Tesoro ED-180 discrimination-Compadre ??

[trueblue]

Hi to all , I new to the forum been hangin in the background for a few weeks reading all the post regarding the Compadre , I am considering buyin a Compadre after all the good I have read on this board regarding to its perfomace . But I need some advice as I am new to detecting , I do own a BH QD II that seems to work quite well here in Australia for cion shooting .
The questions I have on the Compadre are what exactly is ED-180 discrimination ?
Also is the coil changable on the Comparde as I have read that it is hard wired ?
Here in Australia the ground is highly minerlised so how would the Compadre preform being that it has no sensitivity or gound adjustment ?
The BH does ok sometimes just needing to turn the sensivity down in certain areas , this concerns me as the Compadre has no manual sensitivy ... I will mainly be hunting rocky type Mountain country in the search for old cions , and few parks for some pocket money any advice appreciated

cheers trueblue

 

[gregl01]

I believe the Compadre uses ED120 disc, and if its the hardwired version thats it, no coil choices. Being a preset machine without sens setting I would guess it may not work well down under. If you were in a woodchip playground or park, I'd say it would be OK.

Good luck

Greg

 

[tabdog]

Hay True Blue,

I actually own a Compadre and have had at least eight other Tesoro's.

The Compadre has the best ED 180 in the industry. It's not a ED 120.

ED 180 refers to the ability for a Tesoro to accept metals in the lower
range of conductive materals. As in Iron.

Or to say that the ED 180 is better able to pick up iron objects than a
ED 120.

It helps to contend with masking if you can pick up more iron. If iron is
rejected, to some degree, everything els is also.

Despite the lack of a sensativity, the Compadre can handle harsh ground
conditions better than a lot of metal detectors that have sensativity and
manual groung control.

That is no joke. People who don't own one or have not used it much, just
don't know, and are guessing wrong when they say other wise.

It will find small gold that the Bounty Hunter QD II will not pick up if you
wave it 1/2' from the coil.

If you don't believe me, find a small piece of gold jewelry and wave under
your QD II coil. I had one and it would not respond even with the 4" Gold
Nugget Coil.

The Compadre will go that one better. It will pick up the tinniest gold chain.
I have them to prove it.

Nothing works as well in trash. My Compadre finds more gold jewelry than
my Vaquero, Euro Sabre, Silver Sabre uMax, Eldorado or any of the eleven
different metal detectors I have owned.

I found a Civil War mini ball yesterday with mine in an extremely trashy and
challanging setting. It was deep also.

It is my money maker. Bad ground. It will penitrate it. Trash, it will negociate
it.

I don't know why everyone doesn't have one.

Oh well, that's their loss and our gain.......

HH,

 

[Monte]

[quote trueblue]I new to the forum been hangin in the background for a few weeks reading all the post regarding the Compadre,[/quote][size=medium]... Welcome to the forum![/size]

[quote trueblue]I am considering buyin a Compadre after all the good I have read on this board regarding to its perfomace.[/quote][size=medium]... Why? Reading most forums you'll hear good things about many makes and models. You should select a particular unit based on what it has (features) and can offer you in the way of performance. It needs to meet your needs, so I immediately wondered what the particular use/purpose would be for a Compadre?[/size]

[quote trueblue]But I need some advice as I am new to detecting , I do own a BH QD II that seems to work quite well here in Australia for cion shooting.[/quote][size=medium]... Have you ever used a different brand or model? If you Bounty Hunter Quick Draw II seemsto work 'OK' then what are you looking for in the way of performance or situation handling?[/size]

[quote trueblue]The questions I have on the Compadre are what exactly is ED-180 discrimination?[/quote][size=medium]... The terms ED-120 and ED-180 were coined by Tesoro about eighteen years ago and refer to the degrees of acceptance of targets based on their conductivity. There are 180

 

[trueblue]

I rekon I just gotta have 1 guys yeh Greg the one Im lookin at has the hardwired ciol 5.75" so I would just havta like with the fact that I cant change coils I spose .

I hear what your sayin there tabdog an it reflects with all that I've read on the Comparde it just seems to shine .

