At Pro questions.

[simple jack]

Hello.

I am considering the purchase of an AT Pro, and have some concerns

I have read several posts on this forum about the Pro, and have tried to keep up with some of the issues it had when it first came out, concerning water resistance, circuitry, and depth, and it seems to me that Garret has done a good job in addressing those issues.

I I know that the Pro is considered a mid-price detector, and I would like some feedback from people who use it for water hunting, and relic hunting, mainly about how it holds up being put completely under the water, and how good (or bad) it discriminates at depth.

I think that most detectors identify all targets at iron past a certain depth, and was wondering if any of you could comment on this where the AT Pro is concerned, and if this happens, what depth are you finding that going on.

My primary use for it (if I get one) is as a water machine in shallow water, and a relic machine, but depth with accurate disc. is a concern for me.

Thanks, and hope this is not opening a can of worms or anything.

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

As you can read here the Garrett AT Pro is a very capable machine. The new ones with cam locks and extended arms haven't had any issues. Best middle priced machine on the market!

Jack feel free to call me with your questions or for a great deal on one!

 

[EtracTom-AdirondacksNY]

Mine is on the way back from being upgraded from the first earliest batch when I got it last winter. Mara there said they pressure tested it in water for leakage and then sent it back to quality control to check it out once more before it went out the door back to me. I never had the chance to put it in water and I didn't want to risk it so when sent it in I requested that they please try it in a dunk tank for a length of time to see if it was water tight before returning it back to me. So that must be part of the building process that they do there before sending them out to be sold in the stores. I feel better now and won't worry about trying it now and I got a 2 year warranty now as of this Month. Deep it goes deep and is pretty acurate on the ID too. Matter of fact it will give a signal deeper on a target then the ID meter will be able to give you a reading on. That's pretty deep I'd say. I've hit 8+" deep coins and ID'd them no problems. It may jump a bit because of the depth but I bet on jewelery it will hit hard because of the 15KHZ it runs at. That is more for those types of targets and it hits on coins real good those are usually better at lower KHZ machines but this AT-PRO does just fine on them.

 

[John-Edmonton]

I use both my AT pro & AT Gold for water and land hunting. Both machines have an excellent audio system in place, and that combined with the VDI, really helps define iffy targets. The iron audio also helps define bottle caps from good targets, saving lots of time digging better targets. I haven't had any issues with water leakage. I got the 9" x 12" concentric coil because of it's larger footprint, good depth, better bottle cap ID and easy pin pointing. How deep? Depends on the coil, machine setup, minerals etc.

Below are links to relics and jewelry found by AT users.

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?79,1522378,1522378#msg-1522378

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?79,1521400,1521400#msg-1521400

 

[gmwtexas]

I purchased one of the new version AT PRO's this past summer and it's performance for the most part is good however, I've had issues with pinpointing. I called Garrett and they overnighted a new machine to me but the same is true for the replacement machine. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it will sound off with no visual, sometimes is responds with visual but no sound and sometimes it doesn't work at all. I became frustrated and ordered one of the Limited Edition Fisher F75's with the boost and cache process feature and used it exclusively for several weeks until I had it down. One day I decided to go back to my AT PRO to compare the two machines and there really is no comparison. The LE F75 far and away outperforms the AT plus the ergonomics of the Fisher leaves my PRO in the dust. I can swing the F75 all day without fatigue (I'm switching arms after about 2 hours with the AT, never need to switch with the 75) and depth, accuracy of target ID and processor speed are phenomenal. If I'm going to fault the 75, it would be variation in depths when pinpointing, I find that generally all targets are not quite as deep as it indicates. I'm going to keep my AT but it will only find service when the rains are torrential.

 

[togamac]

Hello Jack,
I happen to have two AT Pros, one upgraded, the other not upgraded. They both have low hours on them (one 22, the other 24) and both work great.
I've used both in the water (fresh) out to about chest deep and have submerged them completely. I did have an operational problem with my first one after 17 hours of use and it may have been caused by a leak; I took it to a park two days after using it in the water and it wouldn't do anything. I sent it back for repair and had it upgraded. It has been trouble free since then.
While it was gone, I missed it so much that I bought another on the Bay. My second one has not been upgraded but and has not given me any operational problems.
The one problem I did have with both units is that when used in fresh water silt would get in between the telescoping rods and bind them up. I mentioned this to Sue at Garrett and she said that she'd pass it on to engineering. I haven't come up with a homemade solution to this myself but someone on the forum suggested putting a marine grease on the rods. One way to prevent it would be to make sure your detector is not in the silt cloud when digging in water.
Hope this helps.
Mac

 

[simple jack]

That really helps a lot. Seems that Garrett has (and still is) done a good jobs addressing the very minor problems with the machine, which happens with just about every new detector that comes out (bugs to be worked out).

