Vaquero depth problems :(

Tesorohunter

Jr. Member
Mar 22, 2015
20
2
N.C
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Vaquero
Tesoro Silver Umax
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Hello,
Sadly I believe my vaquero is not as hot as others. I have had it since the first of May and have become quiet familiar with the controls (ground balance, threshold), ever since i air tested it I notice somewhat mediocre depth, even while super tuned, online I have seen double and triple my depth. The reports and claims of a depth monster would make me think 7" on a quarter while super tuned is ridiculous. The machine is awesome and I want to keep it in my arsenal and I know Tesoro will try to help me. I want to hear your input before I send it in at the end of the week.
 

Fletch88

Silver Member
Mar 7, 2013
4,841
2,367
Valdosta, GA
Detector(s) used
Garrett ATPro- 8.5x11, 5x8, CORS Fotune 5.5x9.5
Tesoro Silver microMax- 8 donut, 8x11 RSD, 3x18 Cleansweep
Minelab Excalibur ll- 10" Tornado
Minelab CTX 3030
Minelab Xterra 305
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Are these tests you are doing on freshly buried coins?
 

atomicscott

Bronze Member
Aug 18, 2011
1,564
1,055
Riverside CA
Detector(s) used
Current: Nokta Makro Simplex+, Teknetics Patriot, Fisher Gold Bug (original), GP Pinpointer (Garrett Clone) Lesche. Owned: Omega 8000, Minelab X-Terra 505, Fisher F2, Tesoro Vaquero, & Compadre, Whit
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hello,
Sadly I believe my vaquero is not as hot as others. I have had it since the first of May and have become quiet familiar with the controls (ground balance, threshold), ever since i air tested it I notice somewhat mediocre depth, even while super tuned, online I have seen double and triple my depth. The reports and claims of a depth monster would make me think 7" on a quarter while super tuned is ridiculous. The machine is awesome and I want to keep it in my arsenal and I know Tesoro will try to help me. I want to hear your input before I send it in at the end of the week.

I had the same problem. I was unable to get the depths I had seen in the videos. Supertuning would get 11" on a quarter in air, but it was so unstable it was impossible to hunt supertuned. Also, the higher the sensitivity the less accurate the disc was. I sent mine back to Prescott. Was told coil was retuned and tested OK. Air tests gave me approx 1/2-1" more on a quarter (11.5" or so).
 

OP
OP
T

Tesorohunter

Jr. Member
Mar 22, 2015
20
2
N.C
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Vaquero
Tesoro Silver Umax
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Are these tests you are doing on freshly buried coins?

I have used it in the field in older areas where old coins should be and have done air tests and have not really seen the super deep seeker come out yet. i honestly do not know if there is and issue with the machine, but the depth is less than i would have liked, so that could be a problem. I just know that some are getting way more depth.
 

Fletch88

Silver Member
Mar 7, 2013
4,841
2,367
Valdosta, GA
Detector(s) used
Garrett ATPro- 8.5x11, 5x8, CORS Fotune 5.5x9.5
Tesoro Silver microMax- 8 donut, 8x11 RSD, 3x18 Cleansweep
Minelab Excalibur ll- 10" Tornado
Minelab CTX 3030
Minelab Xterra 305
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Oh I understand and have experienced the same type issue. I had an 8" Tiger Shark that the coil failed on. I decided to replace it with a 10.5" coil for a little more depth and coverage. When I got the machine back it was not as deep as it had been with the 8" coil in my test bed.
 

jld66

Sr. Member
Oct 28, 2014
250
234
Maine
Detector(s) used
Vaquero with 8x11, 8x9, 5.75 concentric coils.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
i hear you. the videos and others claim really deep. but mine just does not seem to be either. i did get a half dime at every bit of seven inches once though last year. but i think some claims are a bit exaggerated. https://youtu.be/_MIkzZySyq0 is a youtube video showing how he uses it that im gonna try.
 

Last edited:

Sandman

Gold Member
Aug 6, 2005
13,398
3,992
In Michigan now.
Detector(s) used
Excal 1000, Excal II, Sovereign GT, CZ-20, Tiger Shark, Tejon, GTI 1500, Surfmaster Pulse, CZ6a, DFX, AT PRO, Fisher 1235, Surf PI Pro, 1280-X, many more because I enjoy learning them. New Garrett Ca
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Don't believe video's!!! Some guys have to boost that their detector is better than everyone else's. Same think goes for deer rifles, cars, etc. Granted due to various electrical components being out of spec, some units are hotter or less able than others. Best to send it in an have Tesoro check it if your really worried.
 

