Get Andy Sabisch's book on the Explorer & e-Trac. Read through it before you get your machine so you'll have clue about it.
The Explorer is going to be a completely different animal compared to your Garrett and Tesoro machines. Like digging440yrs said, don't be in a hurry when swinging. I find that the Exp has a somewhat slow recovery, so when you have a lot of stuff notched out, you'll null frequently, and if you're swinging too fast, you'll miss stuff.
I've only had mine for a little over a month, an have put in about 40-60 hours with it. I still have a long way to go, but I think part of that is the fact that I'm also new to MD'ing in general. As you use it, certain things will 'click', and you'll say "Ah-ha!".
Since I've had mine, I had only used the SmartFind screen, as I found the VDI to be too bouncy, especially the Fe numbers. Last night, I hunted almost exclusively with the 'Digital' display (VDI), and realized that if the Co numbers were consistent within 2-3 numbers, it was a good target. For the first time since using it, I found lots of nickels. My main hunting/learning grounds is a somewhat trashy park near my house, and I had not been digging signals that feel in the pull tab area of the SmartFind screen. By using the numbers, and switching back and forth, I discovered that nickels read a solid '06' on the Co number, with an occasional '05' number. I dug some 07's, 08's, and 09's, and all of those turned out to be PT's. Only one 06 wasn't a nickel. That was my ah-ha moment last night. I pulled 7 nickels last night, which was a record for me. I have a feeling my first gold will be around the corner.
To start off with, I would just use the factory settings, and once you feel like you have a grasp of what the machine is telling you, then make adjustments to your liking. I am running in the factory "COIN" mode, with crowncaps discriminated out for my regular hunts. You have a lot of control on how the machine runs, and trying to do a bunch of fancy notching and customization at first can be overwhelming, frustrating, and non-productive. I know the Garrett AT Pro has the word Pro in it, and even has a 'Pro Mode', but I think the Explorer is really a machine for a Pro, as every aspect of it can be personalized for the user and each situation. Not slighting the Garrett at all, btw.
The one thing that has continued to amaze me with the Exp is the depth. I have pulled pennies out at 10-11", and I know that as fact, since they were in the sidewall of the hole that far down. To be honest, I get a little tired of digging those deep holes, as I only use a Lesche and a dirt scoop (plugs are nearly impossible in Florida sand/soil).
Like digging440yrs said, the only difference between the SE and the SE Pro, is the coil. Mine is an SE with the 11" coil that makes it a Pro. I also have the SEF 6x8 coil that I use most of the time.
Anyway, get one, use it, use it some more, and find stuff! HH!