When I get my money saved up, I plan on trying to get one of the latest ATs to come out.

Again, thanks for the info, it really, really helps.

 

[TheGeorgiaCanuck]

I have one of the older AT-Pro's without camlocks and the longer elbow shaft. I've had no problems with it nor with pinpointing. Love this little machine!!

 

[sonnydigs]

Can't be the case with me Doc, I've only had this one email address.. Not sure what happened but I never got one.. Well it's up and running now.. We just roll with the changes and hope it all gets sorted out.. I'm sure for the most part it will..

 

[Mark652]

Hi Simple Jack. I use an AT Pro mostly for relic hunting, though I have used it at the beach as well. First to the water use, I took it to the Atlantic beach in the Fall and after a day of use it died on me. When I got home I sent it to Garrett and they completely replaced all the electronics and the coil and turned it around in less than 2 weeks. About 2 weeks after I got it back I had occasion to use it in a fresh water lake and submerged it several times until the control box was under water. I used it in this environment for about 4 hours and it never gave me a problem at all. I found a bunch of trash, some coins, both old and new, and two rings, one silver and one gold. But mostly I use the AT Pro for relic hunting and I have found it to be an outstanding relic detector. It goes deep, I have pulled small coins, like early 1800s half dimes, from depths of 9 inches and larger coins like large cents from 12 inches. Most of the depths I am finding relics at are between 6-9 inches but it does go deeper. I found a Confederate block "I" button at about 9 inches and the signal was clear and crisp. I am very, very happy with my AT Pro, if you want to see what I found this past year, Garrett is featuring an article I wrote in the Winter edition of Searcher that just came out. My summary article is on page 4 in Searcher and there is a full article hot linked on the web site. If you buy the AT Pro I think you will be very happy with it, and if you have any problems with it Garrett is outstanding with their service. Good luck, Marks652

 

[GoGoGopher]

If it ain't broke...Don't fix it...if you have one of the older units and it works fine...Why fix it...I would probably get the middle rod with the camlocks for it though...

HH,

 

[marcomo]

I purchased one of the new version AT PRO's this past summer and it's performance for the most part is good however, I've had issues with pinpointing. I called Garrett and they overnighted a new machine to me but the same is true for the replacement machine. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it will sound off with no visual, sometimes is responds with visual but no sound and sometimes it doesn't work at all. I became frustrated and ordered one of the Limited Edition Fisher F75's with the boost and cache process feature and used it exclusively for several weeks until I had it down. One day I decided to go back to my AT PRO to compare the two machines and there really is no comparison. The LE F75 far and away outperforms the AT plus the ergonomics of the Fisher leaves my PRO in the dust. I can swing the F75 all day without fatigue (I'm switching arms after about 2 hours with the AT, never need to switch with the 75) and depth, accuracy of target ID and processor speed are phenomenal. If I'm going to fault the 75, it would be variation in depths when pinpointing, I find that generally all targets are not quite as deep as it indicates. I'm going to keep my AT but it will only find service when the rains are torrential.

Different strokes for different folks.

I had a F75 LTD and it was my main detector for about a year. It is a fine machine for sure. But as a coin-shooter significantly more than a relic hunter, I like the AT Pro better. Better audio, better ID at depth, less sweep speed dependent, way less prone to EMI. The ergonomics of the F75 are hard to beat, but the Garrett upgrade arm cuff extension or Kenny House's Garrett Gizmo makes a night and day difference and makes the AT comfortable for me.

The F75 is optimistic to say the least when it comes to depth readout. I'm sure those in the know at First Texas would deny it, and I won't get into the positive psychology for the user and marketing advantages for the manufacturer that make me suspicious that the exaggerated depth readout is intentional. Suffice to say that many who find a coin at a true depth of 7" will gladly say it was found at 9" because that's what the depth readout says.

 

[gmwtexas]

I'm not aware of the Garrett Gizmo, I'll need to look into that. I believe I have the upgraded extension in so far as the machine Garrett sent me last about 3 months ago was supposed to be with all of the latest features. I'd like to use the AT more so maybe the Gizmo will be the trick. Thanks