AT Pro and Wet salt

[John (Ma)]

I checked out a Pro today and was quite impressed. However, I worry how it would do on the wet salt ocean beaches having only one frequency? Any experience? Thanks!

 

[mudslingers8]

I have used it in the wet sand & in the gulf on the west coast of Fl. it is fair, you can find targets in both but not deep targets having pulled both clad & Jewelry out of both with the Pro. I also own an Excal & Sand Shark they are much better suited to overcome the mineralization of the salt. With that said it is still my go-to machine in the dry sand & has paid for itself in finds both in sand & parks. I will usually run the dry sand with the pro & then change over to do the water or wet sand. Most own two or more machines because of the nature of the hobby.

Mudslinger

 

[JamieR]

What part of MA will you be beach hunting in?

 

[CladDog]

John,

I used a lot of detectors on Florida east coast beaches, and some of those beaches are the worst when it comes to sand mineralization.

Here is the truth: a sngle frequency detector, any single frequency detector, no matter how the manufacturer tweaks it, will have a harder time in wet salt sand. Some beaches you can do pretty good, and others, really poorly. It all depends what beach you are on and how bad the mineralization is. Like Hawaii, their volcanic sand is so bad anything short of a pulse detector is waste of your time.

So it is really going to depend where you are. The whiter sand beaches will give you reasonable performance but you are going to have to back down on sensitivity some and ground balance often.

Truth is, if you plan on doing a good deal of wet sand/surf hunting, you ought to think about getting a dual or multi-frequency detector. Most serious beach hunters eventually do.

This is no slap against the AT Pro at all, its just that wet salt sand is very difficult to overcome.

 

[Swingbeepdig]

Im in the fence with atpro on the salt..

Horrible sometimes depends what part of beach and decent in another beach. It works nice in the sand though.

I detected a iron infested beach once,the sand was good to the atpro as I wadered thigh deep picking silver left and right but I also remember one beach that I got soo fustrated, I wanted to throw the Atpro in the ocean.

Excalibur would end this misery quick.

Keep the Atpro in the sweet water and it will reward you greatly

.

 

[John (Ma)]

I would be detecting from Salsbury beach north through Maine mostly. I have an older excal and mostly hunt fresh water. I was considering a back up to the excal due to it's age and was looking at another excal, but the prices have gone up considerable and then also considered the Fisher CZ21. However while at the shop, I was able to look at both the excal 2 and the CZ21 and both appear to be solid water detectors and have heard good things about both. They also had the AT Pro there and I liked the sound of the 3 tones and curiosity arose. I currently run the older excal for water and an MXT for land. Thanks for all of the input, it's very helpfull.

 

[JamieR]

John ive hunted the water at Revere beach and had trouble with falsing in the wet sand. At salisbury and long sands in maine the at pro worked great in the wet sand. Hope this helps you some.

 

[grumpysrb]

I've been using my ATP in saltwater fairly regular for the last few weeks. It took some getting used to. I was confused when at one beach it would be very quiet and at another, just a mile or so away it would be very busy. And again at a third somewhere in between. Turns out it had a lot to do with how much the beach is used. They have also added sand from another state, Colorado, on one. I have even had the ATP change on the same beach around extremely high concentrations of Black Sand. Black sand so thick it smelled when I dug into it. I have found coins, keys and trash in salt water as deep as 3 inches with a quarter being dug from 6 inches down.

 

[Outlaw Metal Detector]

I LIVE IN HAWAII AND I HAVE NO PROBLEM WHAT SO EVER. I HUNT ALL THE BEACHES SAND AND SALT WATER

 

[Outlaw Metal Detector]

I live in Hawaii I hunt surf and sand with no problem

 

[MikeLab]

I've used the AT Gold in damp sand and it worked. There was some crackling, but I was running at full sensitivity.

 

[John (Ma)]

Thank you all for all of your input! Very much appreciated!

 

[Leslie(nova scotia)]

n/t

 

[grumpysrb]

I've noticed that a lot of people who say the ATP will not work n saltwater haven't used it. I can't say that it works as well as a PI machine, just that it works. How well seems to depend on the beach and amount of trash.

 

[JASONSPAZ1]

Hi John. Are you a member of my Facebook group The Merrimack Valley Metal Group.
I am also interested in your question as I hunt Salisbury as well. I will pay attention to your post.

HH
JASON

 

[joekool]

used mine at Jax beach(Fla.) and had no problem

 

[Neil]

I've noticed that a lot of people who say the ATP will not work n saltwater haven't used it. I can't say that it works as well as a PI machine, just that it works. How well seems to depend on the beach and amount of trash.

Thats a real good point about people making comments on it and not having used it themselves. Its one of the pitfalls of the internet forums.

I had the AT pro and currently have an AT gold. The AT pro worked great on the ocean wet sand beaches here (NJ). Not the depth of a PI or my Sov or Explorer but respectable and sufficient if your just after fresh drops or only visit the ocean occasionally.
Ive never tried my AT gold at the ocean but Garrett states it doesnt have the GB range to handle salty environment. I will eventually try it just to see for myself.

Single freq detectors are still getting a bad rap for salt water and there are a few Ive used that handle it pretty well but again dont get the depth of a Sov/Explorer or a pulse. One that does well is the Xterra 70.

 

[grumpysrb]

Hit the beach again today for about 3 hours. There were wet sand finds, the ring and two coins were deep enough that I hit water digging them. Going back tomorrow and if the surf is like it was today I'll get deeper into the water.