I need a Detecting Tutor...

[Callred1975]

I’m usually good at figuring stuff out on my own and I’ll eventually figure out how to use my CTX 3030 proficiently, but I would love to have just one day hunting with someone who really knows what they are doing and doesn’t mind answering newbie questions. There are no clubs near me and the closest detector dealer (I won’t say the name) is 1.5 hours from me and I had a very bad buying experience from them, so no help there. I bought the Andy Sabisch book and read it twice. It was a huge help, but not the same as being taught in the field by someone that knows what they’re doing. I live in Charlestown, Indiana (near Louisville, KY). If any experienced diggers out there are willing to meet up with me for a day of hunting and teaching, I’d be grateful.

 

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[sprailroad]

Of course I can't be of any real help here of the type you ask for, all I could suggest IF you have not already done so, is the sub form for metal detectors, Minelab, then 3030, a lot of fella's on it could and would be willing to answer any and all questions you might have just for that machine. Again, you may have already done so Callred, but this is all I can offer up here to your thread.

 

[IDXMonster]

Well,I’m closer than sprailroad but still not close enough! Let’s start with the question...what do you feel you’re having trouble with? When someone is “having issues” it almost always has to do with not finding what they want to find! And the cause of THAT almost always has to do with not being in the right site. Is this correct?
Tell us whats on your mind,just to get started.

 

[Callred1975]

Thanks for the help. My biggest challenge is I have a lot of joint/back problems, so even though I’d like to “dig every signal”, I physically can’t. I like to cherry pick my targets and I thought a more experienced digger might be able to help me learn good sinals from bad quicker than the old “trial and error method “. I think a few hours with someone showing me what a good target looks/sounds like vs a bad target would really help shorten the CTX learning curve for me. I have the general idea and I improve each time I hunt, but just looking to dig fewer junk holes. I have access to some good sites (dating from late 1700’s/early 1800’s). Suggestions?

 

[cudamark]

Where are you hunting? If it's not a sensitive area, you might want to get a T-handled shovel for digging. It helps avoid the many ups and downs recovering a target. It's hard to take short cuts and not miss good targets. Time in the field is the best teacher. Balancing target I.D. with sound and depth is about the only way to tell good from bad. It's hard to project that to someone else. Start with basic programs and settings and expand out from there depending on the site. Any time I hit a new site, I dig all targets for a while just to see if the machine is accurate and telling me what I need to know before deciding to dig. Good Luck!

 

[releventchair]

Passing "junk" will result in missing decent recoveries ,and more ,sometimes miss what is below the junk.

You can clear junk from a small area of a site over time by digging all for as many recoveries as you can tolerate ,(a half dozen recoveries in a yard square each visit equals a larger cleared area over time...).

IF you are bound and determined to cherry pick ,make yourself a "test garden" to practice on. Different items different depths ,labeled or charted as to what it is and how deep and in what position. You can then leave those targets buried.. Compare results of how they ring up in varied conditions,moist ,dry soil, coin on edge ,nail head facing up,nail with coin below it ,bottle cap ,pull tab ,wad of foil, freshly buried vs buried a year ,two years , ect..

Depending on what you want to recover ,gold can give you fits trying to tell where it rings up. It just plain varies.
So too thin chains.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Hello Callred1975,

There are many videos (YouTube, Minelab...etc) on the CTX 3030, this may be a great starting point. About the target tones, I would (if you do not have one already) build a test bed in your yard. Use modern coins, silver coins, some jewelry and relics; place them at various depths (perhaps add some co-related or nails in some holes to learn how the sound) and adjust the machine to "hit" them the hardest for your hunting conditions.

Good Luck with your new machine!

Doc

 

[Callred1975]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I already have a T-handle Lesche Sampson and it does help. Looks like I’ll Just have to stick with trial and error until I find someone local to help teach me. Like I said, I get a little more proficient with the CTX each time I use it. I’m making a test garden this week and I’m sure that will help too. Also, I’ll watch more YouTube videos. Thanks again!

 

[vietzay]

nice details on this post, thanks everyone

 

[mrwilburino]

It depends on what your targets are, Callred. If you are hunting coins, you can set up a program using a combined tone pattern with the bins set for specific target I'D ranges: e.g. nickels, copper/silver, etc.. You could also set up a disc pattern to knock out a lot of trash. Of course, if you're relic or beach hunting, that's going to involve digging more trash. For some people though, all that extra target recovery can be physically out of the question.

 

[IDXMonster]

