woodbutcher
Forum Supporter
I had a problem with the weight of some machines,and today I just got this in the mail..$25 shipped,,you should look it up,very simple and effective means to take all the weight off your wrist.
I love my AT Pro except...
- Thread starter Call Me V
- Start date
I had a problem with the weight of some machines,and today I just got this in the mail..$25 shipped,,you should look it up,very simple and effective means to take all the weight off your wrist.
Thank you all for the great ideas and advice. Since I do love my AT Pro I want to stay with it, so I'm going to take two of the suggestions and try them out. First I'm going to shorten the shaft length. I got to looking at it and realized that I had it extended farther out than I really needed. I've pulled it back several inches. And I'm going to order the smaller coil for it, as well. Hopefully between the two my hunting time will be extended. If not then I'll look for other options.
Thanks again, everyone! You guys are why I love this forum.
Thanks again, everyone! You guys are why I love this forum.
I think you are making a very wise decision. Apart from the XP Deus and the new (soon to be sold in the USA) XP ORX your choices in light weight detectors under 3 lbs aren't different enough from what you already use and like to make a big difference.
When you start coil shopping you are not limited to Garrett only for coils that work with the AT series. Detech, Nel, Cors and Mars all make very good after market coils for your detector. From my experiences, those companies make coils that are smaller, lighter and very competitive with Garrett's product. Check the weight of the coils you are interested in and you might find even more ways to make the ATPro more comfortable for you.
Jeff
When you start coil shopping you are not limited to Garrett only for coils that work with the AT series. Detech, Nel, Cors and Mars all make very good after market coils for your detector. From my experiences, those companies make coils that are smaller, lighter and very competitive with Garrett's product. Check the weight of the coils you are interested in and you might find even more ways to make the ATPro more comfortable for you.
Jeff
woodbutcher
Forum Supporter
Didn't know you didn't have 5x8 coil .Get that coil! You won't miss that big stock coil,and the weight and balance is unbelievable difference
Monte
"In Memory of"
'V' .. Welcome to a terrific outdoor sport. I especially enjoy seeing more women involved because it definitely isn't, and shouldn't be, a guy-only activity. There use to be many more females involved back in the '70s and into the mid-to-late '90s but I have seen that number decline over the past two decades. Keep enjoying this Hobby and do what you can to recruit more of the female gender.
It's always a good idea to have two or three detectors in your own outfit than can complement each other because there is no such thing as a 'perfect' detector. Glad to hear you like the AT Pro, however while I liked the first release that I evaluated, they fell a little short on what I wanted in the way of comfort and balance as well as in-the-field performance for my needs.
Fatigue and pain are generally related to:
• Using a detector that is misbalanced, such as having a larger or heavier search coil, or a control housing that is too heavy and located on top of the detector package to cause a top-heavy of even a 'floppy' feel.
• Using a detector that, overall, is simply over-weight.
• Extending the rod too long to try and position the search coil way out in front of you with the thought that a broader, arcing sweep will cover more ground and help find more targets. That results in a terrible imbalance and feel to the package and easily causes more fatigue in the hand/wrist/arm as well as shoulder and neck.
• Using a too-broad side-to-side sweep as that induces the body to move faster and the brisker sweep motion can easily cause wear-and-tear on some body parts.
So, what can be done to help eliminate some of your fatigue?
1.. Make sure you have the most comfortable grip-to-arm cup distance to feel the best.
2.. Use a smaller-size search coil. The 5X8 DD open-frame coil Garrett offers is better than the stock AT Pro coil, although I personally prefer a smaller coil for most hunting applications.
3.. A generally recognized 'proper' rod length should have the search coil positioned about 12" to 18" in front of your leading toe and not extended way out there.
4.. Take your time. Most often I am searching with a slow-and-methodical sweep speed, overlapping, and my side-to-side sweep length is usually about 24" to 30". In some wide-open areas I might use up to a 48 Inch / 4 Ft. reach from one side to the other, but it is generally 30"-36" in more open locaions. It keeps me in control rather than fighting with what momentum causes, thus less fatigue.
Serous Relic Hunting usually calls for a detector that can handle a dense iron nail contaminated site well, and the AT series hasn't proven that to me, but they can Coin Hunt OK. I assign all of my detectors into two general use groups:
Work machines: Which are those best suited for unmasking good non-ferrous targets in a dense nail and iron contaminated site when Relic Hunting. These models can excel above most others on the market with comparable-size search coils. Most can also be used for day-to-day Coin Hunting.
Play machines: While some of these can also hold their own when I take on serious Relic Hunting sites, these are usually models that are very light-weight and comfortable, have ample adjustment features w/o being complex, and they are my favorite Coin Hunting detectors.
