At pro depth issues

[david680]

My bad i got that confused with the pea size lead shot. Yeah i agree with the numbers being different. Cant remember what mackdog said a indian head penny read on his but mine reads like a 76 if its not to deep.
For some reason i wanna stay loyal to garrett but after reading so many reviews and having one problem i think i have to try another machine

Do you have anyone close to you who hunts with a AT Pro? Doing a hunt with a experienced hunter with the same machine may allow you to compare your machine and how its acquiring targets. However, I think D-N-D is correct and there will be variance. Just a idea before you spend the money on a new machine.

 

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[masterjedi]

My bad i got that confused with the pea size lead shot. Yeah i agree with the numbers being different. Cant remember what mackdog said a indian head penny read on his but mine reads like a 76 if its not to deep.
For some reason i wanna stay loyal to garrett but after reading so many reviews and having one problem i think i have to try another machine

"A wise man changes his mind, a fool never does"
littlewheaty... you got it
I have detected since the late 70's and always talked about wanting just a little more depth up until just a few months ago. I bought 3 new detectors this year. Garrett Ace 350, Garrett AT PRO & Fisher F75SE...
I tried everything I could to make the ATP that machine that went deeper. I tried the factory coils... standard coil, 5x8 & the concentric coil. I bought a NEL sharpshooter 5.5x9.5 coil and a NEL 15" Attack coil and the only one that performed good was the Attack coil.
I am not stuck on any one brand. I would honestly use a Radio Shack $59 detector if it did the job the best.
I did all of the research to see what was the best modern, deepest detectors out today. They are in no specific order > Teknetics T2SE, XP DEUS and Fisher F75SE...
My friend Canslaw and I both bought new detectors a few months ago. (He also has a ATP that does not have the depth) we both upgraded. He bought the DEUS and I bought the Fisher. We both now are saying "no more depth, no more depth" I am serious. It is not fun digging any hole over 10" deep. The best we could get with the ATP was approx 6" max on a coin sized target.
I do not understand why people defend something just to defend it. If the ATP was great, I would say it is great, it is what it is. The only thing I can think of is to why people defend the ATP is they want to be proud of their detector that they spent their hard earned money on... I can understand that. But I could not go on knowing that I was using a machine that masks iron/good targets terribly and does not have the great depth.
This is the last time I will post about the lack of ATP performance. It just leaves the great deep targets to the rest of us. Really. I have taken my new detector over the same ground I have hammered with the ATP and every coil and you would not believe the great targets the ATP left behind.
littlewheatie... good luck in your quest for a great detector

Remember... "A wise man changes his mind, a fool never does"

Gary from Oregon..

 

[MackDog]

I seriously can't believe you guys can't get more than 6 inches with the Pro. Are you running max sensitivity? Pro mode zero? With headphones? My pro will pick up a quarter that's down 2 inches from about 15 inches in the air. I wish I could take you out and try to help you with your machines. It took me a lot of trial and error to learn my Pro, but now I love it. Also if you want serious depth don't play around with small coils.

 

[masterjedi]

I seriously can't believe you guys can't get more than 6 inches with the Pro. Are you running max sensitivity? Pro mode zero? With headphones? My pro will pick up a quarter that's down 2 inches from about 15 inches in the air. I wish I could take you out and try to help you with your machines. It took me a lot of trial and error to learn my Pro, but now I love it. Also if you want serious depth don't play around with small coils.

Remember I started detecting in the 70's...
Yes Pro mode - max sense - always headphones - years of experience
Thanks for the offer to help!
I wish I could follow behind you with my Fisher on a real hunt... you would change your mind too..
Happy hunting...

 

[MackDog]

Remember I started detecting in the 70's...
Yes Pro mode - max sense - always headphones - years of experience
Thanks for the offer to help!
I wish I could follow behind you with my Fisher on a real hunt... you would change your mind too..
Happy hunting...

