After 3+ months with the CTX I have changed my tune regarding Auto sensitivity. Coming from the Etrac, I loved using MANUAL sens and swore it went deeper. So I started using the CTX in MANUAL in most, but not all, cases. After going over well hit places time and again, I have witnessed that using MANUAL sens gives you more "punch" but not more coins. I didnt say depth...I said more coins. MY verdict is still out on what is deeper, AUTO or MANUAL, but an air-test still shows MANUAL being #1. Recently, when using AUTO, I have noticed that in areas with lots of targets, AUTO is the sens of choice. AUTO lowers the sensitivty of the targets enabling the CTX to hear those good targets next to junk. In MANUAL, the target in more "amplified". This has been proven to hide those deeper "smaller" targets. With a slower swing speed, you can overcome some of the amplified targets, but you may still drown out the deep ones. So what I do, is cover an area in AUTO first, then switch to MANUAL after I start cleaning it out. I repeat this cycle a few times before I render a sight "done". Hope this helps someone.
Find's Treasure Forums
Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!
You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.
Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.
Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.
Click here to register!
Need Support Help?
Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you
Changed email? Forgot to update your account with new email address? Need assistance with something else?, click here to go to Find's Support Form and fill out the form.
Manual VS Auto
- Thread starter jimzilla
- Start date
Big Boys Hobbies
Well-known member
I am a firm believer that auto is the way to go unless your in a clean site. At least it works for me. No right or wrong answer really.
earthmansurfer
Active member
Jim - Maybe you are on to something. Manual appears to max out deeper than auto, but on most targets not at fringe depths, perhaps auto does a better job of unmasking and such? I wonder if auto is doing anything a bit smoother with the newer electronics than manual can (e.g., chip in coil and FBS2)? Would be interesting to ask Minelab this if anyone has connections.
Albert
Albert
Albert I surely believe that. I went back to several places that I killed in MANUAL and tried them in AUTO and pulled out more coins. This past week I went back to an old school that was also pounded by me and others and my first signal (2 minutes into the hunt) was a 1943 Wash quarter. This was in AUTO +3
A minelab engineer had spoken to a friend of mine and he said that when using auto it is doing much more than just automatically adjusting the sensitivity. With that being said I have no idea what else it could be doing but he said there is no reason to ever run the machine "NOT" being in auto as he runs his own machine in auto and is confident in its abilities. When I get a deep target one that is 7" or greater I switch from auto to manual and also play with deep on and off and so far have not been impressed with anything but auto. The only setting that is "doing" something for me is raising the gain. Placing deep on at a park with allot of shallow modern trash and even shallow coin targets only merges signal response and makes it harder to identify the deeper targets. Best thing for me is slow and low and let the machine do the work. I've pulled a few 9" silver dimes like this in auto plus 3 at pounded parks so I am confident in the internal workings of the CTX.
Now this does not mean that manual in some cases will not work better. Everyone has different ground and different amounts of trash in their ground. But for me Auto is the way. This fall I will experiment more in fields that are quiet most of the time and see if manual is better. I will then do the opposite and run the machine in manual until I get a deep fringe hit and switch to auto to see if still there. My prediction on this is that auto will still pick up the target enough to tell you something is worthy of digging but may not have same results. As stated earlier....I think manual is for use in clean ground with low mineral content.
Now this does not mean that manual in some cases will not work better. Everyone has different ground and different amounts of trash in their ground. But for me Auto is the way. This fall I will experiment more in fields that are quiet most of the time and see if manual is better. I will then do the opposite and run the machine in manual until I get a deep fringe hit and switch to auto to see if still there. My prediction on this is that auto will still pick up the target enough to tell you something is worthy of digging but may not have same results. As stated earlier....I think manual is for use in clean ground with low mineral content.
earthmansurfer
Active member
Interesting discussion, I love these threads. 
Jim - Was there iron or a collocated piece of trash nearby? What is your mineralization like? For auto to be doing something more than manual, I imagine either the mineralization must be in play or collocated targets. In sweet ground I can't imagine auto going deeper than manual.
