ATX Ground Balance/ Volume & Threshold Troubles ... Questions

[Mac]

Detected an area that has a history of producing gold including small nuggets -- and have found pickers and larger yet small nuggets in my sluice here in past years with predictable confidence of finding more if put in the energy/ time -- but has a lot of ferrous trash above and below surface, and high mineralization. Experienced difficulty with the GB/ threshold and/or volume of the ATX. Did 4 resets -- factory reset 1st, then a freq scan, and then a GB readjustment, in that order -- trying to achieve a uniform response/ background noise. Detected and dug up nails and trash so it was working. But it was difficult to find the "right" threshold to assure a stable reliable pattern of signaling. At times, despite having just redone the GB, the ATX sounded nonstop -- loud continuous signaling despite having volume set at default (10) and headphones volume barely audible, and also tried with volume set higher and at max volume, with headphones volume adjusted low as could go, as is advised. But had the sensitivity set at the max of 13, not default setting of 10. So maybe that is the cause for the trouble finding its stability sweet spot. IDK   Also at times, the very same areas where this incessant signaling occurred then yielded no signal at all -- total silence as if the ATX was switched off. For example, I'd sweep slowly to the left and the voice was loud/ nonstop loud signaling as if the volume was set at max (which it wasn't; volume was set at 10); sweeping back to the right over the same area it would do the same; sweeping further to the right however led to total silence/ not a peep; but then, I swept the area to the left again, and that same area that had had the loud incessant chatter was then totally silent as if the ATX was off. This was a repetitive issue and totally destroyed my confidence in its use. I tried it in water and on land. And regardless of location in that area it was the same pattern. I got so frustrated with it I put it away and got out the shovel, buckets and sluice. GB2 however (used by my wife) found gold minus any of these GB/ threshold issues.  On a related note ... I have read (on other forums and websites) that others say the VLF and PI both produce a steady, stable background hum. Not for me. The GB2 has a reliable hum that makes it super easy to detect the faintest shift change. ATX? Not even close. ATX doesn't have a reliable hum at all. ATX hum is virtually impossible to discern distinct from its signaling (hard to know what the hum is, and is supposed to be, versus what is assumed to be a false signaling). Creates a frustrating guessing game.... So, it seems to me the VLF and PI differ markedly in what kind of hum is produced; and the PI absent of such a hum perhaps. So, am wondering do other ATX users find the same thing? Or might the hum/ lack of hum experience differ by type of ground detected -- water versus land; highly mineralized versus low to none; heavily trashed versus negligible ferrous crap littering the subsurface layers, etc. Maybe I just don't grasp the volume/ threshold equation specific to the ATX. Dare I admit it, more often than not, I have trouble setting it to a barely audible threshold/ volume. If I put the ATX volume at max (level 25) and try to adjust the headphones volume to barely audible, it's impossible to get the noise level that low. It's loud. And my hearing isn't even all that great yet the noise remains loud, not barely audible. Volume settings between factory default of 10 and max of 25 just do not allow me to adjust the headphones to barely audible -- the detector's voice remains loud regardless. Countless detectorists on YT videos and forums advise "turning the detector volume to its max and adjust the headphones volume low enough as that the detector's voice/ threshold/ hum/ background is just barely audible, which makes it easy to detect a variance."  This is a piece of cake on the GB2. What am I doing wrong on the ATX???

[GB_Amateur]

1 hour ago, Mac said:

But had the sensitivity set at the max of 13, not default setting of 10. So maybe that is the cause for the trouble finding its stability sweet spot.

This is a red flag in my book.  Even the 'default' of 10 might be too high, depending upon the conditions.  I have no experience or knowledge of the Garrett ATX but very few detectors can be run at max gain in the gold fields (and in fact many can't handle it even in parks/etc.).  Have you watched the video below?  Bill Southern and Kevin Hoagland make a big deal about not setting the gain too high.  (They also talk about properly setting other things, such as threshold.)  I'm sure you'll get some answers better than mine, but it's unfortunate Steve H. is away because he's used the ATX quite a bit.

 

[Mac]

11 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

This is a red flag in my book.  Even the 'default' of 10 might be too high, depending upon the conditions

Thank you kindly for reading my post and making this very candid response. I have watched that particular video but not since having bought the ATX, so will rewatch it and will study what they talk of, not just watch it like I have in the past. I appreciate this suggestion. And to me, it's irrelevant you have no ATX experience -- you have experience with detectors and I trust your insights/ judgment and value your advice/ guidance, for this matter is of supreme frustration.

The sensitivity-threshold-volume equation is a source of uncertainty, so I find myself experimenting at times without really knowing what to do. Steve's ATX experiences have been read/ studied in detail both before and after getting the ATX and it's actually his ATX settings for gold detecting that I use, which includes a max sensitivity of 13 ... but I think, in fact am convinced, that the key difference (in why his settings do fine for him and yet his settings do not serve me well) is because I lack his knowledge/ expertise/ high-level scientific knowledge of the machine, which he has figured out down to a fine science, not to mention his skill/ mastery of the detector technology across the board, which is then applied to each individual unit (make/ model) with ease. So, what I will have to do is remind myself when in the field to set/ find the settings that serve me best, at my level of ATX mastery which I'd put at the 65% level at best, and not attempt to set the ATX at settings that a master such as Steve uses. 

Thanks again for your help!

[Steve Herschbach]

In general I do not believe in the use of canned settings provided by others though I do share my settings since people want to know. Ultimately that is like learning to drive by asking people on forums for gear shift and gas pedal settings for a car. You learn to drive by learning the appropriate gear and gas setting for the conditions. A hill pulling a load needs different settings than a flat paved highway without a load. This is no different with detectors, and almost all issues with a properly operating detector can be traced to either improper ground balance and too much sensitivity. You are seeking the maximum settings that allow for stable performance, no more.

Beyond that, and trained detectorist can tolerate higher performance settings which may introduce more noise, and then it is the ears and brain kicking in to decide which sounds are good and which to ignore. For the novice however it is all just noise and so when starting out I recommend not pushing beyond settings that are stable and quiet until you are more familiar with the detector. You have to learn how to walk before you can run.

PI detectors are susceptible to electrical interference and incessant signaling in an area on one visit and quiet the next with the very same settings is a sign of this. Finally, you can't totally discount that perhaps the detector has a problem like a bad component or coil. The ATX is a forgiving detector and it should not be hard to find settings that provide quiet stable performance. If it continues to be an issue then maybe the machine needs to be checked out.