Minelab CTX 3030
Price: $2500
Avg. Score: 
4.38
Based on 8 reviews
4.38Based on 8 reviews
Avg. Durability:
4.71
Avg. Ease of use:
4.00
Ctx loves silver in the trash.
September 14, 2017
Just a short review if you want to find silver in places that have been
hunted out this is the detector for you. I own 70 detectors and in the
process of selling them and keeping the CTX. I have been hunting one park
that had been hit by everyone and have pulled out 37 silver coins along
with 98 wheats. This detector loves to find good stuff next to bad stuff.
The V3I, F75, Deus, are all going up for sale. The ground I hunt is bad
hard for a single frequency Vlf detector to get any depth.
Max Depth: 9 inches on US quarter
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
Yes, absolutely!
STEVE from
ARIZONA
144
Good choice
May 02, 2016
MineLab's E-trac and Excalibur were my two main machines for land and water
hunting. The new CTX-3030 replaced them both. If you have used MineLab FBS
or BBS detectors and liked them you will love the new CTX-3030. Only heads
up I can offer is the battery box seal. It requires extra attention and
must be totally free from any sand or other material if you intend to
submerge the detector. I would caution newbies that it takes some study and
ear time to get the best performance from this machine. Don't expect it to
be an easy grab and hunt machine till you get some time in the field with
it and understand the menu system and control functions.
Max Depth: 12 inches on US quarter
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
No, not really.
Willee from
Corpus Christi, Texas
185
Incredible machine
March 13, 2016
I had the opportunity to upgrade to this machine from the Minelab X-Terra
705 which was itself a great machine for a single frequency unit. But going
to the FBS2 system was a night and day difference. There was a significant
weight difference, but for the fact that the CTX is so well balanced it is
barely noticeable. The CTX is a lot more complicated than the average
machine, and unfortunately it does not come with good documentation. If you
purchase the CTX, do yourself a favor and also purchase a book called "The
CTX 3030 Handbook" by Andy Sabich. It spells out everything you will need
to know in easy terms than anyone can understand and it's worth it's weight
in gold.
The CTX uses 2 different signal properties to identify a target-inductive and conductive. This allows display of an X-Y coordinate grid for greater amount of target information and material composition. This gives the user much greater ability to eliminate digging trash or select types of targets to dig. The accessories are nice and plentiful for whatever the conditions. There is the stock 10.5 inch DD coil for most uses. You have the 17 inch DD coil which gives the greatest depth and allows for covering lots of ground quickly, plus the 6 inch DD coil for the ultimate in target separation or for getting into tight places. There are also 3rd party coils to be had as well.
The machine comes with a wireless module so that your headphones are not tied to the machine when pinpointing or digging which is really nice to have. There is a separate battery holder for AA batteries as a backup if the rechargeable goes dead, though the rechargeable has outlasted even my longest dawn into night hunting trips so far.
The box also contains a car charger, charging station, and cables for charging the battery and wireless module. There is also a CD with the Xchance software and instructions for programming the CTX.
As for land use, my experience has been great. I had gone back to places I had thought hunted out with my X-Terra and found countless items that were completely missed. Most targets were heavily masked by nails or other metals, but they couldn't hide from the CTX. The secret is to move slow. The response isn't the fastest due to all the data the machine has to process, and it doesn't have the best depth with the standard coil. But just put on the 17 inch coil and you get depths that can be amazing.
In areas that are trashy, or when working close to metal objects like a sidewalk with rebar, just use the 6 inch coil for the best separation. Little depth is lost because in most cases the small coil can be run with higher sensitivity. I have not used the machine in salt water, but in fresh water it is also an awesome machine. One area I hunt water has a terrible problem with black sand which is basically powdered pig iron. Most machines are completely blinded by the black sand and couldn't detect a quarter sitting on the surface of the sand. Not with the CTX! Once the machine is ground balanced and set to the conditions it is like the black sand didn't exist.
Put on the underwater earphones and you can use it to 10 feet of water, so perfect for going out snorkeling or on shallow dives. Overall I think it's the best machine on the market for land or sea. With it I have found deep and hidden coins such as a large cent (which are very rare in my part of the country) at a foot deep and hidden under square nails. I have also found countless old coins in areas that have been pounded for decades by other detectorists that they apparently couldn't find with other machines.
