AT MAX Experiences & Questions

[David53]

I have been using the New Garrett AT Max almost exclusively for 2 months instead of my other 7 detectors (Minelab CTX 3030, Minelab GT, Fisher F75, Tesoro Cibola, Tesoro Lobo, Tesoro Compadre, & Garrett AT Pro).

After proper Ground Balancing to readings in the 70’s to High 80’s, Sensitivity set to 2 bars from Max, Threshold of 3, Zero Mode Iron Discrimination 32, Z-Link Headphones
Stock Coil, then with the same settings I went with the 4.5” Super Sniper, and then the 5 X 8 Coil.

With both the Stock & 5 X 8 Coils, I hear more static for
some unknown reason when I encounter Iron especially if I have Iron Auto on.

I hear far less static if I turn Iron Auto off.

I know I must lose depth, but when I use the Super Sniper Coil with the above settings I hear far less static when I encounter Iron as long as I do not have Iron Audio on.

I hear the least static if I switch over to the Coins Mode instead of Zero Mode. Unfortunately in this Mode I am losing Potential Gold and Plat. finds.

I have tried turning my Sensitivity lower, but I still hear lots of static especially when I use the larger coils as opposed to the Super Sniper when I detect in areas with lots Iron and highly mineralized soil. (College Station/Bryan, TX)

My question is has anyone else experienced hearing lots of Static when they have gone over iron targets or when they are detecting more highly mineralized soil with the Z-Link Headphones?

 

[WaterWalker]

I have used the ATMax on wet sand and in salt water. Very similar results with the wireless as long as the control box stays ABOVE the water.
Garrett Blue and GrayGhost Amphibians in the water run the same.
NOTE: the original Blues for the Garrett Infinium will not give a usable volume or shut the internal speaker off.
This has been fixed since a few months after the ATPro hit the shelves. At that time a sticker was placed in the underside of the headband that read:
ATPro compatible. The "compatible" headphone will function properly on at the ATSeries and the Infinium detectors.

 

[JimmyCT]

Hi David,

Your experience mirrors mine. Yes, there is a lot of "static" noises when the Iron Audio is ON.
I keep it off and turn it on when I am checking questionable targets.
Bigger coils (stock and 5x8") are going to "see more" so yes, you are going to hear a boatload of "static" when searching in iron with the Iron Audio in the ON position. The little sniper coil is seeing less, so less static when hunting with the Iron Audio On.
Coins Mode has a preset of 35 for the IRON DISC setting thus the reason you will not hear much snap / cracklin' poppin. However, if you turn your Iron Audio on in this mode, you will still hear the "static"
Try this: find an area saturated with iron nails and ground balance to the nails in the ground. Some of that "static" will dissipate performing this maneuver but doesn't eliminate it.

I have been using the New Garrett AT Max almost exclusively for 2 months instead of my other 7 detectors (Minelab CTX 3030, Minelab GT, Fisher F75, Tesoro Cibola, Tesoro Lobo, Tesoro Compadre, & Garrett AT Pro).

After proper Ground Balancing to readings in the 70’s to High 80’s, Sensitivity set to 2 bars from Max, Threshold of 3, Zero Mode Iron Discrimination 32, Z-Link Headphones
Stock Coil, then with the same settings I went with the 4.5” Super Sniper, and then the 5 X 8 Coil.

With both the Stock & 5 X 8 Coils, I hear more static for
some unknown reason when I encounter Iron especially if I have Iron Auto on.

I hear far less static if I turn Iron Auto off.

I know I must lose depth, but when I use the Super Sniper Coil with the above settings I hear far less static when I encounter Iron as long as I do not have Iron Audio on.

I hear the least static if I switch over to the Coins Mode instead of Zero Mode. Unfortunately in this Mode I am losing Potential Gold and Plat. finds.

