GrizLeeBear
Hero Member
- Jan 18, 2013
- 555
- 383
- Detector(s) used
- Garrett GTI 1500
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
Based on the advice of many of you I bought the Garrett Pro-Pointer, (PP). I took it out for the first time today. My initial impression was that it was smaller than I expected. At just under nine inches, it is compact and lightweight. It is essentially easy to use right out of the box. You push a button and it works. There are instructions, but the most helpful to me was to turn it on well away from the target and then move it close to the area where, if it senses the target, it vibrates and buzzes. These reactions are more pronounced as it gets closer to the object. Unlike a metal detector, it does not have to be moving to find a target. You move it to locate the signal and then to pinpoint it exactly.
I placed a common dime, quarter and penny on the ground and moved in with the probe end. I felt it stir when I was about three inches above each coin. At two inches, it was sounding off. As I moved the pointer around the signal came and went.
My GTI-1500 has a feature called Treasure Imaging, which is a mullti-function pinpointer (he discriminator). It puts me within about a three inch circle of where the target is, tells me the metal type, size of the object and the depth. With that information I can usually find the target with no problem, so I was not sure what the need of the pinpointer was. I went hunting to find out.
I scanned an older tent campground where I knew I could find coins, keys and some occasional jewelry, along with the normal assorted trash. The trash includes many nails that comes from various wood types burned in fire rings. The soil is sandy and imbedded with many rocks and stones.
My first find was a clad quarter. The MD sounded, I looked down and could see the coin. Love it, no digging! Then I had several trash targets and I ignored them, per the discriminator. Then I got a hit that looked and sounded good in my GTI-1500's opinion. I was told it was a dime about three inches down. I marked the spot with the MD Imaging and brought the Propointer into play. It saw nothing at that spot. So I scraped the soil a few times, removing about an inch of the pebble surface. Remember, I was trying to learn the PP at this time. So I used it again and it now sounded of a little. I went down another inch and it really reacted. I dug out a trowel full of dirt and set it aside. Now the PP did not see anything in the hole. I moved to the dirt pile and began to probe around and it found the dime.
That is how it went for the day. I found a lot of junk nails, pop tops and such, but I was digging more than normal in trying to learn more about the PP. My over all impression is that I would have found just as many coins without the PP as I did with it. However, I did find them faster once the MD marked them. This is especially true when I had to dig a bit.
The soil here is so hard and compacted that most coins are within half an inch of the surface. I can usually just move the little pebbles around and see the coin or whatever. I still need to test it in other soils.
Over all I am pleased with my limited three hours of testing. I was able to cover more ground by cutting down on the time between when the MD found the target until I had it in my hand. My knees are old and bad with arthritis, so I cannot get down on my knees to dig. I must bend over at the waist and support myself with an elbow on my thigh. The less time I spend I that position the better. The Propointer will be a big help there.
I do want to emphasize for those in a more loamy soil where the targets are three to twelve inches down, the PP does not see the target until you have done some digging. Mine, new, out of the box, with a good battery, had to be within about 2.5 inches before I got a good signal from it. I would not want you to walk away from a find because it did not react from the surface.
It is a keeper and I thank those who advised me to get it. I look forward to working with it some more in different situations.
Any and all comments are welcome.
I placed a common dime, quarter and penny on the ground and moved in with the probe end. I felt it stir when I was about three inches above each coin. At two inches, it was sounding off. As I moved the pointer around the signal came and went.
My GTI-1500 has a feature called Treasure Imaging, which is a mullti-function pinpointer (he discriminator). It puts me within about a three inch circle of where the target is, tells me the metal type, size of the object and the depth. With that information I can usually find the target with no problem, so I was not sure what the need of the pinpointer was. I went hunting to find out.
I scanned an older tent campground where I knew I could find coins, keys and some occasional jewelry, along with the normal assorted trash. The trash includes many nails that comes from various wood types burned in fire rings. The soil is sandy and imbedded with many rocks and stones.
My first find was a clad quarter. The MD sounded, I looked down and could see the coin. Love it, no digging! Then I had several trash targets and I ignored them, per the discriminator. Then I got a hit that looked and sounded good in my GTI-1500's opinion. I was told it was a dime about three inches down. I marked the spot with the MD Imaging and brought the Propointer into play. It saw nothing at that spot. So I scraped the soil a few times, removing about an inch of the pebble surface. Remember, I was trying to learn the PP at this time. So I used it again and it now sounded of a little. I went down another inch and it really reacted. I dug out a trowel full of dirt and set it aside. Now the PP did not see anything in the hole. I moved to the dirt pile and began to probe around and it found the dime.
That is how it went for the day. I found a lot of junk nails, pop tops and such, but I was digging more than normal in trying to learn more about the PP. My over all impression is that I would have found just as many coins without the PP as I did with it. However, I did find them faster once the MD marked them. This is especially true when I had to dig a bit.
The soil here is so hard and compacted that most coins are within half an inch of the surface. I can usually just move the little pebbles around and see the coin or whatever. I still need to test it in other soils.
Over all I am pleased with my limited three hours of testing. I was able to cover more ground by cutting down on the time between when the MD found the target until I had it in my hand. My knees are old and bad with arthritis, so I cannot get down on my knees to dig. I must bend over at the waist and support myself with an elbow on my thigh. The less time I spend I that position the better. The Propointer will be a big help there.
I do want to emphasize for those in a more loamy soil where the targets are three to twelve inches down, the PP does not see the target until you have done some digging. Mine, new, out of the box, with a good battery, had to be within about 2.5 inches before I got a good signal from it. I would not want you to walk away from a find because it did not react from the surface.
It is a keeper and I thank those who advised me to get it. I look forward to working with it some more in different situations.
Any and all comments are welcome.
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. It is not hype is speeds up recovery time and can keep you from tearing a target up. Faster recover more targets dug. The thing will find a staple in a dirt clod. I had the Harbor freight one and gave it away.
