Help with CTX 3030

I use a CTX 3030 and I use a combined ferrus coin program. I use the silver program with ferrus coin and a open screen. My question is I love to hunt with a open screen where I can hear every target but, have been told that I should be using a discriminated pattern and then when I find a good target check it with a open screen. Why would a discriminated pattern be better than using a wide open screen? Am I missing coins or other good targets by using a open screen? I had a friend take his etrac over a area 3 or for times to see what good target he could get. This area was full of iron and he uses a coin pattern program. He said his etrac just nulls out most of the time in that area. I went back over this same area with my CTX 3030 with open screen and pulled 3 silvers and several wheats. My friend was totally blown away that he missed those targets. Am I missing good targets by hunting with a open screen? Will I find more targets using discrimination? Would love to know what everyone thinks that has used a CTX 3030

" I went back over this same area with my CTX 3030 with open screen and pulled 3 silvers and several wheats."-THE NULLING ON THE CURRENT MINELAB MODELS DELAY THE PROCESSOR THEREBY SLOWING YOUR RECOVERY SPEED. THE CTX IS SLOW, THE ETRAC IS TWICE AS SLOW. WHEN YOU HAVE AN OPEN SCREEN, YOU HAVE NO NULLING THEREFORE YOU HAVE MAXIMUM UTILIZATION OF THE PROCESSOR SPEED FOR IDENTIFICATION OF TARGETS. IN SHORT, YOU ARE NOT LOSING COINS BY USING AN OPEN SCREEN.

I just recently hunted a old house with a 40 by 40 foot yard using open screen that I pulled 125 coins out of. 49 were wheats and 2 IH's but, not one silver. I even re hunted it using the 6 inch coil. That gave me 4 more wheats and 1 IH. I thought it was strange that there wasn't not one silver in all those good targets. When I hunt in a open screen I hunt slow and listen for high tones and high tones in all the iron. I have trained my ears to listen to all the different sounds. I just want to make sure the way I hunt is the best way to get the most good targets while hunting.

Just set up a program last night on the exchange to emulate exactly what you posted. Love the bins and only knocked out one line all around the screen except the top, left it open. From people I've talked with you are dead on what you should be doing, only makes sense.

Just like my friend that used the etrac with the coin program. If I had hunted that same area using a coin program with discrimination on my CTX would I have found those 3 silvers? He was totally blown away that he missed those silver coins. He has been hunting for over 2 years using his etrac and has found over 200 silvers. He said how many silvers have I missed using a discriminated coin pattern and not a open screen like you use. It just feels natural for me to use a open screen and listen to all the tones and dig the ones that I feel could be good targets. I have never liked using much discrimination.

Wide open screen and combined fe/co audio is your best bet

the way you're using it in the silver program in "fe" only = you're using it/have it set up like an etrac (hence) may as well just use an etrac at that point (only diff is the speed of recovery/processor).

Sens as high as you can get it.. wide open screen - combined mode...Slide the ferrous bar to 32 /33 just to get the nails to low tone...

High trash on - deep off

Normal audio on -- it will run sorta like a f75 or a lot of other Vlf's like this.

Just listen for/dig the high tone's...

There is no one answer for every site, every hunt. Try all the suggestions that seem to work for other people and go with what works for You.

MichiganRelicHunter Wrote:
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> Wide open screen...
> Slide the ferrous bar to 32 /33
> just to get the nails to low tone...
>
> Just listen for/dig the high tone's...

Regardless of mode, that one line is the best advice you'll get for hunting in iron, especially if you've already cleaned out the 'easy' ones.

On any machine, you want to set the iron tone break to just barely eliminate the iron.
On the CTX it's easy to do, but probably one of it's most under-utilized features.

For reasons I can't fathom, people will adjust every knob on their stereo (to get the most out of it), but won't change a thing on someone else's search patterns.

Sounds like you're doing 'it' just fine. Keep at it, and have fun.

mike



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2016 09:30PM by Mike in CO.

I just know most guys I have talked to that use the CTX say they can't stand to use a open screen because of all the different sounds. It doesn't bother me at all in combined mode but, I have never hunted in 50 tone conductive or any of the other modes. I have only been using the CTX for little over a year.

I will weigh in here.

I belive if a person after find a nonferrous target in combined mode,,, can actually go to conductive 50 mode and hear the same target.

But here is where differences can be seen ( heard).