Ok Callred. Here’s a video I did a couple of weeks ago. I dig three targets in this video,pay attention to EVERYTHING that happens on target number TWO. This is what someone who is new with the CTX,IMHO,should be looking for. It is not a whopping “blow your ears off” signal,but it does everything correctly. Notice how once I acquire the signal,the FIRST thing I do is to find the center of the target by sweeping exactly as shown. You want to center it to get the best target ID and depth indication.
Knowing that with an 11” coil you are going to be able to “see” an 8-9” coin in average soil,you can do the lift test as shown also to help determine whether or not the object is coin sized to begin with. If you have centered the target and you have a depth reading of 5”,you should not be able to raise the coil(while sweeping) any further than another 6-7” off the ground before it goes away. This is ON AVERAGE,looking for coins no bigger than quarter size. If you have a good repeating target with good numbers,the depth meter says 7” deep and you can still get a solid signal at 10” off the ground?....Not a coin...ON AVERAGE. The very essence of cherry picking(I call it “intelligent hunting”) is to NOT dig every signal you hear...this is about COIN HUNTING,and nothing else! The CTX has what is arguably the best target ID ever known to man,use it! What the machine is telling you,along with the basics of detecting,can make you come home with what you want,each and every time.
I have another video done regarding NOT digging up large objects unnecessarily...I’ll try to get it uploaded in a day or two. Until then,have fun! The first two targets in the video are found using a “trashy park” type pattern and High Trash target separation. The third is another location using Ferrous Coin separation. After awhile(and I mean AWHILE!) you will learn to gauge your locations and what settings/separation options/sensitivity you should be running. It takes time. Try to learn something every time out,you will be successful if you do so.
If you don’t have the health to dig everything you hear(and I think that’s a bad idea anyway in public places-an old farm site might be a better place for that) then you have the perfect machine. You CAN go dig coins and little else. But you can’t dig a signal you know damn well probably ISNT a coin and then be disappointed that...it isn’t a coin! I don’t go deer hunting and come home with a duck because it’s all I saw! Some of my sites are SO cleaned out that I might hunt for two hours and never dig a target. That’s ME. But I’ll never be the guy out rototilling a property because it’s all I have to do,because it certainly is not all I have to do...

 

[Callred1975]

Thank you very much for the excellent advice and instructional video IDX. That’s exactly the type of information I need. I’m mainly interested in coin shooting, so all the info you provided applies to the type of detecting I want to do. I started my test garden today and it’s very fortunate that you just happen to inform me that the CTX will “see” a coin sized target up to 8 inches deep in average soil. I was worried there was something wrong with my machine, because I buried my first 3 coin test targets (silver dime, silver nickel, and wheat penny) 6-7 inches deep and my CTX was having difficulty consistently finding the dime. I was expecting maximum depth detection to be closer to 12 inches. So, it’s normal for 7-8 inch maximum depth detection for a dime? The soil in my yard is slightly mineralized (and a little damp) so it wasn’t “ideal” detecting ground. I know I still need to play with the settings to see if that improves my depth, so I’ll work on that tomorrow. Thanks again.

 

[Callred1975]

... Also, I’m currently using Sabisch’s “Training #2” discrimination pattern (with an almost wide open pattern as my secondary) from his CTX handbook until I learn the machine better.

 

[IDXMonster]

Most of the coins you will find(for various reasons,including soil conditions,offending trash and simple operator skill) will be 8” or less running ANY kind of sensitivity,most coins just aren’t that deep. The machine is absolutely capable of finding a silver dime at 9” deep,and on occasion a bit deeper. But conditions would have to be optimal,with the stock coil. As you gain experience and are able to start running higher sensitivity and STILL UNDERSTAND WHAT YOURE HEARING(decipher a “false” signal from a “good” signal) then those deeper,weaker signals will come into view. Don’t worry about depth so much as understanding and being able to determine with a great amount of certainty that the target you’ve found is indeed a coin. Hunting SUPER deep coins(9-12” deep) is for another day.

 

[Callred1975]

Ok.
But to clarify... I don’t need to send my CTX to Minelab for service, because it won’t consistently “find” the 8 inch dime? I understand what you’re saying about not concentrating on the deep stuff until I learn the CTX, but I just want to be sure I don’t have a defective machine and it’s my inexperience that’s the problem.

 

[Callred1975]

I performed an air test and only got 8-9 inches maximum depth on a quarter. Is that normal? I had the discrimination wide open, auto +3, I did a noise reduction, ground balance is off.

 

[cudamark]

I performed an air test and only got 8-9 inches maximum depth on a quarter. Is that normal? I had the discrimination wide open, auto +3, I did a noise reduction, ground balance is off.

Yes, air tests (and freshly buried coins) are not a strong point on FBS Minelab machines. They will find coins deeper than that in virgin ground with a nice halo built up. In favorable ground, I've found dimes at over 12" and quarters at 18".

 

[Callred1975]

Great! I was worried that my machine was defective. Now I know it’s just my lack of experience. Thanks Cudamark. Now that you mention it, I remember reading in Andy Sabisch’s book about newly buried objects giving off a fainter signal vs older buried items due to the “halo effect”. I dug up and buried my test targets a little shallower (4-5inches). I get good solid readings on all items now. I’m gonna collect some more target items and bury them at various depths and with iron/aluminum trash nearby. This will make it easier for me to practice and learn my CTX without all the excess digging.

 

[IDXMonster]

Exactly what Cuda said...the two things you’re doing your tests with are the two things FBS machines seem to dislike. An air test offers no ground reference input. Just go spend as much time as humanly possible with the machine. Whether you’re running Auto sensivity or manual sensitivity,make SURE that you can audibly understand what is going on. Running manual sensitivity too high for the conditions will cause all kinds of sporadic falsing,and that is 100% guaranteed to get you absolutely NOWHERE.

 

[Ogre1190]

Callred...I felt exactly the same way a couple of years ago when I first got my Etrac. After about 20 hours, I was looking for a tree to wrap it around. Same boat...no one in the area with one, or willing to have me tag along. Like you, however, I kept plugging (no pun intended) away, and all of a sudden, one day, what I'd read and the numerous different settings I'd tried finally 'clicked'! I'd been working an old football field for probably the 9th or 10th time...pulling nothing but shallow clad when it happened. That day, when it finally sunk in, I walked out with a silver GW, 3 Mercs, a buff and two wheaties...all at 6"+. 😁 It. Will. Happen!