I think that about says it all in the real world of detecting. Max depths for quarters found so far: 6 inch coil: 7 inches 10.5 inch coil: 10 inches 17 inch coil: 14 inches Note: these were not "iffy" signals, but strong hard hits at these depths so capability is likely much more under the right conditions.
Max Depth: 10 inches on US quarter
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
Yes, absolutely!
Chris E. from
Milwaukee
1720
Ctx3030 and atp
August 21, 2015
The jury is still out. Only used the machine two times in sea water. It is
a whole lot quieter than the ATP in salt sea water. So far reading the
screen, programming the CTX 3030, and learning the operation has been a
chore.
I have found a lot of coins in the water than with the ATP. Not used it on dirt yet. Have not used the small coil yet. The shaft is expensive to replace. It does wear down since I contract the shaft when finished for the day . The coil cover is easy to remove and clean and replace. ATP coil cover is very hard to remove and replace. The ctx3030 battery cover gasket is to cheap in quality. You need to replace it with a thicker O ring. The battery pack cover needs rubber bans wrapped around them to keep them from opening from catching on your cloths as you swing. I do like the unit so far.
In the water the unit is very light. I like the extra battery pack where you can load your own AA battery in a pinch if your rechargeable unit runs out. ATP battery compartment door latch broke so the mother board and coil had to be sent back to Texas for repair. Good company Garrett. Took care fast. CTX and ATP wire connections are hard to connect at least with my fingers. I would recommend both machines for new and old people.
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
Yes, absolutely!
Greg M from
NJ
527
Great machine fun to learn
March 16, 2015
I have had lots of detectors, extera 70, safari and others but I got the
ctx3030 and its been so much fun learning as much as I can about it. I like
it so much I don't even use my other detectors anymore. I think teenagers
to adults can enjoy looking on land or in the water, learning as they go. I
think most teenagers can use a computer better than some of us old timers
seeing how they didn't have computers when we were young. ANYWAYS get the
ctx and find gold(silver and have fun with what ever you hunt.
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
Yes, absolutely!
Terry from
Fingerlakes NY
2215
Ctx 3030
November 21, 2014
Outstanding detector, once you learn it. It will take some time to do so
even if you've used other minelab detectors. This detector will show if
there is more than one target under the coil and give an idea of what each
target is. I found a mercury dime in a rusty bottlecap at about 7"--with a
whites or other brand there's no way to tell if it would have been worth
digging. The one drawback to this detector is the weight. If you can afford
it you wont be disappointed.
Max Depth: 9 inches on US quarter
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
No, it's too complic
Mike Bowman from
Rapid City Sd
289
Ctx 3030 - grand water machine
August 18, 2013
This machine has all the features found in the Minelab FBS product
line(E-Trac, Safari, and the like), but with GPS and the capability to go
into the water.
The CTX 3030 is a well balanced machine, though a bit heavy, without all the fluff that I saw on the E-Trac unit. The menu system is very straight forward and concise. The color screen, I can take it or leave it, but it does provide nice touches when out in the field. The clock feature really helps to keep in touch with time working the beach tides and wanting to know when low tide has hit, rather that fumbling for a watch or just plain guessing.
As for the number of coils available, the size selection and proportions are perfect. The standard unit coil is “just right” as Goldie Locks would say, for water hunting and general detecting. The FBS2 17 inch is great for covering large areas in a very short time. I tend to use this most of the time in open space hunts. As for the 6 in coil, excellent in the brush, very trashy parks, and play grounds. Yes, this is a pricey machine, but when used for any length of time, it will pay for itself.
Max Depth: 10 inches on US quarter
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
No, not really.
Mick from
San Francisco, CA
4023
Ctx 3030 opinion
August 18, 2012
Hi all here is my views on the Ctx.
Have had mine for a few months now. Please note I still have my E Trac and my t2se. But what I can tell you is that this is by far the best machine for hunting in iron infested sites. I have found silver in places I have gone over many times with other machines.
The way you can see 2 different targets on the screen at the same time is a big advantage. It is just as deep as the etrac, but with better discrimination. You get a slightly better target Id then the etrac. Both are great machines. I found a very rare large cent which looks like it will pay for all of my metal detectors, and then some! If you get a chance to try out a Ctx 3030 by all means take em up on the offer. You will really like the machine.
Happy hunting.
Overall Rating
Tom from
Upstate NY
5047