Search the Community

I really like my Axiom. However I was having an issue with my 11X7" DD coil. It would not ground balance using the Fine timing and would usually ground balance in the Normal timing. My 11X7" Mono had no problems ground balancing in Fine or Normal on the same ground. Kind of odd. I called Garrett and they immediately gave me an RMA number. Since I had owned my Axiom for more than 30 days, they asked me to pay for shipping to them and they paid for shipping back to me. I made a video and sent it to them. I also asked for an extra coil bolt. I only sent the coil, not the entire detector. I got my new 11X7" DD coil today via FedEx and they remembered my request for an extra coil bolt, so a 2.5 week turnaround which is really good in my opinion. So far this new DD coil seems to be working much better than my original one. Thanks Garrett and thanks to Steve H for encouraging me to send it in for a checkup and replacement if needed.

I had planned a trip to Arizona to get to know the Garrett Axiom for the first full week of November. Of course, I got sick and was still sick when I finally left Denver on Monday November 13th. I did make it to Phoenix and got into the area I was hunting by midday on Tuesday. I got in about 18 hours of detecting time with the Axiom and even though I was tired from being sick, I enjoyed using it very much. The area I was hunting is not known for large nuggets. The largest that I have found in this area is 6 grams and I wasn't expecting anything like that. 1 gram sized or smaller gold was fine with me. The ground in this area is moderately iron mineralized with lots of dark gray quartzite looking hot rocks that are full of magnetite, lots of hot rock caliche, basalt, tuft, porphyry, andesite, schists, and other benign metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. This place was super dry. They really need some rain in this area of central Arizona. I committed to dig every possible target each session until I got too tired to safely dig which happened after about 6 hours in 85 degrees Fahrenheit heat. Since it was still pretty hot and rattlesnakes and a pack of ornery wild mules were still in the area, I used Aukey B80 wireless earbuds with a Bluetooth transmitter plugged into the headphone jack instead of over the ear wireless headphones. I only used the 11X7" Mono coil with the Axiom since bedrock is not very deep at this location and I wanted to really see how small a target the Axiom could handle. I was running the latest available update and did a full reset before getting started. As Steve H. suggested in one of his posts, I kept the Axiom's sensitivity at 4. I tried 5 for a bit but there was really no point in doing that. Sensitivity 4 out of 8 was plenty sensitive. I was using the Fine timing, Slow speed, threshold on 14, volume on 8, and the Axiom usually ground balanced around 48/25 with ground tracking OFF. I did try the more advanced ground balance window a couple of times when the prevalent hot rocks were getting overwhelming but I would eventually come back to the original ground balance. So basically these were very close to default settings. There was enough EMI and ground noise in this area near Phoenix to cause the occasional warble which never fully went away even after frequency shifts. However, compared to the sometimes unstable SDC 2300 and GPX 6000 when I've used them in this area, the Axiom was very quiet and predictable as far as the non-target warbles that it sometimes produced. The photos show the targets that I recovered. I did not keep any of the pesky hot rocks that were unavoidable. The smaller plate has a 0.32 gram flat nugget and a 0.12 gram rice kernel shaped nugget. There are several wire targets on that smaller plate that do not register a weight on my cheap gram scales which go to 0.00 grams. Several lead shards give their weight as 0.01 grams. Both of the small nuggets were around 4" deep as were many of the targets on the smaller plate. Some of the targets on the larger plate were easily detected at 8+" deep using the full length of my Garrett ProPointer AT pinpointer as a ruler. As far as I am concerned the Axiom is extremely sensitive to small sub gram targets just the way it is and it's 16 hour battery life, great ergonomics, well organized display, excellent features and overall performance are really amazing.

Evening all. Noticed that all Garrett detectors, pinpointers and search coils now come with a 3 year warranty. https://garrett.com/sport/axiom Sorry if these have been asked somewhere else on the forum but a search did not bring anything up. 1) Does this only apply to Axioms purchased from a certain date or have all Axioms purchased since the model was released been upgraded to the 3 yr warranty status? 2) is this 3 yr warranty transferrable from the first owner to the next?

I am happy to report for Garrett Axiom users and potential buyers you will have a range of aftermarket coils available for it from Detech Detech Ltd have said they are very interested in making coils for the Axiom and are currently preparing to make a range of coils for it. The excellent news is also they are planning on making DD coils, Anti Interference Coils, Spiral coils, and very likely Concentric coils. They will offer open and closed designs. Their aim with their range of coils is to make them very deep, sensitive and at the same time keeping them very light in weight. They are going to follow this thread, so if anyone has any suggestions for the size or type coil they want or think should be produced by all means report here so they can see which would be the most popular types of coils for it. I personally would like something like a 6" or 8" Mono, an 11" Anti Interference coil, a 11x6" Mono (spiral if possible) and a 11x6" DD, a 15" spiral mono, a 15" Concentric, I could go on forever as once there are options there are so many good coils you could have. This is outstanding news for Axiom owners, and is really going to push the Axiom to the next level. For those of us that have used Detech coils before you'll know how good their coils can be. A little background on Detech Ltd the company. Detech design and manufacturing advanced hobby metal detectors, treasure detectors, and deep seeking search coils. In 2001 the company designs the first PI detector in the world with microprocessor control, touchpads, and graphical image of the signal. The SSP series find wide markets and huge sales, and the funds received to allow the opening of a new branch of the company – the production of accessory coils for the leading brands of metal detectors. Detech Ltd is the first company in the world, applying search coil with built-in magnetic sensors in the middle sector. This allows perfect discrimination of the ferrous objects by the PI detectors. Trying to escape the stereotype of the round coils in 2006 the company releases a new, revolutionary type of coil on the market – S.E.F. (Symmetrical Electromagnetic Field) coils, known also as Butterfly coils. These search coils combine the advantages of both DD and Concentric coils: All Detech coils are made using high-quality materials. The housings are made of UV protected material. Their inner side is covered with chopped-strand material for better shock resistance. We use resins, which are “transparent” for the electromagnetic waves, and perfect shielding. The coils are water-resistant and operate in a wide temperature range. The search coils come standard equipped with an excellently fitting cover and have two years full warranty.

