Took a ATX for a swing

Hired one over weekend to see how they went. Took it to a spot that have picked up a few bits up with the 4500. I have been over this spot heaps with diffrent coils anti interferance dd in cancel and a small mono it's a salty creek that I had a lot of trouble with the 4500. Did a small section mabey 3x20 meters first signal was gold .22g then some shotty pellets and another bit .5g. Ended up with 2 bits and 20 or so bits of lead was very very surprised how well it handled the ground and every time I dug it was a target. I'm not saying in anyway is better than 4500/5000 but was very easy to use and it works there was a few thing I didn't like about it but would be a good starters detector.
Cheers digdog

Hi Digdog,

We've just bought the ATX as our first detector and was put to shame badly yesterday by K town swinger with a GPX5000. We were on a salt pan and he showed me a couple of patches where he had a good signal. One he thought was gold the other he was unsure. I tried everything but couldn't get a beep out of the ATX. I did factory reset, frequency scan, ground balance, changed from the DD to the 8" mono but nothing.

In the end we dug it out, only 30mm down and it was gold. I put it into a zip bag on the surface but still no signal so we moved on. We are now at Bernies Patch on clean ground. The same piece of gold gives me no response on the DD and a very poor signal on the mono with it lying on top of the ground.

We continue to find lots of small junk including shot but it won't respond to gold.

Can you tell me your setup?

Phil

Hi Phil,
I don't know a thing about the atx mate just turned it on ground balanced and off I went I had the dd coil said it was better on salty areas. I am no master on the gpx but was surprised what I missed, all the bits were no more than 150mm deep I don't think they will have any comparison to the gpx with depth but  will be taking it for another swing on a old patch some time soon and if it dose alright there too will be thinking about adding one to the kit

u should have pinged bits at 6" deep--i am presuming the targets did register on the 45 when u dug them out with the atx--i would be checking the settings on yah 45-maybe try special--certainly wack a test piece (lead sinker) in the ground and adjust accordingly.

regards
oneday

Hey Oneday,
I have had test pieces buried out there since first found the spot a year ago, have played around with the setting every time I go out there so that's why I took the atx out there to see if it could handle the ground worst I've come across. I'm not bagging 45 at all wouldn't be without it most likely the operator lol if I had a spare 18k would be ordering the new one

Shotgun pellets, don't ya. hate them. However, remember when you get one, there are maybe fourty? others in the cartridge, all aimed in the same direction where you found the first one.

Hi Digdog,

We called the ATX dealer to see if were doing something wrong. Went through several settings while trying its response to gold and came to the conclusion that we have a fault. We've just dropped it at the Toll freight depot for a trip back to Perth to sort it out. I hope its fast because we need to be back in Capel by the end of the month and there's no gold there.

Phil  

Digdog, interesting the comments re the atx v 4500 in salt ATX might have the edge. I cut my teeth crumbing on the salt flats in Karratha, same spot as Phil is now. from memory 11in in mono mode and cancel, fast swing speed and try and listen through all the noise for a target seemed to work ok but minimal depth.

cheers Tom

what a bummer getting a bad egg on your 1st detector Phil, hope things get sorted in time for you.
so the ATX still has some hope, target 30mm deep and nothing !! something didn't sound right.
now ya gotta go over that ground again   

good luck
jase

Yeah jase we would love to take another crack at it but it's $1500 in fuel to get here so we won't be back for a while. If they get the repairs done quickly perhaps we'll get a go at Meeka or Cue on the way home.

That sux Phil getting a lemon first up mate hopefully a quick turn around so u can get some colour on ya way home. That's pretty much what I have been doing Tom listening through the noise, the think I liked the most with the atx was there is zero noise no humming in ya ears all day and the iron check with the dd saved a lot of digging for nothing
Cheers digdog