AT Pro help.......

xmarks73

Sr. Member
Jan 1, 2011
302
44
S.E Michigan
Detector(s) used
Etrac, Ace 250, and AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hi everyone, I have been away from the message boards for a Lil while and thought I would pop in and see if anyone else was having problems with their AT Pro.

I used an ACE 250 for a few years so the AT Pro fit my comfort zone far better than my etrac. I have dug ALOT of nice coins with it. I landed a couple old firsts with it. Seated Quarter, LC, etc. I am pretty happy with it for the most part. The pin pointing has the same challenges that the ace 250 had, but everything else in Standard mode is great. I tried to use pro mode and thought it was just to advanced for me so, I just went back to standard mode. I figured my Etrac out so I thought with a little patience I could master pro mode on the AT. I just don't have the patience. It sings non stop! I can not decipher anything. I have not used it in the water yet so, I'm not sure how that is going to work.

Is there suppose to be a huge recovery difference between pro and standard mode? How about a depth difference? I am considering just not using the pro mode. I would love to hear your experiences and opinions on the AT Pro. Thanks everyone.
 

Sandman

Gold Member
Aug 6, 2005
13,398
3,992
In Michigan now.
Detector(s) used
Excal 1000, Excal II, Sovereign GT, CZ-20, Tiger Shark, Tejon, GTI 1500, Surfmaster Pulse, CZ6a, DFX, AT PRO, Fisher 1235, Surf PI Pro, 1280-X, many more because I enjoy learning them. New Garrett Ca
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
What the PRO mode does is give you more information with the signal, like standard gives you a beep at the same volume regardless of the depth, Pro mode goes loud when shallow and fainter when deeper. There are Low, Medium and High tones to help id the target too. You almost never need to use the PP mode with the DD coil. When you get a signal, slowly move the coil back and forth while slowly pulling the coil toward you. When the signal disappears, stop and push the coil forward and when you hear the tone again the target is just off the tip. Practice with a coin on top of clean ground. (this is called the Minelab Wiggle)

There is no difference in depth of the Standard or Pro modes but there is a faster recovery time with the pro mode I think because you already had more info of the target before you even bent down. It is best to not operate in at full sens.
 

John-Edmonton

Silver Member
Mar 21, 2005
4,400
3,953
Canada
Detector(s) used
Garrett- Master Hunter CX,Infinium, 1350, 2500, ACE 150-water converted 250, GTA 500,1500 Scorpion, AT Pro
I have found both the standard mode and pro mode very deep. However, air tests support a deeper range on the Pro mode as shown below from some Garrett detector comparison charts a while back. If you are hunting in Pro Mode, it is wise to add some discrimination 20-30 to help eliminate some of the burps, beeps etc. You can always push the iron audio button to still hear all the audio if needed. You can add as much discrimination as you want, without losing any depth, unlike a lot of knobs on other detectors where you actually lose depth as you advance the discrimination knobs. Listen for those high signals, (VDI 75-85) which are found in the copper & silver range. Gold can show up anywhere, depending on its mass and what it is amalgamated with. However, gold and silver rings tend to sound out a lot louder, clearer and more stable in all directions using the searchcoil. If you are in a trashy areas, slow down, as the recovery speed is very fast, and too much speed with the coil may allow you to lose some of those great targets. And finally, the AT Pro, especially in Pro Mode, is very good at picking out good targets beside and sometimes underneath another piece of metal junk. Again, listen for those high tones, look at the VDI and dig all target bouncing between the 40's and 80's. Lots of surprises show up that way.

Good luck with your new AT Pro. Below is a graph comparing different modes using the AT pro.
 

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George (MN)

Hero Member
May 16, 2005
829
98
I am a new user of the AT Pro & thought I'd through in my 2 zincs worth with some random thoughts/observations. This is an interesting detector. Seems in the STD mode it can be swept very slow or very fast. In the PRO mode it has to be swept very slow, not just for separation but correct response.

If I try to sweep the AT Pro in PRO mode over my 3" deep dime, at a normal sweep speed, it loses the high tone & breaks up! So it seems in PRO mode it is meant for stand still detecting, using just very slow sweep, which should also be short sweeps in trash or when pinpointing a target.

My air tests confirm John's findings that it seems deeper in PRO mode. It still does go deeper in STD than the Ace 250, not sure if that is only due to coil differences? But the ID seems more stable, too.

On my 5" deep clad dime buried late 2009, the ID on the AT Pro is back & forth between screw cap and zinc. The Ace 250 bounces more, even when using the 10 x 14 Excelerator DD. The Ace 250 with 10x14 was locking in before on 1c/10c, perhaps the coin has become more tilted?

In the PRO mode, the detector seems just slightly less stable. So perhaps turning the sensitivity down just a bit could be good. Best wishes and HH, George (MN)
 

gleaner1

Silver Member
Feb 1, 2009
4,495
1,038
Gateway to the 1000 Islands
Detector(s) used
Sometime(s)
Primary Interest:
Other
In air I find you can spark up a better response on clad with a quicker sweep. I never have even tried it in basic mode. It's a curious beast.
 

underarock

Sr. Member
Mar 27, 2011
318
4
Southeast PA
Detector(s) used
CZ-70
Primary Interest:
Other
George (MN) said:
I am a new user of the AT Pro & thought I'd through in my 2 zincs worth with some random thoughts/observations. This is an interesting detector. Seems in the STD mode it can be swept very slow or very fast. In the PRO mode it has to be swept very slow, not just for separation but correct response.

If I try to sweep the AT Pro in PRO mode over my 3" deep dime, at a normal sweep speed, it loses the high tone & breaks up! So it seems in PRO mode it is meant for stand still detecting, using just very slow sweep, which should also be short sweeps in trash or when pinpointing a target.

My air tests confirm John's findings that it seems deeper in PRO mode. It still does go deeper in STD than the Ace 250, not sure if that is only due to coil differences? But the ID seems more stable, too.

On my 5" deep clad dime buried late 2009, the ID on the AT Pro is back & forth between screw cap and zinc. The Ace 250 bounces more, even when using the 10 x 14 Excelerator DD. The Ace 250 with 10x14 was locking in before on 1c/10c, perhaps the coin has become more tilted?

In the PRO mode, the detector seems just slightly less stable. So perhaps turning the sensitivity down just a bit could be good. Best wishes and HH, George (MN)

When you quickly scan it does a condensed beep noise assuming you will return to that spot to scan slowly. Your not really losing too much depth by moving at the same speed as the standard mode. The pro mode with the iron audio is really amazing in my opinion.
 

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