Minelab E-Trac Instruction Manual

Download

Page 1

Page 2

Instruction Manual

Page 3

Metal detecting is a fascinating and rewarding activity enjoyed by people all over the world. By getting to know your E-Trac you can become one of the many successful detectorists who combine their passion for the outdoors with the excitement of discovering valuable coins, relics, gold and jewellery on a regular basis.

E-Trac is Minelab’s most technologically advanced detector, incorporating the unique Full Band Spectrum (FBS) Technology. Its sleek, sturdy design, innovative control panel, clear LCD, robust lightweight coil and comprehensive targeting options set it apart from any other detector available today. E-Trac has taken a further ground breaking step by incorporating a USB interface, which will allow you to download and upload E-Trac settings, User Modes and Discrimination Patterns using your own Personal Computer (PC).

Congratulations on purchasing your Minelab

metal detector!

E-Trac will locate valuable metal objects in a variety of mineralized ground conditions, including extremely salty soils, sea water, wet beach sand and highly magnetic ground conditions. New functionality allows you to customise your E-Trac to your speciﬁc requirements.

This manual is designed to help both the beginner and expert treasure hunter obtain the best performance with their E-Trac.

Minelab wishes you ever y success with your E-Trac!

Minelab is always interested in your opinions. If you have any questions or comments regarding the E-Trac or any other Minelab product, please feel free to contact us directly or via your local Authorised Minelab dealer.

Quick Start

For further product information and detecting tips, refer to:

WWW.MINELAB.COM

1. Turn on the detector

2. Press Noise Cancel

After 30 seconds electrical interference will be reduced.

3. Go Detecting!

Page 4

Contents

Item Number: 4901 - 0065 Revision: 1.1

Quick Start

How Metal Detectors Work

The Technology of E-Trac

New Features

Assembly

Adjusting the Detector for Comfortable Detecting

Battery Packs

Introducing the Control Panel

Turning the Detector On

Reset

Discrimination

Smartﬁnd™

Introducing the Detection Screens

Pattern Screen Digital Screen Depth Layout Summary of the Detection Screens

Detecting Basics

A Simple Detecting Exercise

Noise Cancel

QuickMask™

Pinpoint

Main Menu

Menu Structure

E-Trac Modes

Mode Settings, Universal Settings and Preferences

User Modes Menu

Selecting and Saving

Discrimination Menu

Selecting and Saving Edit Screen Edit Modes The Combine Function

Sensitivity Menu

Auto Sensitivity Manual Sensitivity

Audio Menu

Threshold Level Volume Limit Volume Gain Response Tone ID Number (No.) of Tones Sounds Variability Limits Threshold Pitch

Expert Menu

Recovery Deep and Recovery Fast Trash Density Ground Manual Noise Cancel

Preferences Menu

Contrast Pinpoint Mode Show Sensitivity Show Mode Info Display Timeout Master Reset

E-Trac Xchange

Technical Information

Technical Speciﬁcations Factory Presets Table Battery Performance

User Information

Recovering the Target Treasure Locations Accessories Detector Care and Safety Trouble Shooting

Warranty

Service and Repair Form

Inside Front Cover

22 23 24 25 26

28 29

34 36

40 40

42 44 46 51

54 55 56

57 58 60 61 62 64 64 65 67 68 69

70 72 74 75

76 76 78 78 79 79

81 82 84

86 87 88 89 90

Page 5

Metal detectors create an electromagnetic (EM) ﬁeld around the coil, which penetrates the ground. Because metal is conductive it causes a change in this ﬁeld. The detector senses this change through the coil and sends a signal back to the control box, alerting the operator.

Metal detectors can determine the size, shape and composition of metallic objects beneath the coil. Typically, the larger the object, the easier it is to detect.

A metal detector’s EM operating frequencies are measured in kiloher tz (kHz). Low frequency EM ﬁelds (e.g. 1.5kH z) penetrate the ground deeply, but sensitivit y to smaller targets is low. High frequency EM ﬁelds (e.g. 65kHz) have a shallower depth of penetration, but sensitivity to small targets is high. E-Trac’s multiple frequency operation provides the advantage of both; good depth and high sensitivit y.

How Metal Detectors Work The Technology of E-Trac

Full Band Spectrum (FBS) Most detectors on the market operate on a single or dual frequency, ranging from 1 to 70 kilohertz (kHz).

Although this technology has served the industry well for years, Minelab found that a frequency that worked well in one area would often oﬀer only marginal performance when used in another location. Ground mineralisation, trash content and target size all had an eﬀect on how eﬀectively a detector transmitting a single frequency would operate.

FBS technology combines Minelab’s multiple frequency BBS (Broad Band Spectrum) technology with a powerful new microprocessor to give:

• Greaterdetecting depth

• Highsensitivity overawide range

of targets

• Lessinterferencefromelectromagnetic

sources

• More accurate identication of target

characteristics

The FBS circuit automatically transmits multiple frequencies simultaneously. This increased frequency range means that the signal received from the detector coil is analysed from a wide range of responses. This allows E-Trac to analyse more target information so that the target identiﬁcation (ID) is more accurate.

Minelab’s unique FBS technology means deep, sensitive, accurate detecting.

Discrimination (Disc.) Discrimination is the ability of a metal detector to identify your desired targets (e.g. coins and jeweller y) and eliminate signals from undesirable material (e.g. nails).

E-Trac can be programmed in a number of ways to discriminate against unwanted targets in diﬀerent types of ground.

Ground Compensation

E-Trac uses a sophisticated approach to the elimination of ground mineralisation. I t uses advanced digital ﬁltering to eliminate the inﬂuence of ground signals. This is achieved automatically, allowing you to concentrate on detecting targets.

Single Frequency

FBS Comparison

Dual Frequency

Multiple Frequency

Page 6

Attaching the coil to the Lower Shaft:

Note: Before attaching the coil to the Lower

Shaft, remove the nut, bolt and wash ers from the coil.

1 Plug the two rubber washers into the holes

on either side of the Lower Shaft.

2 Feed the coil cable up through the inside

of the Lower Shaft, ensuring the coil cable appears out the top of the Lower Shaft.

Assembly

3 Place the coil on a ﬂat surface.

4 Slide the Lower Shaft into the bracket on

top of the coil. Ensure that the open side of the Lower Shaft faces the ground.

New Features

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) E-Trac’s LCD has a viewing area of 72mm x 48mm and improved resolution compared to previous Explorer models. This provides clearer on-screen graphics and improved target identiﬁcation, making detec ting with E-Trac much easier.

Ergonomic Keypad Layout The new keypad layout provides ergonomic, single-handed access to all of E-Trac’s functions and settings.

Ergonomic Handle Assembly E-Trac’s new handle design gives you a precisely balanced detector with a feel that is distinctly diﬀerent and unique to E-Trac. This allows for excellent manoeuvrability with ﬁrm control on both rapid and slow sweep speeds and provides optimum comfort over extended detecting periods. This also ensures easy viewing of the LCD and access to the keypad, allowing for quick assessment and adjustment of settings.

New Menu In combination with the new K eypad Layout, the new Menu improves access to settings, User Modes and Discrimination Patterns, allowing quick and simple adjustments.

Auto Latch ( Semi-Automatic Discrimination Editing)

E-Trac now has an Auto Latch feature which provides semi-automatic editing of your Discrimination Pattern. In this editing mode, the Edit Frame will automatically move to the Ferrous (FE) and Conductivit y (CO) coordinates of the detected target. You can then choose to accept or reject that target from your Discrimination Pattern using the Accept/Reject button.

QuickMask QuickMask allows you to adjust the Ferrous and Conductivity rejection levels independently of the current Discrimination Pattern, allowing a fast and simple way of editing Patterns.

User Modes A selection of preset User Modes allows you to choose the best detector settings and discrimination patterns for the ground conditions. There are four pre-programmed Minelab User Modes for you to choose from, as well as slots for saving your own personalised User M odes. All User Modes are easily accessed via the Menu, allowing you to quickly switch User Modes when required.

Suggested Sensitivity When using Auto Sensitivity the E-Trac will show your sensitivit y selection as well as the ‘suggested’ sensitivity, as determined by the detector, relative to ground conditions.

E-Trac Xchange E-Trac Xchange allows you to download and upload detector settings and Discrimination Patterns via USB. This advanced feature is designed to allow you to quickly conﬁgure the E-Trac to particular detecting environments and preferred targets.

5 Insert the bolt through the Lower Shaft and

the bracket on top of the coil.

6 Fasten with the nut provided, tak ing

care not to damage the thread of the nut by over-tightening. This will need to be loosened later to adjust the coil to a comfortable detecting angle.

WARNING: The coil cable is directly

wired into the coil and is not removable. Any attempt to remove this cable will void your warranty.

Page 7

Attaching the Lower Shaft to the

Upper Shaft:

1 Release the Upper Shaft camlock by pulling

the lever away from the shaft.

2 Feed the coil cable up through the inside

of the Upper Shaft, ensuring the camlock side of the shaft is facing the ground.

Connecting the Sha ft Assembly to the

Handle Assembly:

1 Release the Control Box camlock by pulling

the lever away from the Control Box.

2 Align and push the coil cable connector

into the socket underneath the Control Box, ﬁrmly tightening the retaining ring to secure.

Assembly

Attaching the Armrest Strap:

1 Clip both buckles onto the outer sides of

the armrest.

Disconnecting the coil:

1 Reverse the steps in ‘Connecting the

Shaft Assembly to the Handle Assembly’, ‘Attaching the Lower Shaft to the Upper Shaft’ and ‘Attaching the coil to the Lower Shaft’.

2 Pull the coil cable out from inside the

lower shaft.

Attaching the Headphones:

1 Plug the headphone jack into the

headphone socket, located in the rubber seal at the battery end of the Handle Assembly.

The headphones may be plugged or

unplugged at any time.

WARNING: Do not attempt to

completely remove the shaft assembly while the coil cable is still connected to the Control Box.

3 Slide the Upper Shaft over the Lower Shaft,

so the coil cable appears out the top.

3 Push the Handle Assembly onto the Upper

Shaft, as far as it will go.

4 Lock the Control Box camlock by pushing

the lever ﬂat onto the Control Box.

Page 8

Adjusting the Detector for Comfortable Detecting

For comfortable detecting it is important to take the time to adjust the detector correctly.

Holding the Detector

Thread your arm through the armrest and strap. Grasp the handle of the detector and rest your forearm in the armrest.

The correct position of the armrest should allow you to comfortably grip the handle. Your elbow should sit just above the back of the armrest and the detector should feel like an extension of your forearm.

Adjusting the Armrest Strap:

1 Loosen the strap by tilting the top edge

of the buckle out to release it from the armrest.

2 Undo the Velcro and pull the buckle

outwards (towards yourself ) to loosen the strap.

3 Clip the buckle back into place and tighten

the strap until your arm is secure whilst in the armrest. Re-attach the Velcro.

2 While holding the detector, slide the

armrest to sit just below your elbow.

3 Remove your arm. Tighten screw (turn

clockwise) to lock the armrest into position.

Adjusting the Position of the Armrest:

1 Use a screwdriver, or the edge of a coin,

to loosen the screw in the centre of the armrest (turn counter-clockwise).

Adjusting the Length of the Shafts

A correct shaft length will allow you to swing the coil over the ground without uncomfortably stretching or stooping.

If the coil is too far from your body it will be diﬃcult to balance and manoeuvre while detecting.

If the coil is too close to your body it may detect your digging tools or any other metal which you are carrying, causing confusing sounds.

Adjust the lower shaft to the correct length, securing the camlock to hold it in place.

A longer lower shaft is available for tall people (p. 88).

Shaft is the correct length

Shaft is too short

Page 9

Adjusting the Angle of the Coil:

1 Loosen the bolt that connects the Lower

Shaft to the Coil. It should be loose enough to allow the Coil to be moved for adjustment, but tight enough that the Coil can hold its position.

2 While holding the detector as if detecting,

lightly press the Coil to the ground until it sits ﬂat/parallel with the ground. The Coil should remain parallel when lifting to the sweep height, approximately 25mm (1”) above the ground.

3 Tighten the bolt, but do not over-tighten it.

E-Trac is supplied with two t ypes of battery pack.

One is a sealed rechargeable Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery pack. This comes with a charger which plugs into a conventional wall socket. The NiMH battery pack is supplied discharged and needs to be charged for 18 hours before operating the detector.

The other battery pack is a housing for eight ‘AA’ cell alkaline batteries.

Battery Packs

WARNING: Do not attempt to

disassemble the NiMH battery pack.

If disposing of batter y pack, do not

incinerate. Contact your local authorities to enquire about disposal or recycling facilities.

Adjusting the Detector for Comfortable Detecting

Removing the Batter y Pack fro m the

Battery Compartment:

1 Ensure that the detector is turned oﬀ

before removing the battery pack.

2 Rest the detector on a ﬂat surface.

Disconnect the headphones.

3 Lift the rubber seal of the battery

compartment located at the end of the handle assembly.

4 Raise the yellow tab to release the spring

loaded battery pack.

5 Remove the battery pack entirely from the

battery compartment.

Note: W henever the detector has been unused

for a lengthy period, recharg e the b attery pack to ensure full performance.

Note: Since there may be a variety of options available for this detector, e quipment may vary according to the Model or items ordered with your detector. Certain descriptions and illustrations may al so diﬀer (in this manual) f rom the exact Model that you purchased.

Page 10

Replacing ‘AA’ Batteries:

1 Slide the lid of the battery pack in the

direction of the arrow to open.

2 Place 8 x ‘AA’ cell alkaline batteries into the

battery pack ensuring that the + and – terminals are aligned as indicated on the label.

