TEST RESULTS USING DIGGER 27's METHOD of THUMBING DISC. KNOB UP AND DOWN.

[ToddB64]

} Hello Compadre Fans !

I've been reading many of Digger27's posts and have picked up some good ideas for improving the way I operate my Compadre, especially his method of deciding what kind of target is most likely under the coil, by thumbing the Disc. Knob up-scale (clockwise) until the signal is lost and then back down (counter-clockwise) until the signal just starts to come in again and listening carefully to analyze the signal characteristics.

So I decided to do some backyard testing with a few target samples and record the results on the following document for field reference. I plan to try this out at a couple of local village parks this coming week and will report the outcome on this thread afterward.

ToddB64


COMPADRE METAL DETECTOR (5.75" COIL)....DISC. KNOB INDICATOR AT TARGET SIGNAL RESPONSE POINT(S)
TESTS PERFORMED BY: TODD E. BROCK ON 9-24-2016
TEST CONDITIONS AND TARGET ANALYSIS PROCEDURE :
* TARGETS LAID ON GRASS, SPACED 14" APART AND PUSHED DOWN FLAT.
* GAMMA 6000 DETECTOR USED TO DETERMINE GROUND MINERALIZATION
USING GROUND GRAB SETTING AND OPERATING MANUAL INSTRUCTIONS.
GROUND GRAB VALUE WAS 66 . OTHER SETTINGS : SENSITIVITY 80, VOLUME 10.
* USED DIGGER 27 METHOD TO FIND FULL SIGNAL RESPONSE POINT & DETERMINE LIKELY TARGET (SEE STEPS 1. THROUGH 4. BELOW).
1. COMPADRE COIL MOVING SLOWLY LEFT TO RIGHT 4"- 5" ABOVE EACH TARGET.
2. DISC. KNOB INDICATOR DIALED CLOCKWISE UNTIL NO TARGET RESPONSE HEARD.
3. DISC. KNOB INDICATOR DIALED COUNTER-CLOCKWISE UNTIL TARGET RESPONSE HEARD.
4. TARGET ANALYSIS : COMPARE POSITION OF DISC. KNOB INDICATOR AT FULL SIGNAL RESPONSE WITH TEST RESULTS BELOW.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TARGET SIGNAL RESPONSE TYPE AND RESPONSE POINT ON COMPADRE FACE PLATE :
BUFFALO OR INDIAN HEAD 1937 USA NICKEL > FULL SIGNAL RESPONSE ½ WAY BETWEEN “L” IN FOIL & 5c.
JEFFERSON 1971D USA NICKEL > FULL SIGNAL RESPONSE ¾ WAY BETWEEN “L” IN FOIL & 5c, NO SIGNAL AT 5c.
JEFERSON 2002P USA NICKEL > FULL SIGNAL RESPONSE AT 5c, CLICKS & POPS AT “P” IN PULL TAB.
NEW STYLE “STAY” TAB > FULL SIGNAL RESPONSE BETWEEN 5 & c, NO CLICKS & POPS BETWEEN 5c & PULL TAB.
OLD STYLE “BEAVERTAIL” PULL TAB > FULL SIGNAL AT PULL TAB, CLICKS & POPS BETWEEN PULL TAB & 1c ZN.
LINCOLN MEMORIAL 2001D USA CLAD CENT (ZINCOLN) > FULL SIGNAL RESPONSE AT 1c, CLICKS & POPS AT ZN.
LINCOLN MEMORIAL 1974 USA CENT 95% COPPER > FULL SIGNAL RESPONSE ALL THE WAY TO MAX.
ROOSEVELT 2011P USA DIME COPPER-NICKEL CLAD > FULL SIGNAL RESPONSE ALL THE WAY TO MAX.
WASHINGTON 1993P USA QUARTER COPPER-NICKEL CLAD > FULL SIGNAL RESPONSE ALL THE WAY TO MAX.

 

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[digger27]

Coooool!
I have been doing it like this for a long time, dug a ton of trash learning but over the years I have settled into digging most targets that just come in solid when thumbing down, those with many or even just a few clicks, pops and noise before they firm up, most anyway, I usually leave in the ground.
The ones that come it totally silent, nothing and then they just appear, get dug every time all the way up and down the range.
Sometimes I do dig some of the noisy as they come in targets if I hear something in that tone that triggers my digging instincts.
Hard to explain exactly what I am hearing that makes me do this but it happens from time to time.
Overall a fairly rare occurrence and I can't recall many, if any, that were actually good targets on these but sometimes it is just better to be safe than sorry.
Masking trash can cause strange things to happen out there but I have so much confidence in the recovery speed and target separation abilities and that extra sharp disc range this thing has plus my surprisingly good track record avoiding most of the noisier trash it doesn't happen very often.

