Minelab CTX3030 tips, settings, questions

[Ramjet]

Thanks ctxkid. That is just what I needed. Got the right powerpack 18v, 1.67 amp. :Y:

Thought you would never give up the CTX Does that mean the Deus will be your weapon of choice?

Good luck with the sale.

The CTX never impressed me. I only used it for 4 or 6 months. Just prefer the Deus though if I was going to the beaches I would take the CTX. It just sits gathering dust so I may a well move it on to someone who might enjoy it more.

 

[user 794]

Hi Ant

I use WM10 with my favourite H/Ps

 

[Heatho]

In quiet parks I use the CTX internal speaker.

On the beach I use the WM10 with cheap earbuds due to the noise from waves and wind, the old nokia phone ones sound abrupt and aggressive, perfect to grab your attention when detecting, you can get them on ebay for less than $10 a set.

I don't think the WM10 is bluetooth though.

 

[mbasko]

I don't think the WM10 is bluetooth though.

No none of the Minelab wireless units (WM10, WM12, ProSonic) are Bluetooth.
They still operate on a RF wireless system but it's Minelabs own proprietary system & each of them aren't compatible with the others or with Bluetooth so wireless headphones aren't really an option (although you could try a wireless TX sender from the headphone socket with a compatible wireless headset).
Minelab could make (or have made) wireless headphones or earbuds that are compatible with the WM10 system (or WM12 or ProSonic) though. I think they'd sell well if they were good quality ones?

 

[Trash]

In quiet parks I use the CTX internal speaker.

On the beach I use the WM10 with cheap earbuds due to the noise from waves and wind, the old nokia phone ones sound abrupt and aggressive, perfect to grab your attention when detecting, you can get them on ebay for less than $10 a set.

I don't think the WM10 is bluetooth though.

You are right Heatho , I have Bluetooth stuck in my head , I think ...?

 

[Trash]

I don't think the WM10 is bluetooth though.

No none of the Minelab wireless units (WM10, WM12, ProSonic) are Bluetooth.
They still operate on a RF wireless system but it's Minelabs own proprietary system & each of them aren't compatible with the others or with Bluetooth so wireless headphones aren't really an option (although you could try a wireless TX sender from the headphone socket with a compatible wireless headset).
Minelab could make (or have made) wireless headphones or earbuds that are compatible with the WM10 system (or WM12 or ProSonic) though. I think they'd sell well if they were good quality ones?

Thanks Mbasko

Agreed , you would think Minelab would be all over a wireless set up !

 

[Mackoutback]

Hi you guys,
At 66 and retired I've just bought my very first detector, a CTX3030. (I can't shoot and hunt as much as I used to, so I have a new hobby) It's been a steep learning curve for an old fart but its starting to come together, slowly. My main interest is parks etc. and occasionally getting to the beach.
I'm still working out how the Co and Fe Id number placement on the Pattern actually means something but the one thing I haven't quite got yet is how do you work out where the Tone ID profile and Pitch sections are placed and why?
I've buried some pre-decimal and decimal coins in my yard from 2" to 8" deep and some with rusty nails etc. to learn what things sound like and id. numbers they display.

I live in Toowoomba and it seems the soil here is quite mineralised as it's very crumbly and red and sticks to a magnet. ( Does that mean it's mineralised?)
Any help with some info. would be great.

How does Response, Recovery and Target Separation work together? Does one effect the other? Or do they work without effecting the other?
Being an old mechanic I want to understand how and why things work as this will help me learn more about detecting.

I've read the manual and Andy Sabisch's book a number of times but still would appreciate some practical help with modification to patterns and understand the reason for the modifications. Do any of you guys live around Toowoomba?

Cheers Bob.
PS I've never written on a forum or done a post before at all and I just realised this is on the Member Meet ups and not sure how to get to the right column!!!

 

[Heatho]

G'day Mack and welcome to the forum. To be honest I really think as a beginner on the CTX the stock standard programs are very good, the way I learnt to use the CTX was just with the stock programs and then after a while started changing a few settings such as the target separation settings and then enabling say the fast setting in trashy environments or enabling saltwater on the beach..

90% of the time I just use the standard coin setting for parks and on beaches just use the standard beach setting. I turn on the saltwater setting if I start getting false signals on the wet sand for instance. I also nearly always use the high trash target separation on beaches or parks with the fast setting enabled also. In saying this the ground I usually detect is quite benign, seeing you have mentioned that you are detecting quite mineralised ground then maybe changing to groung coin target separation could be an option worth investigating..

I pretty much always use auto sensitivity too as the detector will work out it's optimum gain for the ground it's running over. I never need to ground balance in the spots I detect but maybe you'll need to do that also in the iron rich ground you're hunting.

Factory reset is your friend too when making major setting adjustments, sometimes it's good to do one just to get back to standard before changing things again.

You'll get plenty of good info here and this is just basic stuff I've mentioned but it will hopefully help. There are a lot of good operators here and hopefully others will offer more info.

