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I am looking to get a beach PI detector and the ATX is one of my choices. This is in Florida on the Gulf side around the Tampa area. I am also going to use it in Tennessee where I do a lot of CW relic hunting. I was wondering anyone's idea about this detector.

If you answer yes what type of hunting do you use it for.Also if you answer no what are your reason for not getting it.I have the Infinium and would get the ATX if it was in a different housing, did not have the cable rot problems I here of and was less then $1400.I here it gets about 4'' more then the infinium with the ground balance off on a nickel.

Test Garrett ATX on 0.1 gram Gold 24K under IRON STONE.... I think it's a really good result ... ATX shows its qualities .. Setings :DISC3/SENSITIVITY 9/TRESHOLD12/VOLUME13-MAX/... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another video shows the measurement of the IRON STONE Mineralization value using the XP ORX detector ... as well as a magnet test. Iron Stone ...can easily fill in the highest level of the ORX mineralization indicator..and the magnet test confirms ....the high iron content... Iron stone is too hard a test for ORX ... which even after completion GB.... gives a false signal to this iron stone ... if you want to eliminate the false signal you have to reduce the sensitivity of ORX to 50 ..

Hi guys - I owned one of the first ATX units (actually 2 of them) and suffered from the coil cable issues. Despite that, these machines produced 100+ gold rings for me (in the space of 1 year). Garrett was awesome and replaced the coils but they failed again (and again) and eventually I sold the machines and focused on the CTX and EXCALs (modded) and later the Equinox. After selling the ATX I purchased the Whites BeachHunter TDI and to be honest, was less than impressed compared to my finds with the ATX of the past. I deeply missed the two-tone audio of the ATX and the 8” mono in the water. It was a deep machine (the TDI) but I had become used to the ATX. I noticed my finds ‘dropping off’ once the ATX was sold - and there was no ‘replacement’ PI that was readily available...... So last week I came across a late 2018 ATX and picked that up for a very good price - shipping now! i will update you guys with regard the cable issue - I guess I am hoping the cable is in good nick and may be the later version? I missed the ATX - despite its known flaws. Roll on the courier! The forums are certainly quiet on the ATX nowadays

Yesterday evening I was paging through all the post on the 6000 when out of nowhere here was this ad showing what looked like a Garrett ATX ad . The head looked just like ATX but was on a shaft like all other land detectors . The control box looked a lot like the MX 7 and it was under the arm . I’m not sure what the ad said but it was something like;why wait when it’s here now. I’ve went to every post and I’ve can’t find it. I’m hoping someone else seen it to. I know I’m a few grapes short of a fruit salad but this was real and I wasn’t dreaming. Chuck

With all the talk of Minelab dominating the prospecting part of metal detecting lately how often has any one used a Garrett for gold prospecting in the last few years?

