Quick check of the ATX against the GPX5000

[MarcusBerlin]

Thanks Wal for the first impression !!!

It is really helpfull to get an picture about the Garrett ATX.
30% less findings, at 50% less price is worth it^^
I like the comment it is the poor mans GPX 5000.
For me the Garrett is interisting as beginner, because the handling of an GPX is more complicated.
I am just afraid to use the wrong settings on a GPX and find nothing
In the Videos the groundbalanceing is quick on the ATX, and there are not so many buttons. What you use is the sensetivity right?

Im looking forward for more input abaout the Garrett, because I am a poor Mann^^

greetings from germany to all yellow stuff hunters and good findings

 

[WalnLiz]

G'day Marcus.

Can i suggest you do some research on the Whites TDI pro Ozz series. I own one of these and in my opinion they are every bit as good as the ATX with several features giving them a hefty edge.

They're a PI machine much cheaper than the Garrett deep seeker package. They're half the weight of the ATX. They can be run with the full selection of coils available to the Minelab GPX series. They come with a submersible coil for creek/beach work. They punch every bit as deep as the ATX. They are more sensitive on small gold than the ATX, and i can confirm they pick up nuggets as I've already done that with ours.

If i couldn't afford a Minelab, The whites is in my opinion the next best machine for the dollar conscious prospector.

You may have the wrong idea of the GPX being a difficult machine to use. Turn it on, put it on factory preset timings, ground balance and head off detecting. Very simple to use.

As you gain more experience you will venture away from these settings, but you will have already found many more nuggets than using a poor mans GPX.

Cheers Wal.

 

[PerthAstro]

Hi I have been comparing the ATX to the GPX 5000 & an air test of both with a small nuggett. The ATX can pick up the nuggett far better than the 5000 can. The 5000 does a non impressive whoop whoop when passed over the coil & the ATx does a solid no mistakenly loud blip.

 

[joe]

lol, that is a strong statement from a new comer - I own an ATX and they do a good job finding targets but GPX is GPX mate.

 

[Guest]

Hi I have been comparing the ATX to the GPX 5000 & an air test of both with a small nuggett. The ATX can pick up the nuggett far better than the 5000 can. The 5000 does a non impressive whoop whoop when passed over the coil & the ATx does a solid no mistakenly loud blip.

This is not the way to test a Minelab PI. Minelab PI's do not air test well.

What I suggest is this as I presume you may own both going by your post or you have access to both. Setup the GPX 5000 for deep shallow gold with an 11" Mono and ATX with the 12"DD. Other 5000 users can chime in here about settings. Get hold of a cordless drill with hammer function if you can and go for a drive to the Gold Fields. Find a dried up river bed that's say is 1 metre high from ground up, drill 4 holes from the top down say 6" down, 8" down, 10" down and say 12" down at around 8" depth. Place a 1 gram nugget in test hole and go for it. Once you finish testing the 5000 then go ahead and do the same with the ATX. While you are at it you can make a video and place it on youtube for the world to see. Your testing should get interesting when testing at the depth around 10" to 12". You may need to change the heights of some of these holes.

What could be interesting though is a test against my modified GP 3500 (Price paid inc mods is $2100) against the ATX and TDI.

 

[Coyote]

Hi Wal,

Have you had the chance to test the 2 machines with Mono coils fitted to both? Or have I missed the report?

Cliff

 

[Joshwasere]

You can see a comparison between the two here:- both using DD coils!
[video=480,360]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k72F-61e1UQ[/video]

 

[WalnLiz]

Hi Wal,

Have you had the chance to test the 2 machines with Mono coils fitted to both? Or have I missed the report?

Cliff

Jeff and I are doing the final tests on the 5th of April and the vid edit will take about a week. We have had to coordinate suitable times for testing and as such it has not been a speedy progress, nor did we want it to be.

My recommendation has not changed on the ATX and i suggest anyone looking at buying one, hire one first if they want to use it for a predominately nugget hunting machine. They're a great machine in my view, and will find you gold. Will it find gold more consistently or as consistently as a 4500 or 5000, I'm not a betting man, but will put my hard earned money on the Minelabs any day of the week.