I've read the suggestions to this point and so far I am in agreement with a lot of the suggestions except two. I am not an Equinox fan because those I have used that belonged to some friends who HAD them, they didn't work well for many test scenarios I put them through. If some folks like them, or like the AT Pro or any other detectors and I don't, well, that's fine because we all have our own likes and dislikes and opinions.
Years ago when they first came out with a contraption to sling up a detector to ease the wear-and-tear I tried one. Never would buy it, and those I have checked out since haven't appealed to me, either. I've enjoyed this great sport a while, and wrapping up my 54th year I don't think encumbering myself with some contraption is going to add to my enjoyment.
Out of the replies so far, however, I am in agreement with Jeff. I own six or seven excellent-performing Relic Hunting detectors for terrible ferrous debris sites that can also work great for Coin Hunting. But I also have six or seven units that are mainly my 'Play' machines that are all very light weight, comfortable, and have been working wonderfully at all the typical urban Coin Hunting locations.
Those include my three Tesoro's, which you might not like since you've only been using Tone ID and visual Target ID models. But this year I also bought two used but 'as-new' condition Teknetics Omega 8000's and a new Fisher F44. I keep one Omega 8K at-the-ready with a 7" Concentric coil mounted and the other 8K sports a small 5" DD coil. Handy for tight spaces and especially for hunting in and around dense trash, dealing with building rubble from a renovation tear-down, or searching near metal fences or playground structures.
My F44 also keeps a light-and-handy 7" Concentric coil mounted and is now my most-used Coin Hunting model. Simple, very Functional, and it provides ample Performance for almost any typical coin environment. I also have an additional 5" DD for the F44 for times it is needed.
Just some experienced opinions. Questions? You can ask them here or shoot me an e-mail.
Then, too, just work with your AT Pro and see if you can get comfortable with it. Smaller-size search coils are really a lot better performers than many think. I wish manufacturers ... ALL of them ... would get away from offering a full line of detectors with an over-size search coils as standard equipment.
Monte
I think that was a smart decision to move up to a more featured and better-performing model. Remember, too, that search coil selection is an important consideration.Call Me V said:
Wanting to join your grandfather is a grand idea. I wish more of my grandkids, guys or gals, would find an interest and join me in having fun. But while it is a good idea to join him in this sport, it might not have been the best idea to pick the same brand detector he uses.Call Me V said:
It's always a good idea to have two or three detectors in your own outfit than can complement each other because there is no such thing as a 'perfect' detector. Glad to hear you like the AT Pro, however while I liked the first release that I evaluated, they fell a little short on what I wanted in the way of comfort and balance as well as in-the-field performance for my needs.
Commendable results, especially if you live in Montana. It's the only state in the western half of the USA that I have never visited and I have a mental picture of it being more wide-open and not that populated so if you're just Coin Hunting, then you must reside in or close to a bigger city.Call Me V said:
I'm a bit more 'aged' than you but my health limitations have me paying more attention to a detector's weight and balance since about a decade before you were born. I have trimmed all awkward and fatiguing units from my Detector Outfit, and when I evaluate any make or model I am very attentive to the fatigue factor they might cause. That's one of the reasons the Garret AT 'series' are not in my detector group. I don't care for the top-heavy feel, and prefer a more comfortable search coil for my needs.Call Me V said:
What detector and coil does he use? Have you tried it to see if it might have a better 'fit' and cause less fatigue?Call Me V said:
Fatigue and pain are generally related to:
• Using a detector that is misbalanced, such as having a larger or heavier search coil, or a control housing that is too heavy and located on top of the detector package to cause a top-heavy of even a 'floppy' feel.
• Using a detector that, overall, is simply over-weight.
• Extending the rod too long to try and position the search coil way out in front of you with the thought that a broader, arcing sweep will cover more ground and help find more targets. That results in a terrible imbalance and feel to the package and easily causes more fatigue in the hand/wrist/arm as well as shoulder and neck.
• Using a too-broad side-to-side sweep as that induces the body to move faster and the brisker sweep motion can easily cause wear-and-tear on some body parts.
So, what can be done to help eliminate some of your fatigue?
1.. Make sure you have the most comfortable grip-to-arm cup distance to feel the best.
2.. Use a smaller-size search coil. The 5X8 DD open-frame coil Garrett offers is better than the stock AT Pro coil, although I personally prefer a smaller coil for most hunting applications.
3.. A generally recognized 'proper' rod length should have the search coil positioned about 12" to 18" in front of your leading toe and not extended way out there.
4.. Take your time. Most often I am searching with a slow-and-methodical sweep speed, overlapping, and my side-to-side sweep length is usually about 24" to 30". In some wide-open areas I might use up to a 48 Inch / 4 Ft. reach from one side to the other, but it is generally 30"-36" in more open locaions. It keeps me in control rather than fighting with what momentum causes, thus less fatigue.
