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AT Pro questions

popatop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2013
Messages
361
Location
SW Kansas
I am looking at possibly purchasing an AT PRO and have a few questions.
For the record my current detector is a Fisher F2 I have found some neat things with it It is but it just isn't near the machine that i expected however i will be keeping it as hopefully a backup machine.

First question. How is the recovery speed on the ATP? I can say that the F2 really shines in this dept.

2 The F2 is very light and is a pleasure to swing without fatigue, Can i expect the same from the ATP? And yes if i pull the trigger i will be getting the 2 coil package.

3 Ease of use on the ATP? I do catch on fast and feel like i understand what the F2 is telling me for the most part and prob have 20 - 25 hours of use.

4 Depth I know that depth isn't everything but i definitely want more depth then i am getting with my current machine as it lacks in this area and we have friendly soil. How deep can i expect this machine to go? If anybody has specific depth logs on various coins that would be helpful as well.

5 Target separation. This is another area that the F2 lacks especially in super trashy areas. Here is another great example of where air tests vary considerably from putting the coil to the soil.

Chatter and falsing. Is this a common complaint amoungst ATP users?

Im sure that i missed something and will have more questions later.

Thanks in advance.

Chuck
 
Hey Chuck hope I can help:

First question. How is the recovery speed on the ATP? I can say that the F2 really shines in this dept.
Very good. Remember that any DD coil will technically have better recovery since the search field is much more narrow.

2 The F2 is very light and is a pleasure to swing without fatigue, Can i expect the same from the ATP? And yes if i pull the trigger i will be getting the 2 coil package.
The F2 is super light and the ATP is not much heavier but I personally think the ATP it's not as well balanced so it feels heavy.

3 Ease of use on the ATP? I do catch on fast and feel like i understand what the F2 is telling me for the most part and prob have 20 - 25 hours of use.
Extremely easy. I'd start with standard audio mode then advance to proportional audio once you learn the machine.

4 Depth I know that depth isn't everything but i definitely want more depth then i am getting with my current machine as it lacks in this area and we have friendly soil. How deep can i expect this machine to go? If anybody has specific depth logs on various coins that would be helpful as well.
completely depends on target size, composition, position, ground conditions, etc. All things equal you should get a few extra inches.

5 Target separation. This is another area that the F2 lacks especially in super trashy areas. Here is another great example of where air tests vary considerably from putting the coil to the soil.
The key to this machine is learning to pinpoint with the DD coil. Make a test garden and practice. Once you get the hang of it, it's deadly.

Chatter and falsing. Is this a common complaint amoungst ATP users?
Only when in salt water conditions in the Atlantic or Pacific. A lot of people are able to use it in salt water on the gulf where salt levels are lower.

Hope this helps!
 
I havent had a lot of time with the AT yet but the depth is better than average for a mid range detector , the stock coil is a little heavy making it feel somewhat unbalanced but the 5x8 coil is a perfect fit and feels great , the recovery speed is extremely fast making seperation of targets really good. A lot of people misinterpret all the sounds it makes as falsing but with time you see its not falsing at all you just hear so much more than you would with many other detectors and thats a good thing , you get a heck of a lot of information about whats in the ground when these sounds are not filtered out. They are pretty easy to learn since you get so much versatility with minimal programming or tinkering with the controls. Ease of use is one of the best things about the AT.
 
Popatop, the only other metal detector I've ever owned or used is a old Bounty Hunter Outback with no digital display and three levels of discrimination.
So, there is absolutely no way to compare these two machines other than they seek metal and make noise when it's found.
I have used my ATP for a year now as both a relic hunter and a coin shooter. In my opinion, it's about as good a machine as a guy with my level of skill would be comfortable using.
It appears to be a less than perfect balanced machine and I can't use the 8.5X11 coil for more than a couple of extended digs per week or my wrist starts hurting. This coil is great for covering a lot of ground quickly and the pin pointing accuracy is dead on.
I prefer using the 5X8 coil as my default coil. It sounds crackly and poppy and gives the impression of being very staticy, but if you watch your DTI as you sweep the target(s), you'll see it's discriminating its little fanny off for you.
The snappy recovery rate of the 5X8 coil, as compared to the 8.5X11 takes some getting used to, but after a while you'll learn to respect, and maybe even love it.
As a relic hunter I'm not too happy that deep/big/old steel will show as a good silver target....but the depth is usually a give away, and the exercise involved in digging a deep/big/old piece of steel isn't half bad either.
My ATP has a propensity to give false signals when the battery strength drops too low...so I probably do change them too often.
The cable connections tends to work loose and will cause false signals also. I make it a habit to check mine before, during and after a dig and haven't had any more problems with this.

