4-Level Search Program for Detecting Hammies with E-Trac and CTX 3030, page 10
6. LEVEL-3 Program For Detecting Hammereds among Iron Nails at "Hunted Out" Sites
This search program allows for greater depth penetration, acceptance of a wider range of targets including unwanted ones and reception of questionable signals due to reduced level of Discrimination. Implementing less Discrimination increases an amount of audio Target ID information received by an operator. To maintain good time efficiency in the field and make it easy on your ears, I recommend to use "4-Tone in Ferrous" audio mode with the E-Trac and "4-tone FE" Tone ID Profile with the CTX 3030.
Operating a FBS metal detector in the "4-tone" audio mode allows a Discriminate circuit to process the incoming Target ID information faster. Implementation of the "2-tone" makes it even faster, but various responses to a lot of unwanted targets would require frequent eyeballing the screen. It would be productive with the CTX 3030 - "visual" metal detector, but with the E-Trac - a "tonal" detector, it would reduce the time efficiency in the field.
The Level-3 search program allows for detecting most kinds of coins and non-ferrous artifacts including the large ones that are close to nails. This program is suitable for an experienced coin shooter with full knowledge of his/her metal detector and its audio responses to "questionable" targets. If no more non-ferrous signals are received at the hunt site during detecting, you should use as little Discrimination as possible or switch to Level-4 search program and search the hunt site again.
NOTE 1: In my "Level 1 - High Discrimination/Low Noise" COINS Program Description, I explained every program setting's level or mode I utilize. If any setting in the following program has a different mode or level, or not utilized at all, a clarification will be given accordingly. Otherwise, please refer to the Level-1 Program Description for detailed explanations of program settings and useful tips for their implementation.
NOTE 2: While all the E-Trac functions, program setting and modes are given in black, the program settings of the Minelab CTX 3030, references to their description pages in the CTX-3030's Instruction Manual, and my short notes on their utilization in this program are given in this pink font color.
NOTE 3: I ALWAYS operate my metal detectors with headphones.
SEARCH COILS:
A small search coil of the "Sniper" type (for E-Trac: 4.5 x 7" DD EXcelerator ("Sniper" type) or 6" DD EXcelerator EQ 2 Pro; for CTX-3030: CTX 06 Smart Coil) is preferred; however, the small coils of larger sizes (for E-Trac: Minelab FBS 8", 8" EXcelerator Concentric, and 8x6" SEF (Butterfly)) and a standard (stock) 11" DD search coil (for CTX-3030: 11" DD Smart Coil) can be successfully used if you know the search coil technique.
PROGRAM SETTINGS for NEUTRAL or LOW-MINERALIZED GROUND:
NOTE 5: Some program settings for detecting on HIGH-MINERALIZED grounds are included and explained.
NOTE 6: Summary Tables for these program settings are shown on next page.
DETECTION SCREEN - PATTERN Screen (to select this mode, press "Detect" button; page 23 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual) - see details here.
CTX 3030:
DETECT Screen (page 7 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual)
Sensitivity Menu:
(see details on page 3 of my description for 3-Level "COINS" Search Program)
SENSITIVITY - Auto (page 56 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual) or Manual or lower (at reasonable level)
CTX 3030:
SENSITIVITY - Auto (page 21 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual) or Manual or lower (at reasonable level)
If you wish to use Manual Sensitivity, it should be set on the detector's stability level.
If mineralization is too high, it is best to select the 'AUTO' mode of Sensitivity to avoid both ground and iron falsing.
AUTO SENSITIVITY LEVEL - A if you use AUTO SENSITIVITY (page 55 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
CTX 3030:
AUTO SENSITIVITY LEVEL - A if you use AUTO SENSITIVITY (page 21 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual)
Audio Menu
(see details on page 4 of my description for 3-Level "COINS" Search Program)
THRESHOLD LEVEL - 15 (page 58 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
CTX 3030:
THRESHOLD LEVEL - 15 (page 23 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual)
VOLUME LIMIT - 15 (page 60 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
CTX 3030:
VOLUME LIMIT - 15 (page 24 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual)
VOLUME GAIN - 27 (page 61 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
Decrease the setting level to 26 or lower if the ground is HIGH-MINERALIZED.
CTX 3030:
VOLUME GAIN - 27 (page 23 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual)
Decrease the setting level to 26 or lower if the ground is HIGH-MINERALIZED.
RESPONSE - Long (page 62 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
CTX 3030:
RESPONSE - Long (page 39 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual)
NUMBER OF TONES - 4 Tones (use the Tone ID sub-menu; page 64 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
The NUMBER OF TONES setting is not available in CTX-3030
CTX-3030:
TONE PROFILE TYPE - "4 tone FE " or Combined (page 36 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual)
SOUNDS - Ferrous (page 65 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
The SOUNDS setting is not available in CTX-3030
CTX-3030:
TONE PROFILE TYPE - "4 tone FE " or Combined
VARIABILITY - n/a (page 67 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
This setting does not really play a big role unless you utilize the MULTI Tones mode
VARIABILITY setting is not available in CTX-3030
TONE ID LIMITS - n/a (page 68 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
This setting is only available when the NUMBER OF TONES is set to MULTI.
The TONE ID LIMITS setting is not available in CTX-3030
TRESHOLD PITCH - 17 (page 69 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
CTX 3030:
TRESHOLD PITCH - 17 (page 24 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual)