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Noisy CTX - Normal?

P

PokerShark

Member
For the last few days my week old CTX has been getting VERY noisy. I have not had it long enough to know what is, and isn't "normal," but it is so chattery that it is difficult to tell what is going on. For example:

1st case: I tried my front yard and from one week to the next (Thurs 2nd, then Tues 7th) it went from quiet and accurate (Thursday 2nd) to wildly varing signals and constant chattering (more with the coil over the soil, a bit less with it in the air.) Same soil and location, different week. Performed a full reset, tried noice reduction, and used only stock coin settings, no change - still noisy.

2nd case: Local park Wed 1st the machine was quite stable the entire first day at this location. But Monday 6th the same park and exact same spot in the park the machine was VERY erratic. It was making finds, although they were difficult to hear with all the chatter. While the machine is on the ground and I am digging, which has the coil basically 90 degrees to the surface the detector still gives me random signals in my headphones. Very annoying. Tried another full reset, noise reduction, and NO custom settings at all only stock settings with wireless headphones turned on. No change, just noisy.

Tonight I am going to pull the coil cover to see if there maybe a bit of foil or metal next to the coil. I'll do anything, because I seriously doubt this is normal. It acts as if it suddenly had the sensitivity cranked up when I have never messed with it. And target tracking is imposible to use because it is way too noisy to tell what is going on.

Please help, it's only a week old and I'm pretty freaked out at the thought of having to send it in already!

The Shark
 
How high is your sensitivity? Check the two connections and make sure they are tight.
 
GateKeeper said:
How high is your sensitivity? Check the two connections and make sure they are tight.
Click to expand...

I forgot to mention it, but the connections were one of the first things I checked. When I get home tonight (at work goofing off) I will check sensitivity. Suggested setting?

BTW, loving the videos!! Got a DVD with my V3i a few years back and pretty much wore it out. I must be a "visual" person. LOL

The Shark
 
Only happens when working a certain spot of ground? Could be a buried electrical cable or maybe a pipe of some kind. Just a guess....
 
I would try Auto first. If it's stable go to +1, if that's still stable, try +2 and then +3. If it's noisy at Auto, go negative to -1, -2, -3. You could also try Ground coin or High trash. Do you know how mineralized your soil is? What state do you live in? Those could also help us help you.
 
Recommend you go to auto plus 3 sensitivity, stock coin mode. Do a noise cancel. Ensure that manual ground balance is not enabled. Hold your detector up in the air at waist level. If noisy go to another couple locations. If still noisy send it in. If not noisy while holding up in the air. Try sweeping the coil in a somewhat clean area, actually a couple clean areas. If the the detector is still noisy something's wrong. Do you have another CTX owner near you??? You could try their coil maybe.
 
Like Gatekeeper said, try auto sens...I use auto sens 90% of the time and adjust up or down depending on the amount of iron falsing I'm getting. Unless you are in an area with highly mineralized soil, what you are describing doesn't sound "normal" to me...I lay my CTX on the ground in some very iron infested places, with the coil flat to the ground, and it doesn't make a peep, unless I lay it on top of a surface target, or happen to move the coil. With the machine set in auto sens, what sens is the machine running, after you sweep the ground for a few minutes. I live in area with mild to moderate mineralization, and in auto +2 my machine will vary from 22 - 28. At 28, it is still not "chatty".
 
I figured it out and thanks for the help. It settled right down after I cleaned out the coil cover. Our soil is VERY mineralized, but I bet it was foil or rust between the cover and coil.

Not being critical of the help, but you often have to read what is being said to ask good follow up questions or give an accurate answer. Most of the questions asked were already answered in my original post, and some of the suggestions had been covered by stock settings. I only say this because it would frustrate or confuse a newbie. I'm only a newbie with the CTX, but I understand the normal detector troubleshooting steps. So it did not bother me and I know folks were trying. You're a good group indeed.
 
Looks like you answered your own question in your original post as well. Nobody knows where you are, what is around, what the ground is really like, what you have could have accidentally changed, how experienced you actually are, so these tips and questions are usually asked. And hey, sometimes it is the what-should-be obvious that can fool any of us.
 
