Explorer SE HELP!

[keithinvestigations]

OK, got my SE in a week or so ago and have put about 8 hrs under my belt. It is VERY different than my Whites. I'm finding a few things but I by no means have the hang of this puppy. Is there any books, reading material or video's that will help me go through the learning curve? I found a few videos on youtube but the video seemed to be incomplete, etc.

 

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[DetectorBase]

OK, got my SE in a week or so ago and have put about 8 hrs under my belt. It is VERY different than my Whites. I'm finding a few things but I by no means have the hang of this puppy. Is there any books, reading material or video's that will help me go through the learning curve? I found a few videos on youtube but the video seemed to be incomplete, etc.

Hello keith

I came from White's as well. It was a hard transition for me. Pinpointing was different, tones were different, how the machine felt on my arm was different.

The first thing you need to do .. is start over. It doesn't matter how long you've been metal detecting, etc. We're starting from scratch. Stop comparing the detectors too.

With that said... here are some suggestions. When I started with the SE, I went to a park. This park has been "hunted out" and by others and myself for years. But, what I did, was go there every day.. or as much as I could and "tweak" the settings and use those settings for the whole day. I began to determine what worked and what didn't. I also dug everything. This got me to figure out pinpointing (here is a simple tutorial on SE pinpointing

Once I understood the basics, I moved on to the advanced sections. I adopted the "All Metal" plus ferrous tones.. and I tell you what.. it rules. It's a pain to start with, but once you get into it.. there is no turning back.

I wrote up a small post about my "journey" with the SE, you might find it useful.
http://forums.detectorbase.com/showthread.php?t=51

Also, I wanted to ask... what topics or features are you finding hard with the SE? Once we isolate the problem(s).. we might be able to figure them out.

DB

 

[keithinvestigations]

Hey DB, I read your post regarding your experiences and I am slowly getting a grasp, albeit a small one on this machine. For me, my problem is over analyzation (if I spelled that correctly). I tend to look at the digital display and think, what the hell is 5 28 or why is it going from 10 28, then just 28 and then back to 6 28 / 5 28. I'll pass the coil over the area for five minutes just trying to figure out what exactly is going on. Then I'll try to pinpoint and notice that in pinpoint digital it starts reading 31 31 or some large reading as opposed to what I initially got. So now I'm wondering is a good target next to a bad target or is it just a bad target. I'll finally decide to dig and so far it's been trash. For now, I've almost decided to just dig solid targets that read consistantly on the digital screen. However, after reading your post, now I am wondering if I should rely more on the flute sound. That to has confused me. I get this multi sounding flute and I think, wow there are four or five coins. To my surprise when I dig I find one coin usually clad or modern penny. I'm really green at this point but in no way am giving up.

 

[DetectorBase]

Hey DB, I read your post regarding your experiences and I am slowly getting a grasp, albeit a small one on this machine. For me, my problem is over analyzation (if I spelled that correctly). I tend to look at the digital display and think, what the hell is 5 28 or why is it going from 10 28, then just 28 and then back to 6 28 / 5 28. I'll pass the coil over the area for five minutes just trying to figure out what exactly is going on. Then I'll try to pinpoint and notice that in pinpoint digital it starts reading 31 31 or some large reading as opposed to what I initially got. So now I'm wondering is a good target next to a bad target or is it just a bad target. I'll finally decide to dig and so far it's been trash. For now, I've almost decided to just dig solid targets that read consistantly on the digital screen. However, after reading your post, now I am wondering if I should rely more on the flute sound. That to has confused me. I get this multi sounding flute and I think, wow there are four or five coins. To my surprise when I dig I find one coin usually clad or modern penny. I'm really green at this point but in no way am giving up.

I was doing the exact same thing. That's why I'm not a fan of the 'digital' read out, and switched to SmartFind. Once the cursor hits a general area and is repeatable... then dig.

I basically dig anything that is high and right, and center bottom (if it's deep).. and I started digging less junk and better targets. I would flip to digital on iffy targets to get a bit more info, but then send it back to smartfind.

I also wouldn't rely on the reading during pinpoint. I've noticed that it's not correct most of the time, and I think it might lock on values before pinpoint starts, not sure.

DB

 

[DetectorBase]

Also, trust tone first.. then read-out. This is where ferrous tones will be nice, you'll get less falsing on nails, and really get get an ear for the good tones. The only bummer with ferrous is that bottle caps will sound good.. but will are easy to ID in smartfind (bottom right).

In my 'learning' post, I switched to 8" coil. That really helped everything out. I got better target separation and I learned to pinpoint better. I haven't put on the 10" coil since. The 8 is really good. I have a 5", but I'm still trying to get a good understanding with that coil.

