Help!

[Kodiak43351]

I looked at a few detectors when I upgraded and did look at the f5 and f75 both looked like good detectors but were not waterproof. There is no way I was going to talk my wife into paying 2000 plus for a detector so I didn't even bother looking at the ctx 3030. The at pro filled my needs and wasn't by any means a cheap purchase. Believe me I looked at a lot of detectors. When I first got the pro I wasn't sure about it but when I actually took the time to learn it I would never get rid of it. You don't live far from me would love to get together and hunt. The t2 is also a good machine but wasn't waterproof and if I would have bought it I wouldn't of used it in the water and found the stuff I've found in the rivers around me. Garrett also has top notch customer service so if I have a problem I don't have to worry because I know I will be taken care of. A lot of things come into play when you are going to spend that kind of money. Good luck.

 

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[fishstick]

The wetter the better!! lol.. Hey there Kodiak43351, where neighbors so why don't we hook up sometime and do a lil' side by side??

 

[Kodiak43351]

The wetter the better!! lol.. Hey there Kodiak43351, where neighbors so why don't we hook up sometime and do a lil' side by side??

sounds good keep in touch.

 

[John-Edmonton]

I'm having the hardest time deciding what detector to buy! I go in circles trying to decide! I currently own The F2 but I'm looking at a AT pro, or a Fisher F5 but I'm open to other brands, I'll be hunting mostly parks with occasional older homesites, and some beach. Waterproof is not a factor as I will not be hunting in deep water. I want a deep seeking coin/relic detector with stable ID numbers. I know the at pro is a great detector, but does anyone have any other detectors in mind? Thanks in advance!
-Ryan

A variety of comments have been posted....some good, some not so good as expected. I found my link to a YouTube video I made using my AT Series a few years back. A lot of what you want to find metal detecting is both dependent in the metal detector as much as how well you get orientated to the one you are using. Depth should never be the #1 reason for purchasing a metal detector just as speed is never the #1 indicator for purchasing a car. All metal detectors beep on various conductors depending on how they are set up, and depth is relative to the size of the coil and mineralization + how you set it up. Most people who have been metal detecting for a very long time have probably owned several brands and choose what works for them in their location, amongst other reasons. When someone states that detector "A" is deeper then detector "B", that in itself is a redundant statement, as key information such as coil size, target size, conductivity, coil type, location, settings etc. are all missing.

Below is a link to what I found a couple of years ago with my AT Series. They are quite capable of finding all these. Some of the rings were found with other metal detectors.

 

[detectingpro]

I have a couple parks in mind we could get together at. In Adrian

 

[detectingpro]

Thank you all! I think I've decided on a f70 or at pro. I think in the end it'll be an at pro! Thanks again!

 

[signal_line]

The AT series has a lot going for them. That is why they are the number one best seller. I love the recovery speed. It separates so fast you can't count them all. The high resolution iron discrimination is very powerful, too. There are many good instructional videos at the Garrett website that are free. Watch the one on iron masking.

 

[signal_line]

There are many good features on the AT machines. I really can't decide which is the best--they are all very good. The one-handed operation by push buttons saves a lot of hassle. The Iron Audio picks out bottle caps just about 99 out of 100. If you want to see target seperation/recovery speed, check out the AT Gold video about detecting in trashy city parks. Right near the start of the video, Steve Moore runs it with no discrimination so you can hear all the targets.

 

[signal_line]

I spent four hours at an old park and didn't dig more than one bottle cap or nail. I have the AT Gold and was running mostly in All Metal mode.

 

[dirtscratcher]

What kind of coffee are you drinking there signal line?

 

[John-Edmonton]

The AT series has a lot going for them. That is why they are the number one best seller. I love the recovery speed. It separates so fast you can't count them all. The high resolution iron discrimination is very powerful, too. There are many good instructional videos at the Garrett website that are free. Watch the one on iron masking.

