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24 Garrett Metal Detectors

AT Gold

  25

  •  ALL METAL Mode Overview

Designed to detect all types of metal. All 12 discrimination 
pixels are switched on and High-res Iron Discrimination 
is disabled (--), indicating that no metal targets have been 
eliminated.
  The All Metal Mode is preferred for prospecting and deep 
searches because it provides the greatest possible depth 
and sensitivity. It also provides a continuous audio response 
to allow the operator to hear the subtle detection signals 
produced by faint targets.
  While in All MeTAl Mode, the 

AT Gold

 will respond to 

the entire range of conductive and magnetic properties 
encountered, including ground responses. The user is 
continuously hearing what the searchcoil is "seeing" in 
the ground. Therefore, it is essential to be properly ground 
balanced while operating in the All MeTAl Mode. Naturally 
occurring minerals in the soil must be canceled out during the 
ground balance procedure in order to detect only the signals 
from metal objects in the ground.
  The All MeTAl Mode provides complete target information, 
including a Target ID pixel on the upper scale, Digital Target 
ID, and depth reading. The 

AT Gold

 thus allows the operator 

All MeTAl MODe

to remain in the All MeTAl Mode at all times, in contrast 
to some detectors which require the operator to switch to a 
Discrimination mode to obtain Target ID. Be aware that some 
deeper targets (faint audible signals) may exceed the reach of 
Target ID.
 

  •  Audio Characteristics of ALL METAL Mode

  Because the All MeTAl Mode permits no discrimination, 
the detector will give an audible signal to indicate every piece 
of metal it scans over. Target responses will normally be heard 
as a proportional Medium Tone. However, the 

AT Gold

 is a 

unique All Metal detector in that its Iron Discrimination and 
Iron Audio™ features can be used to hear if detected targets 
are ferrous, as indicated by a low tone. Iron Discrimination 
levels can only be adjusted in the All MeTAl Mode if the Iron 
Audio feature is on and these changes will 

not

 be retained 

when the detector is switched off. 

(See Iron Audio section, 

pages 30–33.)

  Gold prospectors and many relic hunters rely primarily 
on their ears to discern good target signals. These desired 
signals are presented as clean, repeatable responses that 
override the constant background hum.

Summary of Contents for AT Gold

Page 1: ... PN 1533500 A 0811 1881 W State Street Garland Texas 75042 Tel 1 972 494 6151 Email sales garrett com Fax 1 972 494 1881 AT GOLD Owner s Manual Owner s Manual Deep seeking True All Metal Mode Performance for All Terrain Prospecting ...

Page 2: ...oil is required to maintain detection although static detection of targets can be achieved while in Pinpoint mode The AT Gold includes manual and automatic Ground Balance plus an exclusive Ground Balance Window feature to optimize the detector s performance in highly mineralized ground where gold is most often found This detector is also waterproof to a maximum depth of 10 feet 3 meters for search...

Page 3: ...D TIPS AND TECHNIQUES 48 PROSPECTING TIPS 52 underwater operation 54 Care and maintenance 56 Battery Replacement 56 Troubleshooting Guide 58 Metal Detecting Code of Ethics 59 Cautions 60 Warranty Service 61 Accessories 62 Suggested Reading 64 Garrett s exclusive Target ID technology provides two indicator scales which allow you to see the detector s discrimination setting Lower Scale as well as th...

Page 4: ...tivity Pushbutton to change sensitivity ON OFF Power hold 1 second to turn power on off MODE press quickly to toggle through detection modes RESET hold 5 seconds to restore factory settings Depth Indicator indicates depth of a coin sized target Mode Indicator Target ID Legend indicates metal types Lower Scale indicates notch discrimination pattern Target ID Cursor indicates probable target identit...

Page 5: ...S shaped stem One 1 upper stem and one 1 lower stem connected with camlock fasteners One 1 wing nut two 2 mounting washers and one 1 threaded bolt One 1 5 x8 13x20 cm DD searchcoil Owner s manual Warranty Card Headphones LIST OF PARTS No tools are required to assemble the AT Gold Four 4 AA batteries are included with the detector The box for your detector contains the following parts If any part i...

Page 6: ... Hand tighten the lower stem camlock collar Do not overtighten 10 Wrap the cable snugly about the stem with the first turn of the cable over the stem 11 Insert the coil connector into the 4 pin connector of the control housing and hand tighten After lining up the connector pins press the connector in firmly yet carefully until the O ring is felt to be fully inserted Note If the O ring is properly ...

Page 7: ...the factory settings press and hold the power button for 5 seconds until the detector produces a fast double beep ON OFF Power and MODE Pushbutton 12 13 If desired attach headphones to the 2 pin connector of the Control Housing After lining up the connector pins press the connector in firmly yet carefully until the O ring is felt to be fully inserted 14 Secure the headphone cable under the detecto...

