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AT PRO at the beach today ...

Willee - Texas

Willee - Texas

Well-known member
Finally got out to the beach for a few hours to check out the new Garrett AT PRO.

As you can see from the first two photos the sand was sorta deep so I did not expect and old stuff today.

Stayed mainly in STANDARD MODE - COIN PROGRAM - MAX SENSITIVITY.
Did switch to Pro Mode a few times and it is noisy but that can be gotten used to.
Used the Auto GB and the numbers are in the photos.

In Standard Mode the detector was silent no chirping, humming, or anything. Targets were clear sounding.
Some would not repeat in both directions so I did not dig them.
There is a LOT of information being reported in those tones.

I did hit a spot where there were a lot of bottle caps.
They make a MED or HIGH tone in Standard Mode.
I switched to PRO Mode and turned on the Iron Audio and you could clearly hear the iron in the bottle caps as such.

Found one small silver toe ring stamped .925 ... it comes in at 65 on the meter ... Med tone ... just above a pull tab ... strange.

Two pennies one fairly deep (6-8")sounded clear and sharp.

After only two hours in the dry sand I can see this detector easily becoming a beach favorite as it is light and east to swing.
Pinpoint mode leaves a bit to be desired but on coins you can pinpoint easily in detect mode by using a cross pattern.

In the wet sand the detector was totally unusable.
Falsing every swing even at low sensitivity settings.
I need more time to play with settings to judge it better but first impression in wet salt sand is not good.
But hey ... Garrett never said it would work well there.

The buttons ... the buttons feel very nice.
Not like most of the cheapo rubber ones you see on today's electronics.
They have a good tactical feel and give a nice sharp "click" when pressed.
Well done Garrett ... very well done indeed!

I want to spend a few more hours at the beach in Standard Mode before trying to Pro Mode again.
I also want to compare tones between the two modes to see if the really faint but good signals in Pro Mode are detected in Standard Mode where all tones are the same volume (loud).

First Impression ...
Garrett has another winner!
 
Willee,
Thanks for the first credible post on the AT Pro. Much appreciated! I wonder how it will do on freshwater beaches, in the wet sand and water?

Thanks again for the awesome post!

Kind Regards,
Steve
 
Looks like relic & snow hunting for the next little while. The machine looks like a winner. Maybe after a few more tweaks, it will balance out a bit better for wet sand.:bouncy:
 
ToniSteve said:
Willee,
Thanks for the first credible post on the AT Pro. Much appreciated! I wonder how it will do on freshwater beaches, in the wet sand and water?

Thanks again for the awesome post!

Kind Regards,
Steve
Click to expand...

Steve, I am thinking in fresh water this machine is gonna be very popular.
It is priced well below other water detectors and could easily become as popular or more so than the Garrett ACE 250 quickly became.
It would be a very logical upgrade from the ACE 250.

This detector seem to be very sensitive ... only time in the field will tell if that relates to deep finds.
Its ability to see the iron in steel bottle caps at the beach (in PRO mode with Iron Audio on) alone makes it desirable.
Lord knows how many of them things I have recovered from the sand.

Any detector that starts pushing the limit in power and sensitivity can be a bit unstable.
Much like a muscle car of the 70"s it is unreasonable to just hop in and floor it and expect not to crash.
It is up the the user to learn how to control that power to get the max performance possible in the medium he is searching.
From what little I experienced today this detector has the power and ability to be totally useless if adjusted for max power (Pro Mode) ...
and at the same time detect metal as deep as any when in the hands of an experienced user.
I think that is why there is a Standard Mode and a Pro Mode ... Garrett is trying to please both types of user by giving the more advanced, more options.

I know Garrett did not intend for this detector to be compared to a top of the line $1500 unit ...
BUT ... It is going to be interesting this coming summer to see how well this new AT PRO stacks up (performance wise) against the ones costing three times as much.

Cant wait to see the revamped 2500 when it is reveled.
 
Willee,
Thanks for the report ....I really appreciate it ..... My thought are pretty much confirmed , and I'm glad that it hits hard and deep in the dry sand as this it one of the reasons I have considered this machine .....I lightwieght machine to work the dry sand as I had a pretty good idea that you would run into problems in the wet sand .... It will probably go pretty deep in soil too if it does well in dry sand ......Thanks again , Jim
 
Me too also. Winter slipped in early this year. Wish Garrett would come out with their new machines during nicer weather instead of in the dead of winter in most places. Sure makes it tough to get out and field test anything.