ATX deepseaker packages and the 4500 are not far different in price, so maybe compare them for your own piece of mind and then fork out the cash. Resale value if you're not happy with ATX compared to the resale value of the 4500 might also come into the equation.

Cheers Wal.

 

[Alex G]

G'day guys,

Fellow forum member gtxJeff and myself have just got back from Mongarlowe testing the ATX against the GPX.

The Garrett certainly looks bullet proof and is extremely compact when retracted. The controls are simple and easy to use. We only had the DD coil, as the Deep seeker package with the 2 mono coils has yet to arrive. Jeff ran the ATX across some moist (thanks to the showers) and fairly mineralized soil with the sensitivity setting set to max sens,(13), and the threshold at 7. The sens needed to be cut back to around 8 to 10 to run quiet.

First impressions after 15 minutes of detecting mullock heaps was quite favorable, with a few small targets easily picked up. We then proceeded through the typical leaf / twig / rocky areas and soon noticed how touch sensitive the coil was.

This combined with the concentric rings on the coil catching numerous twigs and sticks soon became quite annoying. In the coils favor, it wasn't provided with a skid plate and this should eliminate hooking up to scrub, but I'm not too sure about the touch sens issues.

I ran the machine for about an hour myself and the first thing i noticed was the weight difference to the 5000. Being an extra half kilo heavier, the use of a bungee for a full days detecting could be inevitable. I'm use to sliding the coil on the ground for max depth and this is very difficult with the ATX because of the touch sensitivity to surface clutter. The manual suggests keeping the coil 2 or 3 inches above the ground to avoid this, (pg 26 of the manual). This does not ride well with me on small gold targets.

One thing i found extremely annoying was the coil to shaft position. While moving over uneven ground the only way to move the coil into a horizontal plane once it tilted, was to step on the end of it to hold the front section of the coil on the ground. It does not pivot from within the coil but instead pivots from the outside edge of the coil. This may be OK in sparse desert regions like WA, but is no good in wooded Eastern regions.

Our next comparison was on a couple of nuggets, first .25gram and second 12gram. We dug both nuggets down in mildly mineralized soil to a depth that was a definite signal to the 5000. Both the small and the larger were not audible on the ATX even at sens set to max 13. We then lifted the nugs till they were audible and in our combined estimate this was some 30% less than the 5000.

I do not want to read too much into these depth tests just yet, as it was comparing the ATX with a DD coil to the 5000 with a Mono coil. As soon as the monos for the ATX arrive in Australia we will do a very detailed test of depths, as they will then be on an even playing field.

Initial summary....An extremely sturdy and capable machine.... Is it better than a 5000,???... Not from what i have experienced so far.... Is it great value for money,???.. Detector wise yes, BUT, at $750 for extra coils...???. I'll sit on the fence till the mono coils arrive before giving my opinion or comparison between the two machines. On the subject of 5000 with mono coils V ATX with DD coils, initial unbiased tests puts the 5000 30% ahead in my books.....But this % may reduce after the final mono to mono comparison.

Cheers Wal.

Hi Wal,
I recommend taking coil screw out and placing nylon washer under it.It will let you get more out of the thread than without it.
I made mine very tight and it stays tight but have a spare screw ready,you can get them from nut and bolt places.Some blokes recommend drilling a hole through and putting butterfly nut like normal detectors have it but it may void warranty.
My 20" has arrived last week from US and was just above half price compared to local Queensland people.

First concern is WEIGHT.Oh my God....With strap Garrett gives us it is unrealistic to use that for a day without damaging a ligament.Second(just a back yard test)-it can not see 1 gramm at 9 sensitivity unless you place a coil on the top of it.
So a target has to be the size of a horse shoe to be able to hear it deeper than DD.
I will take it out next week to do real tests,can keep you posted if u like

Regards,
Alex

 

[Guest]

I do hope Garrett continues to improve the ATX platform by bringing out updated versions which might be made more lighter and more sensitive to the very small deep gold.

