2nd guessing my AT Pro purchase

[PeteCook]

I know that these have a lot of potential to be a great beginner machine and a beginner I am, but I wish I had done a bit more research before I bought this model. It was a gift for my wife, but it's something I am just as excited about and was hoping it would be a hobby we could do together. But if we can't get this dialed in a bit better than this I think she will be losing interest pretty soon.

Our primary areas we want to use the detector are the salt water beaches around the Vancouver, Canada area. We hit our third beach today (in four days) and put in a few more hours only to find more of the same, a very confused detector. Lots of info indicates that the AT Pro is a good machine for salt water and with so many positive reviews I thought I made the right call but our sand here seems way to heavily mineralized for it to handle.

Everywhere we walked and in every type of sand being dry, semi dry, wet, waters edge and in the shallows the thing was singing like a bird. I stayed in the same zones travelling parallel to the water so as not to change the ground balance, adjusted it at every change of zone, tweaked the sensitivity, tried customizing the discrimination, but it seems it just ran up and down the entire scale from zero to ninety-nine the whole time.

Only in dry sand could I get it to calm down a little, but even then the ghost signals, jumpy depth readings and moving targets were still making it more work than I was hoping for. I had really hoped to be able to pull something, anything up to give a little hope to my lady but the best we could do was a few crushed beer cans and a chunk of a railway coupling that was near the tracks in dry sand. Couldn't even find a bottle cap in the damp stuff.

By comparison two other fellas were working the beach and raking in the coins and even got a bracelet and a neat old statue. Granted one was using a CTX 3030, a $2500 treasure-tractor to be sure but I expected something at least...The stuff was there, but the ATP couldn't see it.

I have been told more than a couple times the only way to go with this model is to run the 5x8DD instead of the 8.5x11DD stock coil. I just received the new 5x8 tonight when I got in and it is mounted and ready to go, but I'm just not sure it will make that big a difference.

If the ocean beaches here turn out to be above this things pay grade I will be choked. I have since read it will do the job on white sand beaches fine but the black sand mix we see mostly here is just beyond what I should be expecting it to handle. That really narrows our options here, it's a young city without any real historical areas to get excited about. There are lake beaches too but few that draw the crowds like the sea side, and I get that it will probably work just fine in parks but that wasn't what we were talking about doing when we got it.

I didn't want to turn this into a venting session and sorry if it's reading that way but I am getting a bit worried that I made what is a pretty major purchase for us and dropped the ball. Has anyone had these problems with this model and found a way to overcome them before? Any pointers would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers - Pete

 

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[el padron]

Its a very well marketed and extremely popular machine Pete....
If you have the box you can get very close to what you paid for it on Ebay, or even posted here.

My advice, and of course advice varies, is to get a good used sovereign GT for about the same price as a new AT PRO

The SGT's are arguably the best non waterproof mineralized wet sand (non pulse induction) machines ever made. Certainly for the money. They are basically a non waterproof Minelab Excaliber II.
I guarantee you will find lots of modern currency every time you hunt with one. If you hunt long enough you will actually find the kind of things you are hoping to find also.
They are no longer popular right now because the Manufacturers have found that putting target ID meters on their low end machines enable them to sell for twice or three times as much as their base models, even though the ID meters perform questionably at best.
The SGT was one of the most sought after and popular detectors up until just about two years ago, and many old-timers swear by them still.
These machines set the standard not to long ago, and in the hands of experienced users continue to outperform even their intended replacements.....

Regards,

EP

 

[Tejaas]

Hey Pete.

I know it's probably not what you want to hear, but I've always viewed the AT Pro as a great machine for everything EXCEPT saltwater.

I've used mine once or twice on the beaches of Texas, and it worked, but definitely wasn't at its peak.

 

[BVI Hunter]

Hey Pete.

I know it's probably not what you want to hear, but I've always viewed the AT Pro as a great machine for everything EXCEPT saltwater.

I've used mine once or twice on the beaches of Texas, and it worked, but definitely wasn't at its peak.

same for me!

 

[Sandman]

I tried to tell you guys that the ATP in not all it is cracked up to be. For one thing in is very susceptible it EM signals from cell phone towers, your own cell phone, microwave towers, etc. The AT Pro being a single freq. detector it will false at saltwater beaches. Granted some hunters do well with them at some locations but not others. EP is right on about the Sov GT being one of the best for saltwater sand where the mineralization can change within feet. It doesn't have a screen to lie to you either.
http://www.fisherlab.com/hobby/davejohnson/Electrical Interference.htm

 

[Tejaas]

I tried to tell you guys that the ATP in not all it is cracked up to be. For one thing in is very susceptible it EM signals from cell phone towers, your own cell phone, microwave towers, etc. The AT Pro being a single freq. detector it will false at saltwater beaches. Granted some hunters do well with them at some locations but not others. EP is right on about the Sov GT being one of the best for saltwater sand where the mineralization can change within feet. It doesn't have a screen to lie to you either.

