Winmagbar said:
Hello from Tulsa, Oklahoma,
I envy your mild ground down that way. I hunted there a bit back inn '88 and sure wish the ground I work here in Oregon or my travels to Utah, Nevada and other western states, was that mellow.
Winmagbar said:
I received my 1st and only detector (Bounty Hunter 1) in 1966 I think and I still have it. I never really got into detecting back ten but I recently bought my grandson a used Silver Umax and was amazed at it's capabilities.
Robert, I am sure most Tesoro followers who have read my pots, over the past twenty plus years of Forum posting probably know what I am about to tell you. So readers, bear with me as I fill Robert I n about these wonderful Tesoro models.
Jack Gifford at Tesoro used an electronic term or symbol ...
µ ... when he renamed some of his newer models that used the small control housing. That symbol means '
micro' and was used to describe the detectors that used the
'micro' sized housing to be smaller, and also
'micro' sized electronic components in the circuitry that can provide
MAXimum performance, and is pronounced '
[size=small]micro[/size]MAX'. It us
NOT an alphabet letter '
u' or '
U' and they are not pronounced 'YouMAX.' They are the Silver [size=small]micro[/size]MAX and Bandido II [size=small]micro[/size]MAX.
Okay, with that moment of education out of the way, I am certain you are going to really enjoy using these new-to-you Tesoro models.
I have several all-time favorite Tesoro models, but only four in my current arsenal. A Bandido II [size=small]micro[/size]MAX, Silver Sabre [size=small]micro[/size]MAX, a Vaquero and Mojave. Both the Vaquero and Mojave are also making use of the same smaller-sized control housing, but thankfully they didn't include the µMAX term as part of their name.
How long has it been since you made use of that old BFO Bounty Hunter? It looks like you sure missed out on a lot of the 'productive years' in this great sport. It is very good news that you're going to have a detecting buddy with your grandson. How old is he? I have six kids and only two go detecting but not all that often, and about 16 grand kids but only three of them do any detecting. Hopefully this year might spark them to get out more often with their Dad and Grandpa.
Winmagbar said:
After a lot of research, I just picked up a Bandido II Umax in good condition off eBay sold by someone that seems to be well known on the forums (devilpookie) so I'm confident it's in good condition. It won't arrive for a few days but I've already downloded and read the manual. Any books or links you could direct me to regarding getting the most out of the Bandido would be appreciated. I'm hoping to spend a lot of time detecting with my grandson.
The Bandido II [size=small]micro[/size]MAX is perhaps my #1 all-time favorite Tesoro model, and the other three models I have are also top-performers.
You can read a lot about using your new detector here on Findmall's Beep and Dig Forum, and don't hesitate to send a direct e-mail to anyone if you have questions that concern you. I will share just a few reminders about using your units afield for improved success:
• On the Bandido II µMAX be sure to set a proper slight audio hum Threshold setting in the All Metal mode.
• Adjust the Ground Balance in All Metal so that it is 'spot-on' to just very slightly negative if you are mainly searching in the Discriminate mode.
• Use very little Discrimination so as not to reject smaller, low-conductive desired targets such as thin gold chains, small gold rings and pendants, etc. Both the models you have use what Tesoro calls the ED-120 Disc. circuitry. I always keep the Discrimination set at
absolute minimum on mine because that will be just slightly above iron nail rejection and most iron trash will be Discriminated and you won't lose the smaller desired targets.
• Do NOT sweep too briskly. These circuitry designs are at-their-best when you use a slow and methodical sweep speed. This is especially true when searching in black sand, pea gravel, small rocks or any other challenging, highly mineralized site.
• If needed, consider an accessory coil or two that might help you better handle challenging conditions, such as dense brush or abundant debris.
Winmagbar said:
Bandido just arrived in mint condition with the exception of some slight wear on the coil (to be expected). Just went outside for a test and everything seems to be working great with good discrimination. The all metal hum did not seem very strong or consistent but it hit coins and hit hard in all metal without a hum. Am I doing something wrong in my all metal adjustments? Unit set to all metal, auto tune and ground balanced.
Ground Balance is simple to adjust:
1.. Toggle to the 'Auto' position for efficient, quick Auto-tune in the All Metal mode.
2.. Adjust for a slight audio 'hum' and not a loud sound. This is the slight audio you just barely hear that is the Threshold-level of sound. You will only hear that with the Bandido II [size=small]micro[/size]MAX in the All Metal mode and Pinpoint function. The Disc. modes are silent-search. However, their audio response is influenced or referenced off the Threshold setting and if you have it too low you might not hear weaker and/or deeper targets.
3.. Start adjusting the GB setting with the search coil held about 6" to 8" above the ground, in Auto tune All Metal mode with a Threshold audio hum. Then lower the search coil toward the ground, to about ½"-1" and listen for any change in the Threshold hum. Adjust the GB as needed, then toggle to Retune and release the toggle switch to restore the new adjustment and Threshold hum and lower the coil again. Do this until the Threshold audio stays the same as the coil is lowered towards the ground. If anything, you can adjust to a very slightly negative setting in the All Metal mode for better performance in the silent-search motion Disc. mode.
Set some goals to try and achieve in 2018 and get out as often as you can to enjoy this great sport.
Monte
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