Minelab CTX3030 tips, settings, questions

[goldwright]

Cheers Heath I wondered about the 17 being the same, so good its just bigger coils. Yeah I will keep it on until I know it but I have made a new years resolution to do more beach work this year so it will be on the CTX for those runs. Mind you I did a park that has very little junk in it and scored over $25 so I suppose I had expectations of it separating like a smaller coil but have to realise it is quite a big coil after all.

 

[Heatho]

Yeah that's it mate it is a decent sized coil, in anything other than low trash areas it will be frustrating to use and give you listening fatigue. I think it would certainly be worth getting used to and keeping it on for a while. Even the 11" can be difficult for separation in medium trashy areas though running in "high trash" target separation and "fast" setting can really help with that. Though some sites I just give up with the 11" and go back with the 10x5, it really does separate out the good stuff from the trash no worries.

Really looking forward to seeing how you go on the beaches mate.

 

[Sandta]

Normally i always use headphones while hunting, so not 100% sure this is a new problem, but certainly this is the first time ive noticed it.
After about 2 hours , the speaker sounds changed.
Basically it sounded like the speaker was reverberating inside a tin can.
I tried turning the detector off and back on but that made no difference
Then about 30 mins later it came good and continued just fine for another hour or so
It sure was challenging to operate like that , not to mention the anxiety for fear of what is now gonna happen with it
Hopefully that is it... but i guess i know better.
Time will tell

 

[Heatho]

Interesting issue Sandta, hopefully it won't hasppen again, I've never noticed this issue at all, I do 95% of my hunting with the internal speaker and it's always worked flawlessly.

 

[goldwright]

I would send it back mate. It seems with all the new Minelabs if something glitches it will not fix itself only get worse. The GPZ and CTX format seems to have all the same issues boards going in the handle and screen. It all seems simple to fix but the problem will get worse.

 

[AngerManagement]

Let me know if I can help at all.

 

[goldwright]

Well still liking the 14x9 but one thing it really suffers from is too much sensitivity, it becomes very touch sensitive on anything above 15. It does sink in the water and does not need pushing down into the water which is nice when doing the break line. It does not seem to have any depth advantage at the beach over the 11 inch either but it is only 9 inches wide but the extra ground coverage is a huge plus on the sand. I run on Auto +1 sens on the beach and it was smooth as even when the sand got a little black and this is where I feel it beats the 11 way less falsing on the wet sand not sure if this is just my 11 inch coil as it is well used but the 14x9 does seem to run nicer on the wet sand.

 

[Heatho]

Nice, I'm still looking at getting one at some stage, need to sort out some bills first and still feeling a bit broke after buying a new car.

Good writeup mate, it's definitely the type of info I'm looking for regarding it. :Y: :Y:

 

[anton]

Hey Guys..I just aquired a nice ctx standard pack..the lovely old gentleman i got it off had everything in the box (bar the manual, standard aa pack and the carcharger, but all good, he found them,and is sending them too me)..now my dilemma..ive had her out a few times, and i like it , but what i dont know, is what i have to do to get it wet or dunk her..i mean, i read in the manual i downloaded that the headphone module isnt waterproof, cool, i get that , but when i take off the module, it leaves the screwhole that attaches the module, and the open pins of the headphone socket..now, if i dont have waterproof headphones, is there something that covers the socket (coz it dont look waterproof to me), and the screwhole??? did the old gentleman leave some little connector/hole covers out or what? cheers guys...hope i explained it ok..coz i cant really suss it in the manual or starter guide..i want to get it right,coz i dont want to damage anything just yet

so do i dunk her like this or are they covered ?

 

[Heatho]

Don't get it wet like that Anton. Have a look in the bottom of the headphone module that you removed, there is a plastic screw in there that pulls out and screws into the module connector that you have photographed. Took me a while to work that out when I first got mine.

Also check the seals where the battery connects to the detector, is your seal red or grey? The grey seal is the new upgraded type and a red one would be the old type. The new type apparently seal much better but you need an upgraded battery pack to install it. Be very very careful making sure the battery seal is clean, if it is an older type red seal myself personally would not use the detector totally enderwater. Minelab upgraded the seals due to units leaking and dying.

You can get new battery kits from minersden for $200, I got the upgrade type recently when my original battery died, you get a new battery, 3 new type seals and an upgraded AA battery pack in the kit.

Hope that helps

 

[anton]

cheers mate..thats the info i needed

 

[anton]

i really like the machine..even tho im only in factory coin mode at the moment, its virtually identical target id's to my etrac make it an easy transition(so far, lol)..tho how long i have it i dont know..mrs likes my deus,so i may trade her for a deus setup...one thing i will say..it dont miss much, and it digs a hella less trash than the deus...

 

[Heatho]

Yeah the CTX and Etrac are very similar mate, though the CTX has a couple of extra functions such as the target trace and target trace pinpoint, they can really help with identifying good targets among trash when you get the hang of it.

I'm thinking of maybe getting a Deus too but will still keep the CTX as it's a great detector and owes me nothing.

The standard coin mode is really good, I still use it 90% of the time.

 

[Ryan]

As per above -

# What brand are you using -
# Cost = $
# Why -

Thanks in advance

 

[Heatho]

You don't need wireless headphones for the CTX, it comes with it's own proprietry wireless module (WM10) that you can plug any headphones into and put the module in your pocket.

90% of the time I don't even use headphones on the CTX, I mostly use the internal speaker, I only use my little ear buds at the beach to hear signals over the noise of the surf and wind.

 

[Ryan]

Thanks buddy for your post,and thanks for the clarification

I stopped using headphones (less hot in summer) for comfort but started using them again giving me a little bubble of my own keeping out the nosey public 8) but saying that what kind of ear bubs do you use.

Another question if I may - being a "heavy machine" I was thinking about attaching some bungee cord around the handle just above where I would grip it attaching it to a basic minelab harness.

I am pretty sure that the grip would be plenty robust enough for such a task,plus it is only carrying the weight of the machine no matter how you hold it right.

Your thoughts.

Thanks again

 

[Heatho]

I don't use a bungy but I'm sure others do, I haven't really seen anything like that for it but I'm sure it would help with the weight. What you have in mind should work nicely though.

I just use my samsung phone ear buds with a 3.5mm to 6.5mm TRS jack adapter. You can probably use any ear buds with it.

 

[Greenhornet_au]

Try some noise canceling headphones, I go some Sony's from Aus Post on special awhile ago.
Aldi have some on special $39, look around, but the noise canceling ones are the way to go.

 

[flyrodder]

has anyone used the new 14x9 coilteck coil on ctx Is it worth buying over the original coil

 

[Heatho]

It's getting good reviews but I don't have one, yet. Coiltek make really great coils.