Moneybox
Philip & Sandra Box
Last year we were at Six Mile Creek on the Tanami road trying to pan for gold when I decided we needed a metal detector. I discussed it briefly with Mrs M and before she changed her mind I was standing on top of a mullock heap with the iPhone for the modem and the laptop trying to weave through the assortment of machines likely to suit us.
Minelabs new SDC2300 seemed like the obvious choice. It was small enough to fit into our already cramped storage space and could easily accompany us on a hike somewhere. I was straight on the phone and ordered one from Ray in Karratha to be delivered directly to us from Minelab. It never happened. Ray called me back to say that the machine was not going to be available for at least another week.
Who can wait a week when spending $4000 we didnt have? It took me about 10 minutes to come up with the next option, the Garrett ATX deep seeker pack. It had all the features of the SDC plus a few and it was cheaper too. Within a few days we were at the Toll depot in Broome collecting our new machine. The size of the package nearly blew us away. By the time you add the heavy water and dust proof protective case, the carry bag, extra coils, earmuffs, spare batteries, sling and whatever else this was no longer a compact detector.
We played for a while on the beach in Broome picking up lots of small junk before an elderly onlooker asked if he could take a look at the ATX. He said hed spent many years swinging a metal detector and overall had found more than 8kg in gold. He suggested we make our way down to Nichol River near Karratha and try the salt flats there. We never found gold on our own but with the help of a local Mrs M dug and came away with a little 0.2g nugget. It was found with the GPX5000 where the ATX would hardly indicate a change in tone.
Well I have to say we were quite disappointed in the ATX. It seemed attracted to lead shotgun pellets where others were finding gold. We visited Ray the Minelab agent just to say hello to the guy we attempted to buy a detector from. He was obviously biased towards the Minelab machines and was nothing but critical of the ATX. However he generously lent us a little Minelab Eureka detector and suggested a spot for us to try. Unfortunately we never found the place and are quite sure he gave us a bum steer and I think the little Eureka was useless in these conditions.
With a little research we made our way to Burnies Patch where we met a nice couple with the ATX and a 5000. I told them we had this little nugget that the ATX didnt want to know about and he said The 5000 would find that ok so he called his wife over. Well theres something about our little nugget because the 5000 ignored it just lying there in a zip bag. That made me a little happier but I was still disappointed that the other 5000 found it 30mm under the muddy salt flat and the ATX couldnt.
Since then weve learned a bit more and we got Mrs M a great little Whites GMT. Now that we know a little more and weve learned the machines that little 0.2g nugget is our test piece. We carry it in a small tube and make sure each machine finds it before we head out to find more.
Our trip to the DWAG Muster at Niagara, WA was a learning curve. We were given a few clues on what ground to look for in the Niagara area and given a few tips on where to start. It really made all the difference to go with a group to get started. Thanks to the DEWAG guys we came home with 44g even though we had to listen to all the negative comments about the ATX from guys whod never held one and Mrs m was told that she wouldnt find anything with the Whites GMT in WA.
Before we headed off to Hawaii I decided this was the original reason I wanted the SDC2300. It was compact enough to fit into our baggage and reportedly good enough to find gold anywhere. We grabbed one in Bunbury on the way to the airport and never turned it on until we got to a Hawaiian beach.
My opinion so far
Ergonomics
Well the Garrett ATX wins here. It just feels good in the hand. Its balanced nicely with a comfortable armrest and great control panel that can be reached with the fingers as you detect. The standard DD coil balances nicely but the little 8 mono changes the overall weight significantly. I find it too heavy when the 20 mono coil is fitted.
The SDC2300 just feels awkward to me. It starts out feeling lighter than the ATX but doesnt feel comfortable. It doesnt come with a bungee but really needs one. The control panel seems to be missing a lot of control and I find it difficult to understand and use.
Ill add the little Whites GMT because we have it too. It doesnt win too many points on ergonomics but its light weight and such fun to use that that doesnt seem to matter. All the controls have a little arrow in the ideal position to get you started and you can adjust it from there. Those settings seem suitable for most conditions. The earphones dont have any coils in the long lead so that can be a little annoying in bushy conditions.
Batteries
Well the GMT wins hands down. They say the batteries last for about 40 hours but even though Mrs M was out swinging every day they went on for weeks without a recharge. I think they just rejuvenated overnight.
The ATX does ok as well. It comes with 8 AA rechargeable and 8 alkaline batteries each housed in a neat 4 battery cartridge. If the rechargeable batteries run flat during the day you simply slide the two other cartridges in and carry on. Ive rarely used the alkaline batteries because as the machine is turned on it indicates the amount of battery charge. Then when the batteries run down it gives off an annoying little intermittent jingle and flashes the battery light at least an hour before the batteries die.
