saltwaterminer
Jr. Member
- Jul 15, 2013
- 41
- 11
- Detector(s) used
- Minelab CTX 3030
- Primary Interest:
- Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
Long story short... this is a GREAT all around machine. Just not a water MD that I personally trust.
NOW THE LONG VERSION...
The first 10 hours... pretty much ran everything on auto and on the beach and knee deep surf. Learning curve time...
The second 10 hours hours... began peeling back the layers of the programming and tuning the machine to the beach. Understanding the bonus of the GPS and trying to learn pinpointing. Found one gold/platinum wedding band!
The third ten hours... beaming with more confidence, I ran into an issue that plagues many owners of this unit. Got a small bead of water in the battery housing.
Overall view... This is a great piece of technology. Rate it a 10 on a scale of 10. Construction and durability I give it a 5.
First the negatives... Expect some drag and the machine seems to have some give in the construction when battling the surf. WAYYY to many sand traps on the screw heads latches and even along the battery seal.
Previously I had been running with the wireless headphones, covering the battery housing with a zip lock bag and multiple rubber bands. This had eliminated the most of the sand issues. When I got my gray ghost phones, I plugged in and went into the surf for about 10 minutes. Must have bumped a battery latch because when I got home it appeared to have no tension, though I didn't inspect it closely. Just a guess. Not sure if that was the culprit. Upon closer inspection, sand that I carefully avoided in previous outings (by unglamourously covering) made an appearance all along the seal and the oring.
Even in the surf, I was careful not submerge the battery housing except maybe a dunk here and there. I used my body to block oncoming waves. If I tripped the latch... well... that is user error plain and simple.
Had taken it out in the surf (pre- gray ghost headphones), and with my makeshift strapped down zip lock bag and going with out head phones and had no leak issue. Looking for a lost ring, without headphones in a noisy surf... waste of time.
That said, I will only use this for anything as a rainproof wet sand shallow surf metal detector. This is disappointing but when weighed against the positives is acceptable for me.
The positives... I should expand further but I'm just scratching the surface. After some trial and error Minelab it deserves applause and praise. I find the detector well balanced out of the water. Battery life is exceptional. The menus and layers of options are far more user friendly to me than a bunch of knobs and learning tones. I have a lot plans and uses for this machine on a couple of relic hunting trips I have planned. This was well worth the extra cost of the machine.
All in all... was it worth the $2000 I paid used for the machine and headphones I later added? That was my budget and looking back, I had considered stretching it for a new Excal2 and Sov GT.
I'm pleasantly surprised with the CTX 3030 and have no real regrets.
Conclusion... ALLLLL (but one) I have met, conversed with thru email and PM's, have had leak issues with the CTX 3030. It was frustrating, because yesterday I was in a good spot. I feared that extra foot of depth I needed and constant submersion, the modest surf conditions, would have doomed the CTX. Luckily I followed my gut or I might have killed the CTX.
After being away from detecting for several years and a past owner of an Excal and Sovereign... IF you can live with the limitations... this is a SOV on steroids. Rainproof, surf capable, with bells and whistles to die for and if used to their potential surpasses most machines. I don't regret my purchase.
Yeah, it sucks that I'll just have to save up for a dedicated water machine. I have some relic sites available to me and can't wait to expand upon the CTX's capabilities. This will be a nice dual purpose machine. Hopefully my wife will start detecting with me and I can justify the expense of an Excal2 as a backup or primary.
So far, only a nice dive watch and wedding band to show for my efforts. Certainly far from an expert. Have spent too much of the first 30 hours looking for other peoples lost jewelry and not focusing on reading the beach. Hoping the finds will increase in quantity and quality.
Good luck to you!
NOW THE LONG VERSION...
The first 10 hours... pretty much ran everything on auto and on the beach and knee deep surf. Learning curve time...
The second 10 hours hours... began peeling back the layers of the programming and tuning the machine to the beach. Understanding the bonus of the GPS and trying to learn pinpointing. Found one gold/platinum wedding band!
The third ten hours... beaming with more confidence, I ran into an issue that plagues many owners of this unit. Got a small bead of water in the battery housing.
Overall view... This is a great piece of technology. Rate it a 10 on a scale of 10. Construction and durability I give it a 5.
First the negatives... Expect some drag and the machine seems to have some give in the construction when battling the surf. WAYYY to many sand traps on the screw heads latches and even along the battery seal.
Previously I had been running with the wireless headphones, covering the battery housing with a zip lock bag and multiple rubber bands. This had eliminated the most of the sand issues. When I got my gray ghost phones, I plugged in and went into the surf for about 10 minutes. Must have bumped a battery latch because when I got home it appeared to have no tension, though I didn't inspect it closely. Just a guess. Not sure if that was the culprit. Upon closer inspection, sand that I carefully avoided in previous outings (by unglamourously covering) made an appearance all along the seal and the oring.
Even in the surf, I was careful not submerge the battery housing except maybe a dunk here and there. I used my body to block oncoming waves. If I tripped the latch... well... that is user error plain and simple.
Had taken it out in the surf (pre- gray ghost headphones), and with my makeshift strapped down zip lock bag and going with out head phones and had no leak issue. Looking for a lost ring, without headphones in a noisy surf... waste of time.
That said, I will only use this for anything as a rainproof wet sand shallow surf metal detector. This is disappointing but when weighed against the positives is acceptable for me.
The positives... I should expand further but I'm just scratching the surface. After some trial and error Minelab it deserves applause and praise. I find the detector well balanced out of the water. Battery life is exceptional. The menus and layers of options are far more user friendly to me than a bunch of knobs and learning tones. I have a lot plans and uses for this machine on a couple of relic hunting trips I have planned. This was well worth the extra cost of the machine.
All in all... was it worth the $2000 I paid used for the machine and headphones I later added? That was my budget and looking back, I had considered stretching it for a new Excal2 and Sov GT.
I'm pleasantly surprised with the CTX 3030 and have no real regrets.
Conclusion... ALLLLL (but one) I have met, conversed with thru email and PM's, have had leak issues with the CTX 3030. It was frustrating, because yesterday I was in a good spot. I feared that extra foot of depth I needed and constant submersion, the modest surf conditions, would have doomed the CTX. Luckily I followed my gut or I might have killed the CTX.
After being away from detecting for several years and a past owner of an Excal and Sovereign... IF you can live with the limitations... this is a SOV on steroids. Rainproof, surf capable, with bells and whistles to die for and if used to their potential surpasses most machines. I don't regret my purchase.
Yeah, it sucks that I'll just have to save up for a dedicated water machine. I have some relic sites available to me and can't wait to expand upon the CTX's capabilities. This will be a nice dual purpose machine. Hopefully my wife will start detecting with me and I can justify the expense of an Excal2 as a backup or primary.
So far, only a nice dive watch and wedding band to show for my efforts. Certainly far from an expert. Have spent too much of the first 30 hours looking for other peoples lost jewelry and not focusing on reading the beach. Hoping the finds will increase in quantity and quality.
Good luck to you!
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