Congrats! You got a chance for an "I told you so".

Your a seasoned hunter...
That screen can only "lie to you" if you take what it says as the gospel.

If a guy was to only rely on the number on a screen without learning the machine, he wouldn't be much of a Detectorist, now would he?

 

[fella]

I tried to tell you guys that the ATP in not all it is cracked up to be.

Yep, it's the only thing you say here. So you're going to be right half the time. Better than being wrong all the time I guess!

Congrats! You got a chance for an "I told you so".

Lives for it I think.


OP…Looks like you detect a beach that ATP can't handle. Some don't have problems (even Sandman admits that!), some do. You would probably be better off with a dedicated beach detector like a Fisher CZ-21 (even Sandman likes it) or a SovGt or Excal. Good luck!

 

[Irishgoldhound]

Any detector will act up if there is too much EMI. I carry my cell phone in my pocket turned on and have no problems with my AT Pro. I don't know why people think the AT pro will hunt in salt water. It excels in fresh water like the AT gold. They show videos of of the AT Pro in salt water and it chatters away. You may be able to catch the repeatable signals over the chattering if you're experienced enough but you'll have your sensitivity way down to even run it where it chatters getting only shallow targets. Get a dual frequency or one of the minelabs that was mentioned here. The AT Pro is not a salt water machine period.

 

[Trent67]

I use my ATP on south Florida east coast beaches. It works great for me. Dry sand, wet sand, knee/thigh deep salt water. Ground balance and tweek the sensitivity and you are good to go. With that said, I know that the black sand beaches are supposed to be tough on the ATP. I have had mine for about a month and have approximately 50-60 hours on it and have watched and read everything I can get my hands on about the ATP. I KNOW when I hit a bottle cap, lol. With that said, this is the only detector that I have ever used but I am so glad that I purchased it because I am having a great time and am always looking forward to getting back out there. I hope you find the right detector for your conditions. Peace.

 

[hoosierguy]

Come on guys, don't be so thin-skinned. Sandman knows his stuff!

PeteCook, your post was very well written! I would've have been in more of a rant mode...you show great restraint . All of the guys on here gave some really good advice. I think if it was me, I would seriously think about taking a small hit and reselling the machines while they're still new. If you know that your main focus of hunting will be on those beaches, I don't see you have much of an option. The overall hit $$$ wise will be relatively small. I know it hurts, but all of us have made mistakes like this...I would just consider it a lesson-learned.

If you pay the small fee for being a charter member on here, you could place an ad in the classified section and maybe work out a trade with another member. If I was a sponsor here that sells used machines I would be PMing you ASAP to offer you a couple more suitable used machines and you would both would get what you want on the deal.

Good luck and welcome to the Forum!

 

[Irishgoldhound]

The AT pro is not all its cracked up to be "in salt water" of course. It wasn't made for heavy mineral soil and salt water. Quit knocking the AT pro if your using it in salt water, of course it won't be all its cracked up to be.

 

[fella]

Come on guys, don't be so thin-skinned. Sandman knows his stuff!

Half the time yeah!

Then there's the other half…

 

[dustytrails123]

the at pro has many flaws but it still does work ...works better on dry dirt then wet ive found and it works the best around bottle caps

 

[dandut46]

I have had the atpro for about 3yrs and did my share of knocking it, I used it at a dug out with high emi and kept finding things , what I noticed is if you think its not a good target it usually isn't , if your in pro mode make sure you set some discriminate like 33 and just try to dig good targets l no people say dig everything to learn it, but for me I like to just dig pos targets first cause there's a lot more junk targets out then good so if you learn The good first and work your way down its less frustrating, now every unit has its ups and downs, but its worth the money and it gets wet which I just used today cause its raining here, as for salt water once and a while yes, but I can't see getting it if you do a lot never used it in salt water , but that would be commonsense to me, you can swing it pretty fast to and it hits a good 5 to 6 inches good I also found some nice stuff out there to.Now I used a f 75 and just got a etrac and been learning it, but still have the atpro. Now if your not finding any thing then its not there . I can honestly say that when I find stuff with it I love it and when I don't I hate it, that is the nature of the beast . get to no it then get something different and you will see that there all the same with same results some shine a bit more then others or some are better in different situations and of course some go deeper I been using the etrac now and it goes pretty deep ,get sick of digging deep stuff to. I can see why people like the etrac and I can see why they like the atpro now if I had to compare the atpro for the money it would be the whites m6 , but it can't get wet.you'll here this a million times do research that is the key now the atpro is a easy MD to learn and use, well stick with it and have fun that's what its all about. Hh

 

[Kodiak43351]

Sry you are having the exp you are having with the pro. I don't have any salt water near me I only hunt rivers and fresh water when I want to get wet. That being said I would not have bought the at pro if I only planned on hunting saltwater I researched the heck out of it before I bought it and not much good was ever said about it and saltwater. If I were you I would list it on eBay and maybe get a sand shark or a sea hunter mark II. If you are stuck on a vlf machine for that price range I would do some more research and possibly go with what was already mentioned. There are plenty of guys and gals on here that hunt salt so your best bet is to sell and cut your losses and buy a true salt water machine. I love the at pro and find a lot of great stuff but like I said I wouldn't use it in salt water. Good luck and hope you can enjoy this great hobby.

