Minelab Explorer 2 Settings And Coin/Trash Example

[@WilliamR-nt5ek]

Good Video... My Explorer II... was purchased years ago... most likely when they first came out. I never learned to use it much. In mint condition... still. When I take it out.. it finds coins and a lot of the time it will pull a silver. So I'm glad I found your channel.. because you make videos on the Explorer II.. It's still hard for me to use... I never much liked the fluty sound of a good target. But I guess that's what this machine is all about. So... I'll be watching.. and learning from you... when you swing the Exp.II. Love the conversion too.. looks very comfy to operate. I just purchased a Vanquish 540 Pro Pack. Haven't received it yet. A girl at Minelab told me via email... the Vanquish 540 uses the same frequencies the Equinox uses. Except it uses them Multi-frequency mode all the time. And the different modes... coin, relic, jewelry, modes just have different recovery speeds. It also has a all metal mode and Iron volume adjustment. Simple operation for a simple mind I suppose.

[@joegrasso1780]

What's up Kevin, it's your buddy Joe from Dankowski! I've swung both the Safari and the Etrac, and did VERY well with both of them. As you know, I tried the Nox but it wasn't for me. Anywho, traded my Etrac about 2 months ago because I was extremely curious after watching your videos, and from hearing many guys over the years tell me the Explorer 2 was the best Minelab ever made. Sooo... I get the Explorer and took it out on it's maiden voyage. All my settings were gonzo and I instantly regretted my decision about the trade lol. Decided to email Tom in CA for some tips. He set me straight and the next time I went out I got 3 silvers. Long story short... I've found silver and oldies almost every time out with it. Yes, I'm taking it to good spots, but once there, the Explorer has no problem hitting coins in the 10" range. Found a 54 Franklin this morning (my first ever) that was down about a foot...and had a war nickel fused to the front of it! What Tom said was, you CANNOT run too hot with the machine...especially since we both have moderately mineralized soil. He said he leaves his sens. at manual 21 or 22 most of the time, which avoids falsing. Seems I can get a bit higher than him, as I've been using 24 or 25. It's a tad bit chirpy, but mostly calm and I can still hear those whispers...which is what the Franklin was today. The only things I wonder are... Notice you crank the gain to max. That wipes out any modulation and makes all signals sound shallow. Normally this means CONSTANTLY having to look at the screen to inspect each signal (depth, cursor placement, etc.), but I'm guessing you even it out by hunting with such a large/tight discrimination pattern, would that be correct? Also, unlike the Safari & Etrac, I'm noticing that the Explorer has a bit more bounce to the signals (the famous Explorer bounce), especially the deepies. Are you not concerned about losing signals that might initially hit on the left of the screen before settling back on the right, by using so much discrimination? I've been using smart mask exclusively, with about a 3rd of the left screen blacked out on -12. Great video once again! I'll try and do one myself soon. P.S. - My only complaint with the Explorer is the weight, it's a boat anchor! And that's coming from a guy who could swing an Etrac from sunup to sundown!

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

Joe Grasso Hi there Joe! You got one huh?😀 What was once old is new again, I love it! Tom runs differently, because he hunts different places than me. He is a “Ferrous Sounds” guy, which works incredibly well in his ghost towns and demos, but I’m hunting a crapload of conductive junk, aluminum, etc. I DO enjoy using Ferrous and running way less disc but I trust the machine to tell me what’s what in Conductive, in some places I have to due to time constraints. You’re spot on, heavy disc tells me that IF I can get SOME repeatability, the target is already indicating in the upper right, no need to look for bottle caps lower right...it’s disced out. Modulation is great for some, but I can tell by the waver in the tone itself with the Volume Gain at 10 if the target is deep enough to stand a chance. Targets 0-3” will “triple”, targets to 6” will still be solid and not have much if any waver to them. When the signal duration is short, it wavers heavily and starts to “sing”...it’s hole time. Yeah man, I noticed the whole “boat anchor” thing awhile back...I had to chest mount it or risk it going extinct, and that wasn’t gonna happen. I’m so glad you are having success with FBS again! I’ve only got a couple hundred hours on the EQX and need more time with it but summer is here almost! The CTX is my primary hunter but I can see some more Explorer videos popping up from time to time.🙂 Believe it or not, there are many similarities between the CTX and Explorer and the way targets react. The visual info available on the CTX makes it a very different animal though, and numeric ID is spectacular. I’m still kicking around that logo stuff, I haven’t forgotten, and I do appreciate your input on that! Thanks Joe!

