Garrett 1142160, AT Max User guide

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AT MAX International Owner’s Manual

MAX

1881 W. State Street Garland, Texas 75042

Tel: 1.972.494.6151 Email: sales@garrett.com Fax: 1.972.494.1881

Owner’s Manual

English / Spanish / French / German

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AT Max International User Controls ..........................................................................2

AT Max International Display Information ................................................................3

Quick Start Guide ....................................................................................................4

Components ............................................................................................................5

AT Max International Contents .................................................................................6

Detector Assembly ..................................................................................................7

Power On/Basic Controls .........................................................................................9

Factory Reset, Frequency Adjust, Backlight ......................................................9

Target Information ................................................................................................10

Volume Adjust .......................................................................................................11

Selecting Modes (Discrimination Patterns) ...........................................................12

All Metal Mode vs Discrimination Modes ........................................................13

All Metal Mode Audio Characteristics ....................................................................14

Discrimination Mode Audio Characteristics ...........................................................15

Tone ID in Discrimination Modes ....................................................................16

Proportional Audio Characteristics ........................................................................17

Notch Discrimination.............................................................................................18

Sensitivity .............................................................................................................20

Audio Threshold Adjustment .................................................................................21

Ground Balance .....................................................................................................22

Iron Discrimination................................................................................................26

Iron Audio .............................................................................................................28

Z-Lynk Wireless Operation .....................................................................................32

Bench Tests ...........................................................................................................34

Hunting Tips ..........................................................................................................37

Pinpointing ...........................................................................................................41

Underwater Operation ..........................................................................................45

Troubleshooting Guide .......................................................................................... 46

Battery Replacement ............................................................................................47

Metal Detecting Code of Ethics ..............................................................................48

Cautions ................................................................................................................49

Caring For Your Detector ........................................................................................49

AT Max International Warranty / Service ................................................................50

AT Max International Accessories ...........................................................................51

AT Max

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International

AT Max User Controls

AT Max Display Information

Notch Discrimination:

Press Shift Button, use (+) or (-) keys to select pixels, then switch on or off with ELIM button (pg. 18).

Iron Discrimination:

Direct press (+) or (-) keys to adjust Iron Discrim level (pg. 26).

Volume Adjust:

Shift Button, then use (+) or (-) keys to change volume (pg. 11).

Sensitivity:

(+) or (-) keys to increase or decrease sensitivity level (pg. 20).

Press

Direct press

Manual Ground Balance:

Button, then use (+) or (-) keys to change ground balance setting (pg. 22).

Audio Threshold:

press (+) or (-) keys to change level of background sound (pg. 21).

Press Shift

Direct

Iron Discrim

Setting

(0-44)

also indicates Auto

Ground Balance Window setting

Target ID

Legend:

indicates metal

types

Lower Scale:

indicates notch

discrimination

pattern

Target ID

Cursor:

indicates

probable target

identity

Z-Lynk Icon:

indicates unit is

wirelessly paired

to a receiver.

Steady = paired

Blinking = searching

Off = not paired

Hold 1 second to switch power on/off.

Tap to select detection mode.

Hold 5 seconds to restore factory settings.

Garrett Metal Detectors AT Max

IRON AUDIO:

to hear discriminated iron (pg. 28).

LIGHT:

then press to switch LCD backlight on/ off (pg. 9).

Simultaneously press and release these two buttons to pair to a new wireless receiver (pg. 32).

Press Shift,

Use

Press and hold; use to precisely locate a target (pg. 41).

FREQ:

Tap to select

frequency (pg. 9).

ELIM:

Press Shift, then use with NOTCH DISC (+) or (-) to modify discrim pattern (pg. 18).

Press for secondary functions.

Hold for

Auto Ground

Balance.

Mode

Indicator

(pg. 12)

Battery

Level

Indicator

(pg. 47)

Digital

Target ID:

Also shows

settings during

adjustments.

Sensitivity

Setting

(pg. 20)

™

Depth

Indicator:

indicates depth of

coin-sized target.

(pg. 10)

International

Quick Start Guide

Components

1. Power ON.

Press the ON / OFF Power button for 1 second. The AT Max powers on in the last mode used and is ready to search. The detector operates with four (4) AA batteries which are already installed by Garrett.

2. Select Mode.

Use the Mode button to select a different detection mode, when desired. (Factory default mode is Coins.)

3. Adjust settings.

Adjust Sensitivity, Threshold, Volume, or Discrimination settings, if desired.

4. Begin scanning.

Lower the searchcoil to approximately 2-3cm (1 inch) above the ground and scan the coil left and right at approximately 1m/ second (3 ft/sec). The coil must be in motion for target detection, but can remain stationary during Pinpoint.

