Danny T
Elite Member
I took the advice of the Garrett manual and many forum members here and have spent the last two seasons using my ATPro in standard mode. I have logged in approximately 100 hours getting to know these settings, tones and the performance associated with it. I have made many great finds in this mode as well -large cents, IH cents, 1700's King George half pence, 1758 Prussian Heller Reichstadt, and various barber/seated silvers as well as many cool artifacts.
Slowly, I have begun transitioning into Pro mode and have made several significant strides in using the machine in higher performance settings.
1) I have found three large cents in very deep soil. I got to hear the difference in volume of the tone (two large cents came in at 85) and associate this with depth and target ID. A very weak but high tone came in at 10-12 inches. Another significant thing I noticed was that the depth reading during the initial swing and the depth reading when pin-pointing were very close or the same. (Not so when in standard mode, the swing always reads deeper than the pin-point, by several inches sometimes) Sure enough, 10-12 inches down I easily recovered them. It was just as I had read in so many posts on this forum.
2) Using iron audio, I have also been able to distinguish between what I think is a cent (75-77) and a bottle cap. In a trashy area, as I swung over such a signal, I could hear that iron growl just before and just after the target. I dug the signal every time to confirm and sure enough they were bottle caps. One target did not have the growl and bingo, it was cent. Only one time out of 6 I did not get the growl and it was a bottle cap.
I think it was necessary for me to spend the time in standard mode. I look at it this way. I learned the VDI system (science) in standard and I am discovering the interpretation (art) in pro. A great benefit to this entire process, besides a deeper understanding of the ATPro, is that I believe I may have missed many good targets in places I have already hunted. Guess where I'll be going for the rest of the season? Its like having all those places to hunt again!
Slowly, I have begun transitioning into Pro mode and have made several significant strides in using the machine in higher performance settings.
1) I have found three large cents in very deep soil. I got to hear the difference in volume of the tone (two large cents came in at 85) and associate this with depth and target ID. A very weak but high tone came in at 10-12 inches. Another significant thing I noticed was that the depth reading during the initial swing and the depth reading when pin-pointing were very close or the same. (Not so when in standard mode, the swing always reads deeper than the pin-point, by several inches sometimes) Sure enough, 10-12 inches down I easily recovered them. It was just as I had read in so many posts on this forum.
2) Using iron audio, I have also been able to distinguish between what I think is a cent (75-77) and a bottle cap. In a trashy area, as I swung over such a signal, I could hear that iron growl just before and just after the target. I dug the signal every time to confirm and sure enough they were bottle caps. One target did not have the growl and bingo, it was cent. Only one time out of 6 I did not get the growl and it was a bottle cap.
I think it was necessary for me to spend the time in standard mode. I look at it this way. I learned the VDI system (science) in standard and I am discovering the interpretation (art) in pro. A great benefit to this entire process, besides a deeper understanding of the ATPro, is that I believe I may have missed many good targets in places I have already hunted. Guess where I'll be going for the rest of the season? Its like having all those places to hunt again!