I currently use a Equinox 800 and I consider myself to know absolutely everything about it. There really isnt anything that anyone can tell me about that machine that i havent mastered and completely already know. Its probably the most simple machine to use on the planet. I understand all the settings and I even know how to exploit the machine to get the results that i want when i want and i know how to get the maximum depth possible on the machine. I can even get a 22 inch air test on a silver quarter. Not too many people know how to do that and it is very relevant when you hunt in places with fill dirt and sand. So I have been completely cleaning out all double beeps, every single piece of trash, every sliver of aluminum foil, every rusty nail, Every single pull tab, piece of a pull tab, tip of a pull tab, chocolate coin discarded foil etc etc etc. Some of these places i have been electronically sifting wont even give a double beep on ANYTHING anymore with the Equinox 800. I dont care about VDI i just dig it all at this point. I try to force out double beeps. It just doesnt happen anymore in these places ive been pounding. Ive used all 8 modes with several different settings and I now consider these places PRIME PROPERTY for a Pulse Induction Machine in order to find more targets. These places are so clean that I wont even have to tug around the 800 to cross check the beeps because the 800 cant hit anything else there anyway. So i need advice on a purchase. We all know Whites has ended production. But ive always been interested in the TDI pulse machine. Right now you can pick up the Whites TDI Metal Detector with 12” Waterproof Spider Search Coil & Bundle for about 999.95 plus tax and shipping. I have read some old reviews of this machine and some people claim that this thing is an absolute beast at the beach. Ive seen videos of people making water proof boxes and tying it to there body just so they tug this thing along the water and get that unbeatable depth with it. Some of these guys are claiming they get about 3 foot of depth with it while wearing ear phones. I find that very interesting but i dont plan on using it at the beach. I need a machine strictly for coin/relic and jewelry hunting AT THE PARKS and other places on Dry land That the equinox 800 just cant find any more targets at, even after 2 weeks of straight rain. I think my max in depth dig on the ground with the 800 was about a 12 inch Large Cent, and it was basically on a hillside. So i cant find any information about the depth of coins that the WHites TDI can detect. I have Trimes in neighborhood and half dimes too. The equinox will struggle to find those targets that have been in the ground for over a 100 years at about 6 to 7 inches. Can a TDI pull those targets at 12 inches if they have been in the ground for over a hundred years? Whites has taken down their forums and i cant find any relevant information about coin hunting with the machine. Why is TDI cheaper than a V3I? I know that my 800 is superior to the V3I because i used to own one. The V3I is just a VLF machine. If the TDI is a Pulse machine should'nt the detectable depth for coins/jewelry/relics be better and deeper than a VLF? I dont want to dump a grand on a machine with 10 year old technology if my VLF is going to be superior to it. I really don't want to buy a Garret ATX with its 8 year old technology for 2 grand, when i can probably wait until Minelab releases this GPX 6000 specs information. Thats probably when you can get a good deal on a used GPX 5000 for 2 grand or less on ebay. USED GPX 5000 > Garret ATX at that price point. But if a TDI is all need, THat would save me a grand. I dont care about going to gold fields and looking for gold flakes or nuggets. I care about digging up the history where i live at. I could get just as lucky in my village and dig up a silver coin worth $50,000 or more as you could get lucky finding a gold nugget of the same value in the dessert or mountains, RISKING YOUR LIFE FOR IT... Ive read that a Garret ATX and the Whites TDI perform about the same as far as depth of coins is concerned. So I guess i have 2 options, A whites TDI for 1 grand, or wait and try to get a USED GPX 5000 when they go on sale after the GPX 6000 specs release. Is a TDI going to be sufficient for my needs? THanks!

I'm killing myself trying to determine the best rout to go with PI detector. I just moved to Tennessee and with red clay mineralized soil would the White's TDI SL be a good choice or the Garrett ATX? I am new to PI detecting and thinking the TDI would be a good beginner's but should I jump all in with the ATX? I've heard the TDI is under powered but the ATX has a steep learning curve. Your input is welcome!!!!

friends I plan to buy a Garrett ATX. Steve, can you give me information about this detector? Is it worth buying or should I turn to another brand?

Hi Guys! When i bought my ATX i bought a Grey Ghost amphibian as well.Fist day in the saltwater after an hour i notice an strange rosty colour spreading all over the back of the detector where the speaker is located.I just got panicked and cancled the hunt immidiately.When i got home i noticed the round edge of the speaker which is metal is rosted as hell!!! I looked around and could'nt find the problem.When i unplugged the headphones i realised that in the Grey ghost package there is some o-rings that i supposed to put it myself on the connector.THAT was the problem!!! i put the o-ring on and problem solved.But my speaker was så rusty i put some silicone glue all over it to isolate it from saltwater.I should send it to Garret which i did'nt. It works ok since then but i think there has been a slightly current without the o-ring that makes the speaker rust.What do you tink guys?

Just found out that I need to spend $540 for a new coil because a plastic pin holds the coil to the shaft. Unit was dropped from waist level and snapped this polystyrene pin. "Showing the picture to our Technician unfortunately the broken pin in it is not reparable, never seen the happened before in 10 years the detector came out You will need to buy a new coil." 10" x 12" (25 x 31 cm) DD Open Searchcoil PN: 2234600.....$529.95 Yep, 10" x 12" coil held to the shaft with a plastic pin that is non-reparable and worth $530. Will repair and sale the unit. Done with Garrett...

Greetings friends, I want to ask a question and I hope you can help, he is long after an garrett atx, but I have the opportunity to buy a gpx 4800 with several coils and batteries, where I am not sure if there are nuggets, what that if I know that there are many coins and jewels, even vessels with coins inside the planting grounds, my question is the minelab gpx 4800, could it be useful for this type of search (buried treasures) or is it only for nuggets and small things? What is more convenient if I look in sowing lands and walls of old houses? Gpx or atx

New here but wondering if anyone here can rate the SDC-2300 with 8” coil as good or better or not as good as the ATX for beach hunting (from fluffy white sugar sands to black sand etc)? I know they are both waterproof and PI’s but is that where similarities end?

