My Etrac is dead. :( Send it for repair or get something else?**UPDATE** Repair estimate is in...ouch!**UPDATE 2**Got my detector back but the menus a

Waveoff

Elite Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2017
Messages
2,477
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Well this just stinks! My Etrac doesn't want to power on. I've tried fresh batteries, a fully charged rechargeable battery pack, cleaning the terminals on the battery packs, cleaning the springs inside the battery compartment, blowing out the battery compartment with an air duster, opening the control box and blowing it out, etc. All I get is a low volume pop from the speaker when I try to power it on. I'm thinking that the repair costs will be pretty high. I'll contact a repair facility and see what they say.

I'm open to getting a different machine though! My short list is as follows:

Another Etrac
Nox 800
Used CTX
Deus

I'm leaning more towards a CTX because the Etrac has made me a fan of FBS. Although, with another Etrac, the coil options are seemingly endless. I like the ID on the CTX and Etrac.

The Nox 800 seems like it can pick through the iron pretty well and pull out some previously impossible targets. However, the more I read and see, it essentially looks like a beep and dig machine like my Vaquero that just happens to have a screen.

The Deus looks pretty nice but seems chattery. That wouldn't bother me too badly since I run my Etrac pretty wide open and it chatters a lot. I do like how it can pick through the trash and go pretty deep.

I'm willing to spend around $1,000 +/- a few hundred bucks.

What to do???:frustrated:

Oh...and please don't turn this into a mudslinging contest about what machine is better!:lol:
 
Last edited:
Stick with the e-Trac.
If it's too expensive to fix, buy a used one.
No learning curve for you :p
 
Stick with the e-Trac.
If it's too expensive to fix, buy a used one.
No learning curve for you :p

I'm kind of leaning that way!

She's boxed up and being sent to the PA repair center now. $37.50 minimum to see what's wrong with it and then $75/hour labor, plus parts, if I want it fixed.
 
I'm kind of leaning that way!

She's boxed up and being sent to the PA repair center now. $37.50 minimum to see what's wrong with it and then $75/hour labor, plus parts, if I want it fixed.

That sucks.

I couldn't imagine hunting without it!
Had an amazing hunt last night with mine.
11 silvers in 2 hours.

Hope it's a cheap fix.
 
That sucks.

I couldn't imagine hunting without it!
Had an amazing hunt last night with mine.
11 silvers in 2 hours.

Hope it's a cheap fix.

Whoa! That IS an amazing hunt! Congrats!

I'm hoping it's a cheap fix too. I've gotten to know this machine really well.
 
My experience with the Equinox is a lot different than some of what I’ve been reading. I hunt heavy iron a lot and almost never get falsed, and my good to !!!! target dig ratio when I’m cherry picking is probably 10 to 1. I can disc out 23 and below on Park 2 and cherry pick coppers (not all) and high conductors pretty easy. I’m not a fan of the compressed VDI but it’s not as bad as some make it out to be.

The Equinox seems to bring out two types of opinions about it on the forums, the second coming of Jesus or a dig it all sh$t stick that’s only good for relics. My experience is somewhere in the center positive. Personally, at first I didn’t like it better than my Etrac, but now it’s taken the lead simply because I can cover way more ground than the Etrac in the same amount of Detecting time.

Thanks! I appreciate the feedback from someone who has used both machines. I would definitely give the Nox a chance if I had one. I've seen way more positives than negatives on it.
 
I say if you can afford it, go for the Ctx. I have owned the Deus, Etrac and the Equinox 800 and much prefer the Ctx. I am mainly a coin hunter in yards and parks. My old coin totals have skyrocketed since using the Ctx. These are pounded public places.... I’m a believer.
 
Thanks! I appreciate the feedback from someone who has used both machines. I would definitely give the Nox a chance if I had one. I've seen way more positives than negatives on it.

