E-Trac modes vs Disc Patterns?

[davpower]

Hi All - I'm new to the E-Trac and have been reading a lot of forums about the detector.
One question I've not seen addressed: If I set the mode to &quoteach or any of the other factory modes, the machine loads a discrimation screen that seems to be the factory default for each of the modes.
If I then pick another discrimination pattern, it is loaded. What is the difference with the detector from one mode to the other if you pick a different dics pattern other than the default pattern? Example: Beach mode with Coin pattern vs Relic with the Coin pattern?

Thanks for any help - Dave

[coinnut]

Hey Dave, For me at least, the pattern is the most important part of the E trac for how I hunt. To be able to control your machine's discrimination with such percise mapping is what makes the E Trac special for me. I like to use minimal discrimination and have to make a pattern specifically for it. The factory patterns are good and made for the types of hunting that they are assigned to, but sometimes it's a bit too much discrimination for my liking. But, I would load them for whatever type of hunting you are gonna do and get used to the machine before you start changing patterns too much lol After a while, you will develope a pattern and settings according to how you like to detect.

What is the difference with the detector from one mode to the other if you pick a different dics pattern other than the default pattern? Example: Beach mode with Coin pattern vs Relic with the Coin pattern?

You can use any pattern you want for any settings, but some may be better for the type of hunting you are doing and you may lose some targets if you get too restrictive of a pattern. If you are relic hunting and you use a coin pattern, you will surely discriminate out some targets that relic hunters want to find. Just like a relic pattern with a coin settings may be too lenient of a pattern for coinshooting at parks. You will spend more time listening to all the targets that come up and less time digging coins lol.

[davpower]

Thanks Coinnut - So ... the mode only loads a pattern that the factory thinks will fit that type of hunting, beach - relic etc. The mode settings do not change any other functions other than the default pattern? If I load a pattern other than the default mode pattern, the mode is no longer a factor in how the detector will perform?

I live on an island that is full of WW2 junk (and maybe some good stuff). I plan to do mostly beach hunting for lost tourist goodies on the beaches of our few hotels. I work at the airports here in the Pacific islands. Most were once Japanese air fields. I'm spending a lot of time on Saipan, one of the main air fields once held by the Japanese. I hope to be able to find some of the old coins that must have been lost here during the war... Suggestions welcomed.

One more question. I bought an SEF 12x15 coil with the E-Trac. Is it better for what I'm doing than the factory Minlab coil? I've read that a larger coil will go deeper, but might miss some of the small shallow targets. I don't want to miss the snoll beach targets.
Dave on Saipan

[coinnut]

Thanks Coinnut - So ... the mode only loads a pattern that the factory thinks will fit that type of hunting, beach - relic etc. The mode settings do not change any other functions other than the default pattern? If I load a pattern other than the default mode pattern, the mode is no longer a factor in how the detector will perform?

I live on an island that is full of WW2 junk (and maybe some good stuff). I plan to do mostly beach hunting for lost tourist goodies on the beaches of our few hotels. I work at the airports here in the Pacific islands. Most were once Japanese air fields. I'm spending a lot of time on Saipan, one of the main air fields once held by the Japanese. I hope to be able to find some of the old coins that must have been lost here during the war... Suggestions welcomed.
Dave on Saipan

I'm probably not saying it right Dave. lol Look on page 83 of the manual. If you pick a Minelab factory preset, it will load the pattern for what you selected (say beach) along with some settings that it also has detetmined are good for the program. Once you pick the type of hunting you are gonna do (like the minelab beach program) you can alter anything you like along the way to suit your conditions (like going between auto and manual sensitivity). Let's say after picking the Minelab stock beach program, and you find conductive sounds with multi tones too much to listen too, you can change to Ferrous sounds and 2 tone to get a break from all the different tones that the stock program gives you. So I would say, pick the stock beach program and load it in and then hunt with it. If you don't like something about it, then try and change it and see if you like it better. You can temporarily alter the Minelab stock porograms but you can not erase them, so don't worry.

[davpower]

Coinnut - One more question. I bought an SEF 12x15 coil with the E-Trac. Is it better for what I'm doing than the factory Minlab coil? I've read that a larger coil will go deeper, but might miss some of the small shallow targets. I don't want to miss the small beach targets.
Dave on Saipan

[DAN03USMC]

Dave, be careful of digging up un-exploded ordinance.

[coinnut]

Coinnut - One more question. I bought an SEF 12x15 coil with the E-Trac. Is it better for what I'm doing than the factory Minlab coil? I've read that a larger coil will go deeper, but might miss some of the small shallow targets. I don't want to miss the small beach targets.
Dave on Saipan

The stock coil is a great coil, but so is that 12x15 SEF. I had it and sold it, and am very sorry for that lol. It is heavier though and was pulling the shaft out of my machine after a while On both coils, most of the detecting area is coming from the center strip of the coil. Kinda like a thick windshield wiper. That is why it is amazingly good at finding small targets. But some small targets are gonna be missed because they are just too hard for many machines to find. Gold studs are like that and so are some delicate chains. Either coil will work well. If you have the time, try the 12x15 over an area that you already did with the 11 pro coil. Both coils seemed to compliment each other for me, that is to say, each one found something the other did not. The best advice I can give you is go rather slow with the swing. Very, casually slow. This will get you more deep stuff than swinging like a madman lol And ask as many questions as you have.

[davpower]

Thanks for the pointers - I'll go do some digging and stop with the questions for a while.

Dano3USMC - There's still a lot of that here on the islands .... not a problem as long as it's still unexploded after I find one!!

Later - DP

[coinnut]

Thanks for the pointers - I'll go do some digging and stop with the questions for a while.

Dano3USMC - There's still a lot of that here on the islands .... not a problem as long as it's still unexploded after I find one!!

Later - DP

Hey Dave, don't worry about questions, but digging will help answer a lot of questions too. Yep, it better to find the still unexploded stuff lol

[Bell-Two]

When you load a Minelab pattern, whether coin, relic, beach etc it will have the default settings. If you go to your audio and change tones, variability, gain etc or your expert settings, deep on or off, high trash, difficult ground etc it only will keep those settings while your hunting. If you turn it off then all the setting default to the original Minelab settings. If you make a change for example in the settings for the standard coin pattern and want to use those settings all the time then save that to one of your four user modes so then when you turn off and turn it back on it will be in your user mode with all you preferred settings.

[davpower]

Thanks - I was trying to find what happens if I select a Mode and then change from the default pattern for the selected mode. Example: I select &quoteach and then load the coin disc pattern. Would that be different from selecting Relic mode and loading the coin disc pattern?

DP

[Bell-Two]

Where are you loading the coin pattern from? If you are loading it from a discrimnation pattern then the standard settings of the beach mode would still apply to my understanding. If you are loading the coin pattern from a mode then the mode settings would be the one that would be applied. Patterns from under the discrimination option do not carry any settings: ie difficult ground, high trash, audio variability etc so the pattern would not change those. If you loading a mode then the settings that are along with that mode will apply.

[davpower]

Thanks - That is exactly what I was asking. I found some info in the book and experimented with my machine and found you answere and my findings to be just like you said.
I'm trying to find the best combination to find coins/jewlery on a trashy beach. Lots of old WWII iron and modern tourist trash, might have to buy a smaller coil for these areas. I have a 12x15 SEF, but does no better than the E-Trac pro coil.