Compadre sensitivity increase affect ALL Metal?

[heavymetalbeeper]

So I did the previously posted Compadre sensitivity increase just short of chatter by turning the pot counterclockwise a tad. So if I understand correctly anything more conductive is even more apparent? Does this knock out anything in the ALL Metal band of the dial It seems everything has now shifted one over to the left on the preset dial. Meaining nickel is now at foil. Would that mean some targets in the ALL Metal may be bumped out of range? Are gold items typically found only in the all metal setting of the Compadre? Thanks

 

[Spider-F5]

im no expert in this area but i'd suggest to do a test with different types of metal under a NICE cut plug and see.

i found that my Capadre was off by a tiny bit from the factory when i got it. what i mean is, that i done varying tests with large energy drink pull tabs, older nickels ect. and my knob was off by a couple of knotches. was my unit set hot from the factory? i dont know but she hits hard and finds everything.

 

[REVIER]

It sounds like you know what you are doing and did it exactly right, considering that chatter point and all, but I have to ask..are you sure you adjusted the right pot?
There are 3 on the board...
One for sensitivity, one for ground balance and the third will adjust the disc.
The only reason I even bring this up is I have read posts from many owners that did this sensitivity adjustment, I own a 7" coil model myself that has been adjusted, and not once have I remembered anyone mentioning a disc area shift like this.

Here are the 2 differed boards the Compadre has used and the correct pots to adjust just for the check of it and just in case.

 

[heavymetalbeeper]

Yes, I did the upper sensitivity pot just a little. It makes sense increasing the sensitivity affects the discrimination if I understand it right. I have never fiddled with the ground balance or discrimination pots. Any one try either of them with positive results?

 

[REVIER]

Yes, I did the upper sensitivity pot just a little. It makes sense increasing the sensitivity affects the discrimination if I understand it right. I have never fiddled with the ground balance or discrimination pots. Any one try either of them with positive results?

Increasing the sensitivity and changing the disc range doesn't make sense to me.
My disc doesn't change a bit when I increase or decrease the sense on my Vaq, nor does it change on my Fishers when I move the sense from low to max, and my disc on my adjusted Compadre is right on.

Nobody I have ever heard of has ever adjusted the disc control pot, a few have adjusted the GB pot with good results, but a few have done that and messed it up so bad it had to be returned to Tesoro for recalibration.

 

[Monte]

First, you registered on Findmall only 5 days ago and have already posted 19 times [size=small](18 when I started typing this)[/size], and with a flurry of them. Maybe you ought to calm it down a bit, perhaps just post to introduce yourself and what town around Bend, Oregon you live in, and the types of detecting you do, or would like to do.

Have you ever used a metal detector?

If so, what makes and models and for how long? Your posts seem to hint that you haven't and that you lack a fair amount of common knowledge or understanding about metal detectors, their various functions, and it would help if you clarified your posts a bit more.

Okay, now to this post.:

So I did the previously posted Compadre sensitivity increase just short of chatter by turning the pot counterclockwise a tad.

Why? Which search coil is on your Compadre and what issues have you had that prompted you to make any adjustment to a factory calibration? [size=small](NOTE to follow.)[/size]

So if I understand correctly anything more conductive is even more apparent?

Does that imply that anything less-conductive is therefore less apparent? The Discrimination control will allow the user to increase it from the minimum "All Metal" position and progressively reject targets based on their 'conductivity.' A Sensitivity or gain control will basically only enhance a detector's ability to respond to any target, and, if anything, a lower-conductive target might be more difficult to for a detector to 'find' or respond/signal to and that could be enhanced a little with an increased Sensitivity.

Does this knock out anything in the ALL Metal band of the dial

Theory sais it shouldn't knock anything out ... IF THE SENSITIVITY CONTROL AFFECTS ONLY THE DETECTROR'S SENSITIVITY SETTING. Some Tesoro models have had some problems with their design and how some controls and their settings might not be the best for peak performance, or might actually shift another controls function.

It seems everything has now shifted one over to the left on the preset dial. Meaining nickel is now at foil.