[@joegrasso1780]

Actually, you and I are two peas in a pod, Kevin. We hunt the same types of places (mostly older parks), and chase the same kinds of signals (targets in the 6+" range). I never desired owning a CTX because I've hunted with a few guys that have used them over the years, and I don't like the tones versus the older FBS units...they seem flatter/duller. And that would be my main complaint thus far on the Explorer 2... It appears that those squeaky, crinkly silver tones aren't as pronounced as they are on the Safari & Etrac. Close, but not quite as high-pitched. Another issue is the fewer bins on the Explorer (30), and how it bunches targets up versus the Etrac's 50 bins. Which makes it slightly harder to cherrypick for us coinshooters, who are looking for the highest conductors in limited time hunts. Overall, from my very early testing on the Explorer, I'd say it's pretty much head-to-head in terms of depth with the Etrac, with maybe a slight edge going to the Explorer. I haven't seen anything eye-opening in terms of see-through capabilities thus far, and due to the Etrac's faster processor, I'd have to give that one to the Etrac. My settings are below. They stay the same most of the time except for the sensitivity and maybe turning off/on the FAST option, as it's site dependent. Sensitivity: 23 or 24 Gain: 8 Deep: On Fast: Off (Fast tends to clip the signals, which I'm not a fan of, unless in extremely trashy areas) Audio: Normal Tone Variability: 10 Tone Limits: 10 Noise Cancel Channel: 1 or 2 (I heard the lower channels get more depth, but I haven't tested this yet) Threshold Pitch: 5 or 6 (I definitely need to play with this setting, as I understand it can further affect the pitch of the target signals - the higher the better for me) I hunt in Smart Mask mode with a setting of -12 (about the left 3rd of the screen blacked out) Most of our silver and old coppers here tend to START around the 6" range, so depth is more critical to us versus separation in the majority of cases. Thus far, the Explorer seems to be hitting up to about 10 to 12" in soil which is very moist. Like you, I don't dig shallow signals unless I'm in the woods or at the rare virgin-ish type of spot. I typically go after signals one or two shovels from the bottom of the depth gauge...unless it's very hard packed dirt. In the few weeks I've had the Explorer, I'm already up to 15 silvers, so it definitely hits them hard. Look forward to more videos with the Explorer!

[@ВованАтаман-ы1к]

Hi, I have the same detector, the same coil is only 15 ", I haven't tested our rains well yet. get tired because of the heavy appliance, i will be very grateful for the video !!! i like your videos, good luck to you!

[@adamprice9214]

He is using the Detech 13" DD coil, if you are using a 15" then perhaps like me your using the 12"x15" sef coil? I don't think they did a 15" round coil as such.. either that or your possibly mistaking the dimensions of yours?.. ✌

[@DanielSchweinert]

@@adamprice9214 He is right. Found it too. Detech just released a new bigger Ultimate Coil with 15" for Explorer / Etrac series. I have the old 13" Ultimate coil and it's superb. Really thinking about obtaining the bigger 15". detech-metaldetectors.ro/en/produs/detech-15-ultimate-dd-coil/?v=3a52f3c22ed6

