New atp user question

[wetfly]

After couple years with ace 150 learning the machines pro mode language is going as good as can be expected but I feel as though I might be passing signals up because I don't understand what I'm being told fully yet! Anyone try the ATP in standard mode (like ace series tones) then when a target is found that makes that familiar tone switch to pro mode to try and decipher the pro mode language? Just curious and trying to learn the new language of tones in pro mode as fast and accurate as I can! But aside from that boy what a toy it makes my old 150 feel like! Love all the info before I decide to dig but maybee I found all the great stuff because I had to dig it all??!! Depth is really biggest upgrade for me and as far as what I've heard about this machine being poor in saltwater ,I'll have to say that at least in key west and surrounding keys it works like a champ sometimes losing lil sensitivity but then again I didn't pay 1500$ for that machine! Anyway any tips or tricks that helped new users adjust and learn the ATP would be greatly appreciated!! An expensive detector without historical homework will be beat by a far cheaper one 9 out of ten times!!

 

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[RobRieman]

Watch all the videos on YouTube, it's the easiest way to explain the sounds in pro mode to someone. You want to start in pro zero with about 35 disc in if your not hunting for iron. Dig iffy signals at first until you can tell what the machine is telling you. If you hear something you don't understand, dig it and remember what it sounded like. Bottle caps will give you a high sound like a good target but when you switch on iron audio and sweep it you will hear a grunt while sweeping the target indicating iron. Toss a couple caps and coins on the ground and learn the difference between the two. I have a V3i and an AT Pro and have been using the pro since I bought it because it's so easy and I have enjoyed learning it's language. Good luck!

 

[rks1949]

Run it in Pro Mode! Dig all targets,and soon you will learn what it is saying to you! The sooner you get away from the bell tones,the better you will understand the pro tones. This is where you want to go with the machine,to use it at it's best performance level. Try pro all metal (35disc),then pro zero mode (no disc). It takes time to get used to a new machine 50-100 hrs. then it all starts to "click" and your finds will increase dramatically!

 

[badpenny]

What everyone is saying. I only run in Pro Mode, and listen to the sound/sounds. Crackling when you clear a target generally means junk even if is sounds good. Dig anyway until you are comfortable with what you think it is. I use the smaller coil and find a lot of target next to junk, so I swing like I move, slow. LOL! The smaller coil separates very well and the tone will tell me I have multiple items in the hole. Also, I use the VDI numbers too. If a target sounds good, but has that tell tale crackle in it I'll glance at the number to see if I am locked on a steady number, if I am I dig, if I am jumping all over the place I keep walking. Good luck, and any questions you might have just post them and someone here will do their best to answer or point you in the right direction, including me.

 

[AC500]

I have the ATP, and quite honestly I did 90% of my hits even though I know some are solid iron, simply because of the area Im hunting, I would've lost out on a cool oxen & horse shoe had I passed them by. Dig it all, you'll learn it quicker then you think.

 

[treadhead]

After couple years with ace 150 learning the machines pro mode language is going as good as can be expected but I feel as though I might be passing signals up because I don't understand what I'm being told fully yet! Anyone try the ATP in standard mode (like ace series tones) then when a target is found that makes that familiar tone switch to pro mode to try and decipher the pro mode language? Just curious and trying to learn the new language of tones in pro mode as fast and accurate as I can! But aside from that boy what a toy it makes my old 150 feel like! Love all the info before I decide to dig but maybee I found all the great stuff because I had to dig it all??!! Depth is really biggest upgrade for me and as far as what I've heard about this machine being poor in saltwater ,I'll have to say that at least in key west and surrounding keys it works like a champ sometimes losing lil sensitivity but then again I didn't pay 1500$ for that machine! Anyway any tips or tricks that helped new users adjust and learn the ATP would be greatly appreciated!! An expensive detector without historical homework will be beat by a far cheaper one 9 out of ten times!!

Hey OP, I'm "Sort'a" in the same boat as you are. I had a '150 for about 6 months before I bought an ATP. I've run it in "PRO" (ZERO) mode about 99% of the
time JUST to learn all the new tones. I'm digging everything (Even the stuff that I KNOW is iron/trash) because this old park I'm hunting has had a number of
factories on it over the last 130yrs and I've found some cool old relics.

FWIW, I HAVE noticed that, foil and trash can sometimes "hit" in the "good" range (I just KNOW I'm going to dig a seated Liberty...lol) but, when you get a real
dime or quarter under the coil....it goes nuts (And leaves very little doubt). I dig a LOT of iffy stuff but dimes and quarters just seem to "SCREAM" at me through
the headphones (Between 80-90 VDI).

 

[Sapper724]

Yep, coins, especially silver, will scream at you. Usually you'll get a more stable number on them, and a crisp clear sound. Sometimes you'll have a little bounce in the number, but not too much of a jump. (I had a silver merc at 8 inches the other day that went from 80-83) still sounded good though. Sound is key. Usually you'll get a sound from every angle you can swing from, which is why I use the X method instead of using pinpoint mode.

Nails and brass shell casings will usually only give a strong sound going one way. When you step 90 degrees right or left and swing back over the target, you'll hear it get very weak.

It takes time and patience. The more you put in, the better you get. I'm still learning, and I'm sure I'm at over the 100 hours it recommends. That's part of the fun though. I have gone to some parks over 10 times, and I still find good stuff there.

Good luck, happy hunting, and don't be shy to ask!

-Ron

 

[badpenny]

Practice, practice, practice... learn the sounds, learn the machine and you will be calling what you dig before you know it. I dug some more pennies from my yard last night because I needed a ping fix. I have gone through this yard a million times and I am still finding stuff every time I swing the coil over it. Last night I found two 1961 Pennies and one 1962, an old trunk key, very rusted, what looks like a railroad spike but it is too small and the outside frame of a wrist watch which I never seen one like before. I have a few hundred hours on mine and I am still learning, and that is my point. Almost forgot as I dug last night I saw a piece of blasting wire and had thoughts about poking the digger back in the hole but thought "What the hell" and that was where I found the '62 penny. All coins were down around 6 to 8 inches too. I then headed up to my neighbors yard; he loves following along when he sees me digging and has taken control of my digger and that works for me. We dug some of his Piels beer cans at 10 to 12 inches and I called them before he dug too.