GTi2500 Question

[shortcut1224]

I am new to the Garrett's forum here but have thought lately of looking into a Garretts Detector. I have been pretty much a Whites guy having had a XLT and a MXT but have given thought about a 2500. Now I know this is a Garretts forum so I thought this is the best place to ask about them even if it may be a little biased. I have been told my Whites are deeper seekers and the Garrett machines are older technology but they have some features interesting to me. My friend uses a ACE250 and I was pretty impressed with that little machine so all you GTI2500 owners fill me in should I check into getting one?
Thank you for all your support in advance!

 

[shortcut1224]

ps I mainly coin and jewelry hunt and have started some relic hunting at old farm foundations we have fairly mild ground in NW Ohio.

 

[Uncle Willy]

I'm not biased so you're safe there. Some of Garrett's technology may be older but no one else has it or can get it as Garrett has it all locked up in patents. The other companies wish they could get it just like they've been scrambling to catch up with the Ace 250 to no avail after Charles slipped that little jewel on them when they weren't looking.l.

One of the reasons that Garrett hasn't come out with a new detector every time the moon changes is the fact that Charles Garrett checks out all new detectors made by other companies and he has yet to find one that will do anything his machines won't do. You've been listening to some of those tired old stories that have been floating around for years usually spread by folks who have never used a Garrett or tried one and couldn't figure out how to use it. The prime requisite is that one has to be smarter than the detector..

As far as deep is concerned you had better pick up a long-handled shovel when hunting with a 2500 in all metal. Some time ago at the request of the Aussies Garrett installed a mineral chip in the 2500 that allows it to cut through hot ground with ease so your ground should present no problem. You might find yourself addicted to the imaging feature which no other detector has and will let you know that pop can ain't a coin. The best way to find out about one is to try one but beware ( as I always warned everyone when I ran the Garrett Classroom some years back ) you can't detect with a Garrett like you can with other detectors as they are a breed all their own. If you do you will have problems and wind up spinning some of those tales you have heard. So give one a whirl and welcome to a whole new world of detecting. Good luck.

Bill

 

[willy]

I have to interject something here re. Garrett detectors and capabilities,

Charles Garrett checks out all new detectors made by other companies and he has yet to find one that will do anything his machines won't do.

.. when it comes to VLF gold detectors, the Garrett units are woefully inadequate. I've had a number of Garrett detectors, including the Scorpion, and none of them will hold a candle to an MXT (or a GMT), especially in bad ground. At present I have 2 Garrett detectors, so this isn't just a drive-by 'shooting'. If anyone wants to argue the point, just check out Steve's forum at AMDS. Personally, as coin/ring detectors, I really like the Garretts, but that's about it. ..Willy.

 

[Uncle Willy]

Thanks for your two cents Willy. All opinions greatly appreciated. Have you been over to the new Scorpion Forum I had put up recently. It ain't doing too bad so far.

Bill

 

[willy]

Nope, haven't been there. I fear that I'd start griping about Garrett not upgrading the Scorpion and end up being given the bum's rush. Keep waiting for a new unit to come out, but no dice; have you heard anything? Right now I'm just itching to get out into the backwoods, blown L4-L5 disc be-damned, but gotta get a new truck. The rear-end grenaded in mine and it would cost more to repair than it's worth. Just waiting for that deal to come along and then I'll blow this popsicle stand. Gonna do some nugget hunting and ghost-towning. That's why I picked up the GMH III.. ghost-towns and as an emergency nugget detector, though only for the larger stuff. Will still have to pick up a 5x10" coil for it. Been doing some testing and.. I dunno, it seems to have a faster recovery time than what I remember the GTI 2500 having. Maybe that's just CRS showing it's ugly head. ..Willy.

 

[Uncle Willy]

I haven't heard squat about a new machine but the 250 is still selling like a house afire so maybe they don't need a new one yet. Just the profits from that one built the new wing on the factory. Probably when someone comes out with something that poses a real threat to Garrett Charles and the boys will get back to the drawing board.

The GMH may have a bit faster recovery time as it doesn't have all the information to process that the GTI has to contend with. After all, that was Charlies favorite machine.

Bill

 

[metalhead]

I am new to the Garrett's forum here but have thought lately of looking into a Garretts Detector. I have been pretty much a Whites guy having had a XLT and a MXT but have given thought about a 2500. Now I know this is a Garretts forum so I thought this is the best place to ask about them even if it may be a little biased. I have been told my Whites are deeper seekers and the Garrett machines are older technology but they have some features interesting to me. My friend uses a ACE250 and I was pretty impressed with that little machine so all you GTI2500 owners fill me in should I check into getting one?
Thank you for all your support in advance!

