Ytcoinshooter
Well-known member
Got my ATP yesterday and took it out to my back yard. This is simply my first impressions of a unit I have NO field time with yet. Normally I'd refrain from posting anything without actually having hunted with it. I ran it over a patch with a variety of large and small iron in the ground. There is still a couple of inches of snow between my coil and the ground and it didn't hinder what I was trying test. A couple of known targets are in the mix in that patch. The ground balance came in at 86. That value correlates to the GEB info I have received on other detectors - they agree on the soil being more ferrous content.
Response on a 7"clad quarter was good amidst iron. I quickly saw the value of the iron audio and I think it may prove the most important feature for me to master. Inside our house with the sensitivity turned way down I used the hardwood floor like a nail board test. With the optional 5 x 8" coil I was thrilled at how easy picking out good sounds became. Too much EMI and metal furniture to test the stock 11" coil indoors. Thinking about the nail strewn colonial cellar holes I've worked started me drooling in anticipation of return visits. Lining up targets tightly in a row with hardly a fingers width between results in a rata-tat machine gun sound sweeping that 5x8" coil across them!
It's interesting how different detectors I own respond to that 7" quarter in the iron patch. They each use different tech to "report" the coin and I like having choices.
The build of this Garrett is a welcome departure from their green & yellow machines. The black matte finish of the rods, the replaceable foam hand grip and battery compartment are well thought out. There is now a feeling of quality that I never have perceived while handling previous Garrett detectors. The couple I have owned were strictly to loan out when someone wanted to try detecting with me. Minimal instruction needed to get a friend or a kid started. This AT Pro is such a huge leap forward that I will pay attention to future developments by Garrett, I only hope they have the good sense to expand upon this platform.
HH-Bruce
Response on a 7"clad quarter was good amidst iron. I quickly saw the value of the iron audio and I think it may prove the most important feature for me to master. Inside our house with the sensitivity turned way down I used the hardwood floor like a nail board test. With the optional 5 x 8" coil I was thrilled at how easy picking out good sounds became. Too much EMI and metal furniture to test the stock 11" coil indoors. Thinking about the nail strewn colonial cellar holes I've worked started me drooling in anticipation of return visits. Lining up targets tightly in a row with hardly a fingers width between results in a rata-tat machine gun sound sweeping that 5x8" coil across them!
It's interesting how different detectors I own respond to that 7" quarter in the iron patch. They each use different tech to "report" the coin and I like having choices.
The build of this Garrett is a welcome departure from their green & yellow machines. The black matte finish of the rods, the replaceable foam hand grip and battery compartment are well thought out. There is now a feeling of quality that I never have perceived while handling previous Garrett detectors. The couple I have owned were strictly to loan out when someone wanted to try detecting with me. Minimal instruction needed to get a friend or a kid started. This AT Pro is such a huge leap forward that I will pay attention to future developments by Garrett, I only hope they have the good sense to expand upon this platform.
HH-Bruce
