Static with the ATP on Wet Sand

[DiggerGal]

Hi everyone!
Looking for some tips as to the static on wet sand using the stock coil on the ATPRO.
Hunting on dry sand is no problem but the constant noise on the wet sand is driving my ears crazy.
I have tried the following;

Turning the sensitivity down
Changing frequencies
Changing from Pro all to standard

Your guidance would be appreciated as I want to go out after the Holiday weekend, however I believe that the shoreline after the recent storm along with the upcoming holiday traffic will yield higher results.

And....please no ATP haters, buying a different machine isn't an option.

THANKS!!!

 

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[DiggerGal]

Cudamark,
Thank you for the like on my little husky. She is a devil I tell ya! She just turned 3 and no puppies. I rescued her at 7 weeks from deplorable conditions. I am a Husky lover and my kids have 4 legs not 2!
The CTX3030 is my dream machine at the moment. I upgraded from an entry level BH to the ATP to see if this was a hobby that I would stay with....first find I was addicted! Lol.
I'm not typically a beach hunter, I'm more the private land, trail, mountain type. I don't like crowds and prefer hunting without all of the lookie-loos that navigate at the beach.....but when a holiday calls, I won't turn down the opportunity to find some bling! [emoji16]

 

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[s.c.shooter]

Turn down the sens and ground balance again when the chatter gets too bad. Like Rick said if it's a good target you'll get a signal. Good luck!

 

[Sandman]

I can be classed as an ATP hater only in that GARRETT advertises the Pro as good to use at the beach. They don't say on dry sand. All single freq detectors will false in wet salt water sand due to the salt and various amounts of black sand which can change within feet. This is why ground balancing won't work well also. Hearing all the small beeps makes you think you have a deep target when its a false signal. If it repeats louder, scoop it. But read my signature below.

 

[BadM0nkey]

Bad-monkey: That spot is not state park. It's private land. And yes, it's all overgrown jungly river-side terrain. And the spots that aren't over-grown jungle , is a modern industrial agriculture business park. And that area has historically flooded (read: "silt") out every 30 yrs. or so (especially before the creation of the reservoirs in south county). So it's a no-go. All under asphalt or adjacent jungle.

An md'ing buddy of mine even has one of the industrial buildings there (that got flooeded out in the 1996 floods). He's a bottle digger, and believe me: He's even tried locating the bottle out-house pits of the old hotel/saloon that used to be there. To no avail. Just too messed up historically there.

The over grown jungle is technically a state park and the physical location of the Hilltown Ferry. The marker is across Rt. 68, but it is not at the actual site. It is certainly not easy to swing in there which is why I am sure it has not been hunted at all. I know because I actually went in there and took pics of the Ferry cable support structure which is still there and is pretty accessible from the river bed. The support structure is pretty high above the river bed and may not have been flooded often over the years. If someone was really patient and well prepared I would expect there to be a lot of good finds available. I moved before I had the chance to go back in.


Here are a couple of links:

Ferry Cable Support is exactly where Google Maps shows the marker

A pretty thorough description

 

[Tom_in_CA]

The over grown jungle is technically a state park and the physical location of the Hilltown Ferry. The marker is across Rt. 68, but it is not at the actual site. It is certainly not easy to swing in there which is why I am sure it has not been hunted at all. I know because I actually went in there and took pics of the Ferry cable support structure which is still there and is pretty accessible from the river bed. The support structure is pretty high above the river bed and may not have been flooded often over the years. If someone was really patient and well prepared I would expect there to be a lot of good finds available. I moved before I had the chance to go back in.


Here are a couple of links:

Ferry Cable Support is exactly where Google Maps shows the marker

A pretty thorough description

Monkey, that cable, and decking to support it, are NOT the "ferry" that you're thinking. They have nothing to do with "Hilltown", nor is that the site. That is a modern (post 1900) remnant of the previous automobile bridge. Sometime in the 1940s or '50s, the road slightly aligned to the current, and the old bridge (which had been a hair more down-stream at the location you see that cable at) was demolished. There used to even be a cable car on that cable, that we'd ride in for fun when we were kids. Not sure if it's still intact now or not. But anyhow, that's modern for some other purposes, and has nothing to do with Hilltown.