– Please note the following:

– Do not use rechargeable Lithium Ion

batteries with your E-Trac. They may damage the detector and void your warranty. Rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries will give a combined voltage above 13V and therefore cannot be used with E-Trac. The detector has over-voltage protection and will not turn on if the battery voltage is too high.

– Do not leave drained AA batteries in the

detector as they can leak.

– The battery pack will not be damaged if

left on the charger for more than 18 hours.

– The battery chargers will not recharge

rechargeable alkaline or NiCad batteries.

– Using a non-Minelab charger with the

battery pack may damage it and will void the product warranty.

– Unlike Nickel Cadmium batteries, the NiMH

battery pack DOES NOT need to be drained of all power before being recharged.

– Do not charge the battery at temperatures

above 45°C (113°F).

– Do not charge the battery at temperatures

below 0°C (32°F).

– Do not leave the battery exposed to very

hot conditions (e.g. on the dashboard or rear parcel shelf of your car) or very cold conditions.

Battery Packs

Inserti ng the B attery Pack into the

Battery Compartment:

1 Lift the rubber seal of the handle assembly.

2 Slide the battery pack entirely into the

handle assembly, until it clicks into place.

3 Close the rubber seal, to close the battery

compartment.

Recharging NiMH Battery Pack with the

Mains Charger:

1 Remove the battery pack.

2 Insert the mains charger cable into the

socket at the tapered end of the battery pack.

3 Plug the mains charger into the wall socket

and turn on the switch.

4 Leave for 18 hours to fully recharge. If the

battery was not completely discharged, the charging time will be shorter. New batteries will reach their full capacity after several charge/discharge cycles.

5 Once charged, disconnect the battery

charger plug from the battery pack.

Note: It is normal for the tip of the

rechargeable battery to get warm while charging.

Recharging NiMH Battery Pack with the

Car Charger:

1 Remove the battery pack.

2 Insert the car charger plug into the

accessories socket of your vehicle.

3 Insert the car charger plug into the socket

at the tapered end of the battery pack. A small light on the car charger illuminates indicating that the car charger is in operation.

4 Leave for 18 hours to fully recharge. If the

battery was not completely discharged, the charging time will be shorter.

5 Some vehicles may require the ignition to

be switched on to ‘Accessories’ for power to be supplied to the charger.

6 Charging the battery for longer than 18

hours will not damage the NiMH battery pack. However, it may gradually discharge your car battery.

Note: The car charger is provi ded with a

fuse for short circuit protection. Th is can be accessed by unscrewi ng the t ip of t he charger plug.

3 Slide the battery pack lid closed until it

‘clicks’ into place.

High quality alk aline batteries are

recommended for optimum detection time. Rechargeable alkaline, NiMH or NiCad batteries may be used but must be removed and recharged separately. Check ﬁtment of rechargeable batteries prior to purchase, as some do not comply with standard size requirements.

Page 11

Power

Pressing turns E-Trac On/Oﬀ. Holding for three seconds resets the detector (p. 19) to the Factory Preset settings, prior to startup.

Left Shift

Pressing in the Edit Screen changes the Edit Frame Size (pp. 44–5). Pressing in Combine inverses the selected Discrimination Pattern (pp. 51–3).

Introducing the Control Panel

Navigation Buttons

Used for adjusting settings in Detect Screens. Also used in navigating the Menu. (Clockwise from left: Left, Up, Right, Down.)

Pinpoint

Pressing turns Pinpoint On/Oﬀ . Pinpoint (p. 33) assists in locating the exact position of a target prior to recovery.

Backlight

Press to turn the Backlight On/Oﬀ. The Backlight provides greater screen clar ity in dim cond itions. The Backlight glows during the startup sequence. Turning Oﬀ will exten d batter y life.

Used to access the M ain Menu at any stage of detector operation. This all ows access to va rious settings (pp. 34–7).

Accept/Reject

Pressing in the Detection Screens accepts or rejects the detected target. Pressing in the Menu takes you back one level.

Noise Cancel

Starts the scan for the quietest operating frequency. The scan takes 30 seconds (p. 31).

Detect

Pressing, while i n the Pattern Scree n, will switch t he Detection Screen to Digital Screen, and vice versa if in Digital. Pressing while in the Main M enu, QuickMask or Edit Screen, returns to the Pattern/Digital Screen (pp. 23–4) at any stage of operation.

QuickMask

Press to access QuickMask, switching between QuickMask (p. 32) and Detect screens (p. 22).

Right Shift

Pressing in the Edit Screen changes the Edit Mode (pp. 44–5). Pressing in Combine inverses the selected Discrimination Pattern (pp. 51–3).

Page 12

Turning the Detector On

The Power button turns the detector On and Oﬀ. Press the Power button once to turn the detector On. The detector will begin its startup with an animation and tune, after which the Pattern Screen will appear and E-Trac is ready to ﬁnd treasure!

It is best to operate the detector only when outdoors and away from sources of electromagnetic interference (EMI) such as power lines and phone towers. These sources may cause the detector to perform erratically, giving false signals and causing inaccurate target ID.

There are also many metallic objects inside a house, such as nails in the ﬂoor, reinforcing in the walls, televisions and other household appliances, that might overload the electronics of the detector.

Reset

E-Trac is Factory Preset to allow you to start detecting straight away. E-Trac’s Factory Presets will respond to some low ferrous metal targets such as silver coins and jewellery, and ignore high ferrous targets such as nails.

Any changes made to E-Trac’s settings are saved automatically while detecting. These settings will remain until they are changed, or you instruct the detector to Reset to Factor y Presets, or Master Reset (p. 79).

When E-Trac is oﬀ, press and hold the Power button for three seconds to turn the detector on and ‘Reset’ it. Upon ‘Reset’, E-Trac loads the Factory Preset User Mode and resets the Universal Settings (p. 38).

User Modes and User Discrimination patterns are not erased when the detector is ‘Reset’. All settings within the Preferences Menu are only reset if you use Master Reset (p. 79).

To Reset the detector:

1 While the detector is switched Oﬀ,

press and hold the Power button for three seconds.

A ‘Reset’ message will appear on the screen

and a tune will sound. After the startup is complete the detector will be reset and E-Trac is ready to detect again.

Note: Sometimes it is possible that a large object close to the coil will over load the detector ’s elect ronics. When this hap pens, E-Trac displays an Over load message and emits a fading Overload sound which repeats until the coil is moved away from the source of the overload.

Each time you turn the detector On, the last Detection Screen used before shutting down will appear, e.g. if E-Trac was operating in the Digital Screen when turned Oﬀ, then the Digital Screen will appear when E-Trac is turned back On.

To turn the detector O ﬀ, press the Power button.

CAUTION: After turning E-Trac Oﬀ, allow

at least 1 second before turning E-Trac back On. This will allow the detector to save user settings into the memory so they are not lost when the batteries are removed.

Overloading is not harmful to the electronics of the detector. E-Trac is designed to withstand coil overload.

Page 13

Discrimination

Discrimination is the detector ’s ability to eliminate signals from undesired targets and accept signals from desired targets. E-Trac’s advanced signal processing rates detected objects according to their conductivity and ferrous characteristics. This enables you to accept some types of targets and reject others; the combination of these accepted and rejected targets form a Smartﬁnd Discrimination Pattern.

Therefore, each coordinate of the Smar tﬁnd Discrimination Pattern (visible in the Pattern, Edit and QuickMask Screens) can be turned white (clear) to accept, or black to reject, certain targets. White areas of the Smartﬁnd Discrimination Pattern indicate particular target coordinates that are accepted, black areas indicate coordinates that are rejected.

The Pattern shown above is E-Trac’s Factory Preset Coins Mode Discrimination Pattern, which represents the typical characteristics of nonferrous coins; a composite of hundreds of coins from around the world. It accepts signals from nonferrous targets and rejects signals from most ferrous targets.

When an accepted target is detected (e.g. matching the conductive and ferrous characteristics of coins), the Target Crosshair will appear in the white area and a target response will be heard.

When a rejected target is detected (e.g. not matching the conductive and ferrous characteristics of coins), the Threshold will blank and the Target Crosshair will remain in the position of the last accepted target.

E-Trac oﬀers a range of Smartﬁnd Discrimination Patterns (p. 42) which may be used on their own or in combination.

Smartﬁnd™

Smartﬁnd is Minelab’s unique two dimensional scale of discrimination. Smartﬁnd graphically represents both the FE-CO target properties on the same display.

The horizontal axis rates the target on its size/ conductivity (CO), ranging 1–50 from left to right. The vertical axis rates the extent of the target’s ferrous characteristics (FE), ranging 1–35 from top to bottom.

A FE value of 1 represents low ferrous characteristics and a value of 35 represents high ferrous characteristics. Similarly, a CO value of 1 represents low conductivity and 50 represents high conductivity.

Ferrous targets (e.g. nails) contain a large amount of iron, or some other less common magnetic material. Because they are magnetic, ferrous targets generally display the Target Crosshair at the bottom of the Smartﬁnd Window.

Nonferrous targets (e.g. pure gold, silver, copper and bronze) contain little or no magnetic material. Because they are not magnetic, nonferrous targets will generally display the crosshair at the top of the Smartﬁnd Window.

Note: Even nonferrous targets will generate FE values higher than 1.

High conductive targets (e.g. large silver coins, copper items) will cause the Target Crosshair to appear toward the right of the Smartﬁnd Window.

Low conductive targets (e.g. small alloy coins, foil, 9ct and ﬁne jewellery) will cause the Target Crosshair to appear toward the left of the Smartﬁnd Window.

The object size will have some eﬀect upon the conductivity rating for targets. Generally, the larger the target, the higher the corresponding conductivity rating.

As the coil passes over a target, the detector digitally processes the target signals and displays a Target Crosshair in the Smartﬁnd Window at the end of detection. The position of the Target Crosshair is relative to the target’s conductive and ferrous properties.

Conductivity

Ferrous

Page 14

Introducing the Detection Screens Pattern Screen

The E-Trac comes pre-programmed with three unique Detection Screens. The selection of the appropriate Detection Screen for the current conditions will depend on your preferences and experience. The three Detection Screens are:

– Pattern

– Digital

– QuickMask

All the information required for detecting targets is contained within these three Detection Screens, and when combined with audible target responses, no buried treasure is safe.

When the detector is turned on for the ﬁrst time, the Pattern Screen will be displayed on the LCD and E-Trac is ready to begin detecting. Target information is presented to you via the Smartﬁnd Discrimination Pattern, Sensitivity Gauge, FE-CO numbers and Depth Gauge. The information available to you in the Pattern Screen is invaluable for successful detecting with E-Trac.

Information is refreshed in ‘real time’; enabling fast, clear and reliable interpretation of a potential target’s qualities. With practice and experience you will be better able to interpret the information displayed, leading to more successful detecting.

The Smartﬁnd Window is in the centre of the Pattern Screen. It displays the active Discrimination Pattern (p. 21). Above the Smartﬁnd Window is the area in which

an accepted target’s FE-CO numbers will appear. During and after a detection, a Target Crosshair will appear in the Smartﬁnd Window, displaying the target ’s FE-CO coordinates relative to the rest of the Discrimination Pattern. The FE-CO numbers and Target Crosshair will remain until a new ‘accepted’ target is detected. Display Timeout (p. 79), in the Preferences Menu, can be turned on and this will clear detection results after a ﬁve seconds.

The Depth Gauge is located to the right of the Discrimination Pattern.

The Sensitivity Gauge is to the left, and by default it is turned on. The Sensitivity Gauge can be turned oﬀ via the Preferences Menu (p. 78).

The Detect button on the Control Panel switches between the Pattern and Digital Screens, and returns you to these Screens if you are in the Main Menu, QuickMask or Edit Screen. In addition, the QuickMask button provides a shortcut bet ween the QuickMask Screen and the Pattern/Digital Screens (see diagram below).

The last Detection Screen used will appear the next time you turn on the detector. Any adjustments to Discrimination Patterns made in the Pattern Screen will be retained and used in Digital as well.

Ferrous-Con ductivity Numbers

The area where FE-CO numbers of an accepted target are displayed.

Discrimination Pattern (Accepted)

The white (clea r) area of the Disc. Pattern is the target FE-CO nu mbers that you have accepted.

Discrimination Pattern (Rejected)

The black area of the Disc. Pattern is the target FE-CO numbers that you have rejected.

– This dialogue box (p. 37) will appear, allowing you to conﬁrm whether or not you wish to

load the QuickMask Discrimination Pattern into either the Pattern or Digital Screen.

Auto Sensitivity G auge

The left bar, and the number at the top, is the user-set Sensitivity. The right bar is the ‘suggested’ Sensitivity.

Depth Gauge

Represent s the approximat e depth of a target beneath the coil. The range, from top to bottom, is 0–30cm (0–12”).

QuickMask

Digital

Pattern

Detect

Detect Detect

QuickMask QuickMask

Page 15

Depth

The Depth Gauge, visible in the Pattern, Digital and QuickMask Screens, indicates the approximate depth of a detected target. The top of the indicator represents the position of the coil and the bottom represents approximately 30cm (12“) from the coil.

Once a target is detected, a crosshair will appear in the Depth Gauge indicating the approximate depth of the target.

The Depth Gauge is also updated for rejected targets.

Before Detection After Detection

Digital Screen

E-Trac has the Digital Screen that shows both the ferrous content (FE; range 1–35) and the conductivity (CO; range 1–50) of a target. The enlarged FE and CO numbers are the coordinates of the Target Crosshair displayed in the Smartﬁnd Discrimination Pattern.

There is a thumbnail of the active Discrimination Pattern above the FE-CO numbers.