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

Thank you for the kind words and I am VERY happy to see guys out there using the older FBS machines. First, let me say this. If you spend the time and actually invest yourself in these machines, they will find coins nobody found before in VERY tough conditions. A lot of the signals you get might not be “perfect signals”....or even anywhere close. If you use the information the machine is providing and it is giving a REPEATABLE indication that there is a high conductor (CO numbers sporadically bouncing into the 20’s, cursor gravitating toward the upper right of the screen) it’s a good idea to check it out. The key is...how reliably does it REPEAT? A COIN will always do the same thing, and it’s EASIER to get it repeat, whereas perhaps a falsing nail or other junk sounds a bit weak and doesn’t have the reliability of a coin. And you might say...”Well Mr. Monster...how the hell do you know the difference between the BAD sounding good target and the GOOD sounding bad target??” It comes down to exactly ONE thing...experience. Getting back to the top of my reply...IF you are willing to put in the time to GET the experience so that you can dig more coins than trash...the reward will be enormous. Having that kind of confidence can let you hunt places people don’t want to hunt because of the garbage and nails, which is a huge advantage to have. Also....if the 15” Ultimate works as well or better than the 13” Ultimate....watch out. I like mine ALOT! Happy hunting everyone, thanks for the comments and input! The more we talk...demonstrate....share information...the better we all become. That’s what this channel is about, and absolutely nothing else.

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

@Mike s Mike...if you browse my other videos, quite a few are about exactly what you are going to do...hunt “junkyards”. You can get a feel for what a really deep coin sounds like in a couple of them. When some people talk about “iffy signals”, when I hear THEIR example, it’s an obvious “dig now” signal. When I talk about an “iffy signal”, that signal SUCKS. Just take a look through them when you have time. The first thing you have to do is determine EXACTLY what you want to find, and then set up and hunt accordingly. If you are ONLY looking for silver items as I do, it has to be determined by site how DEEP these items are. In EVERY public place I’ve ever hunted, and I’ve hunted ALOT...the old coins have been 6”+ deep. I don’t dig signals less than that, as a rule. As you get a lot more experience, you CAN dig signals that might be a shallow ring that have really good readings....but you need the hours first to pull that off. I can walk you through a setup if you like, but for right now, because I have to go to work....watch some of my other film and pay CLOSE attention to what’s happening. MACHINE STABILITY is absolutely key, no matter other opinions. Use “Auto+3” and leave it alone for now. You’ll notice I hunt in a “2 tone setup”. I use Combined with the far right Conductive bin set at 1200hz and the other 4 bins set at 75hz. That way, I’m listening for a single high tone which is what I want, the rest of the low tones are what I don’t want. It’s very simple and effective. I’ve had the CTX since 2016 and have found over 500 silver coins with it since then. That’s hunting places others have hunted for literally 50 years since detectors have been around. That’s impressive. Lastly, I’ll suggest the 17” coil. It is PHENOMENAL.

[@adamprice9214]

That viewer you made the promise to was me... I can't thank you enough for this and all your other content. I'm mesmerized by your knowledge of not only the explorer but all your machines. Please enlighten me as I'm so intrigued but just how did you get to know the machines so well? Is it a combination of things such as reading the manual, the hours you put in detecting or speaking/detecting with others maybe that have the same machine.. I'm a quick learner but I don't think I'll ever have the skill set you possess 🤷‍♀️ a huge thanks again, take care and hh 👌👍✌😀

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

Adam Price You’re very welcome Adam. I have a great mentor, and that has helped a lot. A great deal of what I’ve learned has come from one thing...time. Paying attention to how a particular machine responds to a target and then seeing what that target is builds a memory bank to go back to. It is sometimes difficult to convey to someone else through video or just written text WHY I know that a target is good or bad. It is COMPLETELY PARAMOUNT that you TRUST this machine. If you start to second guess it, you will go nowhere. Let it speak, and listen/watch the cursor. The more time you spend with it, the more you’ll trust it. Happy hunting and post back how you do with it please! Kevin

[@peterhenshaw2119]

Hi guys, I have an explorer 2 and I use a coiltek 15" wot coil with it and it is an awesome set up,great depth and sensitive too, wot stands for wild orange thing, I sprayed mine khaki green and I'm well happy with the colour now

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

ALOT of people have used the WOT with great results Peter, it’s a coil I have not personally used but know a few who have, and do. Good to hear yet another user has success with it!

