How fast do you swing?

[Andrew Kalinowski]

How fast do you swing your CTX with standard coil. I keep hearing that slower is better but, how slow is good? How fast is the most efficient to reasonably well cover the ground?
I've seen some advising 4 seconds swing but, is it 4 seconds each way or one way? Asking because (in videos) I've seen the same people actually do about 1 second each way...
So, what works for you? BTW. Before you answer, try simulated ten swings and time yourself. I suspect that many of you in reality swing much faster than you think you are.

 

[Dr.Deus]

For me it depends on how much is in the ground.

 

[Andrew Kalinowski]

For me it depends on how much is in the ground.

Thanks. Good to know but, how fast do you swing when there is a lot and how fast when there is a little?

 

[Larry (IL)]

That depends .......... from very slow to very fast.

Optimum swing speed will vary greatly based on many factors such as mineralization, how much trash you are hunting in, user skills and in part, how you have the detector set up. Contrary to popular belief, the CTX will go deeper with a faster swing as opposed to a slow one. BUT realistically, you can not swing fast in the trash because you will miss the targets between the trash. This is why the "Minelab wiggle" works so well in helping ID a deep target. You are swinging the coil very fast over the target, you just are not going very far with your swing.

What is the best swing speed for you in your ground has to be learned from trial and error IMO.

 

[Andrew Kalinowski]

That depends .......... from very slow to very fast.

Optimum swing speed will vary greatly based on many factors such as mineralization, how much trash you are hunting in, user skills and in part, how you have the detector set up. Contrary to popular belief, the CTX will go deeper with a faster swing as opposed to a slow one. BUT realistically, you can not swing fast in the trash because you will miss the targets between the trash. This is why the "Minelab wiggle" works so well in helping ID a deep target. You are swinging the coil very fast over the target, you just are not going very far with your swing.

What is the best swing speed for you in your ground has to be learned from trial and error IMO.

OK, so, lets take a typical scenario. A beach without excessive mineralization, very little trash, covering the ground looking for the next signal that may be a yard or ten or fifty yards ahead of you... 1? 2? 3? 4? seconds swings?

 

[Dr.Deus]

Then in that case for me i think i would swing about 2 seconds to the left 2 seconds to the right. Thats my set swing speed for clean ground.

 

[Andrew Kalinowski]

Then in that case for me i think i would swing about 2 seconds to the left 2 seconds to the right. Thats my set swing speed for clean ground.

Appreciate your answer! A qualified number tells me much more than just "slow" or "fast". With the CTX, I don't yet have any real time in the field - the ground is frozen here but, with my previous detector, I was typically doing about 1 sec. each way when covering the ground, looking for the next signal whether it was to be a nail, a pull tab or a ring. Going down to 2 seconds was to initially investigate after a beep and after that, all bets were off - fast / slow / narrow / wide / angles to try and figure out single / multiple / size / depth / type / dig or not. Heck, I almost always dig anyway because, with my previous detector, I could correctly call maybe 30% of the targets. I got the CTX with the hopes of bringing that to 50%+ so I could leave some bobby pins undisturbed

 

[GateKeeper]

Andrew, I hunted a few times with a newer CTX operator this summer and he was going like a bat out of hell. I followed behind
him and was pulling coins and jewelry that he was missing. 2-4 second swings are the best. When you swing slower, you will
have more control over the coil. What I have noticed is that the faster you swing the coil, the coil tips and will false more. Coil
control is key and you will hear and find deeper targets.

 

[Larry (IL)]

I hunt pretty fast on the beach depending on the amount of trash, I would guess a two second swing L to R would be about right on a pretty clean beach for me and as Phil said, keep that coil flat, no pendulum swings.

 

[mtwolf2270]

I would say I agree with Larry and Gatekeeper both. I guess in clean ground I am 2 sec left and 2 sec right. More importantly to me is listening to the groung and my CTX if my finds are just not there the first thing I do is slow way down this ensures good coverage and flat swing. If it is very trashy agian I creep along and often do the wiggle. The CTX is faster by far then anything else I have used it's seperation is better. There is imo no standard swing that will work for me the site and my time will always determine my approach.

 

[Jim Robertson]

I used the 17 inch coil and move as fast as I can with that size coil. And I just got back from the Outer Banks and was digging 8 oz sinkers at 12 to 15 inches. The wet sand out there is very loose even hard to walk in. But I also hunt the S.C. beaches 5 or 6 weeks a year and never slow down there. There is a lot of black sand there but still dig targets deeper than the meter states moving very fast. Hope that helps.

