At Pro Whipped and Looking Dim

[Jarl]

DISCLAIMER: I am not trying to make the AT look bad at all, i am just fed up with the results I have gotten. If it works for you, you and you...that is perfectly fine...continue with your success. Excuse my cursive frustrations henceforward. The machine works, just not for me.

Ok, i can not promise that I won't get flack or anger any die hard AT users off, even though I am an AT user myself...my future with it however is most certainly ending soon. Here's why:

There is nothing like digging a park that you know people(even personally) have pulled some nice keepers from, and then, return to the park more than once each time finding nothing like they do. SO, i return to the park for yet another round, with hope and strategy in hand, with the sincerest mindset of HARD and CAREFUL listening to what my AT Pro might be telling me(not to mention the extra bench testing done before leaving home) I hit and hit and hit...and find crap. Nothing worth talking about...sure, clad is fine...gas money, bubble gum whatever. Now, while my hope was dimming and my body was asking my brain why it had to continually pick up bottle cap after bottle cap as if it were slave labor, another detectorist..yes, the one who finds great things...stops by to dig also. I was glad to see him, he's a good guy and I had lots of questions for him besides. Well, he was kind enough to offer a chance for me to check his signals before he dug them with my 'AT Pro', so I did, more than once. The reason being, to see what I might be missing and why...all to no avail. When he asked me if I would dig a particular signal he found, I said either, i don't know or probably not...the machine left me in a haze of confusion and could not latch on to any of these signals, I could not pinpoint them either etc etc. Yes, there were faint sounds but it just wasn't definitive enough. Yes, i am comparing two different machines...so what. Let me continue...so in the two hours i spent before he came along, I had found a handful of clad, nothing more than three inches down and garbage. I had been all over the park too. When he came along, and I am not joking, he(within 45 min - 1 hour) had found two wheats, a silver Roosie and a beautiful 14k gold ring. Let me say again...this is not all he had found there either(in times past)...I have seen it with my own eyes...each time I watched him pull these from the ground...targets that my machine could not communicate either at all or well enough to be even HALF certain that I should have dug them. Watching someone effortlessly walk away with what you might hope to find even ONE of in a day...how would you feel?? A little frustrated to the tune of pissing in a hurricane. I have taken my machine to other places, same dirt that this guy has...always...he leaves with awesome stuff, i leave with crap.

I have considered that the AT might not be working correctly, or that it is an operative problem and just a whole slew of thoughts...however, my only conclusion thus far is...AT isn't working for me. I am not going to 'consult' the manual anymore, I am not going to watch another damn 'At Pro How To' video, I am not going to experiment with this or that setting using suggestion after suggestion from 'seasoned' users...I think I am done with this machine completely. IF IF IF IF IF IF any of you should think that I should try again...you can just keep and nail my arm to a board and put it on your wall. I really wanted this machine to work for me, there are things I like about it, I would not have spent the money on it otherwise. I have said this before, i have found better things with my ACE 250, no kidding.

What would you do? I know what I should do...when I get the money. Duh! Otherwise what the hell is anyone in this hobby for anyway?

Ending statement: 'Hear hear's welcomed, farewells founded warranted and apologies desired aptly provided-to one and all.'

 

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[wvwildman]

oh my i dont know what to say on this but sounds like your friend knows his detector better then you know yours your gonna have the same problem with a new one if you dont take the time to learn it and learn what its telling you what ever you get hope it works for ya HH

 

[fella]

The AT Pro is junk! Just go get an E-Trac. The silver just jumps out of the ground out of sheer fear of being detected! It doesn't even need to be turned on. No, it's true!
glug glug glug!

 

[Jarl]

Fella...it just so happens that is exactly what this guy is using. Case closed.

 

[fella]

Fella...it just so happens that is exactly what this guy is using. Case closed.

I know! When I had mine I was digging silver dimes at 42" ALL THE TIME! It was ridiculous! I had to get a machine that ONLY gets the surface stuff because I was so tired of digging those four foot silvers!

glug glug glug

 

[releventchair]

Not going to specify a brand or model.Comparing them as you did is great.
Not having faith in your equipment,not great. What ever you use to locate your next exciting find, you,ll be smiling again.

 

[Rawhide]

With so many factors that effect a metal detector, anything I could suggest would be wrong. What I wouldn't do is let the AT Pro kick my butt. I dont hunt areas that I get skunked in. After digging thousands of holes, there is certain signals I dig every time. I can call those signals 99% of the time. I cant tell you how many slightly used AT Pro's with skid marks are online for sale lol. Dont throw your AT Pro if your gonna sell it. I hope you pick up that AT Pro, sing to it, wipe it down with a damp cloth, and then go out and get it dirty, real dirty. Try to fool it, make it dig deep. Here is why. Parks are hit or miss on a good day. Just keep swinging.

 

[Jarl]

The guy that I know that does have an E-trac, has a f-load more silver than I do. By the way, none of his E-trac signals were more than 6-7 inches. Remember also, I went over his hits before he dug them. There simply wasn't a sure enough line drawn by the AT for me to dig them. I know one thing is for sure, he walked away with the goods...I didn't. I am done trying with the AT. If I get one(a Minelab), i'll be sure to post what I find on here...and if I don't find anything with the E-trac...I'll sell it and buy my AT back...hmmm or maybe not...we'll see. Don't get me wrong, i'm not a Garrett hater...I still like my ACE and my old GTA for what they have done.

 

[fella]

By the way, none of his E-trac signals were more than 6-7 inches. Remember also, I went over his hits before he dug them. There simply wasn't a sure enough line drawn by the AT for me to dig them.

6-7" and the ATP isn't hitting it?
Two things...1) Somethings wrong with the macine or 2) User error
That's it period!