[@TimeLapseCarGuyBruno]

great video! can you please help answer a question i have about this machine.. what is the difference in my recovery setting "DEEP" and "FAST"? which should i have on? i went out today to a sand area for the first time in years and wasnt sure which setting to have on.. i choose to put them both on.. not sure if this was wrong.. had a hell of a lot of crunchy signals, nothing worth digging.. was using an open screen cuz ive had some experience from the past with reading the digital numbers.. but again wasnt sure if having the deep and fast recover both on was making my efforts worse.. much appreciated for any insight. -Bruno

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

Thanks Bruno! The manual will state, and the general consensus has always been, that when you’re in a very cluttered area with a lot of good targets and trash mixed in such as an old fairground….use FAST. In an area such as a wide open park where targets are sparse but could be buried very deeply….use DEEP. Not having either one on is like the the mid setting. I’m not sure what the manual says but I’ve heard in the past that having both ON is like having both OFF….but I don’t know. IMO leave them both OFF. The key to this machine is STABILITY. The sensitivity cannot be too high or you won’t be able to tell what’s going on.

[@TimeLapseCarGuyBruno]

@@wizardsofwisconsin7400 wow thanks so much for replying.. like i had said.. its been years since i swung a detector.. i was using an e-trac back about 13 yrs ago.. finaly got some time to get back into the hobbie. came across this old explorer se and couldnt wait to get out... amazing how much technology has advanced in the newer minelabs from what ive been researching.. hopefully ill get back on friendly forum soon.. i missed this hobbie .. Thanks again, happy hunting!

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

@@TimeLapseCarGuyBruno Of course! One thing you don’t want to do is feel like you have to buy something new to make good finds, especially coin hunting. The etrac CTX and Explorer will keep up with anything out there as long as your site isn’t completely iron/nail infested. In that case, the Deus2 is the current king in that department again, JMO. Have fun!

[@jdiggsrecords]

Hows it going brother... hey was wondering how you power your explorer? Power pack or somehow still running the rnb battery?

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

Jason Downey Hi Jason! In the next video I will show you what I’m using and a couple things about it, hang on for a week or so! Stay safe!

[@jdiggsrecords]

@@wizardsofwisconsin7400 Yeah I'm going to use alitte power bank with the exploer I'm getting thats been modded already...cant wait to try it out on some of my old pounded out parks for some deep silvers...

[@adamprice9214]

@@jdiggsrecords RNB batteries are great such an upgrade from original 👌 but £120 here in England.. some people use the dry cell and get lithium batteries x 8 to go inside (slightly cheaper way I think) also as you probably know it's a lot less weight with lithium and you really notice the difference. I'd Imagine you could use any power source so long as the volts and amp hour are the equivalent just make sure (and double check) you hook it up the right way round. I have 2 explorer 2's and I'm going to adapt one as our friend has here on the chest mount... such a clever piece of engineering 👏 👌 👍

[@ВованАтаман-ы1к]

hello what coil do you have? how did you do that block separately, can you share the information? subscription and like !!

[@adamprice9214]

I highly recommend watching his other videos and subscribing.. I have 😀👍 he talks about the coil he uses it's a detech 13", I believe it was damaged on the lead at one point but he must have had it repaired.. hh

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

Adam Price You’re right on Adam, it is a Detech Ultimate 13” DD coil on a Tesoro Compadre chassis. It wound up that my short extension cable was actually the problem at that time, the coil is fine. It’s good to see you’re paying attention though!😁

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

Вова Адамюк Hi Boba! Thanks for the comment and like. The way you black out only sections of the screen is a bit complicated to explain in writing, I will make a short video for you so you can rewind it if needed to see what steps to take. I’ll do that this week for you. Happy hunting!

[@MetalDetectingNWGA]

Excellent information and an awesome live dig Kevin. I love how you can stretch out the variability & threshold on that machine and the Etrac which lets you get those really high pitched warbling squeels on deep silver. Love my CTX but it lacks that ability.