Ive had this issue before... Try to switch coils if you can. If theres a short anywhere in the coil cable, it can sometimes cause the detector to shut off unexpectedly and/or not turn on at all. Worth a shot anyway... Hope this works! If not I would absolutely get a CTX if money is not an issue.
 
I would send it in for repair. The cost has to be cheaper then a new machine. Etrac isn't a cheap machine either that I wouldn't fix. Even if the repair wasn't worth it, the Etrac has value even broken for parts that can help fund the next machine.

So it can he used in beneficial ways besides letting it sit in the closet or trashing it or giving it away.
 
I say if you can afford it, go for the Ctx. I have owned the Deus, Etrac and the Equinox 800 and much prefer the Ctx. I am mainly a coin hunter in yards and parks. My old coin totals have skyrocketed since using the Ctx. These are pounded public places.... I’m a believer.

Thank you for the feedback! The CTX has definitely proven itself time and time again. I would say that the weight might be an issue but I've got a pretty buff right arm thanks to the Etrac.:lol:

Ive had this issue before... Try to switch coils if you can. If theres a short anywhere in the coil cable, it can sometimes cause the detector to shut off unexpectedly and/or not turn on at all. Worth a shot anyway... Hope this works! If not I would absolutely get a CTX if money is not an issue.

Oh shoot just read you already sent it out, minelabs new PA repair center is the bee's knees!! GL&HH!

Thank you for the troubleshooting tip cellrdwellr. I forgot to mention in my first post that I did try 3 different coils without any luck.:(

I would send it in for repair. The cost has to be cheaper then a new machine. Etrac isn't a cheap machine either that I wouldn't fix. Even if the repair wasn't worth it, the Etrac has value even broken for parts that can help fund the next machine.

So it can he used in beneficial ways besides letting it sit in the closet or trashing it or giving it away.

If it's going to cost an arm and a leg to repair, my intent is to part it out.

I hope things work out for you and you don't have to pay a ridiculous amount . At least they still have the parts for it unlike my Explorer 2 .

I hope so too. That stinks that they don't have parts to service a machine like yours that is still a very capable detector!

Minelab’s rep is to charge two arms, two legs, and the blood of your firstborn for out of warranty repairs. Hope to hear back on what they charge you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've heard the same.:( I will definitely report back on the diagnosis and repair estimate.
 
All top notch machines in their own right Wave,some better at some things than others from what I gather...and Needler has a good “point” about your eTrac being an asset even if it is broken beyond a reasonable repair. I’ve seen the eTrac do some crazy things as well as the CTX. For ME,the CTX is it,and likely going to BE it for the foreseeable future. I might get an EQ just for kicks but hunting terrible,junky public places requires the best ID in the business to maximize time and energy with the highest possible return. You’ll forget ALL about any weight issues when you have it in your hand.
If that isn’t an option,I’d certainly go with what you know....pretty hard to ignore the many many thousands of silver coins the eTrac has found for people over the years,and doing it in very difficult sites.
Good luck on the news from the repair center!
 
All top notch machines in their own right Wave,some better at some things than others from what I gather...and Needler has a good “point” about your eTrac being an asset even if it is broken beyond a reasonable repair. I’ve seen the eTrac do some crazy things as well as the CTX. For ME,the CTX is it,and likely going to BE it for the foreseeable future. I might get an EQ just for kicks but hunting terrible,junky public places requires the best ID in the business to maximize time and energy with the highest possible return. You’ll forget ALL about any weight issues when you have it in your hand.
If that isn’t an option,I’d certainly go with what you know....pretty hard to ignore the many many thousands of silver coins the eTrac has found for people over the years,and doing it in very difficult sites.
Good luck on the news from the repair center!

I appreciate the feedback from an experienced detectorist such as yourself. I'm leaning more and more towards a used CTX if the Etrac ends up costing to much to fix. Thanks!
 
I appreciate the feedback from an experienced detectorist such as yourself. I'm leaning more and more towards a used CTX if the Etrac ends up costing to much to fix. Thanks!
If repair costs are bad, I bet you could throw it on eBay (with an honest description) and still get a few hundred for it. Put that money towards your new machine.