ATP/GPP/Fiskars Diggers/BH Outback/CT hand held

How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
 
I went from the ACE 350 to the ATP, so there was a learning curve in Pro mode. It is a huge step up though. Probably not to bad moving from the f2.

I like the ATP so much I have no intention of buying another machine.

I do recommend getting the 5x8 coil as well. It pin points to a tiny area.
 
Hey ya Sarge thanks for the reply. I have had my AT Pro for a couple of weeks now but unfortunately i haven't had as much spare time as i would like to get out and learn what it is telling me. I have to admit that before trying it i thought i would take it out and set the world on fire but so far that hasn't happened. The AT Pro seems to be a very advanced detector for the money and i have alot of faith that i will really like this machine after i am able to spend some time with it. Once again thanks and hh.
 
Hey ya Sarge thanks for the reply. I have had my AT Pro for a couple of weeks now but unfortunately i haven't had as much spare time as i would like to get out and learn what it is telling me. I have to admit that before trying it i thought i would take it out and set the world on fire but so far that hasn't happened. The AT Pro seems to be a very advanced detector for the money and i have alot of faith that i will really like this machine after i am able to spend some time with it. Once again thanks and hh.

popa, don't let the machine intimidate you. All the spangles and bangles are great but it is still a pretty basic machine.
Some people prefer the more familiar tones heard with the Std mode, and more specifically the Std-Coins mode.
I don't have enough experience with any other machine to be loyal to a any particular tone, so I just run mine in Pro-Custom with iron disc at 32 and sensitivity at minus two bars.
Ocassionally I will scroll down to the Pro-Zero mode and just goof around, but I like to toggle my iron audio and don't like the rukus of all the iron noise in the Pro-Zero mode.
Some people prefer to use auto ground balance but I do, and redo, frequent manual ground balances to keep the background noise down.
Right or wrong, correct or criminal, it works for me and that's really cool!
My only two suggestions regarding using the ATP are...treat it like eating chocolate...the longer you go between binges, the better it tastes when you do get to eat it.
Besides, those 1883 Sitting, Standing, Walking, Kneeling, Stooping and Crawling Lady Silver Dollars aren't going anywhere..and they will be a little older when you do get a chance to dig them:lol:.
Otherwise, it's not how frequent you can do it, it's the satisfaction that you get because you can still do it at all.
And, get the 5X8" DD coil as soon as possible. Just the weight difference between it and the 8.5X11" coil, and the extended period of time you can swing it without irrepairable wrist damage would make it a worthwhile purchase.
But, darn!!!! It's just so much different than the 8.5X11" coil in the way it treats targets.

ATP/GPP/Fiskars Diggers/BH Outback/CT hand held


If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?
 
I went from the ACE 350 to the ATP, so there was a learning curve in Pro mode. It is a huge step up though. Probably not to bad moving from the f2.
I like the ATP so much I have no intention of buying another machine.
I do recommend getting the 5x8 coil as well. It pin points to a tiny area.

Hi Grumpysrb, Since I've never owned a ACE 350 or any other Whites/Fisher machine I really have nothing to compare with my ATP.
I have talked to a number of other metal detector hobbyists and they all have both their singular and collective reasons for swinging the machine they use.
Personally, I didn't know enough about metal detectors to make a informed decision regarding a purchase for something costing nearly a thousand dollars and potentially destined to become a shelf weight in the garage.
My digging buddy was building metal detectors from scrap radio parts thirty years ago, and has a garage full of absolutely mind blowing artifacts, relics and coins.
So, when he recommended that I invest in a AT Pro (and money spent on any metal detector should be treated as a investment..not a expense) I just had no other wise choice.
I have absolutely no desire to launch a flotilla of war ships flying the "AT Pro-Loyaly Flag" because everyone is entitled to carry whatever machine they like and can afford.
However, I don't regret buying the ATP because it does what I want for a mid-range metal detector, I could afford on a retiree's budget.
And, have gained a profound respect for it's rugged construction considering I've dragged mine through brush and slathered it with mud for the past year.
Yet, it continues to caress my anxiously awaiting ears with its sensual tones and soothes my troubled brain by gently announcing...HERE I AM!!!!!..DIG ME...DIG ME!!!!! exactly as a cherished friend should.
Well, sort of, anyway!

