New CTX User Qs

[jakechiro]

I got the CTX a few days ago (hung onto my Etrac just in case). I went out yesterday to an older property that I have permission to hunt. I hunted the ROW with the Etrac and the 6x8 coil first. 2nd dig of the day produced a 1934 Washington Quarter!! The rest of the ROW didn't produce any keepers. So then, I figured I would hit it with my CTX. No keepers from the ROW with the CTX. Oh well, I'll move into the yard next. Hunted with the CTX for the next 3 hours. 2 Wheaties, 5 clad Quarters, 2 clad dimes, and 7 Memorials (and the usual trash).

I noticed that while hunting with the CTX, it will chatter more than my Etrac does. By chatter I mean while swinging the coil, I get random high tones, grunts, low tones, etc... and when I sweep back over that spot, nothing. The way that I have been hunting is a Modified Sabisch coin pattern in Combined tones, Ferrous-Coin w/ Pattern 2 completely open (like a Quick Mask on the Etrac). My sensitivity was +2 or +3 all day, with an occasional stretch of just Auto.

The way I hunted with it was if I found a high tone that was repeatable (hit every swing), then I would turn 90 degrees. If it would hit every swing at 90 degrees, I would dig it. That is basically what I was doing with my Etrac. Repeatable signals at 90 degrees were getting dug.

I tried GH's settings, but I think maybe there was too much iron in there because high tones were everywhere, but none were repeatable. I would occasionally check a signal using GH's settings, but it was a little too noisy here to use it.

The other problem I was having was pinpointing. I have it on pinpoint trace. I thought that if it was pinpointing over the good target (the high tone), it would build up around that spot on the screen and the numbers would be displayed. I have several phantom signals where I would pinpoint (sometimes 3 or 4 times) and dig down past the right depth, and nothing.

Also, the weird thing in this yard was that nothing was deeper than 6 inches. This house is 140+ years old, and the owner told me that to his knowledge there has never been any fill put in, but he has only owned it since the 80s. I am thinking that maybe it was filled at some point in the past.

Thanks in advance for all the advice.

 

[Bill_S]

Some may not agree with me but to me the 3030 is not that much deeper than the Etrac (in my area anyway). Maybe a bit more stable on the TID but pretty close in depth. I am now starting to think that the Etrac will ID coins better than the 3030. I have seen some posts and I have found that coins like quarters and 50 cent pieces have came in at a penny range. I have a dig like that on video but I did not post it publicly on youtube. The 3030 is a good detector but I think minelab needs to address the problem with in not identifying coins correctly. I have had the detector pinpoint on the side of the coil. Make a large sweep over the suspected target and see if that helps. I have dug quite a few coins that were on edge and it seemed to throw the pinpoint off. Did you re check the hole after you covered it back up just to see.

 

["Dr.Tones"]

Sounds like it has been filled? I think you might have your sensitivity running a little hot which can cause that falsing. Next time you're out try to see what your sensitivity numbers are reading. Also... Sounds stupid but double check your connections. Give us a run down of your settings including gain, fast, deep, disc. Program, etc. we'll try to get you straightened out.

 

[Dr.Deus]

I think that Bill might be onto something. I know that every metal detector has its purpose. If you want to search for gold then you don't have to spend thousands of dollars to dig junk all day long in search of gold. If you want to spend a pretty penny on a metal detector that ID's specific coins you might be looking for then I believe then that's exactly what you should get. for example. I went out yesterday with the 3030 and i was specifically looking for just silver coins. I know that in my ground with the settings of ferrous coin that silver dimes will register in at about 12-45 12-46. silver quarters come in at 12-47. Well I noticed a few times I intentionally dug 12-45 signals in hope of silver but in fact every coin I pulled up was a copper memorial. I was hunting in a school yard that has given up silver almost every time I go there. I completely understand that the CTX is not an E Trac and I don't use it like an E Trac but the coin ID chart is very similar to an E Trac.I used to own an E Trac and I know that older copper memorial pennies in my soil usually came in at 12-42 12-43 almost every time and older wheat's almost always come in at 12-41 12-42. Over time I felt very comfortable letting the copper memorial penny signals go. With the CTX no matter what search mode I use weather it be ground coin or high trash. The correct ID is almost never consistent .So in a way when I am hunting, it almost forces me to go back to the dig it all style of hunting. Its ok if I have all the time in the world on my hands but I don't. I feel that cherry picking with the CTX is almost obsolete. On the CTX with silver dimes coming in at or around 12-43 some times 12-42 it makes me think how many signals I have passed up in previous hunts before because I thought it was a copper memorial.I understand the whole well maybe there was other targets near or in my type of ground. I would like to think that i purchased a machine with coin ID capabilities. But when its not working how its supposed to. I Strongly feel that the CTX is an amazing metal detector and has awesome potential. I just wonder if mine lab is aware that the correct ID for specific types of coins don't match up, more times then when they do... JMHO HH

