Hoping for insight on hunting silver with AT Pro

[Bev]

I came from an Ace 250 to purchasing an AT Pro and love it! I did buy a 6x9 concentric coil though after a lot of frustration trying to master the DD with the 3 pinpoints. So I prefer the 6x9 and I also have the sniper coil.
I try to only dig those consistent signals that are audible back and forth but sometimes I give the iffy ones a shot.
I've found 2 mercs with the 250. No silver coins with the AT Pro. I did find a sterling necklace on the beach but it was purely by accident I believe.
I do find copper and pennies. A LOT of pennies. Sometimes wheaties but mostly moderns. A friend who has an AT says the silver coins tend to be deeper because of their weight. Pennies stay closer to the surface. (That changes of course with soil consistency.)
Also, if I find wheaties at a place it's a great sign. There will be silver too so I'm told.
With the AT, a 99 I'm told means overload, I dont know maybe a buried submarine or something but silver seems to be up there too.
Can someone take this as a coaching opportunity and help me out? I'm running out of youtube videos!
I'd appreciate it.
Bev

 

[Frankn]

Bev, you find more copper because people have more copper in there pocket. Coins don't sink in the ground ! They are covered by decaying vegetation, blowing dirt, flowing water sediment, etc.
Coins lost at the same time will be at the same dept. The best place to hunt is where the most activity has taken place. Bleachers at the park, beaches with concession stands, locations of battles fought, etc. Frank

 

[Bev]

I'm trying like heck- I see people on here with dozens of silver finds and I keep thinking maybe I'm missing something important!

 

[gleaner1]

It's tough to find the silver nowadays no matter what detector you have. The guys who find two hundred silver a year are in areas that have not been overrun with detectorists. My best year was forty pieces, and I got 9 in one day, all back in the late nineties. I have found about five this year, but I just don't get out too often lately. Hang in there Bev, the pro will easily find the silver, if you happen to sweep over silver.

 

[bootyhoundpa]

i dont have an at-pro but i have a old garrett gta-1000 and it is very good on silver..ive found more silver with that machine than the other 3 machines i have combined.... ,why dont you take the 2 mercs and the silver necklace you found and do some testing and see how they sound and at what number they come in at,at least that will give you a ballpark idea of how the at-pro responds to silver..good luck...

 

[Bev]

I have a very good friend who came up with an excellent suggestion as well and I'd like to share it:
He has a length of twine and every 2 feet or so he has an item in a baggie. Each item is something different in his own order- IH, modern, merc, ring, etc. He digs a trough and lays it in the ground at his house. It allows him to test machines without wondering where he buried everything. If he needs it or wants to show it to someone, it's easy to pull it out and be on his way.
He's brought it to get-togethers to show fellow detectorists.

 

[Frankn]

Bev, Well it sounds like fun, But my theory is that there is nothing like field experience when you are really paying attention as to what is going on and taking mental notes. Frank

 

[Dwight S]

The AT Pro will find silver just fine. The key is you have to go where the silver is. Find older homes, built well before the end of silver coin production. If you can find a house built before say 1950 with wheat cents, there is a good chance silver is hiding too. You won't find lots but you should find some. Silver change bought alot back then

 

[jerseyben]

Bev: With the AT Pro and silver I have found that it will read very similarly to copper and clad coins but with a slightly higher number up. So a copper penny and/or clad dime will read 80-81. A silver dime will read 81-82. Nickels read 53 but a war nickel will read 53-54. All I can say for sure is that when you find a silver target, you will know it. The sound will be higher and crisper. Use the pinpoint feature to paint a picture of the target with sound. Try to determine if it is coin sized or a much larger target, such as a can. I have found that the higher number targets are usually large pieces or trash, like cans. For me, I get suspicious when I see a number higher than 96. 99/00 is almost always a very large object aka junk.