Beach finds 16/08/12 (CTX first outing)

[Nuke em]

Well today i did it, after having to go to JA to get my recharger checked and finding that the thing worked and did not need replacing after all ! weird that it would not work when plugged in twice before i went.

This morning i took the CTX for a search of my favorite beach , went with Goldfinger with his E.Trac and got there at around 11am or there abouts.
We started and immediately i found differences between the CTX and the ET which i could not understand at first and as i could not remember how the hell to change a lot of the settings i got a bit wound up .
Since then i have changed a few things that were not right.

When i got home i found on the CD manual that i had my number of tones as 50 , is COMBINED the same as MULTI tones in the ET ? if so then i was struggling because i had it wrong , if not then i am going to find it very difficult to use the CTX on that beach. Will most likely use the CTX on the lower beach only if i find that the tones are not like the Multi on the ET set as combined on the CTX.

If anyone is wondering ? yes i did do a manual ground balance too. It quietened it down a small amount but the machine was very eratic at times and not as stable as the ET is even though i use both in Auto sens + 3 at sens 28 .

Anyway i found a few coins , not a lot and neither did Terry , i got a tat ring off the tops and £7.28p , i also found a HSBC card and a driving licence and took them to a HSBC in my home town and was surprised to get a £10 reward so my total is £17.28p and the ring . Terry found something over £4 in change and a US Dime.
I dont think that it was a fair chance for the CTX to prove itself but that depends on the Combined tones being the same as the Multi tones of the ET which i hope someone on here can confirm or not.
I also found the numbers were slow to display on the screen and the screen is very difficult to see without a backlight on all the time which i set to 1 to keep the power use down.
Weight is not a problem but having a set of box covers is vital if used on shingle beaches , i dont want my CTX looking like Gordon's till i have found at least the value of the machine with the CTX.

Do i think the CTX is better or not than the ET ? on the wet probably yes it is a bit but on the tops with all the non ferrous trash i dont know and today i was not impressed but as said i had it set up slightly out.

Will i use it in future ? Yes but not on the tops unless i am on the beach using it on the wet first and wonder up the beach. The ET is still my favorite for the tops out of the two machines and i still feel that the X.Terra 705 is even better than both on the shingle beach by a good margine ! sorry but it is .

I have used my ET and the Terra the same amount of times this year and the rate of coins totals is near 2 to 1 in favour for the Terra so far this year, i know each day is different but i have noticed this last year too that the Terra does better.

My ET will remain in my arsenal for the rest of this year and may be for the rest of the decade , cant say the same at the moment for the CTX but maybe it will due to the bad weather i get on the beach at times.

As far as i am concerned i need an updated Terra with better ET type tones and more numbers , 2 or 3 times as many will do.

As said i think i will have to go out with the CTX on a better day with the machine set up right in the first place , today was a poor day for finds.

Here are the finds i had today.


I will be back there tomorrow with the Terra to see if i was just unlucky or if the CTX is no good , A £525 machine better than a £2000 machine ! sorry but i know where my money will be bet on .
Not an anti CTX thread but even the ET has a struggle to match the finds of the Terra 705.
Also i think the battery consumption of the CTX if using the Duracels is bad so will have to use the Rechargables instead.

[DDazzzle]

I still think you will beat last years total easily, even with a bad finds day or so, the learning curve with the CTX will probably be the same as the Etrac

[Nuke em]

I found the ET a dodle , easy as pie.
I will beat the total by about £500 or more i think depending on if i get the targets i set myself for this and next months.

[Gold Finger]

It was a terrible 3hrs detecting by our standards, but that happens. Nice touch with the bank card

It's probably a tad early to knock the ctx, before you're fully confident of all the settings available. I wonder how the other pioneers are finding the machine?

[omegamike]

Another few bob under the belt! well done

[Goldhunter]

Get an Excalibur II for the beach Brilliant. Just ordered the hip mount kit for mine.
In all seriousness..good luck with the new machine,

[Nuke em]

Dont like the tones and dont go in the water 99% of the time. Heavy aswell and at £1200 not paying that much again. Terra replacement is the next for me.

[Goldhunter]

The tone I received from the gold ring I found on the beach yesterday was unmistakeable, I found it on the wet sand. The other three detectors that were there didn't/couldn't detect on the wet stuff. I agree it's heavy, which is why I've ordered the hip mount kit. £1200 is a lot of money for a detector. But, it's a hell of a detector on the beach. I doub't I'll ever sell it.

[Nuke em]

I dont want , other than the Blisstool any non meter machines and as i do shingle beaches dont go in the water almost at all.
Even the CTX is only in my arsenal due to being for the wet weather , not going into the water. And at that price i am still wondering whether i would have been better waiting on a direct ET replacement instead of a new top ender Minelab.
Cant see me using the GPS and other gizmo's ever so its a very expensive machine for me and it would be the same for the Excalibur.

Only interested in the direct replacement for the Terra now and hope that does not have any gizmo's , i just want better tones and more numbers and a better menu system like the ET and worded instead of symbols but that wont happen because of all the duplicate parts they would have to make for all the countries.

What were the other 3 machines on the beach ?

[Goldhunter]

What were the other 3 machines on the beach ?

Nuke em, one was a Whites, one was a Laser, can't say what the other one was as I didn't get close enough to chat to him.