To switch between Smartﬁnd and Pattern displays, press the Detect button. The conductivity and ferrous information of the target will clear as you switch between Pattern and Digital, until a new detection is made.

Note: When using the Digital Screen, the Discrimination Pattern is still active.

Discrimination Pattern Thumbnail

A small image of the current Discrimination Pattern.

Ferrous-Con ductivity Numbers

The area where enlarged FE-CO numbers of an accepted target are displayed.

Before Detection After Detection

Page 16

Layout Summary of the Detection Screens

When the detector is turned On for the ﬁrst time, the Pattern Screen will appear on the LCD and E-Trac is ready to begin detecting.

Target information is presented via visual and audio prompts. An introduction to the most common elements of the Detection Screens is below:

Battery Icon

Indicate s the present battery charge available. The Battery Icon will ﬂash when the batter y is low (pp. 84–5)

Backlight Icon

Displayed when the Backlight is On.

USB Icon

Displayed when the detector is connected to a PC vi a a US B cable (p. 80).

Minelab User Mode

The Minelab logo is displayed when a Minelab User Mode is selected (pp. 38–41).

User Mode Number

A boxed number speciﬁes which User Mode is being used (pp. 38–41).

User Mode M odiﬁed

The ﬂag icon is displayed when a User Mode has been modiﬁed b ut not saved (pp. 38–41).

Accept Icon

Notiﬁes you that you have used the Accept/ Reject button to accept the detected t arget’s coordinates.

Manual Sensitivity Gauge

The left bar, and the number at the top, is the user-set Sensitivity. The right bar is the ‘suggested’ Sensitivity (pp. 54–6).

Auto S ensitivity Animation

Displayed when Auto Sensitivity is operating (pp 54–6).

My User Mode Icon

This icon is displayed when one of your User Modes is selected (pp. 38–41).

Ferrous-Con ductivity Numbers

The area where FE-CO numbers of an accepted target are displayed (p.

21).

Reject Icon

Notiﬁes you that you have used the Accept/ Reject button to reject the detected t arget’s coordinates.

Auto Sensitivity G auge

The left bar, and the number at the top, is the user-set Sensitivity. The right bar is the ‘suggested’ Sensitivity (pp. 54–6).

Target Crosshair

Will appear when an accepted target is detected, indicating the Ferrous and Conductivity coordinate s of t hat target (p. 21).

Depth Gauge

Represent s the approximat e depth of a target beneath the coil. The range, from top to bottom, is 0–30cm (0–12”) (p. 25).

Page 17

A Simple Detecting ExerciseDetecting Basics

Sweeping the Coil

You will obtain the best performance when the coil is swept close and parallel to the ground at all times. This will increase detection depth and improve the response to small objects. Avoid excessive brushing of the coil on the ground. Though the coil assembly is rigid and durable, sudden jolts or bangs can cause random signals and inaccurate target IDs. Careful sweeping will ensure the coil performs to an optimum level at all times.

Targets

Metal objects are referred to as targets. Targets are comprised of ferrous and nonferrous metals. Ferrous metals are those containing iron; such as steel, nails and some types of coins.

Nonferrous metals are those which are not magnetic, such as gold, silver, copper, bronze and aluminium.

You may wish to ﬁnd a range of both ferrous and nonferrous targets.

Examples of common targets:

Desired high ferrous target – war relic Undesired high ferrous target – iron nail Desired nonferrous target – gold coin Undesired nonferrous target – pull-tab

Practise sweeping the coil over the ground in a side-to-side motion while slowly walking forward at the end of each sweep. Slightly overlap the previous sweep to ensure full ground coverage. An average sweep speed is four seconds from left to right to left.

Before attempting to recover real targets, it is important to understand how to interpret the audio and visual signals of the detector.

Gather a collection of diﬀerent metal objects, e.g. various coins, gold and silver jewellery, a nail, pull-tab, brass button and aluminium foil.

Take the detector outdoors, away from known sources of EMI and metal objects.

Lay objects in a line, suﬃciently spaced apart to allow the coil to pass between them, as shown below.

Detector Sounds

Turn the detector On.

The constant background ‘hum’ produced by the detector is called the Threshold (pp. 58–9). Variations in the Threshold allow you to hear very small and deep targets. It is also used to help distinguish between desired and undesired targets.

The detector may also produce False Signals (Noise) when not over the ground or with the coil held motionless. These may not be target signals, but surrounding electromagnetic interference (EMI). You can minimise these False Signals by performing a Noise Cancel

(p. 31), or by reducing the Sensitivity (pp. 54–6) of the detector. It is generally better to try to reduce False Signals by adjusting Noise Cancel before resorting to reducing the Sensitivity.

Sweep the coil across the targets one at a time. Observe the LCD and listen to the sounds of the detector as it passes over each object. Although the LCD will give you detailed information about the target ID, it is important to pay attention to the diﬀerence in audio response between each of the objects.

Note: If you are getting s ignals from a visibly clear patc h of gro und, there could be buried metal objects. Try ﬁnding another area to practise.

CAUTION: Incorrect coil sweeping can

generate false signals or miss targets.

Nail Pull-Tab Foil Coins Jewellery

Page 18

The Target Response is the sound produced by the detector when a target is detected and not ‘rejected’. A highly conductive target (e.g. a large silver coin) will generally produce a high-pitched tone and a low conductive target (e.g. foil) will generally produce a lowpitched tone. Large targets or targets close to the ground surface emit louder signals (p. 57).

When a ‘rejected’ target is detected, the Threshold ‘blanks’ (becomes silent), indicating that a target is located underneath the coil, but has been rejected by the Discrimination Pattern (p. 20). Blanking is a useful way of distinguishing between desired and undesired targets.

Note: As the coil passes over the nail, the Threshold ‘hum’ momentarily disappears (blanks).

Large objects close to the coil may Overload the detectors electronics. When this happens, E-Trac displays an Overload message and emits a fading Overload sound which repeats until the coil is moved away from the source of the overload.

A Simple Detecting Exercise Noise Cancel

‘Blanking’ (No Sound)

Threshold

Target Response

Detector Sounds (cont)

The E-Trac may become noisy due to electrical interference from power lines, electrical equipment or other detectors operating close by. The detector interprets this interference as inconsistent, short beeps and erratic movement of the Target Crosshair in the Smartﬁnd window, or erratic changing of FE-CO numbers in the Digital display.

Noise Cancel is used to minimise inter ference in the current environment. The channel can be changed automatically by pressing the Noise Cancel button or manually in the Noise Cancel setting via the Exper t Menu (p. 75).

Automatic Noise Cancel

The Noise Cancel button instructs the detector to automatically listen to every channel and select the channel with the least interference. Automatic Noise Cancel may take up to 30 seconds. The detector will display the progress on the LCD display and a tune will sound at the end of this period. After the Noise Cancel is complete the chosen channel will be displayed momentarily and then the detector will resume normal operation.

To initiate an Automatic Noise Cancel:

1 Hold the detector 30cm (12”) above the

ground and make sure there are no large targets or obvious sources of EMI close by.

2 Press the Noise Cancel button. Keep

the detector 30cm (12”) above the ground and completely still du ring the automatic channel selection.

Note: This may take up to 30 seconds.

Overloading is not harmful to the electronics of the detector.

It is important to understand the sounds produced when you make a valid or invalid button press. You will usually encounter these sounds while adjusting settings via the Main Menu. A valid button press makes a “bip” sound, an invalid button press makes a “ba-dump” sound.

30cm (12”)

Page 19

QuickMask™

QuickMask allows you to adjust the level of Ferrous and Conductivity rejection, independent of the Pattern/Digital Smartﬁnd Discrimination Pattern.

QuickMask is a useful tool for checking accepted/rejected targets with an extra Discrimination Pattern, without needing to load or edit the current Pattern/Digital Smartﬁnd Discrimination Pattern.

QuickMask has two slider controls to adjust the level of Ferrous and Conductivity discrimination. The level of Ferrous discrimination can be adjusted using the Up and Down Navigation buttons, located on the control panel. The level of Conductivity discrimination can be adjusted using the Left and Right Navigation buttons, also located on the control panel.

In QuickMask the default setting for Ferrous (FE) is ‘All Metal’, and ‘0’ for Conductivity (CO). This makes the QuickMask an ‘All Metal’ Discrimination Pattern, which means that you can quickly press the QuickMask button to accept target signals from all types of metal.

Note: Adjust ing the QuickMask Pat tern does not alter the Smartﬁnd Discrimination Pattern.

The QuickMask Discrimination Pattern can be lo aded into the Pattern/D igital Smar tﬁnd Window by pressing the Detect button.

Ferrous Adjustment

The vertical adjustment of Ferrous rejection.

Range: 1–35, All Metal (top to bottom)

Conductiv ity Adjustment

The horizontal adjustment of Conductivity rejection.

Range: 1–50 (left to right)

QuickMask Discrimination Pattern

The FE-CO setti ngs create a Discrimination Pattern that can be accessed by pressing the QuickM ask button.

Pinpoint

Pinpoint assists you in locating the exact position of a detected target.

Normally E-Trac is a ‘motion’ detector; it must be moving over a target in order to detect it. When Pinpoint is activated, E-Trac will operate as a non-motion detector; it will produce a constant audio response while the coil is held stationary over a target. Pinpoint instructs the detector to temporarily disengage Discrimination Patterns. Therefore, all targets will be detected if underneath the coil.

Detection results, such as FE-CO coordinates and Depth, are still updated. Pinpoint may be activated in either the Pattern, Digital or QuickMask screens.

When Pinpoint is activated, a gauge will appear near the top of the detection screen.

The audio response to the target will also change; both pitch and volume will increase as the coil approaches the target. The pitch will increase as the strength of the signal increases, and the volume will increase as the coil moves closer to the target.

Note: Refer to pp. 76–7 for more in formation on Pinpoint and Pinpoint Modes.

Pinpointing the Target:

1 Once the approximate target location is

known, move the coil to one side of that location and press Pinpoint.

2 Sweep the coil slowly over the

target location.

Note: Keep the coil parallel to the ground

while Pinpointing.

3 Taking note of the response, reduce the

span of each successive pass of the coil until you are conﬁdent of the location of the target. Make a mental note of the position, or mark a line on the soil with your shoe or a digging tool.

4 Move to one side so that you can pass the

coil over the target at right angles to your initial direction.

5 Repeating the above steps in the new

direction will give an exact location to dig.

This gauge will move from the outsides to the centre as the coil is moved closer to the target. The Crosshair will darken when the target is directly under the coil.

Page 20

Main Menu

The Main Menu provides you with access to all of E-Trac’s functions and settings. By pressing the Menu button at any time the Main Menu will be displayed on the LCD.

Each Menu appears below the Main Menu and the settings of that Menu can be selected and modiﬁed. Using the Down Navigation button scrolls throughout the settings under each Menu. If a desired setting is selected, you can press the Left and Right Navigation buttons to adjust the setting. Upon reaching the maximum or minimum value of a setting, you will hear an invalid button press sound if you try to adjust further.

Some settings have a sub-Menu, e.g. Tone ID, that are entered by using the Left or Right Navigation buttons. You may navigate and adjust settings in these sub -Menus the same way you would in the Menus.

After making any adjustments or viewing what value a setting is, you can press the Accept/Reject button to navigate back a step; the Menu button to return to the Main Menu; or the Detect button to return to detecting. Any adjustments to settings are saved automatically, unless a dialogue box prompts you to save.

The Main Menu allows you to browse through the each of the Menus. These are:

By using the Left and Right Navigation buttons you can scroll across each of the Menus.

– User Modes

– Discrimination

– Sensitivity

– Audio

– Expert

– Preferences

Page 21

Menu Structure

Dialogue Boxes

When you perform certain functions with E-Trac a dialogue box may appear asking you to conﬁrm the adjustment you are making. Below is an example of a dialogue box.

The three possible selections that can be made in a dialogue box are:

Yes – This conﬁrms that the adjustment you have made will be applied.

No – This denies the adjustment you have made and subsequent application.

Cancel – This denies the adjustment you have made and returns you to the screen/ setting you were making adjustments in.

Note: At times you may not be pres ented with all t hree of the above options, howe ver, those that are present will behave as has been described.

Page 22

If one of the M ode Settings or the Discrimination Pattern is modiﬁed, the icon will indicate the User Mode has been modiﬁed but not saved.

E-Trac Modes

Mode Settings, Universal Settings and Preferences

E-Trac’s settings can be divided into three categories: Mode Settings, Universal Settings and Preferences. The signiﬁcance of each category is explained below.

Mode Settings

These settings deﬁne E-Trac’s performance for a particular location (such as the beach or park) or type of treasure hunting (such as coins or relics). E-Trac is designed to allow you to save these Mode Settings as a User Mode. A User Mode can be saved in, or retrieved from, E-Trac memor y; or shared with another user via E-Trac Xchange (p. 80).

Universal Settings

These settings aﬀect E-Trac’s performance but can be adjusted regardless of your location and desired treasure type. Universal Settings are determined according to your personal detecting choices (e.g. Sensitivity, Noise Cancel and Threshold Pitch).

Preferences These settings do not aﬀect E-Trac’s performance and allow you to customize the appearance of the Detection Screens (e.g. Contrast and Show Sensitivity).

User Modes

A User Mode is a collection of speciﬁc detector settings and a Discrimination Pattern. The following settings are part of a User Mode:

– Audio – Volume Gain – Audio – Response – Audio – Tone ID – No. of Tones

– Audio – Tone ID – Sounds – Audio – Tone ID – Variability – Audio – Tone ID – Limits – Expert – Recovery Deep – Expert – Recovery Fast – Expert – Trash Density – Expert – Ground

E-Trac is pre-programmed with four Minelab User Modes: Coins Mode, High Trash Mode, Beach Mode and Relics Mode.