Fletch88

Silver Member
Mar 7, 2013
4,841
2,367
Valdosta, GA
Detector(s) used
Garrett ATPro- 8.5x11, 5x8, CORS Fotune 5.5x9.5
Tesoro Silver microMax- 8 donut, 8x11 RSD, 3x18 Cleansweep
Minelab Excalibur ll- 10" Tornado
Minelab CTX 3030
Minelab Xterra 305
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
He is probably losing a ton of depth by cranking discrimination up that high. I like running just below nickel on my Silver uMax
 

OP
OP
T

Tesorohunter

Jr. Member
Mar 22, 2015
20
2
N.C
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Vaquero
Tesoro Silver Umax
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
i will send it in to tesoro just to be safe and know if it is functioning correctly. this is my first detector with ground balance and i know that ground balance will affect the depth a lot. I may need to learn the machine a little more ( I've only had for a month, maybe 13 hours on it). i know tesoro will try to help me to their fullest extent. by the way what batteries do you guys use in your vaqueros? i know this has some effect on depth.
 

OP
OP
T

Tesorohunter

Jr. Member
Mar 22, 2015
20
2
N.C
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Vaquero
Tesoro Silver Umax
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
False alarm--- When i went back to the table that i air tested on i found a lot of metal underneath and face palmed, but knowing 7" on a quarter with interference is pretty darn good. when i air tested in a location that had no interference i got the depth that i was looking for. TY for your support, GL and HH… also i will be looking at the new RSD coil as my first coil upgrade!!!
 

Hobojo

Sr. Member
Dec 9, 2013
344
275
South Orange County CA
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Compadre, Vaquero, Outlaw ,Cibola, Sand Shark,
Minelab Xterra 705, Minelab Safari.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting

scannerguy1968

Jr. Member
Jun 4, 2015
31
25
Wisconsin
Detector(s) used
Many
Current
Tesoro Vaquero
Nokta Fors Core
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Go to youtube and type in (How to hit a 12 inch quarter with a tesoro vaquero) Its posted by me as scannerguy1968. Negative ground balance.
 

jld66

Sr. Member
Oct 28, 2014
250
234
Maine
Detector(s) used
Vaquero with 8x11, 8x9, 5.75 concentric coils.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Go to youtube and type in (How to hit a 12 inch quarter with a tesoro vaquero) Its posted by me as scannerguy1968. Negative ground balance.

i do not know why your video's thread was deleted on the other forum scannerguy1968. some are asking about it. i wonder if it had anything to do with tabman finally getting booted. wonder if it was because he did not figure it out himself so, he disagreed with it and freaked out as usual. haha
 

atomicscott

Bronze Member
Aug 18, 2011
1,564
1,055
Riverside CA
Detector(s) used
Current: Nokta Makro Simplex+, Teknetics Patriot, Fisher Gold Bug (original), GP Pinpointer (Garrett Clone) Lesche. Owned: Omega 8000, Minelab X-Terra 505, Fisher F2, Tesoro Vaquero, & Compadre, Whit
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
True, screw "balancing" it to the ground, just set it negative! A tried mine negative, positive, different frequencies etc...No discernible difference. Maybe if set way too negative, but doesn't that defeat the very purpose of "ground balancing"? Lol. I can only imagine using it in a highly mineralized area and/or looking for tiny items like when prospecting, with GB so negative.
 

scannerguy1968

Jr. Member
Jun 4, 2015
31
25
Wisconsin
Detector(s) used
Many
Current
Tesoro Vaquero
Nokta Fors Core
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Don't believe video's!!! Some guys have to boost that their detector is better than everyone else's. Same think goes for deer rifles, cars, etc. Granted due to various electrical components being out of spec, some units are hotter or less able than others. Best to send it in an have Tesoro check it if your really worried.