 

[NJcigarman]

Twice in one day I hate the AT Pro threads. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ snore ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

 

[Jarl]

The only thing about an E-trac at this point i don't like is the price tag, but i'm willing to try it. Yes, true, i did beforehand make a vague post about the successful 'mystery' detector...but that post got me the information i needed...consequently, Minelab seems again to have gotten the spot light there along with a White's MXT or something like that. I knew what I was doing, i got my answer.

 

[Jarl]

Sorry, i never said i hated the AT...just frustrated with the results. I didn't get out of it what I had hoped. Can you change that?

 

[Rawhide]

Research and determination will overcome anything Jarl.

 

[thrillathahunt]

Here is my take on this. Detectors are like cars, some are fancy, some are fast and some are plain and simple, but each one will get you where you want to go if you know how to drive it.

 

[gunsil]

Are you hunting in Pro Zero? You should hit any coin at 6-7" if you are. Also gold rings ID about the same as pull tabs, so you won't find many if you disc out pull tabs. Sounds to me like you need to dig more signals and stop trying to cherry pick for a while. Luck also plays an enormous part, you won't find something good if your coil isn't over it. The e-trac's only advantage at 6-7" is mostly in target ID, not depth. I hunted a few days with a buddy, lent him my AT Pro while I used my Safari. He found an 18K wedding band and a Tiffany silver ring, while I only got a few pennies and clad which he also got. LUCK!!

 

[Stormrider51]

I was a dyed-in-the-wool Garrett fan for many years but lately their machines have not blown me away. I had an Ace 150 and, when that one gave me poor depth and accuracy, upgraded to the Ace 250 with the same results. I took an AT Pro for a test drive and didn't have to fight off the impulse to reach for my wallet. For whatever reason the newer Garrett machines don't work well for me. I switched to a White's DFX and it was like entering a different world in terms of finds. Then I went to a Minelab E-Trac and, after a love-hate relationship with it, decided I had found my detector. I might, and I mean might, get a CTX 3030 in the future but only so that I wouldn't have to worry about getting my machine wet.

There is one big difference between the AT Pro and the E-Trac that may explain why your friend was making finds you didn't in that location. The E-Trac operates on 12 frequencies at once. The AT operates on only one. Some frequencies are better at detecting a given type of target in a given type of soil than others. Another thought is, how's your hearing and do you wear headphones? The AT is mostly a "sound machine" in that most of the clues it gives are auditory. I suspect that a large part of my problem with modern Garrett's stemmed from having developed an inner ear disease that prevents me from hearing small sound variations. The E-Trac gives tones too but the tones are backed up by Ferrous-Conductive numbers that are much more useful to me.

One last thought. If you get an E-Trac be prepared for a steep learning curve. It is different than any detector on the market. Some who try one go away mumbling to themselves about "Minelab Kool Aid". I dubbed mine "the Australian Abomination". People kept telling me to stick with it and I'd "get it". Sure enough, I finally did get it and the amount of good stuff I found soared over the amount of trash I dig.

Good Luck!
Storm

 

[bzbadger]

Our club president has a dozen and half machines and has the e-trac and the ATP-he has hunted for 32 years and he is the one who put me on to the ATP and im just now and I mean JUST NOW learning to use it-with my little experience I have kept up and gone past veteran e-trac users. There is a learning curve to any machine of course but its taking me a lot of effort to learn my machine--a trick to make the gold-silver scream--ground balance the ATP automatically then manually drop it 5-10 points even as high as 20 but drop it by 5s and just watch what happens-the stuff screams out and not some sissy 2-4 inches--ive pulled stuff a foot or more. Am I garrett diehard? Ive had other machines but the ATP gives me everything I want in one package. good luck with it, remember the grass on the other side is usually greeener because its over a septic tank

 

[dirtscratcher]

6-7" and the ATP isn't hitting it?
Two things...1) Somethings wrong with the macine or 2) User error
That's it period!

Could be the same reasons you didn't agree with your etrac.

 

[woody_g]

oh my i dont know what to say on this but sounds like your friend knows his detector better then you know yours your gonna have the same problem with a new one if you dont take the time to learn it and learn what its telling you what ever you get hope it works for ya HH

have to agree with Wildman you need to get to know your machine better.don't know you or how you hunt but I have seen people with ace 250's totally spank folks with v3's and minelabs.they know their machines and hunt slow not bouncing around aimlessly looking for high tones.not looking to slam you or anyone else just takes time to learn your machine.hope you will be happy with whatever you decide.HH

 

[Jarl]

Ok, thank you all for chiming in. I will give the AT some more chances(but how many times I have already, and how many times I have told myself...I must be doing something wrong, it must be me...I gather and change strategy and plans...still no good results). I read every last word you all put in, so I am serious in case you wondered. I would LOVE...more than LOVE for my AT to be the machine that finds me some great keepers, but after a year of using it, and finding a fart load of poor things...it has me wondering. When I got home from work today I went over my back yard to see if I could get anything else out of my machine...I know there might be little to nothing left in my yard(then again maybe I DONT know), but i gave it a good searching anyway. I took my time and listened and tried different settings, tried many things I have already done in the past. Ok, fine, found a single memorial penny at 2" nothing else but junk. Now, what I am going to do is have someone with a Minelab hit my yard...I'm afraid this might close the lid should they find anything else in there that my 3 machines missed, namely the AT. Is this fair?? I don't think it's a question of fair, I think it's a matter of 'if something is found it won't be me and it won't be one of my machines'. Therefore, I would think that in order to quell such odds against myself, why would I not consider the tool that worked? I am quite curious to see what happens. I am really sorry for sounding so terminal about this issue, but I am at wit's end.