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

Metal Detecting NWGA Oh MAN oh MAN DeWayne! The “Variability” setting was one of the FIRST things I looked for in the menu on the CTX, and to realize that it wasn’t there....HEARTBREAK!! Yeah, you can lower 90khz to 75 and bounce the top to 1200...it ain’t the same! WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!😀 Even with that not available, it’s the most accurate coin shooter made...period. I do love driving the Explorer around and just snooping with it, how the hell it finds some things I’ll never know. If the CTX is king of TID, the EX2 is king of tones, perhaps the etrac as well but I’ve never run one. They’re very similar though, I’ll be hunting with my buddy Brad who has run the etrac for a LONNNGGG time and from 30 yards away he will hear a signal I have with the Explorer and go, “Nope, not high enough! Nope not high enough!” That emmer effer is right EVERY freaking time! It’s absolutely uncanny. Hey! I really like the stuff you’ve put up recently, keep it going when you can, the comparison video was awesome. And let’s do that 5 target challenge again, I need a new pinpointer!😆

[@MetalDetectingNWGA]

I’ve actually been kicking around the idea of picking up an Explorer just for those tones. lol. I appreciate your comments on the recent videos bud. I replied to you on the comparison vid but for some reason it didn’t show up. Same thing happened with some others as well. KZbin has been acting screwy lately. Anyway, yeah another Target ID challenge might be fun! I’ll have to come up with another prize. I gave that pinpointer away recently in my 2000 sub GAW. I’ll come up with something. I really enjoy watching your vids too. Always look forward to seeing a new one pop up!

[@RageCityBiscuit]

Hey, where does your battery pack go with that setup?

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

Mark…I use a very small Lipo battery which runs the machine for about 4 hours, it clips right into the back of the control pod. I’ll show you in a different video when I get to it.👍

[@chriskelly4751]

Thank you sir, this helped me. I have a minelab explorer ll, I'm trying to figure it out.

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

How long have you had your Explorer Chris? Have you been detecting awhile with other machines? What are you having the most trouble with? Kevin

[@azerbaijani]

Hey, bit of a random question, I was wondering if you had the choice between an etrac or quattro, which would you go for? They are just the two that are available in my price range. The quattro comes with 8" and 11" pro coil whereas etrac is 10x12 sef coil I've been looking to upgrade detector and hadn't even considered an FBS machine but your vids got me curious to try one. Anyways, enjoy the videos keep them coming, feel like I'm learning stuff with each one!

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

Tom Ash Hi Tom! The ability of FBS to handle bad ground will get you more coins that you CAN ACTUALLY TELL ARE A COIN at deeper levels over a single frequency machine. That’s pretty much a tried and true statement from many users including myself. I do have an eTrac but I do NOT have experience with a Quattro. I am going to steer you toward the eTrac as it is well known as a deep coin hunter as are the Explorers. The 10x12 SEF coil is also revered by many, though I think it’s a little heavier than some coils of similar size. You can do the research and see what different coils weigh via Detech’s site, but as far as a choice between the two...plenty of info and video on the eTrac....not so much for the Quattro. I will do some videos with the eTrac but not for a little while yet, just busy. If you have sites left with deep coins, the eTrac will NOT disappoint, especially with that coil! Good luck with your choice and thanks!

[@azerbaijani]

@@wizardsofwisconsin7400 Thanks for getting back to me, very much appreciated. I was slightly leaning towards the etrac but now it's a definite. Keep up the good work and I look forward to future videos

[@omerarslan6325]

hello Monster. I wanna ask you how can I find someting that placed years ago. Actually it is on my garden but have no knowledge where is exact location. I got this machine new and have no idea how to use it. Can you send me what is your menu settings please? I mean sensitivity, sounds, deep etc. Sorry for my english. I can not understand very well from video. If you write I will be appreciate. thanks and good luck

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

Hi Ömer! If you can tell me EXACTLY what it is that you are trying to find, I can help you to set up better for the target. Thanks!