ATP/GPP/Fiskars Diggers/BH Outback/CT hand held

Why is it that people say they 'slept like a baby' when babies wake up like every two hours?
 
Dang it popatop, I sincerely appologize:sorry2: for stepping on your thread. It was unintentional and I'll TRY to be more respectful in the future.
I just get wound up and start typing and forget the thread belongs to someone else.
Sorry, again.
 
Dang it popatop, I sincerely appologize:sorry2: for stepping on your thread. It was unintentional and I'll TRY to be more respectful in the future.
I just get wound up and start typing and forget the thread belongs to someone else.
Sorry, again.

Not a problem at all, As a matter of fact i constantly find myself searching for more and more info on the AT Pro and i thank everybody for their contributions to this thread so by all means everybody feel free to post away so i can give my poor ole search engine a rest.
 
popa, don't let the machine intimidate you. All the spangles and bangles are great but it is still a pretty basic machine.
Some people prefer the more familiar tones heard with the Std mode, and more specifically the Std-Coins mode.
I don't have enough experience with any other machine to be loyal to a any particular tone, so I just run mine in Pro-Custom with iron disc at 32 and sensitivity at minus two bars.
Ocassionally I will scroll down to the Pro-Zero mode and just goof around, but I like to toggle my iron audio and don't like the rukus of all the iron noise in the Pro-Zero mode.
Some people prefer to use auto ground balance but I do, and redo, frequent manual ground balances to keep the background noise down.
Right or wrong, correct or criminal, it works for me and that's really cool!
My only two suggestions regarding using the ATP are...treat it like eating chocolate...the longer you go between binges, the better it tastes when you do get to eat it.
Besides, those 1883 Sitting, Standing, Walking, Kneeling, Stooping and Crawling Lady Silver Dollars aren't going anywhere..and they will be a little older when you do get a chance to dig them:lol:.
Otherwise, it's not how frequent you can do it, it's the satisfaction that you get because you can still do it at all.
And, get the 5X8" DD coil as soon as possible. Just the weight difference between it and the 8.5X11" coil, and the extended period of time you can swing it without irrepairable wrist damage would make it a worthwhile purchase.
But, darn!!!! It's just so much different than the 8.5X11" coil in the way it treats targets.

ATP/GPP/Fiskars Diggers/BH Outback/CT hand held


If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

Thanks for the advice Sarge. I think my biggest problem so far ( I might have an hour on this machine) is that as i said earlier i was convinced i was gonna set the world on fire and thought i would understand its language right out of the box so i went all out and did pro zero with iron audio turned on. Obviously to much info to soon for my lil pea brain.
I will give Pro-Custom with iron disc at 32 and sensitivity at minus two bars a try. For the record i did by the two coil package and so far have only tried the 5 x 8.
 
Thanks for the advice Sarge. I think my biggest problem so far ( I might have an hour on this machine) is that as i said earlier i was convinced i was gonna set the world on fire and thought i would understand its language right out of the box so i went all out and did pro zero with iron audio turned on. Obviously to much info to soon for my lil pea brain.
I will give Pro-Custom with iron disc at 32 and sensitivity at minus two bars a try. For the record i did by the two coil package and so far have only tried the 5 x 8.


I would suggest leave iron audio OFF until you want to check a target. Most of the iron signals have a tell tale scratchy or off sounding tone anyway and you dont even need the iron audio to identify them. Even the guy on the garrett videos left iron audio off unless he was wanting to check a target. You get such a huge amount of audio anyway , the iron audio is just extra noise if you leave it on.

You will hear a lot with the pro , but concentrate on the high tones and get used to mentally filtering out all the rest. But its being able to hear all these other targets that will let you hear the good stuff that is hiding right next to iron or other trash , if the machine filters out too much ( which many detectors do ) you get a more silent detector but its also filtering out many of those hard to track partially masked good items hidden among the trash. Im seeing more and more evidence of this hunting some really trashy sites recently.
 