 

[goodmore]

The CTX is not exact. But if you think the CTX is bad you should try the Deus. An educated high tone guess is how I would discribe it. The CTX is also very vulnerable to target pull down. If iron is around the target or some other item like foil the coin numbers can be pulled down into numbers not representing coins at all. In my opinion the CTX is not a ball field or tot lot detector. If you want to cherry pick quarters and dimes there are better detectors.The AT Pro comes to mind. The CTX is a detector that you take to an old site and very carefully remove all the high tone targets that give good signals two different ways. Detecting has been and will be for a very long time done with the ears. Do yourselves a favor and stop comparing it to the E Trac or asking it to do something that it just doesn't do that well. Finding a coin in the same hole with a nail is what it does. Giving you a high tone on a deep coin is what it does. Seperating targets with quick recovery is what it does. And many things more.

 

[Sonny(IN)]

I am in the market for a new detector. Certainly was considering the 3030 but you guys make me wonder. I know for a fact the E trac is hard to beat but really wanted to try the 3030. Now wondering?????????????

 

[goodmore]

The CTX does everything an E Trac can do. But you just can't say it the other way around. You may dig a few copper pennies, but the choice is clearly up to you.

 

[Bill_S]

Here is the video that I did not post. It was a shallow quarter that hit as a penny. I dug two more today that were almost the same way. I saw in another post where a silver half dollar hit in the penny range. Maybe I should send mine in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoQDHPpZs6I

 

[nolanation]

Here is the video that I did not post. It was a shallow quarter that hit as a penny. I dug two more today that were almost the same way. I saw in another post where a silver half dollar hit in the penny range. Maybe I should send mine in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoQDHPpZs6I

It was not hitting 43. Thats what the numbers were showing at the time (not sure why), but as you can see the target trace build was in the 45 range. When you watch the video, you can see that the target lock is left from center of the target trace build. A few more sweeps it would of probably locked on at 45. Happens to me, happens most likely to everyone. I would think it would be a delayed waste of time to send it in.

 

[Bill_S]

It was not hitting 43

Really......I guess the video was wrong....Lol. You only saw a few sweeps of the coil on video. It never locked on at anything above 43. The last block on the display goes from 41 to 50 so the 45 mark would be just about in the middle of the box. It was in fact building the trace at about 43. The two I dug today acted the same way. There are other posts where people have dug half dollars that were hitting in the penny range. Why is it so hard for people to admit there may be a problem.

 

[TheGeorgiaCanuck]

Also try turning Salt Water mode on, that seems to quiet down some of the falsing for me at least if I'm running in +3 mode. Doesn't seem to effect depth at all.

If that doesn't work, try keeping it in zero automatic mode all the time. Don't be afraid of digging dirty sounding tones, even if you only get a high tone in one direction. Your gonna dig nails, but sometimes there's a surprise waiting in the hole.

The 3030 is worth every penny I paid for it, I won't be switching detectors again until the 3030 is replaced with the next level of tech.

 

[azsh07]

I am only responding to the last point on nothing deeper than 6"

It is quite possible that instead of no fill being put in...rather the area may have been scraped down.

I have run into this any times here in NH and Maine. I lived in several homes built in the late 1770's or so...including my wifes house....built 1750 and used to be a brother and train stop.

Both never yielded anything older than 1890...ever. Now I have been detecting for over 30 years and know how to hunt old homes and trash.... but simply nothing to be found.

Found out both places had been scraped. My wifes house and then one we rented about 10 years ago. lso...I am hunting some fields that are 300 years old atleast...one has been scraped....plus the house has been too.

Usually they sold off the loam or the did it for other reasons. So...quite possible that rather than everything being buried it is the other way.

