Garrett AT Gold Metal Detector, 18 kHz Gold Prospecting

The Garrett AT Gold is a waterproof VLF metal detector for natural gold prospecting, built for prospectors searching for small nuggets in creeks, rocky ground and mineralized gold-bearing locations. It runs at 18 kHz, a higher frequency than the 15 kHz AT Pro and 13.6 kHz AT Max, with a true All Metal mode, iron discrimination from 0 to 44 and a Ground Balance Window, and Garrett rates it submersible to 10 feet (3 meters) in fresh water. Garrett's box includes the 5 x 8 inch PROformance DD searchcoil and wired MS-2 headphones.

What is in the box with the Garrett AT Gold

Garrett's standard contents for the AT Gold (Garrett part 1140680)

• Garrett AT Gold control housing with S-shaped stem
• Upper and lower stem
• Searchcoil mounting hardware: wing nut, two mounting washers and threaded bolt
• 5 x 8 inch PROformance DD searchcoil with coil cover
• Garrett MS-2 wired headphones with headband and ear cushions
• Four AA batteries in the battery holder, installed
• Owner's manual

About the Garrett AT Gold

The Garrett AT Gold is designed for prospectors searching for small nuggets in creeks, rocky ground and mineralized gold-bearing locations. Gold prospecting brings different challenges from ordinary coin hunting: small nuggets, mineralized soil, hot rocks and weak target responses. The AT Gold answers with an 18 kHz operating frequency, which Garrett describes as optimized for gold prospecting and which is higher than the 15 kHz Garrett AT Pro and the 13.6 kHz AT Max, plus adjustable ground balance with a Ground Balance Window, a true All Metal mode and a housing Garrett rates waterproof to 10 feet (3 meters) in fresh water.

What we like about the AT Gold is its 18 kHz operating frequency together with the All Metal mode, a combination that suits small natural gold and other low-conductivity targets. We would choose it for small-gold prospecting when you also want a versatile waterproof VLF detector.

Garrett AT Gold search modes and key settings

• Three modes: a true All Metal mode plus two discrimination modes, DISC 1 and DISC 2, with Pro audio and electronic pinpointing. In All Metal the proportional audio reports changes in signal strength, and the mode responds to iron and other junk as well as gold.
• Ground balance and Ground Balance Window: manual and automatic ground balance with Fast Track, plus a Ground Balance Window adjustable from 0 to 6. Garrett's manual calls the default of 2 optimum for most conditions; the window smooths out the audio by reducing subtle ground responses, so faint targets are easier to hear.
• Iron discrimination and Iron Audio: iron discrimination from 0 to 44, Iron Audio and All Metal Iron Audio (some iron discrimination must be set for Iron Audio to work).
• Sensitivity, threshold and target ID: eight sensitivity settings, an adjustable threshold, four slightly different frequencies (F1 to F4), and a 0 to 99 digital target ID with a 20-segment graphic scale.

Water and creek prospecting with the Garrett AT Gold

Garrett says the AT Gold is built to withstand dust, dirt and being submerged to 10 feet (3 meters) in fresh water. The included headphones are not waterproof, as Garrett's manual states, and for submersion Garrett specifies its waterproof headphones. The common mistake we see is assuming that because the AT Gold is waterproof, it is designed for saltwater beach detecting. Salt water can create problems for its VLF system, and Garrett's manual does not recommend saltwater use; it says the AT Gold performs well for coins and jewelry on dry sand beach areas. See our waterproof metal detectors.

Where the Garrett AT Gold works well, and where it does not

Small nuggets in creeks, rocky ground and mineralized gold-bearing locations suit the AT Gold. For dedicated tiny-gold prospecting we would consider the Garrett Goldmaster 24K; for severe mineralization, Garrett's pulse induction Garrett Axiom is a better candidate; and for general coin hunting, the AT Pro may be more suitable. See our gold detectors.

Garrett AT Gold coil and batteries

The AT Gold comes with the compact 5 x 8 inch PROformance Double-D searchcoil; our coil guide explains the tradeoffs. Four AA batteries come installed and run the AT Gold for 20 to 40 hours depending on battery type and quality.

Getting started with the Garrett AT Gold

On exposed bedrock along a gold-bearing creek, we ground balance first, switch to All Metal and investigate faint, repeatable responses around cracks and rocks. The settings worth learning first are ground balance, the Ground Balance Window, threshold and All Metal mode.

Who we would recommend the Garrett AT Gold to

We recommend the AT Gold to prospectors searching for small nuggets in creeks, rocky ground and mineralized gold-bearing locations, where its 18 kHz frequency, All Metal mode and Ground Balance Window are the features that matter.

Garrett AT Pro, AT Max and AT Gold compared

All three AT detectors share the all-terrain build and the 10 foot (3 meter) rating; these are the differences that decide between them, from Garrett's published specifications. Our best metal detectors for coins guide and VLF metal detectors cover more choices.

Garrett AT Gold specifications

Garrett covers the AT Gold with a 3-year warranty, as it now does for its detectors, pinpointers and searchcoils.

See all our Garrett metal detectors.

Every AT Gold package and accessory we carry is in our Garrett AT Gold collection.