That's ok because I follow behind everyone and still find coins. I could follow behind you and get coins to, that's what great about this hobby NO ONE can get it all. I'm not bashing anyone else's detector, but I feel you should stick with one until you learn it. Maybe I got lucky and got a special At Pro that goes deeper than most. I feel that a lot of people don't really learn their detectors. I've been detecting since 1970 had. jet co Mustang BFO DEPTH WAS AN AWESOME 2 inches max. Man did I find some awesome coins with that baby, helps to be the only one for miles with a detector.
Anyway seriously good luck in your hunt for the deep detector. When you find it I hope you will be able to relax and enjoy this hobby, that's the real treasure of metal detecting, that and rediscovering history

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

Remember I started detecting in the 70's...
Yes Pro mode - max sense - always headphones - years of experience
Thanks for the offer to help!
I wish I could follow behind you with my Fisher on a real hunt... you would change your mind too..
Happy hunting...

Lol..your comments are funny

ive taken my ATP over areas I have hunted with before and find targets I missed..so your little fisher story is null

The only reason I would defend the ATP , is the fact I had issues when I first got it..and realized that it's because I didn't know how to use it properly...you say you bought 3 machines in one year? That is foolish in my book...you should learn how to use one first properly .

You our say you started in the 70s and still haven't figured out how these machines can be?

Maybe be you can get 3 machines next year and blow everyone out of the water..lol

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

I seriously can't believe you guys can't get more than 6 inches with the Pro. Are you running max sensitivity? Pro mode zero? With headphones? My pro will pick up a quarter that's down 2 inches from about 15 inches in the air. I wish I could take you out and try to help you with your machines. It took me a lot of trial and error to learn my Pro, but now I love it. Also if you want serious depth don't play around with small coils.

i can tell people aren't putting in time to understand it..I guess they think the more they spend..the easier it will be

 

[pgfhgs]

"A wise man changes his mind, a fool never does"
littlewheaty... you got it
I have detected since the late 70's and always talked about wanting just a little more depth up until just a few months ago. I bought 3 new detectors this year. Garrett Ace 350, Garrett AT PRO & Fisher F75SE...
I tried everything I could to make the ATP that machine that went deeper. I tried the factory coils... standard coil, 5x8 & the concentric coil. I bought a NEL sharpshooter 5.5x9.5 coil and a NEL 15" Attack coil and the only one that performed good was the Attack coil.
I am not stuck on any one brand. I would honestly use a Radio Shack $59 detector if it did the job the best.
I did all of the research to see what was the best modern, deepest detectors out today. They are in no specific order > Teknetics T2SE, XP DEUS and Fisher F75SE...
My friend Canslaw and I both bought new detectors a few months ago. (He also has a ATP that does not have the depth) we both upgraded. He bought the DEUS and I bought the Fisher. We both now are saying "no more depth, no more depth" I am serious. It is not fun digging any hole over 10" deep. The best we could get with the ATP was approx 6" max on a coin sized target.
I do not understand why people defend something just to defend it. If the ATP was great, I would say it is great, it is what it is. The only thing I can think of is to why people defend the ATP is they want to be proud of their detector that they spent their hard earned money on... I can understand that. But I could not go on knowing that I was using a machine that masks iron/good targets terribly and does not have the great depth.
This is the last time I will post about the lack of ATP performance. It just leaves the great deep targets to the rest of us. Really. I have taken my new detector over the same ground I have hammered with the ATP and every coil and you would not believe the great targets the ATP left behind.
littlewheatie... good luck in your quest for a great detector

Remember... "A wise man changes his mind, a fool never does"

Gary from Oregon..

