How many of you have 2 Go-To rigs?

[DiggerGal]

Hi all!
I absolutely love my AT Pro, my favorite by far for recovery, weight and understanding the language. My favorite coil is the 5x8, however, I sacrifice depth with the 5x8. I purchased a NEL Tornado, but switching coils mid hunt is a pain! Which leads me to a separate set up: my ATP and perhaps a CTX 3030...my concern is two fold: first, the weight of the CTX with a large coil, and, now carrying 2 rigs around if it really isn't needed? 🤔
Your thoughts?

 

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[jjack9977]

It's definitely not unheard of and its something I've been guilty of as well on certain occasions. I'd rather have two ready to go machines with different coils (concentric and DD in my case) than to keep switching. Either way it's an inconvenience whether you're switching coils (and putting wear on your connector) or carrying extra gear. It boils down to which you personally find more convenient. Personally, I plan to collect an arsenal of machines over time for different purposes. I wouldn't hesitate to grab a couple machines for a single hunt especially if the terrain varies and I have limited time or access to the site. I couldn't comment on the weight of the CTX because I've never owned one, but I have seen many threads and reviews where the weight of it alone lends to faster fatigue in many hunters. Take this all with a grain of salt because I'm relatively new to this hobby and still developing my own habits and preferences

 

[1637]

i mostly take my mxt and xlt,with extra coils mounted to shafts.
brad

 

[ColonelDan]

I always take a second or even third detector with me whenever I go.

I do 99% of my hunting on the beach so my two "go-to" rigs are the Excal and the CTX for two reasons: (1) I use different detectors for different areas. I prefer the Excal in surf and the CTX on dry/wet sand. (2) I abide by the philosophy that "it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it." If one detector should go down while I'm on site, I would rather go back to the car to get my other one than go home. As for the set up, my Excals: one has the stock 10" coil, the other a NEL Tornado and both have the reverse pinpoint mod. With the CTX, I normally use the stock 11" coil and sometimes carry my 17" coil again, as a back up.

For land hunts, its my XP Deus and CTX in those roles. My AT Pro is always available as well.

Works for me...

 

[Fletch88]

First the ctx with the 11" coil is better balanced than the ATPro with stock coil. Once you put the 17" coil on the ctx it becomes pretty nose heavy after 30 mins of hunting. If I am hunting locally for coins or jewelry I usually only carry or machine. If I travel several hours to the beach or relic hunting I definitely carry two machines.

 

[masterjedi]

I carry 3... so that if the area or the trash density changes I change detectors and coils to match the conditions.

Minelab Etrac > Sharpshooter 5.5x9.5", 13" Ultimate and WOT 15" coils... all with their own lower shafts for quick changes. (Cherry picking private lawns)
F75SE > factory 5", factory 8.5x11", 13" Ultimate, 15x12" SEF coils. (Relics and rough terrain)
Whites MXT All Pro > 13" Ultimate (Sports fields)

I know I am a little crazy but want to be sure I have the right setup when needed.

And yes if i know exactly where I am going for a short hunt and I know the ground conditions I will only take 1 machine at a time.

Gary from Oregon

 

[The Beep Goes On]

One machine rarely cuts it for many reasons - in-field failures, for one. Extra is also good for "guest hunters" or for the folks whose property you want to hunt if they would like to swing themselves. Otherwise, I've found that learning another machine makes you better with all of them; learning how different machines "display" what is in the ground and how they react can teach you many things and make you a better detectorist.

 

[beerguy]

I swing the CTX with the 17" coil often. In areas with little trash, I can cover more ground than any other setup I have used. It may be a little fatiguing, but a couple of hours are well within my limits.

If the CTX is in your budget, I would be surprised if it did not become your new favorite. It is deep, accurate, well balanced and has great build quality.

As far as taking multiple machines into the field, I agree that having a backup detector with you can save your hunt if you run into issues.

My old setup was an XLT for covering lots of ground, ( I had a Bigfoot coil on it) and the CZ-7a pro for slow and deep.

I found a lot of stuff with those machines...

 

[Loco-Digger]

I have taken two with me for quite some time now. The F75 is my main detector and I have 4 coils all mounted on shafts for quick change. I had a BH LRP which was great to swing after hunting with the F75 having the 12" x 15" coil attached. The LRP is so light and let me continue to hunt after arm fatigue set in using the F75 and large coil. I now have an XP Deus as my secondary machine. If I do not get a new permission, I use the Deus to re-hunt previously pounded permissions. I also have a water detector and a gold detector. Too bad there is not any gold in my area of Ohio, so I plan on selling the gold detector.

