CTX 3030 – The best treasure detector just got better!

Since its release, the CTX 3030 has quickly earned a reputation as being a true all-purpose treasure detector, but in an effort to enhance its performance further, Minelab’s engineering and field test team have done a lot of work behind the scenes to make “the best even better!” Sorry, but I couldn’t resist that, because as a CTX 3030 user I am quite excited about having some new features to play with! This is the first CTX 3030 software upgrade with some great new features, to give users better performance and more versatility. So what’s new?

• Seawater setting – optimise performance in saltwater
• Pinpoint Lock option – choose between momentary trigger or lock options
• Extra System upgrades – a refined operating system

Before I explain the new features, you should be aware that no current feature/function has been lost. All the current features, options, menu layout and functionality have remained the same - the new features simply provide more options. So here are some more details:

Seawater setting

Salt being conductive is essentially like a big target, but Minelab’s BBS and FBS technologies have been known to handle salty conditions extremely well, and FBS 2 now takes this a step further. Located in the Mode menu, Seawater is a new specialist setting designed to optimise the performance of the unit when searching in salt water, with the biggest benefit being seen when the whole unit is submersed. Simply put, with Seawater selected the CTX 3030 will run smoother with less falsing, allowing you to set a higher manual Sensitivity setting - so depth is optimised while retaining stable operation. While testing it at a local beach, I found that it also had some merit when working the water line, as the extra stability meant I could increase the Sensitivity setting to improve depth, and found that I could sweep the coil faster than I normally would without sacrificing depth or accuracy of the ID’s. For all the CTX 3030 beachcombers and shallow waders out there, this is like getting the perfect Christmas present you didn’t even know you wanted!

Pinpoint Lock option

In the Options menu, you will now find an option to “Lock” the Pinpoint function. What this means is that by pressing and releasing the trigger, Pinpoint stays on (or is locked). To go back to the normal detection mode, press and release the trigger again. This is handy if you are learning to pinpoint, and/or a having trouble pinpointing a very small target. With the current momentary action, you would need to hold the button in for an extended period. Once you gain a bit of experience, on most targets the pinpointing process only takes a few seconds, so a momentary pinpoint may be preferred – so basically the choice is now yours!

System Updates

There have been a number of small improvements and minor feature changes to improve the functionality of the user interface. Here are a few notable ones:

1. The Low Battery warning alerts have been sync’d. Meaning the Visual and Audio alerts happen at the same time
2. Both the detector reset and language resets are now faster
3. A low battery alert has been added to the WM 10

The CTX 3030 user community has made some excellent suggestions for new features and additions to this great detector, and some of them may become reality in future software updates, so keep the great ideas coming.

In addition to the new software, there is a new XChange 2 version available. It is advisable to upgrade this first. While connected to the internet, simply open XChange 2 and you will see an orange exclamation mark. If you hover over it a text box will pop up saying “New application version…” Simply click on the exclamation and follow the prompts. When done, you can download the new detector firmware version which is available now and is extremely simple to install. See here for detailed instructions:

So if you’re a CTX 3030 owner, plug into your XChange 2 and download these exciting FREE updates today!

View FAQs for XChange 2 here. 

Nenad Lonic