My Search Programs for Minelab E-Trac and CTX 3030 Metal Detectors
Program #2 Settings For Coin Shooting in Fields: Expert and Preferences Menus, page 2
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Expert Menu:
(see details on page 6 of my 3-Level Search Program description)
RECOVERY DEEP - ON (page 70 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
If the ground mineral content is high, and the 'RECOVERY DEEP - ON' is implemented, the FE-CO numbers of targets buried deep will be distorted, so instead of using 'RECOVERY DEEP - ON', your should set VOLUME GAIN to a higher level - from 25 to 28.
CTX 3030:
RECOVERY DEEP - ON (page 40 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual)
The RECOVERY DEEP should be OFF on the high-mineralized ground.
RECOVERY FAST - OFF (page 71 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
When the 'RECOVERY FAST is OFF', both accepted and rejected target signals will blend, and you will hear only one signal and see "contaminated" Target IDs. Whether to implement the 'RECOVERY FAST - ON' or not, your decision should be based on your detector's performance. When the 'RECOVERY FAST - ON' is employed, no filtering is involved, therefore, the detector's microprocessor works faster. But this is not necessary if the iron junk is sparse.
CTX 3030:
RECOVERY FAST - OFF (page 40 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual)
TRASH DENSITY - LOW (page 72 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
The TRASH DENSITY setting is not available in CTX-3030
If the ground is highly mineralized, the 'TRASH DENSITY - HIGH' setting should be selected. It enables a metal detector to "pick up" accepted targets in the presence of ferrous objects through the high-mineralized soil and among abundant rejected targets.
CTX 3030:
TARGET SEPARATION - LOW TRASH (in Target Separation Menu, page 41 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual) is employed IF the ground mineralization is LOW, and ENABLE GB is OFF.
If the ground mineralization is HIGH, the GROUND-COIN setting is used.
GROUND - Neutral (page 74 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
The GROUND setting is not available in CTX-3030
This setting depends on soil conditions. See the procedure for determining the Ground setting on page 4 of my 3-Level Search Program description.
CTX-3030:
TARGET SEPARATION - LOW TRASH (in Target Separation Menu, page 41 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual) along with ENABLE GB - OFF.
If the ground mineralization is HIGH and the trash content is LOW, the GROUND-COIN (GC Target Separation) should be implemented in conjunction with GROUND BALANCE feature ENABLE GB - ON (pages 21-22 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual). The 'GROUND-COIN' setting provides better target identification as it minimizes the blending of ground and coin signals. The GROUND-COIN Target Separation greatly improves the stability of the good target's signal in highly mineralized ground.
NOTE: Out of four settings in Target Separation Menu (HIGH TRASH, LOW TRASH, FC Target Separation, GC Target Separation), only one setting at a time can be selected. A Target Separation Matrix (shown below and on page 41 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual) should be used as a guide in selecting an appropriate setting:
Target Separation Matrix
NOISE CANCEL - MANUAL - 11 (Manual Noise Cancel is described on page 75 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
You may want to select any particular channel that is the most appropriate for specific targets (large silver coins, small hammered coins, etc.), i.e., with this channel, you get the most resonant audio signals from the desirable targets. A simple method of determining the optimum channel is described on page 7 of my description of the Level-3 Search Program "COINS".
CTX 3030:
NOISE CANCEL - MANUAL - 11 (page 20 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual)
Preferences Menu:
(see details on page 8 of my 3-Level Search Program description)
DISPLAY CONTRAST - 15 (page 76 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
DISPLAY CONTRAST setting is not available in CTX-3030
PINPOINT MODE - Sizing (page 76 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
CTX 3030:
PINPOINT MODE - Sizing (page 42 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual)
SHOW SENSITIVITY - ON (page 78 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
SHOW SENSITIVITY setting is not available on the CTX-3030
SHOW MODE INFO - OFF (page 78 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
SHOW MODE INFO setting is not available on the CTX-3030
DISPLAY TIMEOUT - OFF (page 79 of the E-Trac Instruction Manual)
DISPLAY TIMEOUT setting is not available on the CTX-3030
Additional CTX-3030 Program Settings:
GPS - OFF (can be turned ON through the Options Menu, page 48 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual)
GeoHunt - OFF (can be activated by pressing the Store button on the CTX-3030 Control Panel, page 18 of the CTX-3030 Instruction Manual)
Summary of E-Trac and CTX-3030 Program #2 Settings for Detecting on LOW-MINERALIZED Ground
Summary of E-Trac and CTX-3030 Program #2 Settings for Detecting on HIGH-MINERALIZED Ground
This combination of settings is just a starting point for developing your own program according to your preferences and metal detecting conditions. My program is only to help you in doing your home work. Use this program for experimenting with various targets in field conditions, and see what settings work the best for you. Just keep in mind that Discrimination patterns along with Tone ID Maps play a major role in creating an efficient search program.