 

[Kodiak43351]

the at pro has many flaws but it still does work ...works better on dry dirt then wet ive found and it works the best around bottle caps

dusty why did you even buy the pro after all the complaining you did about the ace 350. I and almost everyone else that owns the at pro doesn't have problems with bottle caps. In my opinion they are almost as easy to figure out as a piece of junk iron. I think you post on these threads to start trouble. I remember when you got a little vacation from tnet last summer. At least you aren't as obnoxious as you use to be. Do everyone a favor and learn your machine or give it a rest. It's really hard to take anything you say seriously after all the complaining you did and then went and bought the at pro. Do you get paid by some other company to trash Garrett? Lol what a joke!

 

[PeteCook]

I appreciate all of the pointers and ideas guys. I think the 1st thing you see when looking at Garrett videos is their take on it, which is that it's just fine for salt water. The official vid where the guy does a quick balance then goes of quiet and happy into the ocean is the one I'd show if I were selling them too. And I'm sure its legit, he just wasn't in my neighbourhood where black and even magnetic sand is mixed in with the usual stuff.

I did however get some new hope when my 5x8 DD arrived yesterday and I swapped the stock 8.5x11 out for it. It's like a completely different machine with this coil attached, heck it's so much more accurate I may be happy sweeping up parks and schoolyards for a while anyways. As long as I can keep the wife interested in the project I will be happy, even if that means I have to sneak out to the park at night with my pockets full of coins to hide for her to find in the morning ;-)
(just kidding)

So I'll absolutely take it with a grain of salt - no pun intended there, and go into my second purchase with more knowledge of what to look at. (yeah I'm already hooked like that) The other thing I have learned is to look at the You-Tube vids with a bit more skepticism when using them as a buying guide, brand loyal keeners will pump their choice as the choice... and that's not exclusive to detecting, those guys are everywhere.

I did try joining a Garrett forum through Facebook, and left after two days. There's a perfect example of where to find those heavily biased brand loyal keeners, lol. If anyone here is a member of one of those groups no offence intended and that wasn't personal, I just felt gang mugged for suggesting that the ATP was anything less than what God himself would choose for a weekend at the beach.

Good folks here and tons of great reading too, once again I'm happy to be a part of this and thanks a lot for all your help.

Cheers - Pete

 

[dustytrails123]

dusty why did you even buy the pro after all the complaining you did about the ace 350. I and almost everyone else that owns the at pro doesn't have problems with bottle caps. In my opinion they are almost as easy to figure out as a piece of junk iron. I think you post on these threads to start trouble. I remember when you got a little vacation from tnet last summer. At least you aren't as obnoxious as you use to be. Do everyone a favor and learn your machine or give it a rest. It's really hard to take anything you say seriously after all the complaining you did and then went and bought the at pro. Do you get paid by some other company to trash Garrett? Lol what a joke!

I found my first silver dime within the first 2 hours of use ...countless wheats and 6 indian heads from 187? something -1890 all in the last 20 or so hours...and plenty of bottle caps that even my ace 350 missed..."didnt think that was possible" ...
So what excatly do i need to learn how to pass bottle caps because you think you heard some iron in the tone? and pick the clad from the local parks?

 

[Sandman]

Half the time yeah!

Then there's the other half…

What other half are you referring to Fella? You agree the ATP is good in saltwater? Granted in some locations it works fine on the saltwater coast as the salt content is not the same everywhere. You should study Thegoldenolde website to learn more on beach hunting. I am on my third AT Pro and have to say this one works as it should, but I would never use it at a saltwater beach unless I only wanted to search the dry sand. An there are many other detectors out there that would clean the ATP's chronometer.

 

[fella]

What other half are you referring to Fella? You agree the ATP is good in saltwater? Granted in some locations it works fine on the saltwater coast as the salt content is not the same everywhere.

Almost every time you post about the ATP it's "it's sucks on salt beaches blah blah blah". Same story over and over. But the fact (that you know) is it woks on some salt beaches just fine. As in your post above.

You just come off with blanket statements as if it's thee only statement that fits. Just not the case sometimes!

Look, I know you have a lot of experience and I even value some of the things you post about, but you can be very tunnel visioned on some of your post. Particularly when it come to the ATP. I mean a guy from the Sahara desert will come on asking about an ATP and you'll tell em to forget because it's only submersible to 10'! (an over exaggeration on my part to make a point)