CTX 3030 17" coil quick review

IMO, the ctx 3030 coil did not improve my finds rate. The depth gain was an 1" on large coins, 1/2" on smaller ones. However, coins at the 7-10" mark sounded better.

I would use this coil for finding large iron objects that are deep, for a cache situation or, to cover more ground. BUT that's it.It isn't a very effective tool for coin shooters. I sold mine years ago.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/02/2017 02:50PM by Beyonder-Pa.

Where mine shines is on the beach. Areal coverage + a bit more depth (tho I haven't formally tested in sand).
My home soil is rarely very deep (clay layer </=6") so pretty much any coil works for me in parks/schoolyards/etc around here.

To each his own I guess...not into swinging garbage can lids...especially with the depth of the unit with stock coil..

I bought one for my CTX but I had beach hunting in mind. I put it on the CTX and hooked the harness up to it and haven't even had it on a hunt yet. I think I might add the new CoilTek 10x14 too and compare the two coils. I think the heavier CoilTek would be better in the water. I need to run the 17" on a hunt. I have 30+ new sites I have located that I need to get permission for and hunt. Just can't find the extra time to do it. Working a full time job, working out, and then working a goat farm at home is busy work.

Beyonder-Pa Wrote:
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> IMO, the ctx 3030 coil did not improve my finds ra
> te. The depth gain was an 1" on large coins, 1/2"
> on smaller ones. However, coins at the 7-10" mark
> sounded better.
>
> I would use this coil for finding large iron objec
> ts that are deep, for a cache situation or, to cov
> er more ground. BUT that's it.It isn't a very effe
> ctive tool for coin shooters. I sold mine years ag
> o.


Only 1/2" more on small coins? And only 1" more on larger coins (quarters and up ?). Hmmm. Although I haven't personally owned a 3030, I was allowed to baby-sit borrow one for several week's trial loan. And it seemed to me, when air testing the 17" vs the standard 11" coil, that more than an inch was being added to all coins, with the 17" coil. Unlike the prior generations of Explorers (II, Etrac, etc...) where the stock 11" coil (aka 10.5) seemed to be the "point of diminishing returns". Ie.: where larger coils (Wot, for example) only added more coverage. Not more depth (for coin-sized targets).

But as champ says: About the only place I'd attempt to use such a large beast, would be the wide open beach. Or perhaps fields where targets are more spread out. Because the fishy-ness and warbly-ness were pretty pronounced with that super large coil. And as if it's not already difficult enough to pinpoint w/o a sunray in-line probe, doh! It was quite a task to pinpoint targets going to that super large coil. For the beach that wouldn't be an issue (as holes is not an issue), but I found it to be nerve-racking on land sites.

I recall 1 to 2" added on some coins with that larger coil. Not sure why your tests only showed .5 to 1"

Most of what others have written say about 2" extra depth with the 17, but I don't know that I'd ever take a hard # to the bank. Soils are just SO variable and so are environmental conditions to ever rely on a single #. What all this also says is that the stock coil is a very good one.

Here are my results with the CTX 17'' on an air test vs a CZ21 and Excal on a quarter. The CZ21/Excal were both stock machines with 10'' coil. These tests were done in a low EMF zone:

CTX: 16 inches (solid signal)
CZ21: Faint signal dies off at 13 inches (so probably more like 11-12 in real conditions near ocean)
Excal: 13-14 inches faint signal (so probably more like 11-12 in real conditions near ocean)

Then here are my settings and air test results with the 17'' on a bunch of items:

Settings:

Coil: 17 inch
Sensitivity: 26
Pattern: All metal but last line
Tone: Combined
Deep on
Seawater on
Pitch long
Speaker - no headphones.

Findings:

Mens 10k Gold band: 16 inches
Mens 14k thin white gold band: 14 inches
Womens 14k White gold wedding band: 8-9 inches
Tungsten Junk Ring Mens Wedding Band: 17 inches
Wheat Penny: 15 inches
1oz silver bullet: 11 inches
Silver nickel: 13 inches
Regular nickel: 13 inches
Quarter: 16 inches
Silver ring: 14 inches

_________________________________

Nox600, CTX, CZ21, Excal II and White's DF with 920i stealthscoop...I live and hunt at the beach in Wilm NC



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 06/07/2017 04:49PM by adamBomb.

I have put a LOT of hours in with the 17" coil turf hunting old parks. In my ground here in the Pacific Northwest the big coil
was no more then 1 inch deeper the the stock coil. I mainlly kept it strapped on for more coverage and its ability to hit a little
harder on the deepies and coins on edge.
I have since sold my CTX and am now much happier running an Etrac.
The Etrac with new Gen.5 Nel Tornado is just as deep as the 17" coil only much easier to swing.
It also runs at higher sensitivities quieter with less falsing.

I think you would see much more benefit on the beach or big open fields with the big 17" coil compared to a park setting.
Especially if the ground is mild.

Bryan

I have never owned a 3030 but have borrowed one for a few weeks including using the larger 17'' coil,for the most part larger coils on infact any machine are only beneficial on larger items bigger than coin size,you will see a marginal increase on single coin items but if its a large artifact,hoard or military size item then that is when these larger coils will go alot deeper than the stock coil.

Also on clean open pasture sites or deep ploughed and rolled sites then that is the large coil will not only give you better depth but once again real gains will only be seen on larger targets and also the added bonus of a large coil is the extra ground coverage that they offer.

It's true--she's a beast to swing. But I've had some decent results with this coil. I have a sense though that with the CTX's over processed signal--you have to put a lot of consideration into your settings (leaning towards one-line-at -bottom type set-ups) and not try to push the Sens too hard. You also wont do much in fast water with this coil. It really needs to be babied--no Auto--up around 20 to 22 Sens worked well in salt for me---18" on a band--too deep for Excals came up a nice green. IMHO it's a coil that needs to be run like a pulse--super delicate coil control, listen with everything you've got..
cjc clivesgoldpage.com

Wouldn't a big coil be a benefit on civil war field hunts where maximum coverage and depth is paramount? Obviously, the user will fatigue faster but a 1" depth improvement seems significant.

go-rebels Wrote:
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> Wouldn't a big coil be a benefit on civil war fiel
> d hunts where maximum coverage and depth is paramo
> unt? Obviously, the user will fatigue faster but
> a 1" depth improvement seems significant.


I looked at it this way: It's cost+weight+masking > results. I didn't mean to say that the coil is worthless, it just doesnt provide maximum benefit for the overall negatives, for me.

Here is a couple videos showing the punching power of the 17. it is extremly sensitive to small targets as well. live digs
[www.youtube.com]
[www.youtube.com]