I have been doing some testing before selling some PI detectors that I really like. The testing was done on 0.75 gram lead, 0.25 gram lead and 0.1 gram gold targets using two containers of dirt from an area northwest of Phoenix Arizona and from an area south of Breckenridge Colorado. Both samples are very mineralized with both iron and volcanic material. I placed each target one inch below the surface of each dirt sample and used a ruler stuck one inch into the containers to measure coil height above the target in the dirt. Not by any means a totally realistic test, but as close as I can get right now. I was using a TDI Pulse Scan stock 14.4v battery with Reg Sniff mods, a GPX 6000 and an Axiom. Here are the results and a photo of the dirt containers. The Arizona dirt was no problem for all three detectors to ground balance on. The Colorado dirt was another story. The TDI would not ground balance well at all on it, the GPX 6000 was noisy on it, amazingly enough the Axiom Mono coil was very quiet on that dirt and the Axiom DD coil came up with some really odd ground balance numbers on that dirt....15/03 and was a bit unstable. I was able to run the sensitivity on the TDI and the Axiom at around 85% of max before they became unstable. The GPX 6000 became unstable at Manual 7 of 10 so I could only run it at 60% of maximum. It might have been able to have even better results, but there was EMI in the area with power lines about 1/4 mile away.

this is a tip from Kevin Hoagland on the Axiom, I actually tried this Tone adjustment tip with my Axiom and it did seem to help with being able to hear things clearer, with me having severe tinnitus this seemed to work for me (Video Below)

Peter, Sorry for delay, been busy. First thing I should say that I don't think I have mentioned earlier, the replacement Axiom's headphones and audio is much better than the original unit. No constant clicking noise. Does still drop out every now and then when you get in the wrong position but otherwise audio is on par with 6000. Bo's comments: I like it. Its not that it is hugely better than a 6000 on finding gold but the menu and setting options you have available, especially adjustable tone just make it a better overall detector to use. Tried pretty much every setting and sensitivity 4-6, fine, medium swing, tone 62 worked for me pretty much anywhere I tried it. Some places sensitivity 7-8 was useable but I don't like my detector noisy like you do so I found 6 to be my go to. Same as the 6000, you said run it flat out with threshold on but I didn't like it up there. Depending on the ground, I used sensitivity 6 up to 9, sometimes 10 on the 6000. Particularly like the weight and balance of the Axiom. A huge step from my 4500. The 6000 is not that different to the Axiom in that regard but the Axiom still feels better to hold and use. Lighter by not much but noticeable. Think that weight difference could mainly be battery really? Also feels a better quality unit. Better built. One dislike is that you have to have the detector close to a power source for charging or buy a really long USB-C cable. I keep my 4500 behind the seat in my ute because I can take the battery to the power point. With the Axiom I will either need to arrange power behind the seat or take it inside every time I get home to charge it or run a power lead to the ute. Also worry that if battery fails, what will it cost to replace? That's probably a minor complaint but having had battery's fail on my 4500 it did concern me. You didn't give me the standard coil for the 6000 so I could only compare it to the 12 x 7 (I think) [correct] that was on it. With that coil I think they are pretty even in just ability to find gold, depth etc. Don't know that the Axiom being a couple of years younger detector contributes that much to just detection ability but the available settings do make it a better option for me. If Tay [Bo's wife] ever wanted to have a go I think I would probably give her a 6000 because it is much more a turn on and go thing but I like having the options that 6000 doesn't have. Another thing, you said that 6000 with the larger NF coil will be awesome. While I trust you on that, I don't want a detector with a vastly reduced range of available coils like the 6000. As you know I have 9 coils for the 4500 and I think the ability to buy coils from many different manufacturers is a huge thing for me. Anyway, I will be ordering the Axiom. Its cheaper to, not by much, but that could be two coils!!! I have sent you a pic of what we got over the 5 days. See you next month in Widgie.

I have a Garret Axiom on pre-order from one of our resident "favorite dealers" and look forward to when it arrives. Here are the packages offered as we know for now, info from the Garret website: 1142720 Axiom Metal Detector with 13"x11" DD Coil, 11"x7" Mono Coil and MS-3 Headphones 1142765 Axiom Metal Detector with 13"x11" Mono Coil, 11"x7" DD Coil and MS-2 Headphones I selected the Axiom package with the MS-3 headphones, 13x11DD and 11x7 mono coils. I figure where I hunt, lack of a headphone cord to tangle up on brush made this package the most attractive, but I feel like the other package offered with the MS-2 wired headphones would also be a nice coil selection to start. Such a hard decision... These initial coil offerings are a big selling point for me. I'm a big fan of elliptical shaped coils for their benefits for reaching into tighter spaces, while also maintaining decent coverage for the relative size. I also like how responses can be sharper than round coils too. These are fairly round for people who enjoy the benefits offered by round coils. 11x7 and 13x11 and also the 16x14 are fairly unique coil sizes are a great blend of the popular round and elliptical coils offered by other manufacturers. While they might not make all people happy, I think these sizes will make most people quite satisfied they have a very useable and flexible-sized coil attached. The Axiom definitely seems to be one of those "do-it-all" type of PI machines. Maybe not best at certain things, but a high-performing all-arounder in many areas, and that includes the coils! I like what I see so far and can't wait for mine to arrive to give it a go. Garrett Axiom Quick Facts, Owner's Manual, Etc.

Just curious I would Like to pick up like three or four extra Lower Shafts and coil bolts, plus the rubber washers that go on the lower shaft for the Axiom Will Garrett eventually start producing extra Lower Rods and coil bolts for the Axiom that can be Purchased ??? I like having extra lower shafts and coil bolts to make it a bit easier when I want to swap out to a different coil, just mount your extra coils on to Lower rods and then its a matter of just swapping out the lower rod with coil already attached, I do wish Garrett would have supplied a coil bolt and the rubber washers with each coil, but its not a deal breaker but it would have been nice to have a spare coil bolt at the very least just curious if this will eventually happen

Hi all- I'm new to the forum. I appreciate the detectorist community here Getting to my question- I've been trying out the new Axiom over the past several days between placer sites, tailings, and salt beaches in SoCal. Garrett is marketing a new "DD-FC" or Focused Core style coil- has anyone had any experience with 'em? I wonder how they work in mineralized areas, non-mineralized areas, and wet salt beaches. I'm not sure if these are just hype- it seems like the negative aspects of mono coils may still be present and render the coil useless in the wet. From what I've read, mono coils are not as EMI friendly and don't perform well in heavy mineralization/wet salt. Thanks! Site: https://garrett.com/sport/axiom Coils: Axiom 13" x 11" DD-FC (PN: 2237000) and 11" x 7" DD-FC (PN: 2237400).