I have tried turning my Sensitivity lower, but I still hear lots of static especially when I use the larger coils as opposed to the Super Sniper when I detect in areas with lots Iron and highly mineralized soil. (College Station/Bryan, TX)

My question is has anyone else experienced hearing lots of Static when they have gone over iron targets or when they are detecting more highly mineralized soil with the Z-Link Headphones?[/quote]

 

[MikeLab]

The AT Gold you get a lot of ground noise when the sensitivity is up high and the iron discrimination is low.It's reading the ground and not just making a beep sound. If you read the books many authors say don't use too much sensitivity, you will actually lose depth. So you might experiment with ALL the controls--that is what they are there for. You'll be surprised how deep it goes with the lower sensitivity settings. A gold ring about five inches at the lowest sens setting, one bar. Same with threshold, don't be afraid to go into the negative. Ground balance to a little lower and you will get less of the small stuff. All Metal mode is different so try that out, too. They have it so you can really turn it down low when near big iron. I know it's easy to be greedy but it might actually cost you.

You mentioned coil size. That ought to be a dead give-away you are dealing with the ground and not the detector.

 

[David53]

I want thank everyone for answering my questions and for all the wonderful information about why
I’m receiving static. It sounds like I have lots more experimenting to do, but that’s ok. Will keep you advised.

 

[MikeLab]

Yes, try everything. Another thing about ground balance, makes sure you balance over clean ground. If you are running in DISC mode, you cannot hear any iron and if you happen to be over any it will mess up the balance for sure. I balance in All Metal mode so i know there is no metal under the coil. So balance often. Very often especially on hills. I was reading a book on prospecting, balance is just critical there. The author said at first do a balance, sweep the coil one time, then do another balance. It's really important with the high resolution ground balance to keep it good. When detecting, if you find a target that does not give the correct VID that should be a red flag you are out of balance. I suggest you read the manual again every word on ground balance.

 

[David53]

How does a Negative Threshold Setting help? When I turn it to 0 Threshold I no longer even hear the Threshold.
I have read where other people also suggested using a Negative Threshold Setting such as -5. I actually tried it out for only a little while and didn’t understand how it was supposed to
help me? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[JimmyCT]

I notice it calms the machine down and reduces the ground chatter for me.

This partial quote is taken directly from the manual:


" ...there may be times you wish to operate with a negative or silent threshold, for example, in order to reduce detector chatter, etc."

How does a Negative Threshold Setting help? When I turn it to 0 Threshold I no longer even hear the Threshold.
I have read where other people also suggested using a Negative Threshold Setting such as -5. I actually tried it out for only a little while and didn’t understand how it was supposed to
help me? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MikeLab]

Going back to the nugget hunting book, the idea is you need to set the controls so you can hear the targets. Mine tailings can be the worst. Wet sand is noisy. Snap, crackle, pop. Even into the negative threshold numbers. You don't want to completely eliminate the noise or you will block everything, but you need to cut it down just enough so the good targets are audible. You can run a few negative and it will still get good depth. Like I said it's easy to be greedy but that can work against you. Now I run the sens up high in those conditions and sometimes can get a foot or more on coins. No, it's not a walk in the park, but it works.

 

[David53]

I still have the Nel Tornado Coil to try out if it will work. I tried it out on my AT Pro and it worked well.

I love how the AT Max more easily Picks out good targets that are surrounded by trash compared to the AT Pro. The extra depth is wonderful, however most of my finds where I detect are very shallow because our soil is mostly clay.

Thanks again to everyone for all the wonderful information and tips.

Tomorrow I have a hunt with my club on fairgrounds.

 

[wyohunter99]

Play around with the settings and it will treat you well.

 

[JimmyCT]

This is what I have been trying to explain in my posts as well. I am glad another Max user notices this. Despite the "extra noise" I know when I have hit a good target in the trash. Good luck at the fairgrounds!

I love how the AT Max more easily Picks out good targets that are surrounded by trash compared to the AT Pro. .

 

[David53]

The Fairgrounds hunt went really well. I set my threshold to -5 and I recovered over $13.00 in clad including one Wheat Penny from the 1950's along with a heavy Sterling Silver Ring. I heard very little ground noise after ground balancing. I plan to ground balance from now on in all metal mode. Thanks to all for all the wonderful tips. Happy Holidays, and Happy Hunting.