Love the AT Gold but...

[JohnApthorp]

I live in Central NSW - Australia. Yesterday I drove the 400kms to our closest beach for Christmas. This morning at 0400hrs, I grabbed the AT Gold & headed for the beach. It was still an hour & a half before sunrise - the first day after the world was supposed to end. For a while I thought I was the only survivor as it was 2 hrs before another person showed up.
I pushed all the buttons on the Pro before it came to life - I had forgotten to bring a torch & also forgotten the exact position of the on/off button on the pro. Eventually I thought I had it set up right as it beeped when I dropped one of our coins down & waved the coil over it.
Over the next hr, I found several coins & when the sun came up & I was able to read the digital display - I said something a little stronger than Homer Simpsons " Doh!"
I had just detected about 100 square meters in discrimination mode 2 - the mode that eliminates most of our good coins.

I switched back over to discrimination mode 1 & picked up $20 over the next hr. My fault as I should have taken a torch.

If there is 1 thing that would really improve this otherwise excellent machine, would be for Garrett to include a illumination light in their displays. This would help people who detect beaches before the sun comes up & detect gold via the full moon.
Otherwise this is an excellent machine - it paid for breakfast at McDonalds for both the Wife & Myself.

I also hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas & all the best for 2013 - make a go of it because if you are reading this, then you missed the worlds end in 2012.

Gary.

 

[B.RATNY]

Yes a backlight would be nice, but all in all sounds like you had a great outing.
HH Butch NY

 

[surf n turf]

Hey Gary, You might try one of those "squeeze" lights found at home improvement and hard wear stores. They hook on to your key chain and are very handy
in a pinch.
HH, Dale

 

[JohnApthorp]

Had an excellent outing - we don't get to the beach that often. Definately love the AT Gold better than the wife's AT Pro. She as already pointed out that I get a third of the fun - she swings & finds the targets, I dig, she collects the finds. What's fairer than that?
"G"

 

[mudpuppy]

Yeah! What Swinger said...I have expeienced the same thing, beach hunting in the dark, with no idea what the settings were, and hoping for the best! Thats some good loot!
Mud

 

[MikeLab]

You can get an inexpensive LED light that fits on your hat or headband. Might be able to spot snakes, et.

 

[William-NM]

Yes, a backlight would be nice. I don't usally hunt in the dark, but lately, I've been hitting some interesting targets just as the sun is fading... I finally added a cheap ($5 Rayovac) LED flashlight to my backpack. It's super light, bright and gets 18 hours on 3 aaa batteries. Came in handy last night digging some tokens out of an old railyard.

 

[Atlas]

I've got some of the small key chain LED lights. One of those could be taped - attached to the control housing. A head lamp is good because you can use it when digging etc.

A backlight would be good but with the small battery compliment of the ATG it would drain the batts quicker but for the convenience that may not be an issue.

 

[broadestpower]

That sure was an eventful morning, you started off with a good laugh
and ended with a heavy pocket and breakfast for two.

No bling?

 

[grumpysrb]

I use the ACE 350, and am waiting on the AT Pro to arrive. A back light would be nice even in the daylight for me. Often the glare from other light sources, usually the sun, or my sunglasses keep me from seeing the display. A back light would probably help in those too. But, how much more will these machines cost for a convenience.