I wonder if anyone is building flatwire coils for the axiom detector? I had great success running flatwire coils on my gpx4500. Also how about concentric flatwire coils?

I realize I am late to the party as far as the Axiom. Some of this may have been said already. I haven't read every word or post about the Axiom on this forum yet. I want to say first that I have had a love hate relationship with the GPX 6000. I realize it may have been rushed to release during a world-wide pandemic. So were some other detectors. However, as much as I like the GPX 6000, it has always seemed to me to be a thrown together detector on the outside with some great software engineering on the inside. The flimsy stock coils, weird wobbly twisting won't lockup shaft system, uneven weight distribution, and the well documented audio/speaker/EMI issues just continue to make me wonder how many corners did Minelab have to cut on this detector. It still detects really well, no complaints there, when it can handle EMI conditions and is super, even hyper sensitive to small sub gram targets. I just needed something else that I can trust on deep coins and relics in high iron mineralization and at a saltwater beach along with some rudimentary iron discrimination. So, the Axiom. This is the first pulse induction detector that I have used that seems to be put together from the ground up, from the tip of the battery compartment to the toe of the coils with a complete design in mind. No "hey lets throw this component from this detector and this component from this detector and that battery compartment we already have with this shaft system" kind of mentality and cost cutting. It is a complete design build aside from the use of Garretts Z-Lynk wireless system which I simply do not care for and the shape of the control box which resembles the ACE Apex. I am super impressed and very delighted to see this from a detector company. Nokta came close with the Simplex/Legend but many of the exterior materials used for those two very budget minded detectors are nowhere near the quality of what is used on the Axiom and I would not expect them to be. I am still learning this detector after only a few days. It will take me awhile. What I can see immediately is that it is plenty sensitive to small sub gram gold, it can handle difficult ground conditions well and it has just about every operational feature I need laid out with a very uncomplicated user interface. The Axiom reminds me a lot of the GPX 4000 to GPX 5000 but with a much less complex and hard to access user interface. I can easily see that the Axiom will be much more suited to relic and deep coin hunting than the GPX 6000. I did a lot of testing on about 40 common relics with the 6000 using all of the timings and I never could find a consistent, easy to follow pattern (easy for me anyway) when changing from Mono to DD coils or even changing from Normal to Diffucult using the same type of coil as far as low-high-low or high-low-high audio characteristics. The Axiom does not have this issue. So far it has been very consistent in my preliminary testing on a few common relics and US coins. I am still trying to get used to the 11X7" Focused Core DD coil that came with mine. It is definitely different and I will keep studying Steve's remarks about it. I really like the iron audio discrimination feature that works with DD coils!!! Steve, I know you helped with both the GPX 6000 and the Axiom. Thank you very much for all that you did on these PI detectors during their design and well before that too.

