AT PRO Pro/Coins Mode- Pull Tabs!

[nsm1978]

Need advice from you experts, I'm currently using the AT PRO in Pro/ Coins mode with Max sensitivity, ground balanced. Is there any reason why I'm still picking up pulltabs?? This is driving me crazy. Is there anything I can do

Also I am picking up faint targets but they're not coming up on the target ID. Location is an old church from the 1700s.

 

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[cudamark]

I'm sure you can discriminate pull tabs out but you will also lose nickels and gold rings so it's not a good idea. If the area is just lousy with tabs, run the discrimination up until tabs are eliminated but remember to turn it back down when hunting other sites. Frankly, at a 1700's church, I would dig it all and be happy about it!

 

[dustytrails123]

I'm sure you can discriminate pull tabs out but you will also lose nickels and gold rings so it's not a good idea. If the area is just lousy with tabs, run the discrimination up until tabs are eliminated but remember to turn it back down when hunting other sites. Frankly, at a 1700's church, I would dig it all and be happy about it!

You should be able to discrim the pull tabs out and keep your nickels they dont ring up the same on any machine ive ever used ...that being said the at pro isnt a nickel killer ive dug every nickel target ive found with the at pro and never once had a nickel ...the ace350 dominates the at pro on nickel signals

 

[fella]

You should be able to discrim the pull tabs out and keep your nickels they dont ring up the same on any machine ive ever used ...that being said the at pro isnt a nickel killer ive dug every nickel target ive found with the at pro and never once had a nickel ...the ace350 dominates the at pro on nickel signals

I have just the opposite experience on nicks. The ATP KILLS on nicks.
I don't normally run disc but tonight I ran the Pro Coins. I disc'd up to 45, kept 50 & notched up to 70. Ended up with one pull tab & 4 nicks. Oh yeah...and ZERO bottle caps.

 

[Eddie Current]

Nickels will hit at 53 +/- 2. Yes, pull tabs are in the range. You will miss the nickels, and possibly some gold, If you pass one these targets. If you are in a real trashy area, only dig the solid 53's. That's my 5 Cents worth!

 

[signal]

dustytrails123, you must have a faulty at pro. When it says nickel, it isn't always a nickel, but when it really is a nickel, it almost always show it as such. Around 55 or so. I find pull tabs show up around the same value, so would be surprised if you could discrim the tabs and still get nickels.

 

[dustytrails123]

dustytrails123, you must have a faulty at pro. When it says nickel, it isn't always a nickel, but when it really is a nickel, it almost always show it as such. Around 55 or so. I find pull tabs show up around the same value, so would be surprised if you could discrim the tabs and still get nickels.

Your right on that it isnt always a nickel...infact i havent ever dug a nickel with it yet i still try....i dig all kinds of can slaw that lock in on nickel id think i would get a random nickel if i keep after it but so far even a random nickel seems to elude me with the at pro ....my back yard is a ball field and its been a bar back into the early 50's so theres many beaver tails and pull tabs to be found here ..more then anyone would ever want to dig so i notch them out ...with the ace 350 ive dug 12 or so war nickels atleast another dozen buffalo nickels and countless clad nickels ....the ace can lock onto a pull tab and id bet you my corvette its a pull tab ...thats one thing the ace can do is discrim pull tabs ....if only it could do something besides scream silver on a rusty bottle cap they might have something worth selling

 

[JunkShopFiddler]

I currently have a Garrett GTP and once had an AT Pro, but every detector I have had would go a little wacko with the sensitivity on max. I would keep getting signals on targets that I had notched out. Turn your sens way down and move it up in increments until the problem reoccurs then back down a little. I don't know anyone who has not had those kind of issues with maxed out sensitivity.

As for the nickle /tab debate, the AT pro I had gave the same signal and reading with both tabs and nickles, (all kinds of tabs) no matter the sensitivity setting. The GTP I have now will signal the beaver tail and ring tabs higher than nickles, but the oblong style tabs twiddled off modern soda cans will be the same as nickles...good luck!

PS...Anyone know why folks twiddle those tabs off their cans anyway?

 

[CladGrabber]

I would guess the pull tab/nickel ratio at about 20/1.

 

[Sledgod2]

I have found a ton of nickles with my ATpro... they almost ALWAYS ring up 52-53 with a solid signal. Have I dug pull tabs in that range? Yes I have but if its a solid 52-53 it has a better chance of being a nickle in my experience. As to the OP's problem... turn the max sensitivity down a notch at minimum and the issues should start going away. I have found that the deeper a coin is with the AT it will give faint tones like your describing (with a wishy washy VDI) and if you can get it to repeat I would dig it as I have found a lot of old coins (mostly indian heads) on faint signals with very little to no VDI.