 

[beerguy]

Nice setup, Loco.

I have been thinking of getting a Tesoro Cibola or Vaquero as a backup.

I am driving around with my CTX and a Whites SST in my trunk, and it occurred to me that maybe I should treat my CTX better.

 

[The Beep Goes On]

Nice setup, Loco.

I have been thinking of getting a Tesoro Cibola or Vaquero as a backup.

I am driving around with my CTX and a Whites SST in my trunk, and it occurred to me that maybe I should treat my CTX better.

A nice, light Tesoro has always been on my wishlist for keeping in the car - very capable units.

 

[beerguy]

I have had a few of them, and the lifetime warranty speaks volumes.

 

[pinenut]

Tesoros are so reliable, I just take along spare batteries if I'm going local. If I travel further away from home, then I'll take an extra along just in case; another Tesoro, of course.
I have preferred park units with and without GB, and preferred bad soil and max depth Tesoros. None have failed in the field, but I have run batteries down pretty low.

Still need a Tesoro for the beach...

 

[luvsdux]

I often have an extra (usually left in the vehicle until or if needed) with what I think will be a possible different coil etc. for different conditions.
luvsdux

 

[DeepseekerADS]

it occurred to me that maybe I should treat my CTX better.

I wouldn't store the CTX in your trunk for extended times. Get's pretty hot in the trunk.

I already ruined my Etrac by ignoring hostile conditions, a nearly $700 repair.

Treat that CTX like you love her

 

[DiggerGal]

I swing the CTX with the 17" coil often. In areas with little trash, I can cover more ground than any other setup I have used. It may be a little fatiguing, but a couple of hours are well within my limits.

If the CTX is in your budget, I would be surprised if it did not become your new favorite. It is deep, accurate, well balanced and has great build quality.

As far as taking multiple machines into the field, I agree that having a backup detector with you can save your hunt if you run into issues.

My old setup was an XLT for covering lots of ground, ( I had a Bigfoot coil on it) and the CZ-7a pro for slow and deep.

I found a lot of stuff with those machines...

That 17" coil sounds like a monster! I don't know how effective I would be with something that nose heavy. I like the idea of the ATP with a 5x8 for heavy trash area's and perhaps the Tornado for fields. Then a CTX with ? Coil for deep silver in non trashy areas or hunted out areas?
I don't think the Deus will give me as much as the CTX in regards to depth and specificity relating to targets?
Working through the best setup options that would pair well with the ATP....

 

[sdprosector]

I bought two new machines one for me and my dad that way we have a backup and also can switch off. Right now, I use the ML CTX 3030 and my dad uses the Whites Spectra v3i since he wanted a whites instead of the Minelab. I'll test both out and compare results. Reason I like the CTX is the ability to use in wet sand and shallow salt water plus the ability to use custom programs and geo caching. This is where Minelab beats whites.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I only have the stock coil with my CTX, additional coils are too danged expensive! Maybe someday they'll come down in price.

But this beast is utterly dependable on ID'ing targets, separating trash from good targets, and it's extremely well balanced for all day swinging. I normally hunt 5 hours at a time with it, and my arm's still ready to go more. Zero pain, quite unlike my Etrac was.

On the target ID, it will vary just a little on the numbers here and there, but not much - not enough so that you don't know what's down there. However, I'm still awaiting gold with it and those numbers for gold could be trash as well - then it's by the sound. Trash tends to be a ragged sound with flutey echoes.

 

[beerguy]

Deepseeker, I got the CTX package from Bart when there was a free 17" coil, plus my package had the Coiltek 5x10 coil.

I felt that coil was too close to the 11" coil for trashy areas, so I traded it with a guy that had the 6" coil.

So now I have all 3! I am amazed at how well I can coin hunt with that big coil. I can go for a few hours with it, and I am still good to go.

Balance seems to be everything.

 

[Captain Caveman]

I always carry at least 2 machines. Sometimes the 2 have different purposes because of the terrain or weather. Sometimes the second one is simply a backup.

I've had 2 occasions in the last year where I was very glad that I brought a backup. The first time, my main detector seemed to go dead, but turned out to be a loose speaker wire. The second time, when I got to my permission my detector wouldn't turn on because I forgot the battery pack.