Garrett Infinium LS

The patents are in place, the shrouds have been lifted, and finally after nearly 3 years of research and rumors, the long-awaited Garrett Infinium LS is here! For the past few months, this mysterious detector has been the topic of chat rooms and prospecting forum discussions all across the Internet. In all my years of detecting, I can hardly think of any other machine (besides the SD 2000) that has been as highly anticipated as this one.

Garrett Electronics carved a name for themselves with the creation of their esteemed Groundhog line, known to many as the most revolutionary gold machines ever. Sure these early detectors were a bit awkward, noisy and only penetrated several inches, but few will deny the overwhelming impact they had on the world’s goldfields. That was back in the 1980s and since that time the Texas based company has remained idle on the gold front. Many prospectors, myself included, have often wondered - why the long vow of silence? Whatever the reasons may be, one thing is for certain, Garrett has awoken from their 20-year slumber with guns blazing!

Blasting the ground at a whopping 730 pulses per second, the Infinium is outfitted with Garrett’s Advanced Pulse Induction (API) and has been specially designed for cutting through highly mineralized soil. Some of its exciting features are automatic ground tracking, enhanced discrimination, and audio target identification. It is recommended for prospecting, beach/diving, and coin/relic hunting.

An impressive feature of the Infinium is its’ ability to be customized. The control box can be mounted in a variety of different positions to suit the operator’s own preference. It may be used as a belt mount, under the cuff, under the stem, or placed above the stem. It comes standard with the 10 x 14” Power DD, a coil designed to cope with severe levels of ground mineralization. Its’ larger-than-average size provides ample ground coverage and depth, while still retaining “moderate” sensitivity to small targets. The open-face design also works to reduce the overall weight. The Infinium is powered by 8 AA batteries, which are housed in a sealed compartment at the rear of the control box. The expected life is anywhere from 10-15 hours.

With only 3 dials, this detector offers simplicity at its finest. It is so easy to use that anyone with a bit of detecting experience can become proficient in its operation within a matter of hours.

The Threshold Adjustment is used to set the base or background audio level. This knob also doubles as a Frequency Adjust. One thing that has plagued PI users over the years is external interference. This interference comes in many forms, be it radio transmissions, power lines, or from other detectors. The Infinium combats this nuisance by having the ability to alter its’ operating frequency. With only a turn of the dial, it is possible for the user to select between 32 different operating frequencies until the quietest one is found.

The main function of the Automatic Ground Track knob is to turn the detector OFF/ON, and to adjust the ground balance. It has four different positions; these are power, slow, lock and fast. The Slow and Fast positions are used to compensate for changing ground conditions. If, while hunting in the Lock position, you experience false signals or erratic behavior, you will need to ground balance the detector by selecting one of these two positions. Use Slow when only minor ground balance adjustments are needed. Use Fast when more severe adjustments are needed. When placed in the Lock position the detector no longer compensates for changing ground conditions, but rather remains “locked” in its’ current ground balance. This setting provides maximum depth and sensitivity and should be used whenever possible. The other positions will cause a slight loss of detection depth and sensitivity and should only be used when the detector is not properly balanced, or when ground conditions change so rapidly that constant reground balancing becomes a nuisance.

The Discrimination dial affects the way in which the detector responds to targets of varying composition. With zero discrimination the detector will achieve maximum detection depth, but will respond to all targets. As the level of discrimination increases, the amount of unwanted items (i.e., pull tabs, iron, etc.) detected decreases. A unique feature of the Infinium is its’ use of reverse discrimination. This is how it works. Once a target has been found in minimum discrimination, the discrimination dial is increased to its’ maximum level (Iron Check). If the target still produces a substantial signal there is a good chance it is iron. If the target has disappeared or weakened then it’s probably a desirable target.

Before beginning any discussions about the field test I must clarify one thing. The new Garrett is a multi-purpose machine and can be used for a variety of different hunting applications. However, since my personal specialty is electronic prospecting, this field test was only concerned with the Infinium’s ability to locate gold, specifically placer nuggets, in the highly mineralized soils of the southwest. It may very well be an excellent coin, relic, and diving machine, however, as far as this article is concerned it was only evaluated on its’ prospecting merit.

Unfortunately when I received the Infinium it was smack dab in the middle of summertime. I was anxious to get out into the field with the new unit, but it was hard to bare the thought of detecting in a scorching 110 degrees! I decided that the cooler, high elevation goldfields were my best option. The first test location I chose holds the title as being Arizona’s richest creek; the famous Lynx! Nestled in the foothills of the Northern Bradshaw Mountains, Lynx Creek has produced nearly 100,000 ounces of placer gold over the years. It was here that I decided to try my luck.

As I approached the creek I noticed that someone had dug several trenches down to bedrock on one of the inside bends. They had obviously found something, so I figured this was an excellent place to begin. I powered up the Infinium, tuned it using the Slow position and began working the exposed bedrock. Although well balanced, the Infinium is a bit on the heavy side. Operators that plan on using it as a pole mount are likely to benefit by the addition of an arm-strap over the cuff and possibly a bungee cord. Veteran prospectors have been doing this for years, and I can think of no reason why these methods will not work with the Infinium.

The detector had no troubles coping with the mineralized country rock nor the occasional hot rock - the trash, however, was a different story. Even with the help of the discriminator, the concentration of trash in this portion of the creek was simply unbearable. I don’t mind digging my fair share, but after 130+ years of mining activity you can probably imagine how much rubbish had found its’ way into the belly of the creek. Although I wasn’t able to glean any gold from this location I did leave with a collection of bullets, several old buttons, a modern day penny and some valuable knowledge about the machines’ operation.

I’m sure the big question on every prospector’s mind is, “How does the Infinium fare against the SD and GP series detectors?” After giving the subject much consideration I finally decided that a field test is not the place to make such comparisons. Given the limited amount of time I got to spend with this unit and the fact I wasn’t able to test it with a monoloop, I feel it is inappropriate to draw such hasty conclusions. More importantly than it’s performance against existing machines is that for the first time in seven years, detectorists, namely prospectors, have a viable option when it comes to choosing a Pulse Induction machine. Better yet, it is my hope that this new competitor may help bring about the development of even more innovative technology, ultimately providing nugget hunters everywhere with the very best equipment possible. After all, it has been said that competition promotes creativity!