Getting frustrated

[MrMikeJackie]

I've had my CTX3030 now for 4 months. Most of my hunting has been on the beach as the dirt was frozen solid. Great machine, I love it. Now comes the frustrating part. Ground has thawed and I've taken her out now about 10 times in the dirt. I'm digging more junk then ever before! Screw caps(colt 45, old English) sound amazing. 1243-1245, perfect target trace, etc. I can't tell the difference between copper penny, dime(silver or clad), bottle caps. Iron nails give me an awesome 1136-1137, I've dug more iron nails in ten hunts then in 4 years. The only coin I can consistently id before digging are zinc pennies. I hate to say it but with my Whites machines I always knew what I was digging 8 out of ten times, almost always if a coin, even with the inconsistent vdi numbers. I even could tell you if it was silver or clad. What am I doing wrongMike

 

[digging440yrs]

I gotta agree with you. love my whites machines. but after 44 yrs of metal detecting i gotta say it just takes time to learn your machine. In 1992 i bought my whites silver eagle, i was ready to thro it in the river after a couple of months. After 6 months i was doing great. after over 20 yrs using the same machine i new if it was a indian head penny or a wheat back, or a silver dime or a clad. I dont usualy make long stories like this, but i see alot of new comers to our hobby that think its easy to just go out and find the gold. Its not. When you get to a point where your detector is part of your arm you will understand. It dosnt matter if its a whites, minelab, garrett etc, just learn your machine. sorry if i went on to far---HH

 

[MrMikeJackie]

I appreciate the input 440. I know what you're saying and you're right. I guess I'm just venting.

 

[frogmaster-riviera]

stop watching your screen, turn it into 50co tones and use your ears.

on land, just shut down the screen! you will re-use it after having learn to first use yours ears....

it's time to learn, easy detecting is over....

+ swing slowly, CTX is not a DEUS

 

[Pointman]

12.43, 12.45 is a darn good signal in my parts.

I run mine on Combined, FE coin. When I hunt trashy spots, I will watch my numbers for the 12.42 or higher readings because things like aluminum beer caps will run in the 12,41 range (lower 40s readings). Yes I will admit that you will miss the good targets if you only dig based on the VDI though. I've even seen coins read really low due to iron close to it. You should rely on your ears with this machine, but you dig a lot of trash doing so. If I get a signal in the 12.43 readings that do not drop (rather go up) when I hold the pinpoint button and turn 90 degrees it will almost always be a silver coin. Copper pennies will read 12.42 and when I turn 90 with the pinpoint held in, they will drop to 12.41. I guess I have so much time on the CTX, that I know when a coin is under the coil 75% of the time and I can guess silver about as accurately. I mostly just listen and watch for the short blips that correspond to my swing speed and dig everything, so I am usually surprised when I dig a silver coin because I am not watching the screen.

In the 12.36-12.39 ranges, I will dig zincs, but if the area is old I will dig all these lower readings for Indian Head cents.

 

[MrMikeJackie]

Thanks guys for the info. I just can't see using tones only for this machine as it's not an Etrac. Everything sounds great. I guess I have to play with the bins and tones a bit. Wish there was an extra bin for really high conductors in combined. Etrac just has that warble on silver that I can't get from the CTX.

 

[LI Tom]

I went from a Whites M-6 to a used Explorer II in 2007 to a 3030 in late 2013 and it took a while to pick up the3030 from the the Explorer which is surprising since I had an easy time from the M-6 to the Explorer.I dug a lot of iron and trash in the first 6-9 months but it will click and if not quite a silver warble like an Explorer ,you will know it's silver.I hunt trashy NYC parks a lot and my my trash targets dug has greatly decreased with more time swinging the 3030.

 

[MrMikeJackie]

I went from a Whites M-6 to a used Explorer II in 2007 to a 3030 in late 2013 and it took a while to pick up the3030 from the the Explorer which is surprising since I had an easy time from the M-6 to the Explorer.I dug a lot of iron and trash in the first 6-9 months but it will click and if not quite a silver warble like an Explorer ,you will know it's silver.I hunt trashy NYC parks a lot and my my trash targets dug has greatly decreased with more time swinging the 3030.

Thanks Tom, do you hunt in combined or 50 tones? I tried 50 today, interesting. I feel it actually goes deeper in 50 tones if that makes sense? More like the Etrac but you can't open the screen up or you go crazy after a while. I guess I just gotta suck it up and keep at it. I too started with an M6, took me about 5 months until I found my first silver, then they just started popping up everywhere, Mike

 

[Jason in Enid]

Your problem is that you are expecting something that isn't real. This isn't a Whites. White's detectors average out target responses to give you perfectly steady VDI. White's only look at one aspect of a signal return. The CTX is NOT a Whites. Rusty nails are a bane to all detectors, but you can avoid most of them if you learn your machine.

I used to used a Whites and I loved it, until I bought an E-Trac. I found more silver in one year with the E-Trac than I did in a decade with the Whites.

So if you want artificial, perfectly steady VDI then go back to White's. If you want REAL information on the target and more accurate info when you have COIN in the ground, and you want to deep deep silver, then keep learning your CTX.

 

[MrMikeJackie]

Your problem is that you are expecting something that isn't real. This isn't a Whites. White's detectors average out target responses to give you perfectly steady VDI. White's only look at one aspect of a signal return. The CTX is NOT a Whites. Rusty nails are a bane to all detectors, but you can avoid most of them if you learn your machine.

I used to used a Whites and I loved it, until I bought an E-Trac. I found more silver in one year with the E-Trac than I did in a decade with the Whites.

So if you want artificial, perfectly steady VDI then go back to White's. If you want REAL information on the target and more accurate info when you have COIN in the ground, and you want to deep deep silver, then keep learning your CTX.

Hi Jason. I didn't realize I had a problem but thanks for clearing it up for me. Very subjective but non informative post. Whites has the WORST vdi numbers I've ever seen, which I stated in my original post. So don't really know how you can say they are "steady". I am well are of having to learn my machine, I used my M6 for 4 years. In those 4 years I have found hundreds of silver coins, that's not the issue. I was simply reaching out to other CTX users about my frustration distinguishing good from bad targets in the upper CO area. Thanks Mike

 

[MrMikeJackie]

I want to thank all who responded and gave me not only ideas but inspiration as well. Went out to a new field today, set the machine to coin mode, 50 tones and had a blast! Started finding lots of deep older clad, then the wheats started showing up, then I start being able to distinguish between coins. After a while I knew what a quarter was, a dime, and a wheat cent. On my way back to the truck I get a very high tone. 1245-1345 back and forth. Thinking it was another quarter or maybe a dime and quarter together I pulled my first silver with the CTX, a 1944 Washington. A silver quarter no less! So now I'm stoked and can't wait to really learn this machine. Thanks guys, GL HH Mike

 

[LI Tom]

Good deal!50 tones is how I hunt and once you learn the sounds you will be rocking and rolling!The more you learn it ,open the screen more and will find more.I hunt almost open screen.

 

[MrMikeJackie]

That was my mistake! I started in combined/ open screen thinking "I got this". Not so much. So I will run moderate discrimination for now until I learn the machine better. Thanks Tom!

 

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

Not sure if you bought from us but feel free to call with questions. TONS of good info here already!

 

[MrMikeJackie]

Hi Bart! I would feel kinda strange as I didn't purchase from you but I appreciate the offer. I almost purchased from you through Evan but I got a super deal on a used one from someone else. I will be looking for a 17" in the near future for my beach hunts and a pro swing harness. I'll keep in touch, Mike