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sell the Etrac and go with 705?

C

cen1

New member
hey guys, I'm thinking of selling my Etrac and going with something a little less expensive. I don't think I need the Etrac as I rarely get out anymore, but would still like to have a good quality detector. I got the Etrac because the the unsurpassed Target ID system, I don't have time to dig trash. How well would the 705 work for me? I like the coil availability. The Etrac is very easy to learn, I just think it's like killing deer with a cannon. Too much detector for my purposes. Or does someone have another suggestion? thanks
 
Cannot go wrong going to the x-terra i have the 70 and love to hunt with it. You will be happy if you get one!
 
You will be very happy with an X-terra705. A friend of mine has an explorer and he has problems with detecting some nickels. Just found a 1935D wheatie with my 705 yesterday. 9 " deep with the 6"DD HF
 
gday

I have both and these are both great machines
But the 705 should serve the purpose well
I use my Xterra the most out of the 4x that I have...its such a pleasure to use

T59
 
Terra, how do you do without the Ferrous readings and identifying what targets are? Do you really miss that with xterra. Why I bought the Etrac was the disgust of digging Ferrous targets all the time. Thanks for the reply
 
I don't understand why anyone would have trouble identifying ferrous targets with their XT's, especially the XT-70 or 705. I'm having issues with my new Safari that I've never had with the XT-70.
 
I'm not Terra, but I'll take a stab at your question........Some would say that the E-TRAC can differentiate targets better than any other detector out there, due to it having both ferrous and conductive properties displayed simultaneously. I won't disagree with that. But for all the others available, the X-705 is at the top of the list. To answer your question as to how to identify ferrous targets or conductive targets, the higher the TID number, the more conductive the properties of the target. Basically, ferrous targets provide a TID of -2, -4, -6 or -8 and conductive targets have TID numbers from +2 through +48. You may get fooled once in awhile and dig a bent-rusty nail or a screw cap. But they also fool my E-TRAC.
Take a look in the FAQFAQ section and you can see a coin chart I made up for the X-TERRA. It will show you what to expect from your display when you buy the 705. JMHO HH Randy
 
I had an E-Trac for over 12 months. I loved it. I paid about $2000 with the extras & I found over $1200 in coins, a few rings & 2 gold nuggets totaling 55grams. The E-Trac paid for itself very quickly & I loved it. BUT.....
I bought my wife a Garrett AT Pro in Feb this year. A friend of mine bought a Minelab X-Terra 705. Let the fun begin.
Phil, the 705 owner showed up with his new toy. I just couldn't help it. My E-Trac will eat both the 705 & the AT Pro.
I burried a 2.2 gram gold nugget at exactly 5 inches in highly mineralised ground. I stomped the soil down hard on the nugget as I didn't want to make the test easy - there was a carton of refreshments at stake.
I went first. Did everything possible to get maximum sensitivity out of the E-Trac. I waved the coil over the target & got nothing! Nada, not a sound. I selected the pinpointer mode which usually gives you a couple of inches extra but there was NOTHING. This didn't overly worry me as the other 2 detectors didn't stand a chance.
The AT Pro was next on the list. A few waves across the target produced 2 very lite sounds. BUGGER. We repeated the test & it was decided that we wouldn't have dug the target due to the almost inaudible sound but it was there - very lite but it was there. By now I'm starting to sweat. This was going to be music to the wife's ears.
Finally Phil fired up the X-Terra. One quick wave over the top of the target almost brought me to my knees. The bloody thing screamed as he went 2 inches over the top of the target. After another 3 swings & 3 positive hits, I had no option but to admit defeat.
The gold nugget was replaced with a $1 coin & all 3 detectors screamed at us.
The final result: E-Trac was sold on Ebay & replaced with a X-Terra 705. Yesterday was it's first day out & in 3 hrs, I picked up $50 & a nice Stirling Silver bracelet. The Gold will come next week! Phil - the carton is on it's way.
 
Hey Cen1, I was just asking every ones advice about two weeks ago on which to get a 705 or etrac..... After alot of research and listening to every ones opinions and advice on both machines I went with the 705. I am still learning the machine but I am happy and very confident in my choice, each machine has its pros and cons just like every other detector but for the price and of course figuring in the pros and cons you really cant beat the 705.
 