Observations...
Nickels are weird, as you can see that old one came in below the nickel area and I have come across many modern ones that came in a bit iffy, also not at the 5 cent mark and noisy but don't know why.
Most other coins just come in quiet...they just appear thumbing down but nickels maybe not.
The last time I took out my Compadre I found a 1917 buff in a very trashy site.
It was not the most solid signal, didn't hit right on the nickel spot either but I had found other buffs in this area before so I went after it anyway even though it was not within my digging rules.
This is why I never calibrate and adjust that knob to hit nickels dead on that 5 cent mark like some do, my preferred way is to have zincolns come in at exactly 3:00 all the time every time, and if they are in good shape and not eaten away they usually do on the small and 7" coil models.
I did find a tiny bit more play in this area using the 8" donut coil version but even that is not really a big deal.
The good thing is all the gold I have found with my Tesoros always came in quiet, even in that nickel range, sharp on the ends and solid.
None were deeper than 5" but most of my targets rarely lie deeper than 5-6".

That sta tab that came in solid, some trash will do that and you can't avoid it.
I do dig trash but most of it, (80-95% or so), will usually come in way noisier.
Exceptions are tabs like this that are flat in the ground and run parallel in relation to the coil surface.
Luckily most tabs are not laying exactly flat but at a slight or odd angle which tends to generate more noise thumbing down...those pops and clicks.
Other trash might come in solid too for several reasons, compressed pieces of layers if aluminum foil especially if they are coin shaped, condiment packages and those evil foil caps you peel off of drink bottles if they are flat in the ground and not crumpled up, certain shaped can slaw pieces, folded over beaver tail tabs laying flat and more, but the bulk of it does not in my observations.
I actually experimented on those foil peel off tops because they can be bothersome in trashy parks and found a way to ID most of them but that entails holding the coil up at a different angle which will usually generate more noise if you get that angle just right but it takes longer to do this and figure them out so I mostly just bite the bullet and dig them.
It's a numbers thing in this case, overall it takes less time to dig them and move on then to do all that coil manipulation stuff.
That, plus the fact that the ones that are solid come in at the same area and act exactly like some smaller gold foil area rings I have found.
Can't be lazy when you are looking for gold...even the smaller stuff.

Flattened steel old and rusty crown caps can fool you and come in pretty solid and noise free if they are also laying flat but on these they usually disc out at the top end and come in slightly lower as you thumb down thanks to that concentric coil.
They could come in just a hair lower, a very small move of that knob, but dimes, copper cents and quarters don't ever disc out at all so you can identify all of these different targets most of the time.
European Compadre versions sometimes come with DD coils and telling these apart these might be a problem on those models as they can be on any detectors using DD's.
On the USA Compadres not even an issue.

As I said I dug car loads of trash of all kinds in the past before I settled on these rules I dig by, as my confidence grew my trash digging went down so even if I do happen to miss something out there I don't know about it, I no longer worry about it and don't care.
I just figure I will catch it on the next visit, positive thinker that I am.

Most of the time hitting any target from a 90 degree direction will show the same behavior both ways whether it is on either good or bad targets, good is usually good from all directions and bad is usually bad from all directions...not many one way hits were ever good ones for me either over the years.
Others might have had different experiences on one way shallow hits but I gotta go with mine and what I have seen when I used to dig every one.
Iron rusty nails that can false into the higher coin ranges are usually different from two directions and they are usually not really solid, repeat in exactly the same spot or come in clear from any direction like coins do.

As far as speed with practice you can get really fast at this method even though you are spending that short time thumbing the knob making short swings over each target.
Hunting with others I still usually dig way more targets than most and considering the ones I do dig are more of the higher percentage solid types I usually do very well in the treasure area and still dig less trash.

I don't look at the knob position at all at first, I make side to side swings, usually with my disc set pretty low, and when I hear a solid sharp tone I stop and make some quick side to side swipes as I do that thumb up and slowly down thing.
Those that come in solid and clear with little or no noise I stop for half a second, glance at the knob position and then dig.
Once in awhile I do turn and hit targets from 90 degrees, a second opinion as it were, but most times single direction info is usually enough.
After doing this for so long on most I don't even have to look at the knob to have a pretty accurate idea of where it is pointing, I thumb up all the way to max most of the time and it is like my thumb knows how far down that knob travelled coming back but that comes from practice acquiring and thumbing over thousands upon thousands of signals...whether I ended up digging them or not.

Just my way if doing it, a high percentage way comparatively but digging the amount of trash I used to dig is no longer fun for me so I settled into this and still seem to find more than my share of great things even in heavy trash or iron.
If people want to set the knob and dig everything that beeps above it or dig all signals they come across out there that is fine if that is the way they want to do it.
There is no wrong way to do this hobby, just your particular way to enjoy it and we are all different.

Have fun, let us know how it goes.

