One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

[z118]

After my second hunt with the E-Trac yesterday I was feeling like I was getting a handle on this machine. I got out again tonight and quickly proved that idea wrong. I hit a spot that had given up two silver coins and a bunch of wheats in a few hunts earlier this year with the Sov. I spent the first hour or so mostly digging deep iron. There were two varieties - the small, deep nails that seemed like they MIGHT be coins, and the big pieces that rang up all over. I'm sure the Sov would have nulled over the bigger pieces. The small nails might have given some tempting signals but I'm guessing I would have known better. After a while I drifted into an area that gave up modern clad which was more satisfying. Total for the evening was 44 coins and an older looking compact lid (I think). The only old coin was a '49 nickel.

Things I learned tonight:

1 - To say the Fe readings on the E-trac can bounce around a bit is the understatement of the year. On many targets the Co would stay mostly in one spot while the Fe Value was all over the place, to the point where I'm not even sure what the value of it could be.

2 - Cruddy zinc pennies will ring up over a HUGE range on the E-trac. I dug up some high sounding and reading ones and some very low sounding and reading ones.

3 - I must keep reminding myself exactly how long it took me to get a handle on the Sov when I first got it, and not be discouraged with the E-trac for at least that long.

[Beefcake]

Iron fooled me for the first couple of weeks too. Just remember, the biggest key to iron identification is in pinpoint. If you center your target in non-pinpoint to where it gives you a good signal and you hit pinpoint and its pinpoint is locateion is 4 or 5 away from where you originally thought... go to where the new pinpoint center is and turn pinpoint off... check that signal and it is usually not a 12-45 etc...it's more like a 19-49 or something goofy...don't dig it. You will realize which is a good target because a coin target generally won't move once you pinpoint. If you spend enough time on a nail or large deep iron target you can make it sound pretty sweet and it will give you a good 12-45 or so, but a true silver coin will not fluctuate nearly that much. Give it time and listen for them sweet high tones... you'll recognize the sweet tone and not the high pitched nasty tip of an iron nail tone.

[jkress]

Wow.... just about word for word with what I am going through trying to learn the Explorer.

After taking my machine out in my yard for a couple of half hour sessions I moved on to a site that had produced many silver coins for me using my Ace. On that first hunt, I easily pulled 2 quick silver coins and a silver ring from a very trashy area. The next day I went back for a little bit and pulled my first WLH and another silver quarter... I thought great, I'm starting to learn this machine.

Then I ended up taking my 'two steps back' on my next hunt. Dug a bunch of deeper iron that always appeared to be a silver coin hiding next to trash... and pinpointing started to go in the wrong direction for me.

I'm thinking, that I am trying to make bad signals sound good enough to dig.... which with practice is quite a bit easier than one would think.

I am hitting some deeper wheats... so I gotta believe that I am realizing coins when they show up, just not seeing silver lately.... I don't know for sure.

Heck... I have been spending so much time listening to the tones on the Explorer this last week, that when my 1.5 year old daughter did one of those ear bleeding, crystal shattering high pitched squeals that only little girls can do.... first thing that came to mind was that's gotta be silver. rofl

Good luck... just wanted to let you know that I share your frustration.

[coinnut]

Heck... I have been spending so much time listening to the tones on the Explorer this last week, that when my 1.5 year old daughter did one of those ear bleeding, crystal shattering high pitched squeals that only little girls can do.... first thing that came to mind was that's gotta be silver. rofl



rofl rofl rofl Give me all your silver kid lol

I am fooled a lot by iron, but not because of the machine, but by my own doing. I tend to want to get that deep coin that is so close to iron that it may not read well, so I work that signal until it comes in good lol In reality, when I am not getting hits or am in an area that has been good to me, I try harder, than I should. Trust the fact that if the machine hits on a good target it will repeat all or most of the time. Shorten the swing to one or two inches and make sure thet target repeats. If it skips around, then it's on to step #2. Brian said it already. Locate the good sound and then pinpoint. If it moves, it's the tip of the iron piece. If it stays, it is probably a good target, but could be mixed with iron. Damp ground makes iron hit nicer than usual. I know it sounds like a negative that the E Trac acknowledges big iron instead of nulling out like the Sov did, but that is also why it can locate a good target near that big iron. The Sov may have just nulled out both targets. The E Trac is a funny machine. The more you use it, the more your figure out it's strengths. It takes some time. But moisture is it's friend (for depth) and it's enemy (iron sounds better) Hang in there Z lol

[z118]

Thanks for the replies all, they are hugely helpful.

I think this is exactly what I am doing - trying so hard for that deep, deep coin that I am working up signals that are iffy instead of going after the shallow stuff and learning my machine. Most if not all of these I would have passed up on the Sov but I with the E-Trac I guess I'm just more hopefull that it's going to be some amazing deep coin. I will have to hit somewhere I know will have many shallow targets for my next hunt. It's just that after seeing all the posts of folks pulling those sweet silver coins at 10+, I guess that's what I've been shooting for to start. I should know better!

I will need to figure out pinpoint I guess. I have not really used it yet, as I have never had it or used it on any of my past machines. It always seemed like one of those unnecessary features before now!

Again, thanks for all the replies! I've been reading every word twice and then some!

[RobW]

It's all Angel's fault...he makes it look too easy and that there is silver everywhere!!!

[z118]

It's all Angel's fault...he makes it look too easy and that there is silver everywhere!!!



lol This is true. Half the time after looking at his posts I start to wonder if I'm swinging the right end of my detector.

[pulltabsteve]

Looks to me like you're doing great! Hang in there.

[ProPointer]

Oh No, Look out angel, Z's got an E-Trac :shocked04:


-PP

[angellionel]

Oh No, Look out angel, Z's got an E-Trac :shocked04:


-PP



lol lol

If he gets to know it as well as he got to know his GT, he will do very well. :yes: