Hobby CTX 3030 Metal Detector Standard Pack

Product Information

We can set you up with the famous "Gone Hunting CTX settings" that make the CTX 3030 come alive! This program is only offered to BBH customers only. Full band spectrum 2 transmission (FBS2) combines full band spectrum transmission with the advanced digital coil to detector communications resulting in advanced signal analysis and a more accurate detecting experience. In short, you’ll know if it’s going to be an aluminium or if it’s going to be a real treasure. Metal detector usage I knew testing the Minelab CTX 3030 was going to be a challenge, and at some points I was not sure who or what was being tested me or the machine, with nearly two months under my belt with the CTX I feel it is time to air my views and answer some questions you have been asking.

I have two other articles that delve a bit deeper into these subjects. You can read more about metal detector discrimination and metal conductivity here. Apart from Minelab’s very specialised top of the line gold detectors, the CTX 3030 is still viewed as a top dog in the hobby, treasure seeking sector. It’s technology however is now aging. Fully waterproof headphones are available for those who wish to venture out into deeper water. Most spare parts are also available including batteries and chargers etc. Minelab CTX 3030 instruction manual For a deeper dive, read my article about wireless headphones technology. The fact that the CTX 3030 is fully waterproof up to 3m is perfect for shallow water diving treasure hunters also.

Smartfind2 works by displaying target information on the colour screen that has been determined from the FBS2 technology.

The target information gathered and processed from all of these frequencies gives the CTX a real edge to determining a targets identity making it super accurate.When I first looked at the CTX I found accessing the features a little confusing, I still feel the software is the only thing that lets the CTX down, it's not a problem to use but you feel that the programming was written by an electronics engineer rather than a detectorist, for example you can not rename a programme in the field, it has to be done via a PC, also if you try a different tone profile it will overwrite your existing settings, again you need a PC to restore the original. Perhaps future updates will iron out these little quirks, but don't hold your breath ! These are used for you to add your personal specifications, discriminations etc there are many setting available around the internet and on forums for you to try out. Now you can go metal detecting anywhere you can swing with this versatile TREASURE detector. You have the amazing flexibility of land and underwater detecting as the CTX 3030 is waterproof to 10 ft (3 m). Everyone knows the gold rings are in the water!

It is very easy to over-complicate things with the Minelab CTX 3030 and it’s believed you are better to let the machine do its thing until you are confident you have mastered the sensitivity settings. It excels in separating trash and good targets. Only multiple frequency technology can truely grab this information from a target as different frequencies have different effects on different metals.

Accessories

As your experience and knowledge grows, the CTX will be able to adapt and grow with you due to every setting having the ability to be adjusted. You can easily adjust settings like volume, sensitivity etc on the fly. The best place to start are the pre programmed search modes. The Full Band Spectrum technology determines a targets iron content (Fe) and its conductivity (Co). Enjoy the freedom of wireless audio with the versatility of built-in speaker and headphone options. A USB port on the CTX allows you to connect it to a PC via the “XChange2” software. This allows you to alter programmes on the computer and then upload them to the CTX.

The Minelab CTX 3030 is a true work of art, I love it to bits ! I know some of my observations may appear to be a little hard but without people like me making observations these little niggles would quite possibly never get sorted. You can go detecting anywhere with this versatile TREASURE detector. You have the flexibility of land and underwater detecting as the CTX 3030 is waterproof* to 10 ft (3 m). With a full colour LCD and advanced Target Trace discrimination you will find more treasure, even amongst junk littered areas, in all ground conditions. The subject of metal conductivity and metal detector frequencies is quite deep, however very interesting….to many I hope! Additional technical specifications on the CTX’s FBS2, Smartfind2, GPSi and Wi-Stream can be found here. Final thoughts

We all expect more depth when we upgrade but in reality we are restricted by coil sizes and ground conditions, I believe what Minelab have done here is designed the CTX 3030 to be more adaptable for a wider range of search scenarios, and to be honest for me it's almost the detector I have been dreaming about. I say almost, I would love a meeting with the Minelab engineers, with one or two small software tweaks this machine could be worth it's weight in Gold. My early outings with the CTX led to a lot of false signals simply due to operator error... I refused to allow the machine to do it's own thing. When you are searching, the Detect screen shows you all the target information you need to find more treasure – you won’t miss anything! The color display, Ferrous and Conductivity numbers, numerical depth indicator, and sensitivity panel will give you more confidence to find those elusive good targets in heavily searched and high trash areas. FBS (Full Band Spectrum) technology is slightly different in that it pulses a kind of digital rectangular wave form into the ground ranging from 1.5KHz to 100KHz.