Only Ctx 3030 drawback

[slick356]

I went from an Etrac and traded it in towards a Ctx 3030 in January. I love the machine and am very impressed with it. It's march and now the ground is covered in snow and expecting 5 to 8 inches of snow in Pennsylvania but I have already found 5 silvers in areas I had previously hunted.
The only drawback I have seen so far is that everyone must like theirs too.
NOBODY sales their 6 inch or 17 inch coils for the Ctx 3030.
You can find all kinds of coils for other machines.
So I am saving up!

 

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[HighPlainsHunter]

I would like to have one, but the weight kills me. Here's a 17" coil for sale:

Minelab 17" Smart Coil for CTX 3030 Newman Lake - Treasure Classifieds

 

[Jason in Enid]

Yeah, there are some of the other coils that come up for sale, but you don't find the volume like you do with other detectors because of the price of detector and price of coils, it's a smaller market for used items. Last year was a great time because ML offered coils for free with the Christmas sale, this year they didn't so there are fewer "I don't really need this" coils around.

 

[slick356]

I don't know anybody personally that would spend the money on a Ctx.... they think I am nuts. lol.
So I haven't had the chance to see the 17 inch coil.
I want to get the 6 inch coil first.

 

[beerguy]

I have both coils for mine. Nice to have the options.

I originally had the Coiltek 5x10, but it seemed too similar to the 11" coil so I swapped with a guy in Canada.

Worked out well for both of us.

 

[slick356]

Thanks for letting me know that. Because I have a chance to buy that coil tek at a good price and I thought too that the 6 inch would be better

Did you buy your 2 coils together to get a better price?

 

[slick356]

Sorry I just read your post again. I see you swapped for one [emoji6]

 

[Bigdob]

Slick
if your patient and watch CTX coils come up every now and then , but kinda rare.
I finally just broke down and bought both together and did get a better price.
I have only used the 17" so far and it's great, I thought it was going to be a problem so I bought a Detecting Buddy.
Used it for about an hour and don't even take it out any more. I found that relic hunting in my favorite spot with an open screen and digging every good repeatable signal that I was up and down enough that the extra weight did not bother me.
Will be trying the 6" soon when My relic field gets planted and I'm back to coins around old houses.
Call around and see who gives you the best deal on both
Good Luck in your search
BT

 

[DeepseekerADS]

My last hunt before the weather hit was 3 hours of swinging the 17" coil. Man that coil kicked my butt, I'm still sore! And I was wearing a Detecting Buddy!

Love the coil for the coverage, make shorter work of big fields.

But I'd have to start doing some weight lifting exercises to handle that beast!

 

[ChampFerguson/TN]

DeepseekerADS, you need to adjust that harness, find a different harness, or change your swing mechanics. Barring some serious injury, a harness should do better than that for you. I have an old shoulder injury and I can only swing the 17 without a harness for about 2 hours max and even that short of time will leave me sore for days. But with a harness, I can go 8+hrs and never notice it.

 

[slick356]

Are you guys buying the Minelab harness?

 

[G.I.B.]

Are you guys buying the Minelab harness?

I did, to use with the 17".

Works great.

 

[beerguy]

I do not use a harness, but I do keep my hunts sort.

I swing the 17 for two hours max.

I just picked up a spare lower rod, the second is backordered.

Now I will drag my spares along more often.

My one rap against Minelab is that their coil mounting ears are weak.

 

[ChampFerguson/TN]

Are you guys buying the Minelab harness?

I made my own, but its based on the Minelab design. I couldn't mentally justify spending that kind of money on a harness when I had all the parts laying around.

 

[slick356]

That 17 inch coil must be pretty heavy. I guess I will find out as soon as I can get one.

 

[slick356]

I would think that if they are that heavy that guys would be putting them up for sale. But you never see that

 

[gsxraddict]

I'd say the weight, recovery speed and updates are also drawbacks.

 

[adamBomb]

The 17 inch coil is nothing and imo much easier to swing than my Excal or CZ21 with modded shafts. I can swing that all day. I put the 17'' on day 1 and have yet to take it off. My stock coil is still brand new in the box. I don't see myself switching because I have other machines with smaller coils for the water.

 

[waynedig]

Weight can be a draw back but to that I'd say; invest some time in learning and practicing some upper back and shoulder stretches. You might be surprised how one can get used to the little extra that the CTX weighs by treating ones body carefully so it can recover and adapt.

Updates, sure I'd like to see some updates but really its not a big issue, why do we need updates on something that works pretty darn good anyway ;-)

There are some tests somewhere on youtube where someone tests the CTX against the DEUS and the CTX holds it own. Test could be skewed but CTX is not a slow machine.

 

[ChampFerguson/TN]

That 17 inch coil must be pretty heavy. I guess I will find out as soon as I can get one.

Its more that the 17" unbalances the detector imo.

I love mine. Takes a bit to get good at pinpointing with it if you haven't used it for a while, but with practice you get as fast as with a stock coil.