Bill
 
Most VLF detectors wont GB on wet salt sand. Try manually setting it really low. That was what was suggested with some other detectors and last summer in FL I tried it and it worked. The machine would not do an auto GB if the ground was below 40 so I set it on 1.. and if worked pretty good. The AT has a lot of similarities with this other machine so I bet it will work on the AT too. I'd sure like to know anyway, if you'll give it a try.

Nice work!!

Julien
 
Thanks for the neat post of your time out at the beach. Actually, the Garrett manual says that while it was not specifically designed to be used on salt water beaches it say it can be used on salt water beaches effectively. In fact the manual has a very good section on how to set it up and how to use it on a salt water beach to reduce the noise to a minimum and increase your productivity in the wet sand. I have found this to work pretty well. Not perfect by any means but it did make a big difference and I was able to find good stuff right out into the water. All beaches are not equal. You may have already tried the manuals method and found it would not work at your beach. If you haven't tried it give it a try. At least it is a good starting point. Keep us informed of your progress with your ATPro. We are all learning right along with you.

God Bless and HH!!
 
I kinda have the mumbles now

My Garrett test machine...ace350 works fine in salt damp....2 bars

Maybe I will have mine we'd

Thanks for the report
 
Willee,
Thank you for the further information. If it does that with the bottle caps, well there you go! It does have its merits and in the long run may have many other great attributes also. Will keep an eye on your posts for further information. Your post was as professional as they come! Keep up the good work and as usual, many thanks!

If you ever get back up to Washington please contact me.

Best regards,
Steve

Willee said:
ToniSteve said:
Willee,
Thanks for the first credible post on the AT Pro. Much appreciated! I wonder how it will do on freshwater beaches, in the wet sand and water?

Thanks again for the awesome post!

Kind Regards,
Steve
Click to expand...

Steve, I am thinking in fresh water this machine is gonna be very popular.
It is priced well below other water detectors and could easily become as popular or more so than the Garrett ACE 250 quickly became.
It would be a very logical upgrade from the ACE 250.

This detector seem to be very sensitive ... only time in the field will tell if that relates to deep finds.
Its ability to see the iron in steel bottle caps at the beach (in PRO mode with Iron Audio on) alone makes it desirable.
Lord knows how many of them things I have recovered from the sand.

Any detector that starts pushing the limit in power and sensitivity can be a bit unstable.
Much like a muscle car of the 70"s it is unreasonable to just hop in and floor it and expect not to crash.
It is up the the user to learn how to control that power to get the max performance possible in the medium he is searching.
From what little I experienced today this detector has the power and ability to be totally useless if adjusted for max power (Pro Mode) ...
and at the same time detect metal as deep as any when in the hands of an experienced user.
I think that is why there is a Standard Mode and a Pro Mode ... Garrett is trying to please both types of user by giving the more advanced, more options.

I know Garrett did not intend for this detector to be compared to a top of the line $1500 unit ...
BUT ... It is going to be interesting this coming summer to see how well this new AT PRO stacks up (performance wise) against the ones costing three times as much.

Cant wait to see the revamped 2500 when it is reveled.
Click to expand...
 
Good report and pics Willee...looking forward to your report on the Pro Mode!

Alan
 
Also tried out the new AT Pro today in my back yard. Pro mode was very noisy and erratic so I guess it will take some getting used to. Pro mode sounds like a mix between the older analog signal and the new digital tone. I also have an Ace 250 and standard mode on the AT Pro seemed similar. STD is more quite than pro mode and signaled loud and clear on coins. I think someone dumped a 50 gallon drum of clad in my back yard... I only hunted for maybe 30 minutes and found a whole handfull. Some were from the late 60's so i'm hoping to hit silver tomorrow. Had a really good signal at 10+ inches so spent another 30 minutes digging it. Turned dark so had to get the head light out. Ended up being a chrome hubcap burried about 15" down. The wife was watching out the window making fun of me with my head light :)

Bill_S I'm also from Mid MO used to live at Eldon, now live at Springfield...
 
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