AT Max Unstable and Erratic

StevePcola

Forum Supporter
Joined
Jun 15, 2018
Messages
168
Location
Milton, Florida
I've had this machine for about 4 months. It was reliable and usable when I got it...so much so that I bought a NEL Storm coil, then a NEL Snake coil. Recently (within the last month), the speaker works sometimes (I've resorted to using the headphones all of the time, although it's hotter than the hinges of Hades in the FL panhandle), and gets noticeably unstable while I'm retrieving targets (I set the unit on the ground, and it slowly starts making random noise until it gets so bad that I have to turn it off).

I ground balance frequently, I do factory resets every 15 minutes, I know for a fact that the coil connector to the head unit is as tight as it can be, and I'm hunting in places that have no potential for EMI. I'm at the end of my rope here. I want to call Garrett and get warranty repair, but I don't want to be without my detector forever (or even 2-3 weeks).

This happens even when I mount a NEL coil, do a factory reset (power button depressed for 5-6 seconds until two beeps and the screen resets to default settings). It happens when using the factory coil. I just recently got a permission to search 9 units of a small neighborhood of 1943-era cottages built for Naval aviators during WW II that have no electricity...the machine is unusable.

I have to hunt most of the time on one bar of sensitivity, which is absolutely absurd. Again, I ground balance on clear ground, have fresh batteries, factory reset before every hunt, make certain that the coil cable connector is very secure, and there is no EMI.

Any suggestions? I'm about to ditch this thing, buy an Equinox 800, and start over. With your collective experience, should I call Garrett? Or should I write it off as a loss, eat the >$1000 that I have in it, and find something that will let me actually metal detect?


I thank you in advance for your advice.
 
is the problem happening with more than one coil meaning that if you broke the coil the problem would go away when you changed coils
 
Do you carry a cell phone? Have you tried changing frequencies? Coil wire wrapped tight? None of that would cause speaker problems, I think you are going to have to call Garrett

Instead of going without a detector or buying an Equinox do you have rentals available or you could buy a used entry level detector for a back-up/loaner. I use the wife's bounty hunter Lone Star occasionally, it really makes me appreciate the ATPro. It wouldn't hurt to call your dealer, maybe he has a loaner.
 
Do you carry a cell phone? Have you tried changing frequencies? Coil wire wrapped tight? None of that would cause speaker problems, I think you are going to have to call Garrett

Instead of going without a detector or buying an Equinox do you have rentals available or you could buy a used entry level detector for a back-up/loaner. I use the wife's bounty hunter Lone Star occasionally, it really makes me appreciate the ATPro. It wouldn't hurt to call your dealer, maybe he has a loaner.

Yessir, I've tried changing frequencies and that doesn't seem to help any. And I leave my phone in my truck, because trying to fumble around with it while wearing dirty gloves is just annoying. Coil wire is tightly wrapped around the front of the shaft to begin, and secured with four Velcro wraps all the way up...no slack at all.


I bought it off of Amazon, but it came from a dealer...can't remember which one. I wanted to get that 5% cash back from using my Amazon card. So I doubt that I could get a loaner. And I'm pretty sure that the closest MD dealer is hours away in Panama City. I'll check out Craig's List and see if anybody has a unit for sale, I guess.


Thanks for the suggestions!
 
It happens when I have any of the three coils that I have mounted. The unstable behavior isn't limited to only one.

My first response was a faulty coil, but you tried everything I would have suggested. Machine needs to be seen by a tech. Garrett's customer service is awesome and another forum member just wrote about having their ATP service done in one week. I'd give them a call.
 
I wouldn't hesitate to call Garrett. Their customer service is second to none. I wouldn't give up on it just yet. I'd bet money they can accommodate you. They've been very helpful for me, even with just questions. Keep us posted... Good luck
 
I wouldn't hesitate to call Garrett. Their customer service is second to none. I wouldn't give up on it just yet. I'd bet money they can accommodate you. They've been very helpful for me, even with just questions. Keep us posted... Good luck


Thanks for the suggestion to call Garrett. Honestly, I've gotten used to just expecting no- or low-service from companies these days, so I wasn't even thinking about calling Garrett. But I'll do that soon. Hopefully, they can figure out what the issue is and fix it.
 
Do you carry a cell phone? Have you tried changing frequencies? Coil wire wrapped tight? None of that would cause speaker problems, I think you are going to have to call Garrett

Instead of going without a detector or buying an Equinox do you have rentals available or you could buy a used entry level detector for a back-up/loaner. I use the wife's bounty hunter Lone Star occasionally, it really makes me appreciate the ATPro. It wouldn't hurt to call your dealer, maybe he has a loaner.

Mine did same thing. It's as if threshold was stuck on high volume all the time. Send it in...Garrett customer service is amazing and they have a fast turn around. Wont cost you a thing!!
 
Mine did same thing. It's as if threshold was stuck on high volume all the time. Send it in...Garrett customer service is amazing and they have a fast turn around. Wont cost you a thing!!

Thanks, Dave! Seems like the misbehavior began around the time that the external speaker quit working reliably, making me bake my ears in the headphones. I will definitely call them and see what they say!
 
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