When I purchased the BH QD II I brought it off Ebay an saved $233 over buying local price being $212 delivered from the US compared to $ 445 from Australia ,

I was a bit concerned that it may have problems with mineralized soil over here after reading the following

THis is a quote from an Australian seller

SPECIAL NOTE:

All Bounty Hunter metal detectors imported by us are re-calibrated only by us for AUSTRALIAN conditions.

The detector's Ground Balance used to null highly iron-mineralized ground has been modified for better depth and response to all targets eliminating false signals.

Also .... the Discrimination settings have been re-calibrated for both Australian pre-decimal and decimal coins including the rejection of most aluminium pull-tabs including the 'old' beaver-tail pull-tab.
WARNING ! .......... Please be warned !

There are quite a number of "copy-cat" cheaply-made imported metal detectors from some of the European (Germany), China and other Asian countries being "flogged" around the place. They are not "well-known" superior brand names. Most of the search coils are non-submersible in water ... there's no detailed instruction of use ... there's no back-up service for repair in Australia ... etc ... we could go on and on ! plus NO WARRANTY !

These detectors appear on sites such as E-bay ... and the like ... as well as being sold by " back-yard" so-called "businesses" and even supermarkets !

If you wish to find your car on a foggy night with one of these "toy metal detectors" then one of those detectors would be fine ... but don't expect to find anything of value with it !

So please ... don't be a bunny ... all they want is your money ... let's face it ... they wouldn't even know the first thing about gold prospecting, beachcombing and treasure hunting ... now would they ? .... nor would you like to be at the checkout holding everybody up whilst being told "nothing" by the "checkout chick" !

That being said it seems to work just find here as far as I can tell with my limited exp , I have takin it out with a mate who use's an Xterra 70 an it holds its own , but I cant disc them "old beaver tails" out without loosen cion ?

Tabdog is ya compade heavy on the battery's ? the QD's like an SUV it sucks up 2 x 9volt Batts per 10 hours equating to about $ 1.40 per hr to run it at current OZ supermaket battery prices thats not using ear phones

Ive used duracell coppertop's , ultras and eveready golds they all get the same life no benifit gained in buying the more expensive ultras

trueblue

 

[tabdog]

Hi True Blue,

I forgot if I told you, but I had a BH QD II and it was a good coin shooter,
and it will hold it's own. Really hits on silver.

You can not change coils on Compadre's in the US. It does have what is
probably the best coil for most applications. The 5.75' and 7" both work
great.

Tesoro's have good analog discreminators. No notching on Compadre, just
a knob.

The pop in 9 volt battery last so long with headphones, I don't give it much
thought. Just seems like an awful long time between changes.Of coarse
batteries are relitively cheep here.

I have been very succsusful with my Compadre. It's a leally good machine.
But, let me tell you this. I feel like I'll hot, or on a roll, when it comes to
finding gold jewelry. I seem to be an exception. Not everyone has my
success.

But, all I did was follow Monte's instructions to the letter. That's all it took for
me.

Be sure to read his post, above, very carefully............

I'm sure you will learn something.

That's just what I'm fixen to do right now..................

HH,

 

[tabdog]

n/t

 

[trueblue]

Thankyoy for the warm Welcome Monte

Why? Reading most forums you'll hear good things about many makes and models. You should select a particular unit based on what it has (features) and can offer you in the way of performance. It needs to meet your needs, so I immediately wondered what the particular use/purpose would be for a Compadre?

The use/purpose for the Compade would be the same as the QD for cion & relic hunting in old ghost towns and parks ect , I really dont pay a great deal of attension to the display on the QD as it is usually off the mark with depth an ID anyway so I just listen for the tone an a good solid signal . So the idea of less being more suits me in that manner an I am thinking that the Compadre would have a much better battery life ? Also I would like to purchase another detector so I can share the 2 between my wife an son .

Have you ever used a different brand or model? If you Bounty Hunter Quick Draw II seemsto work 'OK' then what are you looking for in the way of performance or situation handling?

