So Far In The Etrac/GT Head To Head Field Tests...

[Critterhunter]

I have been able to ID with my GT any deep coin my friend has come across. Yesterday he had me check a few of his deep "coin" signals and from one direction they were a little warbly sounding to me and dipping down to 178 or so in ID. They turned out to be very old screw caps at 7 to 8.5" deep. My friend remarked that they sure sounded like they were going to be coins. I thought they could be wheaties but based on the tell tale audio the GT gives me I suspected they were going to be screw caps. The Etrac doesn't seem to have as telling of audio as to targets being junk or such.

 

[hershey1]

Tell your friend if he is hunting coins to go to disc. scroll down and disc out screw caps and turn his threshold tones up so silver will knock his ears off. I don't see a lot of difference in machines as far as depth but your friend can sure make it a lot easier on himself with a few pushs on his buttons. Tell him to hit his smart screen button and if the cursor goes to the right corner it is iron. HH

 

[EladSwerdna]

When trying to ID a dig with the E-Trac, you have to use a combination of the tones and numbers, not just tones. Sounds like your friend is merely inexperienced - however - no matter what kind of detector you use... there is no machine that can come close to 100% ID before you dig. (I wish there was!)

 

[Critterhunter]

I've used the Etrac some here and there and it's audio is not nearly as telling as the GT. It's much more processed or sterilized. Thus far he hasn't been able to find any deep targets that I couldn't easily hit with my GT.

 

[Critterhunter]

I might add also that after about ten minutes of using the Etrac in the field my arm was killing me. It's not as well balanced or as light as my custom light weight GT. It made me feel like my hand was reaching up at an odd angle from the shaft. Had to shake my arm to get the cramp out of it, and yes it was adjusted right for my height/arm length.

 

[Rick(ND)]

I also feel those that go from the Explorer to the E-Trac will have a tougher learning curve too as they try to run it like the Explorer which you cant.
I love my Sovereigns with the GT the best of them all, but I hate to admit it, but the E-Trac will see coins deeper once you get to know it and set it right for the area you are detecting as I have seen it several time where the E-Trac give a signal to dig while the Sovereign didn't. The Sovereign is easier to use for me and just a turn on and go detector with basically only changing my sweep speed to the area I am at. Between the GT and the Explorer I think I would pick the GT, but between the GT and the E-Trac would be tough pick and feel once I learn the E-Trac more it could be my main detector to use in well worked areas, but the GT would be my pick where I only wanted to dig good targets as I know I would dig less trash and more good targets with the GT.

 

[Neil]

When doing these comparisons both parties need to know their machines well and have them set up correctly for best performance. Also just checking each others targets is one type of test, but try locating a deep coin(both machines listed ID extremely well at depth so it shouldnt be a problem) with one and then when you call the other person over, give him a "general area" to look in instead of an exact spot. That way you can actually see if both detectors would have actually located the target.
Rick Ive also found what you posted about the Etrac as correct and where I do not have as much time on it(you know how long Ive had it) as I do the Sov/Excal.
The weight/balance is better/easier on the shoulder with the Sov(control box rear mounted) but lets remember that the controls are also rear mounted, whereas on the Etrac they are right at your fingertip. Tradeoffs, there are always trade offs. And thats with all detectors.
This thread would be interesting on the Etrac forum as well.

 

[kered]

I also feel those that go from the Explorer to the E-Trac will have a tougher learning curve too as they try to run it like the Explorer which you cant.
I love my Sovereigns with the GT the best of them all, but I hate to admit it, but the E-Trac will see coins deeper once you get to know it and set it right for the area you are detecting as I have seen it several time where the E-Trac give a signal to dig while the Sovereign didn't. The Sovereign is easier to use for me and just a turn on and go detector with basically only changing my sweep speed to the area I am at. Between the GT and the Explorer I think I would pick the GT, but between the GT and the E-Trac would be tough pick and feel once I learn the E-Trac more it could be my main detector to use in well worked areas, but the GT would be my pick where I only wanted to dig good targets as I know I would dig less trash and more good targets with the GT.

