Minelab CTX 3030 for Gold Nuggets

[Steve Herschbach]

Great post Ron, thanks! I moved a few around to put all the CTX related stuff back on this thread. Very interesting, the Coiltek weighs more than the stock coil? So the question is, how does the stock coil do on the 5 grain nugget?

Have you ever tried hunting with the CTX trigger locked in the pinpoint mode?

[Ron (CA)]

Stock coil will hear a 5 grain nugget: 12/01 at about 1-1.5"

Never have locked the pinpoint and hunted. If I want to hear everything I run a combined mode with a wide open screen. But the ground will grunt from time to time so I run a couple lines of discrimination with a "manual" ground balance.

I prefer Ground Coin Mode but will also use High trash from time to time. I find a get a better ground balance with the Ground Coin mode and better signal response in my areas. But using some discrimination.

If you run a combined Program with Zero discrimination then High Trash is the quietest mode.

I don't think one will outshine the other but that is just my opinion.And if you are hunting for gold with the CTX (smaller gold) then it is a pretty slow sweep speed machines which is typical for Minelab machines.

From the Manual

Ground-Coin

Ground-Coin improves Target ID stability of coin type targets in areas with high ground mineralization. Ground with high mineralization would normally spread the Target ID over a wide area of the detect screen, with the potential to misidentify targets. This setting uses advanced signal processing techniques to minimize the blending of ground and coin signals. The improvement in Target ID stability allows you the best opportunity to correctly identify the good target.

High Trash

The High Trash setting can identify weak accepted target signals among rejected targets even if the rejected target signals are stronger. The advanced signal processing takes the best accepted target signal and ignores all the rejected target signals no matter how strong they are. When High Trash is used, the Target ID is less stable, therefore a larger edit frame will be required in order to accept or reject specific targets. High Trash can also be used with a slightly faster sweep speed, making it suitable for areas where fast ground coverage is important, such as during competition hunts. The High Trash setting also offers improved target ID stability in highly mineralized ground conditions.

[Steve Herschbach]

Really great stuff - thanks again Ron.

It would seem to me the main advantage of the Coiltek coil is simply the solid bottom and elongated shape. Nothing to hang up and better for getting into nooks and crannies with the nose of the coil. I guess an alternative would be to make a solid bottom scuff cover for the Minelab coils.

[Steve Herschbach]

So JP, any more news about your CTX 3030? I have been staying near home this last month, writing and selling used detectors. I am heading to New Orleans in a week for the Minelab Conference. I have not had any time yet to get my CTX out in the field looking for gold. My real prospecting will start in March.

Some Details on Find Made in Video

CTX 3030 Finds Gold Near Palmer River, Australia

[Jonathan Porter]

Hi Steve, been pretty flat out building boosters (Still not got yours ready to ship, but the curly cords turned up yesterday so once boxed up they'll be good to go... please PM me your mailing address).

I've been out a few times in the last week or so reworking some old ground between the thunderstorms, very humid and sticky but 9 and 8 gram pieces have made it worth while. 

Would have loved to come over for the New Orleans gig but just could not justify the expense for only a few days visit, especially this time of year where the kids have just gone back to school (expensive), say Hi to everyone for me will you?

The CTX is sitting in the cupboard for now and for good reason, there are better things to do at present. :-) But I've still got some oversize piles that are full of trash that I want to check out, once the weather cools I'll give it another shot.

JP

[Gold Hound]

I've been using the CTX for finding gold nuggets in trash areas like tailings oversize piles, old diggers camps, ect here in Australia since its release.

I have easily found over 10oz doing this.

I spent alot of time building my discrimination patterns and audio to suit and playing with the settings.

When I was building the pattern I scanned over 1000 different nuggets from .2g to 32oz.

Here in aus our ground varies alot from heavy mineralization to low mineralization so I built 3 different modes that cover these all with minimal adjustment's.

Once you learn the CTX and how it operates under different soil conditions and get to know the target trace it is a weapon in any area that has a lot of trash particularly iron.

The target separation and discriminator is the best I have ever used for this type of work.

And all of the audio options availabe I just love it!

[Norvic]

This thread has me leaning definitely towards the CTX as my first vlf in, bloody hell on thinking, 20 years. Few weeks ago wasn`t even considering a VLF, thanks fellows. Got a fair few tailings and trash sites I`ve avoided for too long.

[Gold Hound]

This thread has me leaning definitely towards the CTX as my first vlf in, bloody hell on thinking, 20 years. Few weeks ago wasn`t even considering a VLF, thanks fellows. Got a fair few tailings and trash sites I`ve avoided for too long.

All I do is camp on the area say tailings piles and detect all day as normal away from camp.

Then after dinner I just wander around the piles.

The only trouble with this is I sometimes get carried away and stay out to late when I find a nice bit!

[Norvic]

Good strategy Gold Hound, sort of trouble, that nice bit I can go for. Worst thing the cooks let my tucker go cold by then but an extra port warms it up down below. For interest wandered over under HV line cutting through my ground with the GPZ, knocked it out almost completely. Ground balanced no drama  just a wee warble. No gold but good test on a sunday arvo, mineralised ground, wolfram & moly bit of fluorspar country but not unheard of that gold occurs near wolfram especially near fluorspar.

[Gold Hound]

If you guys are interested I'll do a full write up on gold plucking (thats what we call it) with the CTX in trashy areas in gold field dirt.

I have done 100's of hours of this, and have easily pulled over 10oz since its release.