The Coins Mode is the default User Mode, and will be active when you ﬁrst turn on your E-Trac, or after a Reset (p. 19) and/or a Master Reset (p. 79).

A User Mode can be loaded, modiﬁed, and saved in E-Trac’s memory in one of the four memory slots as either My Mode 1, My Mode 2, My Mode 3 or My Mode 4 (pp. 40–1).

If Show Mode Info (p. 78) is turned on, E-Trac will display the Mode Information icons in the Detection Screens (pp. 26–7) to show the current User Mode.

Note: You can load a User Mode and adjust its settings and the Disc. Pattern. If the User Mode is no t saved, t he changes to the Disc. Patter n and s ettings will be lost if ano ther User Mode is loaded.

User Modes can be exchanged between E-Trac owners using E-Trac Xchange (p. 80).

Universal Settings

Universal Settings aﬀect E-Trac’s performance but are not saved as part of a User M ode.

– Audio – Threshold Level – Audio – Threshold Pitch – Audio – Volume Limit – Expert – Noise Cancel – Sensitivity – Sensitivity – Sensitivity – Manual Level – Sensitivity – Auto Level

Note: When a new User Mo de is s elected Universal Settings do not change.

Universal Settings are returned to their Factory Preset values if you Reset (p. 19) or Master Reset (p. 79) the detector.

Universal Settings can be exchanged between E-Trac users by using E-Trac Xchange (p. 80).

Preferences

Preferences do not aﬀect E-Trac’s performance and are not saved as part of a User Mode:

– Contrast – Pinpoint Mode – Show Sensitivity – Show Mode Info – Display Timeout

Note: When a new User Mo de is s elected Preferences do not change.

Preferences are not altered if you Reset (p. 19) the detector. Preferences are returned to their Factory Preset values if you Master Reset (p.

79) the detector.

Mode Information Icons

Minelab Coins Mode is selected

Minelab High Trash Mode is selected

Minelab Beach Mode is selected

Minelab Relics Mode is selected

My Mode 1 is selected

My Mode 2 is selected

My Mode 3 is selected

My Mode 4 is selected

Sensitivity

Manual Level

Auto Level

Audio

Threshold Level

Volume Limit

Volume Gain

Response

Tone ID

No. of Tones

Sounds

Variability

Limits

Threshold Pitch

Expert

Recovery Deep

Recovery Fast

Trash Density

Ground

Noise Cancel

Preferences

Contrast

Pinpoint Mode

Show Sensitivity

Show Mode I nfo

Display Timeout

Universal SettingsMode SettingsPreferences

Page 23

User Modes Menu

A User Mode is a collection of preset detector settings and a Discrimination Pattern. E-Trac comes with four Minelab User Modes and space for you to save your own User Modes.

The Minelab User Modes are:

– Coins

– High Trash

– Beach

– Relics

If a Minelab User Mode is selected then the Minelab logo and the User Mode Number will appear at the top right of the Detection Screens. If a My User Mode is selected then the My User icon will appear instead of the Minelab logo.

Discrimination Pattern is also displayed next to the name of the User Mode.

If you select Save, from the User Mode Menu, you can either select an empty slot to save your User Mode in, or overwrite an existing User Mode.

To Select a Minelab User Mode:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to User Modes (using the Right

or Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Select (using the Down

Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to enter the Select list of User Modes

5 Scroll down to Minelab Modes and press

the Left or Right Navigation button to enter Minelab Modes

To Select a User Mode:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to User Modes (using the Right

or Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Select (using the Down

Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to enter the Select list of User Modes

To Save a User Mode:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to User Modes (using the Right

or Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Save (using the Down

Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to enter the Save menu

CAUTION

Selecting a new User Mode, or initiating a Reset (p.19) or Master Reset (p. 79), will alter the detector’s Mode Settings (pp. 38–9) and the Discrimination Pattern. If you wish to keep the current settings and Discrimination Pattern, you must save them ﬁrst as a User Mode.

5 Scroll down to the desired User Mode and

press the Detect button to load

Note: You can only s elect a User Mode that

does not have an in the Disc. Patt ern thumbnail

6 A dialogue box will appear asking you

to conﬁrm the load. Use the Navigation Buttons to highlight ‘ Yes’ and press either the Left or R ight Navigation Button to conﬁrm. The User Mode is now loaded and E-Trac is back to the Pattern/Digital Screen

5 Scroll down to an empty slot, or a User

Mode you wish to overwrite, and press either the Left or Right Navigation button to Save the User Mode to that slot

The Save icon will notify you that the

User Mode has been saved to that slot and a thumbnail of the Disc. Pattern will also replace the or existing thumbnail.

Note: A Minelab U ser Mode can not be

overwritten.

6 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

If any changes are made to E-Trac’s settings you are able to save those settings to the current User Mode via the User Mode Menu. A small ﬂag will appear in the top right window of the Detection Screens if a User Mode has been modiﬁed, but not yet saved.

The Show Mode Info (p. 78) setting must be turned On via the Preferences Menu in order to see any of these icons displayed in the Detection Screens.

Selecting and Saving User Modes

Within the User Modes Menu there are two options; Select and Save. If you choose Select, the Menu will display the list of available User Modes. A thumbnail of the associated

Minelab User Mode

User Mode Number

My User Mode

User Mode Modified

6 Scroll down to the desired Minelab Mode

and press the Detect button to load

7 A dialogue box will appear asking you

to conﬁrm the load. Use the Navigation buttons to highlight ‘ Yes’ and press either the Left or R ight Navigation button to conﬁrm. The User Mode is now loaded and E-Trac is back to the Pattern/Digital Screen

Page 24

Discrimination Menu

The Discrimination Menu allows you to Select, Save, Edit and Combine Discrimination Patterns.

To Select a Discrimination Pattern:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Discrimination (using the

Right or Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Select (using the Down

Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to enter the Select sub-Menu

Saving a Discrimination Pattern

The Save sub-Menu allows you to save the current Discrimination Pattern to one of the empty slots or overwrite an existing Pattern. If the Save sub-Menu is entered from QuickMask , instead of the Pattern/Digital Screen, the sub-Menu will be titled ‘Save QuickMask’.

To Save a Discrimination Pattern:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Discrimination (using the

Right or Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Save, or Save QuickMask

if you have entered from the QuickMask Screen (using the Down Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to enter the Save sub-Menu

5 Scroll down to the desired Pattern and

press the Detect button to load it into the Pattern/Digital Screen, or press the QuickMask button to load it into the QuickMask Screen, and resume detecting

5 Scroll down to an empty slot, or a Pattern

you wish to overwrite and press the Left or Right Navigation button to Save

6 Press the Detect button to exit the sub-

Menu and resume detecting

Selecting a Discrimination Pattern

In the Select sub-Menu you will ﬁnd a list of all available Discrimination Patterns:

– 6 user patterns (My Pattern 1–6)

– The current QuickMask Disc. Pattern

– 4 patterns that are attached to your User

Modes (e.g. My Mode 1

– 10 pre-programmed patterns (All Metal,

Coins, Foil, etc.)

– 4 patterns that are attached to Minelab

User Modes (e.g. Coins Mode)

You can select any one of these patterns and load it into either the Pattern/Digital Screen or QuickMask.

E-Trac comes pre-programmed with 10 Discrimination Patterns. These patterns are:

– All Metal – Crown Caps

– Coins – Screw Caps

– Jewellery – Nails

– Foil – Iron

– Pull Tabs – Fe Coins

You can scroll through the list until you ﬁnd your desired Discrimination Pattern. A thumbnail accompanies each Discrimination Pattern name, so that you may see the diﬀerent characteristics of each Discrimination Pattern.

There are also 10 slots available for saving your own Disc. Patterns, and a slot for saving your QuickMask Pattern.

Note: All Discrimination Patterns preprogrammed into E-Trac are ‘accepting’ Disc. Patterns. For example, the Iron Disc. Pattern accepts iron.

Page 25

Edit Screen

By selecting the Edit option in the Discrimination Menu, you will enter the Edit Screen. You can use the various functions of the Edit Screen to modify an existing Discrimination Pattern, or create your own.

Any changes made to a Discrimination Pattern may then be saved for future use, via the Discrimination Menu (p. 43).

If you enter the Edit Screen from the Pattern/ Digital Screen, the Edit Screen will display the same Discrimination Pattern you were using in those screens.

In addition to the Edit Modes, E-Trac provides four Frame Sizes with which to edit the Discrimination Pattern. Pressing the Left Shift button scrolls through the Frame Sizes. The Frame Sizes are:

Small

This Frame Size will modify a 1x1 FE-CO area of the Discrimination Pattern.

Medium

This Frame Size will modify a 3x3 FE-CO area of the Discrimination Pattern.

Large

This Frame Size will modify a 5x5 FE-CO area of the Discrimination Pattern.

All Pattern

This Frame Size will modify all of the Discrimination Pattern. All Pattern can be used to either clear (accept) the Disc. Pattern or reject the Disc. Pattern.

The size of the Edit Frame sets how ‘loosely’ the target’s ferrous and conductivity characteristics are recorded. The Large Edit Frame is better for accepting desired targets. The Small Edit Frame is better for rejecting undesired targets and minimising the risk of masking desired targets.

Ferrous– Conductivit y Numbers

The FE-CO numbe rs of the Edit Frame position.

Edit Frame Sizes

Pressing the Left Shift but ton scrolls down the Frame sizes:

Small

Medium

Large

All Pattern

Edit Frame

Using the Navigation buttons, you can position the Edit Frame anywhere within the Disc. Pattern. In combination with the Accept/Reject button, any part of the Disc. Pattern can be modiﬁed.

Edit Modes

Pressing the Right Shift b utton scrol ls down the Edit Modes:

Manual

Auto Latch

Auto Accept

Auto Reject

E-Trac has four diﬀerent Edit Modes for Discrimination editing. Pressing the Right Shift button scrolls through the Edit Modes. The Modes are:

Manual Mode

When operating in this Edit Mode, you can manually move the Edit Frame around the Discrimination Pattern. By using the Accept/ Reject button you can edit areas of the Discrimination Pattern to either accept (white areas) or reject (black areas) certain targets.

Auto Latch Mode

When operating in this Edit Mode E-Trac automatically selects the ferrous and conductivity coordinates of a detected target. This allows you to either accept or reject the target from the Discrimination Pattern using the Accept/Reject button.

Auto Accept M ode

When operating in this Edit Mode, the Discrimination Pattern will be automatically modiﬁed to accept the Ferrous and Conductivity coordinates of a detected target.

Auto Reject Mode

When operating in this Edit Mode, the Discrimination Pattern will be automatically modiﬁed to reject the Ferrous and Conductivity coordinates of a detected target.

Note: Refer to pp. 46–50 fo r further information on Edit Modes.

Discrimination Menu

If you enter the Edit Screen from QuickMask, the Edit Screen will display the QuickMask Discrimination Pattern.

The Smartﬁnd Window in the centre of the Edit Screen displays the Discrimination Pattern. The Edit Frame Size options are to the left, the Edit Mode options are to the right.

Tip: Changing the Trash Density setting (pp. 72–3) from High to Low can stabilise the FE- CO coordinates of a detected target while using any ‘Auto’ Edit Modes.

Page 26

Discrimination Menu

Manual Mode

Manual Mode allows you to manually move the Edit Frame around the Discrimination Pattern. By using the Accept/Reject button you can edit areas of the Discrimination Pattern to either accept (white areas) or reject (black areas) certain targets.

To move the Edit Frame:

Press, or press and hold, the Navigation buttons (Up, Down, Left and Right) to move the Edit Frame around the Disc. Pattern.

To reject the framed area:

Press the Accept/Reject button. A cross will appear above the Smartﬁnd Window and the area of screen within the Edit Frame will turn black. You can now move the Edit Frame to another part of the Discrimination Pattern and continue Editing.

To accept the framed area:

Press the Accept/Reject button. A tick will appear above the Smartﬁnd Window and the area of screen within the Edit Frame will turn white. You can now move the Edit Frame to another part of the Discrimination Pattern and continue Editing.

Tip: Holdi ng down the Accept/Reje ct button while moving the Edit Frame around the Smartﬁnd Window continually edits the pattern.

To change the size of the Edit Frame:

Press the Left Shift button to switch between the four Edit Frame sizes.

CAUTION: Pressing the Menu button

while in Edit will take you back to the Discrimination Menu and all changes made in Edit will be lost.

If you are moving the Edit Frame across the Smartﬁnd Window, either horizontally or vertically, and you reach the edge of the Smartﬁnd Window the Edit Frame will loop back to the opposite side. This feature is designed to allow you to quickly move from one edge of the Smartﬁnd Window to the other.

Page 27

Auto Accept Mode

When a target is detected in Auto Accept Mode, the Discrimination Pattern will be automatically modiﬁed to accept the FE-CO coordinates of that target.

To Auto Accept the target:

1 Place the target on the ground

2 Press the Right Shift button until the Auto

Accept Edit Mode is selected

3 Swing the coil several times over the

desired target until the detector accepts it by clearing an area in the Smartﬁnd Window. I f you have more than one target, repeat the procedure for each one

4 Press the Detect button (or QuickMask

button if you wish to load the pattern into QuickMask) once you have ﬁnished editing

5 Answer ‘Yes’ to the dialogue box to return

to the Pattern/Digital (or QuickMask) Screen with your new Discrimination Pattern loaded into Smartﬁnd

Discrimination Menu

E-Trac needs to detect the target consistently to accept it into the Smartﬁnd Disc. Pattern.