The SDC. Well what can I say, Minelab have done a lousy job here. Firstly the batteries dont fit the holder so each needs a bandaid just to keep it in constant contact. Then they fitted 4 C-cell batteries. I thought these went out with transistor radios and those old torches we used before rechargeable LEDs took over. Every other thing we use has AA batteries so its no problem having a few more hanging around pre-charged. The C-cell batteries just dont last. They almost make it through the day but worst of all when they go flat everything stops. The alarm sounds and it all drops dead. If you happen to be a kilometre from the car and you dont carry around a pocket full of batteries then you just start walking.
Signal
Once again the GMT wins here. It has a beautiful little Quack that sounds right on the target. It changes its tone depending on the type of metal and it gives a clear grunt when it thinks the target is iron. The LCD display gives a variety of signals that work well with the sound to give the operator a good indication of the type of target detected.
I guess Ive got used to the ATX now but I still cant easily differentiate between the changes in tone. It gives a long signal that is confusing because the sound continues along with the swing making it difficult to easily determine t position of the target. It also has a nice iron check that can be of assistance but cant always be trusted. The pinpointing is fantastic. It will indicate by audio and a full set of LEDs when the centre of the coil is directly over the target. It can trick you sometimes when there are multiple targets but overall it saves a lot of time. Sometimes the coil is so touch sensitive that it will give a false signal even on a green plant. From a noise point of view in almost all conditions the detector can be operated silently. It has infinite adjustments for all conditions allowing to operator to swing along without a sound until a target is found.
Our first experience with the SDC was all bad. It kicked up so much noise every time it was turned on in Hawaii Mrs M just threw it back in the boot and we used the ATX. Since we bought the Sun Ray earphones and adapter (an extra $300) and used it here in Australia its been a lot better. Its still badly missing enough adjustments to control the EMI and effects of bad ground to be able to run the machine quietly most of the time. At least the earphones have volume control. The signal is like the ATX. It drags on through the swing not clearly indicating the position of the target. It has no pinpointer either but the coil is quite small so that helps.
Performance
Unfortunately I cant give a very good comparison yet. The ATX loves rusty steel down to the tiniest fragments and lead and copper bullet fragments. Fortunately it knows how to find gold as well. Weve not found much in the way of small gold yet but until we get something with the SDC I have no way to compare them.
The GMT loves foil. If theres aluminium foil anywhere it seems to find it all. Its a joy to use anyway and finds other tiny targets as well. Its only found 3g of gold so far but Im quite sure that theres lots more to come.
I really expected something special from the SDC on this trip. We went right to the area where we previously pulled out several nuggets with the ATX and the GMT but this time we got nothing with any of them. Mrs M spent a lot of time in the area where she had success with the GMT previously but the ground seemed clean. It too finds lots of small junk so I guess the gold will come.
Ill try to keep you posted on my personal opinion on our first three metal detectors.
Minelabs new SDC2300 seemed like the obvious choice. It was small enough to fit into our already cramped storage space and could easily accompany us on a hike somewhere. I was straight on the phone and ordered one from Ray in Karratha to be delivered directly to us from Minelab. It never happened. Ray called me back to say that the machine was not going to be available for at least another week.
Who can wait a week when spending $4000 we didnt have? It took me about 10 minutes to come up with the next option, the Garrett ATX deep seeker pack. It had all the features of the SDC plus a few and it was cheaper too. Within a few days we were at the Toll depot in Broome collecting our new machine. The size of the package nearly blew us away. By the time you add the heavy water and dust proof protective case, the carry bag, extra coils, earmuffs, spare batteries, sling and whatever else this was no longer a compact detector.
We played for a while on the beach in Broome picking up lots of small junk before an elderly onlooker asked if he could take a look at the ATX. He said hed spent many years swinging a metal detector and overall had found more than 8kg in gold. He suggested we make our way down to Nichol River near Karratha and try the salt flats there. We never found gold on our own but with the help of a local Mrs M dug and came away with a little 0.2g nugget. It was found with the GPX5000 where the ATX would hardly indicate a change in tone.
Well I have to say we were quite disappointed in the ATX. It seemed attracted to lead shotgun pellets where others were finding gold. We visited Ray the Minelab agent just to say hello to the guy we attempted to buy a detector from. He was obviously biased towards the Minelab machines and was nothing but critical of the ATX. However he generously lent us a little Minelab Eureka detector and suggested a spot for us to try. Unfortunately we never found the place and are quite sure he gave us a bum steer and I think the little Eureka was useless in these conditions.
With a little research we made our way to Burnies Patch where we met a nice couple with the ATX and a 5000. I told them we had this little nugget that the ATX didnt want to know about and he said The 5000 would find that ok so he called his wife over. Well theres something about our little nugget because the 5000 ignored it just lying there in a zip bag. That made me a little happier but I was still disappointed that the other 5000 found it 30mm under the muddy salt flat and the ATX couldnt.
Since then weve learned a bit more and we got Mrs M a great little Whites GMT. Now that we know a little more and weve learned the machines that little 0.2g nugget is our test piece. We carry it in a small tube and make sure each machine finds it before we head out to find more.
