E-Trac iffy signals

Tom_in_CA

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Mar 23, 2007
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Silver crazy, this is a difficult question to answer is print. That's because it is basically asking something to the effect "what does such & such sound like?" Those are questions that can't be answered in printed text. They have to be heard. Like trying to describe the note of C-minor in print, can't be done. It has to be heard.

I too entered into long dialogues on emails, and over the phone with Explorer pro's, and yet ....... each time I entered the field, everything sounded the same: Like a flock of sick geese ::) Yet I knew (had seen first-hand) guys pulling deeeeep silver that my humble Whites could not even hear (no matter how I set it over flagged signals, no matter how I swung, etc...). So I kept on stubbornly trying. But it wasn't till one of these pro's actually flagged a few marked deep suspected targets (deep silver or wheats at 7", 8" or more), that the "lights went on"! It wasn't till I heard the tooty-fluty (by using a headphone splitter), and watched the way they swung (to see what tones they were trying to isolate), that it all started to make sense.

So try to hook up with someone who is proficient. Ie.: not just a sandbox hunter, but someone who routinely comes in with the old coins, from worked out spots. See if they'll flag a few signals, BOTH GOOD AND BAD. For the bad ones, have them explain why they would or wouldn't chase them, etc.... By cross-comparing, only then can you get the tone idiosyncracies.
 

Silver Searcher

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Silver crazy said:
Can i get someones opinion on the E-Trac's iffy signals when the target is real deep and you hear a couple different tones including the coin tone. Could those be deep coins that aren't hitting very well cause they are so deep? Thanks
If in doubt dig it out :laughing9:

SS.
 

Monty

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Jan 26, 2005
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I have a Safari and I imagine the tones are somewhat the same? I sent it in to be checked because as someone else described it, it sounded like someone dumped a box full of BBs it was making so many tones. The service guys say it is OK so I guess I need to find someone with a Minelab and let him/her tell me what I am hearing. I got a high pitched tone today that read 36 on the little scale (runs 0 to 40 on the Safari). It was showing in the silver range and I was thinking dime. I dug it out at almost 10"through some really tough roots and it was a lincoln penny of the 1989 vintage! How it got down that deep I'll never know. Had I known it was a darn modern penny I wouldn't have wasted my time! So, the moral is, (if there is one), you will just have to learn what you are hearing and go for it. Monty
 

Dano Sverige

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Aug 10, 2009
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A lot depends on your settings,which only you know.Also it could be a coin on edge or next to a nail or other trash.As i and silver searcher say.."if in doubt...dig it out!"
 

Iron Patch

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Max out the gain to let the detector do some of the work for you.
 

pro778

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Jan 21, 2008
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Forked River, Moorestown, NJ
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I run my gain high and haven't had an iffy target from the E-Trac yet. I do get iffy tones from iron, but it's not a good signal. It just gives you a little high tone, but only one direction.
 

Cuerno

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If you are referring to a mixture of a high and mid tones without one being predominate then I have always found junk with those iffy signals. The older Explorer and the SE which I have had seem to blend tones together but the E-Trac is better at separating tones, a good signal will always separate itself and sound alone at the right slow speed then you reduce the length of the swing to no more than two inches in length to separate the different signals. The setting on your machine will help and the two that have helped most are, first the Threshold Pitch (found under the Tone ID tab) which is set at the factory I believe at 15 and if you move it up to twenty six (26 to 28) you will make the silver coins and quarters sound whistle high (a whistle with water trapped in it) and any other higher tone (solid one tone high) will be iron, this is why I don't set it at max 30. The second setting is your volume gain, many have suggested to set it high which is fine if all targets are about the same depth, but where I hunt it's very trashy with modern (1970 to persent date) stuff in the first 5 inches and the older finds are six inches and deeper. At this kind of site I have my volume gain set at 17 so that the deeper stuff has a softer sound which stopped me in my tracks, other wise I would have to be looking at the depth meter at each signal sound. All other setting I have max them out with auto plus 3 sensitivity and it seems that deep off with fast on eliminates those high pikes, I hunt with two other E-Trac users and we all have the same setting. This E-Trac is a great coin finder, if it is there it will give a good signal, no reason to waste time trying to make a bad iffy signal sound good. Do a air test with the coin at 8 inches away from the coil, this is the repeatable tone sound volume you will hear on the deep ones. Happy Trails 2 U..
 

Silver Searcher

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:hello:

the thing is you might get a Silver coin like this one I found :P it is heavily encrusted with Iron, it was a very iffy signal, the only thing I can put this down to, is the detector was reading the Silver, as well as the Iron on the coin :dontknow:

SS
 

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Woodland Detectors

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I've recently dug a 1813 spanish reale at 13 or so inches. This tone was "iffy" But, after 2,000 hours on this machine I have learned that Numbers are squat! I don't even look at the numbers any more. Sometimes I just close my eyes and concentrate on tones. Or, If I am in a spot where there is old history......I dig everything. Let the machine help you...Sometimes cranking up the sensitivity is not so good. The machine tells you where it thinks you should be set at. Good luck
 

Silver Searcher

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4-H said:
I've recently dug a 1813 spanish reale at 13 or so inches. This tone was "iffy" But, after 2,000 hours on this machine I have learned that Numbers are squat! I don't even look at the numbers any more. Sometimes I just close my eyes and concentrate on tones. Or, If I am in a spot where there is old history......I dig everything. Let the machine help you...Sometimes cranking up the sensitivity is not so good. The machine tells you where it thinks you should be set at. Good luck
4h...what machine do you use, I assume digging a coin at 13", you must be using a E- traq :dontknow:

I to.... think it's the tones and sounds coming from the headphones, that is more important than anything else :)

SS.
 

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