Hope I'm not jumping too deep...

[oblivion321]

...head first into the shallow end with my lead boots on, but I got the AT Pro in the mail yesterday .I've been stoked about it as all the recommendations here. A little background on my MD experience. I did say a little right? I have a total of about 7-8 hours in my yard with a Titan 9000/ timeranger. I actually found a lot more than I expected to find right out of the gate. I dug some wheats and a silver quarter. I even found a really deep buckle from the first settlement in my town right here.I guess what I'm wondering is The ATP too much to take in for a starter like me? It seems like quite the learning curve. Should I stick with the timeranger and master that first or get out the big helmet?

 

[Barracuda]

...head first into the shallow end with my lead boots on, but I got the AT Pro in the mail yesterday .I've been stoked about it as all the recommendations here. A little background on my MD experience. I did say a little right? I have a total of about 7-8 hours in my yard with a Titan 9000/ timeranger. I actually found a lot more than I expected to find right out of the gate. I dug some wheats and a silver quarter. I even found a really deep buckle from the first settlement in my town right here.I guess what I'm wondering is The ATP too much to take in for a starter like me? It seems like quite the learning curve. Should I stick with the timeranger and master that first or get out the big helmet?

My first detector with maybe 20 minutes of experience was an At Pro.

Start in Pro Zero mode with around 30 discrim and never look back!
Dig everything thats solid and learn your detector! (deep items will be jumpy dig them too!)

Youre on the right path in my opinion

P.S If you hunt in iron infested sites get a garrett 5x8 coil. If you hunt fields get a NeL with larger coil. All that can wait a little while though

 

[MrNovice]

The AT Pro is a fine detector for beginners up to intermediate hunters. That meaning, it is fine to start out with and not too much to get a grip of, and intricate enough to hold interest for a long time because it's versitality. Many start in coins standard mode just to get familiar with the tones, finds. I say skip that and jump right to pro zero mode. It takes a little longer to get comfortable with, but no sense in having to learn the same detector twice.

Some familiar with it have even reverted back from Pro Zero mode to Custom Standard mode to avoid the Proportional audio, but I like that feature especially with using the headphones. You can hear deep!

 

[oblivion321]

My first detector with maybe 20 minutes of experience was an At Pro.

Start in Pro Zero mode with around 30 discrim and never look back!
Dig everything thats solid and learn your detector! (deep items will be jumpy dig them too!)

Youre on the right path in my opinion

P.S If you hunt in iron infested sites get a garrett 5x8 coil. If you hunt fields get a NeL with larger coil. All that can wait a little while though

Thank you. I'm sure I can figure this machine out with a little bit of startup guidance. I bet the kids are gonna kill me in the yard with the titans at first, but i can take em out! I've actually been really impressed with that machine for my first attempt. I know I'm gonna be happy.

 

[flyin-lowe]

If you get overwhelmed you can stick it in standard mode and it is a lot easier to understand. I only had 10-15 hours experience with my F2 when I got an AT Pro (found one too cheap to turn down). It was a little intimidating at first because it was so much noisier then my F2. I watched a few youtube videos to understand what it was doing and I set it at Pro Zero mode and got to swinging. By the time I had 10 hours on it I felt really good with it.

 

[bibelot]

Congrats on the new machine.

 

[H Desert Digger]

Well Met

HDD

 

[Wom 27]

I don't care for a lot of confusing noise when detecting. It seems if you're not in "pro" mode, you're not a pro. I even called Garrett and spoke to a tech. I keep it in standard coin mode. Iron audio off and go. Everything , I mean everything I have found has been this setting. Sometimes when I find a target, I will switch to pro mode to listen, but really i don't get the point. If you get a reading in the 80's, you can turn on the iron audio to make sure of your target. I'm sure people will say I'm missing a lot and maybe that's so but this is fast and it finds a lot.I'm not saying it's the best way but it is one way, my way, and I've had success .
While I'm at it , can anyone explain why you would listen to a signal in pro mode and say it's strong or weak telling you the target's depth. What's the point of the depth chart then ?