I would suggest leave iron audio OFF until you want to check a target. Most of the iron signals have a tell tale scratchy or off sounding tone anyway and you dont even need the iron audio to identify them. Even the guy on the garrett videos left iron audio off unless he was wanting to check a target. You get such a huge amount of audio anyway , the iron audio is just extra noise if you leave it on.

You will hear a lot with the pro , but concentrate on the high tones and get used to mentally filtering out all the rest. But its being able to hear all these other targets that will let you hear the good stuff that is hiding right next to iron or other trash , if the machine filters out too much ( which many detectors do ) you get a more silent detector but its also filtering out many of those hard to track partially masked good items hidden among the trash. Im seeing more and more evidence of this hunting some really trashy sites recently.

Thanks for the tips, I have decided to do exactly that, Leave iron audio off until i need it for another deciding factor of whether to dig. I have no problem hearing the difference between the low, mid and high tones and i am able to hear the machine tell me that there may be multiple targets next to each other with more than one tone but the biggest struggle for me right now is hearing the difference between a good target and a bad target with the same tone, I know we are all going to dig alot of trash but at this point i havn't got a clue between the good and bad. I will get some time with the machine and hopefully my ears will be more in tune with the detector.
 
Thanks for the tips, I have decided to do exactly that, Leave iron audio off until i need it for another deciding factor of whether to dig. I have no problem hearing the difference between the low, mid and high tones and i am able to hear the machine tell me that there may be multiple targets next to each other with more than one tone but the biggest struggle for me right now is hearing the difference between a good target and a bad target with the same tone, I know we are all going to dig alot of trash but at this point i havn't got a clue between the good and bad. I will get some time with the machine and hopefully my ears will be more in tune with the detector.

Popatop, I'm not sure your goal to dig more good targets than trash will never be realized.
While the AT Pro is, in my opinion, a good machine for the money, it isn't capable of distinguishing tin roofers washers from a quarter or a slug sized piece of copper tubing from a penny.
If I were to characterize the ATP I would more closely define it as a relic hunter than a coin shooter because it absolutely loves old, deep iron.
Although I do have about thirty pounds of clad and a few bling rings, I just threw away seventy pounds of scrap steel (relics:lol:) and still have fifty or sixty pounds to move around the garage.
True, I do spend more time looking for artifacts than I do coins, and a stove door IS heavier than a quarter, but digging the relics at the old farms is in some way just more satisfying than finding a few zincs.
Before I say this, I want you to understand that I think you are doing great without the suggestion, but this is a forum so I have to write something to give the mod's something to do.
Perhaps planting a "finds" garden using various coins and can/bottle lids and of course a mixture of bottle caps, pull tabs and good stuff like a .925 ring or two.
I done this with my wife's sterling, 10K and 14K gold, and it worked great until she caught me. Now I'm back to nails and pull tabs:yes:.
By putting your targets in a close proximity grave, and marking them with something non-metalic for identification you can get a idea of the different tones as the coil passes over each target.
Whatever you do with the 5X8" coil, do it slow. That thing is so snappy you'll be over a quarter and gone before you even hear the high tone among the low and mid tones.
One last pointer then I'm off to rock another forum...the real nemisis of the ATP are those darn beer and wine bottle caps.
How to tell a bottle cap from a quarter...In Pro-Std mode, Sens down 2 bars, Iron Disc -32, iron audio off, do a wave one way after you get the loud and slamming 84-86 signal of a quarter, except now with your iron audio on. Step around 180 degrees and do another wave of the coil over the target, iron audio on. Listen to the beginning and the end of the high tone. Normally you can hear a tiny iron grunt immediately before the high tone and another tiny iron grunt immediately after the high tone. You have to actually listen for this because it happens so fast it just seems like one continuous high tone.
Then you have to decide if you want to trust your ability to effectively use this trick and, perhaps, pass up a clad quarter, or, perhaps, dig another Corona Beer Bottle cap.

ATP/GPP/Fiskars Diggers/BH Outback/CT hand held


Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
 
So far Ive found identifying good targets , especially coins , from bad ones very easy with the pro. All detectors are gonna be fooled sometimes by a few troublesome items.

