Detecting Gold with the E-Trac

[bob_e99]

I was doing a quick hunt at the site where I've found a couple of silver rings and the seated liberty dime when I started talking to another detector who uses a White detector. He found a nice old gold ring in an area where I have detected several times >:{ so I either didn't hit that exact spot or I don't recognize a gold tone on the E-trac. I understand that soil conditions have a lot to do with the numbers but I would expect gold to have a fairly high conductivity and a very low ferrous contents. I know what the books say as far as numbers but I would like to hear it from people who have actually found some gold items. Thanks.

 

[Epi-hunter]

Gold rings for me vary greatly depending on their size and composition. But the ferrous number usually will be on or close to 12, and the conductive number will generally be in the pulltab range, but can be anywhere from 06 to the low 30's in some cases. Usually gold rings come in at around 12-10 up to 12-20 though. (Not that I've found that many, but I've tested quite a few).

 

[bob_e99]

Gold rings for me vary greatly depending on their size and composition. But the ferrous number usually will be on or close to 12, and the conductive number will generally be in the pulltab range, but can be anywhere from 06 to the low 30's in some cases. Usually gold rings come in at around 12-10 up to 12-20 though. (Not that I've found that many, but I've tested quite a few).

Thank you for such a quick response. From what you wrote, I'm kicking myself since if it was below 30, I would have probably ignored it. I guess I still have much to learn and this was a very frustrating lesson. crying01

Again, thank you for answering my question so quickly.

 

[Epi-hunter]

Thank you for such a quick response. From what you wrote, I'm kicking myself since if it was below 30, I would have probably ignored it. I guess I still have much to learn and this was a very frustrating lesson. crying01

Again, thank you for answering my question so quickly.

You are welcome :yes: Yes, definitely if you are looking for gold, dig the conductive numbers in the teens. In fact, at a site where there is not a lot of foil or pulltab trash I would dig all signals that were solid. Gold can come in at a wide range but is generally mid-range.

I dug these two below most recently. The top one is 14k and came in a solid 12-19 on the E-Trac. The bottom one I found with my v3i but on the E-Trac the CO number is in the teens.

 

[z118]

Gold will ring up all over... the little stuff is just above iron and sounds like foil, and the big stuff will come in much higher, like a pull tab or zinc penny. Anything in between is a possibility. In my opinion, numbers aren't good for much when it comes to identifying gold in the ground. On the Sov I could hear a difference in the tone though... gold would have a tighter sound than trash. But I have yet to hear a difference on the Etrac. The moral of the story is dig it all! Or at least as much as you can stand.

 

[bob_e99]

Gold will ring up all over... the little stuff is just above iron and sounds like foil, and the big stuff will come in much higher, like a pull tab of zinc penny. Anything in between is a possibility. In my opinion, numbers aren't good for much when it comes to identifying gold in the ground. On the Sov I could hear a difference in the tone though... gold would be somehow have a tighter sound than trash. But I have yet to hear a difference on the Etrac. The moral of the story is dig it all! Or at least as much as you can stand.

No offense intended but your answer just doesn’t help me. You told me that before but I have no reference since I have never found a zinc penny and foil sounds different every time depending on type and how it's folded or mutilated. I think Epi-Hunter’s answer made more sense and was more helpful to me (again no offense intended).

 

[z118]

No offense intended but your answer just doesn’t help me. You told me that before but I have no reference since I have never found a zinc penny and foil sounds different every time depending on type and how it's folded or mutilated. I think Epi-Hunter’s answer made more sense and was more helpful to me (again no offense intended).

The answer is that there is no simple answer. Gold will ring up all over. I don't know how else to say it! lol Just my 2 cents, but I don't think there's any way to find gold without digging nickels, foil, tabs, zinc pennies, etc...

And I wouldn't worry about not finding the gold ring. A million folks are going to find a million things you didn't for who know how many different reasons. Just enjoy the good stuff you have found!

Also, I'm pretty sure you've dug zinc pennies... I think I can see a few in the clad pic of your most recent post!

 

[Diggler]

I don't think that detecting gold with the Etrac is the problem (though some would argue that). I think deciding to dig the gold is the problem. I found a small gold ring and a gold ear ring that both ring up 12-1. I didn't detect them with the Etrac and probably wouldn't have dug them with the Etrac. But when I test them on the Etrac they come in loud, clear and consistent at 12-1. From there I have seen gold make it into the mid 30's so good luck!

 

[bob_e99]

I don't think that detecting gold with the Etrac is the problem (though some would argue that). I think deciding to dig the gold is the problem. I found a small gold ring and a gold ear ring that both ring up 12-1. I didn't detect them with the Etrac and probably wouldn't have dug them with the Etrac. But when I test them on the Etrac they come in loud, clear and consistent at 12-1. From there I have seen gold make it into the mid 30's so good luck!

Thank you for the information. Funny thing is that when I do dig these low signals, all I get is trash lol
Probably should have bought the gold option when I got the E-trac :thinkingabout:
Thanks again to everyone for your comments.

