Sold my AT PRO

[bottlecap]

As the title of this thread suggests I sold my AT PRO in search of a new challenge and hopefully a step up, I have my sights set on getting a Minelab CTX 3030. Have any of you gone from an AT Pro to a CTX? If so what were some of the firsts things you noticed a difference in? Maybe some of you had something similar to an AT Pro and noticed a drastic change when you got your CTX? I liked my AT Pro quite a bit however I had some issues with it while water detecting, at certain spots it seemed quite chattery and unreliable, signals would be broken, just dirty, this happened in wet sand, dry sand, and in the water, this was in FRESH water so not sure what the issue was, iron maybe? Anyways I guess this thread isn't intended to solve my AT Pro issues but to discuss the ADVANTAGES of the CTX! Everyone's 2 cents welcome, why is the CTX so sweet? Thanks for reading!

 

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[Mach1Pilot]

When customers ask why pick up brand X vs brand Y, it usually generates a short discussion that goes something along the lines of the following few sentences. Its my belief for most general hunting conditions that once you step up to the level of ground balancing machines, the depth abilities start to even out between most brands. If you have several machines with similar coil sizes and similar frequencies in the same hunting conditions you will get similar performance depth wise. Will they be exactly the same? Well no... but it will be close. But I don't believe raw depth should always be the factor to use when picking a detector in most cases.

Moving to discrimination is where you will see a vast difference between the machines across the price range. What I see between the brands is the higher priced machines have a more refined target ID than the lower priced machine. You will find most of the time the accuracy of the identification of the target before you open the hole is higher when using a more expensive machine. This is what you pay for in many cases.... And - each manufacturer has their way of telling you what is under the coil. Some machines are more audio driven - you have to listen for the difference. Some are visual driven - in that you have to look at the screen to interpret what is under the coil.

This all being said, how does it apply to your question? Here's my take on it.

The AT Pro is a great machine for the money. Probably one of the best "bang for the buck" machines out there. But the CTX 3030 is different in a lot of ways...

Depth wise, there will be situations where the two machines are equal, depending on the circumstances. But there also will be cases where the CTX 3030 will be deeper - primarily due to the multi-frequency technology (FBS2). There are lots of places where having the multiple frequencies will net you targets not seen by other machines.

But discrimination is where most of the difference is found - the CTX 3030 gives you far more information than the AT Pro. The two level Ferrous-Conductive target ID (shared with the Etrac and Explorer) makes the identification of junk so much easier for many people. Iron and junk gravitate toward the bottom of the screen.... the rusty high tone iron targets you found with the AT Pro will also show as a high-conductive target on the CTX - BUT have also have a high number on the Ferrous side... versus a coin will may have a lower ferrous number with the same conductive number. The two number method is simply more refined than the AT Pro's system. When you hit the trashy spots, good targets are much easier to ID on the CTX3030 due to features called target trace and target trace pinpoint. They give you the ability to "see" multiple targets under the coil at the same time... you will see the nail beside the coin - they show up individually on the screen even if you only hear one blended sound. And the target ID is more accurate at depth on the CTX 3030 than any machine I've ever used. Perfect? - No - but very very good for sure.

Other notes - having a threshold is something you will find helps a lot in getting the deepest of targets... and the auto sensitivity will make the CTX 3030 silky smooth in most situations. The chattery conditions you described will be a thing of the past unless you run manual sensitivity beyond normal settings..

Before this thread runs its course I'm sure there will be quite a few people who say the CTX 3030 is better, and some that say you should have kept the AT Pro. It just seems to happen that way. But in my opinion most who opt to make the switch to the CTX 3030 are happy with the change.

 

[bottlecap]

very well written and very informative, thanks for the great information! I am not actually terribly concerned with depth so the advantages you describe are perfect. I remember when I bought my AT Pro one of my main concerns was depth, not so much anymore, ever recovered a target on a soccer field or park that was 10 inches deep? Lol. I don't want to be digging holes to China, I am much more concerned with a machine giving me as much information as possible about a target and it sounds like the CTX does this. The beach detecting really baffled me with the AT Pro, I have talked to people who say they don't have any problems but there was just something off especially on wet sand, signals were just "dirty" and far from being reliable, again this was fresh water so no clue what the issue was, either way if a CTX cleans that up that would be awesome.

 

[patiodadio]

I would love to have a CTX 3030 but I just don't have the $$$ right now. I really love my ATPro and never had any trouble searching fresh water beaches.

 

[Mach1Pilot]

Were your issues with the AT Pro specific to only one beach, or did this occur over every wet sand area you encountered?