DB

 

[Hill City Rebel]

I just bought and tried out an Explorer SE. I think it is the most disappointing machine I've ever used. If you're interested in the details, go here

http://treasurehunter.booklocker.com/

 

[keithinvestigations]

In my 'learning' post, I switched to 8" coil. That really helped everything out. I got better target separation and I learned to pinpoint better. I haven't put on the 10" coil since. The 8 is really good. I have a 5", but I'm still trying to get a good understanding with that coil.
DB

Hey DB, spent ALL DAY yesterday mostly in frustration. Still having a world of problems understanding the SE. Where did you order your 8" coil from? What kind was it? I am desperate at this point to try something to simplify, pinpointing which is one of the many problems I'm having.
Davy

 

[DetectorBase]

In my 'learning' post, I switched to 8" coil. That really helped everything out. I got better target separation and I learned to pinpoint better. I haven't put on the 10" coil since. The 8 is really good. I have a 5", but I'm still trying to get a good understanding with that coil.
DB

Hey DB, spent ALL DAY yesterday mostly in frustration. Still having a world of problems understanding the SE. Where did you order your 8" coil from? What kind was it? I am desperate at this point to try something to simplify, pinpointing which is one of the many problems I'm having.
Davy

Hello Davy

I remember having frustrating days as well. Trust me.. it'll get better. I have absolutely no problems pinpointing any more and love my machine. You just need to really understand what it's telling you. I think in your case, you may want to create a test garden and plant some targets, then practice pinpointing. The behaviour of targets above the surface vs below the surface is different.

Two things that helped with recovery for me...

1) Bought 8" coil. The smaller coil allows for more target separation and easier pinpoint. I bought a SunRay X-8 Stealth Coil. You should be able to buy from many dealers.. or from SunRay directly

2) I bought the SunRay's X-1 inline probe.. that rules, but your initial pinpointing needs to be on. This is for pinpointing in the hole or for surface targets.

Remember, this isn't a problem with the detector, but the understanding between you AND the detector. Once you link up, it'll be a snap. This isn't a beginners machine, it takes some work. My dealer that sold it to me, said I needed to put about 40 hours of detecting time to really get to understand everything, I would agree 100%.

Depending on what kind of metal detecting you're going to do, and are willing to spend a bit more money.. I would recommend the 8".

DB

 

[DetectorBase]

I just bought and tried out an Explorer SE. I think it is the most disappointing machine I've ever used. If you're interested in the details, go here

http://treasurehunter.booklocker.com/

Hello

I would definitely agree will some of your negatives. Weight sucks, and initial difficulty with the pinpointing. But pinpointing is a snap once you figure it out, and the weight issue quickly goes away when I'm finding great deep stuff. Also, to combat the weight, shorten your rod and keep the coil closer to your feet.. that really does help vs having the coil further in front of you. That adds more stress to your arm. A friend told me that tip, and I felt the difference right away.

My experience with the SE and its Smartfind/Digital Display screen has reminded me of a decision I made many years ago - buy a sound-only machine and dig every signal that’s not a nail.

One thing that has helped considerably is to open up the machine to be basically like that. I go IronMask 32 (all metal), Ferrous tones (helps identify nails better) and use SmartFind. This way I get good tones, while I hear everything else. I pay attention to 'zones' in the smartfind, but always trust tone first.

Spring has encouraged the sprouting of all kinds of little vines and plants. The SE loved them. Many times when its coil brushed against one, the SE expressed its joy with its own version of Jingle Bells.

This might be due to your sensitiviy or gain being too high. I usually run mine around 16 or 17 for sensitivity and stick with the stock 8 for gain. I do notice this as well sometimes.

The SE takes some getting use to, and might not be the detector for everyone. I've used a few detectors in my time, and no question this machine can find more and deeper than anything I've ever messed with. I'm really enjoying hitting "hunted out" parks and coming out with stuff again.

DB

 

[Hill City Rebel]

I just bought and tried out an Explorer SE. I think it is the most disappointing machine I've ever used. If you're interested in the details, go here

http://treasurehunter.booklocker.com/

Hello

I would definitely agree will some of your negatives. Weight sucks, and initial difficulty with the pinpointing. But pinpointing is a snap once you figure it out, and the weight issue quickly goes away when I'm finding great deep stuff. Also, to combat the weight, shorten your rod and keep the coil closer to your feet.. that really does help vs having the coil further in front of you. That adds more stress to your arm. A friend told me that tip, and I felt the difference right away.

My experience with the SE and its Smartfind/Digital Display screen has reminded me of a decision I made many years ago - buy a sound-only machine and dig every signal that’s not a nail.

One thing that has helped considerably is to open up the machine to be basically like that. I go IronMask 32 (all metal), Ferrous tones (helps identify nails better) and use SmartFind. This way I get good tones, while I hear everything else. I pay attention to 'zones' in the smartfind, but always trust tone first.

Spring has encouraged the sprouting of all kinds of little vines and plants. The SE loved them. Many times when its coil brushed against one, the SE expressed its joy with its own version of Jingle Bells.

This might be due to your sensitiviy or gain being too high. I usually run mine around 16 or 17 for sensitivity and stick with the stock 8 for gain. I do notice this as well sometimes.

The SE takes some getting use to, and might not be the detector for everyone. I've used a few detectors in my time, and no question this machine can find more and deeper than anything I've ever messed with. I'm really enjoying hitting "hunted out" parks and coming out with stuff again.

DB

Thanks for the recommendations, DB, but I guess I've proved to my own satisfaction that the SE isn't what it's cooked up to be. I can take my Shadow X5 and dig circles around it - and last about two hours longer as well. If you know anyone who wants a one-owner once-used SE at a bargain price, please let me know. Thanks, HCR