Minelab CTX 3030 for Gold Nuggets

[Jonathan Porter]

Hey Steve, thanks for the feedback. Just for the record I'm a total newb when it comes to the CTX, out of interest would it be possible to do a setting-by-setting/blow-by-blow description on how you would go about setting up the CTX for just such an endeavour? Once done we could share the settings via the Minelab Xchange2 shareware for other forum members.

I've just received an email from Nenad at Phase technical with just such an attachment for the CTX so am excited by the prospect of sharing others settings experiences etc. (I assume a shareware file with settings would be considered confidential so will touch base with Nenad on this, or perhaps he can reply here)

Will definitely give the GBII a go over the same ground…… I have a bed made up for you, let me know when your flight comes in. :-)

JP

[Steve Herschbach]

OK, what we can do is learn together, because when it comes to nugget detecting with the CTX I am a newbie also. I was going to use Keith's settings as a starting point myself and then tweak for goldfield conditions. I will also reactivate the "Downloads" file sharing part of this forum which could be used to share CTX and other files. Been meaning to do that anyway to upload and share pdf files. It will be for forum members only to conserve my server bandwidth.

I will see the Coiltek folks at the Minelab Conference in February. Maybe I can beat a free coil out of them!

[deathray]

Wheres Ron? He really is the ctx master,think he had one the first week they where out...plus he started the ctx nuggetshooting craze,lol.

[Jonathan Porter]

Went out with the CTX yesterday and had mixed results… no gold but there were a few exciting moments that could have been interesting. I didn't do anything special with the CTX, just selected a high trash mode and went for it, will return with a different pattern once I get time to hook up to the PC.

The large piece of lead really had my heart pumping for a moment as did the piece of brass, its amazing how sweet a non-ferrous target can sound even to an inexperienced ear like mine to coin/relic detecting.

JP

[Steve Herschbach]

Yikes, I thought that was a nugget - would have got my heart pumping also. Already proves the point though; if it had been a nugget, you would have found it.

[fredmason]

While out in the dale Mining area I have played with my 3030 in the all-metal coin mode...it has picked bullets and aluminm and brass out of the iron infested/hot rock infested campsites...

Hopefully, I will glean some great info from the Masters...if you don't get too technical for me.

 

fred

[strick]

Interesting pair of gloves. I'm guessing that they must have some sentimental value!

Great thread and looking forward to seeing the results of the CTX since I have a vested interest in one. It certainly is able to pick up some small targets. Every time I dig up a piece of lead like that I have to take it home and clean it up just to make sure it's not gold. I spoke to a fella who told me that he found his biggest gold nugget in a park that used to be an old rodeo grounds. I guess people drop gold nuggets just like they do other stuff.

strick

[Jonathan Porter]

Gloves are sold in hardware stores for builders and are fingerless on thumb and first two fingers which makes it much easier to pick up tiny little nuggets in a scoop during retrieval. Those are my favourite pair but generally these gloves only last about 2 months before they start to fall apart, although two months for me is an awful lot of detecting compared to most other people.

The main reason I wear them is to cut back on the amount of sun getting to the tops of my hands, sun screen wears off way to quickly to be practical in our hot sweaty environment, after doing this professionally for 21 years the tops of my hands are starting to look a little worse for wear, also the reason why I don't wear baseball caps anymore because the tips of my ears were going down the same path.

JP

[deathray]

I hear ya JP....been roofing for 25 years,my ears are jacked,lol.

[Ron (CA)]

Good Strategy!!  All this came from one area of heavy iron.   We probably pulled 15 nuggets with the CTX STOCK coil (6 grains to 2.5 oz.)

Pulled another 50+ nuggets with PIs and the place is still loaded with iron.  So there is plenty more gold but a ton of iron to dig to get it!

Just picked up the 5x10 "Joey" coil and air tested it a bit and took it to an iron infested relic site for a couple hours last night.

Seemed a bit heavy and when I weighed it later I saw that it is 3.5 ounces heavier than the stock 11" coil.  I could feel it right way.

The coil ran smooth and IDed very similar to the Minelab coils  I found that the high conductive items (Silver Dimes- Silver Halves) with the Coiltek read one number lower on the Conductive side.  Not really an issue for relics, gold or even coin shooting as it is still in the range you have to dig if you are deep turf hunting for silver  (44 vs 45  or 45 vs 46 etc).

I will give this coil a try and also let my buddy Mark use it to get his opinion on it.  I am actually looking for a relic coil for heavy iron  and also to gain an little more ground coverage and depth vs the 6"

The Joey gives up 15-22% in the depth department vs the Stock coil.  (this was on coins: Silver dime-16%, wheat penny-16%, Silver Qtr-15%, Silver Half-21%, Silver Dollar-22% and V nickel-15.5%.

The Joey vs the 6" Minelab has interesting results as it was significantly deeper on a silver dime, V Nickel and Silver Qtr (15-22%)  but on the Silver Half and Silver Dollar the advantage dropped to 8-11%.  The Joey had a depth increase of 1.5 inches from the Silver Dime to the Silver Dollar while the 6" coil and stock coil both had a difference of 2.5"  So the Joey is not as hot on the bigger silver coins.  But still deeper than the 6" .

I need to do some testing on the Joey for small nuggets.   I air tested a couple small nuggets just to see where they read on the VDI 

Fly speck 1 grain --ZERO Reading
8 grn/.6 gram  Reading around 12/9 on the VDI and getting it close to 4 - 4 1/2 inches
1.1 dwt/1.8 gram nugget  Reading 12/10 on the VID and  around 6"
8 dwt nugget  reading at 12/19 and about 9"
It will hear a 5 grain nugget at about 2"  and read 12/1 on the VDI  

But a lot of that will be wiped out once you put things in the ground.

I just to air test to give me a general idea of what the coil may be able to do.  I don't take an air test too seriously.    I will take the same test nuggets with me and bury them and see if I can even hear them!!

Plus it is raining so it gives me something to geek around with!!