Chipk
Elite Member
What feedback can anybody give me on how an ATP performs at the beach in wet sand and in the water?
ATPro in saltwater
- Thread starter Chipk
- Start date
Seven
Forum Supporter
I used mine at Gulf Shores and it worked fine... Did have to turn down sensitivity.
It will work in the wet, but you will have to sacrifice depth for stability. As plain and honest as I can be. For recent drops the AT Pro can find them. But people with multi frequency machines are hitting deeper than you in the wet. People with PI machines are hitting a lot deeper than you. If you know that gold sinks quickly and depth is everything on a beach you have your answer. In the water you have to ask yourself how deep can one dig a hole before it fills in? So you might be on more of an equal field there.
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rfjuice
Elite Member
I use my AT-Pro when I hit the beach once a year. I found a matchbox car at 16 inches(approximately) last year in the wet sand. I did have to turn down senstivity a few notches but was still getting coins @ 8+ inches in the sand(wet and dry).
Water is definitely a good conductor as 8" is about the max for mine on land.
Water is definitely a good conductor as 8" is about the max for mine on land.
scout23
Elite Member
I hunted myrtle beach wet sand and shallow water, gb was at 15 and sens was about half. No problems and dug clad quarter at about 10" at water line. Be sure to gb whenever you change sand conditions, wet to dry ect. Mine auto gb to around 22 and dropped manually to 15. GL. Tom
If you have an AT Pro already and want to try it at the beach, go for it. You wont get the depth of the Multi-Frequency VLFs or PIs but it should work on stuff up to 8" or so?
Now if you are thinking about buying an AT Pro for use at mainly saltwater beaches, keep looking... multi-frequency machines get probably 50% more depth, and PIs probably get double the depth on wet salty sand.
Now if you are thinking about buying an AT Pro for use at mainly saltwater beaches, keep looking... multi-frequency machines get probably 50% more depth, and PIs probably get double the depth on wet salty sand.
Firstring
Senior Member
What does Garrett say about it? They are the experts on it.
Silverfishin
Elite Member
Totally agree, I tried my AT in the salt water once. Never again. Didnt seem worth it. On the dry beach wasnt bad though.
metaladdict
Elite Member
Mine doesn't work well around the wet black/minerals but I don't think there is much minerals in Fl?
Firstring
Senior Member
"We are happy that you`re pleased with your AT Pro. In order to get the best performance in your salt water beach environment , Garrett suggests you use a PI detector ( pulse induction ) instead of a VLF detector. As mentioned in the owner`s manual , the saltwater environment is challenging for any Continuous Wave (VLF) detector..."
TnRob
Full Member
AT Pro Great at Beaches
Just like the guys said, turn down the sensitivity and you will be amazed at the performance...
Just like the guys said, turn down the sensitivity and you will be amazed at the performance...
Briman05
Elite Member
I have heard mixed things about the AT Pro in the water some say it works some say its a waste of time
Onaug
Elite Member
If you strictly hunt the beach then there are better proven machines. If you want an all around good most place machine the ATPro is great. I can confirm that wet sand at the shoreline is the zone for the ATPro. I can also confirm at extremely low tides you will do just fine as well at the right settings and swing slow. I have dug enough successful deep holes to know the depth is there. I couldn't imagine digging much deeper regularly. And it does fine on the black wet sand too.
Regularly set your ground balance. Set your sensativity just shy of the falsing. All metal and dig all consistent signals.
Regularly set your ground balance. Set your sensativity just shy of the falsing. All metal and dig all consistent signals.
I must have been doing something wrong because I couldn't get the thing to settle down on the wet black sand on Block Island no matter what I did. Changed settings, ground balance, sensitivity, slowed down, swing slow - you name it - nothing worked.
It was fine in the dry sand and in the wet sand that wasn't black but that wet black sand was tough.
Black sand mineral properties will make a single frequency machine go bonkers. You hear from people how they had no trouble at all with the AT pro while wet sand hunting. Why? They were not hunting black sand. Minelab and other multi frequency machines are made to handle this environment. But there is a trade off for them as well. They will lose the ability to find low VDI gold once it gets to a certain depth. Some people call it small gold dead. This is where a PI detector can make a big difference. As long as the trash and iron allow for it. So there you have it. Three different kinds of detectors all with their limitations. No detector does it all. And finding gold on certain beaches requires an operator to use their brain and detector.
NMsilver
Elite Member
Are you using the DD or a concentric coil? I changed to using DD coils exclusively on my Vaquero. They are indispensible for prospecting- lots of black sand-filled arroyos(washes) out here that made the Vaq. with stock concentric coil impossible to use. Our ground out here is ridiculously mineralized as well. I've even detected quite successfully on tailings piles with the DD coils.
The DDs work great for me even on almost pure black sand.
I understand your BS is not wet with salt water, but I've used my setup in San Diego in the saltwater with decent results as well.
Yousername
Elite Member
according to garrett the ATP is multifreq, it has like 3 or 4 freqs it can operate on.
Thats a good point and I remember them discussing it in relation to power lines etc. Has anyone actually tried to change the frequency to see if it worked better in the salt under different frequencies? It didn't seem like it was enough of a change to matter but worth trying I guess.
