How much is it the detector?

[Jason in Enid]

I was looking over my finds since I started using my E-Trac 8 weeks ago. In that time I have found 10 silvers, and dozens of wheats, and quite a bit of clad. Although this isn't any huge amount, it is more silver than I have found over 8 weeks for most of my detecting. This got me thinking, how much of this was becuase of the detector? I know the saying is it's the hunter, not the machine but I have to think part of this HAS to be the machine.

I had a couple of years off, so I don't know if I am detecting more often than I was before. As we all know the E-Trac is an expensive detector, so maybe the cost is causing me to try to get more use out of it.

I am hunting new spots I never searched in the old days, but I have noticed that quite a few of my finds were underneath or co-mingled with iron and might not have been found with my old machine. Some were in the open, but few of them. I think this is the result of most public places being previously hunted sites.

So what are you other E-Trac users thinking? How much of it is the hunter, and how much is the machine?

[Epi-hunter]

I was looking over my finds since I started using my E-Trac 8 weeks ago. In that time I have found 10 silvers, and dozens of wheats, and quite a bit of clad. Although this isn't any huge amount, it is more silver than I have found over 8 weeks for most of my detecting. This got me thinking, how much of this was becuase of the detector? I know the saying is it's the hunter, not the machine but I have to think part of this HAS to be the machine.

I had a couple of years off, so I don't know if I am detecting more often than I was before. As we all know the E-Trac is an expensive detector, so maybe the cost is causing me to try to get more use out of it.

I am hunting new spots I never searched in the old days, but I have noticed that quite a few of my finds were underneath or co-mingled with iron and might not have been found with my old machine. Some were in the open, but few of them. I think this is the result of most public places being previously hunted sites.

So what are you other E-Trac users thinking? How much of it is the hunter, and how much is the machine?

I don't necessarily agree with it's the hunter, not the machine. It's both. First and foremost it is the user, and how well he/she knows the machine. A separate factor is what the machine can objectively do, compared with another machine in the same user's hands who has the same skill level with the detector. That can never really be tested, not in any scientific way.

I think the telling factor is if you are hitting sites you've hit before, and you are finding silver that was missed before. Even that is not just about the detector. It is also about how well the detector is used.

[deltacornbread]

I think it is a combination of machine and user. What did impress me about the e-trac was the first time out of the box useing factory coin setting, I was finding clad coins in an EXTREMELY trashy area. So much trash that in all metal sounded like a Mozart symphony on LSD. And some were deep. And as we all learn this machine we will all find more good stuff. Some will learn faster than others.(I am a slow learner)

[coinnut]

In this case I think the machine has a lot to do with it. Right out of the box it can find silver. Not because it goes super deep, which comes later with practice and manual sensitivity , but because it has the ability to separate the trash and treasure. This one feature is what is finding silver in realitively shallow depths, say around 5. You still need to know how to operate a detector lol, but the E trac has alerted us to the fact that there are a lot of coins that were previously masked. In the wide open areas, I think an experienced detectorist with the DFX (say like DEL) can find coins as deep as someone not that experienced (say like ME) rofl can with the E TRAC. It's in the really trashy areas that the difference becomes apparent. We need to take advantage of the E Trac's ability now, before everyone gets an E Trac.

[del]

i think every few years technology makes a jump and the new machine can make a goodsize difference in finding targets that others have missed. but even still that machine is greatly limited on its full capabilities by a novice wielding it , so experience can and does play a good role as does location . as others have said iron and other metal trash and mineralization are the problems that mask, hide or fool the detector and user from locating good items . i don't use an e-trac myself but i do see the results and compare signals and sounds of one every week from a novice user (about a year ago) to a very competent user on it now and i've seen how it can pick out targets in iron infested areas with its big 11inch double D coil and its pretty impressive to say the least .

Dan

[xzlr8n]

Are you guys who are finding this silver in the trashy areas able to pinpoint(all metal mode) or are you just doing the best xing you can do in motion mode??

[angellionel]

Are you guys who are finding this silver in the trashy areas able to pinpoint(all metal mode) or are you just doing the best xing you can do in motion mode??

I perform both, but I don't limit it to just the trashy sites. All metal mode in trashy areas can be a challenge when the trash is composed of large pieces of metal. When in pinpoint mode (all-metal) a larger non-ferrous piece of metal will tend to drown out a smaller target, such as a dime for example. I find that pinpointing while in motion mode helps with this though, as it allows for better separation of targets.

[Jason in Enid]

I use both modes as well. I use the motion mode to identify a coin from an iron false. A good target will hit in the exact spot every pass, most falses will shift the hit back and forrth over a small spot because it's picking up the outter edges of the iron target.

In all-metal pinpoint, I listen for the signal to drop slightly (or even just pause) before it starts climbing higher as you get on to the iron.

[coinnut]

I do pretty much the same thing as you guys do. I locate it as best as I can and dig a shallow hole. I then switch to the X-1 probe to isolate the target. So far I haven't scratched one this year. Came pretty close though lol