Garrett bounty hunter platinum or Garrett AT pro

[dirtdiggin]

Hi All

Hi Guys I'm looking for a detector to find gold of all sizes but must be able to detect small nuggets.

Iv'e been looking at the Garrett bounty hunter platinum or Garret AT pro as they like good quality detectors

and also are in my price range, as this will be my first real detector I'm wanting to find what is there in the ground so i don't

lose interest. As i have a cheap one and have found nothing and started to lose interest but another guy went over the same area i did and found things

and advised me to buy a better quality one so I'm asking for some helpful advice from guys who have used these or know about them from others that have used them.

Thanks Guys looking forward to your advice an thoughts.

Thanks Brett

 

[Guest]

The Bounty Hunter platinum isn't a Garrett machine but regardless I wouldn't suggest either of these for any gold detecting especially smaller stuff. In my opinion both have khz that are too low at 7.81khz & 15khz. The AT pro @ 15khz would be ok as an allrounder but gold would still be a big ask from it. The AT gold would be better but still not an ideal gold detector.
For gold I would be looking more towards a Whites SGT or GMT & Fisher Goldbug 2. These have a higher frequency to ping small shallow gold & will still pick up something larger at reasonable depth if you swing over it but can be unruly for the inexperienced or even seasoned detectorist especially in mineralised ground. They are best suited around mullock heaps, creek beds, shallow mild ground etc.
Another option would be Whites SPP which is a low price PI detector for a couple of hundred more. It should handle the mineralised ground better than the VLF's mentioned with better depth but then it won't be as sensitive to the really small stuff like the SGT, GMT or Goldbug 2.
If I were starting out on a budget I would probably opt for a SPP now. I started with a GMT & learnt it + found gold with it. They are a good machine but a PI for not a lot more would be hard to pass up on now.
It will be interesting to see how small gold the SPP will find with something like a Nugget Finder sadie 8x6 coil or a Coiltek 6".
The Minelab F1A4 are also getting a bit of a following as a gold detector but I'm not sure on their sensitivity to smaller gold? My advice for these is don't over pay for one.

 

[dirtdiggin]

Thanks Mbasko for your advice and help!

As someone who knows nothing about detectors and wanting to get into it, i also want to have a good experience and this means to me "being able to use it with some ease and understand it and also being able to find gold with it" otherwise the chances are I'll lose interest in this hobby so i want to give myself every chance to enjoy this experience.

 

[Mineblowingmetal]

I agree with Mbasko

I started with an ATPRO because my first introduction to the hobby was more about coin shooting and relic hunting

Now that im in love with the prospecting side I feel when I go out to goldfields with the ATPRO Im taking a feather to a sword fight

At the end of the day you get what you pay for I for one wont be shelling out on a big expensive gold detector straight away

buy a machine within your budget and have a go they all hold their value pretty well and with 2-3 years warranty on most you can
re sell still under warranty if you lose interest

the only thing I would worry about with going straight to a PULSE INDUCTION machine is that unless your on a goldfield you will be digging to china for buried cans

this would totally rule out any local park hunts where theres thousands of dollars just lying there waiting to be retrieved in modern coins

I bought an ATPRO and it has paid itself off three times over ($850 here in AUS since the manufacturers locked down import/export from USA)

that's a total of $2,550 in modern coinage I have since banked the last 9 months

when that hits 4k I will then invest in either the ATX or the SDC 2300 ( although im not sure on the hard wired coil ) or a Whites TDI pro oz series with a few coil options

I reckon the garrett atgold is a great starting point will find small shallow gold and large retirement nuggets if shallow enough which history will show most of them aren't more than 1-2 ft deep you cant really go wrong as you have the diversity to stop on the way home and swing a few more bucks towards paying for "the beast" that you really want

totally new to this myself this is just where im at 9 months infront of you on the detector side of things

youtube is a great resource to see the ones you like in action most guys are pretty honest just steer clear of the corporate channels supporting their product

but if gold is all your interested in then Mbasko has mentioned some of the best starter units available