I think I'm over thinking

[upfishcreek]

I'm close to firming up my decision on getting one of these machines but then I get so intimidated .im trying to create a simple description of this machine to ease my fears. Is it safe to say it is really just a deep and accurate machine that has insane notch discrimination features where you can knock out specific targets basedcon ferrous and conductivity levels. I have this visual of me out in the field staring at this thing and wondering what to do. Frozen in indecision. I looked at the USA coin chart and I think I'm reading it correctly, but every coin rang in at 12 ferrous. Is it that simple? Dig everything that gives a 12. Thanks

 

[upfishcreek]

And now I see the gold ring chart and everything is a 12 something as well. I'm lost.

 

[Andrew Kalinowski]

No. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Pull tabs and some bottle caps and a fair bit of other junk will show on ferrous 12. BUT most of the time, it will give you lots of other clues to tell you that it is junk. It will take some time to learn the clues but once you will, you will be able to skip over bottle caps and most of other junk with ease. Mind you, just like with many other machines, whatever you skip, you will never know for sure what it was BUT after a month of using CTX, whenever I called bottle cap, I dug out... a bottle cap or similar piece of scrap.
Accurate? Most of the time, Yes. Still, I did dug out several silver pieces when I called a copper penny. Got a piece of pipe when I thought I was digging silver...
Indecision... you will face a lot of it. You can never be sure unless you dig it out, not even with CTX BUT once you learn the CTX, your confidence level with soar up.

Most potential users are intimidated by the multitude of possible settings. Don't be! Just don't try to use every option at once to start with. Start easy, with the factory presets. Modify progressively as you learn the machine. Heck; my wife (I love her a lot but she is not a techno wizard nor experienced detectorist) normally pinpoints for me but sometimes, she grabs the machine when I'm digging out a target and than she often puts me to shame by locating good targets with ease because (I think) she is not over-thinking it! When she calls "it sounds good", most of the time, it is worth digging!

 

[G. E. Edwards]

Bob, what I really love about the ctx is how it can find good targets in iron infested areas. Plus the factory setting are great for new users. Since I got my ctx 8 months ago, my finds have been super. Here's a mouth watering list, 2-18K wedding bands, 1-platinum wedding band, 1-18K ladies dinner diamond ring, 1-14K mans big ring, 3-14K wedding bands, and the best find I have ever found in the 35 yrs. detecting was five months ago, a 12K diamond ring with a carat and a half on top, half carats on each side, twenty six blue safires and twelve smaller diamonds valued at $10,000. It was surrounded by nails about 10 inches deep in the wet ocean sand, come through loud and clear with 17" coil. If you don't love this machine after you learn it I will be surprised, good luck no matter what you decide, Gene

 

[upfishcreek]

Thanks for the replies. I know once it is learned it will be brilliant. I'm just a little confused why everything good came in at 12. But I guess if it is a 12 it's worth a look. And I see now to learn the machine you need to use it a lot . Thanks.

 

[wildherre]

Do a google searh for etrac, remapping of ferrous values to 12 ..Minelab did this on the Etrac & it was carried over to the CTX...Here is a notable post from back in the day....wildherre

remapped etrac ferrous tid values

 

[TAFI125]

Like the etrac good stuff will come in at 13 and below 12. In the uk the low silver paper readings can give up small thin section silver coins