Going to destroy the ATPRO

[papaharley03]

Good for you, Mottz. There are a lot of us here who will gladly help you with fact based personal experience on the ATPro. I've got a lot of clad stacked up, ready to tumble and roll, all found by using the ATPro. It's a machine you can grow a lot with. There are several sized coils from Garrett and NEL. The NEL coils are frequency specific to the Pro and I believe that's what gives them part of their edge over the Garrett coils.

Happy Hunting,

Papa

 

[Swing360]

Fair enough allow me to re phrase that.

When I was a machinist 100 years ago I trained new people to operate highly complicated CNC machines and robotics.

There was a steady percentage of trainee's that just couldn't learn the machines, and in their frustration they stopped looking for what they were doing wrong and started blaming the machines for their own inability to learn them.

Blaming a machine for your inability to learn how to operate it speaks volumes. Happy now?

THIS X 11TY BILLION!!!!

I've noticed a few of our newer members are bopping through machines and wondering why after 30 minutes between the 3 machines they've tried why they haven't found 5 gold coins and 100 silvers yet.

Yes... TROLLS...

3 days with a 1 machine to upgrade to another to only make a post about how it's too complicated and he his going to buy back the first machine...

Or wanting a machine that Id's and knows the difference between a bottle cap and quarter at 8" no questions asked while maintaining 10" "air tests" (because air tests matter) while being able to run full disc without missing anything all for the price of a entry level machine... Kinda trollish...

Ahhh... The list goes on...

 

[Phantasman]

You have me all wrong MD. I have not given up on this thread. I am just sitting back watching some of the bickering going on about who has the best machine. And who obviously has enough money to have multiple high dollar machines to compare their field data. I started with the Ace 150(gift) and went to the PRO. And I haven't considered giving up on it. I know it well but I still have plenty of room to learn it. I never thought this thread would get this argumentative about brands but I guess that comes with the territory like a Chevy/Ford/Dodge argument. My only intention of this post is why are my number readings so deceiving? And there are quite a few posts on here that I have read numerous times because of the relevance of the original question and I am taking those tips and suggestions to heart. As far as me destroying the pro, when I get back to that iron field that I cannot break through, I'm sure I will have the same conclusion. But put me in someones yard, and I will be glad that I made that choice to keep it.

Well, good for you. There is nothing, I repeat, nothing wrong with the AT Pro. It is a metal detector and finds metal. It's not magic. In the right hands, the AT Pro will command the ground effectively. And who ever tried to leave the Bounty Hunters behind, probably doesn't know much about metal metrics.

The AT Pro was built around the ACE design, so a new detectorist could put to use the simplicity of the ACE yet the more experienced could tap into the more sophisticated options that were available, ie the Pro mode. For it's price, the ATP has found as much as any detector and has made many detectorists satisfied with it's abilities.

I have buddies who laughed when I bought my BH LRP. I gave up my Fisher F5 for it that I used for 6+ years. After months of working with the LRP, I know it and it's abilities to command the ground. It uses the same process as the Teknetics and Fishers, and left the old 6.6 Khz design. My friends laugh no more as I keep up with their Whites, Garretts and Minelabs.

The best detector is the one that you meld with. Learn it. They all have EM fields that go many feet deep. Their abilities to detect are all close to the same. When you understand the metrics of detecting you realize that physics limits pie in the sky comments. If someone says his detector can get a quarter at 24" with an 8" coil, then he cannot see a quarter at 6" or 8". The simple physics won't allow it. Depth has never been a problem for engineers. But continuous ID from 1" to X" is limited by many factors, including coil size.

If there were a best detector, everyone would own it (or at least want it). I don't knock anyones view of whats best for them. But don't knock whats best for me. I'm not you. And if we hunt together, you might be surprised, as my buddies were.

Good luck and keep the faith.

 

[Swinglow]

stop cherry picking high tones. That's a bad habit to get into.