 

[ToddB64]

Greetings digger27 !

Thanks for the "Coooool!" compliment and especially all the great info. in your reply post #2 !

I Edited my post #1 again today to improve appearance for easier reading (But no changes on the basic info.), so you might want to take a little peek at the new version.

I may have to postpone hunts to the parks this week to practice your thumbing method, but will report results in this thread when I do eventually go. Reason for the delay is I have recently been diagnosed with Parkinsons disease and my doctor doesn't think it's safe for me to drive, despite the fact I'm on medication. Grrrrrrr ! So my wife drives me everywhere, but her allergies are acting up this week and she shouldn't go outside right now with leaf mold in the air. Our late-September weather has been rain and sun off & on and windy. Too bad, because today is cooler, with bright-blue skies, big puffy white clouds and breezy, but rain is predicted the rest of the week. Oh well, such is life and I do have many blessings to count !

Thanks much for your many helps !

ToddB64

 

[ToddB64]

Hi digger27 !

Glad to report I tried your method of thumbing the dial up and down the conductivity arc on my Compadre during several hunts at parks recently, all with good results ! Found handsful of mixed Quarters, Dimes, Nickels, Copper Pennies and Clad Zincers and avoided some trash targets that came in rough-sounding rather than solid hits from all directions when hunting in All Metal. But to be safe, I dug some trash even though the signal faded out at Iron, so as not to miss any low-conductivity jewelry items.

Since I have both Type 1 Diabetes and Parkinson's disease, it's not safe for me to drive anymore, so my wife drives me to the parks and waits while I hunt and 2 hours is the limit of my energy nowadays. But using the Compadre along with your thumbing-the-dial method and my Garrett Pro-pointer AT makes every hunt profitable in that short time !

Thanks again for all your helpful posts.

ToddB64

 

[digger27]

You're welcome.
On those low conductivity items...on the gold I found with my Compadre every one came in solid with no noise and well within my rules for digging.
So far anyway, but gold is not a metal I usually worry about missing too much...If it's out there and I get my coil over it I believe I will usually dig it because the Compadre seems to love to hit on this metal, hard and solid, from large to small.
I have mentioned that out of all the coins nickels might act a bit strange on some, not come in completely silent like other coins usually do but the good news is nickel area gold does not act this way...those are usually a dig me signal all the way.
Again...so far.
Some low area chains might be a little iffy but the Compadre seems to be able to find these things as well if not better than anything out there also.
Here is a blurry vid of a small gold ring found in extreme trash next to a picnic pavilion.

[video]https://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=_KUzKZ9pOic[/video]

Dug a little trash that day, a few pieces of the more solid ones but not much, and went after the very solid stuff for the most part that came in quiet with no noise like all those coins.
This thing really stood out using this method even though it was surrounded by a bunch of tabs, foil and little bits of can slaw...kind of a needle in a haystack thing but as I keep saying, what works, works.

I dug lots of trash gaining confidence and getting good at this method but over time I dug less and less to get to this point so it is a process.

This high percentage method seems perfect for you in your condition and like with anything the more practice the better you get.

 

[Stoof2010]

I too have found nickels to be funny which is why when I set my knobs, I set them all to the same penny. They are much more stable. The only ones that are a little bit off are really new featherlight ones.
But I can't use nickels because it seems that even a nickel one year earlier or later can disc out differently.

But I use this method as well with all my Tesoro detectors. Works well for me. Doesnt really help make a decision to dig recently as it used to. Now if it's repeatable from both ways and above iron I dig it. Even some that aren't perfect.
That gold hides all over the spectrum.
But I still do it as an exercise, plus I leave the knob so after I dig I can try and remember where whatever target I found fell out.
Happy hunting!!!

 

[luvsdux]

I've been using this method with good results for quite a while now. Works well for me.
luvsdux

 

[gentleone444]

Used your method today with my Mojave at the tot lot...really helped! After an hour I was able to pretty much tell the difference between zincolns and quarters...all clad but i was happy to dig only 2 pull tabs. Thanks so much!

Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk

 

[Terry Soloman]

Thumbing the disc knob is something almost all accomplished Tesoro users do - when they are A) tired; B) fat & lazy; C) old & disabled.

The rest of us ground balance, set the discrimination at foil, and start digging. We get behind the "Thumber" guys and gals, and dig the gold they were too "A,B, or C" to bother with.

 

[digger27]

I have thumbed the knob from day one using both a Vaquero and a Compadre and found tons of great treasure including much more than my share of gold while avoiding trash doing it this way also...with both detectors.
I consider myself more than accomplished, and others have hunted this same way and found tons.
What is stupid is people listening to some fool who decides there is only one way to do things and flat out insults others that just don't feel like digging pounds of garbage.

You can put up all the smileys you want...this is still an insulting statement.
If you said this to be funny, it isn't.