I WON"T, CANT recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

[Sandman]

I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

OK I got the AT Pro back from Garrett after they replaced the faulty coil on the new detector and it works fine, nice and stable. However neither the water proof head phones nor the land ones I bought with it will screw in. Now I've been around the block a few times and know how to screw things in and the plugs on this detector just won't screw in with or without silicone grease. If the threads could catch, I could tighten them. It is like the male plug is not seating deep enough to let the Ferrel touch the threads. I have been trying this now for 3 days off and on and am about ready to send it off to Garrett again and have some "genius" fasten the waterproof phones for me. This is a faulty design for anyone that wants to use headphones once in a while, or I have two sets of faulty head phones with bad plugs.

I may have to use this detector without any phones and let it anounce to every kid on the beach to come see whats happening.........

 

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[cyerby]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

There is an o-ring that has to be just right, then you have to get the connector fully seated, and then get the connectors lined up perfect. If you do all that it's a breeze. I agree, it's not easy. I wouldn't miss out on this detector just because of that...unless you plan to swap out your headphones a great deal. I've never owned a water proof detector. I wonder how others do it?

 

[extractor]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

Sandman
The funny thing is , it' Not funny !
1. The connector is Very difficult to get lined up and seated correctly.
2. The headphones so far supplied with the detector are not waterproof anyway.
3. For those of us who prefer head phones on dry land , were Stuck using the Garrett headphones that came with the detector. One would think there would of been at least an adapter supplied from Garrett so you could use your own headphones if you wanted to.
Sandman , I hope you get the issue resolved soon with your AT Pro.

 

[dogpound]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

i really hope the headphone adaptor comes out soon, all i keep hearing is "two weeks".....that was almost 2 months ago

 

[extractor]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

i really hope the headphone adaptor comes out soon, all i keep hearing is "two weeks".....that was almost 2 months ago

That is what I have heard ever sence I got my AT Pro back in November of 2010 !!!!!!!

 

[RWJR13]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

Yes, I wish they would hurry and get them out.....

 

[jadeblackhawk]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

Are the headphone plug ends shaped different than regular connectors? ie single 1/4" prong?

 

[gleaner1]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

The connections are a bit off.

 

[gleaner1]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

OK I got the AT Pro back from Garrett after they replaced the faulty coil on the new detector and it works fine, nice and stable. However neither the water proof head phones nor the land ones I bought with it will screw in. Now I've been around the block a few times and know how to screw things in and the plugs on this detector just won't screw in with or without silicone grease. If the threads could catch, I could tighten them. It is like the male plug is not seating deep enough to let the Ferrel touch the threads. I have been trying this now for 3 days off and on and am about ready to send it off to Garrett again and have some "genius" fasten the waterproof phones for me. This is a faulty design for anyone that wants to use headphones once in a while, or I have two sets of faulty head phones with bad plugs.

I may have to use this detector without any phones and let it anounce to every kid on the beach to come see whats happening.........

Sandman, I have been studying your comment. When you make the connection, think this. First and foremost, you must push the plug and o-ring into the female receptacle deep enough to get the threads down far enough to engage the housing. If the plug (o-ring) is not deep enough, the ferrule threads wont be far enough to engage the mating threads on the housing. You cannot use the ferrule to crank down the connection until the o-ring is seated deeply enough. So first, concentrate on PUSHING and WIGGLING it together. Watch out for the o-ring, it tends to want to "peel" out of the groove if you don't use a bit of caution. This is just the same as can be said for for many tech products, like camera lens connections or whatever. Its' murder if you are not "in the know". The connections are waterproof to ten feet, that is a lot to say right there. I can live with it.

 

[lookindown]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

Gleaner is right, the nut wont pull the plug into the receptacle. You have to push and wiggle it, mine was very hard to push in. When the plug is in properly you cant see the o ring. At first I thought the o ring seated against the edge of the receptacle, but the fine people on this forum told me it went inside.

 

[gleaner1]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

This is a little paint hack-up from a post I did not long ago about the connections. It depicts the o-ring in a more realistic relation to the ferrule threads. Hope this helps. It is a bit much. Anything remotely better would add significant cost. It will not leak, which is a saving grace. Regards, gleaner.

 

[Sandman]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

I tried something and finally got the O ring to seat properly after trying for 3 days off and on. Trouble was I didn't want to damage the O ring.

I put a can of WD-40 in the freezer and gave just the O ring a tiny shot after rubbing in some Silicone grease. That tiny bit of WD-40 allowed the plug to seat all the way down with a slight push and the ferrule threads caught right away. I can't believe I spent 3 days playing with that plug. Might have been the thought of having so many other water detectors that were hardwired.

I installed the water proof head phones cause I sometimes am out neck deep and wanted phones that I could snorkel with too. Plus I usually have a 50-50% chance of falling down or stepping in a hole.

I guess I won't be changing out the phones as much as I thought even if they finally come out with an adapter and it would have to be a water proof one for me anyway so I could use the Grey Ghost.

Gleaner those are great dia. Thanks for your help too. So I won't be sending the detector in to Garrett after all and can recommend it as it is a nice running outfit once it is assembled.

 

[Smudge]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

Don't want to start a firestorm here, but wouldn't it have been better if Garrett had simply hardwired some waterproof headphones to the AT Pro?

 

[Terrafisher]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

Don't want to start a firestorm here, but wouldn't it have been better if Garrett had simply hardwired some waterproof headphones to the AT Pro?

The AT is fine just like it is. There are times headphones are nice, and times no headphones at all are preferred. Hardwiring on an AT would ruin an otherwise exceptional machine.

When you are out in the 100+ degree sun, with the sweat rolling down your cheeks, you will appreciate being able to remove those hot headphones.

 

[khouse]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

I've been thinking of buying a silcone o-ring to try. It shouldn't be so tough in trying to keep the o-ring from shearing. Maybe a silicone ring will compress easier?

 

[Terrafisher]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

I've been thinking of buying a silcone o-ring to try.

Keep us posted on how that works out for you.

Thanks!

 

[gleaner1]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

Don't want to start a firestorm here, but wouldn't it have been better if Garrett had simply hardwired some waterproof headphones to the AT Pro?

Smudge, hardwiring is a bad word in modern waterproof metal detector design, thanks to Garrett. Interchangeability is icing on the cake and people have wanted this for a long time. Although ergonomically difficult, the connections are not that bad, you just have to learn how to do it. Plus, if a coil or phone craps out, it will not be a hospital case, it will be a swap-out.

 

[Marye]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

[ [/quote]The AT is fine just like it is. There are times headphones are nice, and times no headphones at all are preferred. Hardwiring on an AT would ruin an otherwise exceptional machine.

When you are out in the 100+ degree sun, with the sweat rolling down your cheeks, you will appreciate being able to remove those hot headphones.[/quote]

Like others here, I made my own adapter by cutting the one from the original headset and splicing the 1/4 in. plug
from Radio Shack. As far as headphones I have several, including the SunRay Pros. Believe it or not the ones I like
best are the Koss that I got at Walmart (don't laugh) for $5. Good sound, light, long cord, volume control and
I can hear whats going around me.

 

[Smudge]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

Everything you guys are saying makes sense.

I won't use heavy headphones in the summer here in Florida because of the heat.

It's a shame no one makes a good lightweight set of wet/dry headphones.

Guess the technology just isn't there yet.

 

[lookindown]

Re: I WON"T, CAN'T recommend the AT PRO because of the earphones!

When it gets hot I wear my headphones around my neck. I can still hear them and people nearby don't. I dont plan on taking the waterproof phones off my AT PRO.