A bad and good experience in at a freshwater beach

[Digger2]

I went over the weekend to a campground with a freshwater beach and had these experiences.
First the bad: I hunted for about an hour in the water about waist deep, up and down with my AT Pro. I didn't find anything, not a single hit, ziltch. I figured there was just nothing there. and got out of the water and started hunting on dry land. then the good started.

The good: A fellow pulled up where I was hunting on land and came over and talked to me. To make a rant a short one, I ended up looking in the back of his pickup truck where he had a few Tesoro water detectors. I told him I had been in the water and didn't find anything. He invited me along, so I took advantage of it.
I walked along side of him and when he got a hit, I passed my AT over it, but it remained silent, except for a grunt or two. This went on for a good while then he handed me his Tesoro, and yep, I started realizing finds.
He was using an old Stingray II, and man that thing did a job,especially in his hands. He picked up several rings and lots of clad,and, while I was skunked, I did learn a lot about freshwater hunting.
I came home and put my AT Pro aside and I will have to make a few phone calls in the morning.
I may have been doing something wrong with my detector, but I doubt it. It may just need a tune up for the water or whatever, but it sure works great on land.
Roy

 

[lookindown]

It should work just as good in freshwater as it does on land...the only thing I can think of is that all the targets in the water were deeper than the AT could detect...but that doesn't seem reasonable...I think you had something tuned up wrong. Do you know what all your settings were at?

 

[63bkpkr]

It is a learning experience and many of us have them. Please post again when you find out what was needed to get the machine working! Best of good success in the future!........................63bkpkr

 

[Digger2]

It should work just as good in freshwater as it does on land...the only thing I can think of is that all the targets in the water were deeper than the AT could detect...but that doesn't seem reasonable...I think you had something tuned up wrong. Do you know what all your settings were at?

Yes, I was in Pro...Zero .....Iron disc set at 0, ground balance on auto. Whenever I hit an "new" area I always go to Iron disc at 0 to start with, until I know what I am dealing with.
The deepest target the other detectorist found was very shallow maybe an inch or two. We dropped a nickel in the water and my AT wouldn't make a sound when the coil was passed over it. I was using the 5 x 8 coil and underwater headphones.

 

[Sandman]

Granted the Tesoro Stingray was a great detector and the Tiger Shark is even better, but the ATP should pick up nickels if set at zero. Something is wrong with the AT PRO. Check your headphone connection before sending it in and see if the speaker works with that nickel.

Good Luck.
Sandman

 

[seeker41]

something definitely wrong!!!! your settings, batteries or the machine needs repair!

 

[Digger2]

I called Garrett a while ago. The lady had me go to a fresh water area and check with a different coil. The different coil worked fine. The odd thing is the coil that was on the machine over the weekend worked fine there also.
I'll go back to the same beach again soon and try again with both coils.

It may have been just a quirk, but for the life of me I cannot see how a metal detector can work so great on land, then it 2 feet of water it quits. I'll give that beach another try, but, even if it does work, whats to keep it from happening again. Sounds like I need a back up.

Any suggestions on a machine with multiple sounds for ID? Visual ID is nice, but I'd rather rely on the sounds.

Roy

 

[seeker41]

"The different coil worked fine. The odd thing is the coil that was on the machine over the weekend worked fine there also".

ok,.......im confused! did both coils work fine in the water and on dry land?

if one coil works in the water and another fails .......you have a bad coil.

if both coils fail in the water you have a bad machine.

is the problem only in water or is the machine also not acting right in the dry sand/dirt.

 

[Digger2]

I only brought one coil with me to the beach, which worked fine on dry land, but not in the water.
Today I brought that same coil, and another coil with me to a boat launch near my home. They both worked okay.

I have looking at Tesoros machines on utube, but the ones I have looked at, I only hear one tone with them, seems they use the disc knob, to id the target.

 

[lookindown]

I called Garrett a while ago. The lady had me go to a fresh water area and check with a different coil. The different coil worked fine. The odd thing is the coil that was on the machine over the weekend worked fine there also.
I'll go back to the same beach again soon and try again with both coils.

It may have been just a quirk, but for the life of me I cannot see how a metal detector can work so great on land, then it 2 feet of water it quits. I'll give that beach another try, but, even if it does work, whats to keep it from happening again. Sounds like I need a back up.

Any suggestions on a machine with multiple sounds for ID? Visual ID is nice, but I'd rather rely on the sounds.

Roy

The AT has three tones...are you only hearing one?

 

[lookindown]

Yes, I was in Pro...Zero .....Iron disc set at 0, ground balance on auto. Whenever I hit an "new" area I always go to Iron disc at 0 to start with, until I know what I am dealing with.
The deepest target the other detectorist found was very shallow maybe an inch or two. We dropped a nickel in the water and my AT wouldn't make a sound when the coil was passed over it. I was using the 5 x 8 coil and underwater headphones.

You cant just put the ground balance on AUTO, you have to pump the coil up and down until the numbers stop changing and then take it out of GB mode.

 

[JustinNH]

Yeah, something was certainly wrong... I've been finding a good deal of small gold in the water with my AT Pro, including a .1 gram infant ring a few inches down this weekend. One spot I have found buffalo nickles down 8" in the sand 4 feet deep and they were sounding nice and clear.
Hope you get it straightened out-- the AT pro is a great water machine.

 

[Digger2]

You cant just put the ground balance on AUTO, you have to pump the coil up and down until the numbers stop changing and then take it out of GB mode.

Duh!

 

[Digger2]

Yeah, something was certainly wrong... I've been finding a good deal of small gold in the water with my AT Pro, including a .1 gram infant ring a few inches down this weekend. One spot I have found buffalo nickles down 8" in the sand 4 feet deep and they were sounding nice and clear.
Hope you get it straightened out-- the AT pro is a great water machine.

Thanks, I feel certain it'll get straightened out.