I've been using the CTX quite a while and can get into some complicated settings and editing of discrimination patterns but start of basic mate and work your way up to the more advanced stuff. The CTX is not difficult to use but can be confusing at first.

Combined target tones were my favourite for quite a long time too when I first started with it, ujust listen for the tones and you'll get used to what the numbers are telling you after a bit of practice.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[Sandta]

Gday Mack, welcome to the forum.
I did get your email, as it was in my spam folder , i wasnt sure if it was legit.
Sorry about that
Im pretty much the same as Heatho
I hunt mostly in the standard coin patern, i use 4 tones
You can adjust the pitch so that each of the 4 tones are noticeably / progressively different
Each coin(for example) will have a different id number, you can shift the pitch column to include the range of id numbers you want in it
That way you can tell by the tone what group of items you have detected then in time looking at the numbers on the screen you will have a pretty fair idea exactly what the item within the group is under your coil.
I also have a custom patern (like most people do) specifically for $1 & $2 coins.
The tatget seperation (ground coin? Is what i generaly use) i dont think makes any difference to detecting it just displays differently on the screen... I THINK.
I generally use auto , but will increase or decrease the sensitivity depending on conditions
Hope this helps , ive read it back to myself a couple of times and think it makes sense.
Have a play with the settings (you cant break anything) if you think youve over done it , do the factory reset and start again
When you are playing around ... do it outside the house , you will get too much interference inside

 

[ChrisD]

The soil in and around Toowoomba is a shocker and plays havoc with all detectors, even the mighty FBS/FBS2. Depth is the main casualty (expect to lose about 70%), and TIDs go out the window. The upside to this is that most detectorists give up and look for somewhere easier to detect. Toowoomba is a target rich environment, so if you can hang in there and persevere, follow the above advice, and do lots of target testing, youll do well.

 

[Mackoutback]

Thanks Guys,

Will continue using suggestions and comments, have half a jam jar of coins from parks in Toowoomba and Brissy, my grandson is hooked after finding a couple of
2 cent pieces in his backyard and a 5" rail spike in my driveway.

 

[Mackoutback]

Hi Guys,

I searched this topic without finding any info.

I recently bought a used CTX 3030 and was about to change coils with heavy fishing line attached to pull the cable back through. But before I fed the fishing line back into the shaft I had a look up inside with a torch and noticed a very sharp shoulder just inside the housing which could cause chafing with any movement of the cable or coil during use.
( Easy to feel with your finger )
With the use of a die grinder, dremel or careful use of a round file ( I used a die grinder ) I was able to smooth out the shoulder to prevent any further rubbing or chafing of the cable.
Not sure if mine was the only one but check it out.

Cheers Mack

 

[AngerManagement]

Common... If your talking about the bottom section of the shaft.

And if you fold the coil flat and the cable restraint bends over at a sharp angle ( of if already got a good bend in it) then that is where you will break the cable. Do not store flat and or with teh shafts fully extended.

Why on earth would you use fishing line to pull the coil through ? Have heard of this b4 but can see not logical reason other than to complicate things.

A slight stretch of the cable ( not needed after a good few uses) and away you go. Coil in the air and shaft fully in, give a gentle vertical bounce and the connector pops out and you grab and connect/screw on.

 

[AngerManagement]

Have a chat to David (from the Open Range) and he may be able to put you into contact with Simon ( Brisbane Metal Detecting Club member) as he is local and uses his CTX out that way a fair bit if I recall.

And remember every setting impacts on every thing... Some more than others.

But the biggest problem is YOU and trying to run before you can crawl...

Stick with the standard profiles and practice and practice on known targets in you yard etc... Then after you get good at calling a target and or depth... Change a setting and get to know the impact.

PS. If you get out of Toowoomba, lots of settings that may suit your area will be useless in another area. But if you understand teh basics... Easy to work out what to change.

OH. And get XChange2 installed - much easier to make audio changes and to test.

 

[Mackoutback]

Thanks AM,
Will check out the contact at The Open Range

 

[ro1ex]

Hi all,
Apologies if asked and answered before...

A mate of mine has just purchased a second hand CTX.
Unit is in great condition and looks like its almost new...but the screen has quite a discernible curve or dome to it whereas mine is flat.

Is this normal?
Perhaps the curvature is with newer machines than mine?

Thanks for your advice,

 

[Sandta]

Sounds like it was left in a hot car

 

[ro1ex]

Hmm...might have answered my own question....

https://www.minelab.com/support/product-notices?article=158326

Under Product Notices on the Minelab site:

A convex curvature of the CTX 3030 screen may be noticeably different from one machine to another.

Some variation in curvature is a normal part of the design and process when creating a watertight and water pressure resistant structure and is well within tolerance. It will not affect the display and should not affect your detecting experience.

As always, should you have any concerns with your Minelab product, please contact the Customer Care Centre at your nearest regional Minelab office.

Certainly makes it a bit challenging to put a screen protector on... :/

Cheers