Tesoro Compadre Sensitivity

[ToddB64]

Dear Friends,

On many of the lower-priced metal detectors the Ground Balance is factory-fixed for average soil mineralization (not meant to be adjusted by user).

OK, so what about Sensitivity on the Tesoro Compadre ? I assume it would have to be factory-fixed also, since the only user adjustment is for Discrimination. Does anyone have "inside information" , so to speak, on what Sensitivity setting is/was used at the factory for the latest, or previous, model ? For example, on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being a minimum sensitivity and 10 being a maximum, what number is used during factory production ?

Maybe Monte knows

Todd

 

[slingshot]

They seem to have set mine at just below max. Whenever I had it inside, the EMI falsing was quite noticeable so I turned it down with the inside trimmer pot. Still air tests my gold ring at nearly 8".

 

[BarberBill]

It's my understanding that the sensitivity is pretty well at maximum all the time.
BB

 

[ToddB64]

slingshot and BarberBill,

Thanks for yawl's replies ! Looks like the factory setting is somewhere around 9 to 10 on my suggested scale.

Go Compadre !

Todd

 

[tvr]

There are trim pots inside. Factory setting seems to be maybe 70% of max. If set too hot it chatters; but if you can hunt with some chatter, you can get some more depth. Need to understand what you are doing, other wise leave them alone.

I power ground balanced mine over the most common hunting areas where I use the Compadre. Turned the sensitivity up until it chatters a bit with the coil in the air, outside, 20 to 30 yards from houses. For the one I have, that is at very near the end of the pot's adjustment range.

When the coil is placed over the ground it quiets with a little bit of chattiness still there but when it hits a target it quiets completely as the sweep continues except for the target beep. Works like that over most conditions I've encountered without having to back it off. Every now and then I have hit an area that it just chattered too much. If I hit a lot of those areas, I'd set the sensitivity back down some.

Can't air test it in my house due to excessive chatter; but outside, the upping of the sensitivity added about an inch to the air test on most coins.

I've recovered quarters up to about 7.5 to maybe 8 inches in the ideal conditions of the wood chipped tot lots with this one. I've got a 9 x 8 inch coil wired in. That probably helps a little with the depth too. Still gets tiny pieces of foil and has no problem finding earring studs. For a well under $200 detector, it is a pretty amazing performer.
tvr

 

[Hombre]

Hi Todd

I just got an early Compadre with the 7 inch coil last weekend, and have had a chance to compare it to my original Bandido with a 7 inch concentric coil. The two Tesoro's compared favorably in my 'ol coin garden. Depth of detection were similar, the Compadre seems to be able to do better in the iron, I think this is because of the ED 180 disc. VS the Bandido ED 120 disc. curcuit. Now in bad ground, the Bandido would have the advantage being able to ground balance with it's 10 turn ground balance adjustment. I have pretty high mineralised ground, but it is fairly consistant, and the Compadre seems to do well in my ground. I took it to and old torn down farm house site that I have pounded in the past and it nabbed some more coins in the the iron nails, but nothing too exciting as the targets are getting thin. Over all I really am impressed with the Compadre, it is a keeper!!!!!!!!!

 

[grouser]

can you put in simple terms the difference between the ED 180 and ED 120 circuit ?

 

[slingshot]

can you put in simple terms the difference between the ED 180 and ED 120 circuit ?

Have a window between just above nails to all metal that can be adjusted on ED-180. So, for instance, on the Compadre the disc could be set to just reject, say a paper clip, but on the Silver umax, it's either accept the paper clip and iron junk in a/m mode or reject bottlecaps, iron, nails, and maybe teeny gold in disc. at it's minimum. Seems minimal, and for most people, it is. Where the Compadre shines is that not only does it have ED-180, but it's CIRCUITRY is different-no high gain, low noise. For whatever reason, this allows for the detection of small gold chains not even picked up by the Silver umax in a/m. I know 'cause I found a small gold chain with the Compadre WHILE rejecting paper clips and the Silver umax and ALL my other detectors, except for a '60's BFO wouldn't pick it up in all metal.

 

[ToddB64]

can you put in simple terms the difference between the ED 180 and ED 120 circuit ?