Creating a Discrimination Pattern using Auto Accept:

Fill in the Smartﬁnd Window:

Press the Left Shift button until the ‘All Pattern’ Edit Frame is selected. Press the Accept/Reject button twice to reject the entire Discrimination Pattern. This ﬁlls in the Smartﬁnd Window, rejecting all targets and preparing the Window for learning a new target.

Change the size of the cursor:

Press the Left Shift button to change the Edit Frame size (Small, Medium, Large or All Pattern).

CAUTION: Pressing the Menu Button

while in Edit will take you back to the Discrimination Menu and all changes made in Edit will be lost.

Auto Latch Mode

The Auto Latch Mode automatically selects the FE-CO coordinates of a detected target. This allows you to either accept or reject the target from the Discrimination Pattern using the Accept/Reject button.

To Auto Latch the target:

1 Place the target on the ground

2 Press the Right Shift button until the Auto

Latch Edit Mode is selected

3 Swing the coil several times over the

desired target until the detector conﬁrms the FE-CO coordinates

4 Press the Accept/Reject button once to

reject those coordinates from the Smartﬁnd Discrimination Pattern, press twice to accept. If you have more than one target, repeat the procedure for each one

5 Press the Detect button (or QuickMask

button if you wish to load the pattern into QuickMask) once you have ﬁnished editing

6 Answer ‘Yes’ to the dialogue to return to

the Pattern/Digital (or QuickMask) Screen with your new Discrimination Pattern loaded into Smartﬁnd

Tip: Changing the Trash Density setting (pp.

72–3) from High to Low can stabilise the FE-CO coordinates of a detected target while using any ‘Auto’ Edit Modes.

Creating a Discrimination Pattern using Auto Latch:

Clear the Smartﬁnd Window:

Press the Left Shift button until the ‘All Pattern’ Edit Frame is selected. Press the Accept/Reject button once to accept the entire Discrimination Pattern. This clears the Smartﬁnd Window, accepting all targets and preparing the window for learning a new target.

Change the size of the Edit Frame: Press the Left Shift button to change the Edit Frame size (Small, Medium, Large or All Pattern). A Large frame will accept a larger area of the Discrimination Pattern as a target is detected. A Small frame will accept a smaller area of the Discrimination Pattern, but slightly altered or damaged targets may be ignored.

Page 28

Discrimination Menu

The Combine Function

Combine allows you to merge preset or saved Discrimination Patterns to create a new Discrimination Pattern. The Combine function should not be confused with how you select Discrimination Patterns via the ‘Selec t’ Menu. With Combine, you do not add or subtract whole Discrimination Patterns. The ‘white’ areas of a listed Discrimination Pattern are what you accept or reject from the Combine Discrimination Pattern.

The two Smartﬁnd Windows at the top of the Combine Screen are the Combine Pattern (left) and the Active Discrimination Pattern (right). The Active Pattern is the Discrimination Pattern currently being used in the Pattern/Digital Screen.

By default, the Combine Pattern (left Smartﬁnd Window) is empty. As you scroll down the listed Discrimination Patterns, areas of the Combine Pattern will ﬂash relative to the white areas of the selected Discrimination Pattern. For example, if you select the Jewellery Disc. Pattern, then the white area of that pattern will ﬂash in the Combine Pattern. Each Pattern that is pre-programmed into E-Trac is an ‘accepting’ pattern, i.e. the Jewellery Disc. Pattern accepts Jewellery, the Iron Disc. Pattern accepts Iron, etc. Therefore, the ‘ﬂashing’ area indicates where the object is located.

Combine Active

Auto Reject Edit Mode

When a target is detected in Auto Reject Mode, the Discrimination Pattern will be automatically modiﬁed to reject the FE-CO coordinates of that target.

To Auto Reject the target:

1 Place the target on the ground

2 Press the Right Shift button until the Auto

Reject Edit Mode is selected

3 Swing the coil several times over the

desired target until the detector rejects it by ﬁlling an area in the Smartﬁnd Window. If you have more than one target, repeat the procedure for each one

4 Press the Detect button (or QuickMask

Button if you wish to load the pattern into QuickMask) once you have ﬁnished editing.

5 Answer ‘Yes’ to the dialogue box to return

to the Pattern/Digital (or QuickMask) Screen with your new Discrimination Pattern loaded into Smartﬁnd

CAUTION: Pressing the Menu Button

while in Edit will take you back to the Discrimination Menu and all changes made in Edit will be lost.

E-Trac needs to detect the target consistently to reject it from the Smartﬁnd Disc. Pattern.

Creating a Discrimination Pattern using Auto Reject:

Clear the Smartﬁnd Window:

Change the size of the cursor:

Press the Left Shift button to change the Edit Frame size (Small, Medium, Large or All Pattern).

Page 29

CAUTION: Pressing the Menu Button

while using Combine will take you back to the Discrimination M enu and all changes made with Combine will be lost.

Discrimination Menu

To Combine Discrimination Patterns:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Discrimination (using the

Right or Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Combine (using the Down

Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to enter the Combine list of Pattern

5 The two Smartﬁnd Windows at the top of

the screen are the Active Pattern (right) and the Combine Pattern (left). Press the Left Navigation button to copy the Active Pattern to the Combine Pattern

7 Once you have ﬁnished Combining, press

the Detect button (or QuickMask button if you wish to load the pattern into QuickMask)

8 Answer ‘Yes’ to the dialogue box to return

to the Pattern/Digital (or QuickMask) Screen with your new Discrimination Pattern loaded into Smartﬁnd

6 Scroll down to the desired Pattern and

press the Accept/Reject button once to add that Pattern to your Combine Pattern. Press the Accept/Reject button twice to subtract that Pattern from your Combine Pattern. A third press will remove the Pattern from the Combine Pattern

While a Discrimination Pattern is selected, press the Left or Right Shift button to inverse that pattern. The Accept/Reject button still only modiﬁes the white area of the pattern. For example, if ‘Coins’ is inverted, accepting the pattern will accept the white areas, therefore leaving you with an ‘all metal’ pattern. If the pattern is rejec ted, the white areas are visible in the Combine Pattern, thus creating a pattern that rejects everything except the common Target IDs of coins.

Another useful feature of Combine is the ability to compare Target IDs in both the Active Pattern (right Smar tﬁnd Window) and the Combine Pattern (left Smartﬁnd Window) simultaneously. If you detect a target while in Combine a crosshair will appear in both windows. By doing this you can see whether your new Combine Pattern is rejecting a desirable target, or accepting an undesired target, and you can then modify your Combine Pattern fur ther to get the right discrimination.

The Accept/Rejec t button is used to modify the ﬂashing area of a selected Discrimination Pattern. The ﬁrst press accepts, the second press rejects, and a third press cancels any accepting or rejecting of that pattern applied to the Combine Pattern.

It is important to plan how you will create or modify a pattern using Combine, as the last pattern accepted/rejected overrides any previously accepted/rejected patterns if the areas overlap. For example, if you reject the ‘All Metal’ pattern, then accept ‘Coins’ but ﬁnish by rejecting ‘Crown Caps’, the area of ‘Crown Caps’ that overlaps ‘Coins’ will still be rejected. Therefore, if you want to combine all of these patterns you should apply rejected patterns ﬁrst, and accepted patterns last.

Selected

Accepted

Rejected

Cancelled

Page 30

Sensitivity Menu

Sensitivity

Range: Manual or Auto Factory Preset: Auto

E-Trac has three internal signal channels (high, medium and low) used to identify targets. E-Trac continually measures the magnetic ground interferences that aﬀect these channels and adjusts the level of Sensitivity individually for each channel, to provide the most stable Target ID for each channel.

Most ground types cause some interference and E-Trac uses this to adjust the detector to the correct Auto Sensitivity. Auto Sensitivity may not work well on a beach, as they do not typically contain magnetic materials.

Note: Minelab recommends beginners use E-Trac in th e Auto Sensitivity mode, unless detecting on a bea ch, where Manual is recommended.

The Sensitivity Gauge has two indication bars in both Auto and Manual and a numeric Sensitivity value above the gauge, as shown below.

Auto Sensitivity

The left bar and the numeric value indicates the highest Sensitivity Level that either the high, medium or low channel is operating in.

The right bar indicates the ‘Suggested’ Sensitivity Level. This is an average Sensitivity Level of the high, medium and low channels. Each channel is set to a diﬀerent level of sensitivity individually by the detector to provide the most stable Target IDs.

Auto Sensitivity

Range: –3, –2, –1, A, +1, +2, +3 Factory Preset: A

The Sensitivity can be increased by +3 levels or decreased by –3 levels. This feature allows you to be more aggressive or conservative while in Auto.

Increasing the Auto Sensitivity Level by +1, +2, or +3 sets the Auto Sensitivity higher on each channel than the automatic setting by the number of levels you select. You may prefer this if you do not mind a few false signals, if it means detecting very faint target signals. It also tends to reduce the accuracy of Target IDs.

Decreasing the Auto Sensitivity Level by –1, –2, or –3 sets the Auto Sensitivity lower on each channel than the automatic setting by the number of levels you select. You may prefer this if you do not want to dig ver y small targets and false signals. I t also tends to improve the accuracy of Target IDs.

When changed, the numeric value above the Sensitivity Gauge will increase or decrease by the number of steps you select and display your setting. The Auto Sensitivity animation above the gauge will change from to either if increased or if decreased. This is to indicate you have made a change.

To adjust the Auto Sensitivity Level in

the Pattern/Digital Screen:

1 Press the Up Navigation button to

increase Sensitivity.

2 Press the Down Navigation button to

decrease Sensitivity.

Manual Auto

Sensitivity Level

Manual Sensitivity

The left bar and the numeric value indicate the Sensitivity Level that you have set.

The right bar indicates the ‘Suggested’ Sensitivity Level the same as it does in Auto.

The important diﬀerence between Auto and Manual is that all of the channels are set to the same level in Manual and if set too high may cause unstable Target IDs.

For example, if the Suggested Sensitivity determined by the detector is 15 and you set Manual Sensitivity to 20, all channels are set to 20. If one channel is aﬀected by the ground conditions then Auto would normally reduce the level for this channel. In Manual it is not reduced and stays at 20 so the ground interference may cause false signals and unstable Target IDs.

For example, if E-Trac determines the Sensitivity levels for each channel to be High:20, Medium:15 and Low:10, the left hand bar and the numeric value of the Sensitivity Gauge will display 20. The Suggested Sensitivity, the right hand bar, will display the average of all three channels, which will be 15.

Page 31

Audio Menu

The Audio settings control the types and levels of sounds emitted by the detector while detecting and when a target is found.

To adjust the Audio settings:

1 Select the Response (Normal, Long, Smooth

or Pitch Hold) (pp. 62–3) according to your preferences, detection conditions, etc.

2 Select the No. of Tones (Multi, 1, 2 or 4)

(p. 64)

3 Adjust the Threshold Pitch (p. 69)

4 Select the Sounds (Conduct or Ferrous) (pp.

65–6) according to the types of targets you are searching for.

Detect two targets that produce ‘close’

Target IDs (Close CO numbers if Conduct Sounds is selected, or close FE numbers if Ferrous Sounds is selected).

5 Adjust the Variability (p. 67) until you

achieve your preferred pitch separation between the Target IDs.

6 Detect a target with High CO numbers if

Conduct is selected (or high FE numbers for Ferrous Sounds). If the pitch of the target audio response is too high for your hearing, limit it with the Tone ID Limits setting (p. 68). You can also reduce the pitch by adjusting Variability.

Tip: Headphones allow you to hear subtle variations in audio response and lessen exposure to adverse conditions (i.e. wind), which may mask sound from the speaker.

Headphones also mi nimise the disturbance to other people in the area, and prov ide greater battery eﬃciency than when audio i s emitted by the speaker.

The correct setup of Audio settings, relative to your current detecting conditions, is vital to successful detecting.

While setting-up your E-Trac, take the time to experiment with the Audio settings so that you become familiar with how they operate and aﬀect the target audio response.

Minelab recommends using the following steps as a guide for how to adjust the Audio settings to best suit your preferences and detecting conditions.

Note: Thresh old Level ( pp. 58–9), Volume Limit (p. 60) and Volume Gain (p. 61) are not included in these steps as they are all settings that you will need to change depen ding on detecting conditions.

Sensitivity Menu

Manual Sensitivity

Range: 1–30 Factory Preset: 22

Manual Sensitivity allows you to control the Sensitivity directly. Manual Sensitivity is suitable for the beach, nonmagnetic ground or when there is EMI.

Increasing Manual Sensitivit y Level sets each channel to the Level you select. A High Sensitivity setting will increase the amount of false signals and may detect very faint Target signals. It also tends to reduce the accuracy of Target IDs.

Decreasing Manual Sensitivity Level sets each channel to the Level you select. A Low Sensitivity setting will decrease the amount false signals and may not detect very faint Target signals. It also tends to improve the accuracy of Target IDs.

When changed, the numeric value above the Sensitivity Gauge will increase or decrease by the number of steps you select and display your setting.

To adjust the Manua l Sensitivity Level in

the Pattern/Digital Screen:

1 Press the Up Navigation button to

increase Sensitivity.

2 Press the Down Navigation button to

decrease Sensitivity.

To adjust Manual or Auto Sens itivity

via the Menu:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Sensitivity (using the Right

or Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Sensitivity (using the Down

Navigation button)

Sensitivity (cont)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to switch between Manual or Auto

5 Scroll down to either Manual Level or

Auto Level

6 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to adjust the level of Sensitivity

7 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting.