Last summer I shot a video with the Garrett crew, with a concise set of tips for helping new Axiom owners get started, and a focus on nugget hunting. In that video it was very short and easy. Turn detector on, and while using default settings, set sensitivity to max, and a few quick pumps to manually ground balance. EMI cancel as an added option if needed. There video is below, and still very much worth watching. But things have changed dramatically with the settings, so I now have a new set of recommendations. Simply put, the Axiom went on steroids after my feedback from my Australia trip. Overall gain and sensitivity were boosted dramatically, and the ground balance system further improved. Before, you could pretty much run the detector at full out sensitivity anytime, anyplace. Now, you most definitely cannot do that! I hope my old video does not end up hurting some new buyer experiences, and hopefully an updated version will be released. Regardless, you will be getting far more detailed information in this post. The sensitivity control has eight settings, and used to have a default of 6. Before, you could just go to 8 and call it good. Now, the new default setting is 4, which is in reality even higher than the prototype setting of 6. There has been a very large jump in gain, with the highest settings pushing the hardware to the limits. The sensitivity control is basically a post processing audio boost. It increases not only target signals, but all audio signals. The system is designed to try and treat target audio preferentially, but the fact remains that increasing the sensitivity control adds more “noise” in the form of ground feedback, hot rocks, and EMI. The number one goal of new owners while learning the Axiom should be smooth, quiet operation. I promise you that you will not get that if you run the sensitivity too high! My basic recommendation is new owners is to stay at 4 until you learn the detector. Do not do what the video says and go to max!! Experienced PI operators will probably be happier at 5 or 6. That’s subjective, and the pros will stay put, or go lower, or higher. But in general I found 6 worked well for me, but remember, I like running on the hot and noisy side. Settings 7 and 8 should be in bright red, like the red zone on your cars RPM gauge. You should only go there if you know exactly what you are doing. These settings are not intended for general operation, but for user indicated specific situations. They will make the machine noisier, and so the operators ability to use ALL the other settings, and the proper coil, will determine how useful these redline settings are. For new operators, new owners, everything depends on EMI and ground conditions, but look for a quiet, stable setting. It is a fact that target signals usually drop off slower than the “noise” signals, and by eliminating the noise, you will make targets more distinct, and easier to hear. A test target can be extremely helpful in adjusting the control. Make the target as distinct as possible to your own ear. Turning the sensitivity up will make the target sound off louder, but go too high, and you will get lots of other signals. Trained ears can separate these signals from target signals, which tend to have a distinct sound all their own. But to new users, it’s all just noise, and everything might sound just like a target. False signals, that tire the operator with mental processing, and possibly holes dug where nothing exists. Time wasted. Many operators will find they prefer the setting to be at moderate levels, with the detector basically silent, unless a genuine target sounds off. Some pros will prefer this also. There is no right or wrong in all this, no magic canned settings. Different people use different methods, often with similar results. The new default setting of 4 is what would be considered a “safe” setting. It may very well suit some pros quite well, Some experts prefer quiet operation, and so may find 4 or no more than 5 to be their preferred settings. Some may tolerate noise very well, and choose 6 instead. In general 6 worked very well for me. People who know me, know I like pushing the sensitivity very high. Axiom is a detector I like, because it makes me find my limits, and even I am finding out the need to finesse the setting more than I can with other machines. So back to sensitivity settings 7 and 8, the Redline Settings. What I mention below is very important if you attempt to use them. Do not expect automatically that you just can and all will be well. Going right to these settings may do nothing but make you unhappy. You need to understand the machine and how all the settings and coils interplay to get the most out of the top end. However, even the default setting of 4 will benefit from these tips. For instance, if you are in an area free of EMI, higher sensitivity is more available. Less variable ground is more amenable to high sensitivity. DD coils can tolerate higher sensitivity. Small coils tolerate high sensitivity more than large coils. The other settings now matter a lot more. Before, the machine ran well with all the others settings at default. Now, they will come into play far more often, and you need to know what you are doing with them. The Speed Control is absolutely critical for operation at the highest sensitivity level. The default Medium Speed is fine for general operation, but if you are pushing the sensitivity up, Slow will run quieter, and you will absolutely benefit as an operator by also slowing down yourself. VLF users go too fast, period, for general PI operation. If you are patch hunting or just desire to cover ground, run the defaults. But if you are really wanting max performance on a hunted patch, nothing will benefit you more than just going slower! Coil to the ground, low and slow, can’t say it enough. The Slow Speed mode is made for this type of hunting, and it really helps with higher sensitivity levels to use the Slow setting, and move at a crawl. The Timing setting is another great example. There are four timings, Fine (Default), Normal, Large, and Salt. In general, each successive one is introducing longer pulse delays, which tends to lower overall sensitivity to ground, hot rocks, and smaller targets. The Salt setting eliminates salt signals, but eliminates weak gold signals also. See this link for details. Before, I could run Fine Mode at full sensitivity of 8 almost anywhere. Now, Normal becomes a more viable alternative setting, as it tolerates a higher sensitivity setting. Each successive mode can lower overall sensitivity, but can now be offset more by running a higher sensitivity control setting. It’s very much like a salt and pepper thing, and has to be adjusted to taste. The key thing to do here is not forget about the alternative modes. Again, a test target, like a small nugget or small piece of lead, can really help here. Don’t just stick with Fine Mode. You might discover that Normal, with the sensitivity one notch higher then what you were using with Fine, works better in your particular location, especially if larger gold is the main goal. Dry beach hunters and relic hunters in particular may benefit from Normal or Large, but with higher sensitivity levels than would be used with Fine. More details on finding the proper Axiom mode. In general, both EMI canceling and proper ground balance are more important at high sensitivity levels, and both may need to be done more often, depending where you are. Hot rocks get boosted at high sensitivity, and the Garrett hot rock window mode will be more important than ever, for dealing with those oddball rocks. To repeat, coils matter more at the highest settings, with DD coils in general tolerating higher sensitivity. The background threshold tone will increase at high sensitivity levels. Here is a weird trick people can experiment with. Run sensitivity 7 or 8, but run threshold at -8 or -9. This suppresses the threshold entirely, but with the sensitivity control maxed you might get some breakthrough chirps. So sensitivity 7 or 8, threshold -8 or -9. Any combination of those might be the magic. It makes the Axion dead quiet, but get over a target, and BANG! you will know something is there. Could be the ultimate setting for a rank newbie, making the Axiom act almost more like a silent search VLF. But you pros may discover it has uses also so do give it a try. I’ll end with my favorite example of my using the highest sensitivity setting of 8. Shallow ground, tiny gold. 11” DD coil, Fine Mode, Sensitivity 8, Slow Speed, and move at a crawl investigating the tiniest of sounds. It might be too noisy for you, if so, lower that sensitivity. And to wrap up, that’s the answer in general. If you think the Axiom is too noisy, if you are getting too much in the way of false signals, EMI, erratic operation, you name it - LOWER THE SENSITIVITY SETTING! I’m serious, if you don’t want to get a “what are you, stupid” type response don’t complain the Axiom is noisy. It’s only noisy if you make it noisy, and I promise you can. That’s by design, that’s how you find the edge. Nothing is more irritating than people who complain about problems they are creating for themselves. Lower the sensitivity! Look at it like this. The Axiom is your car. The sensitivity setting is your gas pedal. Would you want a car that you could drive with the pedal to the floor all the time? Set to be safe on corners and rough roads. Can’t go faster than 35mph no matter what? That’s the way a lot of detectors get designed. Or do you want the car to be able to go to 120mph, even though that’s not safe, or even legal? Do you want passing power? Do you want to be able to open it up on the freeway and maybe speed a little? The Axiom sensitivity control is like the gas pedal on a sports car. Press it down too far when you should not, you will crash and burn. The top end is there for the rare circumstances where they make sense, or for those operators who can run at higher, noisier levels, and do the mental processing required to pick target signals out of the noise. So one last time, and repeat after me, when in doubt, if something is wrong - lower the sensitivity!! I do hope this helps some people get started out right. The Axiom is a wonderful detector with the right driver behind the wheel. Take your time to learn it properly before you go racing. If you do so you will learn to appreciate it like I have. Thank you Garrett for making this happen, and for letting me take my swings at you, and taking them with good cheer. The final result is better because of the effort. From a full reset / factory default, my steps are: Use default sensitivity. The Axion default sensitivity of 4 is about the same as other detectors maxed out. New users may want to lower to 3, more experienced operators go to 5. Only go above 5 if you are willing to deal with extra noise or have more experience with the detector. Over-driving the sensitivity will be the number one mistake made with the Axiom. Volume so that loudest target is not too loud - protect your hearing!. Wave over pick and set. If using headphones, set detector to full volume, and adjust headphones using their own volume controls. Set threshold to suit, for me a bare tone, others may prefer quiet. Go into menu and change Speed from default Medium to Slow (it’s smoother/quieter) Do a ground grab ground balance. Optional. Once all other settings adjusted, do an EMI cancel if it seems necessary. Start detecting, keep the coil low, go slow. Dig all signals, but in heavy nails, low chance of really large gold, focus on sweet high tones. The original tips video below, with now obsolete settings tip for the sensitivity control. Garrett Axiom Quick Facts, Owner's Manual, Etc.

