I got my vaquero and I need help

[Goes4ever]

This thing is no compadre, with the compadre I turned it on and hunted, every beep, I would thumb disc up and dig and find the target everytime.

With the vaquero, I could not get anything to work right. I tried to GB in my yard in a clean spot, I put in all metal, turned sens to around 8 like manual says, turned threshold to audible hum and took coil up and down, regardless of how positive or how negative I went the sound was not changing, Gets quiet as I go up and makes noise as I go down. I tried several spots in my yard, no where was different. I just set it in the middle and tried to hunt some. I went to my test garden and with sensitivity at 7 it could easily pick up the coins I have buried at 7.5", so that made me happy

I took it to a field down the road from me, tried to GB there again, a LONG ways from homesite, no iron all clean ground, same thing. I could not get it to sound smooth like the videos on youtube. So again I set it in the middle and tried to hunt. I set sensitivity on 6 and had disc a little over iron. It beeped on everything. So I moved disc up to just under nickel and it seemed a lil better, When I got a solid hit from all directions I would dig and dig and could never find anything. over and over....I dug 15-20 holes and never found anything. I just gave up and came home. This is NOTHING like the compadre, please help me and convince me I did not make a mistake getting this machine lol

 

[Monte]

So many people use a "turn-on-and-go" detector [size=small](usually that means a factory preset GB, but could apply to an automated GB model)[/size], but have trouble when they switch to a manual GB unit. Manual Ground Balance isn't that tough to learn and understand, but there are a few 'cautions' I explain to people when I help them.

My phone number is at the bottom of this post. Give me a call and I'll help answer your questions and walk you through it. Call anytime as I am just doing research and relaxing today.

Monte

 

[Goes4ever]

Thanks Monte, leaving shortly to go out with friends will call u sometime this week

 

[tabman]

It's best to start with a positive GB and keep turning the GB knob counterclockwise until you don't hear the audio when you push the coil towards the ground. Leave it there, until you get used to ground balancing For more depth turn the knob about 1/4 turn further counterclockwise to get it a little negative. Once you get it figured out, it's a piece of cake.

tabman

 

[Goes4ever]

even if I did not have the GB right would I still be experiencing the stuff I mentioned? constant beeping on things, even with disc at nickel and digging and not finding targets? This is a field I have hunted with my etrac for years and it has given up a lof of indians. The compadre runs smooth here no problems. Really want to figure this out so I can hunt it with the vaquero

 

[jld66]

did you turn the GB knob 5 turns counter clockwise and then turn it back 2 turns clockwise when you first got it to put it in the middle part of its range? like it says to do on top of page 9, "adjust ground balance for air test" i never even held a metal detector before i got my vaq and had no problems with the GB. may be a dumb question. just saying...

 

[Coin$triking Michigan]

My Vaquero never had a steady threshold hum. It kind of warbled up and down. I experienced what you described often with mine. Usually when I had the sensitivity and threshold set too high.

 

[bigjon]

here is a video on Ground Balance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjXq4sHTS_Y

 

[Minas man]

Good advice so far. Only raise coil 4 inches when pumping coil for balancing. Sounds like threshold is too high so go for about a 1 o'clock or just audible. A pinpointer is a must with Vaquero in my opinion as I also dug and filled lots of holes with no recovery during my first year with no pin pointer. The Garrett pin pointer pro made a huge difference and proved that there was metal in the hole.
You need to train on your set up so you will get consistent results in all ground conditions. This will take mere seconds once you get the hang of it.
Hang in there and you will be rewarded with a very capable detector.

Minas man

 

[jld66]

yes, i agree. sounds like your threshold is too high. turn it up just to where you start to hear it. most of the time i put sense. right on 10 when GBing. can always get it right on. never had to turn it more than a quarter turn either way.

 

[Goes4ever]

yes, i agree. sounds like your threshold is too high. turn it up just to where you start to hear it. most of the time i put sense. right on 10 when GBing. can always get it right on. never had to turn it more than a quarter turn either way.

I must be missing something because when I have threshold set at 1 o'clock it is blaring loud, in fact so loud I had to take my headphones off.........

