Silver Sabre II use

[GhostRidr]

I've dug out my old Silver Sabre II from about 10yrs ago, thinking about getting back into detecting. Trouble is, I can't recall exactly how to use this thing. Specifically the threshhold and tuning switch. I downloaded the instruction manual from Tesoro, but it is pretty light on the how-to for these parts. I really can't figure out what the threshold is even for. Is it basically just a volume control? What is the procedure for tuning? Is this for All-Metal only? Is this the same thing as ground balancing?

Any help is appreciated. Not sure how well this SSII has held up against current technology, but for now it is all I have. I may upgrade in the future to a Vaquero.

 

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[Shortstack]

Welcome to the forum.

All of your questions should have been answered in the manual, but I'll reiterate the info. First, the SS II is still a very good machine. Second, the threshold is a set and forget adjustment. Put the SS in All Met mode and adjust the threshold to a sound level that you're comfortable with. That setting will be the lowest sound made by the machine whenever it reacts to a metal object. NO it is NOT a volume control and NO it is NOT the same as ground balancing.
Good luck with your hunts and practice, practice, practice.

 

[GhostRidr]

Thanks for the advice there Stack. Good to hear the SSII is still worthy enough against today's tech.

From your tips and looking at this manual again, I have a better understanding of the thresh hold and all-metal mode. The one part I still don't fully understand--the Tune switch. If this isn't ground balancing, what is it? When should it be used? Thanks again.

 

[Shortstack]

All Silver Sabre series machines have factory set ground balance adjustment. You cannot change that. The only manual adjustments you can make are,
(1) The Threshold on the back end.
(2) The Sensitivity (adjustable, 1 through 8 ) plus "off" mounted on the face.
(3) The Discrimination control, adjustable from iron to gold ( I can't remember the numbers).
(4) There should be a toggle switch for selecting All Metal or Discriminate. That's the switch that's probably also labeled "Tune".

That's it. Set the toggle to "All Met" and adjust the Threshold sound so you can barely hear it. You should never have to adjust it again.

Set the "Sensitivity" to about 5 or 6 to start. You may adjust that anytime to fit the situation for the ground you're searching.
Set the "Discriminate" to about 3 to start. You want to miss small foil and nails, but not poptops and nickels. Play the the discriminate control with test targets to find out exactly where each target starts to break up then silence.j
Normally you'll hunt in "Discriminate" mode.(by flipping that Tune toggle to Disc)
You're going to have to get a good book on detecting to learn all of the nuances.
Good Luck.

 

[GhostRidr]

I misspoke. This switch is actually labeled Retune. It's a three-way toggle. Here is a picture of it:

http://www.losttreasure.com/archives/data/articles/images/LT19911116b.jpg

As you are in all-metal mode, you can flick it up real easy with your hand while MD'ing, and it springs back into the all-metal mode after release. I'm just not real sure how I know when to use this, or how.

 

[Shortstack]

The "Retune" is easy. I have that on my Bandido II. While hunting in Disc or All Metal, we naturally "X" targets to pinpoint and use smaller and smaller "X"s (especially in Disc). When we do that, the machine is detuning to a smaller, tighter point. When we finish with each target, we can hit the Retune position on the switch and the detector will retune back to it's basic internal reference. With manual ground balance machines, (such as my Bandido II) the "Retune" will return it to the adjustment the operator made when doing the ground balancing procedure. If you make changes to the Sensitivity and / or Discriminate settings, flip to retune for a moment to make sure the machine's circuitry is tuned with the new inputs.
The word "Retune" could be replaced with the word "ReSet" and mean the same thing.

I forgot to mention in my previous post that when you first turn on the machine, have it preset in All Met and pay attention to the length of time the speaker sounds off. That's the automatic battery check. A fresh battery should sound off for about 8 seconds. I replace the battery when the time drops to about 5 or 6 seconds. I count "gorillas" instead of "one thousands" or watch my watch. But that's just MY technique. For precision, use your watch.

 

[GhostRidr]

That's great. Thanks. Makes sense. Now just got to find a good place to go MD'ing, which seems to be the harder part than the tech!

 

[Shortstack]

I gave you some wrong info. I just checked the manual for my Bandido II and it says to have the detector set to "Disc" when you first turn it on for the battery check. I previously told you to set it to "All Metal". SEE. It pays to reread your manual periodically to stay fresh on its operation.

For places to hunt---just be sure you have permission. In some areas, even the local public schools are off limits to detecting. A good place to check if detectors are OK on town property (in a small town) is to check with the police department. When I first moved back to my hometown, I stopped by and spoke with the police chief. He said that as far as he knew, there were no laws against detecting on town property. A stop by the school's superintendent's office gave me the "go ahead" on school property. Just remember. Leave a place looking like you were never there. Take out the trash you uncover, just as you take the goodies.
Good luck.

 

[bigtim1973]

I have an old owners manual for the silver sabre 2 if you would like to have it, let me know, Tim