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Going To Get Garrett ATX Deepseeker Package


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I am slowly cleaning up most of my used detector collection and putting it up for sale. Only a few survivors will remain for now:

Fisher Gold Bug 2

Garrett ATX

Minelab CTX 3030

Minelab SDC 2300

Nokta FORS Gold

White's V3i

With the departure of my GPX 5000 (in anticipation of the GPZ 7000) I am temporarily lacking a PI with good ground coverage. And no telling what the GPZ will have for large coil options. So after much debate I decided to pick up a new Garrett ATX Deepseeker package, to get the 15" x 20" coil and the carry case. I like the ATX and have confidence in its gold finding capability, and I have to have a waterproof PI so it covers me on two bases.

I thought seriously about selling my current ATX to help fund the new one. But since I am selling so many detectors I decided to treat myself. The ATX has been frustrating me due to the packaging in a heavy duty military housing. So my old ATX is going to be sacrificed as part of a project to see just how light weight I can make it using the stock coil, but with the option of also easily mounting the Infinium 5" x 10" DD if I want to make it really featherweight. You are invited along on my step by step disassembly and reassembly project at http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/462-garrett-atx-strip-down-rebuild/

All I am waiting on is to see what Garrett releases in the way of Christmas holiday packages. Any that appear may or may not include the ATX but it is worth waiting a bit to see. Once that happens the fun and games begins!

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Nice list of detectors Steve.  I'm headed down the same path with my ATX.  I've been wanting to get a smaller coil on it, going back and forth between the 8" mono and the Infinium 5x10 DD.  Haven't seen anything written to sway me towards the 8" mono.  So given the cost of the 8", I decided to do what you did by mounting the 5x10 on a Whites rod.

 

A lot of pluses for going this route.  1) I get a smaller coil for less dollars 2) I lighten the load of swinging the ATX all day, and 3) I will hopefully eliminate the signals from bumping into rocks and brush.  It will be a pain swapping from the standard ATX coil to the 5x10, but I'm assuming the 5x10 will stay on most of the time as I'm hunting mostly river side bedrock.

 

Please keep us up to date on however you modify your ATX.

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I have the 8" mono for the ATX and 5" x 10" Infinium DD. Main plus for the mono is the depth is about the same as the stock 10" x 12" DD coil. The Infinium DD coil gets less depth, but I have not done serious testing to determine by how much. Significant though. The plus for the Infinium coil is it appears to be impervious to false signals compared to the ATX coils, probably because it is not as on edge tuning wise.

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Hi Steve . I'm looking to buy the 8" mono for my ATX. Have you used a coil cover on the 8" mono? If so dose it help with false signals, as the coil cover for your stock 10"x 12" DD coil helped with false signal issues.

The 8" mono is the coil for me as opposed to the Infinium coil setup do to the fact that it collapses down nice and compact and fits in a backpack make it worth the added weight.

Thanks.

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Hey Steve out of curiosity is the ATX as quiet in mineralised dirt with the 8" mono as it is with the standard DD coil? Or as sensitive for that matter?

JP

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Hi Greg,

The scuff covers help. It smooths the ride over rough surfaces and makes it impossible for the inner edge of the coil to snag a rock. It also provides a slight buffering effect. It does not eliminate the problem but it helps. In the Nevada outback the ground surface seems to often have just a bit of grass or weeds and I let the coil ride on the ground, with almost no false signals. The covers do collect grass and twigs - I am putting a plastic lid on mine.

JP, so far it mostly is about nooks and crannies. The mono works better in tight spots because the sensitivity runs around the outside edge, whereas on the DD coil it is hotter in the middle. http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/200-nugget-hunting-with-garrett-atx-8-mono-coil/ It handles our ground as well as the DD but I would have to believe in Oz the DD would be the better choice. Depth and sensitivity here is on par with that of the stock coil as one would expect of a smaller mono versus a larger DD. I like the mono more for water hunting though, the DD suits me fine for most prospecting. The DD coil does have that disc option the mono lacks and it is one thing that I do think Garrett has done better than Minelab. The disc function is more intuitive and gives me a higher degree of confidence. I am going to be using the ATX to target area where I might normally use a VLF as it does seem to handle common surface trash fairly well. Still lots to learn in that regard.

My ATX rebuild project would be a step ahead in the weight area if I went with the mono but I am not willing to buy another one just to cut it down.

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Well, I did not see any Garrett holiday specials come up so went ahead and pulled the trigger this morning. I am not sure with the holiday mail and slow boat shipping how long it will be but I do have a Deepseeker package on order. I have heard the coil pivot mechanism has been beefed up on the stock coil due to the "floppy coil" issue so we will see if that is the case on my new unit when it arrives.

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Make sure you get a coil cover for the large coil if they make one.

I got mine out of the case today to use it and it looked to fragile to bump into the rocks without a cover.   So, I left it home.

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Yeah, they do make a large scuff cover and I confirmed they are actually available. I am going to get one for sure. They make both open and closed - I am going for closed because I want it for prospecting and need it to ride over the ground without hanging up. Thanks for the reminder Harry!

Open part number 1608200

Closed part number 1608300

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