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AT Pro standard mode is similar to the standard Ace series. AT Pro will lock onto a target seems to lock when you hover over target in a mix of other targets it will isolate it. MK does this incredibly fast but I think it can get really tricky when you have 5 tones. I like the feature on the Pro 2 tones + iron and the MK 3 tone mode but find it difficult in the MK 4 tone mode and find myself re-sweeping and crawling the coil trying to sort it all out. Be interesting to see the Apex in action on a mix of close targets and see how well it works.

Thanks for the good word, glad you like it. Paint job does look good and makes the original look a bit plain. I am busy making a batch and will post when they are ready. Here is a link to the post last year.

I noted that with my Tejon in AM mode. Makes sense now. Too bad the Tejon didn't have an isat control

Welcome Caretaker. Good place to show your finds here and plenty of good machine debates here too!

Is the Tejon that much slower than the Lobo? Have you tried the Lobo coil on a Tejon? I thought the Vaquero's frequency would be on the low side for small gold.

My AT Pro with latest firmware and 9x12 concentric audio and vdi match right to the fall off (older firmware numbers would drop off but audio was still there). The MK has very reliable numbers when gain is not maxed out. 80-85 is where the machine should be and gain above that your simply pushing the machine. In Gen Mode that the vdi #'s are just raw unfiltered response. When I say I hunt by audio first I do that to judge the target size and depth. My last large cent the numbers were all over the place and buddy passed over it with his Nox 800 for the same reason. Turned out there was a tiny bit of iron in the same spot. Coin was only 6" down. Out here hunting for size of an object has helped me more so than the numbers.

I think the location your hunt is the single most important part to finding something good followed by knowing your machine and having the right coil for the job. I hunt more by audio than vdi so if the numbers are a bit dodgy it means very little to me but that is just the way I hunt. Others keep their eyes glued to their screens.

Go through all that clad, look for some the transitional years and in particular 83 copper pennies. If you have one of those you may get yourself a nice car rather than an Amazon gift card 🙂 I saved out all my 82 copper pennies as those where the last year they were made. End of the run they changed over to zinc and the following year a few copper 83's snuck through. Other stuff to look for are miss strikes or double strikes, wheaties, war nickels and of course rosies.

Will be interesting how the Apex performs with that coil. If it gets descent depth and has a bit more punch than the width of the coil I think it will be a big hit. I say that because wide coils get slaughtered here in the northeast even in big fields because of the old iron. I actually do much better with my MK's stock coil over my other detectors because of this and not too enthusiastic about buying an 11" or 13" for these parts.

Old silver dollars can ring up like a deep can so keep that in mind. If you swing your coil at a nice slow even speed you should be able to determine the target size by how long the sound is. Takes a bit of practice. Other trick is to lift the coil off the ground. Cans will sound off good even with the coil a foot off the ground. Large silver the signal will drop off quick. Learning the area like local parks you will discover a trash line. This is where they had piled nice loam and sod over the base ground. Some parks it maybe 6" down others might be a foot. As you dig you can start to see a pattern unless you run out of 12" deep cans in the process 🙂

Last update on this. Fully charged BlackUbe Lithium rechargeable AA's last about 1 1/2 days which is almost double the internal. RnB are double that. Based this off of 19khz mode. Price wise RnB pack is around $80 and the BlackUbes are around $25. Both reliable companies with quality products.

I find that with trying to find reliable suppliers. Tried to order a new computer for work and ship date was July1st!!! I cancelled the order. Try getting anything from Amazon without paying for stupid Prime and you might as well ride your bike to the nearest warehouse and pick it up yourself. Apex is a bit of an exception as it isn't officially on the shelves yet and that promo was a pretty good teaser.

Steve G should be able to make something like that. He already makes a counter weight for the Nox.

Welcome to the forum!

Looks like they use the same shaft as the AT series so I would guess Steve's Custom Shafts would fit it. Be a cool carbon fiber option.

