The Minelab CTX 3030 is great metal detector for beach hunters. It is a proven work horse on the wet and dry sandy beaches. If you recently purchased a CTX 3030 or maybe you are just learning how to use the 3030, this article will help you shorten your learning curve by walking you through the steps necessary to help you navigate through the menus and setup the CTX 3030 for beach detecting.
Watch The Video First
I have done several simple how-to videos on the Minelab CTX 3030 and I recommend watching all of them several times but you if you don’t its not a problem. The video linked below will walk you through all of the settings I’ll go over in the article. However if you want to check out those other videos you can find them on my YouTube channel and I’ll have them linked at the end of this article.
CTX 3030 Beach Setup Video
1st Step: Pick The Correct Search Profile
Search Profile = Beach
The search profile you will selecting is “Beach” and once you select “Beach” you will need to set some other parameters to include the following:
Response = Normal
Recovery = Fast
Recovery = Deep
Seawater = turn on ***Most important***
Target Separation = Low trash
Pinpoint = Normal
Note: I can’t stress enough that you MUST enable “Seawater” if you don’t the machine will not perform the way it should. Make sure you have that option enabled.
2nd Step: Audio Options
The audio options are mostly your preference but here are the settings that work best for me on the beach:
Threshold = 30
Volume Gain = 25
Volume Limit = 30
Threshold Pitch = 1
3rd Step: Sensitivity Settings
Sensitivity = Auto +3 or Manual from 24 – 26
Note: If you want to get deeper then instead of setting up Sensitivity to Auto +3 try setting it up to use: “Manual” and picking anywhere from 24 to 26 (as high as the machine will allow before it becomes erratic and unstable. But get ready to dig some deep targets!
4th Step: Ground Balance Settings
Some of you who are experienced CTX 3030 users may differ on the opinion about ground balancing the 3030. However, I have rarely needed to ground balance the CTX at the beach. Therefore I recommend leaving it turned off. But if you run into situations when the CTX just isn’t quiet you may want to try and ground balance to see if that helps stabilize the machine.
5th Step: Noise Cancel
Its always a good idea after you set all the other parameters, picked a search profile, set up your sensitivity settings to go ahead and do a Noise Cancel. This step will ensure that your CTX is setup on the right channel with the least mount of noise and EMI.
Picking The Right Pattern to Use
After you selected Beach as your search profile you will notice, as you will with every search profile, that you have the option of picking 1 of 2 patterns. Pattern 1 will eliminate most of the bad targets you will find on the beach but it can also eliminate some of the good targets too.
However, Pattern 2 is a wide open pattern or what we call “all metal mode“. I like to hunt in Pattern 2 because some of those questionable targets/tones could be very deep gold or silver rings, jewelry etc. By using Pattern 1 you may not hear those questionable tones. Pattern 2 will allow you to hear those signals. Its better to investigate a questionable target then not hear it all IMO.
The CTX Has Been Around For Many Years
The CTX 3030 has been on the market for over 10 years but it is still one of the best for beach detecting. I enjoy using the CTX because of its depth and excellent target ID system. Once you learn how to navigate the menus, the CTX will become incredibly easy to operate and you will start to understand why this machine is so good on the beach. I have put out a few CTX videos for beginners that will help you shorten the learning curve. They are linked below. Good luck and happy hunting.