Oh yeah, man, you're gonna love that GTI 2500. It's got a bit of a learning curve to it, but once you master it, it's really incredible. Yeah, that imaging feature gives up a couple inches in depth, but you can always just use a plain concentric 12.5" Scorcher(deepest). My favorite are the double"D" search coils. You've got alot of search coils to choose from with the GTI's.
Best of luck to ya!Feel free to ask for advice at any time.Happy Hunting!

 

[coin hunter]

I've heard this before .Garrett has old technology. Not true. Like any model of anything,cars for an example the model stays the same but there electronics and the mechanics are kept up to date.The microprocessor technology has improve from 5 years ago and you can bet the lasted advancements are in Garrett's machines.Their machines can be upgraded just send the machine back and a new chip will be added. I have. The FCC regulates the power output on all transmitting devices . All company's that sell metal detectors us the max output allowed by law. Depth is determined experience, ground conditions , size of head, user friendly machine and good luck. Anyway that's my take on the subject. Happy Hunting.

 

[willy]

The FCC and power output is an old chestnut that has been dug up time and again, but I'm going to bring up another aspect that is often overlooked.. field strength of a search coil doesn't have a linear relation to the power output. I think that it's something like 1/(4 pi r 2) which, even if I'm not quite right, means you'd need a honkin' big battery setup in order to realize a minor increase in depth due to increased field strength. As for the difference between old and new, I think it's more a case of packaging, bells 'n whistles, and the replacement of analogue with digital systems. Take a look at the Tesoro lineup; basically old as the hills style detectors that are still finding great things and, at least some of them, still giving the newest gee-whizz detectors a run for their money when it comes to depth. The really nice thing about 'old' tech is that it's super cheap to buy used. I don't know how many times I've read posts where somebody with a brand new, even makes you coffee, detector gets a whuppin' from somebody swinging an old dinosaur. I've done it myself (a buddy had a GTax 750 and I utterly destroyed him with my original big box Golden Sabre) and had it done unto me. There are even tricks that the older units are capable of doing that the newer units aren't. ..Willy.

 

[Alan Applegate]

Why this FCC thing keeps coming up is beyond my thinking. There is indeed a Part 15 which covers incidental radiators. In other words, if an electronic device emits a radio signal (again that's RADIO), but isn't (wasn't) designed to be one, then Part 15 applies. A typical example of this is a home computer. Some aren't shielded very well, and they radiate hash which can be heard on any nearby radio. Some digital TVs, and even electronic clocks can do the same.

As for a metal detector. The CPU inside is indeed a computer, albeit small in scale. That part of the device is covered by Part 15. You can hear some of them using a radio receiver, but I'd bet they all meet Part 15 rules. However, trying to apply this to the coil itself, is ill placed.

The highest frequency modern metal detectors use, is just below 100 kHz. That's 100,000 cycles per second. However, any frequency below 100 kHz, DOES NOT fall under Part 15.

Most detectors nowadays, operate between about 5 kHz and 15 kHz. That falls in the audio spectrum. Some, not so well made detectors, can actually be heard if your hearing is very good.

A better example is the Garrett 2500. Its mean coil frequency of operation hovers around 7 kHz. In case you missed it, this is in the audio spectrum, not the RF spectrum! So, Part 15 doesn't apply! Period! But you still can't "hear" it, as the coil is very well supported so it can't physically oscillate.

As alluded to above, the amount of power applied to the transmit coil, doesn't have a linear correlation to the detection depth. Even increasing by a factor of ten, won't guarantee any improvement in depth. Remember, we have to also receive the reflected signal, and the more power that's applied to the transmit search coil, the more difficult receiver design becomes. And, we have to balance cost, weight, battery life, and a few dozen other things in the process.

I'm of the opinion that the maximum detection depth, for a hand-carried detector, is already in our hands. The next step is interferometry. Once low power consuming CPUs get powerful enough, we will indeed see the technology. Whether we can afford it, remains to be seen.

Alan Applegate, K

 

[fongu]

You guys are talking way over my head, I'm just a country boy. Now, I got a headache. Love my 2500 and propointer, though.

 

[whadda]

You guys are talking way over my head, I'm just a country boy. Now, I got a headache. Love my 2500 and propointer, though.

I'm with fongu,, the whole mine is bigger than yours thing is a bit old as well,,Shortcut if you are keen on one of these machines go and look at you tube there are a heap of videos there,, and also the instruction vids as well,,, I am with uncle willy on the whole try one out if you can find someone near you to let you have a swing,, I was looking at the minelab 705 and was able to find a friend that let me use it for a few weeks and I was soon able to know weather I wanted to buy one,, to tell the truth I don't think you would go wrong with a 2500 as they seem to be a great all round detector that if you want is really simple to operate,, but also has the advantage of tricking it up for the more experienced,,

my 2 bits

Roger

 

[willy]

