***HELP*** Multi Tone Ferrous Question...

[Radical Relic Hunter]

I received my new Etrax and finally got around to checking it out and came across a problem. I set it up for relic hunting and find that I can only get three different tones with ten different targets with sounds set for multi in ferrous, but if I select multi and conductive, I get a different tone for every target. It also does the same when selecting two or four tone in ferrous. I have been trying to explain this problem to my dealer and he does not want to send the detector back to Minelab USA to have a tech say there is nothing wrong with the detector. I operated an Explorer II for over ten years, and I have never experienced a problem like this one. Has anyone else had a problem with their new Etrax in regards to multi tones? Should I just go ahead and ship this machine back to Minelab since my dealer is not cooperating? I asked my dealer to let me do a comparison with my Etrax to another Etrax that he sold to a friend, but he wanted me to do this over the phone. I need to pass my targets in front of his coil to see if I get a difference. Any reply would be most helpful here.

Thanks!

 

[Rick(ND)]

I always run ferrous with my Explorer, but with the E-Trac I can only run conductivity as the ferrous number as you see don't change as much which will give you less tones. A nickle and a quarter will probably sound the same as the ferrous number will be the same in ferrous on both coins, but in conductivity they will be a lot different as the ferrous on both are around 12 while in conductivity the number will be quite different. Most of the targets I find will be iron which has a high ferrous number, coins will be around the 12 area and I believe some of the pull tabs read will read lower then a coin so there will be probably 3 different tones in ferrous while in conductivity it will have much more. On the Explorer there was more ferrous numbers between a nickle and quarter so you will have more tones in ferrous with the Explorer. This is why I have to run conductivity with the E-Trac and it does a great job and better then my Explorers would and why I had to run them in ferrous tones.

 

[Radical Relic Hunter]

OK, now that makes since. I did notice I received a flat line of around 12 on most of my targets with a variation in the conductive numbers. This will be something I will need to get use too. Now, I have never really hunted in conductive much, so will I still get a good sound difference between my trash targets and good targets? I am speaking in regards to the flute sound that a good target would make when using the Explorer? Thanks for the reply!

Radical Relic Hunter

 

[Jim upstate NY]

Your probably like me and will either go back to the explorer and leave the etrac in the closet, or sell it... If your dead set on ferrous you won't like the etrac.. and your gonna find nails give you a fit in conductive, unless you really bump up the disc, no more running wide open in conductive like you could do with the explorer in ferrous... and with everything reading 12 ferrous running ferrous audio is worthless as a t..s on a bull, may as well run single tone... I find the explorer is deeper also.. maybe its just my etrac, but I missed an awful lot of deep stuff I found when running the explorer over small areas I pounded with the etrac.. I am holding on to mine for a while to see if Minelab comes out with a software upgrade that at least fixes the ferrous audio multi tone thing. at least if they could get you multi tone, then you can only go for the 14 sounding audio hits and higher, without having to look at every hit on the screen.. and watch out for crown caps and rusty tin... no more reading only lower right.. its spread all over the left half of screen now

 

[Ray-Mo.]

Give it a fair test in conductive tones and you will find it will work well.A few die hard Explorer users used to running open screen in ferous tones cried a lot but the vast majority of Etrac users will not even consider going back to the Explorers,Ray.
PS you may want to try 4 tones as well as multi-tones.

 

[Dennis 2]

My findings are the same as yours. Even with readings in the high thirties and forties which should be good targets...allot aren't good targets. Also running the ET in ferrous tones ,multi , four... etc. Most targets sound the same,Which makes me dig more bad targets ,Thinking they might be iffy good targets. I'm going to keep it and still give myself more time testing it. But so far , when my EX tells me there's a coin or good target...nine out of ten times it is, and the ET doesn't do that for me. I'm not here to bad mouth the ET.It works great for allot of people. For myself ..I just haven't seen it yet.
Dennis 2

 

[utahshovelhead]

Dennis, after just reading the two posts above yours and your post in this thread all say that the E Trac gives a better target differentiation in Co than in FE I am wondering why you are useing FE?
I am not trying to be smart or anything like that just that I am trying to get a feel if I am going to spend more bucks on an E trac. thanks for any replay to my Q.

 

[Radical Relic Hunter]

Well Dennis, I have always seemed to get better sounds in determining whether my target is iron with the "OLD" Explorer while hunting in multi tone ferrous. Now I have had quite a few pieces of flat iron and round iron pieces fool me while hunting in ferrous. I do remember haveing a lot more difficulty with iron spiking off showing it to be a good target when trying to hunt in conductive with the "OLD" Explorer. Now I am not sure if any other "OLD" Explorer users experienced the same symptoms that I am describing. I will see how the new E-Trax will act in an old 1800's site that is loaded with iron. Posts will follow.

 

[Dennis 2]

Utahshovlhead , I don't .I tried it but didn't like it . I Find you get more info in Co. I Listen for a good tone ,then check to screen and dig

 

[Dennis 2]

I'll let you know also. I hunt cellar holes and old houses most of the time. The ground is digable here in MA..Just a little muddy. I hope it turns out to be a great detector in iron trash.

 

[TheMarshall]

Hi there Relic.

First comment. There is nothing wrong with your E-Trac.

came across a problem. I set it up for relic hunting and find that I can only get three different tones with ten different targets with sounds set for multi in ferrous, but if I select multi and conductive,

If you tell us what the Fe-Con numbers are for the ten samples, then we will specifically explain the situation.

Standing by..............TheMarshall.

 

[Radical Relic Hunter]

Mr. Marshall,

Who is we?

I figured out what is going on here. By narrowing the ferrous band and with the expansion of the conductive band, Minelab has apparently set a preference for E-Trax users to adjust and use the conductive preferences, especially if you wish to hunt in multi tone, but thank you for your reply.

Now it is just a matter of getting out to some really bad ground sites full of iron and see what kind of learning curve will be involved in making this switch.

 

[Ex-Sox]

I tried conductive sounds and am starting to like it. I ran an open screen with ferrous sounds on my SE and preferred the sounds. I do know that an open screen with conductive sounds on the Etrac will send you screamin'! I have to use a tad bit of ferrous discrimination to make it bearable but it will still take getting used to.

 

[moseng]

So, have we deduced that Ferrous sounds are pretty much not useful on the E-Trac because of the S-Curve change? If so (and I think it is so), I wonder why the option to use them is even there? I mean it is a little confusing and since it is not useful why even add it there? Marketing? Ok so I am ranting but hey, it's something new to rant about!

 

[Ray-Mo.]

It might be usefull in a special situation for targets out of the ordinary but not for coins in my case.I have started using 4 tones conductive instead of multi tones and like it a lot for old coins.One thing I am learning is to not worry about nulling in the trashy sites as the good targets sound off null or no null.
I think a diehard Explorer user would almost be better off running the E-Trac for a while silent without a threshold?That way they would just hear the targets and not be distracted by nulls and want to slow to a crawl as with the Explorers,Ray.