That is my video. I hear what you are saying though. I do have quite a few detectors. And have got rid of many more. I'm about as far away from being brand specific as a person could be. Have a fors core, minelab go 60, couple tesoros, garrett at pro at this time. Plan on many more. I take them to the most ideal trashy spot and do alot of testing. A drive in theater. Along with hunting. Love figuring them out..When I got the vaq and tried it in my test bed I was not happy with it. 7 inches max. All the hype I read didn't jive. Did the supertune and helped somewhat but not great. Ran neg. Ground balance and it did the trick. Needless to say the vaq isn't going anywhere. But do know recovery is slow.
 

scannerguy1968

Jr. Member
Jun 4, 2015
31
25
Wisconsin
Detector(s) used
Many
Current
Tesoro Vaquero
Nokta Fors Core
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
i do not know why your video's thread was deleted on the other forum scannerguy1968. some are asking about it. i wonder if it had anything to do with tabman finally getting booted. wonder if it was because he did not figure it out himself so, he disagreed with it and freaked out as usual. haha
Was told it was because I monetize my videos so ads show up on the vid. Sad but doubt I'll visit that site again. Wasn't meaning to upset anyone with the video and by no means act like I know a ton about it. Discovered the negative balance trick and was very happy. Up until that I was not too impressed with the Vaq for depth. Now the darn thing is outdoing any detector I have put it up against. Sure I'm missing something that will hinder it while operating that way but have yet to find it other than a little more chattering going on.
Found a lot of coins at a drive in theater with it Sunday. The place is riddled with beaver tails, bottle caps and pop tabs. Every square foot has 2 to 10 items of junk in it. I buy detectors and turn around and sell them once I figure them out good. Always hoping for the best. The Vaq is staying. Way too reliable for telling me what is under it, deep and stashes unreal behind a seat.
 

tabman

Bronze Member
Jul 5, 2011
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Germantown, Tennessee
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Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
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White Plains, New York
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Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Turn Down Your Sensitivity!!!!! Run it no higher than 6.5 - 7 for the best depth 9 out of 10 times. Run your Discrimination just at Nickel. Put in another 40-hours and get your machine as EVENLY ground balanced as possible. Listen for quiet "Negative" breaks in the threshold - YES, learn to use the threshold! Negative breaks are the times the threshold goes quiet as you swing it over a deep target. Keep learning every day, and you will get that depth!
 

atomicscott

Bronze Member
Aug 18, 2011
1,564
1,055
Riverside CA
Detector(s) used
Current: Nokta Makro Simplex+, Teknetics Patriot, Fisher Gold Bug (original), GP Pinpointer (Garrett Clone) Lesche. Owned: Omega 8000, Minelab X-Terra 505, Fisher F2, Tesoro Vaquero, & Compadre, Whit
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Turn Down Your Sensitivity!!!!! Run it no higher than 6.5 - 7 for the best depth 9 out of 10 times. Run your Discrimination just at Nickel. Put in another 40-hours and get your machine as EVENLY ground balanced as possible. Listen for quiet "Negative" breaks in the threshold - YES, learn to use the threshold! Negative breaks are the times the threshold goes quiet as you swing it over a deep target. Keep learning every day, and you will get that depth!

I agree with you there Terry! The point of ground balance is to 'balance'! If it is not set as evenly as possible, it is not balanced.
 

scannerguy1968

Jr. Member
Jun 4, 2015
31
25
Wisconsin
Detector(s) used
Many
Current
Tesoro Vaquero
Nokta Fors Core
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Turn Down Your Sensitivity!!!!! Run it no higher than 6.5 - 7 for the best depth 9 out of 10 times. Run your Discrimination just at Nickel. Put in another 40-hours and get your machine as EVENLY ground balanced as possible. Listen for quiet "Negative" breaks in the threshold - YES, learn to use the threshold! Negative breaks are the times the threshold goes quiet as you swing it over a deep target. Keep learning every day, and you will get that depth!

I just went up to the bed and tried this in all metal mode. Pretty neat and spot on in all metal mode. Results showed that if you listen to the negative breaks it pulls in the 11 inch dime. Will break over the dime. Which is good. Running the other way it will not hit. But running this way in disc mode will not provide the threshold to go by. Or am I missing something. From what I'm seeing is the only way to hit deep coins (real deep) is run slightly negative. Proper ground balance turns it into AT Pro depth. Running negative will hit deeper than my Fors Core with the big coil. And the Core is surprisingly deep.
What interests me is why. I have not been able to mimic these results with any other current detector I have so far. Either too unstable or just doesn't work. Fors Core, Fisher F19, Garrett at pro.
I do know running negative throws disc off some. Everything reads higher is what Im seeing. Along with pinpointing deep. It makes the target grow.
Only thing I can come up with is it's letting more info through per say. Still doesn't chatter bad in the hot soil part either nor in the rusty nails surrounding coins.
 

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