I noticed Steve mentioned in his post where he rebuilt an ATX into his LTX that he said something about not using his 1st ATX because he'd been using the new one...…...I've been researching for days, eyes are crossing and I can't find anything about any updates to the ATX since it was released in 2013...….except on one thread a person (this year in spring of 2019) said that their new ATX came with a different cord (so possibly Garrett has recently addressed their degrading cord issue?) Does anyone know anything about either of these? 1. have their been any upgrades to the ATX since 2013 introduction? 2. did Garrett finally fix the cord degredation issue this spring?

Hi, How are we all going? My names Jed and I come from all the way down under!! Unfortunately not Victoria or Western Australia tho.. I was hoping that Steve or perhaps someone else could help me out with a problem I've got with my ATX. The bottom 'Cam Nut' out of the 3 that you use to tighten the telescopic stem now just spins freely and doesn't tighten. I small black piece of plastic fell out onto the ground. It obviously needs to be glued back on.. somewhere.. The shop I bought the detector from in 2016 is now closed and I'm not sure if I want to risk sending my detector away to someone I've never met to fix it. I'm also not all that keen to take the detector apart myself, but perhaps that will be the avenue I head down. Has anybody had or heard of this problem before? I would appreciate any input. Cheers Lads

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???

?No pressure but yes or no? I’m not worried about the weight and they seem fairly simple to use. I already have VLFs. I’m ready for a PI. I’m looking at the closed double d coil and maybe the small mono in the future. Ive been watching videos and reading reviews and most people like them with the exception of the weight. I like the fact the collapse because I hike a long ways sometimes and will most likely have a trusty VLF in hand. I just want something new,different..I don’t know maybe I answered my own question. Are you still happy with yours? Thanks

How important is bench testing the ATX versus just learning the detector's response via actual detecting? I have read that some detectors give very different signals on a bench test than when signaling on the same item that's been buried in the ground, and so it being not too helpful/ worth doing.

If does help to have a bulldozer and jackhammer also! Published on Oct 6, 2014 - Yes, over his 35+ year prospecting career Matt has found more than his body weight in gold nuggets. Garrett ATX Information Page

I own both a Garrett Recon and an ATX, can someone remind me what was found to be best 10 x14 Infinium coil to be used on each? I was thinking someone found the Infinium 10 x 14 mono coil was best for Recon and Infinium 10 x 14 DD coil best for use on the ATX Is this correct or are all interchangable?

I have the ATX with new DD enclosed coil. It's a killer on dry sand, wet sand, shoreline. But when I get into water more than a foot deep, it wants to float. Question - which would be better water coil for Southern California beaches - 8" mono coil or 12 x 10 open DD coil? Thanks

Turned my ATX on today and it makes no noise when I pump it to ground balance it. Still makes noise over targets but I don't know if it is ground balanced. Anyone else had this problem?

I’m a new member from Wasilla, Alaska. I am new to detecting for gold and was hoping you can help me make a final decision on which P.I. detector I want to buy. The reason why I want to get a P.I. Detector is so that I don’t have to worry about hot rocks setting off my detector much like in Petersville, note I have been using a gold bug pro. Now saying that I live in wasilla and knowing that the majority of nuggets are small I will be mainly hunting in relatively close areas such as Hatcher Pass and Petersville. I know that VLF detectors are hard to use in Petersville due to the graphite slate hot rocks. The main reason I am looking towards an SDC 2300 and the ATX machines are because of there ability to be compact for hiking and waterproof which makes it easier to walk through the bushes following streams. Other wise I would love to save up for the relatively new gpz 7000 which I may consider later on down the line or maybe even get a gpx 5000. I like the fact that the 2 machines I am interested in are pretty good on small gold. I want to be able to detect mainly along streams with the thought that if I find a small nugget I would also be able to pan that same spot of a found nugget. The things keeping me from making a decision are the quirks of each machine. ATX can change coils and go deeper which I really like but also don’t like how I hear it can false on targets if bumped into a clump of grass or protruding rocks. I like how the SDC is hot on smaller gold and specimen gold since I think the reality of me finding big nuggets are slim, but I also don’t like the idea of it being a shallow detector and mainly for small gold. Do you think you can help me out on making a decision here?