I just spotted this on the new Garrett Direct website: The Axiom is updateable via the same process that is used by the Garrett Apex. The current firmware version is displayed for a split second when you first turn on the Axiom. The top ground balance number will show 01 and the bottom one 47. A blank position in the bar across the top in the final .2 part. The graphic below shows what I see when I turn my Axiom on. It is so fast you might have to do it repeatedly to take in all the info. If you so much as blink you will miss it. And just so nobody asks, I'm not involved in or testing any updates so can offer no clues as to what is in the works.

As the header reads picked up an Axiom played around a bit on my 1.6 acres started out with the 11x7 Mono and could not get it to run stable at all, no power lines above ground or below close to where I was playing, cell phone was not in my pocket, no metal in my shoes or in my pockets set up my threshold to where it was barely heard, set the tones to my liking Ground Balanced, performed frequency shift did both the GB and frequency shift several times, tried lowering the sensitivity, sensitivity at 1 and 2 nothing would smooth it out, tried switching from slow, medium and fast, also tried going fine,normal,large, and salt with the 11x7 Mono, nothing helped can not recall what my Ground balance numbers were with the 11x7 Mono I switched coils to the 13x11 DD and went back through adjusted the sensitivity to 2- 3 was even able to push it up to 5 before it was getting a little to sparky, it ran smooth as silk at a setting of 2 and 3 on the sensitivity, and even 4 on the sens was usable but I kept it around 2-3 my yard has a extreme amount of magnetite and heavy salt content which is what I believe was giving the 11x7 mono fits, this is my theory anyways, swung over two small test nuggets that I have thanks to Reese Townes, have not weighed either but they are tinny with the 11x7 mono I could not hear those two little nuggets other than a couple little chirps here and there, because of all the ground noise I was getting, but with the 13x11 DD those two little nuggets were very audible and could be heard very well with the rise in the threshold two little bloop, bloops the 13x11 DD throws the balance of the Axiom off quite a bit though but the weight is manageable, I am going to go ahead and pick up a 11x7 DD, just to get the balance back and have when situations occur that the 11x7 mono does not work or cannot be used for a first high end PI I am pretty happy with my purchase and I got a pretty good deal on it, it will take some learning like any other detector but I will get there I have been reading all the threads and post that pertain to the Axiom, and appreciate every ones post about the Axiom especially Mr Steve H as it helps with the learning curve of the Axiom I did swing over an area in my yard with the 13x11 DD and got a booming Woo Woo hit, that I will dig up in the future as I have to take it easy because my back is a bit jacked rite now in fact I ended up in the hospital last Saturday because of a messed up disc in my right lower back, but I am looking forward to my new adventure with the Axiom

I do not own nor have ever used either detector but I am considering both. Other than price I know nothing. Read a few older posts & reviews on the SDC 2300, it may be a better fit for the steep brush covered ravines of the Sierra west slopes along with the cracks and crevices in the drainages. Currently use a White TDI SL with a 10x5 folded mono coil. I have hear that the SDC 2300 8” mono coil is hot around the edges. I like the specs on the new Axiom overall but for me the current coil selection sucks. Both detectors fold up or slide up compact for packing. The 2300 may be a bit on the heavy side compared to the Axiom but is manageable. Already have the Garrett Z-Lynk wireless transmitter plus the 1/4” receiver for my headphones. What has been your experience with either detector? A lot of rain followed by a lot of snow fell out of that last storm system with more on the way. May turn out to be a good year for spring runoff. Have Great New Years Day

Hello everyone! Just curious on how you guys are protecting the screen? I was thinking maybe just like a phone screen protector just cut to size. Heavy pans!!

As explained elsewhere my metal detecting is winding down from my glory days. I will never quit detecting, but it is a more casual close to home thing going forward. With that in mind I just don't need the dozen detectors I usually have had banging around the house for most of the last couple decades. I had already weeded things down pretty well but job one was to stop getting new detectors. The last new detector I added to my mix was the XP Deus 2 a couple years ago. After disposing of other models, like the Tarsacci for instance, I was left with the following: Minelab Equinox Garrett Axiom XP Deus 2 White's DFX For what I do I'm pretty satisfied with the Axiom as a general purpose PI so that's settled. The DFX sports a Bigfoot coil, and I own the machine as much to run the coil as the other way around, so it is not going anywhere. In fact it might become my most used VLF soon. So what to do with the Equinox 800 and Deus 2? The Manticore was really looking like a replacement for both. I can't really get enthused about the XP way of things. People rave about the light weight being a real factor for them, but I don't consider weight to be an issue for me with any detector weighing under three pounds. At the end of the day coils are a big deal for me, and I don't like proprietary limited coil options. Wireless coils leave me cold. People can argue with me all they want but they are wasting their time. I like wired coils, and I lean to detectors with third party coil options. So it is the coils that decided it for me. Minelab took too long with Manticore coils and now I just don't care any more. I'm also peeved XP has withheld the 5x10 coil from Deus 2 owners. My Equinox 800 I have a 6" round coil, the Coiltek 5x10, the stock 11" coil, and the Minelab 12x15 coil. XP has nothing similar to offer in way of coils. Nor does the Manticore. Plus I have custom rods for my Equinox perfect for both compact backpacking and for beach use. I even have an S rod that I have yet to use. The icing on the cake is a set of custom Tony Eisenhower underwater headphones I really like. Would I get rid of all that and keep the Deus 2? No. Would I trade all that for the Manticore as it exists right now? No. So I think I have after ages finally weeded it down to three detectors. The Deus 2 will find a new home. And I am left with... Garrett Axiom - my most used detector for gold prospecting and beach detecting Minelab Equinox 800 with full accessory set - do it all coin, relic, jewelry, gold nuggets, you name it White's DFX with Bigfoot - Park jewelry use almost exclusively Maybe, just maybe the Manticore will tempt me again in a year or so, once the software bugs and coil drought get straightened out. But after 50 years I feel like I have got off the new detector merry go round. There really is something to be said for using a machine you know inside and out, and fact is my Equinox talks to me. The Deus 2 still speaks French and frankly I just don't care to make the effort to learn French. Too old to learn new tricks? Maybe. The main thing for me is I won't waste any more time thinking about this machine or that machine and instead just focus purely on using what I have to best effect. Compared to what I started with 50 years ago I'm drenched in fabulous technology I once only dreamed of, so now matter how I look at it I'm thrilled with the detectors I have now. Minelab Equinox 800 with 6" coil and telescoping rod White's DFX with Bigfoot coil Garrett Axiom with 7x11 coil Equinox 800 with 12x15 coil and steveg counterweighted rod The perfect pair? Axiom 7x11 and Equinox telescoping 5x10

The first thing you want to do is look on the back cover to see the man Steve H. with the Axiom in his hand. It says Novice To Professional- Garrett Finds Gold. Chuck

I spent some time in Finland a week ago at the invitation of Garrett Metal Detectors. The idea was to visit the goldfields and come up with some recommendations for helping people there get better results finding gold nuggets with metal detectors. A such this document will focus on the use of Garrett metal detectors. I am writing this up specifically for my new friend in Finland, Jyri Walkaejarvi of Finndetector Oy. Thank you Jyri for being a wonderful host. And thanks of course to Garrett Metal Detectors and specifically Henry Tellez for this opportunity to visit the wonderful country and people of Finland! How To Metal Detect for Gold Nuggets in Finland - Observations and Recommendations by Steve Herschbach While in northern Finland, otherwise known as Lapland, I visited the site of the 1870's Lapland Gold Rush, in and around Tankavaara. Our time was limited and unfortunately some of our detecting equipment got held up in shipping, so my chance of finding gold was minimal. However, I was struck by the extreme similarities between Lapland and my home state of Alaska when it comes to metal detecting for gold nuggets. I feel well qualified therefore to offer some observations and advice for those wishing to find gold in Finland with a metal detector. I will focus on two main strategies. The first, which I will refer to as "dig and detect" has by far the best chance of finding gold. The second method involves general scanning, with possibly more chance for a larger nugget, but overall less chance of finding gold on any given day. Lapland has a complex glacial history typical of high latitude gold deposits. There have been multiple advances and retreats of the ice over millennia of multiple glacial ages. Huge numbers of geologically short lived water sources have come and gone, with massive flood events being common. This means gold can be found almost anywhere, but the deposits tend to be thin and discontinuous. Actual bedrock is always a good place to find gold concentrations, but false bedrock layers are very common in glacial terrain, and should never be overlooked as a potential source of gold. The biggest problem in northern climates is that the gold bearing gravels are often buried out of reach of a metal detector. Deep mossy tundra alone can be too thick to penetrate with a detector. It is also common for thick peat and muck layers to occur under the tundra. In Alaska this means it is impossible to detect in many locations unless they have been opened up by previous mining that has stripped the overburden. However, in areas north of the arctic circle there are very short growing seasons and nutrient poor soil, so large areas of glacial deposits have only supported thin layers of plant material since the last ice retreated. It is basically gravels just barely covered by moss, small shrubs, and thin trees. These areas do present opportunities for exploratory type metal detecting i.e. gold prospecting. There are private commercial mines employing heavy equipment in Lapland, but the areas I visited were more set up for visitor and club type hobbyists. These most commonly employ a pump to bring water to a spot nearby where gold is being excavated with pick and shovel, and fed into what are essentially modern long toms - very narrow long sluice boxes. The riffled gold recovery area is relatively short, with most of the length devoted to moving tailings away from the immediate work area. Water is at a premium at the sites I visited and so hand screening was far more common than the water fed spray bar screening systems we commonly use here in the states. The locations I visited were along small streams that acted as water sources. At the first the terrain was relatively flat, pocketed with many small excavations going down just a meter or two to bedrock. The gold might be on bedrock or concentrated in layers above the bedrock. The second location I visited was working more on a slope, water being pumped up the hill to the work face of the excavations all along the valley wall. If both cases work was proceeding farther and farther from the water over time, requiring longer hoses and larger pumps to deliver water to the work site. The area in between is generally discarded overburden and tailings. While larger gold nuggets do exist small nuggets and dust are more the norm. My recommendation for anyone wanting to have their best chance of finding gold with a metal detector is to concentrate on finding small gold nuggets. If I could go back to these locations tomorrow, I would be using a Garrett 24K high frequency detector outfitted with the new 6" concentric coil. I would go after the exact same material that the pick and shovel crowd are chasing. This is what I call the "dig and detect" method, where the main thing changing is the recovery equipment. Instead of a heavy pump, gasoline and oil to keep it running, a lot of bulky hose, and a large sluice box, you simply use a metal detector and a gold pan. The method has an obvious advantage for areas where motors are not allowed, or which are too far from water even if a pump was allowed. It is perfect for trips of only a single day or two, where dealing with all that equipment would eat up valuable mining time. Finally, it is an excellent way to look for areas to set up a pump based operation at a later date, after a good spot is found. My diagram above shows a couple possibilities. In the first we are basically digging in a hole down to a pay layer, often bedrock itself, and discarding tailings out of the hole. In the second we are working into a slope, discarding tailings behind and down the slope. The trick in all cases is to remember that the gold you are after is very small. The bigger nuggets will be easy, so concentrate on finding the smallest gold you can. This requires a metal detector like the Garrett 24K that can detect pinhead size gold. It also involves knowing that a true pinhead size nugget can be detected at no more than a centimeter or two. The secret is to be in careful control of the material. Excavate carefully, removing no more that 2 centimeters from your work area, discarding the material out of the hole, or onto the slope behind. Rake the discarded material into a flat layer and detect it all very slowly, very methodically, covering every portion of the material. Keep the coil touching the material, and overlap the coil sweeps by 50%. After you carefully detect the excavated material, carefully detect the entire newly exposed work area. Again, there is no rush, as you will spend more time digging than detecting. Enjoy the moment and really give it your all. Note that you are detecting what is basically the same material twice. Once when it is in place in the bottom or working face of the excavation. Then once again after removing a layer and spreading it out. This helps prevent accidentally digging too far and discarding a nugget that was just out of reach of the detector. In addition, some nuggets can't be detected when on edge, but on getting moved and reoriented, they can now be found. Again, most of the work is in the excavating and raking. The detecting is the fun part, and you only get one shot at the material before it gets buried by your future efforts. Taking the time to really do it right with a minimal chance of missing anything is very important, and I promise that I have personally found enough nuggets in the discard pile to make it worth that second look. It can be good to know when a nugget is found, especially in the work surface. This tells you not only that you have found gold, but also if it came from bedrock, or a specific layer above bedrock. When I am getting to know a new location, I do like to isolate and recover every target, to learn where the gold is coming from exactly. In the future this will help me to know where to concentrate my efforts. Maybe I can discard the top layers. Or maybe gold starts right at the grass roots. You never know without proper sampling. A plastic scoop can be very helpful in isolating and recovering small gold nuggets, because the 24K is so sensitive it will detect the salt content of your hand! It will also find gold much smaller than any normal pinpointer will find. Do not hold dirt in your hand and wave it over the coil - it will signal every time. Put the dirt in the plastic scoop and wave it over the coil instead. Once you know a location well enough however, chasing every tiny signal takes a lot of valuable time. It may be far more efficient to just recover every signal and put it in a gold pan or bucket, for recovery all at once instead of one at a time. Be sure you are in the gold and know where it is coming from before doing this, as you don't want to think you are filling your pan with gold nuggets, only to find at the end of the day it was steel bits and hot rocks. Ah yes, hot rocks. The mining areas do have some rocks that will set off a metal detector. The worst offender will be chunks of magnetite, a high grade iron ore. A super sensitive detector like the Garrett 24K is more prone to detecting these than less sensitive models, so small gold sensitivity is a mixed blessing. Luckily they are usually not so prevalent as to be more than an annoyance. The 24K does have a ferrous identification meter, intended for iron and steel trash. This can also aid in identifying hot rocks. Discrimination circuits are not entirely reliable when it comes to gold nuggets however, so I do recommend recovering all targets when using the dig and detect method, especially if you are into the toss it all in a bucket stage. The tools involved are generally a pick and a rake or hoe, and possibly a shovel also if excavating out of a hole. I prefer working the slope areas myself whenever possible, because it is far easier to rake material down hill, than to shovel it up out of a hole. A plastic scoop is a must have if the goal is to locate individual targets. Tools of the trade It should be mentioned before I move on to the next method that no metal detector finds all the gold, in particular gold dust. If you are doing particularly well with the dig and detect method, it should be a clue that there is likely gold there you are missing, and setting up that pump and sluice might be worth the effort. Pan sampling your discard pile is a good way to get a better idea of how much small gold might be present. I do think the method described above would be the best way for most people to look for gold with a metal detector in Finland. However, I have learned in my years of detecting that you tend to find what you look for. Large gold nuggets are the big game hunting of metal detecting. Large nuggets are much rarer than small gold nuggets, and typically when hunting them you end up finding lots of junk like nails and bullets instead. But they are out there, and the only way to find them is look for them. Instead of working with picks, rakes, and shovels excavating material, you will concentrate more on just scanning and recovering targets. A main target would be the piles of discarded rock and gravels pictured above, in hope that a large nugget somehow escaped recovery and was lost. It happens. Do not be surprised though if what is normally found are trash targets and hot rocks. Instead of a detector super hot on tiny gold like the Garrett 24K a person is probably better off with a detector tuned more for larger gold, like the Garrett AT Gold. This detector also features an excellent target id system that can aid a lot with the common trash items and hot rocks found in tailing piles. A more powerful alternative would be the Garrett Axiom, a new high power pulse induction nugget detector. The Axiom features extreme depth on large gold plus the ability to tune out hot rocks that bother most other detectors, but that comes at the cost of relatively poor discrimination capability. What intrigued me more when looking at the situation is the possibility of hunting thinly covered virgin ground. Yes nuggets are rare, and people overlooking them and discarding them are even rarer. Hunting tailing piles basically means hunting trash interspersed with very rare nugget finds. The good news is I saw a lot of this in Finland.... There are very large expanses of light forest with just the barest vegetation on top of glacial deposits of all sorts. Most gold in these areas is very small, but the nature of glacial deposits means a large, even a very large nugget, can be found randomly almost anywhere. Finland did produce some large gold. "The largest of all, weighing 393 g, was found in 1935, evidently in the headwaters of the Lutto, and another, weighing 385 g, is from the nearby Hangasoja area. The largest from the Lemmenjoki area, weighing 160 g, originates from the Morgamoja valley. Many of the larger specimens contain quartz, which has the appearance of being primary, as in a 183 g nugget from Tankavaara. The Geological Survey of Finland has a collection of some of the larger pieces of gold found in Finland."* Multi-gram nuggets are being found in Finland today by intrepid prospectors using metal detectors, so this is not all just conjecture, but a real possibility. Realistically hunting for large nuggets in glacial terrain will require a lot of dedication and patience. Not only is there iron and steel trash left by the old miners and the ever present bullets from hunting, but there was action in this area during WW2, so it is far more likely that metal items found will be anything but gold. That is why for most people I highly recommend the dig and detect method. When excavating into virgin ground, anything that signals will be a hot rock or a gold nugget, and with enough time, you will learn the hot rocks sound different. I promise if you persevere and use this method, you will have the satisfaction of getting a signal and saying to yourself "I KNOW that's a gold nugget!" I wish you success and do remember it's often not the finds but the hunt that matters in the end. Looking for gold can be a great way to spend time with family and friends, and the dig and detect method lends itself well to parties of two or three people sharing the work load - and the gold. Good luck to you, and most of all, have fun! Steve Herschbach Copyright 2023, for exclusive use by Garrett Metal Detectors and Finndetector OY References: *Placer Gold in Finnish Lapland Saariselkä Gold Rush GEOLOGY OF TERTIARY AND QUATERNARY GOLD-BEARING PLACERS IN THE CARIBOO REGION, BRITISH COLUMBIA - yes, Canada, and maybe too much for some people, but a wealth of thought provoking information on gold deposition in glacial terrain, well worth a look by anyone prospecting in similar areas.