Page 8: ...ate all targets Depth Indicator The depth of a coin or similar sized target is indicated in 2 5cm increments Note targets larger than a coin may display shallower than actual depth while targets smaller than a coin may display deeper than actual depth DIGITAL TARGET ID Digital Target ID The AT Gold s Digital Target ID system provides a specific target value to help identify targets more precisely ...

Page 9: ...al Target ID is most reliable when the target is properly pinpointed and centered under the searchcoil and the coil is swept flat and at a constant height above the ground Use a magnet to help remove small bits of shallow iron and then scan over the area again to see if the Target ID has changed SENSITIVITY SENSITIVITY Pushbutton Sensitivity Indicator The AT Gold has eight 8 settings for sensitivi...

Page 10: ... the detector Automatic Ground Balance Press and hold the GND BAL pushbutton while continually bouncing or pumping the searchcoil from 1 to 8 inches 2 to 20 cm above the ground When there is a minimal audio response from the ground release the pushbutton and begin hunting The ground balance value will have been indicated in the center of the LCD Low ground balance values indicate conductive soil h...

Page 11: ... different ground components This is not a result of limited ground balance resolution rather this is due to localized variations in the ground minerals For conventional detectors operating in All Metal Mode these ground variations can produce subtle audio responses that reduce the operator s ability to discern faint signals resulting in missed targets Even detectors with continuous ground trackin...

Page 12: ...ses occur increase the GB Window by 1 exit to All Metal Mode and sweep the coil again Repeat this process until the ground response reduces to an acceptable level It is recommended to use the minimum GB Window setting needed Using an excessive setting could reduce sensitivity to faint targets The default value of 2 is optimum for most conditions As described above this setting allows the detector ...

Page 13: ...EW The AT Gold includes three detection modes a true All Metal Mode and two Discrimination Modes Press the Mode button to scroll through the three modes All Metal DISC 1 and DISC 2 In general the All Metal Mode is preferred for prospecting because it provides the greatest detection depth and sensitivity The All Metal Mode also offers a continuous audio response to allow the operator to hear the su...

Page 14: ...tion including a Target ID pixel on the upper scale Digital Target ID and depth reading The AT Gold thus allows the operator ALL METAL MODE to remain in the ALL METAL Mode at all times in contrast to some detectors which require the operator to switch to a Discrimination mode to obtain Target ID Be aware that some deeper targets faint audible signals may exceed the reach of Target ID Audio Charact...

Page 15: ...ts Medium Tone Non ferrous targets with low to medium conductivity including small jewelry small coins foil thin targets etc and ferrous targets that ID above the Iron Disc setting High Tone Non ferrous targets with medium to high conductivity including larger coins and jewelry Audio Characteristics of DISC Modes The AT Gold provides more audio target information when it is operated in one of its ...

Page 16: ...n Note This notch discrimination pattern is preset no other notches can be accepted or rejected but Iron Discrimination can be adjusted and will be retained in memory DISC 2 Mode U S Coins Discrimination Pattern IRON DISCRIMINATION Iron Discrimination The AT Gold features a high resolution iron discrimination adjustment This additional resolution allows more precise control of how much iron discri...

Page 17: ... only a minimal amount of iron discrimination the detector will detect the combined conductivity of the gold nugget and nail together thus overcoming the potential masking problem In the illustration above the AT Gold is operating in the DISC 1 Mode with an IRON DISC setting of 20 The nail seen in Illustration 1 on page 28 registers from 18 to 24 on the Digital Target ID scale To eliminate the nai...

Page 18: ...f the AT Gold s three modes Its functionality in either of the two Discrimination Modes or while in the All Metal Mode will be discussed separately Iron Audio Use in DISC Modes Scattered iron objects in the ground can mask good targets and even create ghost signals that appear to be a good target Garrett s selectable Iron Audio feature allows the user to hear discriminated iron normally silenced i...

Page 19: ...uce a distinctive response of Low High Low as compared to the coin s response of only High tone Coin IRON AUDIO ON In ALL METAL Mode with this example iron targets below 35 are now heard with flanking low tones and non ferrous targets above 35 produce a clean medium tone 35 35 Medium Tone Iron Audio Use in ALL METAL Mode In the ALL METAL Mode all metallic targets encountered by the AT Gold are nor...

Page 20: ...shape and depth Proportional audio response means that the loudness of the target s response is proportional to a target s signal strength i e small deep signals sound faint and strong large signals sound loud See Examples B and C Shallow nugget Proportional Audio Target Examples Example B Notice the different target response provided by the AT Gold s proportional audio in regards to target depth ...

