AT PRO's future?

[Station69FF]

HI everyone.. Im new to this hobby... Well now an addiction... After researching a while and watching videos.. I went out and got a Ace 250.. Love it.. Wanted a AT PRO but decided I should wait to make sure Id enjoy the hobby first.. Now today I see the new ACE models... Kinda feel like I was had.. Like I should have waited few weeks.. Now I like the 250.. I'm figuring it out and had a lot of nice finds.. I had always planned on a AT PRO... I wanted two detectors anyway, one for me and my gf. But I just wish I would have known.. I think they'll discontinue my 250. I know that doesn't make my 250 any less of a machine.. Just would have waited a few weeks before buying one.. Probably would have saved some cash also...

My question is, before I pull the trigger on the PRO, are they going to upgrade that model anytime soon? Any redesigns planned? I read some of the cons about the rainbow screen, small numbers... Just small things... That wont stop me from getting one.. But Id wait a while if there was a different model or upgrade planned..

Forgive me if this has been covered..

Thanks!
Kevin

 

[screenprinter]

The AT PRO is a great machine !
I love mine. For me, the only time I've experienced the rainbow effect on the screen is when I wear a particular pair of sunglasses. No biggie.
I don't find the screen difficult to read either.
You can't go wrong with it as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Station69FF]

Thanks for the reply. I really like the 250. But can't wait to get the Pro and go back over where I've already been. Lol.
The 250 had found 2 nickels just a tad deeper than the handle of my lesche digger. (A buffalo and v in the same hole). Not sure how tho. Prob just luck.

The recovery time on the Pro from what I've watched seems great.

Now I'm just searching the dealers for the best price. I have some patience now and will shop around. Hopefully one on here will reach out to me. (Hint hint). I''d like to wait and see if the new ace 400 will have an effect on pricing of the at pro. I got a good price at just over 5. But holding off til I we get back from a vacation.

I haven't seen anyone in years running a detector where I live and that was one guy who doesn't do it anymore. (Small town).

Again. Thank you.

Wish I would have joined this forum years ago. Lots of knowledge on here.

 

[jd88047]

Hi Station69ff, we all love to talk about our detectors. I actually downgraded to a AT Pro for a second detector. I would suggest you buy new from a authorized dealer and know this is the busy time of the year so there may be delays. I ordered a 5x8 coil with mt Pro as it does very well in the soil here. The stock headphones are ok, but if you hunt a lot you may want better headphones. You will be blown away by the pro after using the Ace 250. Just read the manual and make sure the coil connector is tight and proper. Ground Balancing will make the machine work better. I have had no issues with my Pro and it does a good job. Let us know how it works for you.

 

[Station69FF]

Will do. I'm sure of that. Kinda nice having a support group for the "addiction".
Was up late last night looking. Almost pulled the trigger but I have to get the best price I can. That way I can justify it to my better half. Until I buy I'll just have to watch YouTube videos of your pros. Lol

Yeah I agree with the authorized dealer.

Kevin.

 

[Stoof-tabsallday]

I had the same thing happen to me.
3 or 4 weeks ago I bought my first detector, ace 350, because it was only a bit more than the 250 and got a bunch with it so I got a good deal.
Then the day it arrives after playing in the yard, I start looking for more videos and I see the ace 400 video :-(
Felt like I had been had as well. It costs more then my 350 did, but still would have probably sprang for it for the numbers on the display and the freq jump.
But I'm fairly happy with my 350. Next will either be a at pro or nokta fors (either core for same price as at pro ormight wait and just get the relic) because I've seen and read some great things about it.
So either way it's ok.
I have my 35p for others to use after I upgrade or to give to my nephew as a present (he has a cheapo one but seems to be interested in the hobby).
So I figure these things happen.
There's always something new and fancy.
Still getting to know my 350 and it's irritating sometimes. Yesterday found one clad penny and on nickel (first nickel that was actually a nickel lol) and about 10 lbs of trash... I need to find a better place to hunt maybe. High school isn't going so well.
P.s. anyone have any tips on deciphering what the 350 is saying. Keeps saying coins and digging tabs, aluminum and other junk. Is that just part of it?

