To all the people not getting a CTX 3030

[mtwolf2270]

What gets me is not healthy questions or even concerns but some have already wrote of the detector based on GPS or wieght. Yet for the most part NOT ONE OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE EVER TOUCHED THE MACHINE. I guess ML could do like garrett and rush out the machine with limited testing and less hype like, they did with the ATPRO. Which I own and yes it is a good lower end turn on and go machine but it is no ETRAC or SE Pro . Oh and guess what thier marketing and business concept was a unit with a youth size arm cup, a crappy none cam lock system and a " waterproof housing" that leaked not; to mention the faulty coil issues. Thier answer " send us the unit at your expense and pay us $50 bucks and we will fix our screw ups but hurry up offer ends 12-31-2011" Point being sometimes we do not like what XYZ company does but it is part of it. The fact is if ML had held the release till the 28th the same people would be on her whinning; that we had no info before it was released, wish ML would have put out more info and some videos, wish we had all that info before we make a purchase etc etc etc. You give half these guys a 100 bucks and they would be mad cause it was in 20's!

 

[Blank Planet]

what i am trying to say is if the bring out a etrac 2 with smartscreen 2 and FBS 2 without all the rest of it in 6 months time i am not going to be smiling because thats all i want i dont need the rest of it but i brought one because i want the smartfind 2 and FBS 2 the rest of it well looks good on paper but is of no use to me.

BP

 

[earthmansurfer]

Lastly, regarding the marketing debacle (reading many boards, this is the consensus - the 48hr countdown was great, but after that it kind of fell apart)

Albert

I've asked a couple of people without truly getting an answer so I'll ask you because I know I'll get an answer. What I'm trying to wrap my head around is this idea that the marketing/product launch was a debacle or awful or some other adjective. My question is why?

I get the feeling as I come across sort of direct, eh? I do try to be open and show both sides, I hope that is obvious as well.

Well, again, I was a bit mixed on it myself. In the post above I was really relating the impressions I got, but here goes:

The countdown was exciting. It wasn't real long, only 48 hours. That is actually short in a way. Things seemed fine from what I remember reading up to this point. I liked it.

So, the countdown ends and we hear about a new machine. I may be a bit off with my timing/description, but I'll try to remember. I believe next to no information was given at that time. The video was a teaser video. Showing people dressed nice and finding treasures. For me it was mixed - I loved the screen shots but thought "This video is a bit cheesy" - we don't dress like that - ehehe. Not sure if others felt the same. That in itself wasn't terrible, but I believe it was another 7 - 10 days for the information to really come out. In between that time rumors leaked, lies spread and people started to assume. The moderators/testers were in a really bad place imo. A pamphlet was released (I forget when) but still no price or manual. At this point I noticed people were really starting to get angry. There is a bit of a group mentality on forums, whether or not we know it.

So the pricing information was not really forthcoming and then you could see the forums getting worse off. Especially this one where we have sponsors paying money - a sort of conflict of interest at times can arise - sort of. I'm not taking sides here, just sort of relaying my observations. Still no manual...

Now, to be fair, I don't really think Minelab wanted to upset people. That would be bad business and they are a global company. I know enough about business to know that it takes lots of money to correct bad PR. So, regarding the delayed release of information - I think they wanted to justify in our minds a very very expensive unit (in a mostly bad economy) with features like GPS that most of us probably didn't want. Perhaps they didn't realize how many people were disheartened by the weight issue (even thought the balance might make up for it), the features issue and the price, etc. It was sort of like a snowball getting bigger as it came down the mountain, if you know what I mean. See, even things like the weight issue was just bad PR. Everyone knows we wanted a lighter unit. They should have been ALL OVER the weight and very clear regarding the SUPREME balance to make up for it. But that came out later imo.

Things along the way like videos without really showing the machine working. Videos with so much glare on the screen that you couldn't see the screen - All of this just adds to the frustration imo. I'm not trying to come down on those videoing, for I think that is Minelabs job (or responsibility to direct) in a pre-launch phase, not non paid testers/mods.

So here we are now, things seem a lot better - thanks to the mods imo. I think they handled things as best they could. Weren't too tough fisted, which was SMART imo.

I'm sure I left some things out and again, this was more of an observation, which is not to say I didn't feel some of this as well, for I did. But it wasn't a real big deal to me.

In the end, this is all relative, just like anything in our reality. Hope that was somewhat helpful.

Albert

 

[earthmansurfer]

what i am trying to say is if the bring out a etrac 2 with smartscreen 2 and FBS 2 without all the rest of it in 6 months time i am not going to be smiling because thats all i want i dont need the rest of it but i brought one because i want the smartfind 2 and FBS 2 the rest of it well looks good on paper but is of no use to me.

BP

And make it 2.5 pound or so, water resistant to rain, a nice screen still and they will sell a lot of them - Think financially they would do better with this.

 

[Blank Planet]

what i am trying to say is if the bring out a etrac 2 with smartscreen 2 and FBS 2 without all the rest of it in 6 months time i am not going to be smiling because thats all i want i dont need the rest of it but i brought one because i want the smartfind 2 and FBS 2 the rest of it well looks good on paper but is of no use to me.

BP

And make it 2.5 pound or so, water resistant to rain, a nice screen still and they will sell a lot of them - Think financially they would do better with this.

yep thats the one i want.