It seems like Montana ought to have some good Relic Hunting opportunities, but apparently it is surrendering coins quite well as you have shown from your 5 months into this hobby. As a Coin Hunter you are aware that the bulk of the coins we can find are usually going to be located from surface to ±4" and an occasional coin down to the deeper 5" to 6" depths. Making recoveries in that range is usually easy-to-do, and less messy in well manicured areas. Most decent detectors can handle that task.Call Me V said:
Serous Relic Hunting usually calls for a detector that can handle a dense iron nail contaminated site well, and the AT series hasn't proven that to me, but they can Coin Hunt OK. I assign all of my detectors into two general use groups:
Work machines: Which are those best suited for unmasking good non-ferrous targets in a dense nail and iron contaminated site when Relic Hunting. These models can excel above most others on the market with comparable-size search coils. Most can also be used for day-to-day Coin Hunting.
Play machines: While some of these can also hold their own when I take on serious Relic Hunting sites, these are usually models that are very light-weight and comfortable, have ample adjustment features w/o being complex, and they are my favorite Coin Hunting detectors.
I've read the suggestions to this point and so far I am in agreement with a lot of the suggestions except two. I am not an Equinox fan because those I have used that belonged to some friends who HAD them, they didn't work well for many test scenarios I put them through. If some folks like them, or like the AT Pro or any other detectors and I don't, well, that's fine because we all have our own likes and dislikes and opinions.
Years ago when they first came out with a contraption to sling up a detector to ease the wear-and-tear I tried one. Never would buy it, and those I have checked out since haven't appealed to me, either. I've enjoyed this great sport a while, and wrapping up my 54th year I don't think encumbering myself with some contraption is going to add to my enjoyment.
Out of the replies so far, however, I am in agreement with Jeff. I own six or seven excellent-performing Relic Hunting detectors for terrible ferrous debris sites that can also work great for Coin Hunting. But I also have six or seven units that are mainly my 'Play' machines that are all very light weight, comfortable, and have been working wonderfully at all the typical urban Coin Hunting locations.
Those include my three Tesoro's, which you might not like since you've only been using Tone ID and visual Target ID models. But this year I also bought two used but 'as-new' condition Teknetics Omega 8000's and a new Fisher F44. I keep one Omega 8K at-the-ready with a 7" Concentric coil mounted and the other 8K sports a small 5" DD coil. Handy for tight spaces and especially for hunting in and around dense trash, dealing with building rubble from a renovation tear-down, or searching near metal fences or playground structures.
My F44 also keeps a light-and-handy 7" Concentric coil mounted and is now my most-used Coin Hunting model. Simple, very Functional, and it provides ample Performance for almost any typical coin environment. I also have an additional 5" DD for the F44 for times it is needed.
Just some experienced opinions. Questions? You can ask them here or shoot me an e-mail.
Then, too, just work with your AT Pro and see if you can get comfortable with it. Smaller-size search coils are really a lot better performers than many think. I wish manufacturers ... ALL of them ... would get away from offering a full line of detectors with an over-size search coils as standard equipment.
Monte
AirmetTango
Forum Supporter
I think you're making a good choice by trying those steps first. Adjusting the shaft length obviously costs nothing to try, but can make a big difference in how nose-heavy a detector feels. Also, the 5x8 coil is an excellent addition to the AT series - not only is it a solid performer, but also the lighter weight can easily improve the strain on your wrist, especially coupled with the shortened shaft. The 5x8 coil will provide greater target separation for a very limited trade off in depth - and since you mentioned that you typically don't enjoy digging any deeper than 6-8", you likely won't notice much difference, if any, from the stock coil. The 5x8 coil is relatively low cost especially compared to a new detector rig, and if you don't mind a used coil, that can offset the cost even more. I'll PM you more about that.
One last thing I can suggest in addition to all of the excellent ideas you've gotten from other members so far: Do you use the arm strap to secure your forearm into the armcuff? I know some people (including myself) don't bother to use the armstrap, because they feel like it's too cumbersome to snake their arm out of the strap every time they need to dig a target or winter clothing/coats makes it too bulky. But swinging the detector without the strap admittedly changes the weight distribution such that your wrist bears all of the loading from the detector as well as the torque from the swing, drastically increasing fatigue. If you aren't using the strap, try it - that may help.
