Big Boys Hobbies

Finally got a new detector

Moe Money

Moe Money

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2015
Messages
446
Location
Massillon, Ohio
After reading countless reviews and listening to suggestions I finally broke down and bought a Garrett AT Pro. All that I have ever used have been lower end Whites (which have been great) but wanted to upgrade a bit. Part of my decision was based on the popularity of them which also helps with the resale value down the road. It comes with the stock coil but I'm already thinking about the 5 x 8 due to the trashy areas on my hunting list. Looking forward to reading and learning more about my new machine and welcome any comments good or bad. I've watched a ton of videos on YouTube regarding the operation and different settings. Hopefully it helps a bit when it arrives in a few days.
 
Congrats!..if all you have ever swung is lower end machines, you'll love the ATP. There are those that swear by them and those that hate them. Bottom line is this, learn your machine and you'll get results. The ATP is a great machine that can land you some great finds. Just be patient with it and learn to interpret what it's telling you. Of course that's anyachine..lol..anywho congrats again and can't wait to see some pics of your finds...btw the 5x8 is worth it's weight in gold imo..if you have the means to purchase it, do so...I waited a year after first getting my atp and wish I had gotten the 5x8 when I bought it...there is a def difference between the stock and 5x8 coils. I very rarely use my stock coil. If I'm hitting a large open field or somthing I'll swap it out, otherwise I swing the 5x8 everywhere. Good luck and HH!
 
Love my AT Pro! Using the stock DD coil.

At first the sounds will be mind boggling. Give it time.

Some tips:

1) Don't accidentally turn on iron audio when iron discrimination is set at zero! You will be confused and digging everything.
2) Don't accidentally switch out of pro mode. You will be very confused and everything will seem big and shallow! lol
 
The deeper targets will usually not give off a solid signal... I've dug a lot of flat nails looking for those deep coins but it does pay off. I recommend bringing in your yard and swinging over various items precious metals and junk. Also when you get a really nice high tone and it sounds too good to be true lift your coil a few inches off the ground. If your still getting the signal its probably junk as coins give off a much smaller signal. Most of my coins in my signature were found with the at pro and its very capable. I still kept my at pro because its VERY good in trashy cellar holes. I almost exclusively use the 5x8 coil. As stated above I only use the stock coil when in the open fields where I can cover more ground quicker. Yards and cellar holes 5x8 all the time. Great choice in detector I look forward to hearing your results! HH
 
Good Luck with your new machine. I hope you like the AT Pro and do well with it. It is a very popular machine.
 
Good decision!

The Pro is a very good machine.

Like any new to you machine, you'll have to learn it. Once you are familiar with it, you will no longer be digging as many trashy targets as you once did.

The only thing this machine lacks is a back light. The control box display gets pretty tough to read during early morning or evening hunts.

You can actually go swimming with this machine.

We have a very large group of Pro users here. Be sure to ask questions if you get stumped on anything.

Moe, how long have you been hunting?
 
Congrats on the AT Pro. While I love the 5x8 for parks and trashy areas, there's a relatively new offering that has been getting good reviews. That would be the NEL Snake. It apparently can hang with the 5x8 while somehow allowing one to get closer in to metal structures like the small Garrett Sniper coil does.

So, if you do decide to add a coil, add that NEL coil to your list of possible choices. I haven't personally used one yet so I can't verify how good it is or isn't.

Good luck,

Papa
 
Digger-Dave said:
Moe, how long have you been hunting?
Click to expand...

Thank you everyone for the kind words and great info. Much appreciated.
I started hunting in the 80's with a Whites Coinmaster and later upgraded to a 4000/D. Recently got back into it with a Whites Classic ID that I'm borrowing from my brother. See my thread in Coinshooters titled "Treasures in my yard" to see some of the things I've found last week.
After reading a dizzying amount of tutorials and user reviews on different makes and models, I chose the ATP due to their high marks across the board. Figured if it isn't for me I can always sell it down the road. I found this used at a price that I couldn't pass up. Looks brand new from top to bottom and came with a warranty. It has the latest updates and cam lock middle shaft with extended upper stem. Plus headphones, bag and a Garrett hat.
Looking forward to learning this thing and plan on doing some head to head depth testing with this Whites ID.
Once again, TY for everyone's help and input! John
 
Coindigger83 said:
There are those that swear by them and those that hate them.
Click to expand...

You know how that goes. You can't possibly please everyone. The show "Diggers" hurt the rep of the ATP as much as it did help IMO. Anyone who has spent a lot of time dirt fishing knows how cheesy and bogus a lot of that is. Some people are really turned off by over-kill marketing and avoid the most popular "anything" like the plague.
The vast majority of reviews that I tried to read were in forums like this one and sources that seemed more unbiased than others. Also searched for the negative reviews out there. I wasn't necessarily interested in the comments by new owners because it takes a long time to learn a new machine. There isn't a product in existence that doesn't come with some amount of bad feedback by consumers. The ATP appears to be a product with exceptionally wide margins of approval ratings by users across the board. We will see in time which side of the fence I fall on.
Good luck everyone, and TY once again for the replies. My ears are wide open for info, tips, opinions etc.
 
Congratulations on the ATPro, if you get to 5x8 you will like it! Great in trashy areas, totlots near large metal objects, parks too!
 
Congrats on the sweet new rig ! There is no doubt you and your machine will have a blast and produce some killer finds ! Rock solid proven machine .
HH , Dew
 
congrats on your decision I always run mine in pro mode all bars showing.
Iron audio disced up to 40 (all the way). Iron audio off unless I want to check for iron.
Happy hunting!
 
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