Joe - I did pull a silver dime from 9" (yeah, in Germany!) and my ground is somewhat iron mineralized. Doesn't kill performance on multifrequency machines but machines with higher frequencies like the T2, couldn't get much depth. But, in my ground I do occasionally get fringe depth targets (9") that won't hit in auto, IF auto is lower than 24 ish. I have never seen an advantage, just disadvantage, from running deep on. A poster mentioned a very good point regarding it. The only time it really does it's job is if your volume gain is low with it on, then it will amplify and stabilize those deeper signals. But having deep on with a higher volume gain might actually hurt. Also, perhaps mineralized ground is not the best place for it?
I do notice I have a harder time (at times) with manual 30 then I did with the E-Trac in manual 30. That said, I have pulled more deeper coins from the same places with it running like that.
Albert
Jim - Was there iron or a collocated piece of trash nearby? What is your mineralization like? For auto to be doing something more than manual, I imagine either the mineralization must be in play or collocated targets. In sweet ground I can't imagine auto going deeper than manual.
Joe - I did pull a silver dime from 9" (yeah, in Germany!) and my ground is somewhat iron mineralized. Doesn't kill performance on multifrequency machines but machines with higher frequencies like the T2, couldn't get much depth. But, in my ground I do occasionally get fringe depth targets (9") that won't hit in auto, IF auto is lower than 24 ish. I have never seen an advantage, just disadvantage, from running deep on. A poster mentioned a very good point regarding it. The only time it really does it's job is if your volume gain is low with it on, then it will amplify and stabilize those deeper signals. But having deep on with a higher volume gain might actually hurt. Also, perhaps mineralized ground is not the best place for it?
I do notice I have a harder time (at times) with manual 30 then I did with the E-Trac in manual 30. That said, I have pulled more deeper coins from the same places with it running like that.
Albert
Its funny you say that Albert. I've recently been tinkering one setting at a time and recently have been playing with deep on vs. off. I seem to be getting deeper hits with it off at most parks and I believe it is due to shallow targets being nearby. The fast setting I will never use like I had to sometimes on the Etrac because this machines is pretty fast itself and I have learned over time that I'm the one that needs to slow down and work the trashy areas. Its crazy to put it this way but the slower you go, the faster your machine is. With that being said, you also do not want too slow because it will affect the "chirp" from the target below the coil. Sometimes if I get a blip I either slow down swing speed or speed up or wiggle quick. This is what really gives you the true tone.
Albert, there were many targets at this forementioned sites so AUTO was the way to go. If i was hunting in a clean area like a beach or a farm field, then MANUAL would probably be my mode of choice. BUT for now, I will hit a place in both AUTO and MANUAL so I am covering the same areas multiple times in both. Very rarely will I hit a place and never go back. I want every last target to be dug in the end.
Time on a detector has a way of teaching us things we thought we already knew! For the most part, I agree with your analysis of the Manual vs Auto scenerio. There are the rare times when I switch over to manual and kick it up a notch or two, just to see if I can get more depth. Usually, I hunt that way for a few minutes, then turn it back to Auto +2 or +3. Here are portions of a few posts I"ve made, regarding my thoughts and opinions Sensitivity.
*********************************************
When the CTX 3030 forum first started, I encouraged folks to use the Auto Sensitivity for a couple reasons. One, Auto (even with an offest) would provide very good results for most locations. Two, I didn't want people to think they had to crank it clear up to get respectible depth. It is engineered, afterall, different than the previous FBS detectors. With any detector, Sensitivity set too high can create a situation where the "noise" overshadows the target signal. My preference is still Auto +2 or +3 at most of the sites I hunt. However, if there isn't much trash in the area, I might glance at the Auto setting and change it to Manual with a couple "bumps" positive. In other words, if Auto is running at 23 and the site isn't trashy, I am fairly confident I can run with a manual setting of 25 without causing too much feedback or falsing. And if it does false or chatter with the manual settting, I usually find that slowing down the sweep speed will stop those chatters and still allow me to run with the higher manual Sensitivity. If I get into an area that an abundance of trash causes Manual to get the jitters, I simply put it back into Auto, and make a few sweeps to determine if I need to adjust my offset.
