Big Boys Hobbies

AT Pro air test?

B

BladeRunner

Junior Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2013
Messages
41
Hello all.

I just received my Pro on Thursday and have only had a short time to play around with it in my back yard. I was hoping to do some real detecting today but of course its raining. :(

To kill some time and get an idea on the VDI for different targets, I tested some clad and silver coins as well as a gold class ring. The thing I was really surprised with was the lack of "depth". Many of the coins I had to get within 6 inches or so of the coil to get a reading.

I did not do any balancing or anything. I just turned the machine on, set it on a table and ran the coins by the coil by hand.

I am a total newbie and realize most metal detecting is not done in "air", but I expected it to pick up the coins from farther away. Does the fact that it wasn't ground balanced have anything to do with it?

Thanks for any help.
 
You can learn the tones air testing but the depth is way off as you have seen.

Get that coil over some moist ground and you be digging deeper than you might want to sometimes. :D
 
Hmmm. Weird. Set the machine on Pro Zero mode, Iron discrimination on 0. Manual ground balance it to 50 and try it again. If it won't see a Washing Quarter at 8 or 9 inches I suspect there might be a problem with it if you are using the standard coil. If you are using the 5X8 coil I can't help you cause I don't have one. Hope this helps. Let us know how its going.
 
I have found that air tests on my Pro are not accurate. You will get better signals in the ground because coins "bleed" into the soil and amplify the signal. The more moisture that is in the ground the deeper you will be able to pick up a target.
 
Sonny b said:
Hmmm. Weird. Set the machine on Pro Zero mode, Iron discrimination on 0. Manual ground balance it to 50 and try it again. If it won't see a Washing Quarter at 8 or 9 inches I suspect there might be a problem with it if you are using the standard coil. If you are using the 5X8 coil I can't help you cause I don't have one. Hope this helps. Let us know how its going.
Click to expand...

I'll give that a shot and see if the results change any. I do have the standard coil.

I won't get too worried yet. Once I get the chance, I'll see how the real detecting goes.

Thanks to those who responded. :grin:
 
O K Blade, also, go ahead and put the sensitivity on max too. With this set up my machine will see a Washington quarter at 10 inches. Good luck bud.
 
BladeRunner said:
Hello all.

I just received my Pro on Thursday and have only had a short time to play around with it in my back yard. I was hoping to do some real detecting today but of course its raining. :(

To kill some time and get an idea on the VDI for different targets, I tested some clad and silver coins as well as a gold class ring. The thing I was really surprised with was the lack of "depth". Many of the coins I had to get within 6 inches or so of the coil to get a reading.

I did not do any balancing or anything. I just turned the machine on, set it on a table and ran the coins by the coil by hand.

I am a total newbie and realize most metal detecting is not done in "air", but I expected it to pick up the coins from farther away. Does the fact that it wasn't ground balanced have anything to do with it?

Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

Like others Stated dont put too much stock in air test and watch the vids on the garrett forum and elswhere tey will help you a lot . Also it is water proof so a little rain want hurt unless you just dont want to hunt n the rain Sorry could't resist you left that door open :laughing: Anyway You will enjoy that AT Pro just give it a few hours of ground scanning and dont look back silver is in your future with it
 
Txdirtfisher said:
Like others Stated dont put too much stock in air test and watch the vids on the garrett forum and elswhere tey will help you a lot . Also it is water proof so a little rain want hurt unless you just dont want to hunt n the rain Sorry could't resist you left that door open :laughing: Anyway You will enjoy that AT Pro just give it a few hours of ground scanning and dont look back silver is in your future with it
Click to expand...

Being waterproof is one of the main reasons I got it. I just couldn't see being out in that cold, nasty rain. :D
 
Like others have said turn that sensitivity up and try again. I had to do the exact same thing when I first got my AT pro.

I also did a factory reset after that... Couldn't hurt to try that either.


Once you get that 5X8 coil you will never take it off :) GL HH:cool:
 
Air test are inconclusive, they aren't for telling the distance, as much as to show how the detector picks up the target. Things in the ground detect at a farther distance than in the air. Also testing inside you have to stay away from any metal, and you can have electrical interference.
 
Irons said:
You can learn the tones air testing but the depth is way off as you have seen.

Get that coil over some moist ground and you be digging deeper than you might want to sometimes. :D
Click to expand...

Yeah! even my F2 digs deep when the ground is wet.

Also, you said ‘on a table’-- are you inside? being indoors can really throw a detector off. Get out into the open and try the air tests again on solid ground with nothing metal/electric nearby if you can. :)
 
Skwerly said:
Yeah! even my F2 digs deep when the ground is wet.

Also, you said ‘on a table’-- are you inside? being indoors can really throw a detector off. Get out into the open and try the air tests again on solid ground with nothing metal/electric nearby if you can. :)
Click to expand...

My only experience with air testing my AT's are when I scoop something out of the water and then see something I wasn't expecting to see in the scoop! :laughing:

It seems like I have to get the target close to the coil in the air.

My last Gold ring of the season was a 74 on the reading and sounded like a zinc penny. So I took the ring and passed it in front of the coil a few times and yep, zinc penny. :?:

My coin guy confirmed 14k Gold with a lot of silver in it. :D
 
I used the "air test" to get an idea of the VDI numbers of different metal targets. Also the audio is an important part of identification many people ignore.
People are going to be suggesting you to do it this way, adjust it that way...use what ever gets you results. A metal detector will find metal. How well it finds the metal you want is determined by what you tell it to locate (adjustments). READ the Owners Manual over and over. It has easy to understand information in it from the builders and makers of the machine. Yes, there is a section in the Owners Manual about the correct method to ground balance. There is no "air balancing" adjustment.
 
BladeRunner said:
Thanks to everyone for the help. I'll try to keep the newb questions to a minimum. :D
Click to expand...

What? no way! keep them coming, ask as many as you want, it is how we learn or get info before we learn.....Heck with the snow flying it stops those swingers from getting cabin fever........Besides they can answer in their underpants and that is always a plus!


LOL

Jim
 
Dflan83 said:
Like others have said turn that sensitivity up and try again. I had to do the exact same thing when I first got my AT pro.

I also did a factory reset after that... Couldn't hurt to try that either.


Once you get that 5X8 coil you will never take it off :) GL HH:cool:
Click to expand...

Agreed! The 5x8 is the BEST coil out!
 
sleepyjim said:
What? no way! keep them coming, ask as many as you want, it is how we learn or get info before we learn.....Heck with the snow flying it gives those swingers from getting cabin fever........Besides they can answer in their underpants and that is always a plus!


LOL

Jim
Click to expand...

Right! That's what this place is for. :D
 
Thanks again for the responses!

There are many forums on the interwebs where older members will chastise people if they ask a very common question without doing a search first. And on one hand I can understand that, but on the other, if everyone just searched to find their answers, then there wouldn't be much new activity.
 
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