 

[Stoof-tabsallday]

And thanks for the write up on the 250!!!

 

[jd88047]

Well dont feel too bad, I think we all want a better detector or price on a detector. As for digging tabs and bottle caps. You are gonna dig those. While the AT Pro is excellent discriminating trash, your gold rings is in that set of numbers. Once you clean a area out you can turn up the sensitivity and really hunt. The ACE 400 is available stateside i do believe. One thing you can do is scan a bottle cap and pulltab and get the Numbers. Then just dont dig those numbers. But you will miss targets. You already see how hard your machines hits on the trash. Only thing I can say is dig faster if your getting a lot of trash. I dig trash till I can't take it anymore then start discriminating things out. My At Pro and F75 really keep me from digging too much trash. I worked hard to get these two machines, I'm not a rich person. If you save your clad, it will add up. All the rings you find will add up too. Now here's the rub, your gonna want a Etrac after you get the AT Pro lol. Or maybe you will find something else. The truth is my used $65.00 dollar used Bounty Hunter 202 Pioneer will find most of the stuff I'm digging. Just not keep me from digging trash. Good luck guys. I have purchased from two sponsors of other sites and can say I was not happy after my purchases as I found better deals.Most ATP's were coming ass a "Digger's Special" with lots of extras. I had to buy the extras, sponsor didn't send the extras like a collections pouch or hat. The other purchase I got a defective detector right out of the box and the guy wouldn't answer the phone or return my calls. I had to go through the manufacture to get a replacement. The replacement didn't work and had to send the detector back twice. Now I didn't mention brand on purpose. Because I am on a ATP thread does not mean it was a ATP. Now dont fret, it all worked out in the end. The folks who sell detectors want you happy, and talking about your detector. If the OP wants to make his wife happy, go find her a gold ring. My wife takes anything that fits her. Good Luck guys.

 

[detectin4fun]

IMO the 250 and 350 will long be good detectors for their owners. I have checked around and have not found any dealers willing to discount a 250 or 350 at this time so the demand must still be high. Until the new 300 and 400 land on dealer shelves and are available the prices of the older proven models should remain stable. My 250 will be kept when I upgrade so I have a loaner getting others hooked on detecting.
I'm Trying to hold out for the new models to hit the field in the hand of finds members so I know how they perform. Expecting good reports.

 

[Station69FF]

Pulled the trigger.. got a ATP coming from Metal Detecting Stuff out of Texas.. Ordered at 130pm Received a tracking number and shipment notification by 230.. Great service.. Got an amazing deal. Wayne is very gracious to work with.. Responded to my emails with in 15 mins. Yeah I had a lot of questions and wanted to make sure I was getting a new machine.. Will post more when I get the package thursday afternoon! Supposed to be raining tho.. grrrr..

 

[calabash digger]

Ive had my at pro for awhile now and I have put it to good use,Ive found civil war buttons,spanish reals,kg coppers,cannonball,colonial flat buttons ,rosesettes, and a ton of other stuff. Let me share what I did for my machine upgraded the coil to nel tornado everyday use and a nel attack coil for those situation that call for the deep seeking coil. If you are gonna be a relic hunter heres my 2 cents if your machine runs stable on a ground balance of 80 leave it there best performance got that tip from garrett themselves I do not ground balance my machine at all unless I have no other choice just crank it up and go.I run my iron disrimination on 0 and listen to everything. You will learn your machine and will be able to tell junk alot of the time by the tones. As for id numbers on a old site I dig 40 and above most of the time as masking will effect the numbers .the numbers will change when you flip the plug alot of times for the better or worse.iron audio waste of time in my mind ,I can just listen to it with no discrimination and keep trucking . Be warned about notching out items and turning up iron discrim you will miss targets.Even in the garrett video he warns about it. The at pro is a turn and go machine for me all metal and no nocth no discrim and sensitivity cranked up to one below wide open. I also got a set of grey ghost amphib for it way better than stock headphones. I had to save and scimp alot to set my machine up but it made it a relic hunting champ. Good luck you will love it but it will take you awhile to get used to pro mode but when you do look out!