You are so right! The high iron resolution allows you to get a better idea of what's under the coil. All the various settings also allow one to cherry pick the good finds, especially if you are under time restraints. You brought up some very valid points.

 

[Sandman]

The AT Pro is a nice all round detector with the ability to get it wet either from wading or just dropping it in the drink. I myself don't care for mine all that much and might be spoiled by knowing my other detectors better. I like the light weight for land hunting. But there is not one detector that does it all just like there is one perfect deer rifle. One thing I learned last year while cleaning beaches for the county, the ATP did not sound off on a number of fishing hooks but did on coins and jewelry. It couldn't see earring backs nor studs even at max sens. But that could be from any number of things. We have to use detectors that can find harmful objects.

Soon the snow will be gone and the ice melted on the water. So dream on before the ole lady takes you shopping at a dress barn AGAIN.

 

[badpenny]

It all comes down to a few questions only you can answer:
1.) What is your budget.
2.) Where are you going to hunt.
3.) Are you an all weather hunter?

As for what detector should you buy, the answer to that is the one you plan on learning. Most people I know buy these things, use them a few times, get discouraged and sell them. I enjoy the hunt, I love to hear "That" ping, you guys that been doing this forever know the ping I am talking about. I do hunt water, usually creeks and small ponds. I do use an AT PRO too. Am I brand loyal? No. Do I like the AT PRO? Yes; I learned what it is telling me and I have found some neat stuff with it. My neighbor runs Fisher's and another friend is a White dealer. All good machines if you ask me, so long as you take the time to understand them.

Buy what you like and could afford and enjoy it, that's my best advice. If the sky is the limit, re-read what I said and enjoy the hunt.

 

[luvsdux]

Having never had a hand on the AT I certainly don't have any reason to praise or condemn it, in fact I try not to run down some one else's detector on forum replies. Often, a perfectly decent detector just isn't someone's cup of tea for reasons that wouldn't bother the next user at all. That said, I'm a real believer in if it works for you and you like it, who cares what others think.
luvsdux

 

[John-Edmonton]

Having never had a hand on the AT I certainly don't have any reason to praise or condemn it, in fact I try not to run down some one else's detector on forum replies. Often, a perfectly decent detector just isn't someone's cup of tea for reasons that wouldn't bother the next user at all. That said, I'm a real believer in if it works for you and you like it, who cares what others think.
luvsdux

Thanks for such a great comment! There is a lot of wisdom in what you have just pointed out. To most, it's a hobby and hobbies are meant to be enjoyed. To some, it's all about "mine is the best" and those posters are easy to spot and can often times ruin a great forum.

 

[John-Edmonton]

I can tell you this, the F5 with a 11"dd can hang with a ATpro ALL DAY long!!!! I hunt with some fellows that have pro's, so I know this first hand. I fell for the AT hype and got a ATgold thinkin it would be better ( true AM ). Boy was I wrong!!! When I break out the T2 they go runnin for the hills...lol. .

I too decipher this as trolling. A nice technical response might give you some credibility. I too am tired of your the little jabs, innuendos and cheap sarcasm. One only has to look at your history of posts to realize how negative you are. Your response was probably posted by someone quite new to this hobby, few technical skills, lacking social skills and quite young. Go take your crappy mufflers on a stick comments elsewhere where they might be appreciated. This is a Garrett forum. Practice some respect!

 

[scott.f]

Detectingpro, I've been detecting land and water for years now. I've owned Tesoros, Whites, Minelabs, Detectorpro, and Garretts. I have been primarily a Tesoro guy but as you can see I'm not one to tout one brand only. I just sold my Minelab Sovereign Gt and have replaced it with a Garrett AT Gold, which just arrived today. So I can't tell you how good it is but… it sure checks out as a well made machine with some very interesting features that make me think it's going to be a lot of fun to use. To me that is the primary thing…having fun. So, enjoy whatever you choose and I hope you have a blast with it.

