Garrett AT Pro - Not Impressed

[Matt1344]

[I know that this is generally considered the most beloved detector which is why I couldn’t wait to use it.]

So I’ve put about 10 hours on the AT Pro (I know that’s not a lot), but so far I’m not impressed with anything it does that the cheaper detectors don’t (if that makes sense).

Maybe I just need a little more time on it or need to adjust some of the settings.

The search coil being larger than the one on my White’s which I had previously used, makes digging a nightmare. Each object rings in, in an area that is about a square foot. The pin pointer (on the detector) is useless when there are multiple objects in one area. With the AT Pro I’m digging holes three times the size and spending 5 to 10 x more time searching for the object.

The thing is all over the place with the sensitivity set higher, but the sensitivity seems to directly affect the search depth. You can’t take advantage of the deeper search depth (over 6 inches) if you don’t have the sensitivity up, but if you keep it up there seems to be too many false positives. I get coin range signals that go away. I get coin range signals when the detector is sitting still. There seems to be so many random signals that go away with this thing as well.

Speaking of depth, I laid a quarter on the surface of the ground and took the detector directly over it. It rang in at 2 inches (which is what it should do)…but then at 4 and 6 inches with the exact same motion going over the same spot. So basically the depth indicator means nothing.

Now on to the numeric metal values. The same coin could ring in (and does) at 7 different values or more. So what’s the point? Is a specific number from 70-99 really going to keep you from digging? The numeric values seem useless when there is so much inconsistency and such a wide range of values the exact same coin can ring.

WIT reminded me below, I've also found more bottle caps than EVER! Which has translated to probably 5 x more trash digs.

To me, every bell and every whistle on this thing isn’t worth the hassle…at least so far.

What are your thoughts, feel free to put me in my place/tell me what I’m doing wrong. So far using it, for me, has been very frustrating.

 

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[fella]

In the process of trading my VX3 for an AT PRO plus other goodies....Hope I wont regret losing my VX3..

You won't!

I all but stopped using my Vx3 after using my ATP and I really liked the Vx3. I ended up trading off the Vx3 because I didn't use it anymore.

 

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[Xmetal]

Yes the AT Pro is a totally different beast. I started with the Ace 100 back in 2008. I hunted with only relying on the sound. 2009 I bought a GTI 2500 and hunted with it till about 4 weeks ago. Thats when I bought a AT Pro and boy did I at times wished I hadn't bought it, because like many might have done I quickly readed the manual and went out hunting. And what a headache I had. After about the 4th week I started feeling more at ease in running it. More and more I'd read about the iron audio, more I started using it.
Unlike like the GTI 2500 if it said it was a B size object and appeared to be a clad coin, it was and not a pull tab. Unlike the AT Pro a ID of a 56 might be a nickle, pull tab or bottle cap, until you use that very friendly button... Iron Audio. The Iron Audio I believe is the key in understanding the AT Pro or atleast to me it is. with practice with targets on the ground to ID the Iron audio has became the target ID size like the GTI 2500 was. But takes practice. Forms and manual says you need atleast 100 hrs swing time to get a hang of it.

Sorry to ramble.
Tnx Xmetal

 

[SoCalBeachScanner]

Looks like you have had an ear full already.

I'm very new to this hobby and have had my AT Pro for just over six weeks now and joined TresureNet a few weeks ago.
Check out the only two posts that I made on TreasureNet about my finds and how I used the AT Pro.
My AT Pro talks to me loud and clear and I'm finding unbelievable stuff in areas that has been MD thousands of times.
So you either have a faulty unit or need some good instruction.

Bill

 

[aceofspades]

Looking for some places in Indiana to detect any suggestions and advice plz

 

[johnnyboy25]

seems to be a lot of used ones for sale

 

[Ronzie]

Never used one but the AT Pro just never really appealed to me.
But the AT Gold does. Not sure why they're not getting more of a look at.

 

[Treasure finder]

I agree on the AT Gold needing a better look. That all metal with iron audio should give a bit more depth than the AT Pro.
Rich

 

[Normsel]

I hit a clad honey hole yesterday and even though I knew it had been hunted a lot my ATP was right on with sound and ID on every coin. I plucked 14 nickels and that's by far the most I ever found. I had no doubt I found a nickel just by sound and every nickle was at 51 or 52 on the ID. Everything else was the same way. I haven't had the chance to detect most of the summer but maybe that helped me to listen to my ATP more. I am understanding the proportionate audio better and making better decisions on what to dig. Using the iron audio more helps as well. Yesterday i combined all my knowledge of sound, ID, proportionate audio and iron audio. I walked away with one of my best hunts ever in a place that had been hunted. Believe me there were plenty of bottle caps and tabs to keep me on my toes. I ended the day with $26.44 and one small gold ear ring.

I am totally happy with my ATP but like many other people I keep wondering if there is a better detector out there to help me even find more. It 's all about the hunt and knowing when you get a signal you know what it is before you dig. I get that feeling I hit a homerun or shot the winning basket every time I dig. I get that cocky feeling like yup I know what i have here. I have to honestly say I have enjoyed every hunt even on the day I only found 1 cent but it was wheatie so it made my day worth it.

I have learned so much from this forum just by reading all the posts. The people on here are great. On occasion someone will put someone else down or be brand loyal and think what they have is the best on the market but then again I will read something that the guy i thought was a jerk over something, posts some really informative information about detecting in general.

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

Im sorry you are having issues with the ATP....I can tell you thou...10 hours?...I do 20 hours a week hunting...I would NEVER expect to learn a machine in a weekend

 

[kshollywood]

Buy the detector you want, do not complain until you have 100 hours on it, period. Use that at pro or any other machine a lot before you judge.