If you do get it repaired, it might be prime time to list it for sale too! You'll have a fresh bill of health, with RECEIPT FOR PROOF. Post the pics of the machine and receipt on a bidding site and watch the biding wars. That is when you'll get the absolute most money for a used machine.

Having owned every ML FBS and BBS machine, I do like the performance of the CTX. Without question, it has a faster processor than the Etrac and in heavy trash or when you have multiple targets under the coils footprint (especially the big coil), the machine can keep pace and process all the data. With the Etrac, there are many places I frequent that will cause it to overload. Anyhow, the CTX is waterproof, has interchangeable batteries, coils, and phones. all around a great machine. The cost is a bugger, but i've seen some nice used ones for $1,100 and even some rough looking, but still working used ones for $850.
 
If repair costs are bad, I bet you could throw it on eBay (with an honest description) and still get a few hundred for it. Put that money towards your new machine.

If you do get it repaired, it might be prime time to list it for sale too! You'll have a fresh bill of health, with RECEIPT FOR PROOF. Post the pics of the machine and receipt on a bidding site and watch the biding wars. That is when you'll get the absolute most money for a used machine.

Having owned every ML FBS and BBS machine, I do like the performance of the CTX. Without question, it has a faster processor than the Etrac and in heavy trash or when you have multiple targets under the coils footprint (especially the big coil), the machine can keep pace and process all the data. With the Etrac, there are many places I frequent that will cause it to overload. Anyhow, the CTX is waterproof, has interchangeable batteries, coils, and phones. all around a great machine. The cost is a bugger, but i've seen some nice used ones for $1,100 and even some rough looking, but still working used ones for $850.

Thank you for the great advice and feedback! I like the way you think! Throwing it on eBay sounds like a great idea once it has a clean bill of health.
 
I just got an email from the repair center saying they received my Etrac. I'll report back here with a diagnosis and how much the repair is going to cost.
 
Apparently, you don't have a collection of coils for your Etrac? That would be a major consideration for me in giving up my Etrac. Otherwise, both the Equinox and CTX are viable alternatives. I have the Etrac and also the Equinox. I like them both and consider them complimentary, but they are very different machines. The CTX is much more like the Etrac. I wouldn't give up my Etrac for the Nox (I might, if I were a relic hunter); and wouldn't mind trying the CTX, myself, as I would like more accurate FE/CO numbers at depth :) If you google Equinox vs CTX, though, you will find some people who sold the CTX after trying out the Nox.
 
Apparently, you don't have a collection of coils for your Etrac? That would be a major consideration for me in giving up my Etrac. Otherwise, both the Equinox and CTX are viable alternatives. I have the Etrac and also the Equinox. I like them both and consider them complimentary, but they are very different machines. The CTX is much more like the Etrac. I wouldn't give up my Etrac for the Nox (I might, if I were a relic hunter); and wouldn't mind trying the CTX, myself, as I would like more accurate FE/CO numbers at depth :) If you google Equinox vs CTX, though, you will find some people who sold the CTX after trying out the Nox.

I appreciate the feedback from someone who has a Nox and Etrac. I don't have a huge collection of coils for my Etrac...just 3. The two main ones I use are the 8x6 SEF and a NEL Tornado. They seem to get the job done at most sites I detect. For relics and small targets I have the Vaquero. Thanks for the feedback!
 
I just got the repair estimate from the detector center. They said the main circuit board is fried. The guy was saying that normally it's a $10 capacitor and a cheap fix whenever the machine is exhibiting symptoms like mine had. He said my machine was the first one they've seen where the circuit board was fried. The total cost for repair is going to be $359.87.:shock:

I originally paid $525 for it.

Taking into consideration the total amount of money I would have into this thing after repair, what would you all do?

Get it fixed and keep it?

Get it fixed, throw it on eBay or craigslist, take the money and put it towards a used CTX?

Don't get it fixed and part it out?
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom