garrett at max
- Thread starter camlidd
- Start date
Help Support Prospecting Australia:
goodaye Camlidd & welcome to PA Forum
maybe start with a read thru these threads
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=33
maybe start with a read thru these threads
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=33
Hey camlidd,
The Garrett AT Max was the first machine I ever owned, it taught me a lot. I bought the machine to find gold in the W.A goldfields.
Pretty simple machine. Turn it on, press the mode button until its on "zero", get the threshold right , turn down the sensitivity to around 4 or 5, ground balance it and off you go.
Tip #1: Buy the aftermarket battery packs (Think they are around $118 each) they are easier to manage than using heaps of AA's, and works out cheaper in the long run.
Tip #2: Get two battery packs, nothing worse than running out of power after you have just come across the best target response you've heard in ages.
Tip #3: Forget All Metal Mode, it will drive you insane. Use Zero mode as you can learn to identify different responses more easily.
Tip #4: Don't trust its discrimination, Can work on some targets, but 9/10 times it will be wrong. Dig everything.
Tip #5: Learn to back the sensitivity off (use the buttons to turn it down). I found it handles mineralisation better when it is less sensitive.
Tip #6: IF you are looking for gold with it don't use any iron discrimination at all.
Tip #7: The 5"x 8"DD coil is really good. Its lighter, more sensitive and its depth is not too much different to the standard coil. If you've got the coin get one.
Tip #8: Whenever you stumble on a good signal, press the "Iron audio" button and go over the target again, its good to double check things with this feature.
Tip #9: Read the manual, once you've got that down pat, read it again and then read it again. You will pick up more the more you read it, as your understanding of the machine progresses so to will the complexity of the questions you will want answered. The game is about increasing your odds, the better your understanding, the better your odds.
True story with the AT Max: I spent 3 weeks battling the heat, the flies and the weather - found about 50,000 projectiles, 200,000 .22 shells, countless bits of wire and little chunks of rust. It was honestly driving me insane. I woke up on the last day of week 3, had my coffee, got everything ready and headed out with little to no enthusiasm for digging another bucket load of crap. The first 2 hours i spent digging 30 or so projectiles and i'd had a gut full, so i said to myself "right, one more signal and then I'm going to sit down have a smoke and a good long think about what I've done." 2mins later the detector goes off again, sounded like another piece of lead - i thought right, hear we go. I look down to dig and there was my first ever gold nugget starring right back at me. A nice little 2.2g sunbaker!
So, with that said, good luck with the new AT Max! Have fun and never give up!
The Garrett AT Max was the first machine I ever owned, it taught me a lot. I bought the machine to find gold in the W.A goldfields.
Pretty simple machine. Turn it on, press the mode button until its on "zero", get the threshold right , turn down the sensitivity to around 4 or 5, ground balance it and off you go.
Tip #1: Buy the aftermarket battery packs (Think they are around $118 each) they are easier to manage than using heaps of AA's, and works out cheaper in the long run.
Tip #2: Get two battery packs, nothing worse than running out of power after you have just come across the best target response you've heard in ages.
Tip #3: Forget All Metal Mode, it will drive you insane. Use Zero mode as you can learn to identify different responses more easily.
Tip #4: Don't trust its discrimination, Can work on some targets, but 9/10 times it will be wrong. Dig everything.
Tip #5: Learn to back the sensitivity off (use the buttons to turn it down). I found it handles mineralisation better when it is less sensitive.
Tip #6: IF you are looking for gold with it don't use any iron discrimination at all.
Tip #7: The 5"x 8"DD coil is really good. Its lighter, more sensitive and its depth is not too much different to the standard coil. If you've got the coin get one.
Tip #8: Whenever you stumble on a good signal, press the "Iron audio" button and go over the target again, its good to double check things with this feature.
Tip #9: Read the manual, once you've got that down pat, read it again and then read it again. You will pick up more the more you read it, as your understanding of the machine progresses so to will the complexity of the questions you will want answered. The game is about increasing your odds, the better your understanding, the better your odds.
True story with the AT Max: I spent 3 weeks battling the heat, the flies and the weather - found about 50,000 projectiles, 200,000 .22 shells, countless bits of wire and little chunks of rust. It was honestly driving me insane. I woke up on the last day of week 3, had my coffee, got everything ready and headed out with little to no enthusiasm for digging another bucket load of crap. The first 2 hours i spent digging 30 or so projectiles and i'd had a gut full, so i said to myself "right, one more signal and then I'm going to sit down have a smoke and a good long think about what I've done." 2mins later the detector goes off again, sounded like another piece of lead - i thought right, hear we go. I look down to dig and there was my first ever gold nugget starring right back at me. A nice little 2.2g sunbaker!
So, with that said, good luck with the new AT Max! Have fun and never give up!
