What to buy Etrac or 3030

[getgoldct]

Looking for help from people who have used these detectors. I live in Connecticut and mostly hunt coins, but do hit the beaches when i get the chance. I have a minelab 705 and have had great luck with it, but would like to upgrade. I know the 3030 is more money but that is alright if it is a much better machine. I appreciate the help.

 

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[Jackalope]

The 3030 isn't any deeper, you can find the same things with the E-Trac. If you aren't going into the water there are detectors that do coin hunting equally well if not better. The FBS machines are not good at recovering low conductors such as thin rings and chains while other VLF detectors will hit these hard. If you are going into the water, even wading, you don't want a detector that isn't waterproof, which the 3030 is - so that would be a game changer.

I've used the E-Trac for many years and the CTX - for fields, parks, schools, relic hunting, etc. I'd be inclined to go with a cheaper and lighter single freq detector for general purpose detecting. Unless you have mineralized soil that is limiting depth and TID there are many detectors that would do fine in relatively benign soil. In mineralized soils the FBS machines are deeper and have better TID at depth. But most detectors can TID to 6" or so ... with some accuracy, it is just that beyond that they tend to register non-ferrous as ferrous as the depth increases. That is the advantage of the FBS machine design, it can properly ID non-ferrous deeper, especially high conductor like silver coins. But, most people just hunt the easy shallower stuff and you can get by with an Ace 250 and still be productive. It is only when you start digging deep for the older coins that the FBS becomes more important to the detectorist, especially in mineralized soils.

I upgraded to the CTX because it is waterproof - the E-Trac worked just fine. But it is reassuring to know a sudden rainstorm is not going to damage your detector (I used to wrap the E-Trac screen in a clear baggie). I also detect now snorkeling and in the saltwater ... so in that case the E-Trac isn't even a possibility. Also, if you are determined to get either the CTX or E-Trac, the CTX is better balanced. The E-Trac's poor ergonomics will hurt your arm after several hours (I hunted for 8 hours with it many times but you had to switch hands occasionally to keep the arm from cramping up). The CTX feels much lighter, even though it isn't (so if you are going hunt for long periods the CTX will be more comfortable).

Again, if you don't need the specialized skills of an FBS machine or waterproof design, there are dozens of great machines that are very deep (deeper than the FBS machines in mild soil) and have better target sensitivity, and are much lighter and cheaper. The key is to do your research and avoid the hype (which is very thick when it comes to detectors). Most any detector in the $600 range (new) would work - more money doesn't mean more depth, just more add-ons and things you'll never use or need.

Lastly, I would recommend you buy used ... you can get that same $600 detector for half that ... most people are eternally on a quest for that magic detector. You can get a good deal ... just be sure the detector hasn't been damaged (by water or the owner). And just remember, if you don't like whatever you buy ... sell it (but give it a fair shake first). You aren't married to a detector. If you buy used and sell it a year later ... you won't lose much, if anything, and now you're just that much smarter about detectors and will probably make a better decision the next time you buy.

 

[Mach1Pilot]

Ive hunted extensively with both... 4 years on the Etrac and more recently the CTX 3030 along with others. Here's my take on it.

You know the obvious differences... one is waterproof, has GPS, balance differences, etc. I'll skip those for now and focus on the performance side of things.

I don't know of any machine that IDs targets better than a CTX 3030. The Etrac was really good at ID.. you know when there's iron under the coil. That's also true with the CTX 3030 - but improved. On the Etrac the conductive number and corresponding tone (assuming hunting in conductive tones) was generally stable over a good target, whereas the ferrous number bounced quite a bit. On the CTX 3030, when its set up properly both the ferrous and the conductive numbers are stable. This allows for the use of the target trace and target trace pinpoint features of the CTX 3030. These two tools give a graphical representation of the type of target the machine thinks is under the coil. You can even see multiple targets under the coil at the same time... this to me is a great feature not found on the Etrac. Is it absolutely needed? Nope, but it makes target ID easier and faster.

Also the recovery speed is quite a bit faster on the CTX 3030. Its not as fast as many machines on the market, but in comparing the two in question its noticeably quicker than the Etrac. Also there is a target ID mode called combined which is not available on the Etrac... it allows you to run a much more wide open discrimination pattern while at the same time the target ID of iron trash is instant.