Page 21: ...test A similar test procedure can be used to better understand how to set iron discrimination levels Pass the iron nail across the searchcoil while in either DISC 1 or DISC 2 Mode Note that in DISC 1 Mode with the factory preset level of zero 0 Iron Discrimination the nail produces a Medium Tone If the iron nail registers up to a 26 on the Digital Target ID use the IRON DISC pushbuttons to move th...

Page 22: ...son to that of the bottle cap Remaining in DISC 1 Mode with IRON DISC at 35 switch on the Iron Audio feature Pass the bottle cap completely across the coil again and note the Low High Low response that is unmistakably iron Again pass the non ferrous target across the coil to compare its audio to that of the bottle cap Final tip Record the results of your bench tests and refer to them when hunting ...

Page 23: ...maintain a constant height during the entire Pinpointing process to prevent ground mineralization from producing false signals or masking the target s signal The bar graph on the LCD can also aid in locating the peak signal When pinpointing the Upper Scale on the LCD indicates signal strength When the greatest number of segments increasing left to right are shown the center of the searchcoil is di...

Page 24: ...arget s center To help pinpoint the detector can be retuned to the target to narrow the detection area as follows While holding down the Pinpoint pushbutton move the coil toward the target until the upper scale just reaches a full scale response Then quickly release and depress the Pinpoint button again to retune the detector and narrow its detection field Continue moving the searchcoil toward the...

Page 25: ...hcoil s tip This is because the conical shape of the searchcoil s detection field begins bending in slightly as the depth increases You can reverse this pinpointing technique to pinpoint off the DD coil s tail in this case push the coil away from you The audio and LCD meter will place the target just off the searchcoil s tail Alternative pinpointing technique DD wiggle Quickly locate targets witho...

Page 26: ...ADVANCED TIPS AND TECHNIQUES therefore produce a negative response Depending upon your threshold level this negative response will produce a central silent response preceeded and followed by positive responses i e sounds like a double response Because of this central negative response cold rocks can mask the presence of good targets There are methods to reduce the effects of hot rocks terra cotta ...

Page 27: ...region you plan to search in order to conduct your own bench testing Isolating adjacent targets The narrow detection field of the AT Gold s DD searchcoil allows better separation of adjacent targets versus a similar size concentric searchcoil Use narrow swings of the searchcoil in trashy areas to isolate good targets amongst the trash Swing your searchcoil parallel with uneven terrains such as roc...

Page 28: ...s a detector to recognize it as metal Refer to the Advanced Tips and Techniques section for details on how to minimize the effects of hot rocks Higher amounts of iron mineralization can often point toward better gold producing areas Magnetite black sand is often associated with gold deposits so investigate black sand areas knowing that the gold discovery potential is greater in these locations Exp...

Page 29: ...makes it equally reactive to the conductivity The AT Gold s standard headphones include a waterproof connection for shallow water wading use If the entire headset is to be immersed in water waterproof headphones sold separately must be used of saltwater This detector s ground balance adjustment is optimized to provide the greatest resolution in the normal ground range and is not designed to addres...

Page 30: ...ting the battery cover housing one quarter turn counterclockwise Pull and remove the cap to slide the battery holder out Remove batteries when the AT Gold will be stored for longer than 30 days The AT Gold is a rugged machine designed for outdoor use in all environments However as with all electronic equipment there are some simple ways to care for the detector to maintain its high performance Avo...

Page 31: ... iron target However a Target ID Cursor may bounce if a good target such as a coin is not parallel to the searchcoil e g on edge It may also bounce if there is one or multiple junk targets laying next to the good target Scan from different directions until your Target ID Cursor becomes more stable NOTE Large flat pieces of iron depending on their orientation in the ground can read as a good target...

Page 32: ... but does not cover damage caused by alteration modification neglect accident or misuse Use of the AT Gold at submerged depths exceeding 10 feet 3 meters will void this warranty In the event you encounter problems with your AT Gold detector please read through this Owner s Manual carefully to ensure the detector is not inoperable due to misadjustments Press and hold the power pushbutton for 5 seco...

Page 33: ...1 5 x 28cm PROformance DD Searchcoil Part No 2222700 5 x 8 13 x 20cm DD Searchcoil Cover Part No 1607400 Protect the searchcoil s surface from scratching and chipping during use Garrett PRO POINTER Pinpointing Detector Part No 1166000 The PRO POINTER combines performance with sleek design to assist in pinpointing hard to find targets Includes proportional audio vibration pulse rate target indicato...

Page 34: ... publishes new titles each year related to treasure hunting gold pros pecting coin hunting and relic recovery TO VIEW OTHER RAM BOOKS Go to www garrett com and visit the Hobby Division An order form is available on our site which can be printed and mailed with your requested titles and payment ...

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