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Etrac Settings Sensitivity figured out

D

daddyflea

Active member
I am not new to my Etrac but I felt like I did not have this Sensitivity thing figured out for sure and I was right. I did an Air Test and found that simply changing from Auto to manual gained 2" on a Silver Dime. I did find that I was about as hot on Sensitivity as I could go using Auto. I knew this because at times in some places, everytime I moved my Coil my machine just Nulled out. I found that if I reduced the Sensitivity I could avoid the Null and swing normal. The Key is the Threshold. If you are getting a decent Threshold while swinging the Coil, you are not over driving. I like to hear those Nulls from Iron then the Threshold return pretty quick.

I discovered that a quick simple way to change from Manual to Auto Sensitivity is to hit the Side Arrow without opening the Menu. Then if you need to decrease the Sensitivity you hit the Up or Down Arrows without opening the Menu. You may need to Exit the Menu while at the Sensitivity Section. Not sure about that.

Today I was hunting in Auto +3 and some of my Sites will not allow +3. Some Coils (Coiltek) are a little hotter so I have to decrease as far as Auto +0. This is in order to obtain that good Threshold.

Today I was using a Sunray X-8 which did allow from +1 to +3. I have hunted this Site at least 4 times with my current Etrac. I also used a very good small coil. My Auto +3 was running good showing a Sensitivity of 19 and I hit a tree which is an obvious spot to hit. I changed to Manual and tried 24 but everytime I moved the Coil nothing but Null. I reduced down to 22 which is the same as Auto +3 at 19 which would seem to be nothing gained, but I was wrong. Man 22 gave me a decent Threshold while swinging so I started hunting.

Result was under 1 tree where I had hunted in Auto 4 times and my Partner at least once, I got 8 Coins. One was this Mercury. This Mercury was not all that deep at only about 6" but it was on end.

From now on it is Manual for me, if I even suspect deep coins.

2uf4z6e.jpg
 
Right,right and right. Nothing more to say about that.
 
Glad to hear you nailing it (without the nails ...LoL ) ! The Sun Ray X8 coil is a deeeeep coil with great signal and separation that will make old haunts seem new again.
 
Although I've never used an E-Trac, I know 100% what you mean about the nulling vs sensitivity + threshold settings! :biggrin:

Have recently gone back to places I hunted earlier this year and tried a more sensitive, much hotter program for getting to some deeper coins - but Mike and I usually end up finding 7-8" deep smashed foil and those blasted Bic lighter striker wheels! But whatever coins and jewelry lie past the 8" level will be at least 100 years old, we've found some Indians as deep as 11" as well!

The program set up for the Deus is basically 3-tone audio with iron as inaudible most of the time. So while you're swinging, you get all the little crackles and pops of foil - ranging from surface to about 8" deep. It's set up with extremely negative ground balance settings, but surprisingly it makes the machine ID targets better at depth

When you get over iron, the audio calms down...but the coolest part is if there's a non-ferrous target deeper there's a definite smoothness to the signal - so much as to where you can bypass the clutter and (most of the time) zero in on your deeper target - or dig out the clutter first.

Keep working that area with your new Threshold and manual sensitivity settings you're bound to be surprised! :surprised:
 
Yep, I rarely ever run mine in Auto. I have switched over to Auto after getting a deep target using Manual and not even gotten the signal. Auto has it's place but I know if it is not in Manual running as hot as possible, I am leaving things in the ground.

Was running mine in Manual set at 25 while hunting a park last night and I dug a small fired pistol round ball at an honest 10 inches down. I had my Raptor two inches up it's handle in the hole. That is some serious depth on such a small object. Was also running Deep On and Fast Response On at the time.
 
Yes the simple change from auto + or - and manual can make the machine act totally different in the same dirt.
My mxt gave a ground reading of 87 so searched in +3 auto (etrac) with the w.o.t not much depth but that's okay
I was just looking for shallow targets in medium iron trash swept a 30x60 ft area, got some coins, then switched to
Auto 1 and found a Wheatie the depth of the pinpoint er at least 8 inches in the same area with iron.
If your target detecting doesn't seem right the smallest change of just a simple setting or slow sweep will make a dead area
Fun to detect again.
Out of all my detectors, in years of detecting , the coin to trash ratio with the etrac is about 25% trash
Not bad.
 
calibil said:
Yes the simple change from auto + or - and manual can make the machine act totally different in the same dirt.
My mxt gave a ground reading of 87 so searched in +3 auto (etrac) with the w.o.t not much depth but that's okay
I was just looking for shallow targets in medium iron trash swept a 30x60 ft area, got some coins, then switched to
Auto 1 and found a Wheatie the depth of the pinpoint er at least 8 inches in the same area with iron.
If your target detecting doesn't seem right the smallest change of just a simple setting or slow sweep will make a dead area
Fun to detect again.
Out of all my detectors, in years of detecting , the coin to trash ratio with the etrac is about 25% trash
Not bad.
Click to expand...

What I have found is that just switching to Manual adds 2" depth. But what is even better is you start picking up those deep on end coins you were missing in Auto.
 
Very good tip..I rarely ever use auto....with this tip I'm going to mess with my sens..more when getting nulled out...which is a lot of the time where I hunt to find those silvers...great post...can't wait to try it....
 
Great post. I've been pretty dependant (lazy) on running auto+. Like you, I get pretty widespread nulling.

I'll be trying your method out for sure!
 
utmike said:
Great post. I've been pretty dependant (lazy) on running auto+. Like you, I get pretty widespread nulling.

I'll be trying your method out for sure!
Click to expand...

Man you got to have that Threshold. Regardless if you are running Auto or Manual you must not have that Null. Back off till the Threshold becomes decent as you swing. You will actually gain depth.
 
I used my E-trac for the first time yesterday. I did find a 1959 Rosie, three Wheaties and a few memorials. this is a former school site. It gets bush hogged and not cut with a finishing mower so there are mostly large grass clumps which causes the coil to be 4-5" above the ground. I did notice that I would get the nulling when I swung the coil. Thanks for the tip. If I could gain another 2" that should help my recovery there..
 
If I did I'd have to send the one I found today a 46-s Rosie..lol.. I bet I dug 8 or 9 coins on edge. I can't remember ever finding that many on edge coins in one hunt before. I also cut my pinky finger today.. I haven't done that before.. and yes I was wearing gloves.. I shouldn't have sharpened my knife so far up the blade...
 
I always run in manual with sensitivity at 30. That isn't always possible in some areas but I would guess I run that way 98% of the time.

D.V.
 
Yes learning how to load deep settings for the older stuff. But the ground is very hard right now. Are we allowed to post pictures of our settings?
 
jd88047 said:
Yes learning how to load deep settings for the older stuff. But the ground is very hard right now. Are we allowed to post pictures of our settings?
Click to expand...

Yes JD it is ok to post I have seen others post theres.
 
Well without a picture cause the screen in bright sunlight is just so easy to see lol. I run a relic program, just bottom right blacked out. I switch between auto sens and manual sens. I run fast on, and deep off. I run a ferrous screen, the coins still pop and I like to hear the gold rings. My manual sens is actually a 10. I may go lower. I use small coils mostly. Stock coil can be noisy. One problem we have here is clay. The etrac does not like clay. Glad I kept my other detectors. Another issue with sens is coil swing speed. You just have to swing slow. I am used to swinging fast with my other detectors. The etrac will still hit hard on a shallow target, just saying swing slow if your looking for deep targets. But most of you already know that lol. I hope to get out this weekend and get some more swing time.
 
Good post..love manual:clsoedeyes:
 
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