FE numbers off on my etrac

[hunter_46356]

Another thing to consider. I just got back from a beach and park hunt in that order. I noticed my numbers at the park where jumpy and off where they usually are. the buddy I was with just let me know his coil cover was packed with sand. I'm sure mine is too. This could have made a difference in the numbers later in the park.

 

[ironsight]

Just want to re-enforce what Goes4ever said.
Its been said all over these internet forums that the eTRAC has a long learning curve.

Newbies master the menus, read the books, memorize the published 'air test' coin ID charts and will initially find the easy shallow stuff.
Ferrous 12 along with high conductive numbers seems to be the magic ID number. Well it is for shallower coins in good soil with little to no junk around. Those charts IMO are only a starting or reference point.

Here's where the long learning curve comes into play. Its developing a 'gut feeling' by digging junk, iffy IDs/tones deep and shallow.
Just about every single 10+ inch deep coin i've dug up did not have a solid Ferrous number according to those published target ID charts.

Nearby junk, depth, soil and even EMI can and does skew those published ID numbers.
After a while those memorized ID charts are a thing of the past.

 

[Goes4ever]

Nearby junk, depth, soil and even EMI can and does skew those published ID numbers.
After a while those memorized ID charts are a thing of the past.

yep and learning THIS is what separates a good detectorists from someone always in search of a text book easy signal, most places I hunt, all the easy signals are gone, all that is left is iffy, jumpy numbers......the more you learn the etrac language and what it is telling you, the more GOOD stuff u will dig

 

[bruce01364]

Thanks for all the replies but it seems I didn't word my original post very well and some of you haven't read the other posts. So please bear with me on this follow up. I know FE numbers can be way off when a coin is in the ground but usually stay around 12 on shallow coins with no other metal around. I have found a few large cents as deep as 6" and still got a 12 reading. Of course the FE was way off on a lot of other large cents I found for whatever reason. My friends coin was a large copper about 2" deep and no metal around that I noticed. A screaming signal with a CO that said dig me right now but the FE was 9-10. It turned out to be a Fugio copper cent and I have never had such a low FE reading on a copper coin that shallow in what appeared to be clean ground. Scratched my head but we kept detecting. Then I found the silver half dollar. Now because of the FE reading I had on my friends copper I decided to check the half dollar with an air test. I didn't know that a silver half would have a different FE reading than around 12 on an air test. Thanks to those of you that replied and pointed that out to me. I also appreciate all the replies that let me know the FE numbers can be off on coins in the ground but the FE reading on an AIR TEST of the silver half is what threw me off.

Also, after testing the half dollar I did an air test of my friends Fugio cent and got an FE of 9-11 and thought it should have been mostly at 12. I now thought for sure something was wrong with my machine and the reason for my original post. BUT....the Fugio was in a baggie with dirt when I air tested it and there could have been something in the dirt to throw the numbers off or maybe the composition of the coin did. There were power lines nearby so maybe that. I will have to check his coin again without the dirt when we hook up again just out of curiosity. Anyway, as I posted earlier, I did an air test of smaller coins of different compositions I have found and the FE was around 12 on all of them. So my machine is just fine. My ignorance of the FE on the silver half air test and possibly a fluke on the air test of the Fugio cent had me thinking there was something wrong. All is fine with my Etrac and I'm ready to find more coins. Just hoping I can find one of those Fugio cents...whatever the FE is.

 

[Dale(Ia)]

Nearby junk, depth, soil and even EMI can and does skew those published ID numbers.
After a while those memorized ID charts are a thing of the past.

yep and learning THIS is what separates a good detectorists from someone always in search of a text book easy signal, most places I hunt, all the easy signals are gone, all that is left is iffy, jumpy numbers......the more you learn the etrac language and what it is telling you, the more GOOD stuff u will dig

Ditto!!.................& again.................Ditto!!

 

[Goes4ever]

Thanks for all the replies but it seems I didn't word my original post very well and some of you haven't read the other posts. So please bear with me on this follow up. I know FE numbers can be way off when a coin is in the ground but usually stay around 12 on shallow coins with no other metal around. I have found a few large cents as deep as 6" and still got a 12 reading. Of course the FE was way off on a lot of other large cents I found for whatever reason. My friends coin was a large copper about 2" deep and no metal around that I noticed. A screaming signal with a CO that said dig me right now but the FE was 9-10. It turned out to be a Fugio copper cent and I have never had such a low FE reading on a copper coin that shallow in what appeared to be clean ground. Scratched my head but we kept detecting. Then I found the silver half dollar. Now because of the FE reading I had on my friends copper I decided to check the half dollar with an air test. I didn't know that a silver half would have a different FE reading than around 12 on an air test. Thanks to those of you that replied and pointed that out to me. I also appreciate all the replies that let me know the FE numbers can be off on coins in the ground but the FE reading on an AIR TEST of the silver half is what threw me off.

Also, after testing the half dollar I did an air test of my friends Fugio cent and got an FE of 9-11 and thought it should have been mostly at 12. I now thought for sure something was wrong with my machine and the reason for my original post. BUT....the Fugio was in a baggie with dirt when I air tested it and there could have been something in the dirt to throw the numbers off or maybe the composition of the coin did. There were power lines nearby so maybe that. I will have to check his coin again without the dirt when we hook up again just out of curiosity. Anyway, as I posted earlier, I did an air test of smaller coins of different compositions I have found and the FE was around 12 on all of them. So my machine is just fine. My ignorance of the FE on the silver half air test and possibly a fluke on the air test of the Fugio cent had me thinking there was something wrong. All is fine with my Etrac and I'm ready to find more coins. Just hoping I can find one of those Fugio cents...whatever the FE is.

ok, let me say this SLOW..........12 is NOT a magical number............a 9 oe a 10 on the FE line is PERFECT, I do not see why you are so concerned. When I see a 09-36 I immeadiately think indian penny, when I see a 06-47 I am thinking half......12 is NOT a magic number, as soon as you get that out of your head you will do better with your etrac. A lot of things will NOT be 12, even out of the ground. There is NOTHING wrong, NOTHING wrong with your etrac.

 

[~ACE~]

Yeah not very often I get an 11 or 12 ferrous reading. Like G4E says, the faster you can wipe the 11/12 thing from your memory, the faster you'll be finding the good stuff. Try TTF and dig everything repeatable. You will start to see that modern clad close to the surface will give you the 11/12 ferrous reading sometimes, and the good stuff will give you the lower ferrous readings. If your target is near iron, the ferrous reading will be higher. Once it's out of the ground, it probably still won't give you an 11/12. You'll get there...just takes time.

 

[bruce01364]

OK. Got it now. I thought most replies were telling me about the FE numbers being off on coins in the ground. I was well aware of that. Couldn't get it through my thick head that they can be off on an air test. Just never had a copper cent air test with such low FE numbers before. Now realize the error of my ways.