I golf with guy who buys new clubs every year and changes balls heck even buys 3 putters every year he still can't break 90 because he doesn't know how to use his clubs properly....LOL heck I am sure when the course's open this spring here in the frozen tundra he will have another new set of clubs he doesn't know how to use......just say'in

 

[MackDog]

M

Lol..your comments are funny

ive taken my ATP over areas I have hunted with before and find targets I missed..so your little fisher story is null

The only reason I would defend the ATP , is the fact I had issues when I first got it..and realized that it's because I didn't know how to use it properly...you say you bought 3 machines in one year? That is foolish in my book...you should learn how to use one first properly .

You our say you started in the 70s and still haven't figured out how these machines can be?



Maybe be you can get 3 machines next year and blow everyone out of the water..lol

I got one thing to say to you brother AMEN, YOU GOT IT SO RIGHT. I bet most people hit a park for a few hours and say it's . I literally spend months doing a small park. Most days I get 3or 4 strips done in a day. I find a lot of the stuff others miss but can go over the park again and still come up with more.

 

[masterjedi]

Good luck everyone with your ATP's

 

[masterjedi]

I golf with guy who buys new clubs every year and changes balls heck even buys 3 putters every year he still can't break 90 because he doesn't know how to use his clubs properly....LOL heck I am sure when the course's open this spring here in the frozen tundra he will have another new set of clubs he doesn't know how to use......just say'in

I used to be one of those guys.... LOL... Every kind of putter/pitching wedge/driver/etc > I spent $470.00 on a single driver one time... crazy I know. I even built clubs for a while... It took me approx 5 years but was a scratch golfer on an easy course when I quit playing... Great analogy though...

 

[diggininms]

Lmao!! I just cant believe the depths you guys are reporting for such small targets. Im not saying you guys are lying, I just have to see it to believe it. Then again i have never used a nel coil either, so that could be why i have a hard time believing it . I can only recall a couple videos of people using nel coils and they were testing in new gardens, so I cant put much stock in that. I think i am gonna check the coils out though before i decide on upgrading to another machine. I have the 6x9 concentric and the 4 inch sniper now. Wish i would of got the 5x8 instead but the detector shop i been buying from strongly recommended the 6x9 so i got it. Hes the one that pushed the pro on me too. Lol me being new to the hobby and wanting a detector really bad i just took his word for it. I usually dont make purchases like that but for some reason i did and im not totally unhappy with the machine i just wish i would of did some research first.
I got the machine and started hunting everyday all day and a lot of times in to the night. Which i like night hunting a lot better. I was mainly hunting my yards but i would go off to a couple old parks and a older school just to change it up. I thought i learned the machine for the most part pretty quick. I could pinpoint and id a target id say after about 40 50 hrs of use. I was to the point i felt confident with it. I know there's still things to learn about detecting in general though since i only been doing this almost a year now.
I noticed after while i wasnt finding anything over four inches and thought something wasnt right. So i did some reading and watching videos. Thats what led me to this site. I lurked on here a while before ever signing up lol, and glad i did. I have got some very good information off tnet. So i finally decided to post my problem because i couldnt find anything directly related to my situation and their were a lot of mixed reviews about the machine. After posting i believe it was MUD that said do an air test. Air test?? Everything I read about air test said pretty much their worthless. I have done an airtest in the beginning but that was mainly to hear the different sounds of targets.
So I did it with a ruler to get an exact number. I couldnt hit a quarter a six inches. So I called garrett and told them about the problem of not finding anything over 4 inches. They told me to do an air test, I told them i did and the numbers. He said yeah its not right send it in. So I did and got it back less than 7 days. I did an air test when i got it back and i could hit a quarter at 10 inches. I had to swing it just right though, if i swung it too slow or too fast it wouldnt hit. Overall it was better than it was when i sent it off. Now i just need to go out and see if I can get the coil over some deep targets while i wait for my test garden to mature.
Im still not sure about ground balance and emi. I get a ground balance 83 to 86 here at most my sites. Which seems high from what i have heard about missouri. Even garrett told me, he thought i should be in the 70s for this area. At my moms farm i am in the 70s, everywhere else im in the upper 80s which dont make sense to me. The only thought i have is maybe im getting interference. The other areas i hunt have lots of wifi signals. I bet one spot i hunt has 70 are more wifi signals in the air, but garrett told me wifi shouldnt cause emi. He told me that they never had any problems reported with emi on the at pro, in the world. So i havent figured out why i have such a high ground balance number. Upper 80s is what i hear people in high mineralized soil get and here in missouri i hear we dont have high mineralized soil.
Sorry for for such a long post. I hate reading long post and usually dont make it threw them lol. I just dont have anything to compare too and after having one problem with the machine i question it now. I enjoy the hobby but to truly enjoy it i have to be 100 percent sure my machine is functioning properly. Like digging rivets 18 inches deep lol. I think i need a hunting buddy or try another brand of machine to truly know if the machine is ok. Anyways i said enough and thanks for everyones replies to this thread!

