My New Favorite Detector...

Sapper724

Sr. Member
May 28, 2013
425
184
Northwestern WI
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT PRO (Current)
Minelab Etrac (Current)
Garrett Pro Pointer
Sampson 31" Digger

Fisher F2 (RIP)
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I'm in disbelief... Really at a loss for words... Only an hour away even! We're coming camping down there tomorrow. Crazy
 

OP
OP
fella

fella

Bronze Member
Oct 24, 2012
1,805
853
Wisc
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Nickels Nickels & more Nickels.
Pulled more nickels with this ATP in the short time I've used it, its left me kind of stymied.

On my hour hunt tonight besides the silver pendant, I also dug two more nickels. The ATP is tuned into these babies!
 

Sapper724

Sr. Member
May 28, 2013
425
184
Northwestern WI
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT PRO (Current)
Minelab Etrac (Current)
Garrett Pro Pointer
Sampson 31" Digger

Fisher F2 (RIP)
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Wherever you're hunting, you're sure in a honey hole!
 

Sapper724

Sr. Member
May 28, 2013
425
184
Northwestern WI
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT PRO (Current)
Minelab Etrac (Current)
Garrett Pro Pointer
Sampson 31" Digger

Fisher F2 (RIP)
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Go buy some lottery tickets!
 

YukonCorn

Sr. Member
Jun 13, 2013
405
21
New York
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, Garrett Pro-pointer, Plastic Scooper, Trowel, 17" Shovel, Lesche Digging Tool, Garrett Camo Treasure Pouch, Garrett Detector Bag, Headphone Bag, LED Flashlight, 8.5"x11" DD Coil Cover
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Nice my AT Pro is comming in tommorow!
 

McClod

Sr. Member
Jun 14, 2013
285
211
Oregon
Detector(s) used
Minelab CTX 3030, Garrett Pro Pointer and Whites TRX Pin Pointer.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Hi Fella,

I was reading one of your posts on another thread in which you mentioned other posts about the AT Pro that you've made in which you gave some info about the learning process for you with it, I just purchased mine a month ago so thought I'd check out some of your posts, thanks for putting the info up about it! You mentioned you like your AT Pro better even than the E-Trac, wow! I'm curious about that and why? The AT Pro is my first detector ever and I am loving it and learning it every day, using it for hours each day, but finding nothing special besides a few Wheaties so far, but the E-trac is supposed to be even deeper and according to others, is a better machine, just curious about your opinion on the two. Thanks and keep posting!



AT Pro! I've only had this machine 2.5wks but in that time it has come to be my fav.

It has some issues that to me are kinda asinine. But the way the audio speaks I really like it as an overall package.

When heading out the door, my Vx3 & MXTP series are being left behind. Something I didn't think ever possible!

I'm really glad I took the chance on the ATP (and the 5x8) and stuck it out. As many of know I wasn't overly impressed with this machine to start with, finding more fault with it than good.
When I first started with the ATP I was running Pro Mode Custom w/28-30 iron disc. While it seemed to work ok I still wasn't "feeling it". I put it in Standard Coin Mode once. That lasted one target before I said f that!
After a couple of days running Pro Custom I switched it to Pro Zero w/zero iron disc. At first I thought it to be a bit too much info and would change back to Pro Custom when I felt I wasn't processing everything Pro Zero w/zero was telling me. That went on for a couple of days before I made the switch to Pro Zero w/zero iron disc and the decision to keep it there. Best move I made on the ATP. The machine came alive! Hearing everything the machine "sees" and how its presented to the user is simply brilliant.

Is it a perfect machine? Well no!
But to me right now, the ATP is the best I've ever used. Do I like it better than the E-Trac I had? Yep! Better than my Vx3? Yep! MXT Pro? Yep! Vaquero? Yep!

Now I'm thinking of an AT Gold. Probably sell/trade off my Whites to get one! Wait, did I just say that?
 

birdman

Gold Member
Jan 28, 2005
7,458
2,393
Choctaw Beach Florida
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800 and ORX, tesoro Cibola with garret,whites and minelab pinpointers
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I think if they made an AT pro salt water version then it would be a wrap! The AT pro is a very impressive machine in iron.My buddy has one and it did better then my etrac incertain situtions.Mainly bad iron sites.
 

