Garrett "upgrade/repair" update

[ML]

Back on 8/9 I had replied to someone's post that I had received my AT Pro back that had been sent in for a repair/upgrade. The repair issue was that the unit would false bell tone on every other swing until I turned the sensitivity to two or three bars, which in turn resulted in much loss in depth (couldn't hit test quarter at about 4 inches). As someone who has utilized many makes and models of detectors for the last 40 years, I figured that there was a problem. Anyway, when I received it back from Garrett and began to put the unit together, I noticed that the coil was much older and worn then the coil that was sent in. I am assuming that it had mistakenly been switched. When I contacted Garrett and informed them about this, I was told that they would send out a new coil and that I was to return the one I had received. That sounded simple enough. When questioned as to if my falsing issue had been resolved, I was informed that they had repaired the pinpoint (even though it worked ok) and that preventive maintenance had been performed. That sounded ok to me. Being that I leave for vacation tomorrow, I contacted them today to provide a status on my new coil and spoke to Sue. She was very helpfull, but unfortunately she informed me that there was no record of a coil being sent out to me, and that some type of documentation would have existed if it had been sent. Ouch! She said she would send one to me ASAP, and that if I happen to receive an extra one to send it back also. I then explained that the unit continues to false bell tone every other swing or so regardless of which coil I use and she said that it shouldn't and should be returned again for a repair. So I guess she's going back to the doctor when I return next week. I hadn't owned a Garrett since 1973 (Coinhunter), and to be honest, I am a tad disappointed at this point.

 

[1ringedingy]

I was very unhappy with my AT Pro initially so I had the upgrade done and sent a letter along when I shipped it in.

Obviously, Garrett does not believe in First in First Out. I sent my detector in Priority Mail so I know exactly when it arrived. Based upon comments posted here on this blog, all I can say is that others got theirs back before I did even though mine arrived first. The machine seems to function OK, but the AT Pro sticker is half torn off and I still have two large rainbows across the screen which they conveniently forgot to replace. I don't want to hear that this is normal - if you bought a LCD TV or computer monitor with this condition you would return it and this is the same technology. Be that as it may, I finally had to call Garrett to find out what the status was on my repair/upgrade. The woman that I spoke to was clueless and seemed to be a great candidate for a Rosetta Stone course as I could barely understand her. I finally had to email Garrett customer service and got a reply from Brad indicating that the repair was done and the detector would be shipped that afternoon. Obviously that did not happen because it did not arrive until about a week and a half later. Dallas to Baltimore via UPS does not take that long.

 

[John-Edmonton]

Although I can't really comment on your detector's issues without actually using it, I just wanted to clarify something about the sensitivity issues you brought up. Turning up the sensitivity will always give you more depth is a common myth which exists with a lot of metal detector users. Turning up the sensitivity does not necessarily give you greater depth. In higher mineralized matrix's it will cause the coil to over react to the mineralized elements in the soil, sometimes completely eliminating the the good target completely. In order to allow the coil to actually penetrate deeper, to have to turn down the sensitivity so as to not over load the coil. Now this issue becomes even more apparent when using the standard mode with the bell tone. This machine is much more sensitive in this mode compared to the ACE 150/ACE250. My own experience with this is that I have very low mineralization in my ground matrix and can run a lot of my metal detectors near or at 100%. However, using the AT Pro/Standard coil in standard mode, hunting on top of 2 feet of snow would still not allow me to hunt at 100% sensitivity. I too had to knock it back a couple of bars to get it to run stable without the bell-tone falsing. And I was still pulling coins out at 8' out of the snow.

So, the sensitivity control is NOT a power control. When used correctly, it will give you great ter depth, and that includes sometimes going back a couple of bars. Hope this helps a bit. Once you learn the Pro mode, you will get it to run more stable and use the tones to your advantage in place of the bell tone. Good luck with your issues......hope you get some great finds this summer

 

[ML]

John - I appreciate the detailed reply. I'm aware of the high/low sensitivity/depth issues that have been discussed for what seems like forever (with all detectors). I'm just concerned with the fact that with my particular unit, I can only run two to three bars from minimum to stop this constant falsing. At that low setting, it can't see a 4 inch test quarter that has been buried in my yard for years. The ground in my area usually balances at about 78-80. Is that the issue? Pro mode for me at this point is like being in the Twilight zone, and my hearing isn't the best so it's a challenge to say the least. As far as my other issues, I spoke to a Sue when I called Garrett yesterday, and she was a real pleasure to deal with. I'm taking it on vacation (leave this morning) and I'll be about 300 miles north of my home so maybe it will run a little smoother. If not, I'll contact Garrett and if need be, send it back in. I own a few other units to keep me swinging.

 

[John-Edmonton]

Good luck......hope you get some great finds!

 

[husb2230]

HOPE YOU GET EVERYTHING STRAIGHT THE AT PRO REALLY IS A GREAT DETECTOR