Ive had a few hours on my mates Xterra 70 but its way outa my Budget , ofcorse I want the best performance that I can get but not wanting to spend more than $ 300 the best detector from what I can tell just from reseaching seems to be the Compade in that price range I was also considering the F2 but was put of by some poor reports that I have read concerning faulty units , as I will buy from the US to save $ and in doing so will not have a warranty to fall back on . If you can recomend a better unit than the Comparde for the price to suit my needs I will surely take a good hard look at it .
Yes I do say seems well it does the job OK as far as I can tell , it picks up coins an such with pretty well the same results as me mates xterra Im not saying its by any means in the same street but we go over each others signals an compare an the QD seems to disc ok ect . an I dont wanna knock BH detectors but my QD's a bit wobbly in construction , heavy on batterys also I have a back injury an the lighter Compade would suit well in that regard even being that its only 5oz's lighter .

... It's all dependant on how the manufacturer calibrated the sensitivity and ground balance. If the GB is set so that there is no falsing (caused by a too negative setting) then it will work fine. Naturally, the more control you have over a detector the better chance a detectorist has of handling any situations they might encounter.

rrrr Monte this's the question isnt it , well I would like to hear from an Australian Compade user to see how to unit preforms here .
My QD does a bit of falsing but its not a big problem as it not a constant thing its just know an then an I can recognise an work around it OK , an in my price range a detector with manual ground balance is outta reach . even 20 year old units with manual GB sell for above my Budget also the older models would just be to heavy with my bad back .

... If the Bounty Hunter QD-II does "OK" then I can tell you I would rather have and use a Compadre in such circumstances if I had to choose between the two. Tesoro's have a quicker response, better motion pinpointing ability, and the Compadre has a better discriminate circuitry.

My wife has alotta trouble pinpionting with the BH so any improvment there would be welcome as it drives her mad .

If you can adjust your detector to the minimum discriminate setting and bob the coil towards and way from the ground (bare dirt if possible), going from about 6" to

 

[Steve(MS)]

You can buy true 9.6 rechargeable batteries, they cost more on the front end but can be recharged. That's what I do, I don't like buying throw-away batteries. On the subject of the Compadre, I think you need to figure out what you want in a detector then buy accordingly. The Compadre should serve you well if it has the features you are looking for. It is hot on small items, does well in trash.

 

[trueblue]

G'day tabdog

I forgot if I told you, but I had a BH QD II and it was a good coin shooter,
and it will hold it's own. Really hits on silver.

yes Im very happy with mine also good value detector for sure

Tesoro's have good analog discreminators.

Im not up on the electronics tabdog could you please explain the benifits of analog disc , over ? digital disc ? does th BH QD have digital disc ? dont mean to give ya a headache tabdog but Im interested to learn

But, all I did was follow Monte's instructions to the letter. That's all it took for
me.

Be sure to read his post, above, very carefully............

I'm sure you will learn something.

That's just what I'm fixen to do right now..................

I intend to do just that

cheers trueblue

 

[trueblue]

You can buy true 9.6 rechargeable batteries, they cost more on the front end but can be recharged. That's what I do, I don't like buying throw-away batteries.

Hi Steve , yeh the rechargables that was me plan but everywhere Ive read users have mosty been against the use of 9 volt rechargables on the grounds of to low amp rating and seem to drop of quick no staying power for use in dectectors

trueblue

 

[tabdog]

Your not giving me a headache, I love this forum...

The BH QD II has analog discriminator.

It has a digital readout.

The notch is adjusted using the analog discriminator pot, or knob.

Now, what I'm not sure, and this makes me wonder about the whole
thing. I'm not sure if the auto notch is digital or analog.

Maybe someone knows.

Anyway, the point is that the discriminator on the Compadre is very
crisp and accurate.

I know without looking . I just thumb the disc knob. I can tell the
difference between a copper penny and a clad penny. No problem.

I don't if you know what that means. So I'll try to explane.

The modern clad pennies are a little lower conductor than the copper
pennies. That means that the clad pennies will disc out a little before
copper pennies.

With the QD II, I could not tell much difference between the clad and
the copper penny. I think because there was too much fluxuation in
the response of the QD II.