 

[Jindy Gold]

Ok just had to jump in and clear some miss conceptions about this machine.
this information has been provided by my brother who is in the industry and flies all over the world working in mines and prospecting.
He is a fitter and specialises in repairing and setting up mines. Hes been to mongolia PNG ,many countries and all over australia.

Here is his info he has passed onto me.
1. the GPX and ATX cannot be compared
2.They are different machines built differently to the way they find gold.
3. The GPX 5000 has a major flaw, Even admitted by Minelab. in regards to missing certain nuggets in certain soil conditions. (kalgoolie wa, Southern NSW snowy region) the ATX found them when the minelab didnt.
4.The 5000 is way overpriced for the technology involved .
5. The ATX is using different electronics to get the machine to work better at ground balancing and how it finds the gold. I wont go into details here as the info is available from them...they have their own techs doing great stuff.
6. the ATX is waterproof so this itself matters to the design of the unit. If you need your detector to be waterproof then there is no question its the better of the 2.
7. Having tested thoroughly in all world conditions By my brother..the ATX found just as much gold as the 5000..in highly mineralised ground high in iron, the ATX outperformed the 5000. and in water conditions and very high salt the ATX out performed the 5000. in snow...yes snow the ATX won hands down.
8. the ATX is a better beginner detector, Feedback from his students and people he trains in mines.
9.Sales of the 5000 have dropped significantly worldwide and not just because of unrest in african countries.
10. Minelab are working to release a detector similar to the ATX...price wise and use wise.

His fair dinkum know crap analasys of his work with minelab and ATX have come to the conclusion.."buy whatever unit fits your budget as they are as good as each other and as bad as each other. if waterproof is needed the ATX hands down, If your rich.. buy a 5000. if you dont like wearing all the gear get a ATX. if you need to smuggle your detector somewhere illegal get an ATX. if your simple..Get an ATX. if you are putting in mega hours and are preparred to learn the 5000 then get one. If you are anal and want to be part of the 5000 group..get one. if your sensible and are on a budget get an ATX

NOTE: i do not condone illegal practises..well in regards to prospecting anyway..

bottom line with everything in life. do your own research buy the one that suits you.. But i can go on great word from a dead set life long expert in gold recovery who has used probably every detector out there for years both units are great.

its not the unit its how you understand it. There are many professionals who own stores , are known people and who frequent wa etc and have all the whizz bang stuff and will force a 5000 on you.. id sooner take a proper review from someone i trust someone who has actually used them around the world and here in oz..

ASK the question. how many of you 5000 guys have actually used it in the snowy mountains southern nsw area....try ground balancing one in certain places here if you dont know what you are doing.

Please note i am no way representing either manufacturer or that i even really care. just putting in some words from my brother..A proper expert.

Any way my last 17g in nuggets was found in the ingebrya state forest just out of jindabyne without a detector or sluice... just by studying the land and using old age information..and digging a hole..

 

[Guest]

I am currently happy with my Modded 3500 and G2 with 5" Nel

When a pi gold detector becomes available that has the detecting target clear audio of a vlf
with a detection depth of 12" for a 1 grammer with a clear signal with no university degree
required to notice threshold change and weighs as much as my Teknetics G2 its when I will be
happy to part with lets say $6k. Until then I will let others amuse me.

Happy Hunting..

 

[Guest]

interesting replies here..

 

[Alex G]

Ok just had to jump in and clear some miss conceptions about this machine.
this information has been provided by my brother who is in the industry and flies all over the world working in mines and prospecting.
He is a fitter and specialises in repairing and setting up mines. Hes been to mongolia PNG ,many countries and all over australia.

