A Little More Info On The AT PRO (Oct.20)

[John-Edmonton]

This was posted on another forum last week:

"I see all kinds of speculation going on about this Det. We had one up here, a few weeks back, for testing in our black sand beaches. It is pretty impresive especially in the PRO mode. We called every bottle cap and every coin right on the money. Thats not a easy task in these highly mineralized beaches. The depth is better than we've had in the past and beat all the competator models we had with us. I think you'll be as impresed as I was.
TRWEAV

When asked about his whereabouts, he responded:

In Idaho the trouble is magnetite, FE304, very tough on getting a true ID.

 

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[John Tanner]

Ouch......

I am not an expert but find this VERY misleading for those of us interested in this detectors performance in salt water and the magnetic black sands found in placer deposits which contain the rare earth elements that cause problems for many detectors which is very different than the coarse basalt black sands commonly found on beaches.

Most ‘black sand beaches’ are created by volcanic basalt which sometimes has SOME magnetite in it AKA FE304. Beach sands are geologically young, so that the magnetite has not had time to oxidize and degrade.
On beaches as the wave recedes down the slope, it drags grains of sands with it. The grains that are dragged to the beach are the grains of the lowest density typically quartz or basalt based black sand. This means that magnetic rare earth black sands are typically not found on the beaches except in the lowest pockets only exposed by storms or large waves the likes of which are probably not common in ID. All beaches whether black sand or white sand can have deposits of magnetic black sands in them normally only visible after these storms since it settles into lower pockets. Being in Idaho this is most likely a freshwater or possibly brackish lake with the beach containing newer volcanic basalt based black sand especially if it referred to as a ‘black sand’ beach which is the case with some ID beaches.

This is either a ploy to create more AT hype or a simple uninformed mistake-time will tell. Those blindly trying to push and promote this units attributes without even having used one is becoming humorous to say the least….. Many people I have long respected have been losing that respect quickly with their bandwagon jumping and shill like posts.

I am all for the AT being a great detector and have one on order but this is getting silly with the amount of misinformation and speculation taking place and no one actually confirming results and stepping forth by leaving thier name only 'passing along a post or information they heard on the phone'.

I am not entirely familiar with the black sand inland lakes of ID so if I am mistaken someone please enlighten me.

I am willing to admit I am wrong in advance if that is the case but I do not believe so…….

JT

 

[extractor]

I tend to agree with ya JT . I wish I could Type better cause I was going to add a simular reply.
I also Have the AT Pro on pre order. The main thing I liked about the specks on the MD is the weight. I'll ad my input on the MD after I get it and operate it for a while. Extractor

 

[John Tanner]

Thanks Extractor,

I hate to be the sceptic but it is my nature,

I am getting sick of the 'cheerleading' on a detector no one will publically admit having used.....Even the distributors that have the most to gain and have tested it are pretty quiet- if its that good they have everything to gain-could it be their reputations they are trying to protect?

Its odd that all the field testers are not 'allowed' to come forth but can anonymously spill information to the public when all would benefit from a sales perspective if they came forward with their credentials in the industry-maybe its reputations that don’t want to be soiled as I am sure there are some well known names that have or are using one.
It seems they are sacrificing their loyal followers while the ones testing it sit back and safely watch and wait.

I will be interested in those that ever do come forth as being field testers because all these claims being made will fall squarely on their shoulders since they did not come forward earlier should the unit not live up to the hype.

I will 'cheer' on a detector but only after it has proven itself to me and I may have to 'eat crow' -if I do I still win because the AT will be an awesome detector I will use and rejoice about. I see way too much speculation and those pushing and promoting will be on the front lines when the unit is released-even if they were just hyping the unit as many of the known shills are.

One of my favorite movie quotes is "SHOW ME THE MONEY!" So far its been nothing but heresy from Garrett zealots and lackeys willing to blindly put their reputations on the line.

I have heard form a reputable source even some of the distributors that are testers are keeping quiet because they don’t want to soil their reputations of this being the holy grail-sure its going to be good but whatever 'official' tester is willing to come forward better hope the proof is in the pudding or their reputation will me Mudd due to all this ‘potential’ BS.

I hope I am proven wrong because I love to find stuff and if this is half as good as the hype I will be able to retire soon….

Optimistically hoping its not just hype and propaganda but finally the real deal I have been waiting for,

The Falcon

 

[Sandman]

John, keep looking for the real deal because you will never find it.

Hype comes with any new detector and the guys and gals that write about them as "Field Tests," are paid for their publication. They are sometimes hired by the manufacturer to give a "Field Test" of the detector in question and the results is basically a rehash of the manual describing the features, controls, and such in a language that plain folk can understand. None of this is any lie. It is in the results of the operation that writers may streatch the point about the depth, or being able to correctly find a dime on a car hood.

I am guilty of incorrectly mentioning black sand at the beaches when in fact it is not just black basalt type but real magntised iron or magnetite. I think most beach hunters know what I mean cause this is the black fuzzy stuff that sticks to a magnet in the scoop and is the black stuff that you pan out last. Writers need to clarify that.

 

[John-Edmonton]

John, keep looking for the real deal because you will never find it.

Hype comes with any new detector and the guys and gals that write about them as "Field Tests," are paid for their publication. They are sometimes hired by the manufacturer to give a "Field Test" of the detector in question and the results is basically a rehash of the manual describing the features, controls, and such in a language that plain folk can understand. None of this is any lie. It is in the results of the operation that writers may stretch the point about the depth, or being able to correctly find a dime on a car hood.