Remember your coil is moving,,,and while moving is transmitting and receiving --- may or may not be providing a signal or an accurate signal.

Now throw in some discrimination-- like running conductive 50 tones.

The detector is having to process and make decisions -- with using discrimination the slight amount of bought time using no disc may make a difference in just how a target signal is produced.

But the trade off here can be more signals being produced --- and the op has to pick out the better/ good from bad/ worse-- so human error (ears).

Combined mode with very little disc or no disc = a little more swing speed friendly, yet acquire a good target

I wonder sometimes for example--- how many good high conductor coins using etrac or CTX have been passed by because a high tone glint was heard,,,, and the op thought it was nail/ iron false????

"The detector is having to process and make decisions -- with using discrimination the slight amount of bought time using no disc may make a difference in just how a target signal is produced. "-DIDNT I JUST SAY THAT lol

What's funny I go on Facebook and one of the detecting sites is talking about the same thing. Lots of guys that have been using discrimination are now seeing the benefits of using a open screen. Like anything once you do it long enough it will become norm all the sounds won't bother you. You will learn to listen for certain sounds and those sounds will make you stop and investigate. Slow is the way to go on the CTX.

I think the only way you might hurt yourself by running an open screen is if you are running High Trash Target Seperation.
The CTX will lock on to the strongest ACCEPTED signal using that mode.
If you did not have any discrimination it might lock on to a nail instead of a coin because the nail might have the stronger signal.
If you have nails discriminated it should help lock on to the coin if the feature actually works.
I don't know if I trust it, so I too run FE Coin wide open as much as possible..
If I get tired of the noise I pick a pattern with the bottom line notched out or sometimes with a line most of the way around to help
quite down the wrap around noise.
I feel like I'm blind if I run too much discrimination..
Bryan



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/2016 06:00AM by Cabin Fever.

Am I missing good targets by hunting with an open screen?

No. That is the best bet at hearing all targets under the coil. There are some instances with a little disc is helpful (see below).


Will I find more targets using discrimination?

No. Discrimination will cause an incremental loss in sensitivity. Some disc is used to silence annoying iron blips that sound somewhat like high conductors. It is a trade-off that may be beneficial if elongated iron is interfering with hearing the true high-conductors. Generally, in nail strewn fields, a bit of disc is worth the slight loss in sensitivity - the minimum amount of disc should be used to achieve clarity. But again, there are times when too much disc causes a jumpy iron target to only allow its high tone through - making it appear non-ferrous. In that case, it is better to hunt with an open screen or min disc so the jumpy iron reveals itself (with full sounds including the iron audio). You just have to experiment. Every hunt is a bit different.



Why would a discriminated pattern be better than using a wide open screen?

It is best used to eliminate unwanted audio hits from ferrous. It could be used to eliminate junk non-ferrous targets too, assuming the junk audio signature is not adjacent to a desired target which could also be eliminated. When audio fatigue sets in from the cacophony of sounds, junk and good mixed, I have a disc pattern available that will reduce the noise level. It doesn't do you much good to overwhelm your brain trying to separate audio chirps and grunts and miss the good target because you are worn out. I may start with an open screen, but within half-an-hour I've usually switched to some disc when the iron chirping gets too distracting.

With the CTX you can easily switch between an open screen and one with disc with a push of a button.

If I were to have a sliver of discrimination around the bottom and sides would that cause any nulling? I have my tones set at 310-495-960-1200-80 in combine. This setting has really helped me hear the high tones in iron filled sites.

"If I were to have a sliver of discrimination around the bottom and sides would that cause any nulling?" Yes.

Beyonder-Pa Wrote:
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> "If I were to have a sliver of discrimination
> around the bottom and sides would that cause any
> nulling?" Yes.


2xs that

When running an open screen all targets are ACCEPTED.
You are telling your CTX, you want EVERYTHING.

As stated before, it will LOCK onto the STRONGEST signal and REPORT it loud and clear.

With every Minelab since the Sovereign GT, it will amply the non-discriminated part of the signal.

So it likes a LITTLE discrimination in order to report the more favorable part of the signal to the operator.

BBS, FBS, FBS2, V-FLEX hunts through the null. If you haven't figured that one out,... you haven't run your Minelab long enough.


In short,... multiple targets under the coil at the same time,... add a little discrimination.
1 target under the coil at the same time,... open screen.

That's the reason you can easily and quickly change your disc pattern.

HH
Johnb