 

[Pointman]

I think Keith with Fort Bedford did well in summing up some of the particular strengths with the CTX. I feel it is a superior machine for identifying items because of the dual Ferrous and Conductivity readings that it gives. I can almost always guess what is is under the coil before I dig as a result. No doubt the CTX identifies better than any other machines that I have used. I also like the CTX rather than the AT Pro (I have both) because I am able to see the readings much easier than the AT Pro. Like Keith said, for the money the AT Pro has a lot to offer, but the CTX is a whole different detector and it would have somewhat of a learning curve going to it over most other machines, but I feel in 6-8 outings it will become second nature.

 

[beerguy]

I have never used an AT pro, but I just got a CTX on Friday and the above post is right on.

Super accurate ID info = way more productive time in the field.

 

[bottlecap]

Were your issues with the AT Pro specific to only one beach, or did this occur over every wet sand area you encountered?

It wasn't every area of wet sand just specific places but I never knew what places they would be until I showed up to hunt it of course! Some were fine, it's almost like it was falsing, kind of hard to explain. One of the most frustrating things for me was the most popular beach I hunted with the best chance at finding anything was one of the places it always acted up. Like I said the signals were really broken, and of course I was trying to dig everything including the lower gold type sounds but I had so many weird signals I feel like I missed some stuff. I did all of my water hunting at night with a headlight on after all the crowds had left for the day.

 

[RobRieman]

It wasn't every area of wet sand just specific places but I never knew what places they would be until I showed up to hunt it of course! Some were fine, it's almost like it was falsing, kind of hard to explain. One of the most frustrating things for me was the most popular beach I hunted with the best chance at finding anything was one of the places it always acted up. Like I said the signals were really broken, and of course I was trying to dig everything including the lower gold type sounds but I had so many weird signals I feel like I missed some stuff. I did all of my water hunting at night with a headlight on after all the crowds had left for the day.

Let us know how the 3030 acts on the same spots, should be night and day.

 

[Mach1Pilot]

It wasn't every area of wet sand just specific places but I never knew what places they would be until I showed up to hunt it of course! Some were fine, it's almost like it was falsing, kind of hard to explain. One of the most frustrating things for me was the most popular beach I hunted with the best chance at finding anything was one of the places it always acted up. Like I said the signals were really broken, and of course I was trying to dig everything including the lower gold type sounds but I had so many weird signals I feel like I missed some stuff. I did all of my water hunting at night with a headlight on after all the crowds had left for the day.

This sounds like the kind of place where a multi-frequency machine will shine. What you were experiencing was quite possibly variations in the mineralization of the sand.

As Rob mentioned, if you go back with a 3030 your experience will quite likely be much more positive.

 

[bottlecap]

Chances are I won't be hitting those beaches again because I have since moved but I might have to drive back just to see how it compares! I also have a couple of questions about the CTX. I have seen there are a variety of sounds you can pick or something of that nature, does this mean you can make it sound more like a beep tone and less like you are using something an alien invented? What exactly is the two level target ID? Does this mean it will tell you if there are two targets under your coil or it's giving you two numbers for the same target or what? Sorry if it's a dumb question but I am trying to understand why this is so huge.

 

[Mach1Pilot]

There are a couple of neat features that most people like or just downright love. One is the graphical target ID that uses the two number system. With this system the first number is a Ferrous number, the second a Conductive number. To keep this simple, the conductive number is from 1-50, and works similiar to what you are used to with the AT Pro... Good silver coins are higher numbers and lower conductive targets are lower numbers. The conductive number is both graphically represented on the screen laterally from left to right on the CTX 3030 and as the second number displayed on the target ID.

However instead of simply displaying the iron targets as the lowest of numbers on a conductor scale like the AT Pro, the CTX displays the probability of the target being iron in a radically different way. The 3030 will show a target that it thinks is iron by dropping the target both to the bottom of the screen graphically, and by displaying the first number as a high number. If it thinks the target is less likely to be iron, this Ferrous number will be much lower. Coins for example will rise up the screen and normally display as a 12 on the ferrous number. Rusty iron usually drops to the 33-35 range.

Case examples: A quarter will usually read 12-46 on the CTX, with the 12 being the ferrous component and the 46 being the conductive component. A bent nail will often have the same conductive reading, but have a much higher ferrous readout and this read very near the bottom of the screen displaying a 35-46. In this case you would know to ignore the nail and dig the quarter simply because the ferrous number told you the target was likely desirable or undesirable. If you went only by a conductive number like most machines on the market, you would end up digging both targets.


This all being said, the CTX 3030 has the ability to graphically represent two targets at the same time - they are shown as two target IDs simultaneously. You often will get BOTH the 12-46 and the 35-46 on the screen at the same time. In that case expect both a nail and a coin to emerge from the hole. I haven't seen anyone who didn't like that.


Finally- the tones you hear are customizable, and the simple answer is yes - you can change the tones to suit what works best for you. You can set it up to have one tone, two tones, four tones, or multiple tones that is a gradual variation across or down the screen.....and within each method the audible tone of a specific level can be can be customized. This may sound complex, but in reality for most people once you find the setting you like, it doesn't get changed.