Note: If you ex perience erratic signals try

reducing the inter ference with Noise Ca ncel before adjusting th e Sensitivi ty. To do this, press the Noise Cancel butt on (p. 31) , or manually select th e channel with the least noise via the Expert Menu (p. 75).

Page 32

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

Button to change the Threshold Level

5 Press the ‘Detect’ button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

Audio Menu

Adjusting Threshold Level:

1 Press the ‘Menu’ button

2 Scroll across to ‘Audio’ (using the Right or

Left Navigation Button)

3 Scroll down to ‘Threshold Level’ (using the

Down Navigation Button)

If the Threshold Level is too low, the slight variation caused by a small or deep target may not be suﬃcient to hear. Adjusting the level to below an audible level will ensure silent operation but could mask the audio response from small targets.

Too High

Audio range that you are able to hear.

Small signal

masked

Loud si gnal just audible

Threshold Level

Range: 1–50 Factory Preset: 30

The constant background ‘hum’ produced by the detector is called the Threshold. Variations in the Threshold help you to hear very small and deep targets. When a rejected target is detected, the Threshold sound ‘blanks’ (becomes silent) indicating that an undesired target is underneath the coil.

The Threshold is controlled by Threshold Level and Threshold Pitch (p. 69). The correct setting of both Threshold settings will depend on your hearing and environmental noise such as wind, waves and machinery.

The Factory Preset for Threshold Level is set at an appropriate level for E-Trac’s built-in speaker. If the Threshold is too loud whilst using headphones, use the Threshold Level setting to reduce the volume.

Too Lo w

Small signal

now inaudible

Loud signal

Audio range that you are able to hear.

Threshold Level

Just Right

Small signal Very loud

signal

Audio range that you are able to hear.

Threshold Level

If the Threshold Level is too high, accepted targets will be harder to hear above the Threshold ‘hum’. Small target responses will become diﬃcult to hear as the Threshold nears a maximum setting of 50 when there will be a persistently loud Threshold ‘hum’.

Adjust the Threshold Level to a faint, audible hum. This will highlight variations in signal response which may indicate the presence of a target. If the soil conditions change the Threshold Level may need adjustment.

Page 33

Volume Gain

Range: 1–30 Factory Preset: 24

The Volume Gain controls the ampliﬁcation of a target’s audio response, relative to the target signal strength. The Volume Gain control is the Audio setting that is most similar to volume adjustments in other devices (e.g. radio or television volume controls).

With a setting of 1 the target signal will not be ampliﬁed. Weak target signals will sound quiet, medium target signals will sound midrange and strong target signals will sound loud. There will be greater diﬀerentiation between target signal strengths, however, weak signals will be harder to hear.

Volume Limit

Range: 0–30 Factory Preset: 30

The Volume Limit sets the maximum volume of target signals. When detecting, the sound produced by a distant target will be quiet. As the coil gets closer to the target, the volume increases until it reaches the Volume Limit setting.

A high Volume Limit will allow a greater diﬀerence between a small and large target.

The Factory Preset for Volume Limit is set at an appropriate level for E-Trac’s built-in speaker. If the audio is too loud whilst using headphones, use the Volume Limit setting to reduce the audio volume.

To adjust the Volume Limit:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Audio (using the Right or

Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Volume Limit (using the

Down Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to change the Volume Limit

5 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

A low Volume Limit will not allow a great diﬀerence between a small and large target.

Audio range that you are able to hear.

High Vol. Limit

Audio range that you are able to hear.

Low Vol. Limit

To adjust the Volume Gain:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Audio (using the Right or

Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Volume Gain (using the

Down Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to change the Volume Gain setting

5 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

With a setting of 15, the audio response will be partially ampliﬁed. Weak to medium strength signals will sound louder, but strong signals will not sound much louder than medium signals as the volume reaches the Volume Limit.

With a setting of 30, all target signals will be ampliﬁed to a loud audio response. At this setting there will be less diﬀerentiation between medium and strong signals, but weak target signals will be easier to hear.

Volume Gain = 15

Volume Limit

Weak

Medium

Strong

Target Signal Strength

Target Response Volume

Volume Gain = 1

Volume Limit

Weak

Medium

Strong

Target Signal Strength

Target Response Volume

Volume Gain = 30

Volume Limit

Weak

Medium

Strong

Target Signal Strength

Target Response Volume

CAUTION: A high Volume Limit setting

might damage your hearing if a large target is detected.

Audio Menu

Page 34

Audio Menu

To change the Response:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Audio (using the Right or

Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Response (using the Down

Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to change the Response to the desired setting

5 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

Note: Even though you can still select Pitch

Hold when the No. of Tones is set to 1, it will not have any eﬀect on the target audio response.

Smooth

This setting is similar to Long, with the addition of some ﬁltering of the audio tone response. Smooth reduces the var iability of the pitch, oﬀer ing a smoother continuous sound.

Pitch Hold

When Pitch Hold is selected, the normal rise-andfall target signal is replaced with a continuous tonal response. The tone emitted is the strongest signal coming from the target, and will continue until a new target is detected.

Response

Range: Normal, Long, Smooth and Pitch Hold Factory Preset: Normal

The Response setting changes the way target signals sound upon detection. Response can improve your ability to identify certain targets in diﬀerent conditions, such as high trash, mineralised ground and beaches.

As the coil is swept over a target, the target signal rises. At the peak of the target signal, audio is emitted. Minelab recommends ﬁrst learning how to operate the detector in the Factory Preset ‘Normal’ audio Response.

After becoming familiar with the way E-Trac interprets various targets, it is recommended you experiment with the Response settings listed right. Each Response will suit certain detecting conditions. You will soon develop your own preference by experimentation.

Normal Emits a short response to targets (almost a ‘beep’). Normal is recom mended for general detecting condition s. It allows th e greatest diﬀerentiatio n between the gro und and a target, but h as the potential to miss small targets in areas littered with objects producing target responses.

Long Oﬀers an almos t continuo us audio response. Th is setting is ide al for responding to several targets close together. It is recommended for the experienced user, who can pick the tona l diﬀerences between various targets. Long can be a little confusing for the beginner but ha s the potential to oﬀer greater accuracy and depth.

Detection Start

Detection End

Peak Target Signal

Threshold Threshold

Blanking

Normal lasts until the target signal drops, then audio blanks bringing a crisp end to the detection.

Pitch Hold changes th e Threshold to the highest pitched tone produced during the detection.

Long lasts until the end of detection. There is no blanking at the end of detection.

Smooth lasts until the end of detection. There is no blanking at the end of detection.

Blanking

Pitch

Time

Pitch Pitch Pitch Signal Strength

Response

Page 35

Audio Menu

Sounds

Range: Conduct or Ferrous Factory Preset: Conduct

The Sounds setting allows you to set the detector to emit a distinct audio response based on either a target’s ferrous characteristics or its conductive properties. To test your selection it is necessary to move the coil across one or more targets with diﬀerent conductive and ferrous characteristics.

Note: Even though you can still adjust the Sounds when the No. of Tones is s et to 1 , it will not have any eﬀect on the target audio response.

Conduct

When Conduct is selected, audio tones are emitted according to the target ’s conduc tivity (the horizontal axis of the Smar tﬁnd Window, or the second number in the Digital Screen).

A high pitched signal denotes a large, highly conductive object with Target Crosshair displayed near the right of the Smartﬁnd Window (or near a CO number of 50).

A low pitched signal denotes a small object with low conductivity; the Target Crosshair is displayed near the left of the Smartﬁnd Window (or near a CO number of 1).

Tip: Condu ct is o ften preferred by coin hunters, as de sirable targets such as gold, cop per and silver coins will give a high tone signal response, compared to low conductive junk targets such as foil and pull tabs.

Tone ID

The Tone ID sub-menu allows you to deﬁne how the tone of the audio varies when diﬀerent target characteristics are detected. This can be a very useful feature in identifying targets close to each other.

Number (No.) of Tones

Range: 1, 2, 4 or Multi Factory Preset: Multi

You may select how many diﬀerent tonal responses there are while detecting.

These are:

– 1; all sound is monotone,

– 2; all sound is duo tone i.e. low and high,

– 4; four diﬀerent tones ranging from low

to high,

– Multi; multiple tonal responses to diﬀerent

target signals.

The Factory Preset number of Tones is set to ‘Multi’, giving multiple tonal responses to diﬀerent targets.

To change the Number of Tones:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Audio (using the Right or

Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Tone ID (using the Down

Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to enter the Tone ID sub-menu

5 Scroll down to No. of Tones

6 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to change the No. of Tones

7 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

Conductivity

High Pitch

Low Pitch

Page 36

Audio Menu

Variability

Range: 1–30 Factory Preset: 25

Variability controls how much the audio pitch will change depending on target characteristics.

A high Variability setting results in a maximum variation of pitch from target to target. A high Variability can aid in identifying targets in close proximity to one another, and is recommended when using a complex Discrimination Pattern.

High Variability

Coin

High Pitch

Low Pitch

Pitch Variation

Foil

Low VariabilityHigh Pitch

Pitch Variation

Low Pitch

Coin Foil

To adjust the Variability:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Audio (using the Right or

Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Tone ID (using the Down

Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to enter the Threshold sub-menu

5 Scroll down to Variability

6 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to change the Variability setting

7 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

Note: Even though you may still adjust the

Variability when the No. of Tones is set to 1, it will not have any eﬀect on the target audio response.

Ferrous

Selecting Ferrous causes emitted tones to be generated according to the target ’s ferrous characteristics (the vertical axis of the Smartﬁnd Window, or the ﬁrst number in the Digital Screen).

A low ‘blaat’ tone denotes a highly ferrous object, displayed on the bottom of the Smartﬁnd Window and having a high FE number. A high-pitched ‘squeak’ tone denotes a nonferrous target, displayed on the top of the Smartﬁnd Window and having a low FE number.

It may be useful to select Ferrous if searching in QuickMask. There is less chance of a highferrous target producing a high tone signal due to its high conductive characteristics.

To change the Sounds:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Audio (using the Right or

Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Tone ID (using the Down

Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to enter the Tone ID sub-menu,

5 Scroll down to Sounds

6 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to change the Sounds between Ferrous and Conduct

7 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

Tip: Ferrous is often preferred by relic and jewellery hunters as desirable low cond uctive, medium ferrous target s will g ive a hi gher pitched signal response.

Tone ID (cont)

FerrousFerrous

A low Variability setting results in a minimum variation of pitch from target to target. With a low Variability, target information is compromised, but the target response will be more consistent. This is recommended for users new to multi tone detectors, or if you are using an ‘All Metal’ Discrimination Pattern.

High Pitch

Low Pitch

Page 37

Tone ID (cont)

Limits

Range: 1–30 Factory Preset: 30

Limit allows you to adjust the maximum audio pitch of all tones emitted for Tone ID Sounds; Ferrous and Conduct. Limits is only available if the Number of Tones is set to Multi.

A high Limit setting will allow E-Trac to produce very high pitched target signals as well as low pitched.

Low

Conductivity

High

Conductivity

High Limit

Low

Conductivity

High

Conductivity

Low Limit

Minelab recommends setting the Limit control to the highest tone you are comfortable with. Use a highly conductive object, such as a large silver coin, to test your Limits setting.

To adjust the Limits:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Audio (using the Right or

Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Tone ID (using the Down

Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to enter the Tone ID sub-menu

5 Scroll down to Limits

6 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to change the Limits setting

7 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

Audio Menu

Threshold Pitch

Range: 1–30 Factory Preset: 15

Threshold Pitch changes the pitch of the Threshold; a high Threshold Pitch is often preferred by people with good hearing, whereas a low Pitch is preferable to people with hearing diﬃculties.

Adjusting Threshold Pitch:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Audio (using the Right or

Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Threshold Pitch (using the

Down Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to change the Threshold Pitch

5 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

A low Limit setting will allow E-Trac to only produce low pitched target signals.

Page 38

Expert Menu

The Expert Menu contains some of E-Trac’s more advanced settings and functions. While the settings and functions within the Expert Menu will allow you to get the most out of your E-Trac, Minelab recommends that you become familiar with the other settings and functions of the detector before experimenting with these.

Recovery Deep

Range: On–Oﬀ Factory Preset: O ﬀ

This setting aﬀects only weak target signals, enhancing identiﬁcation of deep targets. This setting should be selected in relatively uncluttered areas where deep targets are anticipated. Strong signals are unaﬀected.

In the deep setting there will be a slightly slower reaction in target signal and Target ID due to the ex tra ﬁltering that is employed in the processing of the target characteristics.

To turn Recover Deep On or Oﬀ:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Expert (using the Right or

Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Recovery Deep (using the

Down Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to turn Recovery Deep On or Oﬀ

5 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

In the example shown, using Recovery Fast will provide two distinct target IDs in each direction, whereas when Recovery Fast is Oﬀ the ID will be more variable and may not resemble either of the targets.

Note: Minelab recommends turning Recovery Fast On when Trash Density ( pp. 72–3) is set to High

To turn Recover Fast On or Oﬀ:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Expert (using the Right or

Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Recovery Fast (using the

Down Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to turn Recovery Fast On or Oﬀ

5 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting.

Recovery Fast

Range: On–Oﬀ Factory Preset: O ﬀ

By selecting this setting, the detector will react faster to target signals, but the discrimination and Target ID may be slightly more erratic. Use Fast in areas littered with objects, where a desired target could be hiding next to unwanted objects.

For example, if there are t wo targets very close together that cause a single detection, the ﬁltering that is usually employed when Recovery Fast is Oﬀ may cause a ‘contamination’ of the Target IDs, as shown below.

Recovery Fast On

Volume

CoinNail

Time

Recovery Fast Oﬀ

Volume

Time

CoinNail

Recovery Deep and Recovery Fast

The Recovery Deep and Recovery Fast settings allow you to select the way the discrimination process works. Recovery settings aﬀect both the detector’s audio and display response to target characteristics.