Now that made me smile, Words of wisdom from a Sovereign master, sounds like your getting to know what the etrac can do when the chips are down, i still prefer the Sovereign audio though.

That would be an awsome machine, etrac capabilities tied to the detailed Sovereign audio.

 

[Rick(ND)]

n/t

 

[GunnarMN]

hey broes, I do not own a SE but one thing that i can see right off the bat is it has a bigger coil 11" vrsesthe GT 10" and the GT is very sensitive to how you set the sesitivity, If its not set right you will lose depth but put a sunray S-12 on it and tune it right i bet it coud keep up .

 

[synthnut]

"etrac capabilities tied to the detailed Sovereign audio" ........Jim


Rick ,
All you need to see is one case where you can hear Silver with the E Trac , and you can't wtih the Sovereign , and you know the E Trac as well as you know the Sovereign , and the choice will not be as hard as you think ....... The tone from the Soveriegn is the only thing that I miss about the Sovereign, so I sitll have an XS !!.... ......My E Trac is pretty much a "turn on and go" affair .....I have presets for the area's that I hunt so it's really pretty easy for me ........ Most of the work on the E Trac is setting it up for the area that you are going to hunt ....Once that is done , it can be saved ....Jim

 

[Rick(ND)]

The S-12 is a great coil on the Sovereign and feel it is the best of the big coils myself.
On the Sovereign GT I basicly set the sensitivity one time at around 10-11 o'clock postion and it is rare I will change it, All I do is change my swing speep to compensate where I am hunting. I am not looking to go fast and I look more for the deeper targets and those close to trash is why I run this sensitivity and do well with it. If I wanted to go fast and not worry about the deep targets or those close to trash I would run a lower sensitivity or auto as you can sweep much faster.
To Jim on the E-Trac i know what you are saying as the E-trac is one great detector and I have seen with my own eyes what it can do and even with the X-8 coil or the 8X6 I am useing now it has pulled some nice older coins out of places I didnt get much with my GT, but the GT audio for me is so much easier to understand so this is why I use them both for now (actualy havent used either one yet this year or my AT Pro I wanted to try out for health reasons, but hope to beable to soon).

 

[Neil]

I agree the sovs tone have a nice sound to them, better than the explorer or etrac, but they do not have the range of either. much easier to tell a penny from a dime on an explorer/etrac than on a sov.
You never see minelab respond to any of these posts here, like you do Dave J. on the Fisher forum. I sure wish they would, so many questions could be answered, like why the sov tones sounds were not transferred to the explorer series, yet they did expand both the entire range from iron up and tones.

 

[HaroldILL.]

I have owned an E-trac since about one month after they came out. I have found alot of silver with it at sites I thought were cleaned out. Having said that I have always been curious about the sovereign ever since I seen my Buddie from new york pull an 10'' Fat Indian out of a pounded picnic grove I walked over with one of my CZ's I use to have. And I also have a bad shoulder that is bothering me more and more. I bought the x-8 coil last year,But now even that is bothering me. I am seriously considering the sovereign because I love tone I.D. with modulation and the fact it can be hip mounted. I was wondering if I get the s-8 coil would it be lite enough to not hip mount and get good depth? And any other tips would be nice also. Thanks.

 

[goodmore]

Personally I like chest mounting better than hip mounting. I hunt at the beach. Chest mounting allows a little further venture into the water. But the Sovereign has to be the most versatile detector ever made. You can darn near carry it anyway you want. Sunray makes quality stuff. Their coils, old meters, and headphones are the best out there. The Tornado 8 " is a great coil also. Will you like the Sovereign more than the E-Trac? I have no idea. But I know that a person who is good with a Sovereign is a bad person to hunt after. I honestly believe that some of the older model Sovereigns stack up well against the GT. I have never seen much of performance difference. You can spend one third the money to see if you like the Sovereign by picking up an older one.