Hope that helps!

 

[bottlecap]

Extremely helpful info thanks for taking the time to explain that! Sounds like a machine with some awesome features! I have just heard so much about the CTX and all of the options, the customization you can do with programming so on and so forth, guess my point is that I am not the most high tech guy and some of this intimidates me a little. I just ended up feeling so hopeless last year detecting, being in Mn we don't really have a ton of history so I focused more on modern treasure like jewelry, occasionally I would go on a clad run and dig the crap out of the pocket change but I spent A LOT of time detecting last summer, I basically went every day after work, then all day every weekend and didn't have any super notable finds, found a couple silver dimes and a few silver rings, that was about it. I know you can't find something that's not under your coil but you think you'd luck out occasionally and get a gold ring or maybe a silver coin, the only silver coins I found were both in a private yard I obtained permission to detect, there is very little in the lines of old coins in any public places around here. I realize a "better" detector will not make gold rings magically appear but at least I would know I had the best tool for the job. I dug so many targets last year it was unreal, I only cherry picked occasionally when I only had an hour or so to detect and wanted at least a buck in change for my limited time. I think I may need to just travel a bit on the weekends to get away from the metro area and away from areas most of the others folks detecting are. I am way the hell off topic here but I think maybe a new detector would be a lot of fun to learn, and I think it's always fun getting a new toy for a hobby, gives ya a renewed sense of hope and determination.

 

[ctalmadg]

I still have been using my old Quicksilver CZ-7a Fisher....been a great machine and it goes deep... Figured it was time to get something new. Ordered a 3030 - Can't wait for spring.

 

[bottlecap]

I still have been using my old Quicksilver CZ-7a Fisher....been a great machine and it goes deep... Figured it was time to get something new. Ordered a 3030 - Can't wait for spring.

Awesome hope you enjoy it!

 

[FloridaNature]

I too have an AT PRO & would one day like a "better: detector and I know Minelab CTX 3030 is right up there.

My question is what are the cons of a Minelab CTX 3030? Is there anything that have driven people away from them?

Thanks,
FloridaNature

 

[Keppy]

I too have an AT PRO & would one day like a "better: detector and I know Minelab CTX 3030 is right up there.

My question is what are the cons of a Minelab CTX 3030? Is there anything that have driven people away from them?

Thanks,
FloridaNature

The price of them why do you want to pay that much $$$ for a detector that is a coin detector when one that will do the same thing for $500.00 to a $1000.00 .... You are going to spend that much so you can find nickles , dimes & quarters ? .. I can see spending big $$$ for a detector if you hunt deep water or are a prospector .. Then it is worth the money , But to spend that much to be a coin hunter is plain crazy .. When i see ones spending that much for a detector and are coin hunters i think they are nut's.........

 

[Keppy]

And if you are hunting salt water beaches keep your AT Pro for inland and get yourself a multi freq. detector or a PI detector for beaches and you will save a lot of money

 

[Pointman]

My cons list for the CTX omitting the price. I had to stretch to get more than 5.

1.Heavier weight
2. Harder to find covers for the ENTIRE machine
3. Display is hard to see in bright light with all the covers I've tried.
4. It will eat through alkaline batteries, so don't count on using those.
5. Not many aftermarket coils to choose from.
6. There are tons of crevices to clean on this machine. Takes longer to get it cleaner for more than just a hose off.
7. Accessories are pricey even for a Minelab ($175 for a lower shaft)
8. A little bulky to stow. Having the ability to retract the shaft helps, but the CTX will not fit a standard bag.
9. Bit of a learning curve to use, but once set up, it is much easier than some of the more sophisticated machines.
10. Changing out the lower shaft or coil is a bit tricky.
11. There are some issues with the older style arm cuff and O-ring, but seem fixed on the newest design.
12. For the size if the 17" coil, it seems it should go deeper. Its real strength is coverage.I wouldn't say it gives more than a 2-3" depth increase over the stock coil with a VID reading.
13. I can't think of too many more things to complain about.

 

[jagchaser]

I upgraded from an at pro to a ctx last fall. I had time for one hunt before the ground froze up, but I hadn't even had time to test it out. Took it to a park where I had only ever found clad. Literally the second plug I dug had a merc at 7". Could have been luck, but there was a nail in the same plug.

This month I have found twice as much silver as I found all of last year. Still not definitive, but I don't feel like I have it mastered yet either.

Last week I took both machines to hunt a yard with the owner. He used the at pro and spotted a few clad quarters, and pointed out a couple spots for me to test. The at pro had signals I would have dug, but when I put the ctx on them it was obvious they were trash. CTX found a rosy and a merc in his yard that the at pro couldn't pick up.

I cant wait to see what happens after I get 500 hours in on this thing.