Minelab CTX 3030 for Gold Nuggets

[Steve Herschbach]

Same thing happened to me at Moore Creek, I think my GP 3000 or 3500. Got a target, dug it up. It was in the pile and the disc blanked out on it. I figured it was in pile so what the heck, and it was a large specimen. I forget the exact weight but something like half oz or larger. That is also the last time I used the Minelab PI disc except once in Australia. Others had the same happen at Moore Crekk but left the nuggets, which other people recovered later.

The GPX variable disc is now used by many with what they feel is acceptable results. May be, but the problem of course is they do not know what they passed up either. But I could say the same about VLF discrimination so there is no perfect solution. I do have more faith in VLF systems making a good call on items with a strong signal that read 100% ferrous. If properly and conservatively used the chance of missing a nugget with VLF discrimination is minimal. PI disc is a total crapshoot in my opinion.

[Glenn]

Agree completely, I have never used it at all on my 4500, I just don't trust it at all, looks like I will be on my way to az by Friday at the latest, can't wait to hit the old stomping grounds

[Trev (NZ)]

Hi Steve I made it thanks to your help.

Right lets play.  After reading the CTX3030 Manual on line.  It is apparent it has similar circuitry to the Minelab Etrac.

Which is the one I have.  Your CTX3030 just has a few more bells and whistles. GPS etc.

So what works on mine will work on yours.  I got my Etrac about two months ago. And after reading the manual, which I found somewhat complicated.  I thought I bet I can turn this thing into a gungho gold Detector.  I just gotta get my head around it and experiment. So for two months, I have been doing that.  Had a couple of trips to a local park, and just used the inbuilt Minelab settings. ( Coins) mainly.

Then I found on the net that Andy Sabisch had a book out on the Etrac which was somewhat more easy to read and understand than the Minelab Users Manual.  So I ordered one and it duely arrived.  Well I was in heaven after that.  So much explained and easy for me to understand.  I was off on a mission.  Now I am gunna make this Etrac a gung ho gold detector.  But wait, theres more.  I went onto Coilteks site and voila, they make a six inch Treasure Seeker coil.  Good for small stuff.  And pretty damm good on big stuff too. So my journey continued. Gotta have one of those.  Well that too finally arrived, and once again I was in heaven.  As soon as I bolted it on, I knew I was onto a winner.

Right now I need a mode and program I can adapt.  So back on the net I go.  And found this great link. That guy rocks.  Yep he is a treasure hunter, but similar basics to us gold guys.

http://www.goes4ever.com/ttf-explained.html

I had seen this mentioned quite a bit  TTF and wondered what in the heck it was.  Wish they had have said " Two Tone Ferrous"

And in manual mode with the sensitivity bumped up as far as you can go (Without lots of bingy bongy) the Etrac begain to rock and roll.  I saved the mode, then played around with it a bit myself under " Expert" not that I am one. But I got it working a little better for us gold guys.  So saved that mode too.

I know Minelab recommend and a few others recommend " Long" on audio, but I found " Normal worked better, esp with rusty nails with gold close by.

You get the bruuumph bruumph of rusty steel but the sweet chirp of gold, which sometimes can be a ribbit ribbit too. My old Minelab XT17000 used to give me the ribbit ribbit when on a bit of gold.

I don't believe in air tests,  So I have my own test bed.  Plastic bags full of sand and gravel.  On top of plastic bins. Actually two bins as the Etrac can go so deep it was picking up the nails in my floor.  And I have a few plastic bags filled with dredge concentrates, which I guess are pretty hot. But they don't seem to bother the Etrac. (Minus the gold of course).

I will have a go at attaching some pics.  But not sure if I can write underneath the pic as to what it is.  Sure after I post them I will have learnt a bit more.

Right the first pic is just a general shot of my test bed.

The gold on the tape measure is the piece of gold I use to test.  Just a long thin bit of alluvial gold. Not a lot of weight. I don't have any scales to weigh it. Must get some..  But if I can pick up that size under a rock and a sandbag at 4 inchs, Anything bigger is just gunna get better as to depth.  Read the nail and the gold.  I go by sounds, and don't even look at the readouts on the screen. I trust my ears.

One pic is a silver ring with lots of nails sticking through and around it.  Read it at 11 inches. Nail and Ring. Could have even gone a bit deeper I reckon. So judging by that it will easilly tackle gold of any size at that depth, along with their little friends a few old rusty nails.

Yep you are gunna get lead sadly, but nothing iron, and there aint many old aluminium tear tabs in remote gold workings or foil, cause they will sound like gold too. Yet to experiment with three tone and multi tone in this mode and setting. And of course Steve as you like digging many holes with your PI's you could just go one tone on the CTX3030 and dig everything.

Anyway here are the settings I use.

Minelab Relic Mode.

Audio:

Threshold Level     30
Volume Limit          30
Volume Gain          24
Reponse               Normal
No of tones             2
Sounds                 Ferrous
Variability              25
Limits                    30

Sensitivity:

Manual
Manual Level       30
Auto Level            A

Expert:

Recovery Deep       On
Recovery Fast         On
Trash Density         Low
Ground                   Difficult

Noise Cancel          3  ( But that differs as you select the quietest channel)

Here is a good utube video showing how manual outshines Auto.  Thats of course if your ground can handle it.

Steve I did find the 11 inch Double D Coil that came with the Etrac, a similar one to what the CTX3030 has actually performed very well. Not quite up there with the wee 6 inch Coiltek Treasure Seeker, but very close.  The Minelab Coil got a little noisy the higher the sensitivity is pushed up.  On my test bed I had the sensitivity oushed right up to 30. Wouldn't go any higher, it was maxed out.

