Pinpointing with the CTX

scottabe

Greenie
Aug 8, 2013
12
59
South Australia
Detector(s) used
Minelab CTX3030, Minelab Etrac, Garrett Pro Pointer
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Hey guys, I recently bought a CTX and love it, my only issue(if you want to call it that) is that my pinpointer doesn’t seem to pinpoint perfectly. When you hit the peak tone and/or hit the bulleyes on the LCD is the target under the center of the coil or topside of the coil?
 

ChampFerguson/TN

Bronze Member
Nov 22, 2013
1,181
1,620
TN
Detector(s) used
Minelab Safari .......... Minelab Excalibur II ....... ........Minelab CTX 3030
Primary Interest:
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Mine is just toward me from the coil's center. BUT, I have read that it can vary from coil to coil. Just pay close attention to where yours hits on the next few targets. fwiw, I never watch the screen when pinpointing and go solely by the audio.

Of course, since you are down-under, everything I said has to be reversed or at least thought of upside down, or downside up depending on your perspective.
 

Jason in Enid

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Oct 10, 2009
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Very shallow targets are horrible for pinpointing. My recommendation is use the pinpoint switch to get the depth and the general location. Then use the "wiggle back" method. When you reach the spot where the target just appears at the front of the coil, it will be located in the notch.
 

cudamark

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As Champ mentioned, it will vary a bit from machine to machine. Usually peak tone is when the coil is centered over the target. To verify, back off slowly while (whilst?) swinging the coil. Once the target sound disappears, the item should be right in front of the coil.
 

cudamark

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Look like Jason beat me to the punch by a few seconds! :laughing7:
 

Jason in Enid

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Oct 10, 2009
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Look like Jason beat me to the punch by a few seconds! :laughing7:


yes.jpg
 

cudamark

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Actually, looking at the time stamp, he beat me by quite a bit! Strange.....when I first started to answer, his post wasn't there. It was only after I posted that it came up.....weird.
 

cudamark

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Another helpful way to check your pin pointing is to circle the coil around the target in a manner that will not set the machine off. Make the circle smaller and smaller until you can just barely do that with getting a response. This will help find the center of the signal and test the sensitivity of the coil out at the edges. Not real easy to do in a trashy area though!
 

Bart@Big Boys Hobbies

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Jul 24, 2005
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Very shallow targets are horrible for pinpointing. My recommendation is use the pinpoint switch to get the depth and the general location. Then use the "wiggle back" method. When you reach the spot where the target just appears at the front of the coil, it will be located in the notch.

I use the wiggle back or minelab wiggle on all my DD coils. Fastest and most accurate for me.
 

Geobound

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Feb 21, 2017
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Ontario
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I find the pinpoint to be bang on with every repeatable target, if however you've got an iffy target then it can wander some.

The wiggle back is something that I learned to do with my AT Pro and is very accurate. I've done it with the CTX 3030 as well when I'm unsure, and it works great.

Locate your target and wiggle the coil over it until the tone drops out......mentally mark the spot. Then turn 90 degrees and wiggle back again until the tone drops out.

The target should be at the tip of your coil (furthest from you), dead centre.

You don't have to do the 90 degree turn, but if you're having a hard time pinpointing, then I would give it a go.
 

DeepseekerADS

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Mar 3, 2013
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I use the wiggle back method as well. After using that method a bit you get used to doing it and it becomes automatic.

However, you can get some weird stuff depending on how the target will lay in the ground. Say it's tilted 45 degrees, it'll project the signal out in the direction of the tilt. But the wiggle back method will still nail it for you.
 

WaterScoop

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Sep 12, 2017
2,181
3,710
SW Washington
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Nox 800,
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All Treasure Hunting
Here is the best education I ever got on pinpointing with a CTX3030

Hope it helps you guys as well



this old Minelab video on Pinpoint and trace might help as well



73707FDE-173F-4341-B488-99B13F1C044B.jpeg
 

Geobound

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Feb 21, 2017
614
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Ontario
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Fisher CZ-21 (2019)
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Stealth 720i (BNIB)
Home made beach scoop
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Here is the best education I ever got on pinpointing with a CTX3030

Hope it helps you guys as well



this old Minelab video on Pinpoint and trace might help as well



View attachment 1541100



That first video is done extremely well.

That should help some people out that are having a hard time locating their targets.
 

WaterScoop

Bronze Member
Sep 12, 2017
2,181
3,710
SW Washington
Detector(s) used
Nox 800,
CTX 3030,
XP DEUS,
Excalibur II
Garrett AT Max,
Whites DFX,
Vanquish 540
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Nothing like a visual and audio to help you conceptually see
What you can not “see” when the coin is underground.

Cheers

D12A5E59-C1AE-480B-90A8-F93A732FA4F8.jpeg
 

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