 

[Buried Crap NJ]

n/t

 

[Andrew Kalinowski]

Thanks everybody for your input.
One of the very first things that I learned was to swing parallel to the ground by closely observing how the coil was hitting the grass. After an hour, I had the movement "hard coded" in my arm and it became second nature. CTX has a different grip so, I will need to practice again and re-learn the movement. For that, I need the grass or beach sand to show again from under the snow... 2+ seconds for covering ground still sounds awfully slow to me. One twenty one, one twenty two, one... I'll have to work hard to break my habit and slow down that much but, if that is what it takes to bring out the beast from CTX, I will do it.
Moving forward about 7-8" for every swing means that it will take about a minute and a half to cover 10 yards. Maybe it's not so bad after all.

 

[Dr.Deus]

I'm sure you ll do just fine just like the rest of us. Me personally I'm not out detecting on a competitive scale were i think i have to cover the most ground in one day. I like to take my time, slow my swings and learn my detector because it was alot of money and i want to take the time out to learn and enjoy this wonderful machine. The key for me is to just have fun, get some exercise and at the end of the day if i have good finds in my pouch then i consider that a big plus.HH

 

[C&RHunter]

Thanks everybody for your input.
One of the very first things that I learned was to swing parallel to the ground by closely observing how the coil was hitting the grass. After an hour, I had the movement "hard coded" in my arm and it became second nature. CTX has a different grip so, I will need to practice again and re-learn the movement. For that, I need the grass or beach sand to show again from under the snow... 2+ seconds for covering ground still sounds awfully slow to me. One twenty one, one twenty two, one... I'll have to work hard to break my habit and slow down that much but, if that is what it takes to bring out the beast from CTX, I will do it.
Moving forward about 7-8" for every swing means that it will take about a minute and a half to cover 10 yards. Maybe it's not so bad after all.

Something that I haven't noticed being mentioned, is the width of swing, or the distance the coil covers, from left to right, for each swing. This would vary for each individual. Tall person versus a shorter person, is the shaft adjusted long or short, and conditions or obstructions in the field. If your coil only covers 3 feet from right to left per swing, 2 seconds might seem very slow. However, if your coil is covering 4-5 feet or more per swing, from right to left, 2 seconds may not seem so slow. It just takes some time to find what works best for you. I know some hunters that just "can't" hunt slow. Most of them hunt in a lot of competitions, and speed is everything there. Myself, I hunt fairly slow, began doing that with the XS and the E-Trac.........HH

 

[Atlas]

That's a good point by C&R Hunter on the swing width. I typically have a wide swing probably about a 150-160 deg arc left to right covering around 5 feet and if I'm in high trash then I'm counting up to 3 or 4. Now that is just a simple slow count 1-2-3, not one-onethousand, two-onethousand etc. Now don't get me wrong I don't count out every swing I might just check once in a while to see how long it is but you can tell pretty easily. In less trash I'm probably around a 2 and would do that on the beach as well.

I have had a few cases in trash where I got just a tiny "good" chirp and then rescanned slower and got a much better signal that turned out to be a good target.

 

[Andrew Kalinowski]

Really good point on the width of the swing. I'd say that with my other machine (keep saying "other" because direct comparisons are not allowed in brand specific forum) I cover about 5-6 feet. With CTX, I have to cut it by at least a foot to the right to avoid battery hitting my side tipping the coil - I'm average height and fully extended shaft works for me but, I'm above average width.

Counting up simple 3-4 would be (in my mind) under 2 seconds and is closer to my natural swing speed. Counting just simple 2 I'd call on the fast side for my habits.
Good input guys! Oh boy, I can hardly wait for weather to get detectable again so I can put all of the CTX theory into practice!

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

Every situation is different. You have to experiment on each situation. One speed will not fit every situation.The more trash the slower the swing. If your in a null slow down even further. I use Gone Hunting program with a very open scree so you can swing it a bit faster.

 

[jas415]

We hunt really trashy house lots that have been demolished. Dirt pushed everywhich direction and absolutely loaded with iron, nails, aluminum pieces, tin, lead, etc., and it takes me about 3 hours to cover an area about 40' by 80'. 3 to 5 seconds each way with the small coil and if I hear a tweet then I do all the wiggling, etc.. I would guess the average front yard here gives up anywhere from 30-100 coins, allong with the tabs, toy cars, jewelry, etc.. Investigating the high tones takes time.