In terms of other options, if it comes to that, I've upgraded from an Ace 400 to an AT Max, and now to an Equinox 800. The stock Equinox definitely feels lighter and better balanced than my stock AT Max, but honestly the stock EQ800 feels about the same to me as my AT Max with the 5x8 coil strapped to it. That said, the ergonomics of detectors are highly personal - what feels right to one person feels awful to another. My best advice if you ultimately decide to trade up rigs in search of increased comfort/endurance: take the time to visit some dealers in your area even if you have to drive a ways to do it. Nothing will beat actually holding a detector in your hand and swinging it. And if you bring your current rig along, the side by side comparison might tell you all you need to know instantly!
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beephead
Elite Member
The cheapest and probably the best route would be to get the 5" x 8" search coil for your AT Pro. The stock coil is way too heavy for most anyone to swing for any length of time. I hated it! The only drawback is that the smaller search coil will only get a little over 6 inches in the ground on a dime.
If you want to feel like you are swinging a feather, give my Omega version 6 with an 8-inch concentric search coil a try. It's easier to swing than a Tesoro. BTW, the round concentric search coil is Monte's favorite on the Omega. I'll be listing it on this site for sale, maybe today or tomorrow after I take some pictures.
beephead
If you want to feel like you are swinging a feather, give my Omega version 6 with an 8-inch concentric search coil a try. It's easier to swing than a Tesoro. BTW, the round concentric search coil is Monte's favorite on the Omega. I'll be listing it on this site for sale, maybe today or tomorrow after I take some pictures.
beephead
Dflan83
Elite Member
before i sold my at pro i had the 5x8 coil as well and it made the balance very good on the at pro. highly recommend
RF1
Senior Member
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2018
- Messages
- 465
It's been mentioned several times, but I wanted to chime in regarding the 5x8 coil for the ATP. I just started using the 5x8 for the woods where I always hunt and it is surprisingly lighter and more well balanced than the stock coil. It can't weigh much less, but it sure feels lighter and easier to swing. I think you do give up a little depth, but there's not doubt that it will eek out good targets in the trash better than the stock coil. Good luck!
maxxkatt
Forum Supporter
I loved my 5x8" coil on my AT Pro. It was mostly my go to coil unless hunting open fields then used the nel thunder with a swing harness.
I am like you and had the Ace 300 and just got the AT Pro for Christmas. I got the sport set which had the 5x8 coil standard instead of the larger but just like you I get the wrist pain. I am in my early 30s and have a job that uses the computer about 70 percent of my day and I think that plays into it. You mention being smaller but I am a bigger guy and I still get the wrist pain. The only thing that helps me is making sure I keep my arm straight as well as wrists while swinging. Sadly, I have gotten in bad habits at work so I am sure the carpel tunnel and arthritis is on its way if I don't start doing it right. Hope it is of some help but not much to get around it.
Trashfinder
Forum Supporter
I have read hundreds of posts where peeps claim a detector is heavy and cannot swing it, trying to put the coil to far out from the body is the most common mistake people make. It will make a HUGE difference if you shorten your rod to the point your coil is within 12 inches of your feet. Take smaller steps and shorter swings as to make yourself more comfortable. The 5x8 coil will also make a big difference and combined with the shorter rod length you will have no problems. I learned this the hard way along 39 years of detecting.
Skippy SH13
Forum Supporter
V, one of the things that often gets missed, is the arm strap on the cuff. Are you using it? If you aren't, that's going to result in a LOT of strain put on your wrist.
The arm cuff should be just barely touching your arm (not tightly), and you should be able to slide you arm in and out of it, with little to no problem. When dropping to a knee, just point the detector out from you, and your arm will easily slide out.
The arm cuff strap will make it possible to just use a couple of fingers to "guide" the detector when you're swinging, rather than having to GRIP the handle.
I was shocked at how much strain it took off my hand and arm, when I started using it. I more than doubled my time in the field before tiring.
Of course, if you're already using it, not a whole lot this post does.
Skippy.
KevinNC
Junior Member
The F75ltd is the best most balanced detector I have used, and the most productive too.
Hi,
If you are still not certain about your ATPro I recently purchased an Fisher F44 so that my grown kids (especially my awesome daughter!) would have a fairly easy to operate and swing, mid-level detector to use instead of having to struggle with the complexities of my Deus and Equinoxes or just use a beep dig beginner detector. They really like the full featured, weatherproof, light weight F44. So do I. This is the first Fisher detector that I have tried that does really well in the really high mineralized dirt and EMI in my area.
Thanks,
Jeff
If you are still not certain about your ATPro I recently purchased an Fisher F44 so that my grown kids (especially my awesome daughter!) would have a fairly easy to operate and swing, mid-level detector to use instead of having to struggle with the complexities of my Deus and Equinoxes or just use a beep dig beginner detector. They really like the full featured, weatherproof, light weight F44. So do I. This is the first Fisher detector that I have tried that does really well in the really high mineralized dirt and EMI in my area.
Thanks,
Jeff
