I'm looking for a new detector and have been reviewing all makes and models. I hear a lot of good things about the atp and had the opportunity to hunt with one but not sure if it was working better than my old one when it came to disc and sensitivity or if it wasn't picking up items. I know the ground at one site is full of iron but i wasn't getting signals. I played with numerous modes and settings but nothing. The few items i did find were less than 3 inches in the ground. This also concerned me because watching videos rarely do you see anyone dig more than 2-4 inches. If any of you can give me some insight into the atp in regards to depth i would appreciate it. I hunt mostly for civil war relics and many sites are heavily hunted so i want to go deeper than those before me. Thanks
Looking for new detector, at pro?
- Thread starter cmd353
- Start date
John-Edmonton
Silver Member
- Mar 21, 2005
- 4,396
- 3,942
- Detector(s) used
- Garrett- Master Hunter CX,Infinium, 1350, 2500, ACE 150-water converted 250, GTA 500,1500 Scorpion, AT Pro
Any metal detector will only work as it well as it can based on user's ability to choose the right settings for maximum depth and choosing the right coil for the right environment. The mineralization will also affect the depth, so set up and coil choice is crucial. Now having said that. I can honestly tell you that the AT Series will get much more depth then 2-4 inches, no matter which coil you use. If you are not seeing videos with greater depth, then you are not watching enough videos? Below are my finds from last year. And they are but a pittance compared to what other people have found.
Above are the results of an air test to compare the depth results between the two coils. Although results will vary depending on your type of the soil, the air test still provides a good example of maximum detection depth.
* in higher mineralized soil, a smaller coil allows one to operate at a higher sensitivity, getting perhaps as much or even more depth then a huge coil.
* A large coil will get you more depth in low mineralized soil
* With the AT Pro, learn and hunt in Pro mode. It is deeper then standard mode. With the AT Gold, the all metal mode is deeper then Disc 1 or Disc 2.
* Has a place been hunted out? Go back and try again after a good rain soaking. Moist wet soil gives better sensitivity and greater depth readings for targets.
* If you get a nice high aHow To Get Maximum Depth + Performance Out Of Your AT Series ( Pro & Gold)
udio and a VDI in the 70's or 80's, dig it.
* The larger the coil the deeper it goes. However, too many targets under a large coil can mask a good target. If you get a slight good audio using the large coil, lift it up 2-3 inches and center the coil where the good audio was. Often times the good target will be much clearer.
* Get a coil cover and scrub the ground. Some people scan the ground inches above it...."DON'T" You can gain a couple of inches scrubbing, which is significant.
* Don't swing too fast! Just because it has a very fast "recovery speed"......doesn't mean it can always pick out that one good silver coin amongst several pieces of junk. The electronics still need to process lots of information.
"SWING TOO FAST, YOU WILL COME IN LAST"
* Swinging too fast can make you a sloppy hunter. You also risk eventually cracking/breaking your coil and elephant ears from the constant banging on trees, playground equipment or concrete.
* If you are getting lots of EMI or increased mineralization which is causing erratic audio, try adjusting your discrimination first, before lowering the sensitivity. This sometimes lets the machine run smoother without losing any depth.
* If you get mixture of audio signals, scan the target from different directions. Sometimes a good target is beside or partially underneath a good target. The AT Series has a unique ability to pick out those good targets amongst the trash. Going at the target from different directions allows the AT Pro to perform even better!
* Ground balance your machine occasionally. Temperature can change, and directly affect the settings. Hunting in shade vs. sun can vary. "a 14 degree difference on a lawn area to a 35 degree difference on a parking lot." But, the mineralization can also change between areas....so again...ground balance periodically.
* To increase the depth/sensitivity to silver targets, lower the ground balanced numbers 10-20 points
* If you are hunting an area that is absolutely covered with nails, try ground balancing out a nail until it is nothing but a small amount of static. Now....all the copper & silver targets will give a loud audio response....BUT the target ID will be off.
*Bottle cap? Stomp hard on the target. Often times, an old bottles cap's halo will break, and the reading will change from a good coin sounding target to a bottle cap or junk. Don't forget to use the iron audio feature if searching for coins or silver.