This is the thing when it comes to detectors: take two otherwise equal machines and.. a person may really like one and hate the other. Sometimes the better detector is unbearable; just personal preference. I find that to be the case with the XTerras vs Garretts. Swung an XT 70 for years and never really liked the tones 'n such since it sounded like somebody playing the flute.. badly. The GMH III (and other high end Garretts) I really like, despite the lack of tones (3 vs. a bunch). Ostensibly, the XT 70 (and I had an XT 705) is the better detector with it's multitude of settings and choice of frequencies, but not for me. Also, too many people have fallen into the trap of thinking that detectors follow the 'more is better' principle and, because my 'magic wand' is more powerful than yours, I'll get all the goodies. Don't work like that in real life. Sometimes the guy with the $100 Bounty Hunter Tracker 4 puts on a 'clinic', to the chagrin of others with the latest and greatest.
One thing I will admit, but in some cases it's overrated, is that the higher end detectors often DO have features that MIGHT add up to more 'n better finds. The thing is, often these features are ignored or are inappropriate given what/where a person is detecting; don't need a $1500 detector to buzz through tot lots. Then again, I WOULDN'T take an Ace 250 out nuggethunting. Nuff said. ..Willy.

 

[shortcut1224]

Thanks to all I really appreciate all the replies I have a dealer who says I will be better off in this area with an etrac and one dealer says keep the Mxt or get a Vision as these will be deeper hunters. I do think all are probably great machines and all have their loyal followings and maybe the etrac will find deeper silver. I do know the MXT is quite noisy and in iron infested farmsteads and confusing trying to figure out f it is a good signal or not. Thanks again for all your help.

 

[BlueNinja14]

I have to interject something here re. Garrett detectors and capabilities,

Charles Garrett checks out all new detectors made by other companies and he has yet to find one that will do anything his machines won't do.

.. when it comes to VLF gold detectors, the Garrett units are woefully inadequate. I've had a number of Garrett detectors, including the Scorpion, and none of them will hold a candle to an MXT (or a GMT), especially in bad ground. At present I have 2 Garrett detectors, so this isn't just a drive-by 'shooting'. If anyone wants to argue the point, just check out Steve's forum at AMDS. Personally, as coin/ring detectors, I really like the Garretts, but that's about it. ..Willy.

Have you tried the GTI 2500 with the DD coil? It looks to me like using the non imaging coil works great. I just ordered one. I found a silver dime at 8" with the imaging coil. I love my machine and think highly of the Garrett detectors. My wife uses an ACE 250 and I just purchased one for my dad for Fathers day.

 

[BlueNinja14]

I have to interject something here re. Garrett detectors and capabilities,

Charles Garrett checks out all new detectors made by other companies and he has yet to find one that will do anything his machines won't do.

.. when it comes to VLF gold detectors, the Garrett units are woefully inadequate. I've had a number of Garrett detectors, including the Scorpion, and none of them will hold a candle to an MXT (or a GMT), especially in bad ground. At present I have 2 Garrett detectors, so this isn't just a drive-by 'shooting'. If anyone wants to argue the point, just check out Steve's forum at AMDS. Personally, as coin/ring detectors, I really like the Garretts, but that's about it. ..

Have you tried the GTI 2500 with the DD coil? It looks to me like using the non imaging coil works great. I just ordered one. I found a silver dime at 8" with the imaging coil. I love my machine and think highly of the Garrett detectors. My wife uses an ACE 250 and I just purchased one for my dad for Fathers day.

 

[willy]

I had the GTI 2500 with both the stock coil and the 5x10" DD. I won't argue depth on larger items, especially high conductors, but small low conductors is an entirely different ball of wax. The shortcomings of the GTI (and Gold Stinger) all-metal mode become readily apparent when hunting highly mineralized AND changeable ground; I'm talking major changes within feet. About the only detector that seems to run acceptably, without switching to disc. (and some not even in disc.), is the MXT. One thing I really DO like about the Garrett detectors, and the MXT, is the relative insensitivity to EMI.. even at high settings. That becomes especially important when hunting in an urban setting. ..Willy.

 

[bearkat4160]

Yeh the MXT has a very AGGRESIVE ground tracking, which while testing both in very hot ground here in California...the MXT out performed my GTI 2500 in stability and usability in this ground. But I have got used to my 2500 and what it tells me and how to work around its less aggresive ground tracking even with the new mineralization chip in it.

Alan

 

[willy]

From what I've seen, the GMH III (and the GTI 2500) AM mode would require a verrrrrry slow sweep speed with good height control when hunting over variable ground. Too bad there wasn't a VSat control or a fast autotune in AM. That would make a huge difference. I had a Kellyco Cobra II that I modified (as per George Payne's instructions) to have a Vsat and 20 turn GB; that Vsat made a HUGE difference whilst hunting and the guy I sold it to (still regret doing that.. BAD Willy, BAD!) really likes it. Wish I could do the same (Vsat) with the GMH III 'cause it woud then be a real BEAST. ..Willy.