For those who use a 3030 on the beach, question please:

[Tom_in_CA]

For anyone using a CTX 3030 on the wet salt beach, a question please:

Do you avail yourself of the "seawater" option/setting ?

When I had read the manual, correct me if I'm wrong, but it seemed to be saying this was to quiet things down when your coil goes in our out of the ebbing surf. Ie.: the "momentary flutters", caused by the wet salt water. But that if a person were going to be staying on just the damp sand, that it wasn't needed. Yes ? No ?

And when I read that, I immediately thought of 2 different machines, with something similar:

a) the CZ6 with it's "salt" mode. There's been observation by many CZ users, that using this can cost you sensitivity for small and flitty gold. Or depth on lower conductors, etc.... So some CZ6 users elect to NOT use the "salt" mode, and .... just learn to mentally discern the momentary flutters when moving into, or out of, the water's edge.

b) The XLT (& spectrum, etc...): There's a recommended setting for wet salt beach, to edit OUT the #s from about 00 to 03 -ish. The reason is: Those very low #'s are the conductivity of wet salt. However, a lot of Whites users elected NOT to edit those out, since .... as you can see .... that begins to get close to foil. And as you know, it's a no-no to edit out foil, since some small gold items (earing, etc...) can read down that low. Or take a low random bounce if not exactly centered, etc... So Whites users, instead, would just know in their mind that there would be momentary flutters going in and out of the surf's edge, or going over a saltwater-filled hole, etc...

So is the same logic true for the "seawater" mode on the 3030 ? Has anyone here tried experimenting with turning it on and off, at the same beach environment, to see the difference? Example: 1) out of the ebbing surf, just on the wet inter-tidal zone. or 2) in and out of the water's edge.

 

[Mrmikejackie]

I detect the wet sand, as such waves and surf are a part of my detecting. Therefore sea water is always on. She runs quiet as a mouse and plenty deep. I did however switch over to a program once that didn't have sea water toggled, unknowingly. Didn't realize until later when not detecting anymore. I did not see/hear a difference. If I had been chest deep it might have made a difference, I think there is where it matters. Completely submerged. As far as the occasional in/out of the water, I did not notice a difference. Mike

 

[Tom_in_CA]

thanx ! n/t

 

[Stogger]

My experience is when the coils are just getting wet or detecting in the shallow surf there is a lot of "chatter" unless seawater is on. There is some chatter up on the wet sand ( not in the surf) and seawater seems to take this out as well.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

thanx stogger. This is confirming what others are saying too. And a possible explanation is beginning to surface, as to why the Minelab instruction manual a) seems to indicate it's for "in-the-water" only , plus b) doesn't have it in their pre-set beach mode as "on" :

The original ctx 3030 to hit the market, way-back-when, DIDN'T HAVE a "seawater" mode. But then some complaints trickled in from buyers about instability, chatter, etc.... on the wet. So the "seawater" mode was ADDED either via an upgrade (which you did through simply down-loading it through your computer) . And the new 3030's after that, had it on there. But apparently, even after it became a feature already on subsequent 3030's, it was never made to be stock, in the "beach" program, thereafter.

Maybe that was to make it consistent with the earlier versions ?? Anyone got any input as to that ? And now you have to "turn it on" ?