That does NOT sound like a shift caused by adjusting only a Sensitivity control. That could be caused my mis-adjustment of a Discrimination control and/or Ground balance control.

Would that mean some targets in the ALL Metal may be bumped out of range? Are gold items typically found only in the all metal setting of the Compadre?

If internal adjustments have been made to a 'proper' factory calibration, there can easily be some impaired performance. The Compadre doesn't have a true or 'conventional' Threshold-based All Metal mode. It is just a simple approach to try and offer all metal target detection, both ferrous and non-ferrous, and is a close-to-zero Discrimination mode setting that will respond to ferrous and non-ferrous targets. As part of the Discrimination circuitry, a mis-adjustment of the Discrimination regulation trimmer or Ground Balance trimmer will certainly impact the detector's performance.


NOTE: There is no such thing as a 'perfect' metal detector, but there are many that are very good and quite versatile.

Then there are the very easy-to-use [size=small](aka 'simple')[/size] detectors that were really more intended for youngsters or newcomers to use to learn with while finding stuff. I feel the Compadre is one of those. Designing engineers figure how to make an easy-to-use detector with fewer external adjustments to keep it simple, and also because more featured detectors might call for more adjustments than a beginner might understand. It is possible that some other adjustments can be tied in with a different control, and that's obvious in quite a few Tesoro models through the years.

The Sidewinder µMAX and first Conquistador, to name only two models, are an example of some poor circuitry design. Both are turn-on-and-go [size=small](preset Ground Balance)[/size] but have a problem with the Discrimination adjustment. Shifting the external Discrimination control ALSO shifts the Ground Balance setting! If the GB trimmer is adjusted with the Discrimination control at the minimum setting, and if the GB is set a bit positive in the All Metal Pinpoint function, then increasing the Discrimination control can then shift the GB setting to be TOO POSITIVE! What do I mean by "too positive" a GB? The detector might not respond to a big US Silver Dollar, or a Half-Dollar, and I've even seen them not respond to a Quarter.

Worse yet, if the Disc. control is at a higher setting, such as enough to just reject a Zinc Cent, and then the internal GB trimmer is adjusted for a close to 'spot-on' GB setting, then reducing the Discrimination control can also reduce the GB setting to a negative setting. How negative? Possibly too negative such that you would get a lot of falsing just sweeping over some uneven ground.

My personal preference is to use a Tesoro model that has an external Ground Balance control, such as a Bandido series model, the Eldorado µMAX, Outlaw or Téjon. Oh, I have had a number of turn-on-and-go Tesoro models, and was a Tesoro Dealer from July or '83 thru November of 2004, but there is one thing I noted too often that keeps me from getting a used Compadre. I have taken some on trade in years past for some of my personal detectors, and I have helped folks who purchased a used Compadre and brought it to a meeting or a seminar who also complained about performance. I should say poor performance.

More than any other detector I have ever dealt with in my 50th year of detecting, the Compadre has to be the most tinkered with and screwed up model of them all. A simple-to-use, single knob detector that so many people ask about or just open up to tinker with, and the result is a Compare that is way out-of-whack. They can't figure out what they did or how to recalibrate it to make it right so it gets sold or traded off, and sold and traded again, and so on.

If you bought the Compadre used, you might have received a model someone, or someones, have already tinkered with and messed it up. If it's not behaving correctly, rather than ask about it on the forum, I'd suggest sending it to Tesoro and ask the to please recalibrate it for peak efficiency. If warranty covered, fine. If you have to pay for it, fine. Just fix it and use it. If it was meant to be a model that needed a bunch of adjustments, it would have come with all the important controls externally located and instructions on how to do so.

Just my thoughts.

Monte

 

[heavymetalbeeper]

thanks Monte for all the thoughts

 

[ken ward]

MONTY,
That is a very good responce. Like you said, if you want more things to play with, buy a detector with more knobs or buttons.
I adjusted my sens. just a tad. Thats all it needed. I got my 1st compadre the second year they came out. I still use it. It works just fine.... KEN