New to Metal Detecting. AT Pro beeps. I dig. I find NOTHING! HELP!

[KellyZ]

Hello Treasure hunters!I am brand new to this forum and brand new to metal detecting. I sure hope I will find "something!" I have taken my new AT Pro out for several hunts with nothing but frustration. I continually dig when I get a signal but find NOTHING. Sometimes I joke I feel like I am digging to China. Any suggestions to what I am doing (obviously) wrong? Thanks everyone!

 

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[releventchair]

Welcome to TreasureNet.

Learning your machine takes a little time and practice. Many hours to be real familiar.
Without seeing what's going on , I suggest tossing a coin and running your detector over it.
Research on this site will reveal some other ideas like making a "test garden" or attaching various items to the back of a rug or piece of cardboard to practice on.
Items buried a while will react a bit different but not enough to throw you off much.
Re read your instructions maybe.
Check out the Garrett section of T-Net.Garrett
A hand held pinpointer makes a big difference once you cut a plug.
Keep it fun.Fill your dug areas.
Here's some ideas if you did not find them yet.TreasureNet - Guide

 

[mcl]

Here's the technique I would recommend for making sure you/your detector are not crazy. When you get a hit and have the plug or what not dug out, set the plug aside and run the detector over it, and also over the new hole. If you get a hit over only the plug, you know to search the plug. If you get a hit over both the plug and the hole, there's a chance that either you/your detector are crazy, or you could have a dump/spill site (e.g., a lot of nails in the dirt). Worst case, it could mean you have high metal content in the soil. In any case, if the plug went off, cool, you know where to look. Use the detector or a probe to isolate the hit to one half of the plug, then poke around in it.

Now if it went off over the hole, here is how to proceed. Take a shovelful of dirt out of the hole and set it aside. Now run the detector over both the shovelful of dirt and the hole, the same way you just did for the plug. If you get a hit for the shovelful but not the hole, then you know your prize is near, and you can rummage through the dirt for it. If you only get a hit over the hole, then you know you haven't reached it yet. Time to take another shovelful of dirt. If you end up getting a whole foot deep and still haven't found the target, then try making the hole wider as you may have missed the target in the walls of your hole. The fact is, unless something is wrong with your detector, if you keep getting a hit over your hole but not right next to the hole (over open ground) then there IS something down there, you just need to be persistent.

mcl

 

[tcornel]

A pinpointer will make your life SO MUCH EASIER! That said are you ground balancing the machine? Is your sensitivity set to the environment. For me that met 2 notches less than full. At full sensitivity you will get false signals if the surrounding conditions don't support it.

 

[cudamark]

As mentioned, practice with known surface targets first so you know what a good target sound is and that you are pin pointing fairly accurately. If you're getting the same type sound out in the field but can't come up with the target, I suspect your sensitivity is set too high. Turn it down a bit and retest the spot to see if you're still getting a good signal. Check your depth reading on any repeatable sound. Try figuring out the size of the object by running the coil completely around the target without setting off the detector. If the target is bigger than a saucer, you've probably found something big down deep.

 

[DiggerGal]

Welcome to Tnet KellyZ! Along with what everyone else has stated, make sure your coil connection is secure and the safety ring is screwed in securely.
Wrap your coil cable tightly around the shaft.
If your connection is loose, you will get false signals.
You will love the ATP. You have a great machine!

 

[Dagger Woods]

As a relatively new user of the same machine, I'd guess that tcornel hit the nail on the head - it sounds like you need to properly ground balance your ATP. You need to do it every time you start out. Your new ATP should have come with an instructional DVD and booklet. Watch/read them again and get the knack of g-b'ing down pat. I hope that's all it is...Good luck!

 

[Fletch88]

Welcome aboard! It sounds like false signals. Try turning sensitivity down and ground balance machine. Like others have already said practice on surface or shallow buried targets for a few days and get familiar with controls before chasing every beep to China. Turn 90 degrees on targets you suspect may be good, if it's iron falsing it will usually move or have a broken sound.

 

[etex]

If all that advice fails, get a minelab.

 

[G.I.B.]

What part of the country are you hunting in?

What is the land history?

Are you seeing discoloration in the soil when digging?

 

[SusanMN]

Make sure your coil wire is wrapped fairly tight around your shaft so it doesn't wiggle around and cause false signals. Then I would suggest you find a tot lot or play area to practice detecting in. They are usually good for a few coins, targets aren't buried too deep and you don't need to worry about cutting neat plugs.

 

[cruiserkev]

X2 on the tot lots. Easy pickings and shallow holes in the wood chips. I take my 4 year old often to various local parks, she plays while I hunt. Works well for both of us.

She surprised me the other day and wanted to dig. I staked out 4 targets for her and gave her the pinpointer. A few minutes later she runs up to me with a 1951 wheatie. Surprised me as this play area was built in 1997! She was very proud of herself and told her mom she found the oldest coin of the day when we got home. Mom just loves to rub it in that I was beat by a 4 year old girl.

My oldest coin was a 1990 quarter that day.

 

[Johnathon78]

I own a AtP as well. Great machine. I watched a lot of online videos from experienced users to learn my machine. That was easier for me than watching the DVD my machine came with. Make sure you ground balance every time you turn the machine on. The setting on your machine will differ in different environments but I usually set my machine on Std zero mode, iron disc around 22-25, sensitivity maxed out. Also, if you haven't already you need to invest in a pinpointer. I now have a garret carrot but for a while used an el cheapo bounty hunter pinpointer. Good luck!

 

[KellyZ]

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer.!! My sincerest thank you to all who took the time for me.I do have a Garrett Propointer. It beeps too....perhaps I am not digging deep enough! I live at the Jersey Shore. I know it can be challenging at the beach so I only use it on dry sand, not near the water too much. I do take it in the woods. That is my most challenging area. Sometimes I think there is too much iron in the soil. Anyways...I will use all of the advice and keep you posted. Thank you all again! Folks her are wonderful!

 

[KellyZ]

Hi G.I.B. ..thank you for taking the time for me. I live in New Jersey. I like to use it at the beach and in the woods. I have been going to old homesteads and land that was once a mill...I don't see any discoloration in the soil, although I think maybe there is a lot of bog iron in the pines.

 

[bigfoot1]

the problem with old iron is when it deteriorates it leaves behind a,"halo"of iron particles.these pockets of particles can give a signal untill disturbed and dispersed.not saying this is happening but it does explain some dissapearing signals.

 

[G.I.B.]

It sounds like you need to start with a test garden.

Find a place in your yard where you don't get any hit's or signals. Find a few good areas and then bury a quarter in one, dime in another, and so on.

Practice there first, get used to the sounds, and adjust your machine accordingly.

Watch a bunch of youtube video's on the operation of your detector too, that will help.

And, you can always reach out to someone in your area for a joint hunt, where I'm sure you will learn a lot.

Good luck!

 

[Loco-Digger]

I recommend a few things.

1. Make sure you ground balance often.

2. Check each target by swinging at 180 degrees from your 1st direction. i.e. 1st pass you swung north to south and get a beep, then check the target by swinging over the spot from east to west.

3. Make sure your sensitivity is not set too high for the area.

I chased some phantoms last season, but once I made sure to double check all signals I dug less chasing false signals. After getting many hours on my detector I discovered that my detector often falsed when I swung over ruts.

Welcome to the hobby, put some more time in detecting, experience is the best way to learn your machine.