Regarding the test done with the E-Trac, Garrett AT Pro & the X-Terra. Phil was using the X-Terra with the Gold pack setup. (9.5 inches x 5.5 inches running @ 18.75 khz) Initial test done by me in mineralised soil: the X-Terra/gold pack was able to just detect a 0.3 gm nuggett on the surface. It was hard but definately there. There is no problems with a 1.5 gm nugget on the surface. I dug up a very chunky 925 stirling silver bracelet @ about 4 - 5 inches, most of the coins dug the other day consisted of Aust $1 & $2 coins & were dug up to 2 inches deep & all other signals were ignored on the day because of the Park location & condition. (If a Whites pinpointer didn't sound off, the other signals were left in situ so as not to upset the local council)
 
cen1,

I dont dig iron too much with my Xt70 , I get fooled occassionally by a 44 or 46. ...nobody's perfect :shrug:
As digger says it comes on as a (-) number or really high ( called the wrap around effect I think )
The Xterra will not give as much info as the ET but it also costs less, is simpler and easier to use and lighter.
Its really a matter of what you want out of your machine
Now I know my 70 backwards, I probably use my ears more than my eyes (on the meter) to decide whether to dig or not to dig.

John
Bad luck mate on losing the carton of beer
I used my Xterra in Victoria around Talbot and hated it. It was so mineralised that it had no depth and sqawked its head off the whole time
Was the ET in quickmask ?
I have heard some people say they aren't good on smaller gold items
But I know someone who does well with one on the very mineralised Vic. goldfields (maybe he only gets the larger nuggets??)

happy swinging
T59
 
But how many would be happy having and using the Etrac and then getting rid of it for the 705? I don't want 2 detectors. I'm afraid I'm going to miss the discrimination of the Etrac. I really like it but as I said, I think its too much for my time to devote to it.
 
If you want to sell the E-TRAC because you don't have time to hunt as much as you'd like, you're not going to have any more time if you replace it with something else. Time is time, period. On the other hand, if you want to replace the E-TRAC with another detector because the E-TRAC is an expensive piece of metal detecting gear for the amount of hunting you do, then the 705 is an excellent alternative. Depending on the condition of your E-TRAC and the "deal" you are able to work out, you might end up with a new X-705, an extra coil and some cash in your pocket. And if that works for you, great! But if the trade isn't going to generate enough money to make a difference in your life, and you're already thinking you need the ferrous/conductive modes of the E-TRAC, maybe you should keep what you have and find more time to hunt. JMHO HH Randy
 
John Apthorp, Hi I found a 1 grain piece of gold at a depth of 3 inches with my x-terra705. It was a definate signal that could not be mistaken. I think I was using the 6" DD HF coil. the x-terra is an amazing detector. I like hunting with it more than my GPX4000 which is very easy to operate in itself. This is going to be a good year for myself and both my 4000 & 705. All my bases are covered with just these two detectors.
 
Thanks for the credit. But for the record, I didn't say the E-TRAC was the best. I did, however, point out in my other post that having simultaneous ferrous and non-ferrous readings can be an advantage for some. Detectors are like tools in a mechanic's garage in that there are certain tools that work best for specific applications. As to metal detectors, some folks prefer to cover more ground in the limited amount of time they have....... there are those who prefer a lighter weight, well balanced detector........ there are those who use their detector for prospecting, coin shooting, jewelry hunting and relic hunting.......and there are those who appreciate the ability to offset the ground balance. For those folks, you won't beat the X-705. JMHO HH Randy
 
interesting Digger, So for me, I could care less to find any clad coins,even a bag of 1000. I don't mind finding silver coins though. I really want to go after gold or silver rings and jewelry. I also never would want to hunt relics, ie..old bullets, cannonballs, belt buckles, buttons, etc. I would love to gold prospect, but in Western PA, I don't think it's realistic to think I'll find any nuggets with any machine. So, as I know, some things I am going after fall in the same numbers and tones as things I'm not looking for. Do you think another machine may fit my needs better than the Etrac. I really appreciated your expertise and input buddy.

Scott
 
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