Minelab CTX 3030? A "TRUE" Waterproof Detector?

[detectit]

Any thoughts on the NEW kid on the block -CTX 3030? Is the reading depth that big of a deal compared to the Ecal II? I want to water hunt, mainly. I want a unit that will last, and last. As anyone does. A good water/land combo unit would be ideal. With the 10' depth of the CTX 3030 Minelab, is it really a TRUE waterproof "WATER" detector? Or a great, water resistant, swallow water/land unit? I dive, and that's not much pressure. The use would be, of course, swallow water wading use only. You wouldn't DARE go further. But...later, after the warranty expires, and the unit is older, is this still going to be a good option for the money? Will it TAKE the pressure later? Is this scaring to some others, or just me? A person could HAVE two Excal's!

 

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[mr etrackr]

I look at it this way,, i bought the etrac , explorer II, with gold found with the excall. I just ordered the ctx this afternoon with gold as well. so with that said,, cost isnt a factor. and as what was said if you get out and hunt it will pay for itself. oh by the way i had called in my order and as i was about done i asked for a military discount. and to my surprise minelab gives a 15% military discount!! a savings of a bit over $370 on my order. sure glad i asked!!

 

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[lookindown]

I think the best advantage would be only having to learn one detector. Even bouncing back and forth between my sand shark and my whites beach hunter ID throws me for a loop. Plus i would like to start doing more land detecting, adding more confusion. Plus after being blown up a few times my tone recognition is not all that great, so I am thinking the 3030's screen will give me a big advantage over an excall. So that is why I am saving all my clad/pocket change/ and my "stripper fund" (not actually a stripper fund, i take all the 1s out of my wallet every night and throw it in my dresser, after a few weeks it looks like a tip drawer), once i have more then half saved up I will make the jump and purchase it. Plus I am interested to see what other coils minelab, and coiltek will be producing for it.

I think the 3030 will be great for anyone who doesn't just detect in the same conditions all the time. We have already seen people pull up gold, and great artifacts. Minelab is not known to make junky detectors, I still have marines that swear by the F3 (no longer used by the Marine Corps). In my mind, it is doing what the AT-Pro was supposed to be, an All Terrain detector.

Are you saying the AT PRO is not an all terrain detector?

 

[SneadsFerryMD]

From what i heard it, the AT-Pro and salt water do not get along so well.

 

[lookindown]

From what i heard it, the AT-Pro and salt water do not get along so well.

On Florida West coast beaches it works good, but Ive heard people from other states say it was unstable on their beaches. Very important to get feedback from people in the areas you plan to use a detector. I see big arguments over detectors with people saying it does or doesnt do certain things well. A lot of times they are both right, they are just using the machines in different ground conditions. A detector dont work the same everywhere.

 

[U.K. Brian]

Plain fact is if your sold an all terrain detector it should work all all terrains. The AT-Pro is of little use on the main beaches where I detect but then so is the Blisstool which is also being hyped as a super tool. The one major thing that sold Minelabs BBS and FBS machines in the past was that you could go to a different area and be fairly certain they would be useable and the 3030 will carry on in that tradition. I don't want extra toys that could go wrong so its not going to be for me but its going to have many fans.

 

[MBbeachrat]

I don't want extra toys that could go wrong so its not going to be for me but its going to have many fans.

Are you sure of that. I look at all the detectors you have and don't believe you. lol

Minelab has the fix out for shut down problem. It was a software problem. Maybe I will only wait a couple months now?

 

[mad4wrecks]

Gary Drayton has posted some good information here:

Basic CTX 3030 shallow water hunting tips | Treasure Talk

 

[mswarbrick]

A month ago I traded in my Etrac for the CTX 3030, so I’ll throw my 2 cents in. I’ve never used an Excal so I can’t compare. I hear the Excal is awesome. However I think I can dispel some of the criticisms of the CTX…

I am using mine in exclusively fresh water, so I cannot comment on how it is in the salt. But in freshwater I would say this is an awesome water machine, for the following reasons:

SIMPLICITY: Some have said that in the water simpler is better and that the CTX is a bit complex. Although the machine can be technical, that is only the case if you want it to be. In the water you do need simple and easy. I set up my discrimination pattern in the Xchange2 software on my laptop, configure my sounds – and that’s something that is so cool about this machine, that you can set the tones anyway you like. I set my high probability (for gold) to sound a low tone and a bit higher tone for less probable gold and then set a high sound for silver. Then I mask out what I don’t want to hear at all. I send that program to the detector and I’m set to go. When I get in the water I never have to look at the screen. I know by the tones if I want to dig it. Today at a lake I got that nice low tone and scooped a nice 14 K gold band with 11 diamonds. Never did look at the screen. I still don’t know what the numbers where, but I know it was between 1 and 10 conductive by the tone.

