Etrac old school or is it 🤔

[Elmy]

Minelab has the market on the fbs/bbs tech....others are trying to match or exceed it with multi frequency....
Also a lighter machine is easier to use and control which helps the user....better ?????.......a lot of people are trying to prove it as we speak.
A breakthrough detector that outperforms all the rest will, of course, be noticed....should it be manufactured and used....time will tell.
Until then, swing the fbs/bbs machine.

Even old school, the etrac has so many options that some of the newer detectors do not have..... for example adjustable ferrous settings and conductive settings allows you to zero in on any target with amazing accuracy.
Once mastered, it can almost guarantee a successful recovery of any specific target without a lot of trash being dug in the process.

 

[Ted S]

Nothing to add here but I am glad to see you are still around and posting Elmy!

 

[Elmy]

Nothing to add here but I am glad to see you are still around and posting Elmy!

Thanks Ted,
In and out of it ... Having either Chemo or radiation every day....it will be that way for over 2-3 months.
Just about the start of detecting season...I will miss the whole spring hunts.

 

[Ted S]

Good luck my friend! I had a radiation treatment in 2013. I hope it was the last one.

 

[eman1000]

I just got an Etrac and it is too cold to hunt in Indiana at the moment. I loaded up a few programs and it was totally shocked at how accurate the VDI was on Silver Dimes and Quarters in comparison to clad. I've owned probably a dozen machines that couldn't do this. The V3i could but was also quite a bit heavier. I've really like my XP ORX for it's weight and recovery speed is amazing but it tend to average a lot of things up into the 90s and I just wanted something to really hone in on the silver. Any advice or programs would very much be appreciated. I also got a NEL Hunter coil include in the package and am wondering if anyone has used this coil and should I expect better depth and/or seperation from this DD coil. In Air test (for what those are worth) the depth seems comparable to the XP ORX but the ID is better on silver. I find on the ORX that copper pennies, modern Dimes, silver dimes, and occasionally quarters all then to average up in the 96 range. I could tell right away on the Etrac that VDI was consistently about 1 higher on Silver 12/46 vs 12/45. I will of course have to put in the hours before I truly understand the nuances of the machine. I think for $630 dollars though I've got a nice addition to the arsenal. The machine could be better balanced though and I'm already brainstorming some ideas for this. Mine also came with a very nice carbon lower shaft I believe this was an add-on?

 

[Odanscoils]

Even old school, the etrac has so many options that some of the newer detectors do not have..... for example adjustable ferrous settings and conductive settings allows you to zero in on any target with amazing accuracy.
Once mastered, it can almost guarantee a successful recovery of any specific target without a lot of trash being dug in the process.

I'm wondering.
Those settings sound very much like my old Explorer XS.
Was the Etrac a succession of the Explorer ?
I still love the oll Explorer just heavy. Torn shoulder makes it difficult. And to think I used to swing the 15" WOT coil on it. Deepest holes I've ever dug.
30+ inchs on a silver plated can/bottle opener in sand.
Thought it was another tire rim.
Until my pinpointer finally hit it showing something much smaller than a rim.

 

[Odanscoils]

I just got an Etrac and it is too cold to hunt in Indiana at the moment. I loaded up a few programs and it was totally shocked at how accurate the VDI was on Silver Dimes and Quarters in comparison to clad. I've owned probably a dozen machines that couldn't do this. The V3i could but was also quite a bit heavier. I've really like my XP ORX for it's weight and recovery speed is amazing but it tend to average a lot of things up into the 90s and I just wanted something to really hone in on the silver. Any advice or programs would very much be appreciated. I also got a NEL Hunter coil include in the package and am wondering if anyone has used this coil and should I expect better depth and/or seperation from this DD coil. In Air test (for what those are worth) the depth seems comparable to the XP ORX but the ID is better on silver. I find on the ORX that copper pennies, modern Dimes, silver dimes, and occasionally quarters all then to average up in the 96 range. I could tell right away on the Etrac that VDI was consistently about 1 higher on Silver 12/46 vs 12/45. I will of course have to put in the hours before I truly understand the nuances of the machine. I think for $630 dollars though I've got a nice addition to the arsenal. The machine could be better balanced though and I'm already brainstorming some ideas for this. Mine also came with a very nice carbon lower shaft I believe this was an add-on?

