First Time Ever and At the Beach

[saanich2018]

I have been thinking about buying a detector, so a friend loaned me his detector to try it out.

This past weekend I took it to the beach. I thought I had a pretty good "find" for only about two hours searching.

I am now thinking about getting a Garrett AT Pro. What do you think about this detector as a starter?

 

[dash4cash]

if you used the at pro at the beach, it looks like you had a great couple hours, how does your buddy like it? He may be able to answer your questions.

 

[smokeythecat]

They are good machines. I like my XP Deus and Tesoro Cibola at the beach. There are a lot of choices in a lot of price ranges out there.

 

[washingtonian]

Great finds!!

 

[niffler]

Anything interesting on the SD card?

 

[vpnavy]

Nice assortment of finds Saanich - looks like the Garrett worked just fine. Thanks for sharing...

 

[Hawks88]

I think you and the ATPro get along pretty good. Nice finds.

 

[Trezurehunter]

Nice finds. I say if you like the AT Pro, and it fits your needs and budget, then go for it. Judging by the number of people on the forum who use it, I'd say its a good detector.

 

[saanich2018]

First, there was nothing of interest on the SD card and no way to identify the owner. Just some advertising pdf files.

Second, as for the detector, I was not using an AT Pro. The detector I was using was some cheap brand called "Discovery", which I had borrowed.

The reason I was asking about the AT Pro is another friend recommended it and I was asking what people thought about it.

I figure if I can find this much stuff with a cheap one, what would I find with a better detector??

 

[digger460]

Well since no one else is going to bring it up. Check out the Equinox 600 or 800. Sounds like there killing it on the beach, and it's better then the AT in saltwater. But I did own an AT and loved it.

 

[Terry Soloman]

If you hunt the DRY sand, just about any detector will do. When you get into the WET sand and saltwater where the real goodies reside, a single-frequency VLF machine like the AT Pro will only be "OK." You need a multi-frequency or pulse induction machine to hit a home run. Look at the $650 Minelab Equinox 600.

 

[saanich2018]

This is why I was asking about the AT Pro. I wanted some opinions of people who have used them. I have heard pro's and con's, and the reviews on line are mixed.

It seems the Minelab Equinox 600 might be a better unit, especially for wet and saltwater (which is where it will be used mostly), and they appear to be about the same price.

Thoughts? Comments?

 

[A2coins]

keep at it youll be hooked before you can say gold ring

 

[glenn37216]

Congrats on the first hunt ! Now your addicted for sure .
The AT Pro has some basic settings thats good for people just learning how to swing a detector. Once you mastered that standard mode... it has a Pro mode for the advanced user that takes detecting to the next level.
If your interested in it.... I just put up mine up for-sale here in the forums. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...3-used-garrett-pro-metal-detector-bundle.html
It comes with 2 coils. Both coils are great for beach hunting. Here's a vid of me using it last yr while on Vacation.

 

[saanich2018]

So which is better for wet sand/saltwater - which is where I will us it the most - the AT Pro of the Minelab 600?

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Congratualtions on the nice finds!

 

[cudamark]

So which is better for wet sand/saltwater - which is where I will us it the most - the AT Pro of the Minelab 600?

The Equinox is going to be much better for a salt water beach.

 

[digger460]

Ditto

 

[tomhighland]

Congrats on the finds. I love my AT. But if you are doing saltwater you may want something more. Whatever you do decide on take your time and do the research to choose the machine most suited to what you will be doing with it. Welcome to the forum and the hobby!