So thats how to turn an Etrac and I hope the CTX3030 into a gungho gold detector, maybe it outshines the SDC.

Right time for the pics

And I might add I have followed your travels and adventures for many years now.  From dredging, to Moore Creek, to Gaines Creek to Chicken. To England, to Australia.  You been every where man.  Hey you probably know all these settings already. But hey Steve splash out on that Eleptical Coiltek coil for the CTX3030, I think you will be pleasantly suprised.

Cheers Trev.

From Down Under in New Zealand.

[Steve Herschbach]

Wow Trev, thanks for the excellent detailed post and video. That really helps me out! For me finding some useful new detecting information is almost like finding a gold nugget, it is that rare.

I just woke up in the front seat of my truck and am getting out to start looking for gold in a few minutes. I will look this over again when I get back to home base and can experiment with my CTX.

[LipCa]

Well, hello Trev! Long time, no hear.

[Trev (NZ)]

I must admit Steve I am only an apprentice compared to you when it comes to detecting. Whereas you are the " Master" but I try and learn quick.  Decided to do a bit of testing today, with known weights. Using the 6 inch Coiltek Coil.  Sadly had to use lead fishing sinker weights. Similar to gold tho, just not the right colour.

Here are the results on my test bed.

1oz detected at 10 and a half inches.

2oz detected at 11 inches.

3oz detected at 11 inches.

4oz detected at 11 and a half inches.

Maybe could have squeezed another inch in or half an inch. But that would be so faint, as if to say, is that really a signal.

Tomorrow I will bolt the Minelab 11 inch coil on and see if I get any further depth. ( And report back) But I reckon the results for the 6 inch coil are pretty impressive.

And I might add, the Minelab Relic mode is  " All Metal" Virtually No discrimination, well just a tad.  But you could take that out and just go completely clear screen.   I did read your article on discrimination destroys depth.  The old story, there aint no free lunches with most things, even detectors.

Hi Harry , I must get around to emailing Arlie. 

Cheers Trev

[Trev (NZ)]

Couldn't wait until tomorrow folks.  So banged the 11 inch Minelab Double D Coil on.

 

1oz   2oz 3oz 4oz all around the 14 to 14 and a half inch detection depth.  And I could still kinda pinpoint them Steve.

So they were true readings.  So the big coil on big gold is better by around 3 inches.  But the little coil on small gold outshines the big coil.  And of course that has always been the rule. But the  6 inch coil is far better for ultra trashy area's as it reads fewer rusty nails, a six inch radius compared to an 11 inch radius.  And I might add with this mode as used by me, it is a slow slow slow sweep. The Detector is at the limit of its range, and needs time to process the incoming data.

 

Cheers Trev

[Steve Herschbach]

I am flattered Trev but I prefer to think of myself as a perpetual student of detecting. There is always something new to learn. I doubt I will ever master it.

I went from being a big proponent of VLF discrimination back in my Ganes Creek days to a dig it all mentality in my Moore Creek years. That carried over into Jack Wade Creek the last couple years, and I dug thousands of nails per nugget. So now I am looking for a modified strategy for hitting trashy old mine workings first with a VLF to locate indicator nuggets, then hammer those areas with a PI. Good areas you still have to dig it all. The trick is narrowing down the good areas.

I like the idea of targeting extremely trashy areas that has put off PI operators until now. Still good gold hiding there.

Great information and thanks again. I hope to put it to good use soon.

[Jonathan Porter]

Steve, I have the perfect place for you to test, I just did up the road into my property and the road passes right through the gut of a major set of alluvial diggings, tried my 5000 on the graded portions and was absolutely swamped with trash signals, if ever there was a case for a good discriminating VLF this would have to be it.

An old guy I know who was detecting these parts in the early 80's said he got nuggets up to five ounces in and amongst the rubbish so I know there is good gold to be had there, problem is it is VERY HIGHLY mineralised!!

Care for a trip out to OZ and

Quote

 

 spending time testing out mid-frequency, do it all detectors in the gold fields?

Do you think the Gold Bug II you kindly gave me in conjunction with Iron Grunt be able to handle this ground? Or should I go for the CTX 3030 and try to find a pattern off the net for nugget hunting in trashy ground.

JP

[Steve Herschbach]

Hi JP,

The Gold Bug 2 will handle it easily and would be a very good bet for an exploratory run. Just slap it in Iron Disc mode and off you go. You will get lots of clicks and pops on ferrous stuff - just ignore them and go for clean signals.

The CTX will run much cleaner and is worth trying also. You just want it wide open to accept all targets but set for TTF (two tone ferrous).

I want to give the new Coiltek 5" x 10" coil for the CTX a go but frankly it costs too much and is not likely to do any better than the stock coil. Just a handy shape for poking in nooks and crannies and the solid design will slide smoothly over obstacles.

Here are some magic settings from Keith Southern, a master at hunting in ferrous trash http://www.dankowskidetectors.com/discussions/read.php?2,56512,56512

I am starting to wonder that maybe there is a place for machines that are not considered hot on gold per se. Too much transmit voltage can be counterproductive in very mineralized ground. As you know gold can be found with any detector if it is large enough and shallow enough, and there is still large, shallow stuff lurking in the trash. Perhaps more so than anywhere else these days. So what machine to use to wade in there and find them? The CTX could be as good a choice as anything. http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/361-minelab-ctx-3030-for-gold-nuggets/

Packing my bags, be on the plane in an hour....