Garrett AT Gold Nugget Hunting

Garrett AT Gold Nugget Hunting

Garrett is one of the first companies to start making metal detectors for use by treasure hunters and gold prospectors. They have several good gold detectors on the market that will find gold nuggets.

A fairly new addition to their lineup is the Garrett AT Gold. This detector has quite a few different features that make it stand out from some of the competition in a similar price range. Depending on the area you are prospecting it may be a good choice for you needs. A few features that make this a good gold detector include:

Waterproof to 10 feet:

The Garret AT Gold is waterproof up to 10 feet deep, making it a perfect choice for hunting bedrock along creeks and rivers and in shallow water. You could even add a wetsuit to your arsenal and actually detect completely underwater if you want, reaching areas that no other metal detector has been before.

Sensitivity to Gold:

This is a very low frequency (VLF) type metal detector, which is a tried-and-true technology that is still used by most detector manufacturers today. It operates at 18 kHz, which means that it is very sensitive to small targets like gold nuggets, while still being very stable in mineralized soils.

Reasonable Price

You can buy the Garrett AT Gold at a reasonable price for the basic detector, or kits for around $800 that include some nice extras like headphones, digging tools, handheld pinpointers, and other handy tools that are pretty handy.

You may think it is expensive, but that’s actually a very good price for a dedicated gold detector. Most new gold detectors start at this price point and go up from there. In fact, compared to many other detectors (like those made by Minelab) this is quite inexpensive.

Search Coil Options For Garrett AT

It’s nice to have options for different coils when you are metal detecting, and the AT Gold has several different coil choices. It comes with the stock 5” x 8” DD submersible coil, but you can also purchase additional coils that are larger and smaller depending on your needs. Two of the most popular aftermarket coils are the 9” x 12” concentric coil or the 4.5” Super Sniper coil.

Manuals and Videos

With any metal detector, learning how to use all of the features is the most important thing you can do to improve your skills. The Garrett website has an excellent 4-part instructional video that you should definitely check out if you decide to buy the Garrett AT Gold. And of course, always read the manual and spend time experimenting with different setting on the detector the learn how to best use it to find gold in the field.

Where to Buy

The Garrett AT Gold can be purchased by itself or in some nice bundle packages too. If you are just getting started, it might be worth taking a look at these bundles since many of the accessories that come along with the detector are pretty nice to have, and getting them is part of a bundle gets you a lot better deal than if you were to get them all individual.

Check out the links below to see different bundle options for the AT Gold, or if you already have the accessories then you can get the detector by itself. If you want a good quality detector to hunt for gold nuggets, this detector is a great choice.

Garrett ACE 400 vs Garrett AT

Garrett ACE 400 metal detector is arguably one of the best detectors for beginners, as well as intermediate metal detectorists on the market today.

This budget friendly metal detector was built to perform with excellence at a great price! Continue reading to learn more about the features and benefits of the ACE 400.

The ACE 400 runs at an operating frequency of 10 kHz, which is a great frequency. Essentially, the higher frequency is, the more sensitive the machine is, but it gives up some detection depth.

The lower the frequency is, the more detection depth you will get, but the less sensitivity. The 10 kHz operating frequency is great for an all-around, utilitarian metal detector, and we believe this will suit most detectorists just fine!

The 400 comes with five different search modes, as well as a pinpointer mode. These modes include jewelry mode, coins mode, relic hunting mode, zero discrimination (all-metal) mode, and a custom mode.

We love the custom mode, as you can set whatever settings you want, and the detector will always keep those settings while in custom mode. In addition, the pinpointing mode helps cut down target recovery speeds by large margins.

The ACE 400 features 12 segment notch discrimination, making it easy to save time by not digging metals you do not want to find.

In addition, the ACE features Iron Audio, a Garrett AT exclusive feature, that allows you to hear the discriminated iron in order to be able to hear whether a signal is good, or if it is a washer or bottle cap.

Ground balancing is always a big issue when it comes to metal detecting, particularly in highly mineralized soils that cause much magnetic and electrical interference. The ACE 400 features a fixed ground balance set up, which is perfectly suitable (and more simple) for most treasure hunting environments.

The ACE 400 features a weatherproof control box, but the control box is not submersible and cannot be put underwater. With that being said, the search coil and stem are waterproof, so they can be submerged for any treasure hunting by the water’s edge. Waterproof coils are always a nice feature!

The ACE 400 is the only metal detector in the original ACE series that comes stock with an 8.5″ x 11″ PROformance DD search coil. We love DD PROformance search coils because they provide an increased detection depth, and also allow treasure hunters to cover more ground in less time. There are many additional search coils that are compatible with the ACE 400 for certain scenarios.

Our favorite ergonomic feature of this detector is its light weight! Weighing in at only 2.9 pounds, we believe most metal detectorists will have no problem swinging the 400 all day long! Beyond the weight, the armrest of the ACE 400 is adjustable, allowing you maximum control over the length you work with.

The elbow support piece has a soft foam coating on it, making it comfortable to use for long periods of time. The texturized rubber grip provides great grip even in wet conditions.

Garrett AT metal detector runs on 4 AA batteries, and generally provides anywhere from 20-40 hours of battery life. We love being able to run this for many hunts and not have to change the batteries!