OP
OP
fella

fella

Bronze Member
Oct 24, 2012
1,805
853
Wisc
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Hi Fella,

I was reading one of your posts on another thread in which you mentioned other posts about the AT Pro that you've made in which you gave some info about the learning process for you with it, I just purchased mine a month ago so thought I'd check out some of your posts, thanks for putting the info up about it! You mentioned you like your AT Pro better even than the E-Trac, wow! I'm curious about that and why? The AT Pro is my first detector ever and I am loving it and learning it every day, using it for hours each day, but finding nothing special besides a few Wheaties so far, but the E-trac is supposed to be even deeper and according to others, is a better machine, just curious about your opinion on the two. Thanks and keep posting!

First let me say the E-Trac is a fine machine. It has some areas where it outshines many other detectors including the AT Pro but it never really fit my "style" of hunting.

First of all it's heavy and awkward. Worst balanced detector I've ever swung. It doesn't bother a lot of ET users but I just simply didn't want to swing the thing for more than an hour.
Recovery speed is pretty slow too. By far the slowest I've ever used. Problem with slow recovering detectors is you have a really good chance of missing good targets when they are close to discriminated targets. The slower the recovery, the greater the distance needs to be between targets to get the signals for each. Users get around this by detecting at a snails pace. In lower trash areas this may be fine but I don't hunt in many low trash areas. I prefer faster recovering machines.
Tones...I HATED them. The long fluty sounds the emanated from the speaker were quite frankly the second worst thing I'ver heard. (Any hip hop "music" is worst) The E-trac sounds like R2D2 driving an ice cream. Couldn't put up with it in trashy areas. Again many of the ET users like (or at least claim to like) the tones.

It just simply didn't suit me. When I say I prefer the AT Pro to it, it really brings the elitist drones to their feet in almost a call to arms with save face remarks like "well you just didn't learn how to use it, don't feel bad a lot people can't learn it and go with the ATP" blah blah blah. Makes me chuckle!

Is the E-Trac deeper? Yeah probably...on higher conductive targets. Does that make it "better"? Not to me. I need more than depth.
 

Fletch88

Silver Member
Mar 7, 2013
4,841
2,367
Valdosta, GA
Detector(s) used
Garrett ATPro- 8.5x11, 5x8, CORS Fotune 5.5x9.5
Tesoro Silver microMax- 8 donut, 8x11 RSD, 3x18 Cleansweep
Minelab Excalibur ll- 10" Tornado
Minelab CTX 3030
Minelab Xterra 305
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Fella I'm in dis-agreement. The ATP I owned was the the worst thing I ever heard ( no maybe the ace 350 was worse yet) Did you ever try 2 or 4 tone audio ? Recovery fast? You may be an Etrac expert, but from what you've posted about it I'm not sure you knew much about it. Glad you're happy with AT but the audio was terrible compared to an Etrac right out of the box and only changed to 4 tone audio. 2 tone ferrous is awesome in iron infested sites that VLF's can't begin to run in.
 

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fella

fella

Bronze Member
Oct 24, 2012
1,805
853
Wisc
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Fella I'm in dis-agreement. The ATP I owned was the the worst thing I ever heard ( no maybe the ace 350 was worse yet) Did you ever try 2 or 4 tone audio ? Recovery fast? You may be an Etrac expert, but from what you've posted about it I'm not sure you knew much about it. Glad you're happy with AT but the audio was terrible compared to an Etrac right out of the box and only changed to 4 tone audio. 2 tone ferrous is awesome in iron infested sites that VLF's can't begin to run in.

Nope never became an expert at the E-Trac and never claimed to be. But I put enough time in to know what I didn't like. No amount of horrible sounding tones or any of the tone adjustment, recovery fast (which was still wicked slow compared to several other VLF I've owed) was EVER going to help me enjoy the use of E-Trac. Plus the weight/balance was a joke.

Glad you like yours. Enjoy!

Maybe I would have been more impressed if I had only been using lower end detectors before getting my ET. Maybe then I would think it was some kind of magic wand.
 

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fella

fella

Bronze Member
Oct 24, 2012
1,805
853
Wisc
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
XP Deus, Minlab E-Trac, Whites Vx3 & MXT Pro, Tesoro Vaquero & Outlaw and AT Pro.

I have had/have all of those. Everyone of these have found coins at the exact same depth and not one of em ANY deeper. I'm not saying the potential for some of these detectors to be deeper isn't there, I just saying in my area I have not dug coins deeper with any one machine.
Probably why I never feel at a disadvantage while swinging my ATP.:3coins:

It's still my fav....:icon_thumleft:







Deus is gaining some ground though! :tongue3:
 

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