Is an E-Trac really necessary?

Happy New Year All. I'm going to get more serious about relic and coin hunting in 2013. Right now I have an XLT that I have used since 2007 on some coin hunts and the beaches and as kind of my all around detector and it does ok I guess no real complaints. I just got a new ATpro for christmas and it is actually pretty awesome and appears to go deeper than the XLT based on hunting old sites that I did with the XLT. I was thinking of getting rid of the XLT and switching to an E- Trac. Is there a big advantage of switching from XLT to the E-trac or is it a waste of money? I'm concerned the learning curve on the e-trac is long and complicated. I've only used the XLT in pre programed modes and I'm not much of a program type guy and found trying to set up programs a bit frustrating for me. What do you all think is my best move to upgrade my relic hunting experiences if anything? Thanks for your help and happy hunting.

I too am a simple type that doesn't like to program all the time. I have found the E-Trac to be a set and go type of machine, but you can also get into the settings and really customize it also if you wanted to get the most out of it. I am not familiar with the MXT so I can't compare the two machines. I have been extremely impressed with the E-Trac's performance in all types of conditions (fields, cellar holes, beach, etc.). So from a simpleton I've found a small learning curve but its been worth it.

If you liked the XLT you might want to go to a detector shop and see the differences . Minelabs have a fluty sound that i felt annoying with. A good candidate for turn on and go would be the Whites VX3 and would be closer to your XLT as in workings but can be adjusted pretty good . The V3i is what I use,
it has more adjustments and is set pretty hot out of the box the VX3 is toned down a lil and is more user friendly. Good luck how ever you go. Yazoo

Well, lets just put it this way, I had a DFX before, once I had gotten the Etrac and went over areas I had done with the DFX, I was finding silver that was missed by the DFX, not only missed, but also deeper.. I believe my deepest was around 14 and ended up being my oldest silver (seated dime)
Over all, once I got the Etrac I had found more silver in a month than I did in the 6 months prior

I am by no means and expert and i so bad wanted to stick with my made in the usa whites machine but if you go to the metal detecting video sites i would bet 7 out of 10 of your most successful silver hunters [200] plus a year are using minelabs - fbs machines and now that i have one i know the reason why its not just about depth its about see through ability and dealing with iron and trash

yo S

From the land of the Bluenose.....great to have both. Took me a long time to warm up to the AT Pro but am now a believer. best in 2013 me son! <

I've been hunting 4 or 5 times a week for the last 5 months with the e-trac and to tell you the truth , I think it has a smaller learning curve than the XLT. I switched from the XLT's predecessor , the Spectrum , to the e-trac and after breaking the addiction to VDI numbers and labels/icons that White's gets you hooked on , the language of the e-trac is just music. If you were hunting with tones on the XLT and have been using the ATpro , any transition will be effortless as long as you accept the initial digging experience to gain confidence and knowledge with the e-trac's discriminator. The difficulty of the learning curve is greatly exaggerated.

I'm not sure if the waste of money isn't buying the e-trac versus just using the AT. If you decide to sell the AT let me know as I'd love to have one as a back up vs my old Spectrum

I don't think setting up programs on the E-Trac is complicated. It's a matter of understanding a handful of settings and what they mean, then adjusting to your own personal preferences. You can use a factory loaded program and the machine is pretty much turn on and go from that perspective or you can use someone else's developed program. It's as simple as loading it up via computer or just manually changing the settings one time. I use the same program all the time and then just make minor adjustments based on ground conditions.

I think all detectors have a learning curve required if you really want to know and understand them extremely well to make the finds that others miss. I don't think that switching to the E-Trac will instantly do that for you, but if you want to put the time in to learn the machine, it's a fantastic detector. I have heard good things about the XLT as well - so if you know that machine inside and out, it would likely produce better finds for you than an E-Trac would immediately produce - but once you learned the E-Trac you might find that it tells you more about good targets among trash, etc. It just depends on how much you want to put into it. My two cents.

i also had a xlt i thought that it was a great machine but like life itself you are always looking well to make a long story short i got a e trac have not looked back since i have found well over fifty old silvers that i evidently overlooked the e trac is quite the machine it works great right out of the box but just like the xlt you can take it to a higher level if you want good luck with your decision dennis

Yes. |:cheering:

Thank you all for your sound advice. I think im just ready for a change so E-trac it is.

Well I have used a dfx300 and it is not even a 1/4 the detector the E-trac is :thumbsdown: Now a buddy of mine had a XLT and :shocked04: he knew it well and could run with my E-trac in every way except good targets in iron or trash |:cheering: I also own a At pro and I really believe its better and faster in iron infested fields when run in pro zero and hot |:cheering: Dose lack depth compaired to the E-trac But for really hunting all around the E-trac is very hard to beat the only very small complant I have with the E-trac its slow response to targets close together but if you slow your swing down its a amazing detector |:cheering: Just my opinion hope it helps

Love my etrac :smitten:

I just use angel's settings...and other than changing coils and battery packs...I just turn on and go...occasionally flipping between manual and auto..and adjusting sensitivity and ground balance which you have to do with all machines :yes:

It seems like most of us Etrac owners are in full agreement. I had a DFX for 3.5 years.(my first detector) I did well with it. some of the guys that I would go out with, commented that I picked it up very quickly and was keeping pace with them. (they had an average of 20 years exp.) I then bought a Spectra (v3) when they first came out. I did not like it at all, liked the DFX better. I used it for a year and a half. I never really felt confident, and was frustrated by the audio. I bought a minelab excall 2 underwater machine and really liked it out of the gate. So it got me to thinking Minelab. Like you at this point, i was nervous about dropping 1400 beans on another detector. Anyway, I made the purchase, got it, put it together, fired it up, and walked around in my parents side yard. I was more comfortable in 20 min with the Etrac than I was in a year and a half with the V3. So in my opinion-very short learning curve.

NOT to say the whites are not good units! But I found more silver and coppers in my first year with the Etrac than I did in five years combined DFX/V3 Some of this was going back to sites that I had pounded with those machines.
I found my Tree Coin in one of these sites. Anecdotal?........maybe, but for ME there is no question, and no looking back. That day I was using my Etrac multi, conductive, deep on, fast on, trash high, ground diff. I was using the X5 coil. (First day out with that coil)

I think the main reason behind this is........When you are using a Whites, and you hear the null, your machine is effectively off. Not true with the minelab. I think that some of the V3I users will dispute this and for all I know they are right. I am only talking from my own experiences. As it was said before FBS allows good targets to show through iron. I think that is what makes the difference. The other major factor that I found was EMI resistance. the Etrac is Waaay better at dealing with it.

So, if you want MY oppinion, Get one! (unless you live and detect near me, then you should definately stay with the whites)
There is one for sale right now in the classifieds section at agreat price

good luck, Dan