Tesoro auto or preset GB

[Michigan Badger]

I am thinking auto ground track or balance would be ok on the cortez.

I agree completely that Tesoro needs to get in the game if they want to be competitive. A new machine most certainly should have automatic ground balancing, or at the very least, manual ground balancing that works in both modes. I think the former would be more appealing (translate: sell more units) as it seems that manual ground balancing is perceived by many to be too difficult.

Of course this may be easier said than done. If Tesoro does not have the talented engineers or designers on the payroll, then a new Tesoro may end up just another re-packaged unit with a new name. What are the chances that they could come up with a feature packed unit like the F-75 or T2, but with Tesoro build quality?

Dan

Yes, you got this right on.

It looks like they're just going to hang on as long as they can with what they have now. That is, the best preset and manual ground balance machines on the market today. They have these mostly because all the other major players have moved on to the more advanced automatic ground balance systems.

 

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[Dan B]

That is, the best preset and manual ground balance machines on the market today.

I certainly wouldn't argue that. For what they are, Tesoros are the best in the business. Personally, I find manual ground balancing my Tejon about as difficult as breathing so I don't understand why this stumps some people. However, I think the success of machines like the Ace250 shows that there is a huge market for simple no nonsense machines.

I think if Tesoro took a machine like the Tejon and added tone ID like the Golden, they would have a machine that would sell like hotcakes, even if it did maintain the manual GB (as long as it applied to both modes). Another big seller would be a water machine, like the Tiger Shark, with tone ID. I think Tesoro users are content to not have displays, but tone ID is pretty standard for all the other manufacturers. That was one of the things I did like about the Sovereign.

Dan

 

[Michigan Badger]

I tried to talk James into making a concentric coil for the Tejon. I did this by commenting on his website. He responded and said they were looking into it.

If they made a 12x10 mono coil for the animal it would beat any other VLF for depth and it would be my only detector.

Badger

 

[sandsifter]

Thanks Badger,
I went back and looked at the Vasquero and the TeJon. The Vasquero is powered by one 9 volt battery? Come on wheres the beef? Seems like the Tejon would get better depth with the 8 AA? I am not a tech. If it could be done with one 9 volt it would be cheep er,but how long would they last? That Tejon looks like an awesome machine if one could get use to it.
With the 8 AA should be powerfull.

 

[Michigan Badger]

I know the single 9v battery doesn't sound like much but all our hobby machines operate with tiny little transmitters. The extra voltage is mostly for added gimmicks.

According to FCC rules all transmitters are under certain regulations and metal detectors are no exception. But even if this is argued, the bottom line is that our machines require only micro power to function. Today there's really not a whole lot of difference between the various makes and models. VLF technology has gone about as far as it can. Now we need a true discriminating PI technology, which nobody seems to be able to perfect. About the best seems to be the Garrett Infinium but it still falls far short in discriminational abilities.

But all this aside, the really big thing continues to be location. Take a look at the "RECENT DISCOVERIES BY OUR MEMBERS" bar above. All those people are out there digging great finds and probably most aren't all that concerned about brands of detectors and this and that. They busy themselves with getting the loot.

Most any of our top machines will do the job. What we need to do is find the locations and actually hunt them.

Badger

 

[Dan B]

The Tejon is awesome, and doesn't take a whole lot of getting used too. Just turn down the sensitivity a hair if it gets a bit chatty. The 8 AA's last me a long time. I bought mine in September, found about 800 coins between Sept and Nov. and only replaced the batteries once.

Dan

 

[sandsifter]

Thanks Badger,and Dan. That is what I was hoping to hear. I couldn't find anything in the manual on how long the 9 Volt lasts. Wow 800 coins. That could be a long time for some of us. For others it may be a few hours. I understand the Cortez has manual ground balance in all metal,not Disc. correct? Could it be possible the auto adjust works fine in 90-95% locations? Just asking. You folks have the experience with that brand. From what I have read it looks like the Tejon is a Cortez without the display,and has disc. ground balance instead. Also 8 battery's Vs. one. the Tejon would be cheep er to operate. If my info is correct. So one would be adding seven more battery's as a price to view the digital display.
Not sure if the trade off would be worth it. It is just that i have always had a display to look at not saying it was necessary. The Spectrum only has a few tones so I think any of these would be a step up for me.
Would the Tejon be better than S/Max?

 

[sandsifter]

I will correct maself. realizing I have been comparing
the wrong machines. It is the Visquero that takes the 9 Volt.