Here is his info he has passed onto me.
1. the GPX and ATX cannot be compared
2.They are different machines built differently to the way they find gold.
3. The GPX 5000 has a major flaw, Even admitted by Minelab. in regards to missing certain nuggets in certain soil conditions. (kalgoolie wa, Southern NSW snowy region) the ATX found them when the minelab didnt.
4.The 5000 is way overpriced for the technology involved .
5. The ATX is using different electronics to get the machine to work better at ground balancing and how it finds the gold. I wont go into details here as the info is available from them...they have their own techs doing great stuff.
6. the ATX is waterproof so this itself matters to the design of the unit. If you need your detector to be waterproof then there is no question its the better of the 2.
7. Having tested thoroughly in all world conditions By my brother..the ATX found just as much gold as the 5000..in highly mineralised ground high in iron, the ATX outperformed the 5000. and in water conditions and very high salt the ATX out performed the 5000. in snow...yes snow the ATX won hands down.
8. the ATX is a better beginner detector, Feedback from his students and people he trains in mines.
9.Sales of the 5000 have dropped significantly worldwide and not just because of unrest in african countries.
10. Minelab are working to release a detector similar to the ATX...price wise and use wise.

His fair dinkum know crap analasys of his work with minelab and ATX have come to the conclusion.."buy whatever unit fits your budget as they are as good as each other and as bad as each other. if waterproof is needed the ATX hands down, If your rich.. buy a 5000. if you dont like wearing all the gear get a ATX. if you need to smuggle your detector somewhere illegal get an ATX. if your simple..Get an ATX. if you are putting in mega hours and are preparred to learn the 5000 then get one. If you are anal and want to be part of the 5000 group..get one. if your sensible and are on a budget get an ATX

NOTE: i do not condone illegal practises..well in regards to prospecting anyway..

bottom line with everything in life. do your own research buy the one that suits you.. But i can go on great word from a dead set life long expert in gold recovery who has used probably every detector out there for years both units are great.

its not the unit its how you understand it. There are many professionals who own stores , are known people and who frequent wa etc and have all the whizz bang stuff and will force a 5000 on you.. id sooner take a proper review from someone i trust someone who has actually used them around the world and here in oz..

ASK the question. how many of you 5000 guys have actually used it in the snowy mountains southern nsw area....try ground balancing one in certain places here if you dont know what you are doing.

Please note i am no way representing either manufacturer or that i even really care. just putting in some words from my brother..A proper expert.

Any way my last 17g in nuggets was found in the ingebrya state forest just out of jindabyne without a detector or sluice... just by studying the land and using old age information..and digging a hole..

Sensational review but you may be under lethal attack by Minelab crowd.
I got a bit worried when you used words like anal and condone
One thing for sure,every time we plan a trip with mates and rain is predicted they all pull the pin because their Minelabs might get wet.I just put my wet gear on and off I go.Extreme performance so to speak.
Thanks for great review.

 

[Redfin]

Ok just had to jump in and clear some miss conceptions about this machine.
this information has been provided by my brother who is in the industry and flies all over the world working in mines and prospecting.
He is a fitter and specialises in repairing and setting up mines. Hes been to mongolia PNG ,many countries and all over australia.

Here is his info he has passed onto me.
1. the GPX and ATX cannot be compared
2.They are different machines built differently to the way they find gold.
3. The GPX 5000 has a major flaw, Even admitted by Minelab. in regards to missing certain nuggets in certain soil conditions. (kalgoolie wa, Southern NSW snowy region) the ATX found them when the minelab didnt.
4.The 5000 is way overpriced for the technology involved .
5. The ATX is using different electronics to get the machine to work better at ground balancing and how it finds the gold. I wont go into details here as the info is available from them...they have their own techs doing great stuff.
6. the ATX is waterproof so this itself matters to the design of the unit. If you need your detector to be waterproof then there is no question its the better of the 2.
7. Having tested thoroughly in all world conditions By my brother..the ATX found just as much gold as the 5000..in highly mineralised ground high in iron, the ATX outperformed the 5000. and in water conditions and very high salt the ATX out performed the 5000. in snow...yes snow the ATX won hands down.
8. the ATX is a better beginner detector, Feedback from his students and people he trains in mines.
9.Sales of the 5000 have dropped significantly worldwide and not just because of unrest in african countries.
10. Minelab are working to release a detector similar to the ATX...price wise and use wise.

