Garrett Metal Detectors GTAx 550 User manual

THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING
GARRETT METAL DETECTORS!
Congratulations! As the proud owner of
the Garrett GTAx 550™you have joined an
international family of treasure hunters.
Men, women and children alike have used
their Garrett detectors to find coins, relics
and gold nuggets that are valued in the
millions of dollars. So, to get the most
out your GTAx 550 and treasure hunting
experiences be sure to carefully read
through this Owner's Manual!
Your GTAx 550 is engineered with
microprocessor based technology and is
backed by 40 years of metal detection
research and development by Garrett's
leading team of engineers. It is remarkable
in its ability to locate coins, jewelry and
other metallic objects at exciting depths.
And with Garrett's revolutionary Graphic
Target Analyzer (GTA™) display that offers
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target acceptance / rejection, precise
discrimination and other key information,
you can spend more time digging treasure
and less time digging trash!
The GTAx 550 is factory preset to begin
operation in the COINS mode. Simply
press the POWER touchpad on your new
GTAx 550 and immediately begin hunting
without the troublesome interference from
typical trash items or ground minerals. Of
course, you can easily adjust the detector
to operate in its other hunting mode.
Thank you for choosing Garrett Metal
Detectors! Again, welcome to our treasure
hunting family. In becoming a part of
this great tradition and hobby, you have
made the right start to successful treasure
hunting.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
GTAx 550 6
Parts 7
Assembly 8
Features 11
Target ID Legend 11
Upper Scale 12
Lower Scale 12
Batt (Battery) 13
Hip Mount 13
Touchpads / Controls 15
Power 15
Pinpoint 16
Set Depth 16
Accept / Reject 18
Set Audio 18
- and + 20
Hunting with the GTAx 550 21
Pinpointing 22
Coin Depth Measurement 24
Proper Scanning Techniques 25
Junk Targets 28
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5
Making Adjustments 29
Mode A (Zero Discrimination) 31
Mode B (Coins) 31
Setting Discrimination 32
Bench Tests 36
Test Plot Construction 38
Headphone Jack 39
Batteries 40
Searchcoils 43
Recommended Accessories 44
Maintenance 45
Specialized Hunting 46
Service & Repair 49
Recommended Reading 51
RAM Books Order Form 53
Specifications 55
Mind Your Manners! 57
Warning! 58

GARRETT GTAx 550™
6
Searchcoil
Lower
Stem
Upper
Stem
Control
Housing
LCD
Screen
Touchpad
Controls
Padded
Arm Cuff
Headphone
Jack
Detector
Stand
Handle
Grip
S-shaped
Ramrod Stem
Spring
Clip
Threaded
Bolt
Washer
Knob

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PARTS
Before assembling your GTAx 550 metal detector
ensure you have the complete set of parts, which
include:
• Control Housing w/ S-Ramrod Stem
• Upper Stem
• Lower Stem with Spring Clip
• Two (2) Mounting Washers
• One (1) Wing Nut
• One (1) Threaded Bolt
• Searchcoil with Cable
• Instruction Video (not shown below)
• Warranty Registration Card
If any part is missing, contact your local dealer.

GTAx 550 ASSEMBLY
No tools are required to assemble the GTAx 550.
Hand tighten all necessary parts.
1. Press the two Mounting Washers into the Lower
Stem.
Figure 1.
2. Slide the searchcoil onto the Stem.
Figure 2
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Figure 2
Figure 1

9
3. Insert the Threaded Bolt through the holes of
the Lower Stem and Searchcoil. Hand-tighten the
searchcoil assembly with the remaining Wing Nut.
Figure 3.
4. Depress the Spring Clip and insert the Control
Housing into the Upper Stem.
5. Depress the Spring Clip in the Lower Stem to
adjust to the most comfortable operating length.
Figure 4.
Figure 4
Figure 3

6.Wrap the Searchcoil cable snugly about the stem
with the first turn of the cable over the stem.
Figure 5.
7. Insert the Cable into the Connector of the Control
Housing and hand-tighten.
Figure 6.
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Figure 5
Figure 6