cdsmith46 said:
I have tried this before, but would like to try again. In the past, I used Minelab Sovereigns, and was able to understand within a certain tonal range what they were telling me.
Which Sovereign models, and did you have the added VDI numeric read-out?
What types of sites do you hunt and what are you usually after?
cdsmith46 said:
Now, two things are true: I no longer use Minelab;
I commend you for that. I have owned a number of various Minelab models, including a few Sovereigns, and while there were a few times I liked them, I preferred the White's or Tesoro's I was using better.
cdsmith46 said:
... and my hearing has not gotten better.
The military has pronounced me "deaf" since applying for full-time civil employment at Hill AFB since 1982. Since then an injury in 2010 left me with my better [size=small](at the time)[/size] right ear ruptured and a hearing aid helps just slightly. My bad ear [size=small](then)[/size] is now by better but still terrible ear to try and hear with. I've had to eliminate some favorite models from my personal detector arsenal due to the audio output not being a good fit. I use top-quality headphones designed for the metal detectorist [size=small](Killer B 'Wasp', Killer B 'camo', and White's Pro-Star)[/size], and without them I would not be out detecting much.
cdsmith46 said:
Having bought two Tesoro's in the past and gotten rid of them because I couldn't make heads or tales, would someone explain Tesoro signals to me?
Which Tesoro models did you own, and how much time did you put in using them?
Did they have manual Ground Balance?
How much Discrimination did you use?
Which search coil(s) did you use?
Tesoro models are, for the most part, analog-based circuitry. They are genially a slow-motion, quick-response circuitry design, and it is very important to NOT sweep the coil too quickly [size=small](in the motion-based Discriminate mode)[/size] if the ground mineral content is high, 'challenging,' or of dense mineral make-up [size=small](such as black sand, pea gravel, rocks, etc.)[/size]. ALL metal detectors are going to respond to targets in their own different ways. Some detectors have a saturated, full-strength audio. Some have a partially saturated audio based upon the target's distance from the coil and the control settings. Others will have a more modulated audio response.
Due to search coil type and size, as well as how a particular detector processes the target's signal, some will sound different on targets that are "on edge" or a target's 'depth,' as well as how the different detectors and coils can deal with various ground mineral content. What audio response you might perceive from some detectors on a particular target might change and sound different simply by a change of search coil, a change of Discrimination setting, a change in sweep speed, or a change in the target's size, shape or position, and/or the presence of any nearby metal target [size=small](target masking)[/size].
If you spend enough time with some makes and models of detectors, you can learn to hear some of the subtle audio qualities they might offer. I found that easier to hear, for example, with models such as White's Classic series, most Tesoro models, and a few that closely patterned their circuitry design on the Tesoro type analog circuitry [size=small](better described as copy-cat circuitry seen in brands like the former GMT models)[/size].
Tesoro models, in some ways, do have a particular audio characteristic that a savvy detectorist can learn, but it isn't an overnight thing. You have to use the detector model, often, and be attentive to your settings and coil presentation as well as the ground make-up and target depth, to learn what they might have to offer. If you only use a Tesoro, or really any detector, on only an infrequent occasion, and you're not trying to listen and learn it ...
and remember former target responses ... then it will be a struggle to master an understanding of a detector's audio characteristics.
Not that all makes and models produce a nice blend of audio characteristics to learn, either, because some detectors have too much processing of the signal to really provide any difference, or only minimal variations. Also, not all Tesoro models are going to give you the same audio interpretations. There were differences between the audio 'qualities' of models like the Silver Sabre, Silver Sabre II, Golden Sabre Plus, Royal Sabre, original Bandido and Bandido II, Pantera and other earlier era Tesoro's than were heard from the Silver Sabre