 

[Sovereignelite]

I have 2 friends who hunt with me and have ATpro's I almost always find more than they do. I have an Etrac :not sure if it's experience or the detectors or both.

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

I have 2 friends who hunt with me and have ATpro's I almost always find more than they do. I have an Etrac :not sure if it's experience or the detectors or both.

Yea, my buddy I hunt with has an Etrac and he does tend to find a little more on the silver coin side than I do, But I always find at least 3 or 4 times as much Gold and Silver Jewlery. The At Pro is quick on finding Gold. Im planning on getting the Etrac in the next couple years or so....Hopign Minelab will make another High end machine to drive down the Etrac price

 

[Skexis]

2 words: Tesoro Vaquero.

That's actually 3 words and a number

 

[Tipton]

I've been using the at gold and don't have a bad thing to say, yet. It took me some time to master every feature/function of the unit. I really think 50% of the success is based on the user.

 

[dbach149]

I have an AT Pro and can't complain. I'm still learning the machine, but I have had some success. I have not had a lot of hours on it and most of my hunting so far has only been on my property... which I think I may have cleaned out. Anyway have found a few items from the 20's, some silver, some clad and miscellaneous items including cans, pop tops and bottle caps. I enjoy the hunt and the hobby. I attached of my finds since about April when I started.

 

[joeyfresh]

Well I won't say that I'm disappointed in the At Pro yet but I'm hardly impressed with it either.

Design & ergonomics of it are just plain bad. Not what I'd expect from a $600 machine. So far on the performance end of it, it has yet to target anything over 6".

I think most users that rave about it are coming off lower end or starter detectors. It's a definitely a step up from the joke Ace series or the equally worthless Coinmaster lineup (I'm sure the lower end FT machines aren't any better). But it hasn't been a match for the Tesoros in the $500 range or the E & V-series Whites that I've seen yet. I admit I'm a new ATP user and not familiar with all it's nuances yet. But it sure hasn't wowed me like my MXT Pro or my Vx3 did right off the start.

This and I feel all of the AT Pro users bought theirs because they watched YouTube videos lol.

 

[fella]

That was my first post on this thread and was just after I got my ATP. I have since done a 180 and am a huge fan of the ATP. It's not the best at any one thing I admit, but it does everything well. Plug access sucks though. But since I'll never be changing from my 5x8, it's not a big deal!

 

[Ima Swinger]

Well, I thought that my next detector would be the ATP, but I don't know. There is so much back and forth over it. I guess that is how it is with all detectors.....some like it, some don't. I do know that I hunt with an ACE 250 and can't complain. I've found tons of coins and jewelry. Quite a few over 8" deep. Some of that depth is due to soil conditions and damp ground, but hey, I can't say it's junk, that's for sure. I thought about the ATP because of the extra features that my 250 doesn't have. This thread is sure to help make up my mind. Nice job.
HH

 

[GarretDiggingAz]

Check out a thread by Steve hershbach. He says it's a good detector. He knows his stuff. He wrote an article explaining a couple of detectors and his input. Very informative. A must read.
Myself I thought about getting the ATPro but went to the ATGold. Love it.
Steve does say that it's the user that's the make or break on the detector. I believe that's true. If you know your machine it really doesn't matter if you get the latest and greatest. I've seen some good finds with the 250.
Good luck and HH

 

[Bill G]

It has bean a long time since I have posted on this site but I still glance at it now and then a lot of good information.

I scanned through these threads on the Garrett AT Pro and all I can say is this.. No detector is perfect and all detectors can be fooled by bottle caps and no detector works right if the operator does not understand how to set up or use the features of the detctor correctly.

I have detected for a long long time over 20 years now and have used many detectors Whites DFX,XLT,MXT,XL Pro,M6 the Fisher CZ70,Coin Strike, Gold Bug Pro DP the Tesoro Vagero & Tejon the Garrett AT Pro, my son's Ace 250, the GTI 1500 the Compass coin scanner and a few others. They all have one thing in common, that is LEARN The Detector.

My Garrett AT Pro hunts very well in all types of inviroments. For the price dollar for dollar it is one of the better detctors I have owned to date in iron trash besides the Fisher Gold Bug Pro DP and it is my go to detector to date for general hunting situations.

For those who have real trouble with bottle caps and pinpointing learn the detector. The AT Pro with the iron discrimination if used right does one heck of a job helping with bottle cap ID, (aluminum ones are just trouble for all detectors period) great detector in iron trash the key thing is to ground balance these detectors properly ( this is a fact period with the AT Pro and every other detector I mentioned except the Ace 250 it's a fixed ground balance machine) This is a common problem with detectors like the AT Pro. The big big problem is guys come from a fixed balance style detectors or auto balance type to a detector like the AT Pro with a very good pro ground balance system that is capable of ground balancing in all types of ground situations. Then they do not set it up right or ground balnce correctly not uderstanding how to ground balance then sit back and ***** because the detector does not perform right.

As far as pinpointing the detector is spot on and I have every coil available for it DD & concentric and there all good at pinpointing. All I can say is those who can not pinpoint with this detector needs to learn how to pinpoint with a DD coil or how to properly pinpoint period, these detectors are pretty spot on here.

Not to offend anyone here but in the big picture learn the detector and if it's not for you move on to a detector that is. For those of you that rag on on the AT Pro there is just to much proof out there to prove otherwise about the detector. It is a top 10 or #1 seller for a reason other than just hype.

Please forgive any spelling errors, thanks.

Best Regards To All,
Bill G