I have the Hunter coil on my Explorer.
So far so good. Just not enough time on it.
Working/learning on other new machines at present.
I believe you'll like it.
Definitely not as deep as the 13" ultimate though.
That's a nice light coil.

 

[u2robert]

I have the Hunter coil on my Explorer.
So far so good. Just not enough time on it.
Working/learning on other new machines at present.
I believe you'll like it.
Definitely not as deep as the 13" ultimate though.
That's a nice light coil.

I kept the 13' ultimate coil on my E-Trac but man it's a tank.

 

[Elmy]

I'm wondering.
Those settings sound very much like my old Explorer XS.
Was the Etrac a succession of the Explorer ?
I still love the oll Explorer just heavy. Torn shoulder makes it difficult. And to think I used to swing the 15" WOT coil on it. Deepest holes I've ever dug.
30+ inchs on a silver plated can/bottle opener in sand.
Thought it was another tire rim.
Until my pinpointer finally hit it showing something much smaller than a rim.

yes...explorer... then etrac.... then ctx 3030

 

[Odanscoils]

yes...explorer... then etrac.... then ctx 3030

Disabled. At present I just can't afford an Extrac if I could find one.

Do you know the upgrades as the design progressed ?
The split screen showing both ferrous and conductive numbers on the Explorer 2 was a much needed upgrade.
Though the Explorer xs could show either or.
I wish I had moved up to the Explorer 2 or the Black Explorer Pro.
My screen is getting a little faded. Still great at night but hard to see in daylight.
I've read years ago a company sold or installed a new screen for the old Explorers.

 

[Elmy]

Disabled. At present I just can't afford an Extrac if I could find one.

Do you know the upgrades as the design progressed ?
The split screen showing both ferrous and conductive numbers on the Explorer 2 was a much needed upgrade.
Though the Explorer xs could show either or.
I wish I had moved up to the Explorer 2 or the Black Explorer Pro.
My screen is getting a little faded. Still great at night but hard to see in daylight.
I've read years ago a company sold or installed a new screen for the old Explorers.

Never had or used an explorer....Went from a whites dfx to an etrac when they came out so I really can't say about the upgrades from the explorer on up.

 

[eman1000]

Disabled. At present I just can't afford an Extrac if I could find one.

Do you know the upgrades as the design progressed ?
The split screen showing both ferrous and conductive numbers on the Explorer 2 was a much needed upgrade.
Though the Explorer xs could show either or.
I wish I had moved up to the Explorer 2 or the Black Explorer Pro.
My screen is getting a little faded. Still great at night but hard to see in daylight.
I've read years ago a company sold or installed a new screen for the old Explorers.

The upgrades between the Explorer and Etrac are explained in great detail in Andy Sabisch book on the Etrac/Explorer line. I just gave it a quick read through last night and the two big things I recall was that the Etrac had a newer and faster processor that allowed for quicker recovery speed and it also has more slots for custom programs. Including the ability to upload/save programs to a computer. The explorer is also discontinued now, but I have not found anything on Minelabs site stating that the E-trac is discontinued despite the Equinox & Vanquish series. I actually bought and used an Equinox for a few months but the compress ID range and no other information on the target just wasn't for me. I was digging all kinds of targets in the 12-14 range looking for Nickels and the same for 20-23 looking for pennies. I would love to know why they abandon the Ferrious numbers on the Equinox. The Equinox with Ferrious and/or an X/Y graph would have been very nice.

