Well I took the plunge and ordered a Cortez

[tmanfromtexas]

After some conversations here with Sandman Joe and others,(thanks for all the info guys) I decided to purchase a Cortez. After looking at the Big C the Deleon and the Tejon I figured the Big C is the best all around machine for what I do now (coin and jewelry) and for the relic hunting I will be able to do when I finally get back to the great state of TEXAS. Thanks to Goio a fellow Tnetter that allowed me to use his XLT and Minelab SE over the weekend. I used both and even though they are great machines and they can do alot I think the weight difference between those and the Big C is gonna be the big difference for me.
I will let ya know how it goes.
TMAN...

 

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[Icandigit]

You won't be disappointed. I ordered I this year and tried hard to convince myself that it wasn't that great. So I bought a different brand. While the other brand was always being sent back for repair the Cortes always worked like a dream and found coins. I also bought the 5.75 coil and love it. Take time to figure it out and watch what it is telling you. The ID is very accurate and it is hardly ever wrong. Keep the sens. down and sweep speed slow and this little guy will work. This is a awesome little guy that loves to work. You'll love it if you just learn it.

 

[tmanfromtexas]

Well, I got my Big C Thursday. Thanks Joe, even with the holiday last Monday it got here quick. Finally after driving home from up north and some of my honey dos were done, I started with the air testing as suggested. All went as planned except the fact the same gold ring would bounce from 16-32 and never could get a good hit. Didnt quite like that but another ring was hitting at 30-32 every time. Coins hit at 95 every time, dimes, quarters and silver dollars. Nickels bounced from 16-34 on the screen. I tried the narrow notch and the wide notch but they always took out the rings and sometimes the nickels so I guess that little switch will stay in the middle unless some one can help me understand if I am doing something wrong. The disc knob was at foil.

Hit the dirt with it in the yard in all metal mode. Lots of hits but 90% were iron/foil, so I left them be. Got 4 hits in the zinc penny/screw cap range. Sum Mode showed the same. Pin pointed with all metal mode and dug a small plug for 3 different cans. got a nickel hit and dug a shell casing.

I was happy with the weight of the machine. Easy to swing and very light. I was a little surprised that the machine didnt have a no motion pinpoint. For some reason I thought it did but that was my mistake. I pin pointed in all metal mode and in disc without much problem. (I am use to the Ace no motion mode). It will take a little practice but that is ok.

If one of the Cortez users here can help me understand how the notch disc (narrow/wide) works along with the discrimination knob would be appreciated. I am wondering if it is even worth while using.

Hopefully, I will get to a park near here and see what pops out of the ground. Thanks for reading. TMAN...

 

[Michigan Badger]

Well, I got my Big C Thursday. Thanks Joe, even with the holiday last Monday it got here quick. Finally after driving home from up north and some of my honey dos were done, I started with the air testing as suggested. All went as planned except the fact the same gold ring would bounce from 16-32 and never could get a good hit. Didnt quite like that but another ring was hitting at 30-32 every time. Coins hit at 95 every time, dimes, quarters and silver dollars. Nickels bounced from 16-34 on the screen. I tried the narrow notch and the wide notch but they always took out the rings and sometimes the nickels so I guess that little switch will stay in the middle unless some one can help me understand if I am doing something wrong. The disc knob was at foil.

Hit the dirt with it in the yard in all metal mode. Lots of hits but 90% were iron/foil, so I left them be. Got 4 hits in the zinc penny/screw cap range. Sum Mode showed the same. Pin pointed with all metal mode and dug a small plug for 3 different cans. got a nickel hit and dug a shell casing.

I was happy with the weight of the machine. Easy to swing and very light. I was a little surprised that the machine didnt have a no motion pinpoint. For some reason I thought it did but that was my mistake. I pin pointed in all metal mode and in disc without much problem. (I am use to the Ace no motion mode). It will take a little practice but that is ok.

If one of the Cortez users here can help me understand how the notch disc (narrow/wide) works along with the discrimination knob would be appreciated. I am wondering if it is even worth while using.

Hopefully, I will get to a park near here and see what pops out of the ground. Thanks for reading. TMAN...

The big C is a good machine and many do extremely well with it. It's a lot like the DeLeon and I owned that model.

I never bought the C because I didn't like the fact that it ground balances only in all-metal mode. This ground balance doesn't apply to the discrimination mode. To me, ground balance in all-metal but not in discrimination mode never made a lot of sense. See, the Cortes ground balance in discrimination mode is factory preset just like the DeLeon.

If Tesoro ever makes a Cortes with ajustable ground balance in discrimination mode I'll diffinitely consider buying one. Tesoro really needs to advance to auto ground balancing like Minelab has. Tesoro has a auto tracking in all-metal mode with the Lobo, but here again one is back to factory preset in discrimination mode. This is the main reason I never bought a Lobo.