 

[demyansk1942]

I like the replies on this post. My belief in all this in being comfortable with any machine that you have in front of you. Yes, some have more dials and can go deeper but as long as you like your machine - then it's the best. I love my Fisher F5 b/c it suits my style of hunting. Yes, I might miss stuff at times but I really like the external knobs. I have the F2 and AT Pro.

All of them are good but the F5 works for me right now.

Have fun with any machine you like. Plus, finding gold is difficult, since gold ring ARE not lost on an everyday basis like pennies. If you find a few gold items your lucky and its always a benefit.

 

[abbynormal]

Thank you. Glad someone is reading and thinking about it.

 

[Mottz]

stop cherry picking high tones. That's a bad habit to get into.

I am guilty of that. I will dig from the 50's all the way up at first but if the trash is quite prominent, then I will start getting picky. But a lot of times in my situations, I'm not too worried about it. The places I get permission to hunt normally has been followed by "detect it anytime you want". So I end up hitting these places 4 or 5 times from different directions. And by the end of it, all I normally have is iron sounds showing up. With my schedule though, limited time out there, I am always anxious to find that 1 coin that really gets me excited about the property. That way I feel good about going back there and getting it cleaned out before I find or have lined up a new property to go to. And if I don't find that special treasure the 1st day, well then I switch the mindset to "It's gotta be there and I'm gonna find it!"

 

[demyansk1942]

I sort of do the same thing mottz, everyone has a different style that suits them.

 

[cellrdwellr]

I've been swinging the at pro for almost two seasons now. I've found seateds large cents and almost everything in between. I've never submerged the unit yet but maybe someday. I found that it loves flat nails. The sound flat nails give off sometimes are comparable to deep silver. I myself wanted to toss this machine out and upgrade. But stuck with it and it has definitely paid for itself twice over. I just purchased a minelab se pro and plan on keeping the at pro as my secondary sword. The learning curve for the at pro seems much easier than my new machine. The fact that you can turn the at pro on and just go is a convenience and with the 5x8 coil its pretty light. I myself upgraded for depth and better discrimination on deep objects. But to say the at pro sucks. I would have to disagree 100%. Its a solid machine but its no minelab so I wouldn't expect the same results. Just keep with it and it will all make sense. HH!

 

[Grunter]

ATP performance

Sometimes you can get a bad coil. I've noticed the 5x8 is for targets in the 5-6" range. This is usually where the trash and can slaw ends up as well as Zinclons. Try ,auto balance and then back off 10 points . Just realize that you are probably hunting in the 5-6" range and that items closer to the coil will ring higher. When you get a high tone use iron discrimination and if it growls leave it be. Also do the 360 walk around. If you want to find some deep silver use the stock coil and dig items that are between 6-8" deep or deeper. Check with iron discrimination. If the soil is native thats where the good stuff maybe. If its been filled you may luck up and find some shallow goodies. This has been my experience with all of my machines and I have and have had several from the 3 major manufacturers.

 

[Bulette]

I think I'm closing in on 1000 hours of actual time swinging the AT Pro and it's only in the past few weeks that I feel like I have become completely fluent in understanding the tones and what they're telling me. It's not the best machine on the market, but it has a lot of potential because the more you use it, the more you get familiar with the difference between very specific combinations of tones and begin to know with better accuracy what you will be digging up when you hear those tones. I'm also out mding nearly every day. No joke. The best advice I could give you outside of buying a better metal detector would be keep digging targets and pay close attention to the tones before you dig. After that do the same when pinpointing because when you pinpoint a coin it sounds a hell of a lot different than a door hinge. Finally, and I'm sure other people have made these same points, check to see that the signal is repeatable from different angles. I still dig bottlecaps and nails, but I pass up a LOT more of those than I did a year ago and last week I dug a watch fob from 1915 at 10" that was next to a spark plug and two nails. I'll tell you the settings I use with no disclaimers. pro; custom; iron disc 40; full sensitivity; iron audio off (unless I'm checking a target) I notch out everything except between 50-60 and 80-up. I also leave it manually balanced at 89. GL and HH!