The QD II will bang on anything that is round and conducts well. Barks
at those coins.

So will the Compadre, but it goes down lower on the scale. That's good,
but it also bangs on washers. Coarse, it's not the only one.

I hope all this helps you.

But remember. I love my Compadre. It really clicks with me.

But, I cannot promise that you will be that impressed with it.

I think Monte has a more accurate discription of the machine
than I do. He has much more knowledge to make comparisons.

Best of luck.

Hope it works out well,

 

[Monte]

[quote trueblue]Thankyoy for the warm Welcome Monte [/quote][size=medium]... Glad to have another active hobbyist join this forum! [/size]

The use/purpose for the Compade would be the same as the QD for cion & relic hunting in old ghost towns and parks ect , I really dont pay a great deal of attension to the display on the QD as it is usually off the mark with depth an ID anyway so I just listen for the tone an a good solid signal . So the idea of less being more suits me in that manner an I am thinking that the Compadre would have a much better battery life ? Also I would like to purchase another detector so I can share the 2 between my wife an son.

[size=medium]... If you have a son and wife who can enjoy this hobby with you, you're far better off, and luckier, than many a fellow. While I do the bulk of my detecting with a TID equipped model, I seldom use the visual information. I rely on a good audio response that's above my very low discrimination setting, depending upon the site.[/size]

Ive had a few hours on my mates Xterra 70 but its way outa my Budget , ofcorse I want the best performance that I can get but not wanting to spend more than $ 300 the best detector from what I can tell just from reseaching seems to be the Compade in that price range I was also considering the F2 but was put of by some poor reports that I have read concerning faulty units , as I will buy from the US to save $ and in doing so will not have a warranty to fall back on . If you can recomend a better unit than the Comparde for the price to suit my needs I will surely take a good hard look at it .
Yes I do say seems well it does the job OK as far as I can tell , it picks up coins an such with pretty well the same results as me mates xterra Im not saying its by any means in the same street but we go over each others signals an compare an the QD seems to disc ok ect . an I dont wanna knock BH detectors but my QD's a bit wobbly in construction , heavy on batterys also I have a back injury an the lighter Compade would suit well in that regard even being that its only 5oz's lighter.

[size=medium]... Are you talking 300 dollars or 300 dollars? Since you stated you'd probably get one from the US, then I'm taking it that you mean $300 over here. There is a LOT you can buy for $300 or a little less. Now, I'm not factoring in any costs for shipping, just considering the number of excellent detectors for the tasks that are within that amount.

The X-Terra 70 is a very good detector and well worth the money. It offers a lot of adjustment functions that are both useful and practical w/o getting being a bunch of "fluff". The X-Terra 50 isn't all that bad and would be one to consider because it does have manual GB. The X-Terra 70 has the better adjustment for GB allowing you to "fine tune" the unit a little better. I'd suggest you stay away from the X-Terra 30, however, because I haven't found them to work well in more mineralized environments. Where I live, here in NW Oregon, USA, most ground sites tend to be above to well above what some consider "moderate" and some locations I hunt here have worse (more mineralized) ground than any other site I have hunted, anywhere, over all the years I've been at it. The X-Terra 30 has a GB engineered into the circuitry and there are no trimmers to make an adjustment. The GB is much too negative to be functional anywhere around here other than a wood chip/back chip filled playground ... as long as the 'chips' are at least 6" or so deep.

The build quality of the Minelab X-Terra series is also superior to the Bounty Hunter offerings, as you have noted. I would suggest you take a look at some models, w/TID or w/o TID (remember, you don't have to use it), that provide you with manual ground balance. This will let you tailor your GB settings for the search coil in use, as well as for the location.