Understanding the T.I.D. on the DeLeon and Cortes is a matter of learning general digital readout patterns along with the right discrimination setting. I usually set my DeLeon discrimination on the O in FOIL. This would get most gold and clearly sound on nickels.

Practice until you learn the sounds and meter patters on various gold items. Some gold items will sound like pulltabs but the meter patterns will let you know it's really not a pulltab.

When people say the T.I.D. is always correct, what they mean is they have learned the various patterns (bouncing number groups) that aid one in determining the most likely target.

But again, if you learn that Cortes and have faith in it you will like it a lot. It will find you many great things.

Badger

 

[Tykit]

I have a Cortes about 6 months now, really like it. When searching for gold jewelry the extreme left bar will be quite stable and tall, the number will be around 15 - 25, thats for ladies gold rings, medium gold chains, other small gold - (and small shredded pieces of aluminum cans too). The notches will discriminate out most pulltabs and screw caps, but not all, still sounds off on coins and will sound off above where the disc. knob is set up to the notch. If the disc. knob is set too high then all is discriminated out right through the notch, so will only pick up coins. Get it? I use the notch sometimes near picnic tables and keep the disc. knob near minimum so that I can hear any small gold rings and coins while knocking out most pull tabs. The ALL METAL mode is more sensitive and deeper, I use it when there is not a lot of trash, then I usually switch to Disc. before I decide to dig. Air test with a fine gold chain, ALL METAL will detect it, DISCRIMINATE mode won't. Hope this helps.

 

[tmanfromtexas]

Thanks Badger and Tyk for the info. I am hoping to get out Saturday if the snow aint blowing and hit a spot or two. TMAN...

 

[JOE(USA)]

tmanfromtexas,

Remember, the discrimination mode is still working when in the notch modes and is adjustable. Badger explained it very well, I just wanted to jump in and word it a little different. Thanks again for your purchase! Joe

 

[tmanfromtexas]

Well my afternoon turned out to be a perfect time to hunt. A little chilly but I was able to cover up enough to get past that... Finally was able to hunt with my head phones and it does make a difference to me. I went to a park in Gary that I had hunted with my Ace previously. Went over the same area at first since I had cleaned out the trash to see how the Big C was gonna do. Well. After about a minute of slow steady swinging I got a 95 and quarter reading at 5 inches. At five inches out pops a 65 quarter. checked again and there was another. Kept moving and got a dime at 7. There it was at 7 inches. I was starting to get happy. I worked the area some more and decided to go over to the picnic tables as I had had some issues early on with multiple targets and P poor discrimination. got a signal that bounced from 78 to 95. Out popped a screw cap, checked the hole and out popped a dang dime. The cap was on TOP of the dime and it was able to discriminate between the two. I was freakin' shocked. I almost did the happy dance but decided I will wait for the gold or silver. heheh. Checked around the tables and got a 95 and a bar at a dime but the hole was empty. I moved the table and the ID went blank so I believe the table was causing some interference, no problem. I got a dollar bar and 95. I checked in all metal and it was a big target so I figured a can was in my future and sure nuff, there it was. All total I found 9 coins in about 30 minutes along with some can slaw and screw tops, so not a bad quick outing in my book.

The most important thing though is that I learned alot today, using all metal mode for pinpointing is no big deal, still need some practice. Swing slow and steady. Listen for those chirps even if the ID is iron. I got a dime and a penny because I went to all metal mode and the machine locked in on coins. Swing slow and steady, I said that for my benefit because I have to relearn that technique. Watch the bars in sum mode. I was focusing on the numbers but I have to slow down and let the machine show me what it knows or thinks it knows. Swing slow and steady. lol.

Thanks to all again for the info on the Cortez. Joe, I appreciate your time and patience regarding the Big C. I think its gonna be great. TMAN...

 

[JOE(USA)]

tmanfromtexas,

Hey, sounds like you are starting to get the hang of that Cortez! Keep working it and rereading the manual. Once you can put all of the IDs together you will find that it's an amazing machine! I can't wait to get back to the Cortez, I'm testing a Golden uMax right now, so I had to let go of the Cortez. Joe

 

[Dan B]

Hi Joe,

What's your opinion of the Golden µMax?

Dan

 

[JOE(USA)]

Dan B,

Thanks for your question. I would like to see a lengthy thread get started on that very topic that you just asked about. My self , haven't had a lot of experience with the Golden. It's the least commented on machine in the whole Tesoro lineup. I have just put down my Cortez and starting tomorrow I want to begin some serious work with the Golden on some spots that I am familiar with. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Michigan Badger found a field test on the Golden, I'll attach it if I can find it before I finish this. Nope I can't find it. Maybe Badger will see this and help out. Joe

 

[Dan B]

Hi Joe,

You may be referring to Monte's field test that he posted on the official Tesoro web site. He posted that as a response to the same question that I asked you. In a nutshell, Monte did not like it. But I have read other (much briefer) reports and people love it. I guess it may boil down to the type of soil you hunt in. I have read that you can ground balance it by slightly adjusting a pot inside the machine. Monte didn't mention that, so maybe that could be the difference between mediocre performance, and excellent results.

