My CTX 3030 loves nails

[fbjr]

Hi everyone,
I've had my CTX for a couple of years now and really like it, but can't seem to avoid nails. I've tried changing all kinds of settings, watched tons of videos and read the book by Andy a few times and still can't seem to solve this problem. No matter what I changed, it still seems to pick up on nails both older square nails and newer nails as well. Do any of you know of a solution to this problem, they seem to ring with a high pitch and fools me 9 times out of 10. This happens even when I'm in the stock Silver mode. I'm no expert with this machine and was wondering if anyone had any good tips to fix this ? At the same time I don't want to discriminate out too much. Thanks for any input or solutions.

 

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[cudamark]

What readings are you getting? Nails can many times read 47 on the conductive side, just like quarters, but, they should read in the 30's on the ferrous side, giving you indication that it's not a good target. Now deep rusty iron can give you a chirp too good to resist, but, that shouldn't happen too often.

 

[GreenMeanie]

And bent rusty nails come in as good targets too.

 

[smokeythecat]

I get some of the older hand forged nails as good targets, however in my book the 18th century nails ARE good! I keep them.

 

[Silver Saver]

I use an etrac and mainly coin hunt in multi conductive tones, and yeah nails can give a high tone but it will be a less consistent sounding tone than a good target would make.

Some things that help me are.. Lowering the sensitivity so there are less iron falsing sounds. A good target will have a much more consistent/repeating sounding signal while sweeping over it compared to the blips and inconsistent sounding sweeps that an iron false will give off.

Then a big thing that helps is being able to get that consistent/repeating signal from 2 different directions, like an X, and the signals should repeat in pretty much the exact same spot on the ground from both directions(the middle of the X). If you can only pick up the signal from one direction, or it moves when you check the 2nd direction than its most likely iron. The pinpoint feature can help in that regard too, the spot it pinpoints should be pretty exact to the spot you're getting the signal from on a good target, where as a bad target could pinpoint a little off of where the signal is coming from.

Some items will still trick us quite a bit though, like bent nails or nails that are straight up and down in the ground, or other iron items that have a shape like a coin. They can give good sounding signals.
That's all I can think of right now, but these methods definitely help me while hunting.

 

[smokeythecat]

My Tesoro Cibola jst scored a biggie in a nail and trash pit. It's a beep and go. I do keep rose head nails and preserve them and some of the CW nails from the huts. Out of the burned huts they look great.

 

[fbjr]

I always dig when the number is 12 and the other varies. Usually it's in the 40's, sometimes in the 30's and once in a great while in the 20's.

 

[fbjr]

Good info/tips! I also have an e-trac and never had this problem with that..... At least not to this extent. The e-trac took me about 1 hunting season to figure it out. The CTX is going on my 3rd season and it's still fooling me.

 

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

I use an etrac and mainly coin hunt in multi conductive tones, and yeah nails can give a high tone but it will be a less consistent sounding tone than a good target would make.

Some things that help me are.. Lowering the sensitivity so there are less iron falsing sounds. A good target will have a much more consistent/repeating sounding signal while sweeping over it compared to the blips and inconsistent sounding sweeps that an iron false will give off.

Then a big thing that helps is being able to get that consistent/repeating signal from 2 different directions, like an X, and the signals should repeat in pretty much the exact same spot on the ground from both directions(the middle of the X). If you can only pick up the signal from one direction, or it moves when you check the 2nd direction than its most likely iron. The pinpoint feature can help in that regard too, the spot it pinpoints should be pretty exact to the spot you're getting the signal from on a good target, where as a bad target could pinpoint a little off of where the signal is coming from.

Some items will still trick us quite a bit though, like bent nails or nails that are straight up and down in the ground, or other iron items that have a shape like a coin. They can give good sounding signals.
That's all I can think of right now, but these methods definitely help me while hunting.

Great post here! I also like to use the target trace feature. If you get lots of "iron splatter" and not a good solid target that is a good sign.

