CTX acting erratically

[PAScott]

So my machine is about 3 years old. Have loved it and used it about 2x a week for past 3 years. It has started to be very erratic. Tones and ID numbers start going crazy. Hard to pick out a good signal. Some ares isn’t he lake see worse then others. By turning off And on I can sometimes get it to settle for a little. Ground balance doesn’t do much nor does sound elimination.

Took off and cleaned coil cover and reset machine. No luck. Any ideas? Or do I need to send it in? Only have the one coil.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

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[PAScott]

Wow no ideas from anyone?

 

[sube]

Seems like a loose wire or bad connection try spraying all your connections with electric parts cleaner i don't think it's the coil.
Try running ground coin and noise cancel often ? . sube

 

[PAScott]

Thanks Sube. I will give it a try. Irving else has worked.

 

[cudamark]

Buy or borrow another coil and retest.

 

[PAScott]

Thanks cudamark! Thought about that but would rather not spend the money if that’s not it. Probably would be good to have a different coil or two anyway. Right now I can’t get the control box cable reconnected. Doesn’t seem to want to go in far enough or screw on. So maybe there was already a problem there. I’m about to give up and send it in.

 

[PAScott]

Took it apart and had one hell of a time getting the control box cable to screw back in. However it seemed to be running smooth for a quick 30. Minute test drive.

 

[bklein]

Try setting the time, then turn it off and back on again after awhile and see if the time is correct. Mine has a coincell battery inside drain down every year or two. The detector acts screwy when its low. Like right now. :-(

 

[metaldiggr]

What part of PA you in? I have the original and the 17". We could try one if you're close.

I was detecting by a cell tower the other day and my ctx was off the chart with falsing.

 

[mike b]

check for corrosion on the battery

 

[bklein]

On mine that control box cable got cut by the sharp edges of the box plastic and hard turns the cable has to make. I took it out, repaired the cut wire, and wrapped kevlar string around it so it will hold up going forward.

 

[PAScott]

What part of PA you in? I have the original and the 17". We could try one if you're close.

I was detecting by a cell tower the other day and my ctx was off the chart with falsing.

Hi metaldiggr sorry I haven’t checked this lately. I’m from the Eastern part of PA around the Reading are. Thanks for reaching out and the offer to help. I had originally thought the issue was fixed after the initial 30 minute test run, but it was acting crazy again the next two or three times I went out. I’ve been using my old AT Pro since.

 

[PAScott]

check for corrosion on the battery

Battery looks clean. Thanks for the idea.

 

[PAScott]

On mine that control box cable got cut by the sharp edges of the box plastic and hard turns the cable has to make. I took it out, repaired the cut wire, and wrapped kevlar string around it so it will hold up going forward.

Thanks for the suggestion bklein. Not seeing any damaged cable though.

 

[PAScott]

Try setting the time, then turn it off and back on again after awhile and see if the time is correct. Mine has a coincell battery inside drain down every year or two. The detector acts screwy when its low. Like right now. :-(

I still need to try this. Battery may not be the cheapest fix but is definitely correctable easily enough. Sorry to hear yours is draining.

 

[pepperj]

Try setting the time, then turn it off and back on again after awhile and see if the time is correct. Mine has a coincell battery inside drain down every year or two. The detector acts screwy when its low. Like right now. :-(

Do you replace the battery yourself-or send it in?

Just thinking that I tossed mine in the corner of the storage back some 5 yrs now. Died-sent in-recieved it back and it died soon after before even using it. Now I'm wondering if a simple internal battery would do the fix.

 

[bklein]

I’ve done it myself 3 times now. Just go slow and note how the boards slide in the control box enclosure’s slots on the sides. Not everyone stocks the battery, I ended up getting 5 from Amazon - Toshiba CR1220.
You might as well get a can of De-Oxit and use cotton swabs to clean all connectors/connections. Good stuff.

 

[metaldiggr]

I just got my CTX back from the repair shop. I was having the same issue as yours. They replaced the "Interface PCB". Mine wouldn't hit anything below 6", the deeper the object the crazier the display was. The service tech wrote that my unit wouldn't ground balance. They tried my coils on they test unit and the coils were fine.

 

[Frankyg]

I had the same thing with my CTX where I got lots of chatter on a site that I had been detecting on for years. I thought it was a problem with the machine but it turned out to be caused by new 4G overhead cables nearby. I just lowered the sensitivity and the machine worked fine.

 

[PAScott]

So my machine is about 3 years old. Have loved it and used it about 2x a week for past 3 years. It has started to be very erratic. Tones and ID numbers start going crazy. Hard to pick out a good signal. Some ares isn’t he lake see worse then others. By turning off And on I can sometimes get it to settle for a little. Ground balance doesn’t do much nor does sound elimination.

Took off and cleaned coil cover and reset machine. No luck. Any ideas? Or do I need to send it in? Only have the one coil.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

I finally sent it I. About 2 weeks ago. Got information yesterday. The problem was the coil. This is what they said. The customer's coil will need to be replaced as it has a bad break in the coil cable right above the strain relief on the coil. I can bend and flex this location and receive all kinds of "targets" in response. I placed a new coil on the customers unit and tested again. Unit tested well wit no issues. Unit was smooth and stable with no intermittent target or signals. The unit performed well on the bench.

Well at least that explains it. Can’t wait to get it back. $314 is cheaper then a new detector. That includdd the coil, labor, bottom pressure screws, and shipping.

Thanks. Just wanted everyone to know what the problem was in case you experience the same.