 

[ryanchappell]

I have heard that the DFX has measures that the E-Trac does not have, AC, DC, and a graph of harmonics or something, that aid meaningfully in differentiating gold rings from junk. The V3i may have those as well. That may be why your friend found the ring so easy. I bet it rang up in the teens CO. This would allow one to cherry pick a park for gold, leaving pulltabs behind and some odd gold with them, but finding many easy targets.

You should have scanned the ring with your E-Trac after he found it. I guy I was hunting with found a class ring with his F2 big enough for a quarter to fit inside of it, and it rang up 12-36.

The real reason less gold is found with an E-Trac is that we get so spoiled with 80+% accuracy on quarters and dimes that we get tired of digging every pulltab and piece of canslaw!

A friend with an E-Trac accidently found a gold chain very thin and tiny links with a small cross while digging another target, and it would not register at all on his E-Trac. The friend with the F2 found a silver chain resembling a lamp pullchain, and it would only register a very low CO I forget what when rubbing it on my coil. Both were due to the small links, larger targets will atleast register, but you have to dig them and it is hard to do when you have a detector that is this good at differentiating coins.

 

[Epi-hunter]

Hey and welcome to the forum ryan.

I have both a v3i and E-Trac. I use the latter almost exclusively because I haven't taken the time to learn to dig deep coins with the v3i. I found the same number of gold rings last year with each detector (I use the v3i for gold only). I do think the v3i is more sensitive to small gold. Minelabs just don't pick up on small links of gold very well if at all. That's okay with me though... I am more interested in finding gold rings than small chains.

The last three times out I have concentrated on digging ALL mid-tones with my E-Trac in an older park (where I found 2 gold rings a few months back) although primarily concentrating on deep coins. Still dug all the mid-tones. For my efforts I recouped about thirty thousand pulltabs. I will admit I had trouble motivating myself to dig in the foil range and only did so occasionally (anything with a CO number lower than the FE). But I dug everything above that.

What I learned was that nicely flattened out beaver-style pulltabs usually come in at 12-19. The pulltab end alone comes in at just around the foil level. The beaver tab ring alone, depending on its position in the ground, comes in anywhere from 12-16 to 12-18 or so. Some beaver-style pulltabs came in as high as 12-24 depending on how they were bent.

I will say this... whoever made the decision to tint some of the beaver style pulltabs a gold color is on my permanent hit list.

Newer-style (square) pulltabs come in higher, with a CO ranging anywhere in the 20's. The highest reading I had for a square pulltab was 12-34.

Ugh. :-\

 

[ryanchappell]

Hey and welcome to the forum ryan.

I have both a v3i and E-Trac. I use the latter almost exclusively because I haven't taken the time to learn to dig deep coins with the v3i. I found the same number of gold rings last year with each detector (I use the v3i for gold only). I do think the v3i is more sensitive to small gold. Minelabs just don't pick up on small links of gold very well if at all. That's okay with me though... I am more interested in finding gold rings than small chains.

I got a 12-05 next to the teacher's bench at the totlot at my old elem school, and it was a Roman coin on the surface. No I am not that old, a kid must have dropped it.

There is supposed to be a way to get a better indication of whether it is gold or junk on a V3i. A guy told me he would compare an AC reading to a DC reading and it greatly reduces how much junk he digs.

 

[aloldstuff]

When I found a gold ring, 10k, my hunting partner (ROBW) asked me to drop it on the ground and he ran his Etrac over it. I hunt with a V3i and after he did his run over he stated that would be something that he would not have dug. Maybe Rob will chime in because I can't recall if he mentioned what his numbers were.

 

[bob_e99]

Thanks everyone for the follow up posts. I'm finding this information very interesting and I'm learning a bit more about the E-trac capabilities.

I will say this... whoever made the decision to tint some of the beaver style pulltabs a gold color is on my permanent hit list.

Many of my curses have gone to that person. Many ....

 

[RobW]

When I found a gold ring, 10k, my hunting partner (ROBW) asked me to drop it on the ground and he ran his Etrac over it. I hunt with a V3i and after he did his run over he stated that would be something that he would not have dug. Maybe Rob will chime in because I can't recall if he mentioned what his numbers were.

Remember....... .......no. I'm just trying to get better at digging more >:#

 

[RaZR]

Thank you for the information. Funny thing is that when I do dig these low signals, all I get is trash

I would guess that the reason for that is because fewer gold rings are lost as compaired to how many pulltabs are tossed away by uncaring slobs along with wadded up foil. And the number of public and private persons who are responsible for driving a riding mower over a lazily discarded pop or beer can causing it to be strewn over half the park or school grounds. I must admit i have only found three gold rings so far. One was an eyeball find and one with my DFX and the third with my V3i. But then my E-trac is really pretty much set up for Silver and clad. But i am opening up the discrimination as i get more used to the areas i'm hunting.

GL/HH