Newbie with MInelab Etrac

[gjkozy]

Hi,

I am a newbie to metal detecting, I purchased my Etrac about a year ago and wasn't able to use it until now. I read the owners manual and a book for it, but yet I have one dumb question to ask. What part under the coil does it detect at? Someone told me right in the center while another said at the edge.

Also while in the pin point mode, it seems to pinpoint at the forward edge where there there is a little indent. I appear to be digging ever increasing bigger holes.

I also get one reading and location in undisturbed soil and once I start digging the reading changes and so does the location, is that normal?

To date I have just searched my property for practice, found a lot of trash but also a few penny's a dime and what appears to be a very old bronze bell, maybe used for sleighs. I use the factory mode for coins right now to learn on.

 

[cz70pro]

Actually, the Double D coils are very much like a wiper blade. The detection area is straight down the entire length of the middle of the coil where the two D's join. You can read a very good section about this in Andy's book.

I rarely even use the pinpoint button. I have found the wiggle method to be very fast and accurate. Once you have the target try to approximately center it with the coil. Then wiggle the coil over the target getting the target to sound off with each little pass and slowly pull the coil back towards yourself. Once the signal disappears stop the coil right there and the target will be right in the middle of the top indentation of the coil. You can also reverse the process by pushing the coil away from you while wiggling it. Once the signal disappears it will be in the middle of the lower indentation. Hope this helps.

 

[Mcdetect]

When in pinpoint mode the hotpot is directly in the middle of the coil...where it attaches to the shaft. If using the wiggle method the spot is just in front of the indent at the front of the coil.

Also if you come across a super shallow or surface find you will get multiple beeps as you pass the coil over the target. I believe this is because you are hearing when the item passes the outside edges of the coil plus when it passes the center bar...the wiper area the other poster described.

The best way to learn this is bury an item in a known/marked location or put the item on the surface where you can see it. If you test this way it will start to make sense to you pretty quickly when you pass your coil over the known item.

 

[Mcdetect]

Also you should practice cutting plugs and retrieving targets in your own yard and don't dig in a public place until you have enough practice from digging at home that you can cut a plug, retrieve an item and replace the plug neatly enough that you can't see where you dug after you are done. When detecting the goal is to leave no trace so that public areas remain open for this great hobby.

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Congrats on getting your E-Trac - I learned a lot about my ET from the members of this forum !
It's a great machine but like any other advanced metal detector - it comes with a learning curve.

A few things that can really help ...

(1) Get a copy of Andy's Minelab - Explorer & E-Trac Book - it goes way beyond the factory manual.
(2) Spend as much time in the field as possible - nothings better than hand on.
(3) Keep it simple for a while - don't worry about all the advance settings - the ET will make great finds right out of the box.
(4) Swing low and slow - that's when you'll hit the deep ones.

Also - sounds like you might have found a Crotal Bell - a lot of them were made in England during the 1700 and 1800's.
Look for a maker's mark on the bottom (usually initials) and a number ( that's the bell's size).
There are a few websites that can tell you more details - just Google the key words - "Dating - Crotal - Bell's".

Good Luck & Good Hunting !

 

[daddyflea]

I really don't know why more people don't stress this but here is my tip on the Etrac. Be very mindful of your Threshold. If your Threshold goes away every time you move your Coil or the Etrac does not keep a good threshold, back off your Sensitivity. Auto Sensitivity has multiple levels. If you are running Auto +3 all the time you are likely too hot for some places. Back off at least to Auto +2 maybe Auto +1. More if you need to. You should not have to swing exceptionally slow to keep that Threshold. Run Fast ON Deep Off High Trash On. Backing off Sensitivity does not mean you lose Depth, it means you are getting a more clean signal to your machine. Etrac is the best Coin Hunter out there. Run it right and it will reward you.

Another tip is stay away from big coils. Big coils have their place for sure but Coin Hunting trashy areas is not one of them.