How does the CTX do for gold in the desert?

[bklein]

I'm amazed at the depth my CTX is finding small aluminum nuggets at the beach. I'm left wondering how it does in desert gold hunting.
I don't really care to dig really small stuff - I want nuggets that look like nuggets. I have a Whites GMT, a goldbug 2', and a Minelab GP Extreme already for this but they do not discriminate trash, some need ground balancing, and the are sensitive to hot rocks. I just haven't taken my CTX out there to try and as I hardly get out there anyway I'd like to reduce my detector collection size - although I'm curious to try the Equinox. The areas I'd try would be Randsburg, Quartzite, and Stanton. Stanton has the red iron oxide dirt so maybe it doesn't do well there...? BTW I've never found gold while hunting these sites with these detectors although they are quite capable - just never got the coil over the gold. I've gone to two Havasu Gold Seekers digs and found small nuggets that way but nothing yet in the "bush".

 

[bigelow]

In my opinion it is certainly capable with the frequencies, I love my GB2 and it is not even hard to GB, I feel your best bet is the GP Extreme, I own one as well but havent got to take it to the desert yet since purchased, It is a Pulse Inducted machine the rest are VLF. Nuggetshooting is very tedious unless you have done your homework and researched areas. You pretty much nailed it though, getting the coil over the gold is the biggest obstacle. Gold is much easier to come by in parks than in the desert. In most cases you will want to nugget shoot in All metal mode or equivalent as discrimination kills sensitivity in most cases. An open screen pattern maybe with some blocks at the far right might help with nails and iron rollover. I personally havent taken my CTX out there yet so I probably dont have your best opinion on the matter.

 

[dewcon4414]

Only a blind squirrel would use a CTX for raw gold hunting. I spent many a winter boonie camping at Quartzite enjoying the desert with about a million other RVer. Lot of good tailings in those old spanish mine areas. We met some strange miners deep in the desert lol. Your best bet will always be using the right machine for what you are looking for. Tuff ground to dig a lot of targets in. We use a variety of gold equipment..... came a way with a little gold, but nothing that a multi freq might ping on. In case you scrap it level that coils just to high off the ground for this machine. Am i saying it wont find raw gold at a given depth..... no, im saying there are better machines for time out there....... and you are looking for a needle in a haystack. I do remember one woman finding a rather large nugget in a creek bed there one year with an MXT. Hot rocks are a real pain there. Ive used an explorer there ..... but we were looking more for meteorites.

Dew

 

[bklein]

I know it is best to use the right tool in the box, but what makes the CTX really wrong?
I dont want to hear hot rocks- doesnt the CTX disc those out? (I've never tried to see what the CTX does).
At Stanton I was getting way too much trash with my detectors - it became work, not fun. The CTX should help with that but I'm thinking it my be pretty useless in that red dirt - is it?
Say I try up highway 49 areas, creek/riverbeds, old hydraulic sites... should do well there.
At Quartzite there have been guys that spend the winter gridding huge areas. My hope would be to find something that got exposed/moved by a flash flood - but I don't have the means to venture far. I'd have to park where thousands like me have and walk out - again hitting all that trash. I never thought about it but don't most gold nuggets read the same (as long as not mixed with other minerals)? I guess what I am saying is that I think for quick trips I need the discrimination, but I have seen at the beaches how high iron content makes the CTX a 0-3" deep detector.

 

[dewcon4414]

Sounds like you just want to try it...... hey you can use a bounty hunter, but you will be taking your detector for a walk unless you get extremely lucky. Lot of hematite and magnetite there you will be swinging higher that 3" off the ground unless you rake it like we did. Best bet is as they say..... hunt where golds been found.....old tailings ect. Be careful out there you get on an active mine those guys get all kinds of crazy. Might get luckier finding old miners relics or coins. GL...... let us know how you do. Got to love that BLM land.

 

[bklein]

Nothing new - gmt, gp extreme, goldbug found nothing at a couple of those hunt days at Randsburg. Not even much trash there! Walked all over.
I suspect an offroad vehicle is crucial to having any luck. Thus, I enjoy the beach.
I did the rake thing with havasu diggings - went through lots of buckets for one small nugget. If I had drywashed that I'd have more but Im not into it.
What about hot rocks and the CTX? Still a diversion (ignoring the magnetite/hematite ones)?