Brad, I also used the Explorer 2, Explorer SE and the E-TRAC before using the CTX 3030. You could "run" your CTX very similar to how you hunted with your Explorer. But if you do, you'll be selling yourself (and the CTX) short! The first thing to remember is the CTX 3030 is not just a waterproof Explorer or E-TRAC with a color screen and GPS. It is much more than that. One of the best "new features" is the ability to "see" multiple targets under the coil. If you are running with an open screen, and pass the coil over a nail and a bullet at the same time, you will see images for both targets on your smartscreen. Another great feature is the audio profiles. With your Explorer, you had three types of audio responses..... Constant, Ferrous or Conductive. Based on your post, I'd guess you used Ferrous much of the time. When Minelab redefined the target numbers on the E-TRAC, they also incorporated more audio tone options in both Ferrous and Conductive tones. In recent years, I began using Two Tone Ferrous for much of my E-TRAC use. Like you with your Explorers, I ran with an open screen and dug the stuff that didn't indicate iron. But with the ferrous line preset at FE 17, I could listen for one of two tones. If the FE content was a larger number than 17, it gave me a low tone indicating a high ferrous content. If it was a smaller number than 17, it would give me a high tone, indicating it had a lower FE content. By listening to those two tones, I could avoid most of the iron and dig whatever I determined to be worthwhile (based on the Smartscreen or TID values) In the fields I hunt, I didn't dig the iron and I dug most everything else that would repeat. The CTX 3030 has One tone (similar to what you know as Constant), Two tone Fe, Two tone CO, Four tone FE, Four tone CO, Multiple tone FE and Multiple tone CO. In addition, the CTX 3030 offers the user a new Audio Profile called Combined. Combined audio provides one target group for FE targets and breaks the CO targets into 4 separate "bins". The beauty of the CTX 3030 is that you can make the FE bin any size you want by moving the FE line up or down. And, you can adjust the CO bins so that they represent the targets you are hunting for, based on the CO value. Plus, you can assign your choice of audio tone to represent any of the bins you are using. Let me give you an example of how you might set up a Combined audio program, and what will happen when you pass over a target. I might "set" the FE line at 22. That means anything with a FE number greater than 22 would provide the tone I assigned to that FE bin. Then I would "set" the CO bins up to reflect the target groups. If I were hunting for coins, I might set CO bin one up with parameters of 1 - 14 to include nickels. I could set up CO bin 2 with parameters of 15 - 29. Bin 3 could be set from 30 - 42 for old small cents. And bin 4 could be 43 - 50 for silver coins. Now I could also set a low tone for the FE targets, a mid range tone for the nickels, another low tone for bin 2 that doesn't include many US coins, bin 3 could be a fairly high tone to represent the old coppers and a real high tone for the silver in bin 4. And here is how that would work in the field....... I pass the coil over a target that provides a TID of 30 FE and 35 CO. With an FE number larger than the 22 where I set my ferrous line, that target would be recognized as representing the ferrous bin and give me the low tone I assigned to that bin group. If I passed the coil over a target that gave me a TID of 12 FE and 44 CO, the CTX would NOT give me the low tone because the FE number is smaller than 22. Instead, it would analyze the CO number and give me the tone that I assigned to the group with CO number 44 in it. In the example I gave, that would be the high tone representing silver. And if you take a look at the coin charts in the Classroom, you'll find a 12/44 is likely a dime.
I won't try to confuse you with the vast differences between the Explorer and the CTX 3030. Suffice it to say that there have been many changes made over the years. And those who have taken the time to learn how that functionality can work to their benefit are enjoying success with their CTX 3030's in places they "beat to death" with previous detectors. I'd suggest starting out with some of the pre-programmed Search modes and change some of the settings to reflect what you liked on the Explorer. There is no Variability setting on the CTX 3030. Some of us have found that adjusting the tones in the tone profile will accomplish a similar response differentiation. Others still wish that it had Variability adjustments. There is no screen contrast on the color screen of the CTX 3030. However many of us have found that making adjustments to the Brightness will accomodate our needs. You still have the option of using Normal, Long, Smooth etc in audio response. And you still have the Fast and Deep OFF/ON options as well. You now have the ability to set a Ground balance in areas that are highly mineralized. And by the new Separation modes are proving great success by many. (Ferrous - Coin, Ground - Coin) . Just realize that you can set the CTX 3030 up very similar to the way you hunted with your Explorer. But please do not think that those settings are the best there is. And don't be afraid to experiment with different settings. The CTX 3030 allows each user to tweak and fine-tune their machine for their sites. As you learn the functionality and gain experience in the field, and make the adjustments to reflect your personal preferences, I think you will be amazed at the capabilities of this detector. JMHO HH Randy
