my new vaquero

[LaSodbuster]

I bought my first metal detector last week and it came in Friday. I spent some time with instructions and took it out Saturday. I'm detecting on my property cause there are some old home sites. Sunday I found a 192? Wheat penny and a 1901 liberty nickel. Today I found a Louisiana 1 mill tax token. I'm really excited about my finds.

But I do have some concerns. When I was setting up my vaq I followed the instructions. I was very disappointed in the air test. It would not pick up a quarter until it was almost touching the coil. This doesn't seem normal. Plus, the detector doesn't keep going off while hovering over metal. It silences out and then sounds off again. It even does that while in AM. That may be normal, not sure though.

I've been practicing with GB and I'm starting to get the hang of it. Been running the vaq with the threshold at about 2 o'clock and sensitivity at ten. The targets I've been finding haven't been very deep, no more than 6" deep at the most.

So, any ideas? Or am I doing something wrong?

 

[JimGilmore]

When doing an air test did you let the coil sit and sweep the coin sideto side as you got closer to the coin. The coin or coil need to move to get a response.

 

[LaSodbuster]

Nope, I didn't move the coin side to side while coming forward. Well, I'll add that to the something learned column. Thank you very much. I know I have a lot to learn, but I have start somewhere.

 

[BillF]

Well, first off, your detector is a motion detector. If you stop over the target it will go silent, then sound off again with the slightest movement. You'll get used to it. As far as the air test, I have to think you dont have it properly ground balanced.
You will find the majority of your coins in the 6" range. As you learn the machine you should be able to pick out some coins deeper. That all depends on your soil. Where I live, there is usually a fine gravel layer at 5-8 inchesm so coins just arent any deeper than that.
Good luck and welcome to the club.

 

[SkiWhiz]

I just got a new Vaquero myself & really like it. The Vaquero has a fast all metal auto-tune, in other words if you have it in all metal mode or if you push in the pinpoint button over a target it will beep but will go silent quickly after the beep and will remain quiet until you pass the coil over the target again.

 

[LaSodbuster]

That's true. I didn't think about it like that. I'll just keep learning as I go. I did learn real quick to slow my butt down while scanning. My soil is loamy for a few inches and then goes to heavy clay. I really don't want to dig in that unless I know for sure its double eagle or something similar. Lol! Thanks to both of you for answering. I feel better knowing its me not the machine. Which is what I figured anyway.

 

[hatpin]

You have a good spot to hunt. Those are some old finds.

 

[LaSodbuster]

I just got a new Vaquero myself & really like it. The Vaquero has a fast all metal auto-tune, in other words if you have it in all metal mode or if you push in the pinpoint button over a target it will beep but will go silent quickly after the beep and will remain quiet until you pass the coil over the target again.

Thanks, I will keep that in mind.

 

[LaSodbuster]

You have a good spot to hunt. Those are some old finds.

I am lucky to have some old sites on my property. Gives me an excellent opportunity to practice. Looking forward to my next outing. Having fun and I have my seven year old daughter interestedin it. Great father daughter time!

 

[coinscratch]

First off...awesome finds! I also recently got a new vaquero a couple of weeks ago ( still on first battery) used a bounty hunter tracker before buying the vaq , first noticeable difference was the depth! I couldn't believe how deep I was getting iron targets, or copper pennies at 8" plus. 2nd difference was the vaquero language. Even though it has one tone the variety of that tone are many. Ive found that a jagged, raspy tone means foil and that full rounded sound means coin ( or sometimes...ugh... pulltabs) the soil where I live is mineralized medium (northern vt) and fairly sandy so ground balancing is pretty easy. you should watch 53 silver youtube video On super tuning and ground balancing,it helped me.i know its going to take some time to master my vaquero but every time I take her out ...I'm digging, finding,and learning ...and that's defiantly the fun part of this hobby! $Happy digging$ lasodbuster

 

[Rainyday101]

Great info on the Vaq. That is the next detector on my list unless I need to get a Compadre or another Silver uMax, or a Cibola for the kids. The Vaq. just seems to be a deep great all around performing detector for not a lot of money. Almost too good to be true!

 

[SpiritRelic]

Yeap,motion based detector.All vlf detectors must be moving over target except for a detector like the outlaw which has a no-motion all metal mode.You should do good on a air test,let us know if it gets better.:-D

 

[BarryL]

Yep those iron rusted metals have a slight growl to them I have found also a coin size object. Seems to have sharp tone and falls off quickly

 

[Topo]

The Vaquero can be a little hard to master as your first detector, but don't get discouraged, practice, learn the basics and in no time you'll be rewarded.

I just got a new Vaquero myself & really like it. The Vaquero has a fast all metal auto-tune, in other words if you have it in all metal mode or if you push in the pinpoint button over a target it will beep but will go silent quickly after the beep and will remain quiet until you pass the coil over the target again.

the all-metal pinpoint button is priceless, two detecting modes by just moving a finger

 

[LaSodbuster]

I watched 53 Silver's videos. They are very helpful. Thank you everyone for the posts. I'm gettingmore comfortable with the machine. I have not tried air testing it again, but my detecting has improved some. I found a 192? And 1913 wheats and a buffalo nickel in basically the same hole yesterday. Its a shame my ground is so acidic. Those coins are in bad shape. Thanks again and happy hunting!

 

[atomicscott]

Be patient and listen closely to learn the nuances of the tone. Don't pay attention to any noise but the solid repeatable tones. Also, be sure to ground balance often (or least check it). Alot of people don't think to do this, but the ground can change within a few feet sometimes, then the depth will suffer. When nuggetshooting in highly mineralized areas, I check my GB every 4-5 feet and adjust as needed.