The morning air was cold and damp as I pulled up to my favorite detecting site. A dense fog had settled in all of the low lying areas, and the ground was covered with patches of heavy, wet snow. With my CTX 3030 propped on my shoulder, I headed into the thick woods.
I had been to this site many times before with my trusty E-TRAC. I would spend countless hours wandering about, looking for the telltale signs of former settlements. Be it an old foundation, a set of steps that go from nowhere to nowhere, or a series of pine trees that are arranged in a perfectly straight line. Each one had a story to tell. A story of lives that had long ago been forgotten.
Detecting at this site was not always easy. I was often challenged by wide areas that were littered with a mix of rusty nails and low conductivity trash, not to mention large chunks of deep iron.
Despite these challenges, my E-TRAC had always managed to pluck out a handful of wonderful finds on each and every trip. But this time, I was armed with my new CTX 3030, and some very high expectations.
I was not disappointed. A steady drizzle was falling, and the ground squished under my weight as I repeatedly knelt down to dig. Before long, both me and my equipment were totally covered in a layer of thick mud and clay. But I did not mind, for I was having the time of my life.
Swinging the CTX 3030 was like using a precision surgical instrument to methodically snipe one find after another from the endless sea of trash and rust. I felt like I could do that all day long. Actually, I did.
Twilight was upon me as I made my way out of the woods. I was cold, wet, and I looked like I had spent the day participating in a mud wrestling event. But my finds pouch was considerably heavier than usual.
That was a day that I will long remember. That was the day that the CTX 3030 earned my respect, as well as the status of being my primary coinshooting and treasure hunting machine.
Charles - PA, USA