Garrett ATX for Gold?

Just_curious

Sr. Member
Aug 27, 2017
332
273
Georgia/Alabama
Detector(s) used
Minelab GM1000
White's GMZ
White's Spectrum XLT
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I'm wondering how well the Garrett ATX would do with Gold. Mostly on the east coast (Northern Georgia). I have a Minelab GM1000 that I cant even use because of the mineralization. I have a White's Goldmaster 2 which does okay with the mineralization and small/tiny gold, but depth is an issue along with getting hits on high iron content rocks, as well as sounding off for good deposits of black sand. Lastly, I have a White's GMZ that I can't do much with because of the mineralization. The mineralization varies DRASTICALLY and RAPIDLY. So, even with the GM2 I have to work a TINY area, move a couple feet, and then ground-balance again. I know there is decent gold still yet to be found in GA. It's not really a deposited area that people nugget shoot in, so that could be a good thing?

The ATX I'm referring to is not the deepseeker version with the 10x12 DD, standard headphones, and case. Hopefully the manual as well. Not sure what difference it would make for prospecting without the deepseeker coils or mono. I do plan on taking a trip out west this summer as well.

Thanks in advance.
 

Upvote 0

arizau

Bronze Member
May 2, 2014
2,485
3,870
AZ
Detector(s) used
Beach High Banker, Sweep Jig, Whippet Dry Washer, Lobo ST, 1/2 width 2 tray Gold Cube, numerous pans, rocker box, and home made fluid bed and stream sluices.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Seems to me that your GM1000 should should work at least as well as your other detectors if properly set up. This is not to question your usage but maybe reviewing, understanding and utilizing some of the stuff on this link will solve your problem. https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+use+the+gold+monster+1000&enablesearch=true. Also this. https://www.google.com/search?q=how...er+1000+in+mineralized+soil&enablesearch=true. You have probably already done these searches but I thought I would offer them up anyway just in case.

Good luck.
 

Last edited:
OP
OP
J

Just_curious

Sr. Member
Aug 27, 2017
332
273
Georgia/Alabama
Detector(s) used
Minelab GM1000
White's GMZ
White's Spectrum XLT
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
No, the mineralization makes it go nuts. I can manually balance the GM2. The whites GMZ has "ground-disk" which doesn't do much help and puts me right in the same boat as the GM1000. Even with the GM1000's auto-track and disc turned on, it'll constantly squeel and flicker between ferrous/non-ferrous. I really wish they would have put a manual GB on the machine. It really needs manual GB. They should have ditched the screen and put manual GB.
 

lookingharder

Sr. Member
Feb 27, 2015
433
753
Virginia
Detector(s) used
Whites Coin Master. Garrett AT Gold, Garrett Ace 350
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Just curious, this is just my opinion. I bought the AT gold because I wanted to be able to prospect with it along with relic hunting. I find that I use it about 1% of the time looking for gold. It doesn't work well in wet sand at the beach when we go which is only 2 weeks a year. Now I wish I had gone with the Pro instead. Don't get me wrong, I love my Gold. I would ask yourself what are you going to use it for 90% of the time and how much you will use it and buy accordingly. I hunted with a guy that spend $1500 for a top of the line detector and only used it twice in 5 years. He just went with the bling and found it was too much to just go to the park and hunt. Again, JMO
 

OP
OP
J

Just_curious

Sr. Member
Aug 27, 2017
332
273
Georgia/Alabama
Detector(s) used
Minelab GM1000
White's GMZ
White's Spectrum XLT
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I actually go to northern Georgia and Northern alabama quite a bit to go prospecting. I'm about to spend 20 days in dahlonega as well without much to do. When I PCS from benning, I plan on asking for either yuma,AZ., Whites sands, NM. or fort Irwin, CA. Fort Carson, CO. and going back to fort Lewis are also on my mind.

On a side note, I decided not to bid on the ATX and was trying to get a Fisher gold-bug 2. I waited until they were 2 minutes left on the auction, entered my bid, hit confirm bid, and got a message saying that I don't have a PayPal account linked to eBay. It's sold for $435. I'm so mad. Because I almost immediately wished I had bought a GB2 over the GM1000. I'm gonna list my GM1000 on eBay after work tomorrow I think.
 

Goldwasher

Gold Member
May 26, 2009
6,077
13,225
Sailor Flat, Ca.
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
SDC2300, Gold Bug 2 Burlap, fish oil, .35 gallons of water per minute.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Gold bug pro

over Gb 2

Interesting about the GM1000

does it have a gain or sensitivity setting?
 

IMPDLN

Full Member
Mar 18, 2014
218
431
Central Arizona
Detector(s) used
Minelab SD2100 V-2, Gold Bug SE, SDC2300, GPX4500
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
If you are struggling with a GM1000, you will certainly struggle with a GB2. No reason why the GM2 would handle the minerals any better than the GM1000. My suspicion is you either have sensitivity too high or aren't ground balancing the unit properly. Have you double checked the coil cable connections and made sure they are properly secured? You might have even received a defective unit. Check out Nuggetshooter forum or detectorprospector forum for more specifics about that detector and help from guys that are actually using them. Dennis
 

OP
OP
J

Just_curious

Sr. Member
Aug 27, 2017
332
273
Georgia/Alabama
Detector(s) used
Minelab GM1000
White's GMZ
White's Spectrum XLT
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The GB2 would absolutely handle it over the GM. Okay, I can't speak for a certainty on that since they frequency is more and I don't own one....but my whites Goldmaster 2 handles soil one a whole new level over the GM. It's the auto ground balance. Even with auto on, the whole ground is a target....turn on disc, the whole ground is a target.

GM has sensitivity setting, a screen, disc button and volume. That's it. It can't disc at all and will tell you the whole ground is ferrous/Non. To use it, sensitivity has to be on like 3, and even then, it chatters so much that if there were a target, you wouldn't know anyways. Combine all the above with the fact it's a silent searcher.
 

PioneerPauly

Jr. Member
Mar 28, 2010
78
71
Vancouver Island
Detector(s) used
Fisher Goldbug II
Primary Interest:
Other
Ive only every tried the GB2 and those things can pickup the SMALLEST of gold pieces.. but with that being said, it can also pickup the smallest flakes of rust.. (not complaining). Im interested in what the GB-Pro would do over the GB2 though. Im also fresh meat in the prospecting world as of one year.
 

XLV

Hero Member
Jul 27, 2016
813
427
South East Asia
Primary Interest:
Other
even if u got the 8" coil for the atx if u want the very tiny stuff the tdi with a smaller coil would do the job better for way less money ....from 3 down under goldbugs..... use the coil size u use on the vlf detectors or smaller
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Discussions

Top