To better understand how I came to these conclusions, here are a couple posts I've made regarding Sensitivity and the CTX 3030.
How much is too much?
Posted by: Digger Date: August 03, 2012
Sensitivity is the detector's level of response to targets and their environment. Increasing the sensitivity may provide a more solid response on targets, but it will also increase the "false" signals from that "environment" and on smaller ferrous targets. Your detector is also more succeptible to electrical interference with a high Sensitivity setting. Decreasing the Senstivity will likely cause your detector to operate "smoother" and provide better discrimination / TID. But having it too low it can also reduce your depth of detection. So in regard to your question as to "how much is too much"...... as much as your "detecting skills" can handle. If you feel you need to have more depth of detection, you'll likely turn it up. If you get tired of repreatedly rescanning the "beeps" to see if it was the solid hit of a target or another false signal, you'll likely back it down some. I know the manual says to not use Auto on the beach. But on the beaches I hunted during test procedures, I found Auto+2 was very stable and effective. I just made an effort to sweep a bit more slowly to allow the detector to better analyze (and adjust to changes in) the sand. JMHO HH Randy
Here is how Sensitivity and the display works......
Posted by: Digger Date: July 05, 2012
The CTX 3030 has three internal signal channels (high, medium and low) used to identify targets. The CTX 3030 continually measures the magnetic ground interferences that affect these channels and adjusts the level of Sensitivity individually for each channel, to provide the most stable TID for each channel.
When using Auto Sensitivity, the left bar and numeric value indicates the highest Sensitivity Level that either the high, medium or low channel is operating on. The right bar indicates the "Suggested" Sensitivity Level, as determined by the CTX 3030. This "Suggested" level is the average Sensitivity Level of the high, medium and low channels. Each channel is set to a different level of Sensitivity individually by the CTX 3030 to provide the most stable TID's. As an example....... if the CTX 3030 determines the Sensitivity Level for each channel is to be High = 20, Medium = 17 and Low = 11, the left hand bar and numeric indicator will read 20, representing the highest Sensitivity level of the three channels. The right bar and numeric indicator will display the average of the three channels, which is 16. 20 + 17 + 11 + 48, divided by 3 = 16. When you implement the Auto Sensitivity offset with an offset of +3, it will not suddenly change the value of both bars by 3. Instead, it increases each channel's value by 3. So in the example given earlier, the channels will become High = 23, Medium =20 and Low = 14. 23 + 20 + 14 = 57, divided by 3 = 19. So the left bar and numeric indicator will display 23, representing the highest Sensitivity level of the three channels. And the right bar and numeric indicator will display 19, the average of the three channels. When using an "offset" the numeric value of that offset will also be displayed in a little icon, to the left of the left Sensitivity bar.
In Manual Sensitivity, the left bar and numeric indicator represent the level you have set. The right bar indicates the "Suggested" level, just as it does in the Auto Sensitivity mode.
The primary difference between using Auto Sensitivity and Manual Sensitivity is that in Manual, ALL three channels are set to the same value. In Auto, the CTX 3030 determines the value most stable channel. Auto Sensitivity with the offset allows you to "offset" each channel by a value from -3 to +3. The offset allows the user to be more conservative, or aggressive than the one chosen by the CTX 3030, while allowing it to "compensate" for ground interference changes during your hunt.
HH Randy
*********************************************
When the CTX 3030 forum first started, I encouraged folks to use the Auto Sensitivity for a couple reasons. One, Auto (even with an offest) would provide very good results for most locations. Two, I didn't want people to think they had to crank it clear up to get respectible depth. It is engineered, afterall, different than the previous FBS detectors. With any detector, Sensitivity set too high can create a situation where the "noise" overshadows the target signal. My preference is still Auto +2 or +3 at most of the sites I hunt. However, if there isn't much trash in the area, I might glance at the Auto setting and change it to Manual with a couple "bumps" positive. In other words, if Auto is running at 23 and the site isn't trashy, I am fairly confident I can run with a manual setting of 25 without causing too much feedback or falsing. And if it does false or chatter with the manual settting, I usually find that slowing down the sweep speed will stop those chatters and still allow me to run with the higher manual Sensitivity. If I get into an area that an abundance of trash causes Manual to get the jitters, I simply put it back into Auto, and make a few sweeps to determine if I need to adjust my offset.