Here in mississippi i ground balance in the 80s. Sometimes 70s juat depends on ground moisture. Now I factory reset my machine before every hunt cause i noticed if i dont it stays on 80 and will never change. Which 80 is the preset. Now on my t2 se when i ground balance in same spots its high 50s to low 60s. My at pro air tests are like yours dont hit nothing over 6 inches. I found a 1946 quarter at 10 inches though. Like i said i reset before each hunt. When my detector is off i push power and hold it for 5 or 6 seconds. I havent found nothing with my t2 that my at pro wouldnt have found if i had gotten my coil over it. I did get a deep 1928 wheat penny at 7-8 inches the other day with the t2. It barely picked it up and i had it set up in all metal. I didnt have my at pro with me but i doubt it would have picked it up as ive been over and over that spot. But im just learning the t2.

 

[Eureka!]

Lmao!! I just cant believe the depths you guys are reporting for such small targets.

I enjoy the hobby but to truly enjoy it i have to be 100 percent sure my machine is functioning properly. Like digging rivets 18 inches deep lol. I think i need a hunting buddy or try another brand of machine to truly know if the machine is ok. !

I'm with you, littlewheaty.

Happy New Year and Good Luck in your "SEARCHES."!

 

[MackDog]

I'm with you, littlewheaty.

Happy New Year and Good Luck in your "SEARCHES."!

A good source of info and help would be join your local treasure hunting club , should be one in your area

 

[Kodiak43351]

I have no problem with depth on my at gold. And my pro did great also. I don't ever remember finding stuff that small that deep but a 8" dime for sure. I found the dime with the pro this summer and and it was just over 8" in the yard. Ended up being an early merc. The gold gets deeper than my pro for sure but just got it so haven't tested it or used it as much. I'm happy with my at series for sure.

 

[Eureka!]

I have no problem with depth on my at gold. And my pro did great also. I don't ever remember finding stuff that small that deep but a 8" dime for sure. I found the dime with the pro this summer and and it was just over 8" in the yard. Ended up being an early merc. The gold gets deeper than my pro for sure but just got it so haven't tested it or used it as much. I'm happy with my at series for sure.

Kodiak43351 - I briefly met a guy that had a AT GOLD and we were comparing Detectors as I have an AT PRO. He said he thought he may have made the wrong choice in his purchase and that he was thinking he should have got an AT PRO. In the same breath he told me that he located an Indian Head Penny at a site nearby.

He had no complaints about the machine other than it wasn't waterproof like the At Pro.

From what I gathered; the positive about the AT Gold is that the Frequency is higher than the AT Pro and more suited for detecting Gold. I don't believe that the DEPTH capability that Wheatpenny is concerned with is any better the AT PRO's though - am I correct?

 

[diggininms]

Kodiak43351 - I briefly met a guy that had a AT GOLD and we were comparing Detectors as I have an AT PRO. He said he thought he may have made the wrong choice in his purchase and that he was thinking he should have got an AT PRO. In the same breath he told me that he located an Indian Head Penny at a site nearby.