Ps - when reading advice on detectors take it all with a grain of salt. Especially if the post raves about how they have the BEST detector. There is no best… pick what makes you happy.

 

[warriorriver]

The atp for me is a good machine for the money, i had a g2 and side by side the atp in my soil goes deeper.. my test garden has quarters at 9" both hit, dime at 8" atp hit g2 did not, zinc penny with 3 nail above it at 6 " atp showed good target, g2 did not show a good target,, g2 loves bottle caps atp in iron audio i can run right pass them. Now on gold the g2 has the edge over the atp both has it good points and bad ones, g2 is really light.. also Fisher, Teknetics, Bounty Hunter, Omega are made by the same company i have been told. For me the AT Pro is the better value, just like the pro audio and iron audio that is the feature which set's it apart. there is no perfect machine if so i would own it lol

 

[John-Edmonton]

The atp for me is a good machine for the money, i had a g2 and side by side the atp in my soil goes deeper.. my test garden has quarters at 9" both hit, dime at 8" atp hit g2 did not, zinc penny with 3 nail above it at 6 " atp showed good target, g2 did not show a good target,, g2 loves bottle caps atp in iron audio i can run right pass them. Now on gold the g2 has the edge over the atp both has it good points and bad ones, g2 is really light.. also Fisher, Teknetics, Bounty Hunter, Omega are made by the same company i have been told. For me the AT Pro is the better value, just like the pro audio and iron audio that is the feature which set's it apart. there is no perfect machine if so i would own it lol

Thanks for an honest technical report with comparisons using your test garden. I have stated many many times that one of the best things you can do is build a test garden. It lets you know how metal detectors work in your soil. You will learn more about your metal detector in one hour then you will spending countless hours in the field. Using the same target for different metal detectors gives a test such as yours much credibility. Thanks for such an informative post!

Setting up a test garden is quite simple.....find a piece of dirt in your own back yard, or a small area in a park or off the beaten path where someone is not likely to metal detect. If you don't own a house, a relative or friend will probably let you use their property. You are not ruining anything for that matter. Grab some clad coins, some silver coins, copper coins, common and beaver tail pull tabs and some nails. These will be your known targets which will be planted with known depths. But before you bury anything, grab your AT pro in pro mode, zero discrimination and remove all junk from the areas to be used as a test bed. All cleaned up? Great!

Next, bury various targets at various depths, with the least amount of damage to the grass. Get a ruler and measure the actual (preferred) depth of your targets. make sure the target is laying horizontal. Fill in the hole. PLEASE make a detailed drawing of your test garden and make spare copies. Our memory will fail us over time. That test garden is built to teach you how the metal detector works at a KNOWN target, not a guessed one.

You can refer to this garden every time you buy a new coil, think there is something wrong with your metal detector, experimenting with super tuning your metal detector for low or high conductivity targets (gold or silver) or just comparing different brands.

Below is my own test garden at home, with all information written in the 1" x 2" board, for simplicity. When using the test garden, I just line up the ends of the 1" x 2" with a mark on the fire pit brick and a shallow penny at the far end. But, you can do things differently, get creative and go in a different direction. Once complete, spend some time with your AT Pro in that new test garden.. Listen to the audio in Pro and Standard Mode. Look at the digital numbers for each target. Try different swing speeds, at different heights. Start remembering the common patterns. See if the guy across town who brags that his detector can get 20" in the dirt on a dime is really being honest.

You will really feel confident with your AT Pro the next time you get out in the field. Good luck and I hope some great targets come your way.

 

[Kodiak43351]

I too decipher this as trolling. A nice technical response might give you some credibility. I too am tired of your the little jabs, innuendos and cheap sarcasm. One only has to look at your history of posts to realize how negative you are. Your response was probably posted by someone quite new to this hobby, few technical skills, lacking social skills and quite young. Go take your crappy mufflers on a stick comments elsewhere where they might be appreciated. This is a Garrett forum. Practice some respect!

amen John couldn't of said it better myself!