Ground Balance; Ground Track - Garrett ATX Owner's Manual

Change Volume by
pressing the SHIFT
button, then the (+) and
(-) VOL buttons.

Ground Balance

In addition to dirt or sand, most ground also contains various minerals
and salts� Concentrations of ground mineralization can create erratic de-
tector sounds ("ground noise") and reduce performance if the mineral-
ization is not compensated for� The ATX has advanced Ground Balance
capabilities to handle all ground conditions—including ironstone ground and
even saltwater—without the need to switch into a special mode�
Note: It its recommended to Ground Balance the ATX in each new envi-
ronment in order to ensure maximum detection depth�
To Ground Balance:
• Find an area clear of metallic objects and raise the searchcoil about 6
inches above the ground�
• Press and release the SHIFT button to access Secondary controls�
• Press and hold the GND BAL button (see illustration on next page) and
wait for the double beep (about one second) to indicate the Ground
Balance function is engaged�
• While continuing to hold the GND BAL button, quickly bounce the
searchcoil from 1 to 6 inches above the ground�
• Continue to pump the coil until the ground response is completely
eliminated; typically takes 3 to 7 seconds� Release the GND BAL
button and begin hunting�
Note: The first few seconds of Ground Balance audio allows the opera-
tor to "hear" how mineralized the ground is� Lightly mineralized ground
will initially produce weak audio, while heavily mineralized ground will
initially produce strong audio�
16 Garrett Metal Detectors
As Volume levels
are adjusted, the
new level will
be temporarily
indicated on
these LEDs.
To Ground Balance, press
the SHIFT button, then
press and hold down the
GND BAL button while
pumping the searchcoil
above the ground.

Ground Track

When switched on, Ground Track provides slow, continuous tracking to
ground mineralization� The ATX has four Ground Track settings: OFF, SLOW,
MEDIUM, and FAST, with OFF being the factory default setting�
To change the Ground Track setting:
• Press and release the SHIFT button to access Secondary controls�
• Repeatedly press the GND TRACK button to step through the four
settings (see illustration below)� OFF is indicated by LED 1, SLOW is
indicated by LED 5, MEDIUM by LED 9, and FAST by LED 13�
• Press and release SHIFT button again to exit Secondary adjustments�
• The green LED will blink during operation when Ground Track is on.
Note: Ground Track may reduce detection depth due to slowly track-
ing to a target, especially with repeated swings over the target� Therefore,
Ground Track should only be used when changing ground mineralization
requires frequent re-ground balancing�
Change Ground Track
setting by pressing the
SHIFT button, then
repeatedly press the
GND TRACK button to
step through settings.
Medium Ground
Track setting
indicated by
LED 9
ATX ™ 17