[@omerarslan6325]

@@wizardsofwisconsin7400 Thanks for reply my friend. I think that it is cupe of gold or maybe more. my grand grand father placed it but nobody knows exact place. I think that its about 100 or more old gold coin. my father search it more but he did not find( they had no idea about machine just search with their knowledge).

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

@@omerarslan6325 Well that sounds like an exciting treasure hunt, especially if you know for sure that the coins are buried. It will depend on a few things to think about….were the coins buried in a container? If they were buried in a steel can, it will affect the reading on the detector. How deep were they buried? If they were buried more than 18”-20” deep, the machine won’t see them no matter what, unless the container is big, like a coffee can. If these coins were buried in a place that has many other junk items in the ground, it will be hard to isolate them without knowing the answers to the above questions. With all that being said, if I was looking for them, I would run a wide open screen with NO discrimination and FERROUS sounds. Start with your Sensitivity at Manual 20 (no rotating line around the Sensitivity number). This should get you good depth on a mass of coins. Run Volume Gain at 7. Volume Limits at 10, Variabilty at 10. Dig all solid responses. The more information you can get to determine the type of container and location, your chances of finding these coins will go up, as long as they are really there and have not been retrieved yet. And…your English is just fine.🙂

[@omerarslan6325]

@@wizardsofwisconsin7400 I have no idea how its deep. But I think less than 1 meters. They said this machine can find one coin in 30-40cm. I hope I can tell in english. That coin I talk about have really big size about 4cm and heavy. Think about them. They nearly make more than 7-8kg maybe more all together. I hope can find them. Thank you so much my friend. I will reply you if find them.

[@thatwasthedaythatwas]

I’m really getting into my explorer and love your Chanel. I you experience do you think you loose depth with that much discrim? Also fro the UK the hammered silver comes bottom middle n bottom right... foil range n pull tab 🤪

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

Matt Reade Hi Matt! From many hours on this machine, I can say this. Using a tight disc pattern only loses targets that perhaps won’t hit within the pattern because they are skewed by other trash, or even multiple coins. Hunting a Roman site, yes...very open pattern. Hunting an American fairground from the very late 1800’s....lots of disc. As far as disc outright affecting depth? It does not. It just affects how well a deep target might hit because it could be a polluted signal from trash or the effect of the dirt itself, and could wander outside of your pattern....giving the ILLUSION that depth is better with a more open pattern which might then catch that target. Keep working with it, they’re great machines...and thanks!

[@raye7961]

I have my own opinions about the Equinox, they are different than most everyone else have about it.

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

Lol! I hear you Ray, it’s why mine left months back....

[@DugMoneyDetecting]

Just found your channel! I subbed ya, I use the Etrac! Take care & HH

[@wizardsofwisconsin7400]

DugMoney Detecting I’m glad you’re on board Money! I’m here to not only put up examples of signals that might hopefully help someone out but I am also here to learn anything I can. Opinions on how to do things better or more reliably are ALWAYS welcome!

[@DugMoneyDetecting]

Monster Tube 👍. In some of my videos I try and give the new guys some helpful tips. I’ve been detecting for over 10 years now and I always welcome others ideas/opinions as well.

[@clarewinslowiii2186]

Long live the dirty 30.

[@clarewinslowiii2186]

If I see a good used explorer 2 I think I'll get one.

[@adamprice9214]

@@clarewinslowiii2186 there are many here in the uk for sensible money, just watch out for cam wear in the shafts but you can tell a well looked after one a mile off. You won't regret it however you may consider the adaptation our kind friend here has achieved as I'm pre warning you from a fit and healthy tradesman's point of view they are one heavy beast... good luck and hh 😀

[@clarewinslowiii2186]

@@adamprice9214 Thanks for the info. I use a 3030 with the 17 inch coil. Weight should not be an issue for a little while longer.

[@АлексейК-г7и]

fg