He had no complaints about the machine other than it wasn't waterproof like the At Pro.

From what I gathered; the positive about the AT Gold is that the Frequency is higher than the AT Pro and more suited for detecting Gold. I don't believe that the DEPTH capability that Wheatpenny is concerned with is any better the AT PRO's though - am I correct?

The t2 is a 13 khz and better on gold than both ats. The gold is also water proof its just not setup for saltwater.

 

[Kodiak43351]

Kodiak43351 - I briefly met a guy that had a AT GOLD and we were comparing Detectors as I have an AT PRO. He said he thought he may have made the wrong choice in his purchase and that he was thinking he should have got an AT PRO. In the same breath he told me that he located an Indian Head Penny at a site nearby.

He had no complaints about the machine other than it wasn't waterproof like the At Pro.

From what I gathered; the positive about the AT Gold is that the Frequency is higher than the AT Pro and more suited for detecting Gold. I don't believe that the DEPTH capability that Wheatpenny is concerned with is any better the AT PRO's though - am I correct?

Have both so can compare and I'm am so glad I got the gold. It hits silver as good as the at pro and hits lower conductors better. I have a nickel in my test garden that the at pro struggles to hit but the gold nails it in disc 1 loud and clear. I have a lot of exp on the pro and love it but the gold is the machine for me and the hunting I do. I have old copper from an early outing with it to show for it and won't look back. Also the at gold is waterproof the same as the at pro. Good luck.

 

[Eureka!]

digginms - yes, but thats not the issue. DEPTH is the issue. Frequency has nothing to do with DEPTH.

Wheatpenny (whom started this Thread) and myself are trying to figure out why we aren't getting signals on silver over 6" in depth on our AT-Pro's while others claim that they are.

I have had intermittent problems with my unit and it drives me crazy to think that I am out there walking over treasures and missing them. I don't have FULL CONFIDENCE that my unit is working as advertised. I think that Wheatpenny would be onboard with me on this.

History has shown that there were problems with some of the first units that Garrett released (2011 or 12). From what I gather, the owners of the earlier units with problems were treated well and their units were repaired. There are others that still seem to have experienced performance issues with the AT-PRO.

I have a few issues but the issue on this thread is primarily DEPTH on the AT PRO.

The questions remain; Why are some AT PROS getting Depths on Silver AT or ABOVE 8-10 inches while others are only achieving up to 6 inches?

Could it be due to the:

◊ Unit (inferior chip on circuit board or manufacturing defect like a "cold solder")?
◊ Type/Size of Coil?
◊ the Operator (habits like improper swing (too fast, slow, uneven or too far above) from the surface?
◊ the Soil in the owners locality?
◊ a combination of any of the above?

I was an Aviation Mechanic in the US NAVY and one of my functions was to Pre-Flight Aircraft that were to be flown over Combat Zones. After the inspection it was a requirement that I'd sign my name which would "certify" that the aircraft was safe and ready for flight.

If "my" AT PRO was an Aircraft it would fail the pre-flight inspection. I think that it's time for an overhaul or a change of equipment - still in the decision stage.

 

[Kodiak43351]

I can tell you at one spot I hunt that is very mineralized with the at pro I haven't found any coins deeper than maybe 6" inches. The at pro struggles there with the stock coil and the smaller coil does better. I have taken my at gold to this spot for a real short hunt and pulled an Indian at the length of my digger so at least 7.5" and had the small coil on it. The pro gb at 86 and the gold at 72. The gold handles this ground way better and is more stable. The ground is full of hot rocks and rust in the soil. Don't get me wrong the at pro I use gets targets deep but I'm loving this gold and seems more stable in my area. I love both machines. Can't wait to see Garrett's new machine to come out sometime. A new at series I hope with multiple freq and true all metal like the gold. Standard mode on the pro was a waste of time for me as I never used it.