Display Screen,

Pushbutton

Controls

Control

Box

Battery

Access

Hatch

Camlock

Arm Strap

Arm Cuff

Handle Grip

Detector

Stand

S-shaped Stem

Camlock

Upper Stem

Lower Stem

Searchcoil

Garrett Metal Detectors AT Max

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AT Max Contents

Detector Assembly

Batteries installed

Upper, lower stem (connected)

Searchcoil (with coil cover installed)

Nut, bolt, mounting washers

Manuals

Control housing with S-shaped stem

MS-3 wireless headphones

USB charging cable

Loosen lower camlock by turning it right (clockwise) while holding the upper and lower stem assembly in front of you as shown below. Extend lower stem, and press mounting washers firmly into place.

Connect searchcoil to stem as shown, and hand-tighten wing nut. Loosen upper camlock, depress the spring clip in the S-stem (containing control housing), and insert the S-stem through the upper camlock collar into the upper stem.

Note: The spring clip must be engaged in the FIRST stem opening in order to access

Warranty card

If any part is missing, please contact Garrett Customer Service.

Garrett Metal Detectors AT Max

battery compartment.

1st pin position

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International

Adjust lower stem to comfortable length, and hand-tighten the camlocks. Wrap cable snugly around the stem with the first turn of the cable over the stem.

Insert coil connector into the 4-pin connector of the control box by lining up connector pins. Press firmly, yet carefully, until the O-ring is felt to be inserted, and hand-tighten.

Note: If the O-ring is properly seated, the connector's collar can be easily tightened; if the collar is difficult to turn, the O-ring may not be seated properly.

If needed, adjust the arm cuff by removing the screw on the bottom. Move the two-piece cuff to the other hole, reinsert the screw through the headphone cable clip, and tighten.

Powering ON / Basic Controls

LIGHT

Power ON/

OFF Button

Battery Level

Indicator

Power ON/OFF—Hold this button for 1 second to switch power ON or OFF.

Factory Reset —To restore factory settings, press and hold the power button for 5 seconds (until the detector produces a fast double beep).

Battery Level Indicator—Shows continuous status of battery life. Replace batteries when 1 segment remains (see page 47).

Frequency Adjust—Press the frequency settings. Choose from four minor frequency adjustments (F1 to F4) in order to minimize interference caused by electrical sources or other metal detectors. Note that initial button press shows current setting.

(must

press SHIFT first)

FREQ ADJUST

FREQ button to scroll through the

Backlight—Press the SHIFT

button, then push the LIGHT button to switch the LCD backlight on or off. Use the backlight in low light situations for improved visibility of the screen.

Garrett Metal Detectors AT Max

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Target ID

Legend

Target Information

Discrimination Pattern

(Lower Scale)

Target ID Cursor

(Upper Scale)

Tiny gold,

small jewelry

Foil

Gold nuggets, silver, copper

Thin Thick

bronze, larger jewelry

Pulltabs

Digital Target ID Depth Indicator

Target ID Legend—Works with the Target ID Cursor to

indicate a target's probable identity, with Ferrous (iron) targets at the left, non-ferrous targets that are thin or have low conductivity in the middle, and thick or high conductivity targets (e.g. thick silver) at the right.

Lower Scale—Displays the current discrimination pattern,

with lighted pixels indicating accepted targets and blank pixels indicating rejected targets.

Target ID Cursor (Upper Scale)—Will display for every target,

but will produce audio only for targets accepted on the Lower Scale. Digital Target ID—Provides a value from 0 to 99 to identify targets more precisely than the ID cursor. Coin Depth Indicator—The depth of a coin, or a similar sized target, is indicated in 5cm increments. Note: targets larger than a coin may display shallower than actual depth while targets smaller than a coin may display deeper than actual depth. The sample chart on the following page provides Digital Target ID ranges of some commonly found items.

Lead Projectiles

50 60 70 80 90 99

DIGITAL TARGET ID

0 10

Iron, Steel

Target ID can vary widely based upon the target's size and thickness because small, thin pieces of metal cannot conduct electrical current as well as thicker pieces of metal. In addition, mineralized soils can cause Target ID errors, especially for small targets. Tip: Target ID is most reliable when the target is centered under the searchcoil and the coil is swept flat and at a constant height above the ground.

Volume Adjust

To control the maximum loudness of target sounds, press the Shift button and then use the (+) or (-) VOL ADJUST buttons to set to your preference.

• Note that the AT Max's volume adjustments only affects the maximum audio produced by a large signal and does not affect the audio level or sensitivity of faint signals (i.e. Volume is a "limiter" and not a gain control), thereby preserving maximum detection of faint signals.

• To ensure maximum detection of faint signals when using headphones, set the headphone's volume to maximum and adjust the AT Max's volume to your preferred level.