With Recovery Fast On, the usual ﬁltering is bypassed and this can provide a more accurate ID of the second target due to the reduced blending of target signals. However, as a consequence of removing the ﬁltering the Target IDs may be slightly more erratic.

Page 39

Expert Menu

Trash Density

Range: Low or High Factory Preset: Low

The Trash Density setting will enable you to optimise the Discrimination of the detector for areas that have highly variable ground mineralisation or unusually high amounts of ferrous objects.

When the Discrimination Pattern is ‘All Metal’, the Trash Density setting has no eﬀect.

When the Discrimination Pattern has rejected (black) areas E-Trac will produce diﬀerent detection results depending on the Trash Density setting. The Trash Density setting will not aﬀect the target audio response

Low is recommended in areas that have low ground mineralisation or low amounts of ferrous trash.

High is recommend in areas with highly variable ground mineralisation or unusually high amounts of ferrous objects (Iron trash).

Low In Low setting, E-Trac locks onto the strongest signal target during detection and the detector displays the most stable Target ID.

For example, when a coin is buried amongst nails and you are using a Disc. Pattern that accepts coins and rejects nails, the detector will lock onto the target with the strongest signal. If the coin produces a stronger signal response, then the Target ID for the coin will be displayed at the end of detection.

Trash Density Performance Characteristics

Setting Accept/Reject

Functionality

Detection in average

soils, and low trash sites

Detection in mineralised

soils, and high trash sites

Trash Density

Low Very good Very good Average – may miss

detectio n of n onferrous targets

High Average Very good Good

It is recommended to use Low in areas with low trash. It is not recommended to use Low in areas where a “good” target may be masked by the presence of strong signals from ferrous objects or high ground mineralisation.

The Low Trash Density setting also allows you to create a quite narrow discrimination pattern for a speciﬁc target as the Target ID is more stable than in High Trash Density.

High In High setting, E-Trac searches for the best accepted target signal during detection and then displays the most stable Target ID. The High setting allows you to detect the accepted targets in the presence of ferrous objects or high ground mineralisation amongst a number of rejected targets.

For example, when a coin is buried amongst nails and you are using a Disc. Pattern that accepts coins and rejects nails, the detector will lock onto the coin and the Target ID for the coin will be displayed at end of detection. If the nail produces stronger signal response the Detector will not blank at end of detection and the Target ID for the coin will be displayed at end of detection.

It is recommended to use High in areas with high trash and where a “good” target may be masked by the presence of many ferrous objects or high ground mineralisation.

In a High Trash Density setting the Target ID is more unstable, therefore, a greater number of Target ID numbers need to be used to reject a speciﬁc target.

High Trash Density can be used with a slightly faster sweep, so it is suitable for use during competition hunts or in areas where speed of ground coverage is important.

To turn Trash Density to Low or High:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Expert (using the Right or

Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Trash Density (using the

Down Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to turn Trash Density to Low or High

5 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

Target Signal

If the nail produces a stronger signal response, then the Detector will blank at the end of detection and the Target ID will not update as the nail is a rejected by your Disc. Pattern.

Page 40

Noise Cancel

Range: 1–11 Factory Preset: 6

Manual Noise Cancel

The Noise Cancel setting allows you to manually select and listen to each channel for the least interference.

2 Press the Menu button

3 Scroll across to Expert (using the Right or

Left Navigation button)

4 Scroll down to Noise Cancel (using the

Down Navigation button)

5 Keep the detector 30cm (12”) above

the ground and completely still. Press

the Left and Right Navigation buttons to select a channel. Pause and listen to the interference coming from the detector while adjusting the Noise Cancel channel

6 Once a channel has been found with the

least interference, press the Detect button to save and exit the Menu; and resume detecting.

Once a channel is selected, most audio

responses to electromagnetic sources (e.g. power lines) will be eliminated.

Tip: Noise Cancel i s handy for metal detecting competitions when s everal E-Tracs are working close to one another. Each detector can be se t to operate on a diﬀerent channel so interference between detectors is eliminate d. In thi s case, it is best to select the channels manually.

To manually adjust Noise Cancel:

1 Make sure there are no large targets or

obvious sources of EMI close by, then hold the detector 30cm (12”) above the ground

Expert Menu

30cm (12”)

Ground

Range: Neutral or Diﬃcult Factory Preset: Diﬃcult

The Ground setting aﬀects the way the detector responds to the mineralisation of the soil. The correct Ground setting for your detecting conditions will reduce false signals from the soil and improve the stability of the Target ID.

Selecting the appropriate Ground setting will also improve the performance of the Depth Gauge in those soils.

In some areas the Neutral setting will be adequate and produce the best detection results. However, there are types of soil where the Diﬃcult setting is more appropriate, particularly when the soil conditions force a reduction of the Sensitivity Level, in either Manual or Auto (pp. 54–6).

There are also types of soil where changing the Ground setting will not have a pronounced eﬀect, in this case either Neutral or Diﬃcult can be used.

Neutral should always be used whilst detecting on the beach. However, for beaches where the sand is contaminated with mineralisation (e.g. black sand), some experimentation is required.

A useful way to determine the type of ground in which you are detecting is to monitor the Auto Sensitivity (p. 55). In typically neutral soil types the detector will run at higher Auto levels and in diﬃcult mineralized or magnetic soils the detector will reduce the Sensitivity (pp. 54–6).

To determine the Grou nd setting:

1 Find an area free of targets and set E-Trac

to accept ‘All Metals’ by using QuickMask or clearing the discrimination pattern.

2 Switch to Manual Sensitivity and start

sweeping the clear area of soil as if detecting for targets.

3 Progressively increase the Sensitivity

until the detector starts detecting the soil and note this particular Sensitivity value and the Target IDs you get from the soil.

4 Change the Ground setting to ‘Diﬃcult’

and repeat the procedure, again noting the Sensitivity value and the Target IDs you get from the soil.

5 Choose the Ground setting that allows you

to use the highest Sensitivity and displays any soil Target IDs in an area that is easily masked by your discrimination.

Note: It should b e understood that th e value determined by the test abo ve is a maximum usable value and not necess arily one that would ensure accurate Target ID s. The ‘sug gested’ Sensitivi ty sh ould be used as a guide in setting the M anual Sensit ivity.

Regardless of the Ground se tting, the stability of the Target ID (and in particular the FE numbers) is ne gatively aﬀect ed if t he Sensitiv ity is set too high. Auto Sensit ivity is the prefer red option to us e inland, as it continuously m onitors the soil conditions and selects a Sensiti vity which gives a relatively stable Th reshold (p. 58–9), and consistent Target ID.

Page 41

Preferences Menu

Small or deep targets may not be detected after sweeping over a target with a large signal. Some time is required to allow the baseline to fall to a suﬃciently low level.

Sizing

After activating Pinpoint, the baseline is set to a signal level. From then on, the baseline and the sensitivity are held at constant levels.

When sweeping over a target, the detector produces a linear audio tone. The pitch of the tone is proportional to the strength of the target response, and the volume is proportional to the position of the target under the coil.

Activating Pinpoint while the coil is away from the target will allow the extent of the target to be determined.

Full response

Activating Pinpoint while the coil is near the target will allow portions of the target response to be masked.

Masked response

Note: Do not init iate Pinpoint while ove r the

centre of the target or the whole target may be masked.

To change the Pinpoint Mode:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Preferences (using the Right

or Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Pinpoint Mode (using the

Down Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to change the mode

5 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

Note: Pin point turns E-Trac in to an ‘all metal’

detector, disabling discrimination.

Pinpoint Mode

Range: Normal or Sizing Factory Preset: Normal

There are three diﬀerent Pinpoint Modes; Normal, Sizing and Fixed.

Normal

After activating Pinpoint, the ﬁrst sweep over a target will generate a wide audio response.

With each sweep, the zero point, or baseline of the audio response, is set to a new level, just below the maximum signal. The Sensitivity is also adjusted. These adjustments keep the audio response narrow, but will allow targets of diﬀerent depths to be pinpointed with equal precision.

Wide response

Narrow response

Contrast

Range: 1–30 Factory Preset: 15

The Contrast setting allows you to adjust the level of LCD contrast to best suit the current light conditions. The LCD may become diﬃcult to see in either bright or overcast conditions.

To adjust the Contrast:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Preferences (using the Right

or Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Contrast (using the Down

Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to change the setting

5 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

The Preferences Menu allows you to change the appearance of E-Trac’s Detection Screens by using settings such as Contrast, Display Timeout, and Show Sensitivity. It also allows you to select a diﬀerent Pinpoint Mode and perform a Master Reset.

A long pause between coil sweeps will produce a wide audio response, due to the baseline falling between sweeps. Short pauses between sweeps will k eep the audio responses narrow.

Page 42

Preferences Menu

Master Reset

Master Reset will restore all settings to the Factory Presets and erase all of your User Modes and Discrimination Patterns.

If you only require a Reset, see p. 19 for more information.

Note: If you enter the ‘Master Reset’ dialogue box by mistake, scroll down to Cancel to return to the Preferences Menu.

To Master Reset the detector:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Preferences (using the Right

or Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Master Reset (using the

Down Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

Button to enter Master Reset

5 Scroll up to Yes and press either the Left

or Right Navigation button to initiate the Master Reset.

A ‘Reset’ message will appear on the screen

and a tune will sound. Once the message disappears and the Pattern Screen appears on the LCD the detector has been reset and E-Trac is ready to detect again.

Display Timeout

Range: On or Oﬀ Factory Preset: O ﬀ

Display Timeout can be turned On or Oﬀ.

When the Display Timeout is On, the last detection result will be cleared from the screen after 5 seconds. The detection results are FE-CO numbers, Target Crosshair and Depth Gauge.

When the Display Timeout is Oﬀ, the last detection result will remain until a new detection is made, or the Detection Screen is changed.

Detection Results

To turn Display Timeout On or Oﬀ:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Preferences (using the Right

or Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Display Timeout (using the

Down Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to change the between On or Oﬀ

5 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

Show Mode Info

Range: On or Oﬀ Factory Preset: O ﬀ

Show Mode Info allows you to turn the Mode Information Icons (p. 38) On or Oﬀ. Selec ting On displays the Mode Information Icons in the Detection Screens. Oﬀ hides the Mode Information Icons.

Mode Information Icons

To show or hide the Mode Information

icons:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Preferences (using the Right

or Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Show Mode Info (using the

Down Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to change the between On or Oﬀ

5 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

Show Sensitivity

Range: On or Oﬀ Factory Preset: On

You can select whether the Sensitivity Gauge (pp. 54–6) appears on the Detection Screens or not. If the Sensitivity Gauge is On, you will be able to adjust the Sensitivity using the Navigation Buttons. If the Sensitivity Gauge is Oﬀ, you need to enter the Sensitivity Menu to adjust the Sensitivity settings.

To show or hide the Sensitivity Gauge:

1 Press the Menu button

2 Scroll across to Preferences (using the Right

or Left Navigation button)

3 Scroll down to Show Sensitivity (using the

Down Navigation button)

4 Press either the Left or Right Navigation

button to change between On or Oﬀ

5 Press the Detect button to exit the Menu

and resume detecting

Page 43

Technical Speciﬁcations

Transmission Full Band Spectrum (FBS).

Simultaneous Frequency Transmission ranging from 1.5–100kHz

Coil 11” Double D

Audio Output Internal Speaker and Headphones

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) 240 x 160 pixels (72mm x 48mm)

Length Collapsed: 1060mm (41.7”)

Extended: 1380mm (54.3”)

Detector Weight 1.6kg (3.53lbs) (excluding batteries and

headphones)

Coil Weight (Including Skidplate) 522g (1.15lbs) +/– 10g (0.02lbs)

Operating Temperature Range 0 °C to 50 °C (32 °F to 122 °F)

Operating Humidity Range Up to 90% Relative Humidity at 40 °C (104 °F)

Storage Temperature Range –30 °C to 80 °C (–22 °F to 176 °F)

Storage Humidity Range Up to 98% Relative Humidity at 40 °C (104 °F)

Type Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH)

Output Voltage 9.6V

Capacity 1600mAh

Input (Charge) 12V @ 100mA

Charge Time 18 hours

Weight 255g (0.56lbs)

Operating Temperature 0 °C to 50 °C (32 °F to 122 °F)

Storage Temperature –30 °C to 80 °C (–22 °F to 176 °F)

Battery Charge Temperature Range 0 °C to 45 °C (32 °F to 113 °F)

Detector

Battery

E-Trac Xchange

Communicating between E-Trac and your Personal Computer

A signiﬁcant feature of E-Trac is the inclusion of a USB connection facility, allowing you to connect your E-Trac to a Personal Computer (PC) to download/upload detector User Modes, Discrimination Patterns and Settings for optimum performance.

System Requirements:

– Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows

Vista

– Minimum display resolution of 1024 x 768

– USB or USB 2.0 port

– USB Data Cable (included with your E-Trac)

To install E-Trac Xchange on your PC:

1 Insert the CD (included with your E-Trac)

into the CD/DVD drive of your PC.

2 The CD will auto-run once inserted into

your PC and the Install program will start.

3 Follow the install prompts to install E-Trac

Xchange onto your PC.

Once you have installed E-Trac Xchange on your PC you can start the application from either the Start Menu or the shortcut on the Desktop.

