etrac pinpointing and large targets

[CanadaDig]

I have got in the habit of Pinpointing with Etrac by the wiggle method and then 90 Degrees again to get a general area. I was always confused about the Pinpoint mode of Etrac but now I have more experience with the Etrac I would like to try again. My question is it better using SIZING mode...and what does it do. Im going to try it this week but what am I looking for or is their some tricks that I need to try.

also----I have hit big targets before and they ring like silver....Im getting Better and noticing by lifting the Coil a foot above the ground and checking but I sometimes forget. is there a tell tale sign that the good target sound is not silver but a Coke Can buried underground or am I using the only tactic available?

Any Help would be appreciated....I love my etrac!!

 

[NebTrac]

I have not tried the sizing too much. I studied up on it and did a few targets with it, but can't really comment on it.

Now the other. I use the PP button as well as the "raising" the coil method when I suspect a big target. Most aluminum cans will have a "crackle" too the sound and in normal response the sound will be longer than it will on a coin sized object. Of course this is all moot when a aluminum can or zinc canning lid is buried at 12 inches.

It is a STATE LAW in Nebraska that ALL zinc canning lids at old houses must be a minimum of 8 inches deep.

NebTrac

 

[moonshine]

i use the regular pinpoint mode. give it a try again. the thing thats nice is after you initially pinpoint the target, you move the coil away from the target (up or over) and the pinpoint response keeps getting less and less sensitive, and the etrac will just sound off when you are dead over the target. you keep moving the coil away "off" the target, and the etrac gets less and less sensitive. i usually do this a few times to get a good feel for where the target is. (hitting the pinpoint button twice, toggling between detect mode and pinpoint mode, "resets" this gradual decrease in sensitivity......so you can try it as many times as you want at a target) after a while you'll be able to tell how big the target is. you will be able to tell how deep too. just like anything else it take time to get experienced. of course like Neb says above something huge and deep can fool you. Usually when that happens you'll be able to tell something isnt right. For example youre getting a loud and clear 12-45 and its depth, based on past experience, would/should be at about 4". Youve dug an 8" hole and still nothing, but the same loud 12-45 at 4" signal.... .......Probably something much larger than a coin size target down there, such as a toy gun or a large peice of scrap metal, for example. or an old pringles can lid. (all things that Ive dug deep that have fooled me).

big targets ringing like silver.....are they shallow? if theyre shallow you would be able to tell how shallow and how big when you pinpoint. you will be able to tell their size by how they pinpoint. this is hard to put into words but when you pinpoint you can tell right away how big something is. I mean, between something say as large as an aluminum can compared to a coin. (at a shallow depth). if the can is deep then its harder to tell. they do sound good though, its a heart stopper! thats why i always try to pick up every scrap of trash that i find. i hate getting fooled by cans. our community recycles too, so i figure its a good thing all the way around. people like to see us picking up all that trash too.

everything in this post is more easily shown directly than put into stark words so if you have any questions please ask.

 

[khouse]

I tried the sizing and didn't like it. I much rather love the automatic detuning in the standard mode. Sometimes when there's trash around it takes a bit to get it to detune. But you'll get the hang of it.

 

[spywiz]

I tried the sizing and didn't like it. I much rather love the automatic detuning in the standard mode. Sometimes when there's trash around it takes a bit to get it to detune. But you'll get the hang of it.

I am not familiar with that term "detune". What exactly is that?

 

[NebTrac]

I tried the sizing and didn't like it. I much rather love the automatic detuning in the standard mode. Sometimes when there's trash around it takes a bit to get it to detune. But you'll get the hang of it.

I am not familiar with that term "detune". What exactly is that?

If you don't mind Kenny....

Spywiz. In standard pinpointing mode. Once you've hit the pinpoint button and start swinging over the target. Each time you pass by the target area the pinpointing "sound" and "sensitivity level" will decrease slightly. This allows you zero in on the target easier. You can keep swinging in this mode until you actually lose the target. This is quoted from Andy Sabisch's book.

I myself do not use this much. I'll use pinpointing button when I suspect a large target or if I really want to be "dead on" as in a park. Most of the time I use the X (crisscross) method on deeper targets and the "pull back" method on shallower ones.

Hope this helps.

NebTrac

 

[khouse]

Reduction of target response is detuning. On most other machines you have to get your coil next to a target and re-push the pinpoint button to shrink the target respnse for more accurate pinpointing. The etrac does this automatically in the standard mode. You push the pp button and pass the coil over the target and then past the target where there's no tone. Then when you come back over the target the signal is reduced or de-tuned.

 

[khouse]

I was writing while you were posting. I think the etrac has just enough adjustable features for most everyone. It's hard to screw it up so bad you can't find stuff at depth.

 

[elki1052]

The PP button on my Etrac is the only button that is brand new the reason why is because I never have the need for it. I always PP with the tip of the coil and 99% of the time I'm dead on target.
If is a deep target I just Know that it is 1" -/+ inside the tip, I have master this way that I can probe the target with my 12" probe and always dead on except on large targets (that count for the 1%) because they are by nature hard to PP because of its size.
I use the WOT 15" and the SEF12X10 and they are the same to pinpoint ( I have never try the stock coil ether, still in the box brand new too)
You should try this method and you will be amaze how easy and fast you will recup the targets and move on to the next one.
HH.
Abel

 

[spywiz]

Thanks for clearing up the de-tuning issue for me guys. As always, precise and quick answers.