Using Audio Signal Booster on Tesoro Compadre.

[ToddB64]

Hi !

Since the Tesoro Compadre is analog (as apposed to digital), would a Signal Booster, similar to the now- defunct "Gold Rush Depth Master" (picture attached), enhance the audio "whisper" signals made by small, deep or lower-karate gold jewelry ?
I called the1-928-771-2646 phone number listed on Tesoro's website, hoping to ask Vince Gifford about this, but just got a recording advising their business was going down, etc., etc..

I saw and read about signal boosters for the first time in Clive James Clynick's book titled "Site-Reading" for Gold and Silver. Then I found the thread below right here on Findmall that says signal boosters work with detectors that have analog circuits, but don't improve the audio that much on digital detectors, as digitals already provide audio enhancement. I would assume most of the better headphones amplify audio signals too.

Findmall thread : https://www.findmall.com/read.php?18,1577019

Some of the current signal amplifiers I was able to find on the Internet were all too expensive. If I could find a new one about the same size as the defunct "Gold Rush Depth Master" shown in the attached picture and at a price under $50.00, I might consider buying it to improve my chances of digging up some gold jewelry.

Thanks in advance for your comments !

ToddB64

 

[gwsears]

Signal boosters did nothing for the silent search detectors such as the Tesoros unless in all metal mode and listening to a threshold.

You cannot signal boost silence it's as simple as that.

I am interested in any analog, discriminating detector that works with a threshold. That’s where the boosters are helpful, on those whisper signals. Deeeeep targets!

g

 

[ToddB64]

Signal boosters did nothing for the silent search detectors such as the Tesoros unless in all metal mode and listening to a threshold.

You cannot signal boost silence it's as simple as that.

I am interested in any analog, discriminating detector that works with a threshold. That’s where the boosters are helpful, on those whisper signals. Deeeeep targets!

g

Thanks gwsears ! That straightened out my thinking, or I should say, my lack thereof. :blush:

ToddB64

 

[Dancer]

Gwsears, I hunt a Garrett Infinium, pulse induction. It has adjustable threshold. Mostly for beach , wet work. I have had a ton of fun hunting some sports fields that have deeper top soil. The Inferno is great on nickels & gold if available of course. It also has a couple of tones that are great at sorting of trash. The bad news, it's been discontinued like the Tesoros. Good analog choices seem limited. So I sucked it up and took a chance on a Deep Tech Vista X.
I'm very impressed with what can be done with the double discrimination knobs, the octagon coil and very happy with the power & depth. Seen videos of impressive handling working in iron. There's a lot of good info over on the Deep Tech forum. The bad news would be , if someone would start hunting one of these where I hunt. Honestly it would be a killer for me. I don't have a dog in this hunt, but anyone that's into Analog wouldn't be wasting time doing some serious investigation of this machine.

 

[gwsears]

Hi Dancer, The Deep Tech Vista X is on my short list. Was hoping for a mid range coil, 7-8" but may take the leap any day.
There is still potential for analog technology. I say "dance with the one what brung ya" and when I started detecting, BFO was the thing
and TR was new technology!

HH,
Geo

 

[Monte]

What worked and didn't work so well back then, and how it relates to many of the makes and models of detectors used today, as well as the available headphones can be an interesting study .... f someone wanted to pass the time during 'cabin fever season' and had test sample detectors and headphones to tinker with. As for me, no thinks. I've been down that road before and did enough side-by-side comparisons using an assortment of detectors, the different versions of the "Depthmaster" models, and most of the popular headphones available at the time. And when I say "at the time" it relates to 1988 to 1990.

Back then, MOST of the headphones sold in the metal detector dealer's stores were 8 ohm, 16 ohm, and the then-popular 32 ohm speakers like the Cal-Rad 135's. With a few better headphones on the market with speakers rated in the 100 to 150 ohm range, we did have some better options to hear some of the weaker or fainter audio responses that were more difficult to hear with the lower-quality, wimpier-performance 'budget' headphones. And, since most detectors in use at that time, and certainly a bulk of what were being offered as new, were based on an analog circuitry design there was less designed-in performance for those weaker signals.

Therefore, some makes and models were able to benefit from a signal-enhancing device that might boost those weaker signals. All Metal mode or a motion-based Disc. mode., with or without a Threshold audio, could get produce a little louder audio response we could hear from a weaker audio report. Not with all makes and models, but with some, or many really. But I never perceived any real depth increase, just a louder sounding [size=small](volume)[/size] from those weaker audio responses that were otherwise difficult for me to hear. Part of that was from being somewhat hearing impaired. But there had to be a weaker sounding, or slight audio, response to be enhanced or they didn't work.

With the better headphones that soon flourished on the market, such as those from Detector Pro or Killer B and similar, using the high-impedance speakers, those made up most of what was needed in hearing fainter or weaker audio responses. Then we have to also consider how many manufacturers also addressed the audio response performance of their detectors by boosting some of the signals, going to digitally designed circuitry to help with some signal processing, but mainly by simply going to a Saturated Audio instead of a Modulated Audio. Today, many makes and models use a more saturated audio, at least for a greater percentage of their audio processing and then a modulated response for the last little bit. Not all of them but many.

I have always maintained at least one or two of my favorite Tesoro models in my Detector Outfit since mid-'83, and both of my current [size=small]micro[/size]MAX models do have a stronger audio response but are still modulated. However, I use quality headphones with very good speaker impedance and I don't feel I suffer from a weaker signal response such that it impedes my performance afield. To me, that's a lot better than using some additional signal enhancing device.

Monte

 

[Odanscoils]

I don't know about a booster on my Tesoros.
Except for my Tejon in all metal. VCO.
PUT a stereo audio booster on my Eureka Gold. With bass boost.
A world of difference.
Can really hear the whispers the machine is saying now.