I look forward to hearing about your results.

Dan

 

[tmanfromtexas]

Update... I went out again and hit the same park area along the parking lot to see what was there. Folks love to drink beer there for sure. lol. Nothing really new except a question for the Big C users. I noticed that the machine would show for example: nickel pull tab 4 inches, but no sound to alert me. The bar was smeared over iron/foil/nickel but just one L.E.D was lit on each. When I saw that I tried sum mode and it read the same and then to iron and back, and still no tone. Discrim was set at foil. All metal showed a nickel pulltab. I dug it and it was a beer top. Is the machine's tone alert tied into the bar segments to alert the user that there is a target or is it tied into the number id segment? If it is tied into the bar segments and they are smeared as they were on this target, if iron and or foil is part of the mix, does the machine assume its trash and not tone? The reason I ask is that I dont watch the screen, I watch the coil and where I am walking. I depend on the tone to alert me of a possible target. Just wondering. Thanks. TMAN...

 

[JOE(USA)]

tmanfromtexas,

Were you in notch mode when you did not get an audio signal from the nickel? On the Cortes (assuming that your controls are set properly) The audio is the first indication that you may have a good target. If you have no audio sound or if the sound is not repeatable, the target is junk. Don't even look at the display. To answer your question the audio is "tied" to the discrimination control and or the notch.

 

[tmanfromtexas]

Joe, thanks for the response, that answered my question. To answer your question, I was not in the notch mode at that time. I had the discrim knob set on the i of foil and the machine was ground balanced. Have a great weekend. TMAN...

 

[tmanfromtexas]

Hi everybody!!! I finally got back to Texas from the Chicago area. The weather here isnt as frightful, lol. I got to go back to the park in the town I live in and used the advice from some of the posters here to fine tune the Big C for optimum usage. I checked the areas around the swings, merry-go-round and volleyball court and got a lot more signals and coins. Pulled right at 3 bucks out and a few pull tabs. No gold yet but it'll come. Just as a test I took the Ace and covered the same area the next day to see if I had missed any coins (that is a coin shooter for sure). I got a dime that I had missed and a nickel that was laying on the ground. I am gaining more and more confidence in the Big C and cant wait to get out there after Christmas with my son. BTW and this aint no lie. I had a nickel signal at 8 inches. I dug and cussed and dug some more until I pulled a round pulltab with the tab attached at 12 inches. I almost fell over. I couldnt believe the depth. I still have to slow down some as I catch my self swinging too fast but that will come in time. I hope y'all have a very Merry Christmas. Take care. TMAN...

 

[JOE(USA)]

TMAN,

I'm jealous! We are up to our butts in snow and ice here in CT. I sure wish I was down in Texas right about now.
The Cortez does have a longer learning curve than some detectors but it will sure talk to you once you understand what it's trying to tell you.
Try this, look at that whole park area you have been hunting and pick the most UNLIKELY areas and hunt them. Give it an hour or so. If your not getting anything in one of those spots after 10 mins. or so move on to another unlikely area. Tell us how you made out.
Remember to change your sweep angle after you get a signal. The angle of attack for the discrimination circuit is important to get all the information on the target that you can. Don't forget to read the differences of left to right verses right to left sweeps also. Happy holidays! Joe

 

[tmanfromtexas]

Thanks Joe for the info on the swing. I noticed that the tone will change as well as the ID sometimes when the swing is from one direction then the other. I have noticed alot of times it turns out to be iron/foil. Wish you were down here, weather is perfect, but I wont get out until after Christmas. I will check out the park area that shouldnt get much traffic and let ya know what i find. Merry Christmas!!!

 

[JOE(USA)]

tmanfromtexas,

O.K., have a good holiday and get back to us on hunting that park. Joe

 

[tmanfromtexas]

Hi everybody!!! Hope all had a great Christmas. I finally went back to the park I have been hunting. While I was md'ing a kid comes up and asked the 10000 questions kids do when they see us. lol. He said that some guy had been there 2 days ago and found a bunch of coins. He was right because I ended up finding .36 cents. lol. I did find a ton of pull tabs though, I could have made a chain out of them. I have figured out that if the TID is above 40 its gonna be a pull tab on this machine.

I went to a school tot lot to do some more practicing. The coil does not like the poles that support the playground equipment. It cant get with in a foot without sound off. lol. Maybe I need to get a smaller coil for those areas. I searched for about an hour and pulled my first silver dime ever. It was in the wood chips at about 7 inches. I was doing the happy dance. I pulled almost 2 bucks in clad in an hour. What surprised me was there was very few pull tabs. The place was nice and clean. I am headed back to the Chicago area so I doubt I will be doing any hunting til spring.

I hope everyone has a great new year and happy hunting. TMAN...