I'll also mention that in both machines the ground balance is automatic.. but is adjustable on the CTX 3030. Ive tested it in my super hot Culpeper VA test garden soil, and found that with the GB enabled on the CTX 3030 (you can turn it off for neutral soils, and its recommended that you do so) I was able to gain about 2" in depth on a civil war minie ball. So, if you hunt mineralized soils there will be a performance advantage to the CTX3030.


One thing you shouldn't overlook though is the availability of coils for each machine. With the CTX 3030 you get four... the stock Minelab 11", a Minelab 6", a Minelab 17"x13" and a Coiltek 10"x5". That's all that is available to the market as of today. They all work well, but are pricey...

With the Etrac there are a bunch of aftermarket coils available, ranging from small to large, open to closed, waterproof to non.... you get the picture. Plus, these are much cheaper than those for the CTX 3030, especially on the used side.

Bottom line is this. There are quite a few improvements on the CTX 3030 as compared to the Etrac. But either machine is very capable.... you need to decide if the extra features are worth it for your type of hunting.

Hope this helps.

 

[MrMikeJackie]

Do yourself a favor and get the CTX3030. And yes it hits small gold, big time.

 

[masterjedi]

There is more profit margin on a CTX 3030... I hope you guys and gals can figure this out... Both are great detectors... Also there are a lot of fake CTX's out there. Be sue if you buy one you run the serial numbers through Minelab..
Gary from Oregon...

 

[Pointman]

I agree with the speed difference that Keith mentions. I used the CTX in a contest hunt and did pretty good, even though it isn't a good choice because it is slow. I did a great job of pinpointing targets that others had missed. The only reason why I used the CTX was because I had the elliptical coil and I required something to work through the stubble. The target ID is the best I have used on a machine like Keith said and I can pinpoint targets where other machines can't seem to lock with the CTX.

Any of the dealers on TNET are great to deal with, but I would call them first for a price and for picking their brain.

 

[jhen999]

Both the 3030 and the e-trac are vary good machines, I had both, for me it came down to the 3030 having options that I would never use, and I was finding things just as deep with the e-trac, I couldn't see having that kind of money tied up in a machine that didn't do anymore for me than the e-trac did for the kind of hunting I do. If I was a water hunter I would have stayed with the 3030.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I have both right now, except the Etrac is still in Minelab's repair shop.

I'll post the two negatives I see:

1-A) On the Etrac, the target ID FE-CO numbers display immediately.

1-B) On the CTX, there is a bit of delay in displaying the FE-CO numbers, which is a tiny bit of frustration for me.

2) The CTX is submersible - BUT with some complexity in leakage. (There are several threads pertaining to this on here)

- If I had purchased the CTX with the intent on water hunting I would be pretty disappointed in the modifications I'd have to make myself to ensure no leakage. So I view this as a negative - the things you don't know. The headphone connection is an M12-8 Pin connector and only two headphones available on the market accommodate that = $150 & $175 with very bad review on sound quality. The headphone 1/4" jack is NOT waterproof.

Positives = it took me a bit to figure out pinpointing on the Etrac. Pinpointing on the CTX is pretty easy. Another positive is that I picked up the CTX used, still under warranty, and it was much less expensive. Otherwise I would not have bought it.

Hope this helps....

 

[Fletch88]

There is more profit margin on a CTX 3030... I hope you guys and gals can figure this out... Both are great detectors... Also there are a lot of fake CTX's out there. Be sue if you buy one you run the serial numbers through Minelab..
Gary from Oregon...

I thought only the GPX had been counterfeited. Never heard of the ctx being copied.

 

[masterjedi]

I thought only the GPX had been counterfeited. Never heard of the ctx being copied.

Fletch88... go to Minelab's website and search counterfeit... It's on their own site... Lots of fake CTX's...

 

[TheCaribbeanDigger]

Ok I've read this thread by now. I have more or less the same question regarding the Etrac. I have an ATP but wanted to try minelab! I was thinking of getting one or possibly a used Safari. There both FBS and only a few differences between them. But, what other machine could go deeper than the 2 previously mentioned machines? I have a couple of sites that I know the good old targets are deeper. So let me know what ya'll think?