Also the road that bears the name "Hilltown" (that is an extension of Portola which dead-ends into the Salinas river) simply borrowed the name of the nearby burg. And does not mean that the actual Hilltown was right there. This placement of historic plaques is common all over CA, where .... plaques will often be placed where it's convenient for motorists to pull over and read them. But is not necessarily the exact place of said- item.

Here's where Hilltown was: plug this into your google maps search: "12 Spreckels Lane, Salinas, CA". And then when you switch to satellite mode, you will immediately see why it would be folly to try to detect here. It's now all covered with modern ag. and industrial buildings. In addition to jungle anywhere outside that exact zone. And in addition to river silts historically scr*wing up the entire terrain.

But I'll tell you what: If you're still convinced it's worth detecting there, then I'll buy you your favorite 12-pack of dark brew, for any Hilltown era coin you can find there !

And back to the state park thing: Don't confused the fact of a "state marker" to mean state "park". The state places those state markers on locations that are not necessarily state park land. And ... heck, ... even if it is state park land, there is nothing in CA state park code that disallows md'ing to begin with. At *most* is stuff about cultural heritage, blah blah. Ok, fine then, don't find any old coins. I never find old coins, do you ?

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I can be classed as an ATP hater only in that GARRETT advertises the Pro as good to use at the beach. They don't say on dry sand. All single freq detectors will false in wet salt water sand due to the salt and various amounts of black sand which can change within feet. This is why ground balancing won't work well also. Hearing all the small beeps makes you think you have a deep target when its a false signal. If it repeats louder, scoop it. But read my signature below.

Uh oh sandman, I wasn't going to say that about the ATP. Because in digger gal's OP was said:

" ....And....please no ATP haters, buying a different machine isn't an option...."

But since you've said it, I'll add my concurrence: Yes, Garrets (the 250, 350, ATP, etc...) are known for "getting spanked" on the wet salt beaches here in CA.

 

[BadM0nkey]

Monkey, that cable, and decking to support it, are NOT the "ferry" that you're thinking. They have nothing to do with "Hilltown", nor is that the site. That is a modern (post 1900) remnant of the previous automobile bridge. Sometime in the 1940s or '50s, the road slightly aligned to the current, and the old bridge (which had been a hair more down-stream at the location you see that cable at) was demolished. There used to even be a cable car on that cable, that we'd ride in for fun when we were kids. Not sure if it's still intact now or not. But anyhow, that's modern for some other purposes, and has nothing to do with Hilltown.

Also the road that bears the name "Hilltown" (that is an extension of Portola which dead-ends into the Salinas river) simply borrowed the name of the nearby burg. And does not mean that the actual Hilltown was right there. This placement of historic plaques is common all over CA, where .... plaques will often be placed where it's convenient for motorists to pull over and read them. But is not necessarily the exact place of said- item.

Here's where Hilltown was: plug this into your google maps search: "12 Spreckels Lane, Salinas, CA". And then when you switch to satellite mode, you will immediately see why it would be folly to try to detect here. It's now all covered with modern ag. and industrial buildings. In addition to jungle anywhere outside that exact zone. And in addition to river silts historically scr*wing up the entire terrain.

But I'll tell you what: If you're still convinced it's worth detecting there, then I'll buy you your favorite 12-pack of dark brew, for any Hilltown era coin you can find there !

And back to the state park thing: Don't confused the fact of a "state marker" to mean state "park". The state places those state markers on locations that are not necessarily state park land. And ... heck, ... even if it is state park land, there is nothing in CA state park code that disallows md'ing to begin with. At *most* is stuff about cultural heritage, blah blah. Ok, fine then, don't find any old coins. I never find old coins, do you ?

Well Tom I will have to bow to you on this now. I am living 3000+ miles away from Salinas these days and you grew up playing in that area.