 

[Odanscoils]

The upgrades between the Explorer and Etrac are explained in great detail in Andy Sabisch book on the Etrac/Explorer line. I just gave it a quick read through last night and the two big things I recall was that the Etrac had a newer and faster processor that allowed for quicker recovery speed and it also has more slots for custom programs. Including the ability to upload/save programs to a computer. The explorer is also discontinued now, but I have not found anything on Minelabs site stating that the E-trac is discontinued despite the Equinox & Vanquish series. I actually bought and used an Equinox for a few months but the compress ID range and no other information on the target just wasn't for me. I was digging all kinds of targets in the 12-14 range looking for Nickels and the same for 20-23 looking for pennies. I would love to know why they abandon the Ferrious numbers on the Equinox. The Equinox with Ferrious and/or an X/Y graph would have been very nice.

Thank You for that.
I guess for now I'll have live with my old Explorer and Sovereign GT.
Between the two I do pretty good for now.
Until they come out with the Equinox 1100.

 

[pulltabfelix]

I know this is an e-trac sub-forum, but I have had my CTX3030 now , and I think it is my forever machine.

 

[AVXVA]

I know this is an e-trac sub-forum, but I have had my CTX3030 now , and I think it is my forever machine.

Why?

Please share the details on this!

 

[woodbutcher]

I get that there are metal detectors that have more advanced technology but are they really any better ?

No

 

[Cacti]

Etrac has been discontinued by minelab. I have an Explorer SE pro. Etrac and nox 800 . Have to compare them in the field

 

[Nauti]

u2robert wrote:
"I believe the E-Trac was released in 2008.
You do know technology advancements have improved metal detectors right?"

SHOW ME. <~ Not being sarcastic. Seriously, show me the machine--any machine--that is more technologically advanced (not interested in GPS gimmicks) than the E-Trac.

Show me a new machine from any company that has more power, and better discrimination that the E-Trac.

Not being a dick, I am seriously looking for something better than an E-Trac, and I can't find anything that even comes close.

That will be difficult for anybody with any detector to do.I base a detectors performance on how it does in the field on actual targets and over the 30 plus years i have yet to see a single machine that actually makes a major difference on finds rates.Some do better than others in certain situations but there still isn't a single machine that totally outperforms all others.The etrac is still a very relevant machine and will keep up with anything else over a seasons detecting.
We all see youtube videos showing how the latest offerings will outperform any other machine......quite frankly most of them are total crap.I watched a video made here in the uk by a chap who took a top flight detector out into a new field he had never searched before,he also took a budget model with him so he could compare signals.Out of all the signals he had,both detectors picked them up....yes some machines will do better than others on certain targets but overall,most good machines will do about the same job.

 

[pulltabfelix]

Detector comparisons....1) very few if any of the detector comparison videos are factual. Lot of times we really don't see exactly how each machine is set up for the trial and most of the MD youtubers don't know how to do it.
2) the vast majority of the compare videos are done by detectorists who really don't have a lot of time on either machine. 3) lot of the detectorists doing the compare has a conscious or un-conscious bias towards one detector or the other for some reason. 4) often the detectorists is more you tuber $$$ than detectorists.

I think and detectorist with a decent mid-lever or above machine with lots of hunting hours (over 1000) and many years on that detector will always do well on their hunts. A very knowledgeable member on TN that really knows the physics behind the science of metal detecting has said we have hit the depth wall quite a few years ago and all the other improvements are in post signal processing to unmask good targets among bad targets. Will the XP Deus2 or Nox 800 really find deeper coins than a CTX3030 in a true side by side by comparison on a buried coin in the wild before digging? I have not really seen that proof that I can trust. And what does it really matter if one can find a coin 1/4" deeper in a perfect test garden. Get out among the trash and that is where all the recent improvements matter to the operator.

I can set my CTX3030 up very quickly so it will clearly ID a dime within a few inches of an rusty iron mail all day long. The best detector you can own is the one you know the best and trust.

 

[Picketwire]

"old school?" What in the world does that mean? I would say that our old schools taught much more than our new schools. Does it mean no longer useful? Obsolete? I don't own one but until ground penetrating radar becomes affordable, I think the Etrac is as good as any and better than most. Just my opinion.