Garrett ATX Coil Recommendation

[Steve Herschbach]

I got a PM with the following question. In general if you PM me on anything but a genuinely private matter, I will answer on the forum instead. This helps other people see an answer they might be interested in, and let’s others add their opinions and knowledge. It’s not like I know everything. 

“Could I ask you please which coil would be best to use on a Garrett Atx for depth on most gold rings to be found on a typical u.k. beach that have a mixture of brown and black sand”.

There are basically three ATX coil sizes - small 8”, the mediums, and the large 15”x20”. The ATX was designed to work best with DD coils, and monos offer no real depth advantage over DD, as one might expect with some other detectors. The 8” is generally too small for large beach work, the 15”x20” mono more than most people want to swing, and really is more for ground coverage than extra depth. But it’s possible in milder soil that the large coil will give the best depth on a ring. The worse the mineralization gets, the more this advantage is lost, and in the worst ground the smaller DD coils will do better. If you drop a magnet on your beach, and it comes up clean, the 15”x20” mono will probably have the best depth on large rings. Smaller rings less so. If the magnet comes up with a glob of magnetic sand, go a smaller DD.

So it kind of comes down to the medium 10x12 and 11x13 coils. These coils are all so close in performance, that I almost think the 11x13 DD is just the 10x12 winding dropped into an enclosed housing. As I mentioned, the ATX is designed around DD coils, and so the mono really does not seem to offer the difference I would normally expect of a mono versus DD. If the coil was never going to be submerged, I’d would go the 11”x13” DD as having the center rod mount. If it will ever be used wading, go the 10”x12” DD.

[Deepstar3]

Sorry Steve this was my first post on the forum and I was not sure how or where to get you'r attention, thank you ever so much for you'r valued opinion as it will save me from wasting money on coils that I would not be happy with, what a brilliant idea to test for mineralisation with a magnet 

[Steve Herschbach]

No worries, and I do hate to come off as chastising. I get quite a few PM questions though so thought I’d mention it for general consumption.

I don’t read every post these days, just too many, but I look for ones I have extra knowledge in, and make sure nobody has a question that gets ignored completely. Still, if a post does not get attention from me or others, a PM might help. The good news is this forum is loaded with people who know as much or more than I, so posting on the open forum really is the best way to get the best response. 

I’ve seen a lot of posts about how to use a detector readings or settings to try and figure how bad the ground is, but dropping a super magnet in the soil is something I have found is much easier and more effective.