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Minelab CTX 3030 and GPZ 7000 Weight Comparisons


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Minelab GPZ 7000 and CTX 3030

The Minelab GPZ 7000 weighs 7.32 lbs and the Minelab CTX 3030 weighs 5.2 lbs. Both are almost perfectly balanced. Where is the weight difference?

The Minelab GPZ 14 coil comes complete with lower rod attached. I assume if you buy one new it will also come with a scuff cover like all Minelab coils but I do not know this for sure. A scuff cover does come on the coil when you purchase the GPZ 7000.

The coil assembly with scuff cover and lower rod weighs exactly 3.0 lbs as weighed on my digital postal scale. The lower rod assembly with nuts and washers weighs 4.8 ounces. The scuff cover weighs 4.3 ounces. The coil alone without rod and scuff cover is 2 lbs 6.9 oz.

Compare this to the stock 11" DD coil on the Minelab CTX 3030 at 1 lb 6.2 oz with scuff cover and you can begin to see why the GPZ 7000 weighs what it does. To get proper balance for that 3 lb coil there has to be offsetting weight behind the handle. Even the 17" coil for the CTX 3030 only weighs 1 lb 15.8 oz.

Now lets look at the detector bodies:

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The GPZ body is obviously longer than the CTX body. The GPZ body with battery weighs 4 lbs 0.3 oz and the CTX body with battery weighs 3 lbs 6.2 oz.

The GPZ battery is larger and at 72 Wh has nearly twice the capacity of the 34 Wh CTX battery. The GPZ battery weighs 13.0 oz. versus 9.0 oz for the CTX battery so you are getting twice the power for only 50% more weight. The batteries are interchangeable so you can use your CTX battery as a backup on the GPZ 7000 or buy a GPZ battery to get extra running time on a CTX 3030.

The smaller battery and a smaller coil option have the potential to easily shave over a pound off the total weight GPZ 7000. I can imagine say something like a 8" x 11" semi-elliptical coil and the smaller battery making a nice balanced combo.

The longer 38" two piece rod from the GPZ 7000 will plug into the CTX 3030 for a gain of 6" over the 32" single piece CTX rod. However, the way the coils mount is totally different though in theory they could be made to work.

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GPZ 7000 coil and rod plugged onto CTX 3030

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14" x 13" GPZ 14 Coil for GPZ 7000 with Lower Rod and Scuff Cover

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The inside distance between the ear lugs on the CTX coil is about 15/16" and the distance between the ears on the GPX coil is 2-5/16".

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So yes, the CTX coil fits into that space with room to spare. in fact, the little tits just fit into the holes on the CTX ears and the coil pivots. I could make it work with little effort. Note that the cable enters offside on the CTX not dead center like GPZ. The cost may make it moot for all but people for whom cost is no object.

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It would appear that if someone with a CTX wanted to spend the money for the lower GPZ shaft, 3 hard rubber bushings of the correct size and a through bolt would make it possible to mount the CTX coil on the shaft, the offset cable of the CTX coil I don't would be much of an issue as long as the center rubber bushing didn't prevent the cable from entering the GPZ shaft.

 

As you said, if money isn't an issue, it looks like it's a doable way to have a longer shaft for a CTX.

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Steve, great post, just what I wanted to see....a side by side comparison. Since you have both, can you answer these questions... I am one of the ones that would spend the bucks for the lower rod to get some extra length but from what I see, you wouldn't be able to use the CTX lower rod with the lower piece of the GPZ shaft with the yoke right?  I would have to purchase the complete lower rod assembly (2 piece) for the GPZ to get the extra length or find a way to remove the lower plastic assembly from the CTX lower rod....

 

Could you post a close up shot of how the GPZ lower rods connect?

 

Can't wait to see the price of a GPZ lower rod, knowing the price of the CTX lower rod already!!

 

Thanks Steve

 

Cliff

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Here is where the lower rod clamps to the upper rod. I guess you could cut CTX rod off and use if you had that plastic mating sleeve and end up with a really long rod assembly. Note that the male end protrudes along one side just like the upper portion of the rod, so it can only plug into the lower rod one way.

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