 

[Turbomunkey]

Lots of crying and gnashing teeth for a site full of adults.

I think others covered the fact that OP is probably hearing the high tone rapping around on a garbage signal.

I had an AT Pro when I quit detecting a year or two ago, just got another last week. I also owned a fisher F5. The F5 was an awesome coin shooter and if you didn't find the item in your plug it was larger and the depth read was going to be way off, dug to China several times.

I have not had a problem with my Pro yet. I set it in pro mode custom with iron up to like 27 and sensitivity maxed out. I have had two occasions recently where a coin was close to trash and I really was skeptical to dig it, mind you I'm running a 5 x 8. Otherwise coins always seem to hit hard. Pull tabs as well. I have not hunted enough different areas to give expert opinions yet but as far as I'm concerned its doing its job fine? I will try a coin hotspot hopefully sometime this week and see how it goes. If I remember correctly I used the pro on it the last time I was there a year or two ago and it did great

 

[metaladdict]

Hello mods this thread is really worn out beyond belief please erase!It keeps popping up...

 

[Mottz]

You could always ignore the thread and not read it. I find others tactics interesting and I am interested in what they say when it deals with the original topic of the conversation.

 

[demyansk1942]

I like this thread b/c each day I learn a little bit more about the Pro and even though it's not my favorite machine right now it did find a 200 yr old button last week.

 

[youdiggnebraska]

Or at least that is what I keep telling myself. I have been to this older town 3 different days, only a couple hours at a time, and all I have come up with is 1 wheat penny and 1 newer penny. Now I am hunting where there use to be a bank and a grocery store. Now its just empty lots. So I know there is going to be a lot of junk in the mix. So I have the 5x8 coil on, wide open. And knowing this junk is present, I am just digging the high tones with 80 plus on the screen. This is what I am getting.

Now these finds have all been between 80 and 95. All good sounding quick high tones. That's swinging from different angles, checking for the iron and watching to see if there are bouncy numbers. This is what I end up with. And after I retrieve the junk, I move the plug to the side and swing over it again. Nothing. Put the plug back in and swing over it. Nothing So I am getting the target that the detector has led me to. But WHY is this iron ringing so high? This is why I want to break the pro in half.

Sounds like you need back up..... I'm only a couple hours away... Lol. Iron halo effect stinks. I've dug a ton.... Iron audio should give you that little scratch/grunt. Pro mode iron disc at 40 iron audio on and headphones. Slow swings and ground balance often. Should help, or.... Continue digging that trash out so the next guy doesn't have to... Lol [emoji13]


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[demyansk1942]

I noticed a few of the replies of guys using the 5x8" coil? I am using the stock coil on my ATP and was wondering if the 5x8 is much better than the stock coil? I noticed that when I was at the ball field the other day that the bottle caps for soda bottles was coming up as a 71, fairly high number and that the coins tend to ring in as 80's and up

Sound right?

I think my my coil is 5x8 no I checked the cover of the coil its a 9x11"

I guess the at now is coming out with the 5x8

 

[Mottz]

This is what makes me wonder because I have wondered if going back to the stock coil would make a difference at this particular location?

 

[Mottz]

Sounds like you need back up..... I'm only a couple hours away... Lol. Iron halo effect stinks. I've dug a ton.... Iron audio should give you that little scratch/grunt. Pro mode iron disc at 40 iron audio on and headphones. Slow swings and ground balance often. Should help, or.... Continue digging that trash out so the next guy doesn't have to... Lol [emoji13]


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I would like to watch someone try to break through this buried building site. Then again, it would tick me off when they find something good

 

[youdiggnebraska]

I would like to watch someone try to break through this buried building site. Then again, it would tick me off when they find something good[emoji38]

My buddy with the etrac gets to see that all the time... Lol. He doesn't have the patience.

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