To better understand how I came to these conclusions, here are a couple posts I've made regarding Sensitivity and the CTX 3030.
How much is too much?
Posted by: Digger Date: August 03, 2012
Sensitivity is the detector's level of response to targets and their environment. Increasing the sensitivity may provide a more solid response on targets, but it will also increase the "false" signals from that "environment" and on smaller ferrous targets. Your detector is also more succeptible to electrical interference with a high Sensitivity setting. Decreasing the Senstivity will likely cause your detector to operate "smoother" and provide better discrimination / TID. But having it too low it can also reduce your depth of detection. So in regard to your question as to "how much is too much"...... as much as your "detecting skills" can handle. If you feel you need to have more depth of detection, you'll likely turn it up. If you get tired of repreatedly rescanning the "beeps" to see if it was the solid hit of a target or another false signal, you'll likely back it down some. I know the manual says to not use Auto on the beach. But on the beaches I hunted during test procedures, I found Auto+2 was very stable and effective. I just made an effort to sweep a bit more slowly to allow the detector to better analyze (and adjust to changes in) the sand. JMHO HH Randy
Here is how Sensitivity and the display works......
Posted by: Digger Date: July 05, 2012
The CTX 3030 has three internal signal channels (high, medium and low) used to identify targets. The CTX 3030 continually measures the magnetic ground interferences that affect these channels and adjusts the level of Sensitivity individually for each channel, to provide the most stable TID for each channel.
When using Auto Sensitivity, the left bar and numeric value indicates the highest Sensitivity Level that either the high, medium or low channel is operating on. The right bar indicates the "Suggested" Sensitivity Level, as determined by the CTX 3030. This "Suggested" level is the average Sensitivity Level of the high, medium and low channels. Each channel is set to a different level of Sensitivity individually by the CTX 3030 to provide the most stable TID's. As an example....... if the CTX 3030 determines the Sensitivity Level for each channel is to be High = 20, Medium = 17 and Low = 11, the left hand bar and numeric indicator will read 20, representing the highest Sensitivity level of the three channels. The right bar and numeric indicator will display the average of the three channels, which is 16. 20 + 17 + 11 + 48, divided by 3 = 16. When you implement the Auto Sensitivity offset with an offset of +3, it will not suddenly change the value of both bars by 3. Instead, it increases each channel's value by 3. So in the example given earlier, the channels will become High = 23, Medium =20 and Low = 14. 23 + 20 + 14 = 57, divided by 3 = 19. So the left bar and numeric indicator will display 23, representing the highest Sensitivity level of the three channels. And the right bar and numeric indicator will display 19, the average of the three channels. When using an "offset" the numeric value of that offset will also be displayed in a little icon, to the left of the left Sensitivity bar.
In Manual Sensitivity, the left bar and numeric indicator represent the level you have set. The right bar indicates the "Suggested" level, just as it does in the Auto Sensitivity mode.
The primary difference between using Auto Sensitivity and Manual Sensitivity is that in Manual, ALL three channels are set to the same value. In Auto, the CTX 3030 determines the value most stable channel. Auto Sensitivity with the offset allows you to "offset" each channel by a value from -3 to +3. The offset allows the user to be more conservative, or aggressive than the one chosen by the CTX 3030, while allowing it to "compensate" for ground interference changes during your hunt.
HH Randy
Silverstore
New member
And thats exactly the same as with the E-TRac and therefore AUTO is more accurate and has less (or lets say NO) false indications on these machines.
While if you use Manual, you may have indications where in fact only some magnetic soil is.
While if you use Manual, you may have indications where in fact only some magnetic soil is.