BEFORE you buy your AT Pro Headphone Adapter...

[Muddyshoes]

Before you buy your AT Pro headphone adapter that allows you to use standard 1/4" jack headphones, consider how much water hunting you will be doing.

The instruction sheet that comes with the adapter gives two options for connecting this (see photos from instruction sheet below.)

The first option is a more permanent hookup and requires you to remove the plastic stand, AND the foam rubber grip and run the cable through the grip. THEN you slide the grip back down the tube with the cable. The stand has to be removed to allow you to slip the grip off, run the wire through, and then slip the grip back on. The wire is then tie-wrapped underneath the plastic stand/arm rest.

The second option basically allows the cable to hang, but which is still attached with tie wraps and seems very precarious.

I mention this, because the prospect of going back and forth between land and water hunting could make this a pain, depending upon what your patience level is, and I wonder how the constant attaching and removing of the waterproof connector at the housing could affect the integrity of the O-Rings. Because I plan on water hunting with some frequency now, I don't look forward to having to change this back and forth. In either of those scenarios, it will involve time connecting and disconnecting this adapter as you don't want to do water searching with the adapter on and standard headphones in my opinion. One dunk and it could damage or cause your headphone jack and/or the Garrett headphone adapter to rust or corrode.

I think what I may end up doing is splicing the headphone cable just a couple inches below where they come out of the headphones themselves. This way, the stock headphone cable will always stay attached to the machine, and I can change headphones with a simple plug and unplug way up high at the headphones themselves.

Maybe the Garrett folks will give me my Christmas wish one day of Bluetooth wireless headphones and then none of this will be a problem.

For what it's worth...

- Muddyshoes

 

[KCK]

Here's what I did easier on off! I thought the same things you did when I saw those instructions!

 

[Muddyshoes]

Yeah, that's pretty slick. I wish there was more finger clearance at the locking ring area of the control housing. Your setup definitely makes it cleaner.

- Muddyshoes

 

[zaxfire69]

Yeah I wish i would have done this now. I made my own adapter a few months ago and this summer plan on going surf hunting. I think your idea would have saved me some cash. I bought the Submersible Garrett Headphones today. I'm gonna test them out for sure.

 

[Oak]

I think the answer is just use tie wraps. That are cheap and you can just cut them off when you want to use the water proof headphones.

Good luck and HH

 

[Muddyshoes]

No complaining .. you asked for the adapter and now you got it. I think the answer is just use tie wraps. That are cheap and you can just cut them off when you want to use the water proof headphones.

Good luck and HH

Well, technically, I never asked for it, but I did think it was a good idea at the time when OTHERS asked for it. But that was before I found those 5 rings on my first water hunt last week. Now I've got a new water scoop, a gallon of sun block and a dorky looking sun hat. Fortunately I've got a boatload of black tie wraps as I use them for other things.

- Muddyshoes

 

[dahut]

I used to run my water detector with the control housing under the arm cuff. This meant the coil cable was run down the rod and looped around the hand grip like the headphone cable in the second pic. And everyone who swings a White's 'black box' detector is used to that. It's not really a big deal.
As for the tie wraps, the answer is simple - Velcro straps. A couple of them looped around the cable and rod will hold the cable securely.
I wouldn't screw the adapter plug to the arm cuff, either. Again, Velcro comes to the rescue here. A large patch of it attached to the cuff underside and a loop wrapped around the adapter plug would take care of the attachment. Or you could affix a strap of the stuff under there, too.
This way the adapter cable could be easily removed for water hunting.
As for taking the plug on and off for frequent water hunting, well - be careful is all I can say. This is going to be a weak point no matter what you do.
Keep some silicone grease handy and make sure the o-rings are well lubricated at all times. Make sure no sand or grit gets into the seal.
The connection doesn't need to be tighter than a dicks hatband, either. Just finger tight is good, as long as all the o-rings are clean and in good shape.

In the future, Garrett should loo towards a more robust connector for the headphones. In the long run, I think the best answer is TWO detectors - one for land and the AT-Pro for water.

 

[Muddyshoes]

Yeah, that might work, Dahut. Velcro cable wraps, the kind we PC geeks used to wrap bundles of electrical wiring behind a computer desk. Quick on.. quick off.. quick dry.. inexpensive.. In Garrett AT Pro Black, of course

- Muddyshoes

 

[Oak]

n/t

 

[dahut]

Yeah, that might work, Dahut. Velcro cable wraps, the kind we PC geeks used to wrap bundles of electrical wiring behind a computer desk. Quick on.. quick off.. quick dry.. inexpensive.. In Garrett AT Pro Black, of course

- Muddyshoes

Of course!

PS I am personally fond of red, however. My road cycle has all kinds of red highlights on it.

 

[rogue]

I used velcro straps....I switch back and forth all the time and go under water.....haven't had any oring issues as of yet...just big fat finger issues..lmao