I have an area in my front yard that my CTX has acted like you described, works fine sometimes and chatters away at other times. The last time it went crazy I tried noise cancel, reducing sens. etc. It still was chattering away with the coil in the air or on the ground. So I started walking to the west until the and the chatter stopped after about 50 -60 feet. Then I turned and walked back to the east. I had gone about 100 feet or so and again the chatter stopped. I knew the underground power to the house and the phone line to the house were both buried about in the middle of the area where the chattering was going on. EMI must be the cause. Why it does it sometimes and it's fine other times is a mystery to me. You might try walking in a specific direction to determine if the chatter stops or if it continues no matter where you are..........
 
Pokersharp: What was inside the cover? Rusty stuff or iron ore, or just some high mineralization? I'm not trying to get in ay debate or toss a rock, just interested in why the machine would give a lot of chatter if something was attached to the coil. I would not think that having something inside the cover would effect the machine, except for pin pointing, as I thought the target would have to be stationary and the coil move over the target. Like another posted above, when I sit the coil down on the ground while recovering the target, I get no noise unless I have placed it on a target and it gives me overload. Oh well, if you have an idea of why that happened I would like to know. I have had mine about a year and never taken the cover off.

Glad you got it 'fixed'!
 
Glad you got the problem fixed Shark, that is why I never use a coil cover and I have never worn out a coil because of it.
 
Only reason I am not using my coil cover for the CTX is that I actually left it somewhere after I took it off to clean out from under it :rant:. So I fixed the problem of having to clean out from under it :clapping:. I was thinking of trying to put some of that liquid Plasti Dip on the bottom like I have on the end of my pinpointer.
 
Power line are a big problem in my area above ground and below. I have sites that going to manual and dropping till it quiets down sometimes as low as 12 to15 is the only way it can be hunted. Has any one else had this experience?
 
jas415 said:
Pokersharp: What was inside the cover? Rusty stuff or iron ore, or just some high mineralization? I'm not trying to get in ay debate or toss a rock, just interested in why the machine would give a lot of chatter if something was attached to the coil. I would not think that having something inside the cover would effect the machine, except for pin pointing, as I thought the target would have to be stationary and the coil move over the target. Like another posted above, when I sit the coil down on the ground while recovering the target, I get no noise unless I have placed it on a target and it gives me overload. Oh well, if you have an idea of why that happened I would like to know. I have had mine about a year and never taken the cover off.

Glad you got it 'fixed'!
Click to expand...

In hindsight I wish I took a closer look at the shotglass (or so) of sand that came out of the coil cover. To be honest I was in a hurry to get out and hunt after work so I pulled the coil cover off, dumped the sand, put it back on, prayed, and fired it up to test. It worked just fine (and I started breathing again)! So it must have has something to do with the sand, as odd as that sounds. That or an issue inside the coil that was resolved by taking the cover off and putting it back on. My money is not on that solution, but I guess anything is possible. Hey I'm an Information Technology guy and have seen far too many unexplainable things this happen over the years. This is just one more..... I have noticed that if I bump a clump of grass or uneven ground when sweeping the coil I will get a chirp from time to time that will not repeat when I go back over the spot without the coil bump. My V3i started doing that and Whites replaced the coil. I'm not saying it is bad, only it has happened with a different coil and I am not going to start bumping my coil to try and duplicate it.

Does Minelab advance replace parts? Whites did and I was the second owner of my V3i which totally blew me away! Never had warranty service on anything like that as a first owner much less the next one! Not drawing any comparisons, just saying.

The Shark
 
Larry (IL) said:
Glad you got the problem fixed Shark, that is why I never use a coil cover and I have never worn out a coil because of it.
Click to expand...

From your mouth to God's ears Larry. You've never steered me wrong, so that cover is coming off tomorrow!! Thanks buddy.

The Shark
 
GKMan said:
Only reason I am not using my coil cover for the CTX is that I actually left it somewhere after I took it off to clean out from under it :rant:. So I fixed the problem of having to clean out from under it :clapping:. I was thinking of trying to put some of that liquid Plasti Dip on the bottom like I have on the end of my pinpointer.
Click to expand...

My wifes former Ace 250 had a second coil "dipped" by the former owner and I would suggest a hardy NO for that on a CTX coil. It is such a nice and clean machine I wouldn't dream of it. Kind of like putting curb feelers on a Ferrari IMHO. :surprised:

The Shark
 
Hey Poker
I was going to put the bottom of the coil in the dip, not the whole thing.
 
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