Slowing down and hitting it from several angles helps me more than anything.

 

[3cylbill]

all part of the game , your ctx ain't the only detector that reads good on old nails ....

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

all part of the game , your ctx ain't the only detector that reads good on old nails ....

This is true...mine loves tiny steel screws down deep sometime, but only when its the ground. There are so many factors to what could be doing it I guess. I remember my ATP doing goofy stuff sometimes...still dig them thou.

 

[bklein]

Old thread but do you run disc screen and then switch to see the iron in the lower right corner? (and hear low tone)
If you have lines greyed out at lower bottom on open screen you’ll get a threshold silence and sometimes a target sound. It is intended to ignore bobbypins. I was experimenting the other day digging weak threshold silencers and it was always a deep bobbypin if it kept silent as I dug towards it. Something else would bring on a tone eventually. Naw didn’t find any deep gold rings...

 

[fbjr]

I tend to start without much discrimination and when I hear a nice tone will switch over to my other screen with more discrimination. I used the e-trac for so long that I preferred digging based upon sound versus what the screen shows and had a lot of success. Seems like with my CTX 3030 that I'll get a nice high tone, then look at the screen and it will usually be in the coin area (upper right) but then when I pinpoint it drops more towards the bottom right of the screen. I hate passing up on them because I'd hate to miss a nice target but maybe that's my problem. Trust the detector screen and not the sound as much?

 

[duggr]

 

[basssmann]

frjr, I have been hunting for 30 years..... this is my 2nd year with the CTX3030.... I am use to the weight of the machine now...5.4lbs ,but, well built and balanced.... I too dig many square nails and rusty nails with it.... Some times coins, though.... I haven' t figured it out yet, either, but, do find a lot of silver with it.... basssmann

 

[wyohunter99]

Good info here. Pay close attention to the target trace, pinpoint trace and also where the high tone pinpoints. Also do a 360 around the signal. I dig a lot of deep iron as well but have dug a lot of deep silvers next to iron. When in doubt dig. Good luck!

 

[halfstep]

Those pesky rusty nails can be a difficult. It's not so much the nail as it is the deterioration that gradually blends the iron into the surrounding ground. The ctx 3030 or any other detector can't separate these rusty items from the ground as well since the rusty iron is blended into the ground. Plus the shape of a nail doesn't help. If you are detecting in an area that is littered with rusty nails, try doing a manual ground balance very close to a rusty nail that is in the ground. You may have to ground balance a few times in the nail infested ground until you get it just right and see a noticeable difference. This will help the ctx compensate for rusty rich ground better and give better accuracy and better target separation.

Turn the sensitivity down to very stable operation to reduce falsing and iron wrap around. Don't be afraid to turn the sensitivity way down, Even though lower sensitivity usually means reduced depth, it will give better separation and in those nail infested areas. You need good separation. You will still have adequate depth in those areas with a lower sensitivity and most times your depth will even be better due to the reduced reflective feedback that can blind the detector. Just think about turning your headlights on bright in the fog. The reflective feedback will blind you and reduce your ability to see very far. Turn the headlights on low and you reduce the reflective feedback and can see better and farther.

Turn the volume gain down to around 15 and adjust from there. Turn recovery fast and recovery deep off. Try ferrous-coin for target separation. The main thing is getting a good ground balance that accurately compensates for the rusty nail ground. The other settings may vary depending on location so don't be afraid to change them to see if that helps.

Also, a really good technique is when your coil is over a target, you can pump your coil up and down a few inches. If the numbers jump all over, it is rusty iron. If the numbers remain fairly stable, you have a good target. If you hunt a lot of these rusty nail sites, you may want to invest in a smaller 6" coil. This will make it easier as there is less junk under the coil for your ctx to contend with.

I tend to stay out of the trashy areas with the ctx since I run the 17" coil on it and I also now have an equinox 800. I use the ctx for parks and yards and I use the equinox 800 with a custom program for the trashy areas and for the creeks and rivers. It does pretty good negotiating the rust and trash.