I am guilty of incorrectly mentioning black sand at the beaches when in fact it is not just black basalt type but real magntised iron or magnetite. I think most beach hunters know what I mean cause this is the black fuzzy stuff that sticks to a magnet in the scoop and is the black stuff that you pan out last. Writers need to clarify that.

I remember when First Texas bought out the Fisher name brand & rights to their technology. You could here the hype with out even getting to a Fisher forum. To complicate things further, there was also a dedicated group using the previous Fishers and protesting the takeover. On the other side were people praising the takeover and the new machines that will be produced in the future. There were just pages of hype.....and it all worked out just fine. There were no bloody noses, no public hangings. Just a few bruised egos. After all, it's only a machine which beeps.

Hype is a normal reaction to a new product. There is always a lot of speculation, both good and bad. And that is also an expected outcome. If a manufacturer came out with a new product, and there was no hype, no critics, no nothing, it might just be considered a dud and nothing more. Getting all worked up over Garrett, field testers, Garrett followers, speculators, observers, comparisons, I heard this, she said that for all the hype is gets you nowhere.

If getting sick of the 'cheer-leading' on a detector no one will publicly admit having used is really bothering someone, then perhaps they should just avoid the forums involved, or just learn to accept hype, for what it is, and that's a normal reaction. Anyone who has been metal detecting for a long time has experienced the reaction of a new release many times. Whether it be Fisher, Tesoro, Garrett or any other munufacturer, you have to remember that a group of people have put a lot of time and effort into designing a product, which they hope will be fine piece of technology.

Lets just be patient and see what Garrett has to offer......

John

 

[Keppy]

Well said John=Edmonton & sandman************I could have not put it better myself...............

 

[John Tanner]

I am anxious and impatient.
It gets pretty frustrating when you can’t get any real information and all that is available is hearsay. Anticipation and excitement is all part of the game-kind of like a good movie.
The speculation and hype still gets tiresome.

If you are saying the other manufacturers shills are the same I whole heartedly disagree-the Garrett shills win hands down and they have no shame especially on some other forums.

Garrett does a great job marketing the industry established features they are imitating as 'new technology' and some of their cheerleaders look pretty darned foolish endorsing it with their blind faith.

JMHO and not meant to offend anyone.

JT

 

[Dan B]

I've been watching from a distance, and I agree that the hype is over-the-top. But the Garrett fans have waited a long time for a new machine, especially a serious machine with more then the typical Garrett gimmicks (treasure talk, bing-bong audio etc.). And it's waterproof! That alone makes this machine something to take notice of. I will admit, I only had one Garrett machine I ever liked (Freedom Ace 2) and many I didn't, so I'm voicing my opinion as someone who definitely isn't a Garrett fan, but the idea that you can have one machine that you can use for coinshooting, relic hunting, then go into the water with has my attention.

I wonder, if the day ever comes when Tesoro announces a new machine, if the response would be any different?

Dan

 

[John Tanner]

Great points Dan,

Its the waterproof part that does it for me since most of th features already exist on many of my land hunting units.

JT

 

[extractor]

The waterproof part is the other feature that got my interest. Metal detecting in the desert south west USA ,I use to think a waterproof detector wasn't nessary, Ive recently changed my thinking. I have been in to many hunts in resent years when monsoon storms blew in or I had to do water crossings.
In the past i've fallen into the hype of several other machines. . I think I have watched and red most info out on the At pro to date.
The AT pro looks like It will give the operator a lot of info about the targert to prosess in their brain. Now depending on the operators ability to prosess the info = their results. The waterproof feature and the light weight ,and freq is also what looks good to me.
Extractor

 

[gleaner1]

The low/mid range scrim tweak bugged me bad, but I'm gettin over it. My gut is that this machine will hold its own with any VLF in the minerals and salt. I'm talking the normal consumer machines, not the 4000 bean machines. I can't see it as a phenomenal new breakthrough, but it is state of the art. I bet the salt/mineral guys will be impressed. The PI guys...probably impressed.

 

[U.K. Brian]

I find it rather odd that detector hype has not died out by now or is it because so many join the hobby each year and have yet to learn ?

I would never pre order a detector that I haven't had the opportunity to at least try. Notch, depth masking even ground tracking were all going to transform detecting and in truth never did. It could be a great machine or just average but why not just wait and find out ?

 

[gleaner1]

Agreed. If I had the wallet, I'd throw caution to the wind and buy one. Just cause I'm diggin that coil.

 

[George (MN)]

I'm taking a wait & see approach. There will be used ones for sale within months, much cheaper with balance of warranty. And there will be plenty of assuring reviews by then. Getting cold, a few snowflakes this noon.

I'm wondering how many who are excited about this detector have used any of the current Garrett models with a larger than stock coil?

I just bought my 5th Ace 250 (sold the others) as this one was a bargain considering that it included the Excelerator 10x14 DD coil. That big coil goes much deeper, very stable with accurate ID. Total weight 3.2 lbs.

The AT Pro should be good all pupose detector. Best wishes, George (MN)

 

[extractor]

I just sold my Ace 250 that it included the Excelerator 10x14 DD coil. That big coil does go much deeper. I am putting the $$ to the purchase of the AT Pro. Garrett won't be able to make them quick enough .