Surf hunting with my Silver umax

[bungyboy]

Been hunting with a CZ -70 about a decade (dang, sixteen years actually. Lordy how time flies). A few years ago I bought a Silver umax and I guess being spoiled with the bells and whistles promptly stuffed it in the back of the closet. I was bored recently and started reading up on the little Tesoro and decided to give the single tone a try. Just by chance I was headed to Galveston. For two weeks I've been reading the armchair experts diatribes of how the Silver umax is worthless in the surf and wet sand. So here goes from someone that actually OWNS one and was prepared for failure from a detector I don't like. WOW. I went to a trashy beach on Bolivar, set the machine to iron and sens to just under max boost and dug every hit to learn how it worked. Spent three hours digging dry sand, wet sand, and surf. Walking in the edge of the surf I dug a pop top from 8 inches. Yes I did. Dug a tiny chunk of soda can pockmarked full of tiny holes about six inches down. Went home. Today Sunny Beach, I dug a state quarter ten inches in sand that slowly filled with water when I pulled it out. Dug 2 pop tops in wet sand about six and eight inches, and a sand polished 68 quarter. Then I met an extremely nice gentleman named Scott hunting with an AT something and I'm guessing his son hunting with a 250 pro? He mentioned something about Galveston relic hunters but I can't exactly remember. I dumped my trash in a blue can and we parted ways. As I walked away I hit some strong but chirpy sounds covering about a sixteen inch footprint. I realized I had thumbed the sens down to 4. Instead of digging I scraped and about two inches popped out an 87 quarter. Popped out three quarters and a 70s penny. So, don't let the chairborne wranglers tell you a Silver Umax isn't a beach hunter.

 

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[Fletch88]

Wow I may need to try mine since my elbows are killing me from swinging heavy machines recently. I have the 11x8 RSD coil that should handle mineral better than stock concentric. This coil seems to be amazing in iron infested spots

 

[bungyboy]

Hey Fletch88, love the name. My S-u has the stock coil and I bought a scuff plate that was too loose so it's held on with several wraps of white stretchy pipe tape. It was very chirpy in the salt water but still had a discernible tone on hits. Flipping to all metal didn't work for me. (for me). I forgot to add that I had an unrepeatable tone. I spent about two minutes trying to confirm a hit and got an occasional tiny chip. I dug it and got a small iron nail that had been there for a while. Some time later i passed another tiny chip, almost an anamoli and couldn't get a consistent repeat. Dug another finishing nail about six inches. With a dislocated shoulder and torn bicep, this Tesoro has given me new life. Amazing that I hated it without giving it a fair chance. In two hunts it has become my favorite. It quickly taught me that the single tone really does talk to you. I can't wait to use it here in "normal" ground. Good luck Fletch. I'm not a brand fan or push strongly a product just because I like it, but I figured if I was so wrong about something partly because of naysayers, I had to admit I was wrong and put the message out to others looking at the machine that don't know any better.

 

[Fletch88]

Word is that Tesoro is dis-continuing the Silver uMax. Better grab another for backup.

 

[bungyboy]

Oh NO! I have two kids almost the right age so I guess I will have to buy two.