I do understand your arguments and agree that Hill Town was certainly across 68 by Spreckles. What I find hard to understand is the clearly defined area outlined by Google Maps as the Hilltown Ferry State Historical Landmark. I have been extremely impressed by the accuracy Google Maps property outlines for other areas and would have no reason to disbelieve these. If Google Maps is wrong and the jungle area is private land, I then wonder why it wasn't cleared, leveled and plowed too. For me this will have to remain a mystery.

 

[Phantasman]

Uh oh sandman, I wasn't going to say that about the ATP. Because in digger gal's OP was said:

" ....And....please no ATP haters, buying a different machine isn't an option...."

But since you've said it, I'll add my concurrence: Yes, Garrets (the 250, 350, ATP, etc...) are known for "getting spanked" on the wet salt beaches here in CA.

I don't think "getting spanked" at the beach is a Garrett thing. It's a VLF thing, and all detectors, unless they are designed with beach in mind, has problems in wet salt sand. Whites "beach" mode just takes the GB to a low level. Same thing as manual GB. Minerals are minerals. If you detect between 3-20 khz, they are going to affect your detection field especially when concentrated and wet.

@ DiggerGal- one other thing to watch out for. If you have a coil cover, make sure you clean it out after each beach hunt. Sand WILL get in between the cover and coil and can mess with the signal. Salt water helps inject sand into that area as well. Just saying.......

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I don't think "getting spanked" at the beach is a Garrett thing. It's a VLF thing, and all detectors, unless they are designed with beach in mind, has problems in wet salt sand........

Correct. So too will various Minelabs, whites, Fishers, Tesoros, etc... s*ck in wet salt minerals as well. Granted. They weren't meant for the wet-salt sand

But with that said, I have not seen any Garrett discriminator (hence, dis-cluding pulse machines) that can hold a candle to various other maker's discriminators on the beach. Perhaps it's just because we don't tend to see very many Garrett users out here where I'm at (except for the low-end starter 250, 350, etc...). But of any Garrett's I've ever seen on our beaches, the tendency is ...... well .......

 

[Phantasman]

I can be classed as an ATP hater only in that GARRETT advertises the Pro as good to use at the beach. They don't say on dry sand. All single freq detectors will false in wet salt water sand due to the salt and various amounts of black sand which can change within feet. This is why ground balancing won't work well also. Hearing all the small beeps makes you think you have a deep target when its a false signal. If it repeats louder, scoop it. But read my signature below.

And you would be in the know, Sandman. My array of detectors has always been knowing what they can and cannot accomplish at the sub $500 level. People would like to think that their lower end or mid range detectors are all terrain including effective wet beach units. But seeing your array, you have many detectors made specifically for the difficult beach with enhancements to deal with salt and black sand like PI pulse induction. I just leave the wet sand myself. There is still plenty to be found where my detector works effectively.....in the dry sand. I'd hate to drop my detector in the surf. And being waterproof doesn't mean it's engineered in detecting the beach.

I'll leave the wet beach to you. There's plenty to gain away from it.

 

[Vdubguy]

Good afternoon,

I have used my AT Pro MANY times in the wet, hard packed sand all the way out to chest deep water. When I first tried it out (pro mode, zero) it went insane with feedback. I scoured the Internet and came across a post somewhere about the same issue I was having. The poster's solution is posted below and has worked for me.

The settings for the beaches I hunt are as follows:

Run in Standard Mode in the wet sand, use the auto ground balance and back the sensitivity down two notches from full. If you hit a really bad spot, back it down three notches from full.

When I move to the dry sand, it's Pro Mode all the way.

*DISCLAIMER* This may not work for you, but it's how I got mine to stop all that darn chattering and it's worked very well for me. This is just my two cents.

HH & Good Luck

Vdubguy

 

[BigWaveDave]

Didn't think of going standard...good call.... I look forward to giving that a shot myself.


and disclaimer acknowledged.

