75 for example) have a "noticeable" high pitch on silver,and copper metals too,
and they also tend to stop one in their tracks to investigate further! as you mentioned larry,and i agree!.the "multifrequencies"
ie: (several) may be a factor! i 'GUESS' the real reason is,that the detector id's at "depth" more accurately than other detectors,
so when ya DO dig down,ya "generally" dig WHAT the detector says is down there! again! this is just a guess on my part!.what you say does make sense however,
and is perhaps the most "plausible" explanation,with the "rest" being "proprietary" and i cannot find a flaw in that statement! the simple,and perhaps the best answer
would be to conduct comparisons of actual "hits,or signals from the detectors in the field! hunting with both of them,and comparing signals.i don't have the means to
do this but maybe others do,and if truthfully presented would accurately gauge WHICH detector will find WHAT,and vice versa! anyway! yes! you are correct larry!
i made "general" statement,and upon "reflection" i realize i was mistaken!.i needed to state that the detector you use "for a particular type of hunting" IS the one
you need to learn well! i defer to your initial statement,and stand corrected!

regards!
(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[jmaryt]

hi elton! as mentioned in my previous post,i corrected my general statement
to indicate that you need to learn the detector you are using for the particular "type" of hunting you are doing!
my initial statement was incorrect,as it was a more "general" statement that did not take into consideration 'all"
types of various hunting styles and objectives.in any event,i would like to get 'responses"of other detectorists
who have ''compared" signals in the field whilst using the e-trac,AND the f-75.after the ''smoke" clears,so to speak,
a truthfully presented comparison(s) of these detectors in the "same" hunting environment checking signals would be a very informative
endeavor,and hopefully add to the knowledge base of this forum. thanks!

(h.h.!)
j.t.