What I have learned about the AT Pro w/ 5x8 coil

Allow me first to say that this technique is NOT of my own making. I learned it from NasaTom during my telephone consultation with him. Here's the technique. I have found that the square nails in the bed I am hunting are coming in around 27 to 29 on the VDI of my Garrett AT Pro. Tom had told me to find out what the nails are reading and then lower or raise the discrimination until the nails become a 'click' or 'pop' in the audio reporting. So I set my discrimination at 27. I started pulling bullets, coins, and other non-ferrous items from among the nails! But first, I created a scenario at home like this: I dug a hole and placed 4 square nails saved from the old homesite that I am speaking of in the hole at 4 corners. In the middle, I placed a 58 cal Minie Ball. I also used a Mercury dime in place of the bullet after testing with the bullet. Sure enough, the detector would NOT give any audio or visual indication that there was a non-ferrous item in the hole. (I am ground balanced at 78 and the ground is fairly mineralized) This is with Disc at 0. But then I placed disc at 27 and scanned the hole WITH ONLY the 4 nails. I got 4 pops or 4 clicks. I them placed a bullet amongst the 4 nails, or a mecury dime, and I would get a solid repeatable mid-tone. This is all with iron audio off. Again, with disc set at 27 and only 4 square nails, I would get 3 or 4 pops or clicks. I then placed a bullet ot silver dime amongst the nails and got one solid repeatable mid-tone. The VDI was bouncy and didn't give much useful info. But the audio told me that amongst the square nails was a non-ferrous item.
By now those of you who have read NasaTom's article about the F-75 and Disc at 6 and Monotone will realize that I have simply applied those principles to the AT Pro. Set your Discrimination to make those square nails click and then, when your scanning an old homesite and get a solid repeatable mid-tone, you may have unmasked a goody like I did last Saturday. I also own and use an F75SE with an extra coil (5 inch DD) and love learning what these devices are trying to tell me. Needless to say, about the only way to learn what the unit is saying is to get ready to do alot of digging. My hands are SO dry and cracking now from staying in the dirt! I hope this helps some new guy. I'm a new guy too and I would stress that we should listen to what the guys on this board have to say because many of them have been doing this for years. Happy Hunting!

Hello Kevin; very interesting post, i have T2 and on a nail infested older site i used disc 21 ;1 tone, think i will try 2 see where the square nail break point is on the T2 disc?Take care of them digits are you wearing gloves? thanks rr7

Kevin............ that is exactly the intent. Now you REALLY have a chance at enjoying this hobby.

Holy cow. That's a great post, Kevin. Very, very interesting...

Steve

Kevin - I own a new AT Pro with the 5 X 8 DD coil too.
Good Coil ! Glad I bought it !

Without any further comment from me. . .

1) How deep was the dime using the 5 X 8 and

2) How much sens. was used for this test and

3) You mentioned . . . The VDI was bouncy and didn't give much useful info.
But the audio told me that amongst the square nails was a non-ferrous item.
So, of course, the target could have turned out to be a million other things too.
I'm trying to learn / teach myself.

***Try this with your stock 8.5 X 11 DD Coil. Leave the dime exactly where it is / was
( 6" / 8" ??? ) and just spread the nails out a little bit farther.***



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2012 01:56PM by mcgov51.

Very useful post. Thanks Kevin.

mcgov51 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Kevin - I own a new AT Pro with the 5 X 8 DD coil
> too.
> Good Coil ! Glad I bought it !
>
> Without any further comment from me. . .
>
> 1) How deep was the dime using the 5 X 8 and
>
> 2) How much sens. was used for this test and
>
> 3) You mentioned . . . The VDI was bouncy and
> didn't give much useful info.
> But the audio told me that amongst the square
> nails was a non-ferrous item.
> So, of course, the target could have turned out
> to be a million other things too.
> I'm trying to learn / teach myself.
>
> ***Try this with your stock 8.5 X 11 DD Coil.
> Leave the dime exactly where it is / was
> ( 6" / 8" ??? ) and just spread the nails out a
> little bit farther.***


The dime (I also swapped the dime out for a Minie bullet) was aprrox 4 inches down. I stuck 4 nails aorund at varying depths. The reson that I even performed this test was this: all the sites that I hunt (and thankfully, two more old homesites, with permission, were added to my arsenal today) are loaded thickly with square nails!!! But I now that they have good relics amongst them because I have found items amongst the iron. It is the masked items that I want. NasaTom's article on Monotone and Disc @ 6 opened my eyes to a method of 'seeing through' the nails somewhat. But as NasaTom says, technology has only carried us so far. And I believe that NasaTom has made the best and most practical use of that technology.
As far as the sensitivity setting, I had it maxed out. Not on purpose, but rather, because I forgot to try it at different sensitivities. I am going to do alot more experimenting so that I can thoroughly learn my AT Pro AND my Fisher F75SE. I enjoy them both. Let me tell ya, after going through a site with the 5 inch DD coil on the F75, I can go back through the hunted out site with the 5x8 ich DD coil on the AT Pro and find quite a bit of stuff that the F75 missed. That does NOT mean that one is better than the other. It only means that I am learning what the AT Pro is saying.
And about point three that you made, concerning the bouncy VDI and the fact that it coulbe be a million other things? Yes, what you find may not be a dime or a bullet, but it SHOULD be a non-ferrous item. And that is what the procedure is attempting to acheive: to find non-ferrous items in a thick sea of ferrous items (bed of iron nails).
So I dig alot of stuff that isn't silver or coins or relics. I feel my nail apron up with junk pretty quick and have to dump it into the plastic container in the trunk of my car. But that is what the old heads (respectfully stated) say that I must do to learn my machines. There is no getting around digging alot of junk. But I try to keep a mental log on each thing I dig and the audio that made me want to dig it. I am very early into my learning curve. This is the fun part. Finding a Standing Liberty is awesome, but learning to detect intelligently is better by far.
I'm sorry that I am so wordy tonight guys (and gals if there are any) but I am sitting in a hospital room with my mother, who is fighting a real stubborn bacterial pneumonia. Momma is also in the seventh stage of Alzheimer's disease. And talking to my forum friends is really all I have to do. It is boring around here!!! Thanks for reading. Hapopy hunting to every one of you!!

Hey Kevin B -- real, real sorry about your mom, and the difficult time you are both having.

That being said, I appeciate your wordiness, whatever the reason! You are clearly going about learning about detecting in a systematic, logical way, and it will pay dividends. Your posts challenge me to extend my learning...

Steve

I appreciate that Steve. I hope that I am not coming across as a "newbie who wants to be able to talk like a veteran detector" and I strongly fear that I am. But reality is this: The stuff that I write in posts is just stuff that is running through my head and that I would be chatting about with a metal detcting friend if i had any. I want to emphatically state that I am a newbie. And I am enjoying being a newbie. Everyday, while using my detector, I make new discoveries and learn new things. I also enjoy reading what the veteran detectors say by searching through old posts. I can make use of their discoveries thus enhancing the enjoyment of this awesome hobby.
Also, Steve, thanks for the kind words concerning my mother. The pneumonia continues to dominate in spite of all the latest and greatest antibiotics. I am more and more depending upon Divine Intervention for an answer to her situation. kevin

Kevin...you sound like Steve G...........and that's a big compliment

Terra --

Gee! Thanks! Much appreciate those very kind words, sir! Too kind!

Kevin --

I do not think you are coming across as a "newbie trying to sound like a veteran," AT ALL. You are coming across as a THINKER, and that's a good thing!

As for your mother...nothing wrong with relying on "divine intervention." I will pray for you both...

Steve