Quick tips for AT Max new user.

T4CodyBear

Junior Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2012
Messages
53
Location
MA
I just jumped up from the Ace 250 to the Max and have been out only a couple times so far. I have been switching between All Metal with 2 bars below max sen and then Zero mode at 20-22 disc & 2 bars below max sen.
I have also been trying to dig everything so I can learn this machine, which I really like so far. I am relic hunting and in the woods, stone walls etc.

My question is sometimes I get VDI glimpses of a 90 or 90+ along with 30, 40's 50's at 8-10" down etc... but I am skeptical when I cant find that target and start to doubt. Unless I am just in a highly mineralized soil and it's ghosting or something should I assume that there is def a 90 buried down there somewhere and find it? Sometimes I am digging pretty deep before I abort. And I have also been ground balancing every 15 mins practically lol.

Any thoughts or pointers, settings tips??
thanks !
 
Hold the coil in the air and shake it. What happens?

If it sounds off and the VDI jumps up and down the scale, you need a new coil. This happened to me.
 
Thanks for the help, it didn't really sound off when I waived it in the air and flashed 1 or 2 numbers. It's brand new with only 2 trips on it.

It's really chattery when in All Metal mode especially and constantly flashing vdi numbers and that was my question really. When a do see a 80 or 90 flash on the screen is there mostly likely a high non ferrous target that I need to dig for? I feel like its just chatter and may not bother because I have been digging everything already lol...
 
I’ve only been detecting for a year and a half, and swinging an AT Max since March, so there are surely others here that have more experience with the machine and detecting than me - but I’ll share my limited experience for what it’s worth.

In my soil here in NW Ohio, the Max very rarely shows me a target deeper than 6” on the depth scale along with high tones, so again my experience is limited when talking about your question regarding 8-10” targets. That said, I’ve not dug anything good with the Max with only “flashes” of 80s/90s on the VDI for targets in the 6-8” range or less - always comes up as trash in those cases. I used to dig it all when I first got the detector to get used to what it was telling me, but I won’t dig anything at that depth or less anymore unless the tones are more consistent - “flashes” of high numbers are a sure sign that it’s falsing or upscaling on big iron or other trash. Sure, there might be a rare case where something good is getting masked and completely muddied up by iron/junk, but it’s the exception, not the rule. I’ve dug plenty of good targets from junked up signals (mixed denom coin spills, iron masked non-ferrous targets, etc), but it each case, there was at least some consistency or repeatability to the tone.

The only “deeper” coins I’ve dug with the Max came from 8” down - the signals were difficult to isolate and not solid, consistent signals, but they were mostly high tones, not “flashes” - see my post here: First Double Silver Hunt!.

Yes, I also find “All Metal” mode to be extremely chattery in my soil, so much so that I can’t figure out how to effectively use it. Too many grunts, crackles, and pops in that mode from small and/or shallow targets to have any shot at hearing a faint, deep, non-ferrous target in a way that would make me dig it. Again, my experience level is somewhat low, so maybe I’m just not doing it right...

For settings, the AT Max is pretty simple...almost turn on and go. I ground balance first thing and re-balance often, just like you mentioned, but it’s typically between 82-92. Sensitivity as needed to keep it stable - generally 1 or 2 below maximum. I don’t notch anything out, and set iron disc up to around 34-44 depending on how trashy the site is. I actually use “Custom” mode to set that up, just so I don’t lose whatever Iron Disc setting I’m using if I shut the machine down like you would in “Zero” mode. Until recently I was always hunting with Threshold set to +1 or +2, which gave me a vague but constant background hum. But lately I’ve been experimenting with negative threshold numbers in an effort to eliminate some of the chattiness that plagues the detector in my soil in general. Oh, and I always hunt with Iron Audio off - much like “All Metal” mode, I find Iron Audio to be basically worthless in my soil. If I used Iron Audio to decide if a target was good, I’d barely dig anything at all - same was true with Iron Audio on my Ace 400.
 
Thanks AirmetTango, much appreciated!
I has also thought about adjusting the threshold #s to quiet down in All Metal mode. I will also pay more attention to listening to the high tones vs watching the VDI screen as much and see what I dig that way...

Just need more hours on it I'm sure and get use to the sensitivity vs my previous Ace 250.
 
Hi; I am also new to the AT Max but I am slowly getting to know it. I experience the 90 number flash. I started off digging those just to see what they were and almost all of the time it was something round but not a coin. For me to dig I like a repeatable signal then turn 90 degrees and get a repeatable signal that way. In this case it is almost always a coin. I have had a few fuel line fittings and a lipstick or two doing this but it is usually a good target. The worst one to fool me so far is the aluminum screw cap off of big beer bottles. I guess it is the shape that gives me a high reading. Not the same as a pull tab or something. I like all my bells and whistles but I still like to dig a lot to find some cool stuff other than coins.
 
Back
Top Bottom