Garrett Metal Detectors AT Max

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Selecting Modes (Discrimination Patterns)

Example: this is the preset notch discrimination pattern for COINS Mode.

Some digging of junk items is to be expected, such as aluminum cans.

• ZERO Mode–Detects every type of metal. All 12 discrimination pixels are switched on and High-Res Iron Discrim is set to 0 (zero)—indicating that no metals targets have been notched out (eliminated). Use this mode to find all metal items or when the material of the desired object is unknown. Switch to the Zero-Disc Mode to aid in locating a target when its signal is inconsistent. Such signals could mean a trash target is close to a good target.

The AT Max International includes four detection modes: a true All Metal Mode and three Discrimination Modes.

All Metal Mode vs Discrimination Modes

In any of the three Discrimination Modes (Custom, Coins, or Zero), the AT Max provides more Tone ID information in addition

Press the MODE button to scroll through the four modes:

to the ability to discriminate unwanted trash targets (e.g. nails, foil, pull-tabs). However, the three Discrimination Modes, by their

• ALL METAL Mode–Provides the greatest detection depth and sensitivity. The All Metal mode offers a continuous audio response to allow the operator to hear the subtle detection signals produced by faint targets. The All Metal Mode contains no discrimination, thus all types of metal will be detected.

• CUSTOM Mode–Can be programmed by the operator and the AT Max will retain the changes when the detector is switched off. The factory preset for the CUSTOM Mode is the same as the COINS Mode. Begin with this discrimination pattern and then use the NOTCH DISC (+) or (-) and ELIM buttons to customize the mode. (For more information, see pages 18–19.)

• COINS Mode–Designed to find most types of coins and

nature, are less sensitive to small and deep targets than the All Metal Mode. The All Metal Mode is ideal to use for maximum detection depth in areas that are not overly trashy or where there is no desire to eliminate any type of metal. The Discrimination Modes are usually desired in trashy areas for the elimination of some trash targets. The Discrimination Modes will provide quieter, more stable operation, but will not detect as deeply as the All Metal Mode. In any of the modes, the AT Max's searchcoil must be in motion to detect targets. Truly static detection is possible while using the detector's Pinpoint pushbutton.

jewelry and eliminate common trash items such as iron and foil. The High-Res Iron Discrim level has been set to 35 to exclude most iron targets, and one pixel of foil has been eliminated. Some desirable items that respond the same as foil may be missed.

Garrett Metal Detectors AT Max

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All Metal Mode Audio Characteristics

While in the ALL METAL Mode, the AT Max will respond to the entire range of conductive and magnetic properties encountered, including ground responses. The user is continuously hearing what the searchcoil is "seeing" in the ground. Therefore, it is essential to be properly ground balanced while operating in the ALL METAL Mode. Naturally occurring minerals in the soil must be canceled out during the ground balance procedure in order to detect only the signals from metal objects. The ALL METAL Mode provides target information, including a Target ID pixel on the upper scale, Digital Target ID, and depth reading. The AT Max thus allows the operator to remain in the ALL METAL Mode at all times, in contrast to some detectors which require the operator to switch to a Discrimination mode to obtain Target ID. Be aware that some deeper targets (faint audible signals) may exceed the reach of Target ID. Because the ALL METAL Mode permits no discrimination, the detector will give an audible signal to indicate every piece of metal it scans over. Target responses will normally be heard as a proportional Medium Tone. However, the AT Max is a unique All Metal detector in that its Iron Discrimination and Iron Audio™ features can be used to hear if detected targets are ferrous, as indicated by a low tone. Iron Discrimination levels can only be adjusted in the ALL METAL Mode if the Iron Audio feature is on;

note, these changes will not be retained when the detector is switched off. (See Iron Audio section, pages 28–31.) Gold prospectors and many relic hunters rely primarily on their ears to discern good target signals. These desired signals are presented as clean, repeatable responses that override the background audio.

Discrimination Mode Audio Characteristics

The AT Max International includes three Discrimination Modes: Custom, Coins, and Zero. These modes are used to eliminate trash metal items (e.g. foil, pull-tabs, nails) from detection and provide more Tone ID information that the ALL METAL Mode. Discrimination filters are introduced in these three modes, which can make them less sensitive to small and deep targets than the ALL METAL MODE. In its Discrimination Modes, the AT Max's Tone Roll Audio provides the user with more target information to help identify targets, particularly flat iron objects such as bottle caps and washers, especially with Iron Audio switched on. Tone Roll Audio provides a variance of target tones as the searchcoil approaches and passes over the target. These varying tones of audio provide better overall target information and identification.

Garrett Metal Detectors AT Max

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+ 18 hidden pages