 

[Michigan Badger]

Usually what increases the cost of any VLF detector are the added features and maybe extra high quality parts. In some cases one is paying mostly for a name.

The transmitters are pretty much the same except some are made to transmit multiple frequencies. To my knowledge no one has ever proved scientifically that the multiple frequency transmitters really are superior to the single frequency models. This is something most people just assume. Actually there's a lot of assuming in this hobby.

The DeLeon and Cortes will test about 6 inches on freshly buried quarter. In some undisturbed situations where the soil around the item has no been moved for decades one might detect a quarter at 10 inches or 3 inches or 5 inches, etc. It all depends on the mineral content and structure of the soil. For the most part, it's not the target that determines the depth but the soil around and over the target. Stirred-up soil usually makes for very poor depth. I use fresh buried coin tests for comparison purposes only. A detector that gets 4 inches on a penny in my test garden may get more or less depth out in the real world.

I've tested machines that did better in fresh buried situations than they did in long time buried situations. The soil is what determines the whole thing.

The thing I like about the DeLeon and Cortes is that their meters (T.I.D.) read digits that give consistant pattern readouts. Learn these patterns for a site and you'll find the good stuff.

Tones and meter readings like 25 CENT COIN are less than worthless. Many good targets are missed because people believe these readings and sounds. The Tesoro digital meters are good only as one learns the patterns of targets at a particular site. A new site requires learning all over again.

A ground balance feature is a squelch control. It tunes out the noises from ground minerals. The detector doesn't go deeper. By squelching out the ground noises one might be able to hear a weaker deep target that emits a signal slightly greater than the surrounding ground minerals produce.

Ground balance doesn't make a dead silent detector make a target signal. Sweep speed, soil conditions, and many other factors cause this.

Ground balance reduces noise so a signal that already is present can be more distinct and therefore more noticeable.

So, when somebody says "My detector never got any signal but when I used the detector with ground balance I suddenly got a signal" you know the addition of ground balance had nothing to do with it. It was actually due to other factors such as a more powerful transmitter/receiver, better coil, etc.

The sensitivity control is not a depth gas pedal. It increases sensitivity which increases the noise level from ground minerals and it also increases signals from deep objects that appear small to the detector. The sensitivity knob turns up the amplification of the received signal. To gain an advantage by using the sensitivity control one must be able to separate the ground noise from the target signal. This is how the Tejon gets great depth. One must run it at maximum sensitivity ground balanced. It will chatter like crazy but will also find extra deep coins once one learns how to separate them from other ground noises.

Sorry to ramble so much.

Badger

 

[Dan B]

Wow 800 coins. That could be a long time for some of us. For others it may be a few hours.

That was from only one site too. Now that I think of it, if I include the other sites I sampled, it was probably closer to 1100 coins. I got the 800 from a school I was working, originally with the Ace250. I intend to finish it with the Tejon (one boulevard left to do) then hit it again with my new GTI2500 in all metal. If it's slim pickings then I know the Tejon was thorough and I will move on. If I start finding some deep coins, I will do the whole thing again.

Dan

 

[sandsifter]

Ramble on if you will, I am enjoying all of it.
One more question? After reading the manual for the Cortez, I can't figure out if while sweeping in disc. mode do different targets have different tones like the GT? or do you have to go to the sum mode to get the different tones? I think the Cortez would be a fun one to learn.

 

[Dan B]

The multiple tones are in the sum mode only. That's unfortunate.

You will probably enjoy the Cortes. I say go for it, and report back often with your successes, and opinions of the machine.

Dan

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I can't even imagine how heavy the Sovereign would be with a 15" coil. I put a stand on mine (to keep the control box out of the dirt) and a meter, and that rig was 6 lbs. That was with the stock 10" coil. Hope you have a strong arm!

There were a few other things that I didn't like about the Sovereign (beside the fact that it nulled on our Canadian coins). I don't want to ruffle any feathers, so I won't say any more.

Dan

I have 2 Sov GT's both with WOT's and I have no problem using them, one is waterproofed and I use it the surf. I discovered a long time ago the best way to swing when hunting water is with a harness.

If I am using the Sov on the beach I usually use the harness, it allows me to let go and it stays b y my side, but not when I am inland hunting. I always use a harness when I hunt with my Excal's at the beach, but never use it on my Whites 6000 XL PRO, Tesoro Conquistador, and probably want use it on my Troy Shadow X2 that is on the way.