Leave the Sens. pot alone! Many hunters adjust the sens upward and only end up making the detector unstable. The thing is already maxed out when you get it. Only need to change it a might when you change coils.
Sandman is dead right here. Follow this advice.
I liked the box under my elbow for balance, but everyone is different. If you hip mount it or carry it in a bag around your neck, run the cable straight along the shaft from the handle to coil and tape it along the side.
I have tried it every way and I prefer the box mounted under the rod, in front of the hand. The air trapped in the housing helps the detectors bouyancy, making it nearer to neutral. Under the arm, and it wants to push up to the surface at that end. Plus controls are behind you - fortunately you dont have many to mess with once you are hunting. Like Sandman says, it's subjective.
Settings are easy. GB in All Metal-Fast like the manual says. You can switch it into Disc and hunt with a silent threshold.
I increase the THRESH just a bit above the normal whiny hum, to give it a HyperTune kick. Not a lot, just a bit.
Set disc so you can still hear a pull tab and you should be alright. Disc out pull tabs and you will miss most of the gold rings.
I set my DISC at 2-3, so that small nails and bobby pins give a broken response. Targets are fewer in the water, with less trash, so you dig almost everything anyway. I found a nice bracelet last season that would have gone under the DISC if I was only accepting pulltabs.
1. Make sure you lightly glue the coil cover on.
I avoid this as I want to remove it from time to time to clean out fine sand. Either seal it completely or dont glue it on at all.
2. I have a float made out of 5" or so of "Swim Noodle" tied to the handle end of my searchcoil shaft. Makes it float upright, and is brightly colored which makes for a fast retrieve after digging.
I've done this too. I just let the detector go to float by the noodle.
I also use a float basket. This is not specific to the TS, of course, just a handy device. Mine is a 12" x 14" heavy metal wire basket with a swim noodle attached all around the top. It floats at the waters surface and I just dump my scoop into it. When it gets too full of rocks and mud, I just dump it out... of course, I pick out the goodies and let the trash stay in. I trail it behind, tied in the small of my back on my belt by a lanyard about 4 foot long. It is also a great place to carry all your stuff from the car to the water.
