At pro question

Mikevet

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Dec 13, 2015
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Lafayette, la
I have a new at pro for about 6 weeks. I am noticing that the depth range seems to be way off. A signal will blow my ears out but say it is 6-8 inches and I find the target at 2-3 inches. Sometimes it is even on the surface and it is saying 6-8 inches. I was in mud today, so I was swinging coil only about 1-2 inches from the actual ground.
Is this normal? Is there a way to fix it? Do I need to send it back?

Other question is...if I ground balance over a target or over junky ground like at a park. Am I masking targets or getting a faulty ground balance? Am I missing targets if I ground balance over something metal in the ground?
 
Always GB over clean ground for a stable machine!

As far as depth meter there could be other targets near by, iron deeper than the detected target etc

Depth guages are mere guesses anyway, so I always take them with a grain of salt.
 
With any metal detector you should always do the best you can to GB over clean ground. As for the depth of the target, how large or small is it. Depth readings are based on coin sized targets. Sometimes foil is right on the surface but gives a depth reading much deeper. Deep soda cans can read shallow. So, what are you finding?
 
I've noticed the same shallower depth. Reading will say 6 inches and it's only 4 on something normal like a quarter. The way I heard it explained, was 2 inches reads from .1 inch to 2 inches down. 2.1 inches to 4 inches reads 4 inches. 4.1 inches to 6 inches reads 6 and the like... So that helps make sense of it, not sure just how true it is but it seems accurate for the short while I've played with it. And given the 1/2 to 1 inch coil space off the ground. 90% of my plugs have been too deep by about 2 inches as well using the depth gauge, unless it was a larger target than say a coin.
 
Depth

It was picking up 9mm shell casings. Some where one inch down and others were on the surface. The one on the surface was reading at 8 inches. After I picked it up, the machine was quiet. So I don't think it was reading a dapper target.
 
I never, repeat, never, pay attention to the depth reading. Seen targets read 8" down and be on or near the surface. Don't worry, it's nothing you're doing wrong
 
I have a new at pro for about 6 weeks. I am noticing that the depth range seems to be way off. A signal will blow my ears out but say it is 6-8 inches and I find the target at 2-3 inches. Sometimes it is even on the surface and it is saying 6-8 inches. I was in mud today, so I was swinging coil only about 1-2 inches from the actual ground.
Is this normal? Is there a way to fix it? Do I need to send it back?

Other question is...if I ground balance over a target or over junky ground like at a park. Am I masking targets or getting a faulty ground balance? Am I missing targets if I ground balance over something metal in the ground?

A few comments.

First your depth meter is driven by target size (coin size),,,meaning the meter will get fooled by real small and or real big.

A can could be say 10" down,,meter will show a lot less deeper.

Small foil just under the surface,,,will show a lot deeper.

Also,,coil size (other than stock coil size) can throw this off too.
Now don't let depth reading being inaccurate throw you off,,,some detectors better than others too.

As far as ground balancing goes.

Since,,I don't think your detector has all metal feature,,,,try going to pinpoint and find a clean spot and balance.

Also,,,sometimes it is a good idea to try and balance in 2 or 3 different spots,,,and watch the ground reading,,,should be close between them.
 
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Although you didn't say, I am guessing you are in Pro mode (which is what I would advise). That gives you proportional audi0. The louder the sound, the closer to the coil.

I pay little attention to the depth indicator and go with the audio. The audio information is much more accurate.
 
Another thing I do with my AT pro if I get a good loud tone is raise my coil off the ground. If I raise it up a foot and it is still a good loud tone I know it is likely hubcap or something huge. I have some targets show up at two inches. It ends up being something very large that is a foot deep.
 
Another thing I do with my AT pro if I get a good loud tone is raise my coil off the ground. If I raise it up a foot and it is still a good loud tone I know it is likely hubcap or something huge. I have some targets show up at two inches. It ends up being something very large that is a foot deep.

Exactly!
 
Also , I don't know if anyone else has realized this or not , but sometimes the farther the target is from the center of the coil it can be read as extra depth. I pinpoint with the wiggle back method , when the target is dead center under the coil the meter is more accurate but as I bring the coil back toward me to pinpoint off the tip of the coil I often see the depth meter reading more depth. In this case the target is farther from the sweet spot in the coils signal and the detector sees this as depth. Play around with that a little and you will see what I mean.

The depth meter is not always accurate anyway but it will be the most accurate when the target is dead center under the coil. And of course nearby targets throw it off as well.
 
i agree with Deej....I go by the audio

I agree with Deej ....im kinda new to the ATP too but I guess I kinda got into the habit of going by the way the .....well im a pinpointer too.....target sounds...then i might glance at the depth indicator a lil......also i guess it is what im used to doing with older machines too....before there was even a depth indicator ! Try it n see if you can hone your skills pinpointing

Just my approach......
Good luck n keep at it ! I know i am!
HH
 
Depth meter???? I never even consider that when I'm using my AT Pro in Pro Zero Mode.
The rolling audio, and the size of the target, as defined by the area it appears to occupy will give you a fairly good idea of how big a target is and its relative depth.
A 15"X30" slab of rusted steel from a 70 year old 55 gallon drum buried at 18" will give you a loud tone, maybe iron, maybe not, but you can trace its edges using the rolling audio and determine it probably isn't a nickel at 4".
The AT Pro will detect a large target at a much greater depth that the pin pointer can reach so, if the target is loud, appears to be shallow, but can't be located using the pin pointer without first digging, its probably a large target which is buried pretty deep.
Besides, the metal detector has absolutely no idea of what the position of the target is. All it can do is to inform you there is a target and provide a guess as to what it may be.
But, a ghost target, such as rotted screen wire, rusted steel wool, fine machine shop debris and arc welding slag may appear as being at any depth, but when you get there, the target has disappeared.
I attempt to determine the approximate size of a target....e.g., 8' long and 2" wide with a VDI of 17 to 32...probably a steel pipe or old bead frame, then pin point it with a simple wiggle over the target to ascertain, as nearly as possible the center, use the pin pointer to determine the exact location of the target, and dig my tail off until I find it.
It works for me but I probably miss a lot of great stuff too...you just have to do your own thing and, if it works and it's fun, stay with it.

AT Pro/GPP-AT/Fiskars Diggers
 
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