 

[zach66604]

I don't care for a lot of confusing noise when detecting. It seems if you're not in "pro" mode, you're not a pro. I even called Garrett and spoke to a tech. I keep it in standard coin mode. Iron audio off and go. Everything , I mean everything I have found has been this setting. Sometimes when I find a target, I will switch to pro mode to listen, but really i don't get the point. If you get a reading in the 80's, you can turn on the iron audio to make sure of your target. I'm sure people will say I'm missing a lot and maybe that's so but this is fast and it finds a lot.I'm not saying it's the best way but it is one way, my way, and I've had success .
While I'm at it , can anyone explain why you would listen to a signal in pro mode and say it's strong or weak telling you the target's depth. What's the point of the depth chart then ?

Depth and an item that sounds "strong" can help to differentiate from a big shallow object like a can or a deep small object like a coin.

 

[tnsharpshooter]

...head first into the shallow end with my lead boots on, but I got the AT Pro in the mail yesterday .I've been stoked about it as all the recommendations here. A little background on my MD experience. I did say a little right? I have a total of about 7-8 hours in my yard with a Titan 9000/ timeranger. I actually found a lot more than I expected to find right out of the gate. I dug some wheats and a silver quarter. I even found a really deep buckle from the first settlement in my town right here.I guess what I'm wondering is The ATP too much to take in for a starter like me? It seems like quite the learning curve. Should I stick with the timeranger and master that first or get out the big helmet?

You can learn both.

Actually,,and you may find this to be a strange comment.
You can even take one detector and learn the other better,,and vice versa.

Using both,will broaden your skills overall.

And leaning what each detectors strengths and weaknesses are,,,very important.

And in the end,,guess what???

You may someday want to step up to another level detector wise,,,and this knowledge you gained by using the 2 detectors you have will sure come in handy.

You likely will develop a favorite between the 2 detectors.

And there is a chance,,you might decide to sell one of them also.

 

[Barracuda]

I don't care for a lot of confusing noise when detecting. It seems if you're not in "pro" mode, you're not a pro. I even called Garrett and spoke to a tech. I keep it in standard coin mode. Iron audio off and go. Everything , I mean everything I have found has been this setting. Sometimes when I find a target, I will switch to pro mode to listen, but really i don't get the point. If you get a reading in the 80's, you can turn on the iron audio to make sure of your target. I'm sure people will say I'm missing a lot and maybe that's so but this is fast and it finds a lot.I'm not saying it's the best way but it is one way, my way, and I've had success .
While I'm at it , can anyone explain why you would listen to a signal in pro mode and say it's strong or weak telling you the target's depth. What's the point of the depth chart then ?

Whatever works for you. I cant imagine using this machine not in pro mode.

 

[Trashfinder]

I don't care for a lot of confusing noise when detecting. It seems if you're not in "pro" mode, you're not a pro. I even called Garrett and spoke to a tech. I keep it in standard coin mode. Iron audio off and go. Everything , I mean everything I have found has been this setting. Sometimes when I find a target, I will switch to pro mode to listen, but really i don't get the point. If you get a reading in the 80's, you can turn on the iron audio to make sure of your target. I'm sure people will say I'm missing a lot and maybe that's so but this is fast and it finds a lot.I'm not saying it's the best way but it is one way, my way, and I've had success .
While I'm at it , can anyone explain why you would listen to a signal in pro mode and say it's strong or weak telling you the target's depth. What's the point of the depth chart then ?

The reason for pro zero,iron audio on ,is so if you get say a ID of 60, and you hear the iron grunt your real target could be like 83 but with iron next to it the ID will average downwards. So what appears to be canslaw or a tab could actually be silver right by a nail.

 

[Wom 27]

The reason for pro zero,iron audio on ,is so if you get say a ID of 60, and you hear the iron grunt your real target could be like 83 but with iron next to it the ID will average downwards. So what appears to be canslaw or a tab could actually be silver right by a nail.

I don't know why the Garrett tech couldn't explain that in English for me !in standard mode, that would probably show as an iffy signal. The iffy signals I dig have to be deep ,at a n old site, and I have to get permission from my back !thing is , we have a "digital" machine,with a depth chart ! I didn't buy that particular technology so I could interpret "sounds" I guess what I'm saying is that I learned in standard mode and 4 years experience is working for me. Now if only I could only get a good permission !

 

[MrNovice]

I don't know why the Garrett tech couldn't explain that in English for me !in standard mode, that would probably show as an iffy signal. The iffy signals I dig have to be deep ,at a n old site, and I have to get permission from my back !thing is , we have a "digital" machine,with a depth chart ! I didn't buy that particular technology so I could interpret "sounds" I guess what I'm saying is that I learned in standard mode and 4 years experience is working for me. Now if only I could only get a good permission !

