I've hunted with an Explorer II for 8 years and recently bought a CTX 3030 that included the 17" coil. The sounds on the CTX are very similar to the Explorer II, so it's not like starting all over again. This past weekend I went to a cut hayfield that I last searched on New Year's Day for 2 hours and found nothing. The CTX with the 17" coil dug 9 three ring minie balls, one Williams cleaner bullet, a Yankee eagle button, and 3 pcs of melted lead that were all 12 to 14 inches in the ground! The ground was dry as a bone, so the holes were very hard to dig--I'll have to hit it again right after it rains, but before the grass grows up. Don't be afraid to make the change from an Explorer to a CTX! After 3 hours of hunting, my shoulder was tired from the big coil, but it was worth it with the ground it covered and the depth it got.
ctx is not an etrac , pretty sure there is a very lucky tree in a local park who if you take the time to have a chat with can attest to this fact and let you know the whole story I told it about my initial thoughts about the ctx 