The multi frequency should help on depth with the Apex. I know my MK they have high gain modes that really push the machine to the limits and often push too far. Like having a car that can do 180mph but speed limit is only 65. Nice to have that under the hood but I find myself running the machine with lower gain giving me very consistent VDI readings. Do have a question though... is it possible to make a concentric for a mf machine? I know the 9x12 concentric on my ATP works very well even moderate iron.

Not newer with that square loop? Anyway of cleaning the back up a bit to see any text?

Apex stock coil is smaller than usual 8 1/2x11 stock coil. Size they chose is similar to the Kruzer series which I find really good balance between depth and easy to negotiate around obstructions. By the looks of it they really cherry picked the features on this one.

One thing I really like about my MK is the optional external batter. I have been using my RnB battery from my AT Pro in it and getting 3 days running in 19khz and still have the internal as a backup, just tossed a set of blackube's in to see if I get similar results. Wonder if there will be an external battery option on the Apex? New lithium rechargeable batteries last between 500-1000 cycles and have more than double the run time at nearly full power to an NiMH so technically they last longer. If the Apex isn't user serviceable it isn't really that big a deal to pop it in the mail back to Garrett, they do have outstanding service.

Could be no one dug that in a while. I have 3 fields that are loaded with clad and most of it is dimes and quarters. I have used all 3 of my machines and had same results on those fields. Sometimes I get a nice silver in the mix, guess kids are fussy with what they drop when it comes to lunch money. You may want to go over the area perpendicular once you pull those out and will probably find more. Good haul and great exercise on the knees! I use permethrin spray on my shoes to keep ticks away and have a hat sprayed with it for the flying insects. Lasts for about a month and keeps the bugs away. It stays on your clothes not skin. Repel, Coleman and others sell it.

AT Pro does have a slower recovery so using the sniper coils or smaller coils in those conditions would probably make the difference. I never really had a problem with aluminum smearing the hits on the AT Pro however Iron kills it especially old iron that has been in the ground and has a substantial halo. That smaller coil on the Apex looks like it will do really well in trashy areas.

Think part of the US and international coin modes may effect the audio breaks too. Having the audio lock in on a solid tone for known target can be good and bad. It definitely makes it easier to identify good targets by making that sound stand out but could be misleading if there are mixed targets shifting the values. For those that Jeff snagged stuff following guys that used AT Pro's means they happened to be inefficient on using their AT's. They could be running with Iron Audio on full time, could have not used their discrim properly or simply a swing and a miss or just ignored a tone. I can't really blame the machine as I have found quite a bit of really nice finds with my AT in areas that were picked apart by other detectorist. I can say the same with my Tejon and likewise a buddy has picked up stuff I missed with my machines with his Nox 800. I will own up to missing a target due to my fault more so than any particular machine I use. They all beep when you swing over a target, it's really up to the user to interpret that info. Granted some machines just make it a bit easier. I think Garrett is finally doing a long over due upgrade to their line and glad they took their time to let the dust settle and address the competition without a tit for tat year after year flooding the market with too many models. Smart and expect them to be in the game for a long time.

The Max uses the wireless versions but you should be able to use the wired ones from the AT Pro on the Max. AT Pro will need the Z-link kit to use the wireless headphones. The waterproof headphones for the SeaHunter MK2 will work on the AT series of detectors. Keep in mind the waterproof headphones do not have a volume adjust and are tough on the skull as they are made for diving.

Like to see it in action in the field. Looks like they did hit a sweet spot for frequency choices for most areas and for coin and relic hunting. 5-20khz is better than the Nox 600. Not being fully waterproof is a bit of a downside but suppose it is top of the line Ace series. Not sure if the other Ace coils are compatible or not. Typically All AT series can use same coils and all Ace series can use same coils. Not sure if that is possible with the MF. Going to point that machine out to buddy that uses a Max and struggles as well as another friend that uses an Ace and has been looking for an upgrade. The adjustable Iron Audio is a major step for Garrett, something they have been hounded about for ages. I suspect not too far off they will have a MF AT machine.

Want to clarify I use SP mode to the 19kzh vdi scale rather than same numbers across all frequencies. At 19khz you have more latitude in the low conductor range ie, a nickel can be as much as 7-10 points less than a square tab. SP mode does not effect depth in any way. I just muddled my message.