silver umax with 10x12 question

[ds6191]

Hi guys and gals, I've had my Umax and 10x12 combo for about 1 1/2-2 years and I have found some good stuff. One of my questions is: Am I giving up on my faint signals too early? I have researched to dig the very faint sounding, repeatable signals for the deep goodies. My Umax is usually set just under zinc penny, I will dig to a foot, sometimes even more, then I use the pinpointer which will go another inch, then I just fill in the hole because I don't think the object would be that deep. I pinpoint very well so I don't think I'm missing on the sides of the hole. My deepest coins have been in the 5 to 8 inch range, usually after a rain. I have found soda cans deep, but I know the super-strong beep I get from those. So I guess I have a few questions. Should the faint beeps get stronger as I dig? Does the machine miss some of the deep coins because it can't get that deep at the setting I use, (just under zinc penny). Does the machine lose its ability to discriminate the deeper you get. (Could it detect a coin at 9 inches in all metal where the machine would have missed the coin if set at zinc penny?) That's a lot of questions, and any help would be great. Thank you, Dan

 

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[BuckleBoy]

Generally the faint beeps will get stronger as you remove dirt from over top of them.

Check your sensitivity--you may have it set too high (althought Tesoros run pretty darn stable, you may be actually running the machine too hot, and could be getting false signals as a result). Since you obviously bought the 10 x 12 for depth, I wouldn't run just under zinc penny if you can help it; I would run my disc. lower than that. I hunt with mine just under "foil" with the 10 x 12, and I have to go slow. Of course, it depends on the area you're hunting. If you are out in a park coinshooting, then the 10 x 12 is probably too big of a coil to be running. I hunt harvested soybean fields with my 10 x 12--mainly because hunting the corn stubble fields with it is a pain.

And yes, going slower with the 10 x 12 is essential. Like any coil, if you walk into a trashier area, you must sweep slower, and if you use a bigger coil you must sweep slower.

Biggest things are 1.) check the sensitivity level to see if it might be causing false signals and 2.) turn that disc. down. The uMax is a beep/dig machine, so in order for you to master it you have to dig. No way around that without a meter.



(P.S.--All of my hunting is meterless too. )




If you need any more tips let me know.



Regards,



Buckleboy

 

[ds6191]

Thanks Buckle Boy,So turning down the disc. will allow me to get deeper coins? Realistically how deep can it go on coins. I don't mind digging down a foot if I find something down there,coin or other metal. As long as I find something at the bottom of the hole. As far as running the sensitivity maxed out. I'm guilty,but I'm blessed to have great soil and I do back it down when I think I'm getting false signals. I will try to experiment with turning sensitivity down a little, that might help.
I guess it might take me getting that first "Something" really deep for me to trust myself or the machine. I'm always trying to learn, thats why I'm starting to post more often. The knowledge on this and other forums is great and the more I can learn the better. Thanks again, Dan

 

[Monty]

I have a silver Umax and I jockey with the discrimination when I dig deeper than I think I should. I'll turn it up to the first coin slot and see if it is still registering. If not, it is probably just deep trash if so, it usually is a deep coin. I have found coins pretty consistant at 6 to 9 inches and several after I was ready to give up. Also, check the sides of the hole with your pin pointer, I have found several targets that are hiding just out of the dig zone in the sides. Contrarily, I'll turn the sensitivity up a couple of notches until I know it is falsing by getting noisy and then back off just a tad. The little Silver Umax surprised me that it will go deeper thatn my ACE 250. Oh, forgot to say I use the standard coil that came on the detector. Monty

 

[BuckleBoy]

I have a silver Umax and I jockey with the discrimination when I dig deeper than I think I should. I'll turn it up to the first coin slot and see if it is still registering. If not, it is probably just deep trash if so, it usually is a deep coin. I have found coins pretty consistant at 6 to 9 inches and several after I was ready to give up. Also, check the sides of the hole with your pin pointer, I have found several targets that are hiding just out of the dig zone in the sides. Contrarily, I'll turn the sensitivity up a couple of notches until I know it is falsing by getting noisy and then back off just a tad. The little Silver Umax surprised me that it will go deeper thatn my ACE 250. Oh, forgot to say I use the standard coil that came on the detector. Monty

That's my experience as well. I would imagine that the 10 x 12 only adds an inch of depth at most. What I do like it for is running it in all metal and setting out across a field to find an iron patch that might indicate a dwelling, work camp, or structure was there in the past.