Just a thought as it happens more than I thought,

 

[Bill_S]

Back to your original question....

I noticed that while hunting with the CTX, it will chatter more than my Etrac does. By chatter I mean while swinging the coil, I get random high tones, grunts, low tones, etc... and when I sweep back over that spot, nothing.

To me this seems like the sensitiviy is too high. I know you said you ran it on auto. Sometimes if I use the manual sens it will get a few of those type sounds but I think its because I have the manual sens set too high. Maybe you could put it in manual sens and turn it down and see if that helps but it should work just fine in auto.

 

[nolanation]

It was not hitting 43

Really......I guess the video was wrong....Lol. You only saw a few sweeps of the coil on video. It never locked on at anything above 43. The last block on the display goes from 41 to 50 so the 45 mark would be just about in the middle of the box. It was in fact building the trace at about 43. The two I dug today acted the same way. There are other posts where people have dug half dollars that were hitting in the penny range. Why is it so hard for people to admit there may be a problem.

You have a MASSIVE problem with the machine, you need to send it in ASAP. I can not believe it is not giving you exactly what you want on every coin. Shame on the ground, the coin, and the CTX.

that better?

 

[goodmore]

I think they all behave this way with the numbers. Mine acts the same way. Copper pennies come in all over the low 40's.

 

[Bill_S]

You have a MASSIVE problem with the machine, you need to send it in ASAP. I can not believe it is not giving you exactly what you want on every coin. Shame on the ground, the coin, and the CTX.

that better?

Man you need to grow up. Are you like 12? No need for you childish remarks when we are just discussing something. Arent you the guy that posted a few days ago that you found a gold ring and it hit at 12-42 and you didnt know why? I'm done with this thread.....

 

[nolanation]

That was me. BUT I was asking a question not complaining, as I believe there are reasons for it rather than believing my machine is "broken" and I need to send it in. No disrepect to you, but there are many threads on here of people complaining and picking at every little thing about the CTX, rather than trying to enjoy it. I know the price tag is high, but that doesn't mean the machine is going to be perfect. A discussion would of been more likely to ensue, if you had asked if anyone else had experienced it, rather than stating it as a defect. As you can see you are not the only one that this has happened to. If you are looking for a machine that will allow you to go out and "specifically dig silver coins" as you mentioned, you might have to build it yourself, because with all the factors that play a part in the TID reading, I just don't believe that to be possible with any machine.

 

[GateKeeper]

Nolanation, why all the sarcasm? Bills video clearly shows the TID, and yet you want to start drama. If that's what you want is drama, then there are plenty of other sites that will have you. I and others here would much rather have a constructive discussion than the nonsense you wrote.

 

["Dr.Tones"]

Well... Here's my stance. Is it perfect at coin IDing? No. Is it pretty damn good? Yeah. Here's the good news, with the updates it can only get better. With this detector we have the ability to improve! Will copper pennies always ID like dimes or silver? Not sure. Would it be great if it was fixed? Sure. Will I ever stop digging 12:39-12:50.... Nope. The fact of the matter is there are just too many variables against us. In Mr. southern's video I'd like to point out that there was a disc'ed out object in the lower left corner that might have had something to do with the TID coming in low. But.. you found a quarter, and it was a good high repeatable TONE. My half that I dug the other day did TID low but there was also iron in the hole. I guarantee that the CTX will out perform any other detector in the trash though. Hands down. That's why I have one.

 

[nolanation]

Well... Here's my stance. Is it perfect at coin IDing? No. Is it pretty damn good? Yeah. Here's the good news, with the updates it can only get better. With this detector we have the ability to improve! Will copper pennies always ID like dimes or silver? Not sure. Would it be great if it was fixed? Sure. Will I ever stop digging 12:39-12:50.... Nope. The fact of the matter is there are just too many variables against us. In Mr. southern's video I'd like to point out that there was a disc'ed out object in the lower left corner that might have had something to do with the TID coming in low. But.. you found a quarter, and it was a good high repeatable TONE. My half that I dug the other day did TID low but there was also iron in the hole. I guarantee that the CTX will out perform any other detector in the trash though. Hands down. That's why I have one.

I think this is the point I was trying to make, but in the wrong way haha. Not trying to cause drama, sometimes just get tired of the constant complaining on little things of the CTX. I can certainly ignore those posts from now on though. Apologies all around.