 

[Jeremy S]

I would guess the pull tab/nickel ratio at about 20/1.

I just started keeping track of my ratio.

Tabs:nickels:gold
currently at: 79:35:0

Some places are just hopelessly full of pull tabs, can slaw, and can tabs. You can find nickels in places like that but EVERYONE will dig some trash in the process.

Pull tabs (whole) are generally around 60 and will bounce around a bit. Nickels are 52/53. Can tabs are 52-55. Can slaw can be all over the place.

 

[Lores]

Throw a nickle in the dirt and see what happens.

 

[cudamark]

Your tab/nickel/gold ring ratio will differ depending on the site. At a popular swimming beach it's closer to 100/10/1 whereas an urban park is more like 200/10/1. Ball fields are somewhere in between.

 

[Jeremy S]

Your tab/nickel/gold ring ratio will differ depending on the site. At a popular swimming beach it's closer to 100/10/1 whereas an urban park is more like 200/10/1. Ball fields are somewhere in between.

So far these are all from a popular urban park. I have found gold in this park before so eventually I'll find more... hopefully... I still find a fair amount of nickels in this park.

 

[cooper1841]

I agree 100%..........Over 600 hours on my AT Pro, if it is a constant 52-53....................not jumping to, 54 55 or 57 but 52-53 steady I am digging a nickel. Dustytrails and I or anyone else will never agree on this machine, I am not just a once in a while weekend hunter, I hunt 3 to 4 times a week, lots of digging to back this up

I have found a ton of nickles with my ATpro... they almost ALWAYS ring up 52-53 with a solid signal. Have I dug pull tabs in that range? Yes I have but if its a solid 52-53 it has a better chance of being a nickle in my experience. As to the OP's problem... turn the max sensitivity down a notch at minimum and the issues should start going away. I have found that the deeper a coin is with the AT it will give faint tones like your describing (with a wishy washy VDI) and if you can get it to repeat I would dig it as I have found a lot of old coins (mostly indian heads) on faint signals with very little to no VDI.

 

[Lores]

I have yet to find anything of value other than clad

 

[cooper1841]

That's not the machine...........................its the locations you hunt!

I have yet to find anything of value other than clad

 

[Lores]

That's not the machine...........................its the locations you hunt!

Yep. Im going to a new place tomorrow....

 

[ivan salis]

remember this --metal detectors work by measuring the "electrical conductivity" of metals when found to sort out what type of metal it is ... the bad news is ... nickles , small gold items and pulltabs are all about the same amount of "conductivity" although made of different metals * so unless your willing to forgo nickels and some gold items as well you can not simply "notch out" pulltabs * --- the same thing goes for zinc cents and old indainhead cents --ditch one lose the other.

with my ($279) 0 to 99 delta 4000 display --- I find that most pulltabs are about 60 while 10 k is 58 and 14 k gold is say 64/67 --its close but I can cull most pulltabs --still get some however.

also like the real estate motto --location ,location ,location * plus its not what is there now that can make a spot a prime spot but rather what WAS there --silver was last commonly issued in coinage in 1964 --so look for gathering spots heavily used pre 1964 .

plus running at "MAX" sen -- is often bad --think of it like running your stero at max lots of "noise' but not the best "sound" -- trying to shove so much signal into the ground can cause "feed back' thus hurting rather than helping --due to minerals in the ground there is a point at which the "max" amount of signal the ground will accept is reached (this is the BEST you will do with that machine in that soil depth wise-- it is known as being "ground balanced" ) any more signal harms rather than helps.

think of it like rain --once the soil takes in all it can --the water just "pools" on the surface

 

[GatorBoy]

I think everyone would do a lot better if they spent 40 or 50 hours hunting with the read-out covered and learn to get to know your site and the sounds of your machine gives you.. As well as coming at a target from different angles and paying attention to how the signal breaks from different directions you can filter out a lot of junk as compared to good signals that way.
Like Ivan said it's all about conductivity so there are a lot of variables and no easy answers to any of it other than knowing your site and knowing your machine.
Also it was mentioned at the beginning of the thread about signals not showing up on the readout... That happens when a signal is deeper than the measurement goes on the readout or if it's a false signal to begin with