Lower discrimination does mean more depth, and the way to use any machine without a meter is to thumb the knob to determine where the signal breaks up or disappears. With my uMax I can tell if it will be pewter, brass, iron, or a possible coin before digging.


Regards,



Buckleboy

 

[Monty]

Very true BB. I can do as good guessing what my target is as with the machines with the icons. It just takes a nimble thumb and a good memory. Darn good little detector for the $$$! Monty

 

[BuckleBoy]

Very true BB. I can do as good guessing what my target is as with the machines with the icons. It just takes a nimble thumb and a good memory. Darn good little detector for the $$$! Monty

You got that right.

 

[Gary66]

hmmm

Ya know I've tried thumbing the disc as you all say on my Conquistador umax when it is large signal close to the top that ends up being a can...and large iron never goes away until I reach darn near the max disc when I wouldn't get a coin to hit. Is that right?

 

[BuckleBoy]

hmmm

Ya know I've tried thumbing the disc as you all say on my Conquistador umax when it is large signal close to the top that ends up being a can...and large iron never goes away until I reach darn near the max disc when I wouldn't get a coin to hit. Is that right?

Large Cents, Quarters, Half Dollars, Two-Cent Pieces, Half Cents, and shallow silver dimes seem to stay all the way to max. You have to get used to where brass, pewter, zinc, and aluminum tune out.

 

[sassyswingah]

Probably not the place to be asking this but....I am looking at buying the Silver uMax next week...still on the fence though. Why is it better than the garrett 250 or Fisher F2 or maybe I should ask what the benefits are to a tesoro over any other brand, besides the lifetime warranty? I am new to this whole hobby and want a good machine for my money, I want one that is easy to use too! Is the Silver uMax it?

 

[BuckleBoy]

Probably not the place to be asking this but....I am looking at buying the Silver uMax next week...still on the fence though. Why is it better than the garrett 250 or Fisher F2 or maybe I should ask what the benefits are to a tesoro over any other brand, besides the lifetime warranty? I am new to this whole hobby and want a good machine for my money, I want one that is easy to use too! Is the Silver uMax it?

IMO it is the better quality machine of the ones you mentioned--and as such it holds its value well if you ever sell it, since Tesoro will repair them

If you are going to be hunting parks or areas that are higher trash, you may want a meter on your machine. If you are hunting old sites with little or no newer occupation, or old yards, or relic hunting, then the Tesoro is probably a better machine.

In My Opinion, if the first machine one buys is non-metered, the user learns much more. And they hear much more too, since the name of the game is low discrimination and lots of digging.

Not everyone is cut out for this type of hunting--and the weekend warrior and park hunter types seem to generally prefer meters...but I can tell on either of my meterless machines what the target's composition will be before I dig. I'm usually right, but it has taken years of practice.


-Buckles

 

[Monty]

I prefer metered machine only because I started with one. I have an ACE 250 and a Silver Umax. I won the Umax at a hunt and forced myself to learn how to efficiently operate it. I'd say the ACE is easier to operate because it has preset search modes. Just turn it on and go. But the Silver Umax will probably go a little deeper and if you stick with it you will probably wind up being a better detectorist. Monty

 

[RPG]

I prefer metered machine only because I started with one. I have an ACE 250 and a Silver Umax. I won the Umax at a hunt and forced myself to learn how to efficiently operate it. I'd say the ACE is easier to operate because it has preset search modes. Just turn it on and go. But the Silver Umax will probably go a little deeper and if you stick with it you will probably wind up being a better detectorist. Monty

I started with the silver and then upgraded to the vaquero. The vaq. is my number one machine now but when I hunt sites I already hunted with the silver I find very little. The silver found most of it.

 

[ds6191]

I love my Umax, I'm just trying to learn the little things it's trying to tell me.This is my first detector and I don't miss the screen that some of the others have. Sassyswingah,do you have a dealer you can go to to test drive one model or another? That would be the way to go. Dan

 

[Trackerman]

I own the f2 silver umax and ace 250 . The silver umax is a decent machine but it is a dig all machine. The F2 isnt bad but gets less depth than the ace and the silver umax. The Ace gives you more info than both and is a great all around detector for the money its the best in its price range. The ace is strong on coins and is no slouch on jewlry eighter. The F2 on jewlry is a bit weak doesnt hit nickels to well. The Ace hits them fine especially in relic mode. The Silver umax must be one hell of a ring finder because it loves pull tabs.