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Nugget Hunting With Garrett ATX 8" Mono Coil


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All the nugget hunting I have done with the Garrett ATX so far was done with the standard 10" x 12" DD coil that comes with the unit. That coil is a very good coil but as my story at http://www.detectorprospector.com/steves-mining-journal/gold-nugget-detecting-with-garrett-atx.htm illustrates it has a couple quirks. The best sensitivity to small gold is in the inner coil area so it is hard to get the hottest portion of the coil close to objects like rocks or stumps. But the main problem is the DD coil is prone to false signals when knocked, making it tiresome to manipulate in rough ground. I hoped the 8" mono might help with these issues.

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ATX™ 8 inch Mono Searchcoil PN: 2234000

So I put in quite a few hours with the 8" mono in some rough terrain. I was not so lucky as to find any gold but recovered a handful of small ferrous targets, mostly short bits of wire and portions of nails. All pretty small stuff wedged in crevices in the bedrock wash locations I hunted. I also recovered quite a few non-ferrous targets, mostly bullets and some brass rivets. Some of the lead bits were quite small and overall I was very happy with the depth and sensitivity I was seeing. The locations I hunted were not prime gold areas but gold is present and the number of non-ferrous targets recovered proved the places were not completely hunted out yet.

The 8" mono proved just as prone to false signals when knocked as the stock DD coil. The good news is it is lighter and the machine balances better with it on so it is less strain on the arm working the coil effectively for long hours. I do not want to overstate this issue with the coil falsing when knocked because I can hunt effectively with an ATX. But it is an issue that needs to be noted. Well designed detector and coil combinations do not suffer from this flaw and it adds extra effort to the hunt being sure to manipulate the coil in a fashion that does not lead to constant false signals. I much prefer coils I can put anywhere I please in any way I please without a false signal being generated. I cannot imagine how the epoxy filled coils can be the source of the issue so I presume it is the cable that generates the signals when moved in the course of a coil impact. Since the coil cable is inside the rod assembly there is not much I can do to experiment with that theory. If the cable was external to the rod perhaps strapping it more firmly in place would help.

The 8" mono does have good external edge sensitivity to small items and the coil does work better in rough terrain. You can get the sweet spot closer to obstructions and the edge of the coil can be worked down into crevices. Quite a few of the targets I recovered were in bedrock crevices and sounded directly on the edge of the coil.

One big factor with the 8" mono is that the ATX iron discrimination check will not work with it. If you push the button to engage the check you get a repeating tone that tells you the feature is not in effect. The iron check is a nice feature and this alone may deter someone from wanting to use the mono coil. However, I tend towards digging all targets myself so this did not bother me and in fact I am ok with the temptation being removed entirely. Personally I just do not trust discrimination systems much. Overall I prefer the 8" mono operating characteristics and for uneven, rough terrain it is my preferred coil. I also much preferred it for in water use as outlined at http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/102-garrett-atx-review-beach-detecting-in-hawaii/

For flatter open terrain I would stick with the stock coil. The main problem however is that it is very hard to justify the 8" mono to most people given the fact that when you buy it you are forced to buy an entire telescoping rod assembly also. This drives the price of a decent coil option up to the point where it is a significant fraction of the original purchase price of an ATX. With a manufacturer suggested list price of $529.95 discounted to $450 this coil unfortunately will probably go underutilized by ATX owners.

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Thanks for your impressions on the 8" Mono Steve.  I'm headed down to N. Ca. in a couple weeks.  Other than backyard tests, this will be my first outing with the ATX.  I'll give the stock coil a go, but I'm sure I will be wishing I had a smaller coil for the bedrock and brush.

 

Have a great summer.

 

Steve K

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Guest Paul (Ca)

Thanks Steve for sharing your experiences with the 8" mono coil, Really appreciate you taking the time have been sitting on the side lines for more information on this coil.

 

Most likely will get one,  I know the larger coil is great for open areas but what I need is a waterproof coil for fresh water lakes and such.  Something small yet effective and have less drag in the water, Like you don't mind the 8" coil not working with the iron check feature can deal with that being a Pi user for years.

 

Thanks again,

Paul (Ca)

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