To start the E-Trac Xchange application:

1 Double click the E-Trac Xchange application

icon on your desktop, or open your Start Menu and navigate to: All Programs – Minelab – E-Trac Xchange

To connect E-Trac to your PC:

1 Insert the USB cable into your E-Trac

2 Insert the other end of the USB cable into

your PC

3 Start E-Trac Xchange on your PC

4 Although E-Trac’s transmitter is switched

oﬀ while connected to a PC, make sure the coil is not sitting next to any large metal objects, then turn on your E-Trac

Note: Refer to the Help m enu in E -Trac

Xchange for more information on how to use t he application to down load, upload and modify your E-Trac’s settings.

Page 44

Factory Presets Table

All Settings

Setting Title Range Factory Preset My Preferred

User Modes

Minelab Mode – Coins Mode

Discrimination

Pattern – Coins Mode

Sensitivity:

Sensitivity Mode Auto or M anual Auto

Manual Sensitivity Level 1–30 22

Auto Sensitivity Level –3 to +3 A

Audio:

Threshold Level 1–50 30

Volume Limit 0–30 30

Volume Gain 1–30 24

Response Normal, Long, Smooth

or Pitch Hold

Normal

Tone ID No. of Tones 1, 2, 4 or Multi Multi

Tone ID Sounds Conduct or Ferrous Conduct

Tone ID Variability 1–30 25

Tone ID Limits 1–30 30

Threshold Pitch 1–30 15

Expert:

Recovery Deep On or Oﬀ Oﬀ

Recovery Fast On or Oﬀ Oﬀ

Trash Density Low or H igh Low

Ground Neutral or Diﬃcult Diﬃcult

Noise Cancel 1–11 6

Preferences:

Contrast 1–30 15

Pinpoint Mode Normal or Sizing Normal

Show Sensitivity On or O ﬀ On

Show Mode Info On or Oﬀ Oﬀ

Display Timeout On or Oﬀ Oﬀ

User Mode S ettings Factory Presets

Setting Title Range Coins High Trash Beach Relic

Discrimination:

Pattern – Coins Mode High Trash

Mode

Beach Mode

Relic Mode

Audio:

Volume Gain 1–30 24 22 26 24

Response Normal, Long, Smooth

or Pitch Hold

Normal Normal Normal Smooth

Tone ID No. of Tones 1, 2, 4 or Multi Multi Multi Multi Multi

Tone ID Sounds Conduct or Ferrous Conduct Conduct Conduct Ferrous

Tone ID Variability 1–30 25 25 25 25

Tone ID Limits 1–30 30 30 30 30

Expert:

Recovery Deep On or Oﬀ Oﬀ Oﬀ On On

Recovery Fast On or Oﬀ Oﬀ On Oﬀ On

Trash Density Low or High Low High Low High

Ground Neutral or Diﬃcult Diﬃcult Neutral Neutral Diﬃcult

My User Mode Settings

Setting Title Range My Mode 1 My Mode 2 My Mode 3 My Mode 4

Discrimination:

Pattern –

Audio:

Volume Gain 1–30

Response Normal, Long, Smooth

or Pitch Hold

Tone ID No. of Tones 1, 2, 4 or Multi

Tone ID Sounds Conduct or Ferrous

Tone ID Variability 1–30

Tone ID Limits 1–30

Expert:

Recovery Deep On or Oﬀ

Recovery Fast On or Oﬀ

Trash Density Low or High

Ground Neutral or Diﬃcult

– These settings are not reset to their Factory Presets when you initiate a Reset (p. 19) upon star tup. To reset all settings and clear your User Modes and Disc. Patterns, initiate a Master Reset (p. 79).

Page 45

E-Trac has a Battery Icon on the LCD that indicates the present charge level, and provides advanced warning of the need to recharge or replace the battery. The Batter y Icon displays the batter y charge level in four segments.

As E-Trac operates, the segments of the Battery Icon will decrease relative to the voltage left in the battery. When the last segment disappears, the Battery Icon will begin to ﬂash and the Battery Low sound will emit every 20 seconds. If the detector is still operating at this time the voltage will drop to a point when a “FLAT BATTERY ” message will appear and the detector will turn itself oﬀ.

Note: The detector regulates the output voltage so th e performan ce of th e detector will rema in the s ame regardless of the charge re maining in the batteries.

To extend battery life:

– Use headphones. The speaker uses

signiﬁcantly more power than headphones.

– Turn oﬀ the Backlight. The Backlight

increases the power consumption by approximately 8%.

– Turn the detector oﬀ when not in use.

The typical discharge times for both good quality alkaline and Minelab NiMH rechargeable batteries under constant use are compared on the graph on p. 85. This graph assumes the Backlight is oﬀ, and headphones are used instead of the speaker.

Typical alkaline batteries will power E-Trac for over 16 hours of constant use. The M inelab NiMH 1600 Slimpack will power the detector for over 14 hours of constant use and the Minelab NiMH 1800 Slimpack for over 16 hours.

Unlike Nickel Cadmium batteries, the Minelab NiMH Slimpack DOES NOT need to be fully discharged before recharging.

Whenever the detector has been unused for a lengthy period, recharge the battery pack to ensure full charge level. NiMH batteries do not hold their charge when not in use.

Charging the battery for longer than 18hrs will not damage the NiMH Slimpack.

When the battery voltage has been depleted (indicated by the Battery Icon), Minelab recommends the Slimpack be recharged, or alkaline batteries replaced, as soon as possible to avoid missing any targets.

2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

Approximate Time (hours)

Shutdown Voltage

Approximate Battery Voltage (volts)

1600 NiMH AA Battery1800 NiMH

CAUTION: Do not leave discharged

alkaline batteries in the detector as they may leak and damage the detector.

Battery at full charge.

Battery at three quarter charge.

Battery at half charge.

Battery at one quarter charge.

Battery almost depleted. The icon will ﬂash and a low battery tune will sound every 20 seconds.

Flat Battery message. The detector will turn itself oﬀ to preserve settings.

Battery Performance

Page 46

Treasure Locations

A question most new detectorists ask is, “where do I ﬁnd treasure”? There are actually lots of areas in which you can search. It is best if you research where people have been in the past, what type of objects they might have had with them, and hopefully lost. You can also go to areas people still use on a daily basis such as the beach or parks, and search for modern coins and jewellery.

Here is a list of some of the more productive places to search:

– Your own backyard

– The beach

– Showgrounds & racecourses

– Picnic areas

– Battleﬁelds

– Camping grounds

– Swimming holes

– Parks and playgrounds

– Ghost towns & ancient town sites

– Old homes & public buildings

– Old gold mining sites

– Sports grounds

– School yards and ovals

– Around jetties and piers

– Drive-in theatres

There is a chance of ﬁnding buried treasure, such as coins, relics and jewellery, anywhere that people have been in the past. In order to maximise your return, select sites that have the most potential.

For example, a small park that is just used as a walkway between houses is likely to be littered with junk with very few valuable targets in it. Whereas a larger old park with picnic tables, playgrounds, etc. would have had thousands of people sitting around, playing sports, laying on blankets etc. and you can almost be certain that there will be some goodies waiting for your metal detector.

Be sure to obtain the land owners permission before searching on private property, be sure to also check local regulations.

Note: Always check your local regulations and laws before detecting in a public or private area.

Always reﬁll your holes. If you leave the ground exactly as you found it, you shouldn’t have any problem detecting the same area in the future.

Recovering the Target

A trowel, k nife or small spade are good tools for recovering targets.

Once a target has been located, clear the surface of loose material and check again for a signal. If there is no signal then the target is amongst the surface material. In this case, search the surface material until the target is located. If the target is still in the ground, Pinpoint its position.

Using a sharp tool, cut a neat portion of grass or soil and place it on a plastic sheet. This prevents the material being scattered around and allows the hole to be reﬁlled quickly. Dig carefully to avoid defacing or devaluing the object.

Ensure that no other targets remain, then reﬁll the hole. All soil and portions of grass on the plastic sheet should be returned to the hole as neatly as possible. Step lightly on the soil to compact it.

Check the hole for the target. If it is not in the hole, place the detector on the ground with the coil ﬂat, pick up a handful of soil and pass it over the coil. Be sure not to wear rings, bracelets or a watch which will produce a signal. Repeat this procedure until the target is located.

Leaving holes, or a scarred area, may result in action being taken to prevent the use of metal detectors. Please ensure that you remove all rubbish. The aim is to leave the area of ground exactly as you found it.

Page 47

Detector Care and Safety

E-Trac is a high-quality electronic instrument, ﬁnely engineered and packaged in a durable housing. Taking proper care of your detector is mostly common-sense.

– Keep the detector clean and dr y and avoid

getting sand and grit into the shafts or fastenings (e.g. yoke bolt and camlocks). Do not use solvents to clean the detector. Use a damp cloth with mild soap detergent.

– Ensure the coil cable is in good condition

and not subject to undue stress.

– Flat or faulty batteries cause many detector

problems. Ensure that only quality alkaline batteries are used, and that they are replaced when you hear the warning signal through the headphones or speaker.

– Do not dispose of the battery pack in ﬁre

(contact local authorities for disposal/ recycling). Do not attempt to disassemble or short circuit the battery pack.

– Take precautions when transporting or

storing the detector. Although the detector is constructed from the highest quality materials and has undergone rigorous durability tests, the display screen could be prone to scratching or serious damage if not treated with due care.

– Please note the following:

– Do not leave the battery pack in the E-Trac

handle when the detector is not in use for ex tended periods. Damage caused by leaking batteries could be severe and would void the warranty through user negligence.

– Do not leave the detector in excessive cold

or heat for longer than necessar y. Covering it when not in use will help protect it. Avoid leaving it in a closed car boot or in a car sitting in sunlight. A full-length detector carry bag is available to protect the detector when in transit.

– The control box has been designed to resist

moisture, but is not water-proof. Minelab advises protecting the control box in extreme conditions. The control box should not be dropped into water. A control box cover will give protection against dust, dirt and light rain.

– Never allow the detector to come into

contact with gasoline or other petroleumbased liquids.

CAUTION

Accessories

Parts and Accessories available

for E-Trac:

– 8” FBS Coil

– 8” FBS Coil Skidplate

– 11” E-Trac Coil Sk idplate

– Sealed 1800mAh Rechargeable

NiMH SlimPack

– 12V Car Charger

– Koss UR-30 Headphones

– Tall Man Lower Shaft

– Control Box Cover

– Detector Carry Bag

– Minelab Tool & Trash Bag

If you would like to purchase any

accessories for your E-Trac or any other Minelab product, please feel free to contact us directly or via your local Authorised Minelab dealer.

8” FBS Coil

1800mAh NiMH SlimPack

12V Car Charger

Koss UR-30 Headphones

Page 48

Troubleshooting

Detector does not start at all

– Check the condition of the batteries and battery connections.

– Ensure battery pack is fully inser ted, and it has clicked into place.

– If using alkaline batteries, check whether they have been loaded

in the right polarity.

– Ensure that you are not holding, or pressing, the Backlight button

while pressing the Power button.

– Ensure that you allowed longer than 1 second between Power Oﬀ

and Power On.

Detector starts, but switches oﬀ by itself

– Check the condition of the batteries. If necessary, try starting with

batteries known to be in good condition.

– Detector may be too hot. Allow detector to cool down in a

shaded area.

– Try starting the detec tor with search c oil disconn ected. If the

detector starts normally, check the state of the coil cab le. If it is damaged, replace the coil. Otherwi se return detector for repai rs.

No sound

– Unplug the he adphones. I f there is sound in th e speaker but n ot

in the headphones, check the headphones and their connection.

– Check the Audi o > Volume Limit

(a setting of 0 is silent).

– If there is no soun d in t he speake r or t he headpho nes but the

detector appears to work normally other wise, return the detector for repairs.

Erratic noises

– Press the Noise Cancel button or manually select a quiet channel.

– Reduce the Sensitivity.

– Change the orientation of the coil to the vertical plane and rotate

to see if there is a position where the noise is loudest. If this is the case, it me ans that there i s a so urce of interference nearby which must be avoided.

– Check battery charge and battery connections.

– Ensure coil connec tor is tightened ﬁrmly.

– Check headphones and their connection.

– Check for sand or grit between coil cover and coil.

No target response

– Ensure the detec tor is turned on.

– Check headphones and their connection.

– Check coil connection.

– Check discriminat ion level. No sign al will be given if tar get is

within black area of screen.

Warranty

There is a two-year parts and labour warranty for the electronic control box of E-Trac. The coil has a one year parts and labour warranty. Refer to the supplier or Minelab for service, either in or out of warranty. The M inelab warranty does not cover damage caused by accident, misuse, neglect, alteration, modiﬁcations, or unauthorised service.

For speciﬁc details of the Minelab warranty, please refer to E-Trac’s ‘Product Warranty Card’.

This warranty is not transferable, nor is it valid unless the enclosed warranty registration card is returned to Minelab or your Minelab dealer within 14 days of the original purchase.

Repairs

In the unfortunate circumstance that the detector needs to be returned to Minelab for service, please ﬁll out the M inelab Service Repair Form (or a photocopy of the same) and enclose it with the detector.

Please supply as much detail about the fault as possible. This will assist our service engineers to rectify the problem quickly and eﬃciently.

Page 49

Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd

PO Box 537, Torrensville Plaza Adelaide, South Australia, 5031

Australia

Tel: +61 (0) 8 8238 0888 Fax: +61 (0) 8 8238 0890 Email: minelab@minelab.com.au

Minelab International Ltd

Laragh, Bandon Co. Cork

Ireland

Tel: +353 (0) 23 52101 Fax: +353 (0) 23 52106 Email: minelab@minelab.ie

Minelab USA Inc

871 Grier Drive, Suite B1 Las Vegas, Nevada, 89119

USA

Tel: +1 702 891 8809 Fax: +1 702 891 8810 Email: info@minelabusa.com