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AT Pro on the way. Excited, but hope it was a good choice.

C

Charlie Ringhunter

New member
Have not been doing much detecting over the last 4-5 years. Just a little water hunting when I got the chance. I sold my ML Explorer II about 3-4 years ago, just keeping my water machines. Been using the Tesoro Stringray II since it came out and had a Stingray before that and they have done me well. I always wished I had a waterproof detector with all the features on my land machine, but had given up on it. When I seen Garrett had done exactly what I wanted I knew I would have to get one when I started detecting again.
Did a little research and it seems very dislike I had with Garretts was taken care of in the machine. I didn't like preset ground balance, the bell tone type signals, trouble discriminating iron and a little lacking in depth. After ordering I started reading about falsing and many posts where the detectors had to be sent back for repairs. I'm not sure where the AT Pro is made but hope there is not a quality issue. Then others claim it does not ID very well on deeper targets.
Can't wait to test it out against my Stingray II on gold, then give it my ultimate test.. Find the silver dime I buried about 12-15 years years ago to test detectors against the Whites Spectrum I had back then. I buried the dime at the very edge of the whites range to give a solid repeatable beep. I don't really expect to find it even though I know about where it is as I've tried many different machines over the years with the Minelab Explorer II being the last one and was unable to target it. Turns out there is iron nails and bits in the area also but my Spectrum had no problem with it. Of course I really knew that machine well back then and have not had the time to learn another detector nears as well as I knew the whites. Would be nice if the AT Pro could find it. If it can find gold in freshwater lakes as well or better than my Stringray II I will be happy anyhow.
Can't wait to get it on Wednesday. Very happy to own a Garrett again since I only live about an hour from Garland, Tx. where I hope they are still made.
 
Once you learn the Pro Mode you will be amazed at what you can find. Deeper targets sometimes sound alot softer and scratchy. But if you remove the plug and scan again, if it's silver it'll blow your ears off.

You'll have to learn the sounds of modern clad though, because the signals are partly steel, etc. Canadian Nickels, Quarters, dimes and toonies up here sound like garbage but with a high tone mixed in. I've learned it and can tell you if it's a clad coin or not before I dig now. Nails will fool you at first, but if you pinpoint and the high tone is not where the target is....it's a nail. Bent nails will still get you though. Bottlecaps also give a certian tone and you will be able to learn it. Personally I dig ALL foil signals, 38-50 because 79% of the thin gold rings out there ring up as foil. Can't afford to miss it.

I love my AT-Pro and even if I get a XP Deus I'm sure I'll keep it for freshwater/rain hunting.
 
Not sure about the other models you have but the AT-Pro is a very nice machine for the money. It had problems in the beginning and they worked them out. Sure, they still require service at times, but what detector doesn't. In freshwater they work well, found a fair amount of gold and silver rings. Saltwater is another story, no personal experience but there have been posts on the subject. Good Luck...HH
 
I seen on youtube where it looked like zinc pennies where scratchy sounding compared to a minelab the guy had. He blamed the AT Pro for not IDing properly but to myself I was thinking, I hope it always does that on zinc pennies,lol. I wasn't really that excited about it when I ordered it but now that it's on the way, it's gonna be a long 2 days. :)
 
Ah, buyer's remorse. Why do you think the AT Pro is the #1 best selling detector?
Why does Garrett also have the #2 best selling detector (Ace 350)?
 
Charlie - You made a good choice.

Zincers do have a distinctive sound most of the time, and yes, Garrett is still in Garland.

MikeLab - I always thought detector manufacturers were tight-lipped about sales figures. How do you know the AT Pro and Ace 350 are #1 and #2 best selling detectors?
 
Charlie Ringhunter said:
I seen on youtube where it looked like zinc pennies where scratchy sounding compared to a minelab the guy had. He blamed the AT Pro for not IDing properly but to myself I was thinking, I hope it always does that on zinc pennies,lol. I wasn't really that excited about it when I ordered it but now that it's on the way, it's gonna be a long 2 days. :)
Click to expand...

They do have a disinct sound and the way the numbers jump. I never have any doubt on any coins on the AT-Pro. I call it before I dig it and the only item that ever fools me in the coin range is big silver rings. Big silver rings have rang up like a quarter....very nice to be wrong in those instances.
 
Marcomo, I saw it on a large metal detector distributor's website. Click on "by manufacturer" then Garrett and scroll down.
 
You will not regret this unit it is a jewelry magnet i have done well with it. Especially for the money very stable simple to use and very reliable. Just have a good time and with this you will.
 
Got the detector today. Not sure how happy I'll be with it on land. Spoiled to how my old Spectrum worked and have not been happy with any land machine since, but we will see. Mainly plan on using it for water hunting and it sure looks promising for that. Waterproof headphones did'nt come today so I guess I'll wait to test it in the water. Too hot here to keep my head dry :).
No lucking picking up that silver dime though. I had no ideal how much iron bits and nails are in that area. Maxed iron rejection to lessen the chatter and stray signals from the iron. Not as smooth as I'd hoped for in trashy iron areas. I think I read/heard somewhere that the concentric coil is better around iron than the DD.
 
Try Pro mode, zero discrim, iron audio OFF. swing medium speed over that dime and listen for soft high tones. You can also try just barely discriminating out the nails, go one number above what they read on the VDI on the discrim.
 
Be sure to read the manual and watch the training videos (at the Garrett website) especially the part about iron masking. That's what the hi-res iron disctrimination is about. Be sure to ground balance over clean ground. Best way is to off all iron discrimination before balancing.
 
You DEFINITELY will NOT be disappointed...The Pro is gonna be your go to machine!

HH,
 
I find the at too be very deep in my soil,but the I'd is not very accurate at all. Won't be like the minelab,or even the gb pro as far as I'd. I find.it to be a very good relic hunter....using the 6x8, zero disc,pro mode
 
My take on the target ID is the AT series are sensitive and this means any tilt angle of the target or varying surface features is going to change the number depending on which angle you sweep from. Also deep targets do not ID well. You have to dig a bit then recheck the hole. But most targets in range will register within a few digits if you swing the coil properly. Things like bottle caps and can slaw will not ID cleanly and of course targets on edge or tilted will be off. Also foil or any target on the border of the discriminate cut off will break up. It's pretty accurate once you learn what is going on. Maybve not as solid as Minelab but it is plenty close enough once you learn to control the coil. In the end most people say do not rely completely on the ID because it is sensitive and will change due to nearby iron (or other targets) or ground mineralization. I agree at first it seems a bit scattered, but once you get familar with it, it is better than first impression.
 
Took the At Pro to the lake a few times and love it so far. Depth and sensitivity are top notch, had to back it down some lol. Pro Zero mode with iron audio is perfect for water hunting. Looks like my other water detectors are gonna get a break.
 
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