Let me insert this comment about Ground Balance adjustment: Some models with a manual GB control are quite "touchy" in their adjustment and, quite often, leave you with the feeling that you must constantly tweak the GB for peak performance. Then there are some detectors that do not display such a radical nature and you can actually use the manual GB control to set the detector for a good functional GB and then leave it. While this can be done with the squirrellier responding types, they just seem to want to be adjusted constantly. Don't let the concept of manual GB get the best of you.[/size]

rrrr Monte this's the question isnt it , well I would like to hear from an Australian Compade user to see how to unit preforms here .
My QD does a bit of falsing but its not a big problem as it not a constant thing its just know an then an I can recognise an work around it OK , an in my price range a detector with manual ground balance is outta reach . even 20 year old units with manual GB sell for above my Budget also the older models would just be to heavy with my bad back .

[size=medium]...My personal-use detector for most hunting applications is my modified White's IDX Pro. The IDX/IDX Pro were simply the basic Classic III SL circuitry with the TID circuitry added. By "modified" I am referring to modifications done by Bill Crabtree of Surfscanner detectors in the US. These mods add an external manual GB control as well as an external Threshold control. In addition, he adds a little "boost" to the upper-end of the Sensitivity control. The Classic II SL is the non-TID model that I'd suggest, or go for the IDX Pro w/Target ID.

In the Tesoro line I favor some of their former models for general coin hunting and a lot of ghost town duty, such as the 'original' Bandido, the Bandido II or the Bandido II

 

[jmaryt]

hey tab!
when you hunt with the "compadre" in heavy trash,where do you set your discriminator?..and why?..thanks!

(h.h!)
j.t.

 

[Steve(MS)]

There are some true 9.6 volt 220 or better MAH's that do well in detectors. The key to using them is to fully charge them before detecting. 9 volt batteries are high priced to start with, the rechargeables will pay for themselves quickly and you can keep using them, these I have are called powerex.
My suggestion to you concerning which detector to choose is to email Monte and tell him specifically what you want in the way of the detector and he can give you advice on different ones that will be suitable to do research on.

 

[tabdog]

Hay Jmaryt,

Believe it or not, I seldom us any.

Sometimes I will turn it to Iron.

There are several reasons I do that.

If you use disc, it changes the way the response sounds.
I get better ID without Disc.

If you use disc, there is less sensitivity to small gold jewelry.

If you use disc, you loose depth and it diminishes those hard
to hear deep targets.

I find a good response. Then I use the Disc to help ID the target.

I'll dig a lot besides high conductive targets.

There are good targets that are not high conductors, ( GOLD ).

HH,

 

[jmaryt]

thanks tab!..

(h.h!)
j.t.

 

[trueblue]

There are some true 9.6 volt 220 or better MAH's that do well in detectors

Thanks for that info Steve I will check that out an looking into buying some

Your not giving me a headache, I love this forum...

thanks for takin the time to explain to me tabdog its appreciated

Anyway Ive ended up breakin me budget an buying a as new used tejon , You may ask why ....well it was priced well at $ 450 au with a standard + 12 DD ciol , I just couldnt resist keeping in mind that the Australian RRP for the tejon alone is $ 1375

So for now there will be no Compadre yet , I was still leaning toward the Compadre when the tejon popped up but at that price I felt I needed to make a quick decision , so I jumped on the tejon half blind I must say as I dont know much about tejons and most of the reviews Ive read mainly at detectorreviews.com have really put the tejon down as a poor performer when it comes to highly minerlised ground .

So my general use for the tejon will be cion shooting in parks ect and some cion relic in old ghost towns an bit a prospecting , I took Montes advice on the manual GB ect and having the control in my hands rather than a preset mach , I wanted to wait an get Monte's an other user's advice an thoughts on the tejon but time was of the essence ....

Hoping it all pans out well

any thoughts ?

trueblue

 

[tabdog]

Way to go Trueblue'

You just give the Tejon a chance.

It is on my wish list.

It is what I'm working toward.

I saw one for $450 but I just can not
part with that right now.

I have two teenaged boys.

They come first.

Great news. The Tejon should be able to do what you need.

Don't believe the hype.

Dealer always put Tesoro down.

They are too low cost and don't have bells and whistles.

I always hear bad views on Compadre.

That's obviously ignorance.

HH,

HH,

 

[trueblue]

thanks tabdog the "proofs in the pudding" you've proved that now off to to master the tejon thanks to everyone for the helpfull tips and advice

trueblue