I was detecting some old mining piles that were pushed around years ago and was able to score I really nice chunky Gold Specimen with the Axiom. Some after pics of the quick spit washed showed a nice find for my efforts. Globby gold on one side. 13" MONO coil on the Axiom while using Garrett AT Carrot Pointer. Beautiful. . 2.17 ozt Sucking the juice out of it. Hey you only live once right.?

Still not knocking the Axiom, disappointed it didn't work for me in our ground in Australia. At start of season took it out for a week, was eager to try it on a little spot I had gone over and over with the Z7000, concentrating heavily around where I had picked up before, but no gold, thought well ok and moved on to other parts of the property. Put in good hours for the week, for no gold except for the normal boot tacks, shotty pellets and bits of rusty tin. Went home disappointed, but confident the Axiom would find gold, I just didn't walk over it? The Axiom was good to use tuned well and excellent battery life. Found the Axiom very over whelming on hot rocks (two types) and ground noise. Yes, I know about the hot rock window and used it. I have used the 6000 it gets hot rocks and ground noise too, but not like the Axiom does in our ground. Three weeks later went back out for another week, three days into the week and nothing, teamed up with a friend with a 6000 and went out to compare, the 6000 picked up the first target, friend called me over to check the undug target, I couldn't hear it!! 2" down it was a bit of gold! "What the - - - -". A bit further on another target, a bit of steel on the surface I couldn't hear it, well that blew my confidence out the window, I wasn't going to push it around any longer. I still don't know what happened that day, the Axiom can pick up my 0.065gr test piece as good maybe slightly better than the 7000 in an air test, the 6000 is better again. The next day I was going to use the 7000 until a friend on the property turned up with his 6000 for me to use for the rest of my stay (never used a 6000) but had seen them in use. Well you guessed it took it to my 7000 hammered spot and got two bits straight up, one about 3' from an old find and another tiny bit about 6' from an old find. The rest of the time on the property went to different spots for 4 days while I had the 6000 making the most of it and found small bits every day. I now had my confidence back. I don't think there was anything wrong with my Axiom. Just don't think it's suited to our ground and have since sold it, at a considerable loss and put that down to experience. A bit long winded, but that's our it was. Cheers, peterinaust.

Just back from a mission and had a wee problem with the head/LCD trying to part ways with handle, seems to be held in by a wad of silastic/silicone. (as per photo) This happened during travel in my overhead cushioned detector tray built into my Troop Carriers original 1986 model to current Troopy. The detector is still working AOK and will not be returned for warranty claim at least until end of 23 season, instead whilst back in my workshop will construct a bracket to hold head/LCD more securely. I also have been reassessing my judgment of its performance vs the 6K and now am of the opinion there is nothing between them, whereas before I have considered the 6K has a slight edge. I believe this is because I have through experience with settings obtaining better depth and sensitivity than when I made my first judgement. Am very impressed with its performance particularly amongst creek rocks where there is a considerable air gap between coil and ground. Please as this threads author I am not interested in this developing into a negative Garret or Manufacturers Bashing Thread. The Axiom is a positive gold magnet magic detector.

“Based on gold nugget performance only. I don’t care about the ergonomics one way or the other. Will the Axiom for sure make lots of finds I can’t possibly make with my GPX 5000? Should I sell my GPX to get the Axiom based on that assumption?” That’s the question that was posed to me. And my short answer is no. The Axiom is in the same general ballpark as the GPX 5000, but there is no particular reason to think its performance is different enough to make a real difference. What one will normally find, the other one probably will also. Though coils are a factor, and at six coils versus over 100 the GPX has a definite edge. I’d bet on a 5000 with 18” round mono on a four ounce nugget at depth versus Axiom with 14”x16” mono every time. On small gold things get more interesting, but a 5000 with a 6x8 Sadie coil is no slouch. So while I’m an Axiom fan, I’m not telling any GPX 5000 owners they need to switch based purely on performance. Especially if you are very comfortable with the 5000 in general. If you own no PI at all and are looking for one or the other, well, that’s a more interesting question for sure. I lean Axiom myself if that’s the case, but if a person is only interested in multi ounce gold at depth, well, it’s the coils again. It just depends on the person and the situation as to which might be the better pick. If anyone does go from any of the battery on harness Minelabs to an Axiom it would be great to hear how it’s worked out, one way or the other.

Some of you may have noticed that the Detech USA website has been unavailable for quite some time due to supply chain issues. This does not bode well for those of us who are waiting on after-market coils for the Axiom. I went ahead and purchased the Garrett 7x11 DD, which I can use in the gold fields. I took it out for 3 test runs at my local beaches recently, and now can say that the Axiom is well-suited for beach work- wet or dry sand. I ran NORMAL, MEDIUM, FIXED GROUND, THRESHOLD @ -4, SENSITIVITY=2. No problems with moving water, no problems with EMI, which was acute in all 3 test areas. At sensitivity 2, the weak, small junk targets were not "lit up" and registered as high-low signals. Most twist tops were high-low, with only a few types sounding off as low-high. Other high-low targets were foil, wire ties, and other small junk that falls through your scoop. Low-high targets found were lead, tent stakes, all coins, aluminum pull tabs, aluminum screw caps, junk rings, junk jewelry, a few twist tops, gold ring (test), silver ring (test), and the bane of all PI's- deep iron. I will be playing for keeps next time out and only digging low-high signals. Plenty of power at sensitivity 2, and more than enough to draw upon if you need to search for those faint signals in a hunted out patch. -Jerry