Leaderboard

The Garrett ATX is a pulse induction detector, make no mistake about it. Experienced detectorists can certainly use the ATX for just about any type of metal detecting, but I always caution people new to PI detectors to think of them first and foremost as "dig it all" type detectors. Any thought that you are getting VLF type discrimination is likely to lead to disappointment. You are going to dig junk, and lots of it, with a PI. They are usually used as niche machines, not all around detectors. I am in a very, very small group of people that use PI detectors for more than just one use.Can I look you in the eye as new to metal detecting and tell you spending three times the money on the ATX as a first detector is a wise idea? Honestly, no. First off, you have no idea if you even like metal detecting at this point! Believe me, many people get detectors and after digging junk for a few days decide the whole concept is a huge waste of time. You say you only have a bit of small gold in your vial. That makes it real hard to recommend you go out and spend over $2000 on a detector that will not even find the gold in that vial. I suggest you hold off and make those club meetings. Learn more about finding gold with a gold pan and a sluice box. If you cannot find a decent nugget with a gold pan then you have to question whether you can with a metal detector either. It really is all about finding good locations and having good gold finding skills. The particular recovery tool involved is not as important as those skills. Go to those meeting, talk to everyone possible, and be honest about the areas you have access to and the likelihood that a detector is a good tool for those areas. At some point you have to decide if you really want to get a detector or not, but do it with all the appropriate information at hand. I still believe a good VLF is a smart place to start for most people in the United States, as they offer a low entry price point and you can find gold with them if you know what you are doing. I can go out this very day, and I have almost 100% certainty that I can use a $700 VLF and be home tonight with gold in my pocket. That is including an hour or two drive each direction to get to a gold location. If I can do that, anyone that is good with a detector can also, if they have access to decent ground. The reason you get a PI is simple. In low mineral ground a good VLF in all metal mode does much better than people think. Where they fall short is when the ground minerals get intense and especially where hot rocks are producing lots of false signals. If the ground you are likely to detect in is very mineralized and has many hot rocks going right to a PI can be a smart move as a VLF will drive you crazy in places like that unless you really know your detecting. Remember gold was found everywhere with VLFs before modern PI detectors came on the scene. But a PI is a huge advantage in many of the worst mineralized locations. There is a school of thought of course in many areas, like the southwest US or in Australia, that would say you should just jump right in and spring for a top dollar PI. The idea is nugget detecting is hard enough, and if you do not give yourself your best shot out of the starting gate you will be hurting your chances of having any success at all, and therefore be more likely to just fail at metal detecting. There is some validity to that idea, but I have to look at myself and what I can do personally, and I have no problem finding gold with VLF detectors. In fact, I have no problem finding gold with VLF detectors where PI detectors fall on their faces and fail. The reality is small gold is far more common than big gold. The best operators can pound areas with PI detectors until they would all agree there is no gold left. Than I can wander in with a White's GMT or Fisher Gold Bug 2 and find hundreds or even thousands of small nuggets they missed. The truth is big nuggets are depleting fast, and even the PI detector people are chasing smaller and smaller nuggets. We are coming full circle and going back to VLF in many places to clean up the common small gold that PI detectors miss. There are very many locations where a new detector owner has a far better chance finding gold with a hot VLF than a PI. I gave myself lots of wiggle room in that long answer. The sad fact is there is no hard and fast answer, no right or wrong in this. If you want to get into detecting for gold, you have to bite the bullet and start somewhere. The quickest way to success is to seek out locals, and clubs are a great place to start. See what they are doing and what they are using. If they all use PI detectors because the ground is bad, and I know the northwest does have very bad ground, then maybe a PI is a good way to go for you. But I suspect you will find successful people in your area using one of the detectors discussed in this thread, in fact I would bet on it. I would be very interested in hearing what you finally decide to do and how it works out for you. I do promise the key to your success will be researching and accessing good locations. No detector made will do well if you can't get it into a good location, so make that a real focus no matter what you do. Good luck!

Rouseabout, all that Steve says is wise and true...let me add to his wisdom if I can. Many long years ago I wanted a detector for nugget hunting...I fully expected to be rich in short order...well, I still ain't rich in gold...so, I borrowed money from my Dad and got a garret deepseeker rather than the groundhog (I did not listen to others or the heed the available information)...my first mistake was the detector, all the others followed which I won't enumerate... My point is attend some meetings, try a few detectors if you can, determine your main and secondary detecting interests and take a babysteps rather than using the Fred Method-that would be;jump in deep and swim like H#$@... fred

G'mornin Ray and thanks; You had better be careful with what you post or the Minelab militia will be burning crosses in your front yard. There is a lot to be said about keeping your focus on the detecting and not the detector. I have been doing some exploration work for a mining group S.E. of Butt Lake (Dutch Hill) and between my past work in the timber industry and prospecting, the area is about as familiar as my living room. Even more so if the wife rearranges the furniture. Plan a trip up next spring. I goofed when I asked about East of Red Bluff. I meant N.W.

Hi Steve, I know when the MXT first came out, i read your post on how you liked it and you are the one that made up my mind. I still have the MXT and use it most. I get to go to AZ. once a year and hunt for gold, but most of the time i coin hunt. Now you were talking about the 4.some # of the MXT. Whites has come out with the MX5, that is like the MXT PRO, but at about 3.some lb. Have you tryed it yet? I to would like a MXT a little lighter. I have found lots of rings and coins with the MXT but only one small nugget. But still love to be in the hunt. If you have tryed the MX5, and it is like the MXT, let me know and i will get a new detector,but untill i find something as good to me as the MXT i will never change. Thanks Dean