AT Pro in salt water advice please

[RobRieman]

Hi All,

I've read all I can stand about the AT Pro in salt water on the beach. Half say it works and half say it doesn't.
I need to pick up a salt water machine this week and need some advice. I would also like to use it as a backup machine
for land and fresh water hunting. I need disc because I cherry pick when time is short and I'm spoiled on visual displays
because of my V3i. So I need a waterproof machine good in salt water, with disc and waterproof headphones. Heading to Myrtle Beach area next week.
If you know of anything that works better with these features around this price range please let me know and
thanks as always for the help!

 

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[sandy shoes]

i use my at pro in salt water i use freq 4 and my sen setting 3 to 4 notches down from max are there better salt water machines out there i would say yes for double the 594.00 that i paid for the pro and it works great on land and soft sand and fresh water. i hope this helps you . good digging

 

[fella]

Half say it works and half say it doesn't because not all salt beach conditions are the same. What works for some, wont work for others.
Peoples opinions are set on their experience and damn be anyone else's opinion that varies.

Don't know what other waterproof detectors are out there that have a display...CTX3030 but that's big money.



Key in ATP saltwater bashing in 3...2...

 

[RobRieman]

i use my at pro in salt water i use freq 4 and my sen setting 3 to 4 notches down from max are there better salt water machines out there i would say yes for double the 594.00 that i paid for the pro and it works great on land and soft sand and fresh water. i hope this helps you . good digging

Thanks Sandy Shoes. Can you ground balance it ok when your out in the water? Is it real chatty in the salt water? I'm not expecting the world but I need to at least be able to pick out targets at a few inches. Thanks again!

 

[sandy shoes]

no problem good luck yes i can ground balance in the water the key is your sen setting cant be to high it does cut the depth down but i have still found stuff 5 inches deep in salt water.

 

[tcornel]

I have an AT pro and hunt Myrtle Beach at least 4 times a year. GB about 3 to 4 times.....dry sand, wet sand from the high tide and surf line.

It is great in the dry sand and the high tide line. Just OK in the water and surf line. Cut back the sensitivity and hope for the best. Turn up the iron
disc to try to block out the small chips of iron that are on the beach. There are better machines out there for in the water but none, IMHO, that can match the all around performance. You will get spoiled.

The question is how much do you wish to spend? Remember the ATP's headphones are not waterproof, only the control box and the connections. You will have to buy a set of waterproof phones like the new Grey Ghosts to go out in the surf. Add 150. Add another 140 for a nice sand scoop. If this is a once a year one week vacation.........hmmm. I spend 6 to 8 weeks a year there and still am debating buying an Excalibur or salt water specific machine.

There is very little in Myrtle during the summer due to sanded in beaches. Secondly EVERYONE thinks it is a sure fire thing to do. On any given day you will see from 4 to 10 hunters on the same stretch of beach.

You may just opt to keep what you have as any dry sand fresh drops will be within 6 or 8 inches of the surface. Be prepared to spend a 3 hour hunt and have perhaps a couple bucks in change and some costume jewelry.

If I did it again I would buy the sand scoop first as you will have little success in recovery without it.

 

[RobRieman]

Thanks tcornel. Im not expecting the best from a $500 machine but I can't take the V in the water and it sounds like fun. I guess I will bite the bullet and see what happens. It will make a good fresh water detector when I get home at least.
Thanks a lot for the help!

 

[tcornel]

You may find yourself using the ATP more than just in the water. With the 6x8 DD coil it is a killer in trashy areas with awesome pinpointing.............sweep over something, press the button, and it will direct you back to the point up to 2 feet away. So you can sweep faster and easily
find the target.

 

[NJcigarman]

I also use Freq F4 but I also ground bal the water/wet sand which is 11 to 14. Then I lower the ground bal down one or two. For some reason mine is quieter in the standard mode then the pro mode at the beach.
Remember the stock headphones are not waterproof.

 

[RobRieman]

I also use Freq F4 but I also ground bal the water/wet sand which is 11 to 14. Then I lower the ground bal down one or two. For some reason mine is quieter in the standard mode then the pro mode at the beach.
Remember the stock headphones are not waterproof.

Thanks NJ. I was going to order the waterproof headphones with it. I think I will do ok with the pro. There are too many people here that give it the thumbs up. I just hope I can get a handle on it in a couple of days or i will be stuck in the dry sand with the V3i. I never thought about needing a water detector until today thanks for the help!