Opinions on modes and patterns

[jtram]

I have been using GH's combine mode with the CTX. Today I added a couple of programs with some tweaks to the original combine mode. One I set up with pattern one as an open screen and pattern 2 is with Digger's old coin program with fast recovery selected. Will this work better on shallow targets in iron?

The second program is the same as the first with the exception that fast is off and deep is on. Will this tweak help with deeper relics (bullets and buttons) in some of the civil war camps I hunt. If there is other options or something else to try please let me know. I am in Arkansas and only dirt hunt at present. I am digging less trash than with any machines I have owned in the past.

I still feel my Xtetta 705 with the 10.5 Mid frequency coil is deeper than the CTX so far with the modes that I have used, but I'm not digging the bigger iron with the CTX that I have with other machines. With the fields grown up now I can't get into the places where my deep bullets are that I have found with the 705

 

[Digger]

If you've followed the X-TERRA forum, you know that I hold the X-705 in very high regard. There are still places where I'll take the X-TERRA over any other detector I own. In my opinion, broken ground (crop land) is one of those places as the single frequency VLF responds to targets better than most multiple frequency detectors. The 10.5 inch MF DD on your X-TERRA is an excellent choice for deep hunting in the dirt. If you want extreme depth, try the 15-inch Coiltek WOT at 7.5 kHz. It is a depth monster on the X-TERRA.

As to the CTX 3030, don't hesitate to "build your own" patterns and programs. What works well for one person in a certain part of the world may be a waste of time for someone else in another part of the world. Based on your short description of the type of hunting you do, I'd start out with the factory preprogrammed Relic mode, as it entails a discrimination pattern that encompasses the types of targets you describe. (bullets and buttons) Personally, I'd switch from the default 35 FE tones to 4-tone CO. If you are running with less discrimination than the Relic mode, you might consider Combined Audio (instead of 4-tone CO) to get one ferrous tone and 4 CO tones. Then adjust the "bins" to reflect the target groups you are wanting to listen for. Just a matter of preference in what you want to hear. I'd also recommend you set the Threshold so it is just barely audible, raise the Volume gain from the preset 24 to 28, to alllow an amplified audio response on all targets, set the Threshold pitch so it is "easy on your ears". I'd also switch the default Smooth tone to Normal, and the High trash to Low Trash. As I've mentioned, these are how I would set my CTX for the type of hunt you described. If you find you like certain audio settings more than another, or if you want to discriminate out specific targets, you are able to do that easily with the CTX 3030. The beauty of the CTX 3030 is that each user can set the functionality for the types of targets and the specific sites they hunt. There ain't a magic wand. Just the ability to learn what each setting does and make the adjustments to your CTX that will allow you to maximize its potential. If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask.

I am going to move this topic over to the regular CTX 3030 forum so others can respond to your questions. Never hurts to get a second opinion, or a third, or a fourth, or a fifth........etc.etc.etc... HH Randy