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100 hours in ATPro Standard Mode

Danny T

Elite Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2013
Messages
644
Location
Sterling, MA
I took the advice of the Garrett manual and many forum members here and have spent the last two seasons using my ATPro in standard mode. I have logged in approximately 100 hours getting to know these settings, tones and the performance associated with it. I have made many great finds in this mode as well -large cents, IH cents, 1700's King George half pence, 1758 Prussian Heller Reichstadt, and various barber/seated silvers as well as many cool artifacts.

Slowly, I have begun transitioning into Pro mode and have made several significant strides in using the machine in higher performance settings.

1) I have found three large cents in very deep soil. I got to hear the difference in volume of the tone (two large cents came in at 85) and associate this with depth and target ID. A very weak but high tone came in at 10-12 inches. Another significant thing I noticed was that the depth reading during the initial swing and the depth reading when pin-pointing were very close or the same. (Not so when in standard mode, the swing always reads deeper than the pin-point, by several inches sometimes) Sure enough, 10-12 inches down I easily recovered them. It was just as I had read in so many posts on this forum.

2) Using iron audio, I have also been able to distinguish between what I think is a cent (75-77) and a bottle cap. In a trashy area, as I swung over such a signal, I could hear that iron growl just before and just after the target. I dug the signal every time to confirm and sure enough they were bottle caps. One target did not have the growl and bingo, it was cent. Only one time out of 6 I did not get the growl and it was a bottle cap.

I think it was necessary for me to spend the time in standard mode. I look at it this way. I learned the VDI system (science) in standard and I am discovering the interpretation (art) in pro. A great benefit to this entire process, besides a deeper understanding of the ATPro, is that I believe I may have missed many good targets in places I have already hunted. Guess where I'll be going for the rest of the season? Its like having all those places to hunt again!
 
Good post, and great info for anyone getting in the sport with that machine.

Your post sums it up perfectly, I did not start out is Standard mode, perhaps I should have, but I also started with a 250 then a 350 prior to starting out, and their responses if I remember correctly were more like the standard mode.
 
Yeah I agree, good feedback...Most everybody started out right in Pro Zero and never tried the other settings...myself included...so I appreciate your input here DannyT.!
Mud
 
Great info! Thanks for sharing. As you're finding out, the AT Pro tells you so much once you understand its language.
 
Good information Danny.

This is my season 2 with the Pro.

I'm often running in Standard-Custom Mode myself.

Generally I'm only partial to running in Pro Zero when I'm searching for a debris field. This would be like finding the remains of an old home site or other building.

My LC coins will usually come in at the clad quarter range unless they are very deep.

An 8 inch deep KG II half penny recently range up in the zinc penny range.

With these dry ground conditions we are having, I've been digging some offbeat targets according to what the VDI has been telling my.
 
Nice post bud love the at pro....I started in standard but I didn't give it 100 hours til I started in pro mode. I did pretty well in both modes in terms of depth. The soil being so dry definitely messes with the signal response somehow. Anyway good read happy hunting out there!
 
I never used standard , my theory is this why have to learn the machine twice? Pro mode is not that difficult . Thats just my take on it . I saw videos saying that pro mode would outperform standard so thats the course I took but thats just me. wish you well with pro mode I tagged alot of good relics with the at pro in pro mode when I swung it great machine.
 
Nice write up. However I would recommend Pro Zero, zero discrimination from the beginning. Eventually you'll understand the "language" and this has given me the edge at finding targets in the "mid tones"....Old IH's, Shield and V Nickels, really cool relics and Gold!!
Either way your having fun....good luck and HH!
 
Nice write up. However I would recommend Pro Zero, zero discrimination from the beginning. Eventually you'll understand the "language" and this has given me the edge at finding targets in the "mid tones"....Old IH's, Shield and V Nickels, really cool relics and Gold!!
Either way your having fun....good luck and HH!
thats the best way I found to run it too. It will clean house running it like that.
 
Nice write up. However I would recommend Pro Zero, zero discrimination from the beginning. Eventually you'll understand the "language" and this has given me the edge at finding targets in the "mid tones"....Old IH's, Shield and V Nickels, really cool relics and Gold!!
Either way your having fun....good luck and HH!

Running it with zero discrimination and dig everything that is a solid signal?
 
Running it with zero discrimination and dig everything that is a solid signal?[/QUO


I ran 25-30 discrimination in the beginning..(for a few weeks in December of 2015 when I first got it). Then realized that im probably losing some depth with disc on. So ran it wide open"...max sensitivity always...unless bad EMI.
It takes a little time with the machine, but you'll know "when to dig" with a high probability it will be a decent target. I still dig plenty of flip tops, the older ones still ring nice...you have to check. I am now able to pick out masked targets in the iron/trashy areas, it takes patience but will pay off. PS- I run with Iron audio off...the low grunts in Pro Zero are fine..... GL and HH!
 
I had learned the ace 250 so I went right to pro mode. Good write up on the AT Pro and Happy hunting or Rehunting.
 
Thank you for pointing this out. I will do this! Thanks to all who commented, I didn't realize this section of the forum was so popular!


Nice write up. However I would recommend Pro Zero, zero discrimination from the beginning. Eventually you'll understand the "language" and this has given me the edge at finding targets in the "mid tones"....Old IH's, Shield and V Nickels, really cool relics and Gold!!
Either way your having fun....good luck and HH!
 
Glad you like your Pro Danny.

I just switched over to Pro Zero.

This weekend, I got this odd signal. It was only a little high tone chirp. It was repeating, but nothing was showing up on the screen for VDI.
Well about 10 inches down (the whole Pro Pointer's length) and I recover this nickel sized piece of lead sheet.
This is pretty good considering our dry soil conditions.

Some people claim the Pro does not go very deep, but I beg to differ.
 
Some nite when I'm not so burnt out, I would really like to spend the time to get into this discussion. I swear the book has at most two sentences explaining the so called benefits of Pro mode. I called Garrett and was told " if you're doing well in standard, stay with it if you prefer less noise. ". I'd hate to think I'm missing much , but I know standard like the back of my hand I don't think I'm missing anything, it goes deep and I've had some nice finds. Before anyone jumps on this, quote the manual . I really don't think it has a lot to say.
 
What do all the professional treasure hunters who work for garrett use? standard or pro? Now ask yourself why?
 
100 hrs standard mode id poke my ear with a digger lmao

Congrats to anyone that can stand standard tones even 1 hour... I ran one for abt 5 mins...I can still hear that tone lmao
 
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