 

[Hombre]

n/t

 

[jld66]

yes, i agree. sounds like your threshold is too high. turn it up just to where you start to hear it. most of the time i put sense. right on 10 when GBing. can always get it right on. never had to turn it more than a quarter turn either way.

I must be missing something because when I have threshold set at 1 o'clock it is blaring loud, in fact so loud I had to take my headphones off.........

about right. i just went out and checked mine. the red outline around the word tesoro above the knob, the inside corner where it rises to go around the O, not loud. just when you start to hear it steady. leave it there. it will be loud when you go over a target. i do not use headphones though. GB it at the minimal threshold. like i said, just when you hear it steady. no more than that. can turn it up louder after. good luck man...

 

[Minas man]

Sound is key to correct operation and you know what does not sound correct from you first outing. Knob pointer pre-setups are just a starting place for initial setup and next phase is using your ears for the tuning.
Your ears are telling you to turn down the Threshold and set the G-balance adjustment again as stated earlier 5 counter clock wise then 2 turns clock wise with pointer at 12 o'clock position. 4 inch pumps and now experiment turning + and - and see how the sound changes. When there is no change is sound you are balanced.

Minas man

 

[Goes4ever]

Sound is key to correct operation and you know what does not sound correct from you first outing. Knob pointer pre-setups are just a starting place for initial setup and next phase is using your ears for the tuning.
Your ears are telling you to turn down the Threshold and set the G-balance adjustment again as stated earlier 5 counter clock wise then 2 turns clock wise with pointer at 12 o'clock position. 4 inch pumps and now experiment turning + and - and see how the sound changes. When there is no change is sound you are balanced.

Minas man

ok when I get home I am gonna try the 5 counter clock wise then 2 turns clock wise with pointer at 12 o'clock position before I GB again and if it doesn't change anything I will call Monte

 

[Minas man]

I would also check your wire lead from coil that it is not flopping around and also the connector at the box, I have marked mine with a permanent marker so it plugs in correctly and then snug up the screw connection.
Turn down Threshold too. AM mode is very very sensitive on Vaquero.

Minas man

 

[Wishful-thinker]

The ground balance is a 3 3/4 turn pot. it will go far beyond the - to + like some machines. that means you can turn it 3.75 revolutions. the only way you know your at
the end is it gets a little harder to turn. and as far as the false beeping, sometimes mine will beep if I bump a stob,or small bush. Turn your sensitivity down to 2-3. there it
will still go deeper than the Compadre, but will give you more stability and give you shallower targets. Make sure your cable is wrapped securely, and tight at the screw
on connector, shake it off the ground and see if it beeps. and if there is bits of foil where you hunt they will drive you nuts trying to find them ,but it will pick them up. Also
if the field has been plowed and theres deep big iron 1-3 feet down you will seemingly dig forever and not find it. when you get a target, just like with the Compadre lift
the coil off the ground while sweeping over it, and if it still beeps 8-12 inches off the ground its usually iron,or a can. It does take a little getting used to. I almost sold
mine ,as it was doing the same thing as yours, but after digging to my elbow at a 1930s house and finding a 1/2 copper collar, I decided to keep it,but just run the sens
lower now, unless I'm somewhere I know I can run it higher. If you use a coil cover make sure no metal / mineralized soil gets into it because that will cause false beeping.
The threshold should be set to just where you can hear it, no matter where its at on the dial. If you use headphones its no different than a old type stereo, you have to ajust
the threshold and headphone volume to a tolerable level, but not too low as to miss small ,or deep coins / relics.


Hope this helps.

 

[Bill M]

Terry saw your issue with ground balancing the Vaquero, I too bought a Vaquero and also have problems with GB. I can't hear any change in sounds no matter how much I adjust. Saw where you talked to someone and got help. Who did you talk to?

 

[Monte]

My phone number is at the bottom of the page, and you can catch me most any time, even very early to very late.

If you call during daylight when you can step outside with the Vaquero and phone in each hand, we can walk through the process. It's simple and I like 'simple.'

Today, Wednesday or even on Thanksgiving as no one is coming to see me, and I don't do the "Black Friday" thing, either. If not, then the weekend [size=small](except 9:30-11:30 am when I'm at church)[/size], just what suits you.. Pacific Time here quiet, and tiny, in Arlington Oregon.

Monte