New Detector

[darnoc]

Greetings:

I recently purchased a Tesoro Sand Shark detector and have read the manual several times. I'm used to using a VLF machine and the pulse induction has me puzzled as far as the " set up ". Wondering if anyone uses the Sand Shark and might be able to give some pointers or direction on the set up phase ?

 

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[DeepseekerADS]

Well, you're going to need a very sturdy scoop for one thing

 

[froggy38383]

I prefer the VCO mode, threshold barely audible, the pulse width at preset. Volume at a comfortable level. My objective is to obtain maximum depth and sensitivity. Practice will enable you to determine the size and depth of your target. Hairpins often make a double blip. Great detector for sandy beaches, wading, salt water beaches. Be ready to do a lot of digging.

 

[Bill G]

I prefer the VCO mode, threshold barely audible, the pulse width at preset. Volume at a comfortable level. My objective is to obtain maximum depth and sensitivity. Practice will enable you to determine the size and depth of your target. Hairpins often make a double blip. Great detector for sandy beaches, wading, salt water beaches. Be ready to do a lot of digging.

Great advice froggy38383,

Also congrats on the new Sand Shark darnoc, I love mine.

I like both modes depending on my mood and normally run the pulse around the 2 or 3 o'clock position give or take a little past the pre set. I adjust an audible low threshold and a comfortable volume. The Sand Shark is an easy detector to adjust. Also read the manual a few times if new to the unit. Take care of the Sand Shark keep it clean and it will take care of you.

Happy Hunting,
Bill G

*Tesoro Tejon
*Tesoro Vaquero
*Tesoro Sand Shark
*Whites M6

 

[Terry Soloman]

FIRST, go back to page 12 in the manual and MAKE SURE you have set your tone frequency to match YOUR hearing the best. Do you hear high or low tones better? Next, set your pulse width to about 3/4 power (2-230pm position). Turn your threshold up to where you can barely hear it above the waves and wind noise - like a mosquito hum, and use the machine in NORMAL mode.

DO NOT just walk up or down the beach in one direction or the other! Pick yourself a 50-yard long beachfront, and start gridding it. You start at the wet sand high mark and detect right into the water thigh-deep, move over a step and detect right back up to the high wet sand mark.. Rinse and repeat until the whole 50-yards or 5-hours is done.

Slight “Positive” signals are also called “whisper” signals. This is a very soft or slight, almost unnoticeable, rise in the threshold signal. It will always be repeatable over the target — not random. If your threshold is set too high, or too low, you can miss them easily. If your threshold is not smooth you can miss these whisper signals easily. There can be a couple of reasons, including EMI, for an unstable threshold. The most common is too much pulse width. Sometimes you can max it out, sometimes you can only run it at the 12-1 o’clock position. It depends on the beach. If you want to make your machine more sensitive and cut down on interference, make sure you are not wrapping your coil wire close to the coil down on the lower plastic rod (see photo).

“Negative breaks,” are also referred to as whisper signals. This is when the threshold gets quieter, or goes away completely over the target. Again, negative breaks are always repeatable over a real target — not random. As you remove a little sand from over the target and re-sweep with your coil, the signal becomes a slight or stronger positive signal.
I use “Normal” mode, because it is easier for me to hear these positive and negative breaks in the threshold — that does not hold true for everyone. It takes time on the headphones to learn to recognize whisper signals, usually over 100-hours. Sometimes actually speeding up your swing back and forth helps to recognize these signals. The general rule however is always to SLOW down and pay attention.

I’m right-handed, so I swing the Sand Shark with my left arm. I mount the box up high and use the arm strap so that I let go of the detector and use my left hand to remove the target from the scoop. The arm strap keeps the detector right there attached to me, but gives me the ability to use both hands. Lastly, using your scoop effectively takes practice in the water. I put my toe just in back of the pinpointed target then place my scoop right in front of my toe for the recovery. This works well with practice. You’ll learn to time the waves. Hope this helps you, and feel free to PM me with any other questions or explanations.

 

[DiggerinVA]

Also, if you swing the coil slowly across a target from all directions....most iron junk will have a noticeable "break" in the tone from atleast one direction. Once I figured this out it greatly reduced the amount of iron I dug up on the beach.