No More Discrimination

[jimzilla]

Since owning the CTX I created my own disc pattern thinking it would help but have since switched to only an open screen. I find hunting with an open screen helps unmask those iffy targets and really enhances the good coin signals. Iron even sounds better as well. I am hunting in COMBINE with the FE line at 23. I also increased the last bin to a pitch of 1100 stating at CO-41. This really lets the silver shine through. I dont think I will go back to a disc pattern anytime soon.

 

[Jason in TN]

That is the only way I ever hunted with the Etrac when I had one Andy has one of my open patterns in his Etrac book. Relic program i did well with. Think I am going to like the CTX I just need to get out and hunt with it some.

 

[jimzilla]

Yes when I had the etrac most of the time I hunted in open screen but w/o COMBINE the iron sounded like coins. I hunt many trashy park and iron caps are everywhere.

 

[Jason in TN]

Jim I hear you loved the Etrac but the balance just hurt me to hunt with it never was comfortable. Hoping the CTX has solved that problem can't wait to get some time in on it. I have about a hour and a half so far. Maybe next week got some time off so I will get about 6 to 8 hours a day if things work out.

Jason

 

[jimzilla]

Jasons now the Etrac seems heavy to me since the CTX is balanced better. BUT when I had the Etrac, I thought the weight was fine. I always switch arms every hour or so so both arms get an equal chance.

 

[earthmansurfer]

Jim - I'm curious what you ground is like as I found 50 CO to unmask better (but false more). My ground has some iron mineralization and I wonder if that is the difference. I have to hunt more in Combine and check signals in 50 CO though. I do have to say that Combine is not fatiguing to my ears as I thought it would be - but I did adjust the iron tone down some.

Jason - I really bought the CTX because as much as I loved the E-Trac the balance killed my back. With the CTX my back is so much better off but I do feel the weight a bit in my shoulders, but it is much better than before overall. I guess it depends on what your injuries are, but the CTX does appear to be a big improvement over the E-Trac, balance wise.

Albert

 

[jimzilla]

Earth...my ground varies but typically the detector runs at 12-15 sens.

 

[jimpugh]

Which is fine but my kicker is
The 35 ferrous open screen
By the push of a button in last mode
Which give me four screens on the fly
I use mainly my combined OPEN screen tweaked sounds and MY OPEN ferrous tweaked sounds every thing on both sides of 12 is of interest to me
.......I call it my...... "Iron latitude attitude"
Also it is where the gold feeding zone is easier to monitor

Happy Trails
jimpugh

 

[earthmansurfer]

Earth...my ground varies but typically the detector runs at 12-15 sens.

So, ferrous coin would probably false too much in your ground? Then, I wonder if ground coin would work better for you?
I wonder if 50 CO has been working better for me because of my ground? Lots of questions when I hear others reports.

It is interesting that the modes and settings make a LARGE difference on the CTX, which wasn't as apparent on the E-Trac imo.

Albert

 

[Gonehunting]

Albert may be a difference in our soils, I have much better luck with the combine.. the 50 tone is much too erratic. I loved multitone Conductive on the Trac but the X is totally different.. That was the reason I was struggling at first. I set it up just like the Trac, that didn't work at all, so contacted Randy H. for help.. When I switched over to the Combined it was much more stable and easier to discern good targets.

 

[earthmansurfer]

Evan - I am having lots of falsing in 50 CO (with ferrous coin) but I can distinguish it from good targets fairly quickly. As I said, I do think it is the soil. I think my iron mineralization is mild enough for ferrous coin to work but strong enough to cause falsing. It is however apparently better than high trash (due to severe bouncing at times in iron). Is your soil also iron mineralized or just iron containing or both?

Do you also get the feeling that the CTX just is a much more finely tuned instrument? (regarding our soils and settings)

Learning this machine has been more difficult for me thus far than the E-Trac, probably just due to more possibilities. (I'm not complaining mind you, I love this ;-)

Albert

 

[Gonehunting]

Evan - I am having lots of falsing in 50 CO (with ferrous coin) but I can distinguish it from good targets fairly quickly. As I said, I do think it is the soil. I think my iron mineralization is mild enough for ferrous coin to work but strong enough to cause falsing. It is however apparently better than high trash (due to severe bouncing at times in iron). Is your soil also iron mineralized or just iron containing or both? Definitely both.. I have three types, a Red clay that is extremely hot sounding.. sens has to be lowered and definitely ground balanced.. second is a brown soil that is not as irony but is loaded with rusty targets.., third is the black soil that stays really dry and sandy.. these are where the oldest targets are and are kept in the best condition..
Do you also get the feeling that the CTX just is a much more finely tuned instrument? (regarding our soils and settings) Much much more.. I think it is extremely sensitive.. I ran the E-Trac (normally in 28 ) but with the X +3 (around 21-22) is sometimes too much. I have seen guys stating they are running in 28 on the X and doing well.. this tells me that the machine is so much more versatile, minute differences in the soil and trash, that different areas are recording very good success and depth with these drastic differences in sensitivity.( I hope that made sense) I have been digging much much smaller targets. I have dug 3 necklace clasps(1 gold, 2 silver) and I don't think I ever dug one with the E-Trac.. they were just as responsive as dimes at more than 3 inches.. that may not sound like much but that impressed me over the Trac..

Learning this machine has been more difficult for me thus far than the E-Trac, probably just due to more possibilities. (I'm not complaining mind you, I love this ;-) I think with a little more time, and the possibility of Minelab releasing more stream-lined updates,(with all our feedback) that the X will be a more User specific machine for a variety of different hunters.. At first I was not hearing good reviews around the salt water enviro.. but have been surfing over 9 different forums from all over the world, and I am starting to see a change, I have been watching 5 veteran hunters that are really beginning to get results... But with each one the user is very tuned in to the machine where they change their settings when they get to a different problem, whether its the waves, the wet, volcanic and black sands, dry and so on... I'm no salt water hunter but am getting good info from their reports.. That is what I am liking about the machine that it is user specific...
Albert

 

[jimzilla]

Earth...I mainly hunt in ground coin. First I will hunt an area in high trash then as I'm gridding the area I will switch to ground coin and clean it out. That's the beauty of the ctx so many options