 

[DiggerGal]

Good afternoon,

I have used my AT Pro MANY times in the wet, hard packed sand all the way out to chest deep water. When I first tried it out (pro mode, zero) it went insane with feedback. I scoured the Internet and came across a post somewhere about the same issue I was having. The poster's solution is posted below and has worked for me.

The settings for the beaches I hunt are as follows:

Run in Standard Mode in the wet sand, use the auto ground balance and back the sensitivity down two notches from full. If you hit a really bad spot, back it down three notches from full.

When I move to the dry sand, it's Pro Mode all the way.

*DISCLAIMER* This may not work for you, but it's how I got mine to stop all that darn chattering and it's worked very well for me. This is just my two cents.

HH & Good Luck

Vdubguy

I will be sure to try that! Thank you for your input. I was wondering about standard mode...I hunt in pro all with a disc of 39-40 and sensitivity about half way and adjust as needed for the whisper tones.
In the suggestion that you posted that has worked for you, is the "chatter" eliminated or just at a low volume? Curious.
Can you describe what type of tones and/or feedback you are getting on the wet sand?
Thanks again Vdubguy!

 

[Vdubguy]

I will be sure to try that! Thank you for your input. I was wondering about standard mode...I hunt in pro all with a disc of 39-40 and sensitivity about half way and adjust as needed for the whisper tones.
In the suggestion that you posted that has worked for you, is the "chatter" eliminated or just at a low volume? Curious.
Can you describe what type of tones and/or feedback you are getting on the wet sand?
Thanks again Vdubguy!

I was getting non-stop mid tones all over the place. (And no, it wasn't because there was gold and nickels and pull tabs all over place, haha) This was my "chatter". It drove me insane, the only time I knew I actually had a good target was of it was a nice high tone, like a quarter for example.

After some trial and error and the settings I found online, I run Standard Mode, 0 discrimination, auto ground balanced in the wet sand, and two notches down from full. If I am in a more mineral rich part of the beach, or after a rain for some reason here in the Caribbean, I back it down to 3 notches from full. I with those settings, I eliminated ALL "chatter" and false hits. Now, the only time I get any feedback/beep/chatter is if I bump my coil against the bottom. I know I am probably losing depth with backing down the discrimination, but I have found rings, pull tabs, earrings, bottle caps, and a bunch of pocket change. Some pretty deep, 8-10 inches if I had to guess.

I do really wish I could run Pro mode in the wet though, would be awesome. Just not possible here.

Hope this helps! Good luck out there!

HH

Vdubguy

 

[cudamark]

Diggergal, come to tonight's San Diego Coinshooters meeting. Guests are always welcome! There's bound to be some AT Pro users there that might be able to give you some pointers on how to set it up for our local beaches,

 

[DiggerGal]

Diggergal, come to tonight's San Diego Coinshooters meeting. Guests are always welcome! There's bound to be some AT Pro users there that might be able to give you some pointers on how to set it up for our local beaches,

Thanks for the invite Cudamark! On a Plane in Dallas headed home and won't be in until late.
Thanks again!

T.

 

[cudamark]

The offer still stands. We meet the 4th Friday of every month. The meetings are held at 6401 Linda Vista Rd usually in room 403 at 6:30pm, but it's best to get there a bit early to check out displays and items for sale.

 

[bigfoot1]

vdubguy is correct

I hunted down in laguna beach last winter several times.we both were swinging atps as neither of us have a dedicated wet sand machine.I was having a pretty tough time...my buddy stumbled upon std,coin mode two bars down,sometimes three bars down on sens and we had a great time.It did false when banged about but was surprisingly stable and effective.I had the 5x8,he the stock 8.5x11....5x8 was better.Not an excal...but it worked quite well I thot.

 

[DiggerGal]

The offer still stands. We meet the 4th Friday of every month. The meetings are held at 6401 Linda Vista Rd usually in room 403 at 6:30pm, but it's best to get there a bit early to check out displays and items for sale.

I will take that offer Cudamark and look forward to meeting you in person very soon. Just got home from business travel and looking forward to a long weekend of hunting!
T.