 

[FrankG]

Pulled the trigger.. got a ATP coming from Metal Detecting Stuff out of Texas.. Ordered at 130pm Received a tracking number and shipment notification by 230.. Great service.. Got an amazing deal. Wayne is very gracious to work with.. Responded to my emails with in 15 mins. Yeah I had a lot of questions and wanted to make sure I was getting a new machine.. Will post more when I get the package thursday afternoon! Supposed to be raining tho.. grrrr..

Congrats... if you liked your 250 you'll love the AT Pro. You commented in an earlier post about the fast recovery time of the At Pro. That feature is a huge and noticeable advantage over the 250 along with the Proportional Audio, Iron Audio, and ability to ground balance.

Since you're already familiar with the 250 operation, I'd recommend... don't waste a lot of time in STD mode, dive right into PRO mode and try to master the PRO features and you'll be rewarded. After using the detector it a couple times, go back and take another look at the instructional videos and you'll have a much better appreciation for their value.

Happy Hunting

PS. Don't worry, the rain won't hurt it

 

[Station69FF]

Thanks for the tips... I really appreciate it...

I always run on the metal mode now with my 250 with nothing notched out.. I usually dig everything.. I dont mind it yet.. its good way for me to figure it out and learn it.. I plan on doing the same with the atp until i figure it out.. Im finding most coins now with just using the pin pointer mode and separating the targets and listening/watching the drop on the display..

As far as upgrading the coil or headphones Im probably gonna have to stay stock for a while.. lol I wasnt expecting to drop that much cash on this hobby yet.. This fast... ugh

Im not 100% on what I plan on doing the most.. I like just finding old coins for now, but I plan on hitting some old foundations and home sites this summer.. I'll do that a few times and go from there..

again... thanks a ton!

 

[calabash digger]

Thats exactly what I did bought the 150 kept it 2 days and got the 250 kept it a month and then took the leep my wife thinks Im crazy but it didnt take me long to figure out I love this hobbie. BTW the way I hunt works for me and it might not work for you but you will figure out what does.

 

[Station69FF]

My ATP came yesterday afternoon. Along with unexpected company. So I didn't get to use it. Ugh! Now I'm working the next two days and have to wait til Sunday. Please try to look up Metal Detecting Stuff out of Texas for your needs. Have to throw Wayne a shout out. Fast free shipping and a really low price on this unit. Not saying you have to buy from him. But give him a call first and ask questions. You'll be happy you did.

Looking forward to Sunday. Guess I'll be living some dirt fishing thru YouTube a few more days. Lol.

Thanks guys!!

 

[GroundScanner]

Or even better , on this site there are forum Sponsers that give excellent deals. If it wasn't for these Sponsers , I don't think we would have this forum . Here is a list of the Sponsers. http://www.findmall.com/read.php?43,2215486 . GS

Please try to look up Metal Detecting Stuff out of Texas for your needs. Have to throw Wayne a shout out. Fast free shipping and a really low price on this unit. Not saying you have to buy from him. But give him a call first and ask questions. You'll be happy you did.!

 

[Station69FF]

Roger that! Will do. Sorry. I wasn't aware of it. Will do for sure.

 

[calabash digger]

Now that would make me wanna cry! new machine and cant use it.

 

[Dancer]

You know cost is always a issue. But if you were a avid golfer, well there's always a new club, fees for playing, super golf balls etc. Mucho $. That's not even mentioning a couple of lessons.
Fishing ? I fish. But my neighbor just got a boat , cost $30,000 and he ain't no lawyer. Rods , lures, travel, entrance fees.
Name a sport= big money. Just take your girlfriend to a pro ball game. Could cost you the price of a 250.
At least you get a chance to find a little jing with a detector.
Now the trick is master your machines, equipment etc. Before upgrading. Keep a log on what and where you found treasure. Date ,what machine. You are only in competition with yourself. And Don't leave any holes.

 

[Station69FF]

I agree Dancer. I'm hoping this will keep me satisfied for a while. Lol. Wait. Now I need a different coil. But that's it. Wait. Now I need new headphones. But that's it? Wait. Now I need to upgrade the......... Lol.
I did find a neat old Crotal bell the other day with the 250. That will pay a little on that one. Lol. But I don't want to sell anything I find. It's cool.