* Build a test garden...use good & bad targets at different depths. You will soon discover that deep silver targets beyond depths of 8 or more inches begin to not sound off as a high pitch or that the VDI numbers remain in the 80's. That is very good information to know. My rule of thumb states if it's deep....it's old. Dig it! It costs you nothing.
Above are the results of an air test to compare the depth results between the two coils. Although results will vary depending on your type of the soil, the air test still provides a good example of maximum detection depth.
* in higher mineralized soil, a smaller coil allows one to operate at a higher sensitivity, getting perhaps as much or even more depth then a huge coil.
* A large coil will get you more depth in low mineralized soil
* With the AT Pro, learn and hunt in Pro mode. It is deeper then standard mode. With the AT Gold, the all metal mode is deeper then Disc 1 or Disc 2.
* Has a place been hunted out? Go back and try again after a good rain soaking. Moist wet soil gives better sensitivity and greater depth readings for targets.
* If you get a nice high aHow To Get Maximum Depth + Performance Out Of Your AT Series ( Pro & Gold)
udio and a VDI in the 70's or 80's, dig it.
* The larger the coil the deeper it goes. However, too many targets under a large coil can mask a good target. If you get a slight good audio using the large coil, lift it up 2-3 inches and center the coil where the good audio was. Often times the good target will be much clearer.
* Get a coil cover and scrub the ground. Some people scan the ground inches above it...."DON'T" You can gain a couple of inches scrubbing, which is significant.
* Don't swing too fast! Just because it has a very fast "recovery speed"......doesn't mean it can always pick out that one good silver coin amongst several pieces of junk. The electronics still need to process lots of information.
"SWING TOO FAST, YOU WILL COME IN LAST"
* Swinging too fast can make you a sloppy hunter. You also risk eventually cracking/breaking your coil and elephant ears from the constant banging on trees, playground equipment or concrete.
* If you are getting lots of EMI or increased mineralization which is causing erratic audio, try adjusting your discrimination first, before lowering the sensitivity. This sometimes lets the machine run smoother without losing any depth.
* If you get mixture of audio signals, scan the target from different directions. Sometimes a good target is beside or partially underneath a good target. The AT Series has a unique ability to pick out those good targets amongst the trash. Going at the target from different directions allows the AT Pro to perform even better!
* Ground balance your machine occasionally. Temperature can change, and directly affect the settings. Hunting in shade vs. sun can vary. "a 14 degree difference on a lawn area to a 35 degree difference on a parking lot." But, the mineralization can also change between areas....so again...ground balance periodically.
* To increase the depth/sensitivity to silver targets, lower the ground balanced numbers 10-20 points
* If you are hunting an area that is absolutely covered with nails, try ground balancing out a nail until it is nothing but a small amount of static. Now....all the copper & silver targets will give a loud audio response....BUT the target ID will be off.
*Bottle cap? Stomp hard on the target. Often times, an old bottles cap's halo will break, and the reading will change from a good coin sounding target to a bottle cap or junk. Don't forget to use the iron audio feature if searching for coins or silver.
* Build a test garden...use good & bad targets at different depths. You will soon discover that deep silver targets beyond depths of 8 or more inches begin to not sound off as a high pitch or that the VDI numbers remain in the 80's. That is very good information to know. My rule of thumb states if it's deep....it's old. Dig it! It costs you nothing.
Last edited:
MackDog
Bronze Member
- Nov 20, 2013
- 1,407
- 2,732
- Detector(s) used
-
Garrett At Pro, 8 x11" and Nel Storm coils
Garrett Propointer er, Pro Pointer AT
White's V3i Standard, 10" DD, 13" Ultimate and 4 x6" sniper, 6 x10 coils, Drect 12 x 15 coil
Whites MX Sport With Detec
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
With my Nel Storm I routinely hit dimes to 8 or 9" nickels to about 8. Make sure you are running Pro mode zero, iron at 36. Another good investment would be the grey ghost amphibious headphones. They really brin the tones to life
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