His fair dinkum know crap analasys of his work with minelab and ATX have come to the conclusion.."buy whatever unit fits your budget as they are as good as each other and as bad as each other. if waterproof is needed the ATX hands down, If your rich.. buy a 5000. if you dont like wearing all the gear get a ATX. if you need to smuggle your detector somewhere illegal get an ATX. if your simple..Get an ATX. if you are putting in mega hours and are preparred to learn the 5000 then get one. If you are anal and want to be part of the 5000 group..get one. if your sensible and are on a budget get an ATX

NOTE: i do not condone illegal practises..well in regards to prospecting anyway..

bottom line with everything in life. do your own research buy the one that suits you.. But i can go on great word from a dead set life long expert in gold recovery who has used probably every detector out there for years both units are great.

its not the unit its how you understand it. There are many professionals who own stores , are known people and who frequent wa etc and have all the whizz bang stuff and will force a 5000 on you.. id sooner take a proper review from someone i trust someone who has actually used them around the world and here in oz..

ASK the question. how many of you 5000 guys have actually used it in the snowy mountains southern nsw area....try ground balancing one in certain places here if you dont know what you are doing.

Please note i am no way representing either manufacturer or that i even really care. just putting in some words from my brother..A proper expert.

Any way my last 17g in nuggets was found in the ingebrya state forest just out of jindabyne without a detector or sluice... just by studying the land and using old age information..and digging a hole..

hahahahahaha, good one mate, bit it is the 1st of May, not April.
But that is not my opinion, it is my brothers, who drives all over Aust etc etc.

 

[Guest]

3. The GPX 5000 has a major flaw, Even admitted by Minelab. in regards to missing certain nuggets in certain soil conditions. (kalgoolie wa, Southern NSW snowy region) the ATX found them when the minelab didnt.

Hogwash - a Whites GMT found them in situ, the ATX could see them in "testing". The "testing" method wasn't mentioned but time constraints were so I suspect they were "air tests".
I think the Minelab product has enough runs on the board to entitle it to being recognised as superior for gold detecting even with the well known flaw on some speccis. ATX is a different class. Appears more of a good allrounder for those not dedicated to solely gold detecting.

ATX found just as much gold as the 5000..in highly mineralised ground high in iron, the ATX outperformed the 5000

Where are all the ATX owner's posting there finds? - certainly not on here & not on any other major forum I have seen. I have read a report, from a very pro Garrett user, where this certainly wasn't the case. He was left disappointed with the ATX performance in this area.

if you dont like wearing all the gear get a ATX

Most users, including people on this forum, are saying that the ATX is too heavy & the supplied gear is inadequate for the weight?

how many of you 5000 guys have actually used it in the snowy mountains southern nsw area....try ground balancing one in certain places here if you dont know what you are doing.

How many gold detectorists go to the snowy's to detect? I would hazard a guesstimate as not many.
No machine will ground balance anywhere if you don't know what you are doing!

just putting in some words from my brother..A proper expert

Last time I checked a Fitter was involved with repairing/manufacturing mechanical items not electronics or detecting.

Yes I use a 5000 but chose it based on research & what I was going to be concentrating on - gold detecting. I don't consider myself part of the anal Minelab group or rich. Took me ages to save & buy a used machine.
I think both have a place but the inevitable comparisons mean little as they are two different machines.

 

[joe]

Hi guys, I'm not arguing here just adding food for thought. The ratio of minelab users is a lot higher than newly introduced ATX. I can say that the ATX does find gold , just because people aren't posting their findings does not mean that they aren't finding anything.
Here is some of my recent ATX gold finds. I would personally not be comparing the two machines in public forums.

 

[Guest]

Its a lot like a Holden vs Ford debate or which is the best NRL, AFL team is best.

Its an unwinnable debate by either camp.

But makes for interesting reading so keep up the good work.

Made me have a harder look at the ATX if nothing else.

Joe I beleive my scales weigh gold much better than you scales?

Cheers

 

[Mr Boring]

sounds like garbage like previous attempts, which makes one wonder? what does minelab have that the others cannot access? I know the answer but thought it a good area to delve into

 

[Mr Boring]

and its nothing like Holden VS Ford, Its like Holden VS Dunlop bicycles!