Quick comparison Etrac vs. CTX 3030

I traded my Ctx for an Etrac about two years ago, at first I was of course hesitant to keep the Etrac, but eventually I sold my lovely Etrac and paid extra for the CTX. The main reason was mainly curiosity, which overcame my doubts about whether I should invest the money in another detector again.After all, most of you who have been looking for a while know this when you think back to your early days and how many detectors you have been through in that time.The curiosity and desire for something new is strong and hard to resist, I know it, the only reason not to buy a new detector is the current lack of finances.

Minelab E-Trac

I was perfectly happy with the Etrac because compared to my older Explorer, it was the detector that finally fit me. The Explorer was significantly slower compared to the Etrac, it would be like comparing a PC 386 to the new 2GHz clocked 4GB Ram guys, it's just that the target response on the Etrac was really fast for a digital. Clearly the Minilab's processor reconfiguration was successful and you could tell a lot. The Etrac wasn't even as susceptible to the ubiquitous interference as it was with the Explorer, heaven forbid they put a bigger pie on the Explorer, back then I'mI didn't have as much information and experience and naively thought that with a huge coil that was slowly getting heavier than the whole detector, I would get a lot lower. Well then what a sobering experience it was you can probably guess. The weight after installing the coil was brutal, admittedly the clear advantage of the mega coil was that if a tree stood in my way, with one swing of the probe it would drop to the ground like a rotten pear. The other huge advantage of the mega probe was that any interference and mineralization in the soil gave a solid reverberation, so I even buried that more than was healthy. Well eventually I donated the coil to the junkyard in a rage and those wonderful notions of mega coils and mega reaches, left me and I reverted to a standard 11" probe, preferring to concentrate on lab work with the setup and gradually learning, the instructions were only in English and the school provided me with Russian language skills, which was an amazing combination of my remarkable ability to master this detector. But with the help of a dictionary and especially more experienced guys, I somehow picked it up. Today I laugh at the mistakes and wasted investment, but that's evolution.

CTX 3030

The new Etrak, well it was a different coffee, it was fast, with the new probe even more stable, well great, I got used to it very quickly and I was finally a happy person. As time went on, new and better probes started to be produced for the Etrak, a huge selection of different sizes of probes from pure separation probes, to the smallestto larger and more importantly lighter and more stable probes, was a huge credit to the Trakka and so I stayed with it for a few years and grew to like it. It's a very good machine, and those who learn it have a hard time trading it for any other brand, except perhaps for health issues and trying to save some of that deco weight. The only downside is the extra weight compared to other machines, but 99% of people can walk with it even in rough terrain, for long hours. For guys I don't see a problem with it, but graceful girls might perhaps have some objection to the weight deficit, but I'd rather not underestimate them. However, his performance is absolutely unquestionable and he leaves a lot of valiant fighters behind him uncompromisingly. There are a lot of great detectors and a lot of bad ones, but the Etrac ranks unequivocally at the top of the great ones. It really is a very good machine, even if it has its faults, like everyone else. The Etrac owes its abilities mainly to its advanced FBS technology, which at the same time provides tremendous sensitivity at the size of a small beetle and theIn combination with the right probe we will hardly find a competitor in the VLF detector category.

So you see, I didn't even have a reason to change for something new, I was happy, but a new CTX appeared on the market and that desire to try something new, unrecognized, was stronger and I changed machines again.

Quite often people ask, hey, does it make sense to get a CTX, it's still an Etrac, just in a different coat.

Hm, the answer is simple, weigh the pros and cons and buy the winner, I can advise you on the pros and cons, but otherwise it's up to you. There are only two "cons": higher price and less availability of coils, otherwise perhaps there are none, let's compare the differences anyway:

I will start with the main range of both detectors - the range is identical (of course with the basic 11" probe), here so far a plus for Etrak, because there is not such a large number of probes on CTX. However, on problematic ground you have the option to pump up the CTX and those results will speak for the CTX as it will be much more stable at the same sensitivity.

Separation - I would say it's a toss up again, there will be no winner or loser (I'm talking about the basic 11" probe). Again, a plus for Etrac, there is more separation probes available. There is only one 6" on the CTX at the moment, that will change soon, at least there are rumours.

Stability - the CTX is the clear winner, maybe it is due to the design itself, where the signal processing on the CTX occurs already in the so called "signal path". This is also the case with X-terr, and on top of that, the processed, undistorted signal goes to the electronics, which is not the case with Etrak.

Discrimination - here again the CTX wins by a whisker, my feeling and not only mine is that the discrimination in the CTX is a breast better, really not even that deep rusty iron if you don't want it, you can't dig it out.

Target evaluation on the LCD - here the CTX clearly wins, the Track Trace feature and color display are really an asset and you can immediately see on the display in color what is under the probe. The real-time graphical presentation is a really excellent thing and helps you a lot, it's kind of the icing on the cake but it's nice to get used to.

Outdoor - Here the CTX wins because:

It is waterproof to 3 meters officially, according to the manufacturer, I went a little deeper and it lasted(I just changed the standard seal under the battery for a little better one just in case). Heavy rain, water, mud, no problem. I'd rather not attempt any heroic water stunts with the Etrak, it may last a lot, but the electronics on the Etrak and the battery probably can't handle submersion under water. But otherwise, some light rain and a bit of mud Etrac can handle.

Balance - The CTXwill be the winner , if you try both in quick succession you'll give me the benefit of the doubt, although detectors Minelab are generally not liveThe CTX weighs a bit, it's very well balanced, it really does feel better against the Tracer.

Audio settings - Here's a point for the CTX, no one else has such huge options in audio settings, plus the option to choose a combined response (ferous - conduct) is missing from the Etrac

Headphones - With the CTX you can choose both classic wired headphones, underwater piezo headphones and of course the very nice wirelesst, or external speaker in the wireless receiver, with the Trak just the classic, although nowadays wireless headphones are also available for it, so point for the CTX.

Software Update - Updating new software is only possible with the CTX.

GPS - This is only on the CTX, I use it occasionally, but in this day and age of smartphones, it's probably not going to bother anyone. So I give a small plus for CTX.

Controls - As far as controls go, the CTX is the winner for me, simple and straightforward, most functions are quickly accessible via a long press the appropriate button on the dash, my only regret is that the buttons aren't backlit, the pinpoint is located on the underside, you don't have to look for it anywhere difficult.

You see, there are enough differences between the various fighters and it's up to you what you want from the detector and whether you get a return on your investment in a more relaxed search. It's like everything, a hundred people, a hundred tastes.....

Mgr. Oldřich Habrovanský - Moravia Detect
The author ofthis article has been using metal detectors Minelab for more than 12 years