Our trip to the DWAG Muster at Niagara, WA was a learning curve. We were given a few clues on what ground to look for in the Niagara area and given a few tips on where to start. It really made all the difference to go with a group to get started. Thanks to the DEWAG guys we came home with 44g even though we had to listen to all the negative comments about the ATX from guys whod never held one and Mrs m was told that she wouldnt find anything with the Whites GMT in WA.
Before we headed off to Hawaii I decided this was the original reason I wanted the SDC2300. It was compact enough to fit into our baggage and reportedly good enough to find gold anywhere. We grabbed one in Bunbury on the way to the airport and never turned it on until we got to a Hawaiian beach.
My opinion so far
Ergonomics
Well the Garrett ATX wins here. It just feels good in the hand. Its balanced nicely with a comfortable armrest and great control panel that can be reached with the fingers as you detect. The standard DD coil balances nicely but the little 8 mono changes the overall weight significantly. I find it too heavy when the 20 mono coil is fitted.
The SDC2300 just feels awkward to me. It starts out feeling lighter than the ATX but doesnt feel comfortable. It doesnt come with a bungee but really needs one. The control panel seems to be missing a lot of control and I find it difficult to understand and use.
Ill add the little Whites GMT because we have it too. It doesnt win too many points on ergonomics but its light weight and such fun to use that that doesnt seem to matter. All the controls have a little arrow in the ideal position to get you started and you can adjust it from there. Those settings seem suitable for most conditions. The earphones dont have any coils in the long lead so that can be a little annoying in bushy conditions.
Batteries
Well the GMT wins hands down. They say the batteries last for about 40 hours but even though Mrs M was out swinging every day they went on for weeks without a recharge. I think they just rejuvenated overnight.
The ATX does ok as well. It comes with 8 AA rechargeable and 8 alkaline batteries each housed in a neat 4 battery cartridge. If the rechargeable batteries run flat during the day you simply slide the two other cartridges in and carry on. Ive rarely used the alkaline batteries because as the machine is turned on it indicates the amount of battery charge. Then when the batteries run down it gives off an annoying little intermittent jingle and flashes the battery light at least an hour before the batteries die.
The SDC. Well what can I say, Minelab have done a lousy job here. Firstly the batteries dont fit the holder so each needs a bandaid just to keep it in constant contact. Then they fitted 4 C-cell batteries. I thought these went out with transistor radios and those old torches we used before rechargeable LEDs took over. Every other thing we use has AA batteries so its no problem having a few more hanging around pre-charged. The C-cell batteries just dont last. They almost make it through the day but worst of all when they go flat everything stops. The alarm sounds and it all drops dead. If you happen to be a kilometre from the car and you dont carry around a pocket full of batteries then you just start walking.
Signal
Once again the GMT wins here. It has a beautiful little Quack that sounds right on the target. It changes its tone depending on the type of metal and it gives a clear grunt when it thinks the target is iron. The LCD display gives a variety of signals that work well with the sound to give the operator a good indication of the type of target detected.
I guess Ive got used to the ATX now but I still cant easily differentiate between the changes in tone. It gives a long signal that is confusing because the sound continues along with the swing making it difficult to easily determine t position of the target. It also has a nice iron check that can be of assistance but cant always be trusted. The pinpointing is fantastic. It will indicate by audio and a full set of LEDs when the centre of the coil is directly over the target. It can trick you sometimes when there are multiple targets but overall it saves a lot of time. Sometimes the coil is so touch sensitive that it will give a false signal even on a green plant. From a noise point of view in almost all conditions the detector can be operated silently. It has infinite adjustments for all conditions allowing to operator to swing along without a sound until a target is found.
Our first experience with the SDC was all bad. It kicked up so much noise every time it was turned on in Hawaii Mrs M just threw it back in the boot and we used the ATX. Since we bought the Sun Ray earphones and adapter (an extra $300) and used it here in Australia its been a lot better. Its still badly missing enough adjustments to control the EMI and effects of bad ground to be able to run the machine quietly most of the time. At least the earphones have volume control. The signal is like the ATX. It drags on through the swing not clearly indicating the position of the target. It has no pinpointer either but the coil is quite small so that helps.
Performance
Unfortunately I cant give a very good comparison yet. The ATX loves rusty steel down to the tiniest fragments and lead and copper bullet fragments. Fortunately it knows how to find gold as well. Weve not found much in the way of small gold yet but until we get something with the SDC I have no way to compare them.
The GMT loves foil. If theres aluminium foil anywhere it seems to find it all. Its a joy to use anyway and finds other tiny targets as well. Its only found 3g of gold so far but Im quite sure that theres lots more to come.
I really expected something special from the SDC on this trip. We went right to the area where we previously pulled out several nuggets with the ATX and the GMT but this time we got nothing with any of them. Mrs M spent a lot of time in the area where she had success with the GMT previously but the ground seemed clean. It too finds lots of small junk so I guess the gold will come.
Ill try to keep you posted on my personal opinion on our first three metal detectors.