The way I think about it , all mid tones are pretty much in the gold range so they are "potential" good targets , view some of them with skepticism but dig them if you want gold. As for the high tones I know most pennies have an ID number from the mid 70"s on up to about 80 , dimes usually come in around 82-83 , and 84-86 is almost always a quarter. Anything above that is either silver or something too large to be a coin. As long as those signals sound good and the numbers dont jump around between hugely different readings its almost always what the detector says it is.
 
Popatop, I'm not sure your goal to dig more good targets than trash will never be realized.
While the AT Pro is, in my opinion, a good machine for the money, it isn't capable of distinguishing tin roofers washers from a quarter or a slug sized piece of copper tubing from a penny.
If I were to characterize the ATP I would more closely define it as a relic hunter than a coin shooter because it absolutely loves old, deep iron.
Although I do have about thirty pounds of clad and a few bling rings, I just threw away seventy pounds of scrap steel (relics:lol:) and still have fifty or sixty pounds to move around the garage.
True, I do spend more time looking for artifacts than I do coins, and a stove door IS heavier than a quarter, but digging the relics at the old farms is in some way just more satisfying than finding a few zincs.
Before I say this, I want you to understand that I think you are doing great without the suggestion, but this is a forum so I have to write something to give the mod's something to do.
Perhaps planting a "finds" garden using various coins and can/bottle lids and of course a mixture of bottle caps, pull tabs and good stuff like a .925 ring or two.
I done this with my wife's sterling, 10K and 14K gold, and it worked great until she caught me. Now I'm back to nails and pull tabs:yes:.
By putting your targets in a close proximity grave, and marking them with something non-metalic for identification you can get a idea of the different tones as the coil passes over each target.
Whatever you do with the 5X8" coil, do it slow. That thing is so snappy you'll be over a quarter and gone before you even hear the high tone among the low and mid tones.
One last pointer then I'm off to rock another forum...the real nemisis of the ATP are those darn beer and wine bottle caps.
How to tell a bottle cap from a quarter...In Pro-Std mode, Sens down 2 bars, Iron Disc -32, iron audio off, do a wave one way after you get the loud and slamming 84-86 signal of a quarter, except now with your iron audio on. Step around 180 degrees and do another wave of the coil over the target, iron audio on. Listen to the beginning and the end of the high tone. Normally you can hear a tiny iron grunt immediately before the high tone and another tiny iron grunt immediately after the high tone. You have to actually listen for this because it happens so fast it just seems like one continuous high tone.
Then you have to decide if you want to trust your ability to effectively use this trick and, perhaps, pass up a clad quarter, or, perhaps, dig another Corona Beer Bottle cap.

ATP/GPP/Fiskars Diggers/BH Outback/CT hand held


Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

I understand and except that we will all dig more trash then treasure and i also think i have the bottle cap trick down pat but when i watch the videos like Garrett puts out i get pretty envious as that guy does a great job, He moves right along and says pulltab and never bats an eye or has to think about it. I have a long way to go but am having a blast doing it. Thanks again for the reply and you are right on making that garden, I really need to get that done.
 
So far Ive found identifying good targets , especially coins , from bad ones very easy with the pro. All detectors are gonna be fooled sometimes by a few troublesome items.

The way I think about it , all mid tones are pretty much in the gold range so they are "potential" good targets , view some of them with skepticism but dig them if you want gold. As for the high tones I know most pennies have an ID number from the mid 70"s on up to about 80 , dimes usually come in around 82-83 , and 84-86 is almost always a quarter. Anything above that is either silver or something too large to be a coin. As long as those signals sound good and the numbers dont jump around between hugely different readings its almost always what the detector says it is.

Very interesting. Once again i need some time with the machine and it sure would help my aging eyes if the screen was a little bigger so i could identify the vdi numbers on the reference chart at the top of the screen a bit faster. ( That is one feature i do like on the F2 ) But once again with more time on the machine i may better remember that mid 70's to about 80 is a penny etc etc. In the mean time while i am learning i may try to focus more on the mid tones ( Don't want to miss that gold ya know ) and the 81 82 on up numbers.
 
Just my opinion..

I have found to get the most transparent, and variable tones from my ATP I run it like this..

Wide open or a notch down on the sensitivity, pro zero, no discrimination, iron audio off.

With those settings Iron sounds with the low grunt, and bottle caps have a great tone roll.. You will hear everything..

<*)))>{
 
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