Etrac gold pattern

mikeraydj · Dec 30, 2016

Has anyone found a good gold pattern for the Etrac. I have seen a good one for the 705, but not the Etrac. If so, please share how to get it. Thanks!

Jason in Enid · Dec 30, 2016

You dig everything but iron.

mikeraydj · Dec 31, 2016

Thanks Jason. But I am trying to find a pattern that might cut down on the junk and increase my odds without cutting a plug every 2 feet. I know it is possible as I have seen it done with other detectors. Trying to hunt smarter not harder.

Jason in Enid · Dec 31, 2016

mikeraydj said:
Thanks Jason. But I am trying to find a pattern that might cut down on the junk and increase my odds without cutting a plug every 2 feet. I know it is possible as I have seen it done with other detectors. Trying to hunt smarter not harder.

OK, I know you've been around detectors a while so you realize that any disc above iron will cost you gold. If you are hunting turf for gold here what you can try..... Small gold pendants, crosses and chains with detectable clasps will usually hit very low in the foil zone (CO-01 through CO-09). Some very small rings will read in that range too. You can block that range and still hit most rings.

Most rings will land in the CO-10 to CO-36ish range so this is where you should focus, but large mens rings can read up to the mid 40s. I would spend a little bit of time digging everything in this range and then look at your trash. What are your most common junk targets? Getting a lot of the same pull-tabs, can lids, etc? Scan them and then use the target reject feature, with large icon, to block those out. You run the chance of missing some nice gold items, but you will also avoid hundreds of junk items. Oh, also disc out CO-39 to avoid zinc cents if lots of those in your area too.

Good luck, I hate gold hunting in turf!

mikeraydj · Dec 31, 2016

Thanks for the advice Jason! I hunt parks mostly, so I find lots of foil, pull tabs, and zinc pennies. I usually start out wide open on 2 tone ferrous. But after a few hours I switch to a trashy park program as I am getting tired and want to concentrate on high scale targets. I am thinking of going to a local jeweler and scanning their rings and chains to create a pattern in the etrac.

mikeraydj · Dec 31, 2016

I have found a few gold items in my time detecting. I have found that thinking about why I have found what I did where I did has helped. I now look hard at places like under trees, playgrounds, benches, and sports fields. It seems the odds go up for me when I dig targets I would normally pass on in these locations because people drop things for a reason. Being a water hunter I am sure you can agree, and know where the most likely jewelry can be found at the beach. It truly is like fishing. There is no guarantee that I will find treasure, but the odds go up when I study where I hunt and why I am finding what I am finding where I am finding it.

cudamark · Jan 1, 2017

The problem remains that gold jewelry can be just about anywhere on the conductive scale. I've found $30-35K gold and platinum diamond rings that read 12-02 and megahonker men's rings and pendants in the 12-40's. Just what do you want to give up to save digging junk? I admit, finding jewelry in today's modern parks is tough. That's why I go to the beach to look for jewelry. Swimming areas have a higher probability of finding jewelry than a park, and usually has less good-sounding junk. It's much easier to scoop sand for targets than to cut a plug for one too, so, you get to recover more targets in a particular time period. If you're stuck with hunting a modern, trashy park, you'll just have to dig trash if you want all the gold. Sorry, I wish I knew a better way. If you're willing to give up the small gold, gold alloyed with other metals, tiny chains and charms, then you can start by ignoring anything not on the 12 line in ferrous. You'll still get the decent sized rings and larger gold objects that way. You're still going to dig a sh** load of pull tabs though! :laughing7:

mikeraydj · Jan 1, 2017

I understand. But it seems that for me anyway gold hits harder than trash and the id seems to not fluctuate as much. Yea I am not having 100 ring years like some of the beach hunters. But I like my parks. It is very relaxing and is a challenge. I find some goodies once in a while. When I first started I would only dig shallower targets. Last year I said heck with it and have been digging deep signals. Found two nice vintage silver rings and one gold that way. The etrac is a beast. I can call out most targets before I dig them and it finds silver like no other detector I have owned. Now to just get more gold.