AT Pro: Persist or Return it?

[cusedpjd]

I recently upgraded from a Bounty Hunter (BH) Tracker IV with to an AT Pro. Reasons I wanted to upgrade were because while I could find coins other than nickels with precision (and could pinpoint the area well with the small coil), I was frustrated that I was eliminating gold and nickels in discrimination mode. I was attracted to the AT Pro notching out the pull tabs but keeping in nickel and gold. I was also looking forward to the numeric ID and the depth indicator because I was fed up with the BH getting tricked by large hunks of iron junk deep under the ground even in discrimination mode. So I ordered that AT Pro, tested it out and my first hit was a 1961 dime, which you can see in my last post. But it's kind of been downhill from there although I've only had about 5 hours of work with it and I know they say it takes 100 hours. Nonetheless, here are my concerns.

1. With the 1961 dime, after I extracted it, I tossed it back in the hole (with the dirt out) and folded over the plug to shown someone how it was detected by the machine. But oddly, when I passed over the dime (regardless of the direction) it would not ring up in the low 80s again as it did before or even in the 70s. I found that odd. Would an air pocket cause that? I had the machine ground balanced by the way.

2. My biggest problem in the field has been the numbers skipping around so much in small areas. Sometimes, it will go from 80s to 30s and I'm having a really tough time figuring out how to lock into the higher valued number and pin-point it with the machine.

3. In coin mode, I don't understand how to zero in on gold items because the target ID section has gold and rings in the 60 to 70 range but those are notched out. Yet my white gold wedding band comes up in the high 50s. So what does gold usually come up as on the AT Pro?

4. With the coil being so large, coins sound like they are covering a much bigger area than with the Bounty Hunter.

5. Weird instance tonight of my getting a high 70 to low 80 signal, I dig, and find a nickel and then the signal was no longer there. I don't understand that.

I have not given up yet but I can use some advice on making this a little easier. I keep watching the instructional videos over. Thanks.

 

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[Jessicamae3]

I am on the edge of moving from the BH you had to the same so looking forward to the answers.

I guess many things could cause the jumping around, but acknowledge, I would be frustrated as well. I guess I have
made my mind up that by getting a better machine, the job will not be easier. Although I wish it were...
I am just slightly tired of getting home and patting myself on the back that I saved another child from having to get a tetanus shot from some rusty doodad I dug.

 

[RobRieman]

Your never going to be able to notch out pull tabs and keep the gold. I can show you a pile of pull tabs I kept that ring exactly like the gold rings I have found. This happens with any detector you will buy at any price. The composition of a tab and small can slaw are dead on hold. Large iron items will also ring up high on any detector if the conditions are right. If it was easy everyone would be doing it. The AT is much better than the bounty hunter but you will never find a machine you can tune as you describe. I have a V3i also and it's the same deal. Learn what the machine is telling you and if you want gold rings your going to dig the pull tabs.

 

[firemac]

I run my at pro in pro coin mode with nothing notched out, I add the notched out area back in and then ground balance. With my at pro gold runs from mid upper 40's to 70ish range, find a good clean area and try some different coins and "HEAR" how they ring up first, then check the number read out, good luckHH

 

[ATGoldGuy]

Be careful not to push the pinpoint button while your over the target or you will cancel it out. Make sure your machine is off to the side when you push The pinpoint button and hold it while you sweep to pinpoint. Sometimes I let go by mistake and repush the pinpoint button over the target and cancel out the object. Might ne why you cannot refind the target or get different signals the second time around. Also unless your able to put the object back in at the same orientation as it was...you will get different readings each time. Don't give up on the ATP yet.
its a great machine. Watch your instructional video again after each use and I promise you will learn something you missed before every time you view it.

 

[GoldGirl56]

We have the same issues of our AT Pro jumping all over the place. We have probably missed a lot because we think it means junk, but have just watched a youtube video and it appears we may have missed a heap of things! We are constantly learning. Good luck with your decision

 

[GoldGirl56]

Thanks ATGoldGuy for your invaluable advice!!

 

[Frankn]

It appears you are searching for perfection, and it doesn't exist! Your detector really doesn't know what is down there. It sends out a signal, and measures the return so to speak. It then subtracts the ground return and matches the remainder against a preprogrammed module in the computer. The signal might match a coin at say 3", but the same signal may also match an iron ax heat at say 10" so it may jump back and forth between them. Frank...

 

[Frankn]

It appears you are searching for perfection, and it doesn't exist! Your detector really doesn't know what is down there. It sends out a signal, and measures the return so to speak. It then subtracts the ground return and matches the remainder against a preprogrammed module in the computer. The signal might match a coin at say 3", but the same signal may also match an iron ax heat at say 10" so it may jump back and forth between them. Frank...

 

[cusedpjd]

I'm not searching for perfection. But if I am going to pay 500 dollars more for an AT Pro than a Bounty Hunter, it better damn well be a better machine and not drive me insane. Anyway, I came back home last night, watched some more videos on it, went back out this morning and got a much better feel for it so I am not quitting yet. In the instructional videos from Garrett though, they say pull tabs ring up at 55 and that gold is in the 65 range, providing about 10 points of separation. That just does not seem to jive with what others are saying. Curious what number most ppl find gold at with the AT Pro?