BP

 

[Sailorman]

You know, I really doubt they decided to build a heavy machine. Have any of you guys considered that you can't get the technology you want at half the weight? There's no free lunch. The GPS is just ounces. In an integrated setup like this it's a few circuits and chips. No extra case, screen or batteries. The waterproofing is about a few seals and case design. It's very little weight since it's only rated for ten feet which isn't much pressure to speak of. Cut the battery pack down to half and again save a few ounces but everyone will raise hell about the battery life. I suspect the real weight is the FBS2 circuitry. So get rid of that and you have what?

It may well be not that Mine lab isn't listening, I bet they are, it may well be that everything you want is not possible. So like most businesses they got what they felt was the best possible compromise. If these folks were as dense as some seem to think they wouldn't be in business long.

Also keep in mind their primary business is military stuff. We are the small stuff. If you own a company and you can do ten million a year with a government agency who is happy with your product or two million a year with a bunch of people who bitch endlessly about your efforts and seem impossible to please where will you put the most effort? Just a thought...

 

[Blank Planet]

agree cant keep everyone happy its impossible so i think they just shoved it all in to one detector and went there ya go now stop ya bloody whingin

just glad i am not using a mine detector man that's some serious detecting what we do is kiddies games. sure hope those detectors don't miss anything.

BP

 

[targets]

i can strap 5+lbs of potatoes to my arm and swing them about ,same effect on the joints

 

[Larry (IL)]

Not really, it depends where you strap the potatoes, under your elbow that hardly moves or under your wrist that moves a lot.

 

[Gemini13]

i can strap 5+lbs of potatoes to my arm and swing them about ,same effect on the joints

You really need to stop trolling because you suck at it.

 

[GpSnoopy]

I wouldn't doubt that they borrowed some of the "technology" for ergonomics, housing and waterproofing from their Countermine line. There appear to be some similarities if you take a look at their F3 series. That series has to meet some very rigorous specifications and testing, and if even a small part of that was brought over to the consumer side, should make for a very durable machine.

 

[Les in the UK]

BP I can't see Minelab releasing a second detector, well not until after the 14 days money returns refund has expired any way.

 

[earthmansurfer]

Not really, it depends where you strap the potatoes, under your elbow that hardly moves or under your wrist that moves a lot.

I think you are mostly right Larry. I say mostly because I think there is an optimum weight max and then beyond that it probably doesn't matter about the balance. I do think 5 pounds doesn't sound heavy if balanced correctly. Some lighter machines but poorly balance feel like 5 pounds! I think it goes both ways.

The way I see things, they had to build the machine a bit heavier because of the water use. That is it, it has nothing to do with the chips and such. Computer chips are continually getting smaller, faster and more efficient. If they wanted
a 2.5 pound non waterproof unit, they EASILY could have done it. Maybe it's not as tough, but they could built a light unit. The question is, honestly, will it matter? Perhaps 5 pounds perfectly balanced is really like swinging 2.5 pounds.

I am really hopeful of this cause I have to say, I clicked with the E-Tracs 2D screen and sounds from the get go. I would like to continue using it. I sold my E-Trac and returned my Deus to raise the funds. I bought a second hand Jupiter which
is very very fast, near to the Deus to be honest (but not quiet). I figure I'd rather have a great coin machine that is waterproof than a great Deus and E-Trac. And honestly since I heard the 5lbs of the CTX felt lighter than the E-Trac, I was
sold (and trusting).

I do have to say though, had Minelab built a 2.5lb E-Trac II with FBS 2, water resistant to rain, color screen, etc. They could have gotten the cost down to between the CTX and E-Trac. They would have hit the lighter units hard with high sales imo. Again, I hope the weight ends up being a non factor. I will be a VERY HAPPY DETECTORIST. If not, I will wait for that new Fisher CZ, as the 2 frequency multi frequency units go deep in my ground.

Albert

 

[Lipservice]

It is what it is. A hefty VLF detector with a hefty price tag. No one is forcing anyone to buy one.
The prudent buyer will wait and see the field reports, test one out, or even wait and see
what is on the horizon before making a decision.
Fisher, for one, will be coming out with a new model soon. It is certainly easy to get caught up in the hype.

Then you have to ask yourself: do you really NEED a new detector... or do you just WANT a new detector?
I've been detecting for 41 years. I've been through this before. I recall paying for two different detectors well
in advance of getting them. I waited two monts for one and three months for another. MAN I just HAD to be
on top of the list to get them. One of them ended up being buyers regret.

I'm 64 1/2 years old. Weight, no matter HOW WELL BALANCED a detector is, is a factor. For the first 30 years
I used what everyone did. Starting with a Whites 63TR that bad boy was a handfull. No ergonomics whatsoever.
But when your in your mid 20s who cares? Well 40+ years later my wrists, back, knees, and elbows care!
Detecting was not just a hobby... it was an obsession! I always worked night shifts. Metal detecting 6+ hours a
day 6 or 7 days a week was the norm. It caught up with me a few years back. Had to start hip mounting and
chest mounting my detectors.

 

[Larry (IL)]

I don't think the weight will matter all that much for most of us. I hunted a lot of years with the White's V series, SE, SE Pro and a E-Trac with a SunRay and a 12X10 on the end and the balance sucked. I'm sure the CTX weighs less than that combination and better balanced as well. Come on UPS man............