RUGGED: I have not babied this machine at all. I’ve been in Lake Michigan with waves body slamming me and knocking me off my feet. When I scoop I just toss the detector in the water next to me. I’ve been in the muddy Mississippi and a number of dirty swimming holes. I’ve run this detector completely submerged at least half the time. No leaks, no problems. Once I knocked it off a high table and it slammed to the concrete. A slight abrasion on the side, but it still works fine. By the way the machine is balanced so well it feels very light. In the water it is neutrally buoyant. Even with the big coil it feels weightless and it doesn’t float. You don’t have to push it down to keep it on the bottom.

DEPTH: The sensitivity to gold and the depth on this machine is amazing. In air tests it is hotter on gold than on coins, getting 3 or 4 more inches on a small gold ring than on a quarter. The stock coil gives a solid signal on a gold coin at 11 inches and can still see it at 14. I have the 17 inch coil on mine and that’s what I use in the water. With that coil I get a solid signal at 16 inches and can still read the ring at 18 inches. In the water, I can detect a nickel at 18 inches through water. This is with sensitivity at 25. In the water I have found I can push the sensitivity to max at 30 and not have any trouble, as once the coil is under water it is greatly shielded from electromagnetic interference.

DISCRIMINATION: The discrimination is second-to-none. You can accept or reject whatever you want and create your own patterns and quickly switch to them in the water. When hunting the Mississippi I found it was a carpet of trash. I switched to my high discrimination pattern. Without that I would have been digging junk all day. In a clean lake, I can use a pattern that is more open. It is great fun to study what numbers rings and junk come in at and play the odds with different patterns.

BELLS AND WHISTLES: I didn’t think I would need the built in GPS until I was in Lake Michigan at night and realized after zigzagging 200 yards though the lake, that my $160 scoop was no longer tethered to me. I clicked the GPS button and my zigzag path was on the screen. I started backtracking, watching the little man on the screen to make sure I stayed in my same path. It took me right back to my scoop! The new GPSI is incredibly accurate. Two steps one way or the other and the screen shows you have moved. If you want to grid out an area, and not miss a spot, this will make it easy.

COST: Lots of complaints out there about the price. It is expensive. So what. It’s pulling gold and diamonds out of the lake for me and is well on its way to paying for itself after only a few weeks. If you want something bad enough you find a way. I sold my old pickup, traded in my Etrac and I’m not looking back!

The machine is not perfect. But there are a few things you can do to make it so…

Headphones - If you decide to get one for the water you should figure on buying the Grey Ghost aftermarket waterproof earphones. The ones that come with it are not water proof and the machine itself is not water proof with them plugged in. I thought I could use the wireless, but I found that is a no-go in the water. If you plug in earphones to the wireless unit, as soon as the screen of the machine is an inch under water you loose the wireless signal, so that is useless in the water. I have heard that the Minelab wireless earphones are not loud enough. The Grey Ghost waterproof earphones work perfectly and with those plugged in the whole unit is water proof. So figure on spending an extra $160 or so on the waterproof earphones if you want it to be a true water machine.

Big Coil - If you want insane depth you can get the 17 inch coil.

Glare on the screen. The screen is brightly lit and is beautiful at night and can be seen several inches under the water. But in the daytime, the screen is impossible to see in direct sunlight. Go online and spend 15 bucks and get the NuShield antiglare screen-protector. It totally fixes the problem of glare so you can see the screen in bright sunlight. By the way the detector comes with a thin film of plastic on the screen that you cannot see is there. Take it off. If you don’t the screen visibility is even worse. I see lots of youtube videos of the CTX and I can see by the rainbow banding they have not removed this piece of plastic. I did not discover this myself until I had used the machine for a week.

Pin Pointing: Even with the big coil I have no problem pinpointing. However the pinpoint button is in a hard place to reach and in the water it was really difficult. I cut a deep well socket in half, zip-tied it to the handle. Now I only have to squeeze the handle when I want to pinpoint.

I hope this helps anyone out there considering the CTX as a water machine. My dealer told me if I got the CTX I’d never be sorry and he was right.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

mswarbrick welcome to TreasureNet.........Nice post on CTX thanks....

 

[Born2Dtect]

I can compare the EXP II, Etrac, Excal II, and CTX-3030. I have them all . I know I will get a few discouraging remarks but here it goes. I also had a Quattro. Sold the Quattro, which I liked and got EXP II. Fell in love with it, used it for a few years. Had to get an Etrac, love it. Was it better than the EXP II? Yes for the most part, only I did miss the icons on the EXP II. Got an Excal II for Christmas last year, along with a harness, scoop and surf boots. I love it, really easy to use, enjoyed every trip to the beach. I am still learning to water detect. Then got the CTX-3030, saw an offer I could not resist, CTX-3030 wireless version with Grey Ghost water headphones and a Garret ProPointer. So far I love it. I have not been disappointed with either Minelab. They are all a little different, take a little learning but work well. I am still learning the CTX-3030 and getting used to water detecting , which will also take a while.

Ed D.