Whites TDI SL or Gerrett ATX

[Greg in NV.]

Hi I am new to this forum and happy to be here. I currently have a Whites GMT with standard coil and 4"x6" shooter coil and am looking to add a PI detector. I've narrowed it down to the Gerrett ATX or Whites TDI SL. This detector will be used for nugget hunting, hunting at Lake Tahoe, and the beach northern cal.
Is the ATX better than the TDI SL on small gold, overall depth, and dealing with bad ground, if so how much? The TDI SL is aprox. $ 820.00 less than the ATX is the ATX worth the extra money? $2120.00 ATX or $1300.00 TDI SL. Also dose any one know the battery life of the ATX?
All information and opinions would be greatly appreciated.

 

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[Lanny in AB]

Great little thread. Thanks for the read.

All the best,

Lanny

 

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[Hard Prospector]

Rob... which coil was used and what were the GB / tone control settings... if you still recall. Thanks... Jim.

Jim, that day the coil I was using was the eliptical 6x10 TDI DF Mono and the TDI settings I most often run in the area are;
* "Low" conductivity
* Pulse Delay @ "10"
* GB @ "6"
* Gain @ about "9"

 

[GarretDiggingAz]

The short answer is yes. All the ground balancing pulse induction (GBPI) detectors produce two different tone schemes related to the current ground balance point. Items below the ground balance point tend to be low conductors and targets above tend to be high conductors. So the Garrett Infinium, TDI models, and Minelabs all can use tones to separate targets into at least two classes. The TDI allows you to manually adjust the ground balance point and so artificially choose where the tone point breaks. The Infinium and ATX pulse delay setting (Garrett calls it a discrimination control) apparently moves the ground balance setting simultaneous to advancing the pulse delay, also moving the tone break location, but the method is indirect and less useful than that offered on the TDI. The TDI can be set to completely ignore ferrous targets while still detecting high conductive non-ferrous targets. But depth is sacrificed also to where you may as well be using a VLF. Still, it is an interesting effect. Steve's Guide to White's TDI Coin Settings and Target Responses Coin Detecting with the Garrett Infinium Metal Detector Gold Nugget and Old Coins with a Minelab GP 3500 Gold and Silver with the New Garrett ATX Metal Detector I still have the TDI along with the ATX but in general I prefer the ATX for coin applications due to the superior modulation of the audio response. But the TDI is interesting also so I really can't use this single issue alone as a deciding point between the two detectors. You have to look at the overall features you desire as to what may work best for you.

Steve,
I was both impressed and shocked with your article on the ATX. Impressed by your hunt with the unit. Congrats on your finds of AZ gold. That was some small stuff. Even smaller than my nugget I just got. Then of coarse shocked, because of your reaction to the PI unit. I was glad to see its performance on the small gold. Since we had discussed me getting the GB2 or a PI. Your reaction was to mainly stick with a good VLF unit. So I think now I could actually choose to go to the ATX as another gold prospecting tool. I really enjoyed how you broke down how you used the unit and what choices or options to use with unit as well. One of the problems you mentioned was false signals when bumping the coil. I have the same problem with the ATG. I think it's in the connection from cable to coil. It seems very sensitive. Maybe they (Garrett) should/could look into this. Thanks for your input on the latest and greatest from Garrett. I found it to be of great use to help me decide if I should go ahead and get me a PI unit. Plus I do appreciate that you included that you could find gold with any detector and that you can't find it if your detectors in the closet. True words. Thanks for your valuable words to help inform us on the new tools of the trade.

 

[GarretDiggingAz]

Well I bought the Gerrett ATX! I think I'm really going to like it. Unfortunately there is snow on the ground here in The Reno area so I'll be waiting to try it out. Going to the beach in about a week so will get it out and do some hunting over there. Thanks everyone for all the help.

Why wait? Ok it's waterproof. Is there a temperature limit to operate the unit? Wrap it in neoprene and add a hand warmer packet to it. Then go hit the park/hills.

 

[Steve Herschbach]

Thanks for the comment GarrettDiggingAZ.

The ATX is probably the best value going in a PI right now. I just wish there was a dry land version that weighed less and did away with dirt collecting orings. If you want waterproof it is great but if you do not it is just a pain.

I have more ATX tricks up my sleeve I will publish soon to extend the usefulness and therefore value of the ATX.

 

[Reg]

HI Hard Prospector,

I am glad to see someone use the combination you mentioned, low conductor and GB not at the normal setting. It allows you to cheat and get more depth the less GB you can run with.

I also like running rechargeable li Ion batteries in my SL. They give me a little higher voltage and keep things a little more stable. Personally, I change batteries often to keep the instability to a minimum.

The SL isn't the greatest depth demon but it is light enough to use for hours and that is important to me.

Reg

 

[goldchaser3]

This is an interesting thread, and question. I have owned a TDI and an Infinium, and currently own the TDI SL. I have only seen videos of the ATX, but with the quality and quantity that Bearkat has been publishing I feel like I really know the ATX. Thank you, Bearkat.
That said, which would I choose, the ATX or the TDI SL. I have been running through this dilemma myself and have come to this conclusion:
* If I didn't already have the SL - i.e. If I did not currently own a PI machine - I would buy the ATX. With the sling to mitigate the weight, there are many things about this machine that justify the cost difference.
* Since I already own the SL, however, I am not going to buy an ATX at this time. I would be taking a loss on my SL, which I do not what to do - it is a great, light machine, with a silky smooth threshold, and good depth. I want one more nugget hunting season to re-test the hot rock challenge of the SL, plus to confirm the hot rock handling of the ATX. If I am still struggling with hot rocks after next season and have seen proof that the ATX handles them well, ATX here I come.

 

[Hard Prospector]

TDI SL

Hey Reg and Jim, just got back from a week in the desert...not a great trip. Mechanical issues with my truck(flat tire, punctured oil pan and blown out front end bushing) plus sickness cut into my prospecting program. Sleeping on the cold dirt while fighting the flu really sucks. Anyway, I found the TDI SL works best for me utilizing the smaller coils(10 in. or less) be it DF or mono. The smaller the coil the more I can increase gain/sensitivity while reducing GB, hitting the smallest pieces in the nastiest ground while maintaining smooth threshold. To maximize performance, I change out batteries as soon as they slip below 11volts (about every 2 hours). Yah, I go through a lot of AA's but I found Costco brand to be cheap but still of good quality. Your right. the TDI SL is no depth demon but from my experience, it will hit on small nuggets in the harshest ground as well as a GPX at 12" or less once the machine has been learned and tuned . After all, power is depth and we're running on AA's here.
By the way, I wanted to thank the both of you(plus Steve and Ray) for the very informative posts this past year which has helped me to take my game next level......Rob

 

[Hard Prospector]

Goldchaser3....I'm not sure which coil your swinging but the 7.5" DF handles the nasty ground typical of the gold fields much better than the 12" DF "Spider" loop. Actually of the White's TDI coils currently available, I've had good results with the 8" TDI "Aussi" mono coil especially around bed rock.