[Tony Hunt]

It was a terrible 3hrs detecting by our standards, but that happens. Nice touch with the bank card

It's probably a tad early to knock the ctx, before you're fully confident of all the settings available. I wonder how the other pioneers are finding the machine?

Nothing wrong with the CTX we're keeping it all to ourselves, the doubters can think what they like. Theres going to be knockers of something that costs so much mainly from people who would like one but can't manage to buy one just yet.
Theres far more that can be done with the CTX regarding tones, settings etc than could be done with the ETrac / Explorers, you can even have a different tone for a particular section of the screen or for more than one section as in when you want to use combined and say 4 tone co. That gives you one tone on the iron section down the bottom plus 4 different tones on the co partitions, these partitions and the iron one can be totally adjustable for size as well as sound.
I think Richard needs to use the CTX far more before he starts poo pooing it as not a lot of use for what he wants, it more than takes over from the ET in my mind in every department.

[Nuke em]

On a sandy beach looking for gold maybe but at night on a shingle beach in the middle of drunken crowds the cost is too high. Will use on wet days or on the wet beach when the beach gets ripped.

still need to know what combined tones are ? anything like ET multi ?

Terry its not about knocking a machine but i do think there are things i prefer of the ET and our local beach is easy enough for most machines over £350 , oh and your C.Scope 1220xd in "your" hands.
Will use the CTX when its cooler or wet.

[des]

Combined, is a brand NEW Tone setting mixing both Ferrous and Conductive Tones.

The best aspect about it is, the new settings allow the owner to make changes to the size/s of the profiled areas and they can also change the pitch of the tones. They can even be ‘played back’ to judge it it’s the right sound or if something might need more tweaking?
It’s a really great feature which will help CTX owners to customise the Tone ID Profile that best suits the targets they are looking for and their personal hearing preference.

[Tony Hunt]

I think thats what I tried to explain Des but Richard didn't get it. See you guys at Corfe hopefully once again Des.

[Nuke em]

Thanks Des , now i will have to learn a whole new bunch of tones . Will have to wait till the rush is over on the beach.

Terra has done it again for me tonight

[Gold Finger]

Top tips there Richard. I can see the enormous benefits of what both Tony and Des are saying to you.

[Nuke em]

Well now i know what its differences are i can deal with it , but later on the lower beach when i have to in 5h!4 weather, in this weather it is to hot and fatigue is not an option , neither is being a trainee

[Tony Hunt]

I think what you havent realised with the CTX Richard is you only need to learn the tones you put in it. Every target type, every part of the screen can be made to sound how you want it to sound, everythings completely flexible to suit you, thats the beauty of the CTX and why its going to be a better detector than the ET.

[Nuke em]

I prefer multi tone on the beach , messing around with the tones on the CTX for that means i keep having to check numbers to know what i am finding as i cant be sure what coin or other target that comes in the tone is, on the ET it is easier.

[mal]

The tone I received from the gold ring I found on the beach yesterday was unmistakeable, I found it on the wet sand. The other three detectors that were there didn't/couldn't detect on the wet stuff. I agree it's heavy, which is why I've ordered the hip mount kit. £1200 is a lot of money for a detector. But, it's a hell of a detector on the beach. I doub't I'll ever sell it.

Hi Ray,

Its easy to make your own and better than the shop ones. Mine only cost £6, web belt for phone holster, 300mm plastic conduit and three 4BA s/s set screws with wing nuts. made in 15 mins. Hopefully caught you before you buy one.

Love my Excalibur II for the beach and no weight issue as have control box belt mounted.

[Rob]

Thanks for the info Richard, some good points and feedback have been made in this thread.

Having been detecting on Brighton beach for the past couple of holidays I do understand the need to use a detector with a display. Last year I used my old Sovereign and found difficulty seperating the targets and picked up loads more trash, this year with the 705 it was so easy, get a solid two way signal reading 32 and it was a £1 coin, as a result it was very easy detecting with such a light weight uncomplicated machine so thank you Minelab.
The Excalibur 11 is excellent but I would not use in on a shingle beach, just my view.
Richards finds rate is by far the best testament you can have for the 705.

[Mark Crane]

The tone I received from the gold ring I found on the beach yesterday was unmistakeable, I found it on the wet sand. The other three detectors that were there didn't/couldn't detect on the wet stuff. I agree it's heavy, which is why I've ordered the hip mount kit. £1200 is a lot of money for a detector. But, it's a hell of a detector on the beach. I doub't I'll ever sell it.

I've had my Excal II for a little over three years now. I bought the Anderson 18" extension shaft which puts the controls/battery above the elbow. Perfect balance and fatigue-free use for hours on end.

[Jeff Brown]

for multitones on the ctx,

from the detecting screen press menu button.
press down, to the mode you are in.
press right.
down to edit.
press right.
down to toneI.D. profile.
press menu.
press menu.
profile type
press menu
select 50 co tones.
press detect.
= multitones conduct. I think the tones are very similar (same?) as etrac.

[Tombs]

I think what you havent realised with the CTX Richard is you only need to learn the tones you put in it. Every target type, every part of the screen can be made to sound how you want it to sound, everythings completely flexible to suit you, thats the beauty of the CTX and why its going to be a better detector than the ET.

unless they have made an update that i haven't seen thats rubbish there are restrictions on how you place the tones for example in combined you cant give the iron tone to a tadpole like pattern also you cant have one bar at the bottom giving an iron tone and then 50co above that.

[Nuke em]

I have started useing combined tones , that worked alright on the beach this morning.