First detector purchase - AT Gold? - And where from?

Hi all!

I am new to detecting, I live in VIC and I was about to purchase a sub $300 MD along the lines of a Gold Snoop Pro, Fisher F2, etc... I spend a bit of time in the goldfield areas anyway, so this is a bit of fun added to that!

After a bit of research I quickly worked out that I would need to go a bit better than the sub $300 range if I was to have any real success looking for Gold in Vic. Based on this, and looking at my budget I "think" that an AT Gold would be a good choice. I want to look for gold, coins and relics, and will not be using it on the beach. Working in riverbeds would be attractive too, and the AT Gold covers this (waterproof)!

If the AT Gold is the weapon of choice, I have a couple of questions:

1 - Where / who is the best to purchase one from? I have seen a combo called the "adventure pack" which includes the bag and coil cover and a few other bits that I will find handy. I want to support the Australian suppliers, however the listed prices on their websites appear to be a good $200+ more for the same item from O/S sellers (including shipping!)! That's the equivalent of a sniper coil and some other bits right there! This makes it harder, and so I hope that with the right contacts and/or advice I can purchase from an Aussie business without being ripped off paying too much!?

2 - I imagine (from the crap PR job that Garrett seem to have done) that the AT Gold that is sold in Australia is now the exact same item as sold in other countries?

3 - The AT Gold seems to add up to me, but any advice or alternative detectors that I should be looking at (sub $1000) would would be great to know about!


Thanks in advance for any help you can give me,

Pez


ps - I borrowed a mates new Ace 250 today, and I found a heap of Treasure in my backyard! (a few Pennies and Half Pennies, 10c, 5c, and 1c, nails, copper, solder, bottle tops, a watch housing and an old button.) I was surprised at the ability of this cheap MD to fairly accurately distinguish between metal types and depths. Discrim seems basic but effective enough for coin hunting. I will obviously need better performance in mineralised soils as found in VIC, hence the AT Gold idea...) Good fun. I'm hooked!

G'day Pez,welcome to the forum.

I can understand that it would be a couple of hundred dollars cheaper to buy from overseas,but ask yourself if its worth the time and money if something goes wrong with your gear to have it sent back overseas for repairs? I suggest you get in touch with Brad from "Aussie Detecting" here in our Commercial section and talk business with him about the A/T Gold.

Cheers Kon.

Hi Kon,

Thanks for the reply!

Yes I do believe there is value in buying locally - both for warranty & support and keeping our local businesses going. Value should carry an additional cost (which I am happy to pay for), but not an excessive one. The question for me is whether the currently listed prices offer me this value as I have the electronics knowledge, meaning most problems with gear like MD's can be solved pretty cheaply and easily without the need for warranty returns.

Thanks for the tip Kon - Once I am sure of the detector I want I will contact Brad from Aussie Detecting. His website says "WE WON'T BE BEATEN ON PRICE", so that's a very good start!

If anyone here has further suggestions and comments on the A/T Gold, or alternative units I should consider, please let me know (and quickly, I have caught the bug!!!)

Cheers,

Pez