If you're hunting in standard coins mode or any coins mode for that matter, you're missing stuff. The coin programs auto-discrim for you toward US coins. That would drive me nuts missing a fat gold ring dialing in at a solid 67 and not even hearing it. At least run open and dig the solid targets. But then also, if you're running standard "beep" mode...you can't really tell if it's a solid target or not.

There's a lot more information to be processed and more noise running in Pro mode, but I can tell you even sweeping over foil alone...you can definitely hear the difference whether (for the most part) if it's a good target or a piece of trash. I get running standard coins if you're cherry picking or the place is just super trashy and you want to thin it out first before opening up, but you're taking risks on losing out on major finds by not digging most repeatable solid targets.

 

[skateteacher]

You will know you are learning the AT the less you look at the screen and the more you go with the sound, especially on dimes and quarters. Also, use some logic and common sense with it based on where you're going to be hunting that day. If you're going to park hunt plan on digging most everything 52/53 on up if it's a good repeatable tone. I've only hunted the AT in pro mode wide open and I can tell a bottle cap from a good signal based on the sound and that will just come with some time swinging. If you're hunting an old house you're looking for good repeatable tones 72 on up (at least in my soil) and 52/53 for nickels. I'm not looking for rings at an old house just coins, preferably silver.

The AT is a great machine with what I think is an easier learning curve than most. Best of luck to you and I hope to see your pics of silver soon.

 

[GKL]

Thank you. I'm sure I can figure this machine out with a little bit of startup guidance. I bet the kids are gonna kill me in the yard with the titans at first, but i can take em out! I've actually been really impressed with that machine for my first attempt. I know I'm gonna be happy.

I don't have an AT Pro myself, but maybe videos from Garrett on the AT Pro might be of help along with the tips others have shared -

 

[GabbityGabby]

You'll pick it up pretty quick. My first machine was an Ace 350, so I was a little familiar with the Garrett interface already, but I recall having the same thought you did when I tried my AT Pro for the first time. It was like night and day from the Ace! But I picked it up quickly by putting it on Pro Zero mode and using it.

I love the spider that is your profile pic btw. I am kind of a fan of creepy crawlies.

 

[graybeard]

Use pro mode on the AT PRO, unless you want to add to your bottle cap collection.

 

[Wom 27]

If you're hunting in standard coins mode or any coins mode for that matter, you're missing stuff. The coin programs auto-discrim for you toward US coins. That would drive me nuts missing a fat gold ring dialing in at a solid 67 and not even hearing it. At least run open and dig the solid targets. But then also, if you're running standard "beep" mode...you can't really tell if it's a solid target or not.

There's a lot more information to be processed and more noise running in Pro mode, but I can tell you even sweeping over foil alone...you can definitely hear the difference whether (for the most part) if it's a good target or a piece of trash. I get running standard coins if you're cherry picking or the place is just super trashy and you want to thin it out first before opening up, but you're taking risks on losing out on major finds by not digging most repeatable solid targets.

i have an open mind. Maybe not a big one but it's open.you're wrong if you say you get no signal in coin mode with you're coil over a 67 target. I found 3 dirt gold rings last season to show for it.because I am lost in pro mode after all this time in standard, maybe you can find a god target and switch to standard,see what you see, and get back to me . I promise I will still be here and always willing to learn.

 

[MrNovice]

i have an open mind. Maybe not a big one but it's open.you're wrong if you say you get no signal in coin mode with you're coil over a 67 target. I found 3 dirt gold rings last season to show for it.because I am lost in pro mode after all this time in standard, maybe you can find a god target and switch to standard,see what you see, and get back to me . I promise I will still be here and always willing to learn.

My apologies, I just checked the program and the discrim parameters on coins mode was more "open" than I thought...



You're right, you could hear a solid 67 target. But you won't hear targets from 56-64 range, although they will ID on the screen still just without audio. I know that is a large range of junk targets, but there are still good finds to be made within that discrimed range.

Also keep in mind gold targets could ring up in the range 34 to 44 which is discrimed out on that program as well.

Much of the reason many of us prefer pro mode is because the more information it provides about the target. Yes it's more noise to decipher through, but detectors can be fooled pretty easily like on bottlecaps.