 

[luvsdux]

Your comment "with the coil being so large" makes me think you should be using a smaller coil in what sounds like heavy trash. Possibly less sensitivity and slower swings as well.
luvdux

 

[CoinHunterAZ]

Get the 5x8 coil and many of your woes will go away. It gives MUCH better target separation in trashy areas, in addition pinpointing is much, much easier. Depth is nearly as good as the large coil. I use the large coil only in wooded and less trashy areas. The smaller coil balances the machine better, and you will most likely keep it on there. As to pull tabs and other junk, they can very depending on size, whether they are folded, complete or not, etc. There are many different sizes and shapes and will ring in differently! The beaver tail type usually come in 65-68 on my ATP. Gold will ring in the same, sometimes lower sometimes higher. You MUST dig the low mid range tones if you want to find gold, period. You may dig thousands of pulltabs before you find gold...or you could get lucky on your next hunt.

 

[cusedpjd]

You are right that I was using the coil that came with the machine in a trashy area. I will likely get the smaller coil but will wait until next year to do that given how much I just spent on this machine.

 

[Sandman]

My AT PRO hangs in on the wall not to be used again. As for where gold comes up, you have to remember gold jewelry is alloyed with various metals to make it harder. White gold rings can ring up in the foil range and even low Iron of 35 on the ATP. Yellow gold rings up from foil upwards with most being in the pulltab range. Signals that disappear can happen to all detectors and it is usually rusty iron that causes a halo to make it seem a better item but when you disturb the ground the signal breaks up as there is nothing for the eddy currents to latch on too.


Why is my ATP retired? I am basically a water hunter and don't need to worry about a rain proof detector leaking when in shallow water. I have much better detectors that I trust. But if you insist on using the ATP your just going to spring for a smaller coil as it will make the learning process go faster. Its not a bad unit, I just don't like mine. Might help to put Duct tape over the screen till you learn the sounds.

 

[Fletch88]

I'm not searching for perfection. But if I am going to pay 500 dollars more for an AT Pro than a Bounty Hunter, it better damn well be a better machine and not drive me insane. Anyway, I came back home last night, watched some more videos on it, went back out this morning and got a much better feel for it so I am not quitting yet. In the instructional videos from Garrett though, they say pull tabs ring up at 55 and that gold is in the 65 range, providing about 10 points of separation. That just does not seem to jive with what others are saying. Curious what number most ppl find gold at with the AT Pro?

That's why I sold mine, could not stand the sounds, thats just my preference please don't attack me everyone. Some people hate the fluty sounds of an Etrac or Safari. I like the sounds and better trash separation, also you can use 1, 2, 4 or multi tone. There are better machines out there they just cost more $$$.

 

[ATGoldGuy]

Out with my pro today...1ring .925 Sterling and about 8 Bucks in change which included a .50 cent piece. Had my hopes up for that one but turned out to be a 1971 clad. I did end with one silver Quarter 1957 though. Need to find an older place to hunt as I found out today that the park I was hunting only became a park in the mid to late 60's.

 

[JunkShopFiddler]

That's why I sold mine, could not stand the sounds, thats just my preference please don't attack me everyone. Some people hate the fluty sounds of an Etrac or Safari. I like the sounds and better trash separation, also you can use 1, 2, 4 or multi tone. There are better machines out there they just cost more $$$.

I tried to learn my ATP for over a month, just could not get it. Sounded like that old do-wop song that goes bomp a bomp bomp, dangy dang dang, dingitty dong ding, then the low tone iron audio finale...Bluuuuue Moon. I know some folks love the ATP and are way more successful then I was so it is a great machine, I just didn't get it. Garrett was gracious enough to take it back and offer me a new same price GTP 1350...way quieter for this old guy, and love the Garrett bell tone and target size profiling in trashy areas!

 

[marh415]

I would spend some more time on it, watch the videos that Garret has on youtube. If you still don't like it, you can always sell it and get most of your money back. Good luck!

Sent from my iPhone using TreasureNet

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

I tried to learn my ATP for over a month, just could not get it. Sounded like that old do-wop song that goes bomp a bomp bomp, dangy dang dang, dingitty dong ding, then the low tone iron audio finale...Bluuuuue Moon. I know some folks love the ATP and are way more successful then I was so it is a great machine, I just didn't get it. Garrett was gracious enough to take it back and offer me a new same price GTP 1350...way quieter for this old guy, and love the Garrett bell tone and target size profiling in trashy areas!

Its funny you said that, because i was the same way...i didnt really understand why it jumped around so much, and would actually put it up and pull out the ACE 250...but i told myself i have to learn this machine...and now i have had it for 2+ years...and have found things i never thought i would find. I can tell you that noone should ever use it in "Standard" mode. But once i slowed down my swing a little bit, and focused on what it was telling me....It sorta just clicked one day.

Im sorry for ya'll that are having issues...i wouldnt say its a bad machine at all, I guess its just a little tougher getting use to then other machines

 

[Metal Detecting Stuff]

The jumpy numbers can be multiple things - large coil going over several targets at the same time / jagged aluminum can slaw / coin and iron together in the hole. A smaller coil will help, most guys like the 5X8 DD coil. Also realize that the size / thickness/ karat weight of gold all affect the target ID. Most of the average and smaller gold I have found has been from the mid 40s to high 50s, but I have found gold in the entire range of 40-75.

Wayne

www.metaldetectingstuff.com