Hi grouser !

Below is a paragraph from Monte's (Monte V. Berry) post dated july 20, 2009 07:38AM in the Tesoro Forum. If you want to read the entire post, just follow the website navigation route at the bottom. If you need further simplification, I suggest you consult with Monte directly via E-mail.
His E-mail address is : MonteVB@comcast.net. If for some reason this address doesn't work, let me know, as I have another one for "Monte Berry, Sr.".

The ED-180 accepts, in theory, the full upper 180

 

[ToddB64]

Hi Todd

I just got an early Compadre with the 7 inch coil last weekend, and have had a chance to compare it to my original Bandido with a 7 inch concentric coil. The two Tesoro's compared favorably in my 'ol coin garden. Depth of detection were similar, the Compadre seems to be able to do better in the iron, I think this is because of the ED 180 disc. VS the Bandido ED 120 disc. curcuit. Now in bad ground, the Bandido would have the advantage being able to ground balance with it's 10 turn ground balance adjustment. I have pretty high mineralised ground, but it is fairly consistant, and the Compadre seems to do well in my ground. I took it to and old torn down farm house site that I have pounded in the past and it nabbed some more coins in the the iron nails, but nothing too exciting as the targets are getting thin. Over all I really am impressed with the Compadre, it is a keeper!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Hombre; that's very interesting ! I'm glad you are so happy with the Compadre ! I plan to get one too, soon as the $ materializes. When it does, I'll look for a good used one I think.

BTW, I have a good selection of samples for my Test Garden and plan on planting "seeds" as soon as the rain stops for awhile. I can't believe all the rain we've had.....non-stop for days and the forecast is for rain the rest of this week ! Thanks again for your tips on making the garden, Ground Balancing my Bandido ll uMax, etc..and all the encouragement !

ToddB64

 

[ToddB64]

There are trim pots inside. Factory setting seems to be maybe 70% of max. If set too hot it chatters; but if you can hunt with some chatter, you can get some more depth. Need to understand what you are doing, other wise leave them alone.

I power ground balanced mine over the most common hunting areas where I use the Compadre. Turned the sensitivity up until it chatters a bit with the coil in the air, outside, 20 to 30 yards from houses. For the one I have, that is at very near the end of the pot's adjustment range.

When the coil is placed over the ground it quiets with a little bit of chattiness still there but when it hits a target it quiets completely as the sweep continues except for the target beep. Works like that over most conditions I've encountered without having to back it off. Every now and then I have hit an area that it just chattered too much. If I hit a lot of those areas, I'd set the sensitivity back down some.

Can't air test it in my house due to excessive chatter; but outside, the upping of the sensitivity added about an inch to the air test on most coins.

I've recovered quarters up to about 7.5 to maybe 8 inches in the ideal conditions of the wood chipped tot lots with this one. I've got a 9 x 8 inch coil wired in. That probably helps a little with the depth too. Still gets tiny pieces of foil and has no problem finding earring studs. For a well under $200 detector, it is a pretty amazing performer.
tvr

Hi tvr !

Good report.

In my Village Tot Lots, they have black cloth with about 3-4 inches of chips on top and I don't want to cut through the cloth to retrieve a deep target.

Thanks for the information re the Factory Sens. setting on your Compadre, etc..

HH..........ToddB64

 

[tvr]

In some of the wood-chipped lots I find the weed block fabric too. I don't cut it no matter how sweet the target sounds. Fortunately I find it in only about 1/4 of the lots I've come across. Every year about 1/4 of the lots I frequent will have new wood chips spread in preparation for a new school year. When I am time limited in a hunt on one of the tot lots with the fabric I do a test. In an area without a target hit, dig down to the fabric. Drop a dime on the fabric, pin-point it in the center of the coil and raise the coil up to see how far up it is when the detector looses the target. If I get a target that does not discriminate out as I thumb the discrimination up and I can raise the coil no more than the test height on the dime, I will leave it and move to the next target. Not a fool proof test by any means but it cuts down on the targets beneath the fabric that I start to recover and then have to abandon.

Should be able to get closer to the poles with the smaller, stock coil. With the 9 x 8 coil wired in and the sensitivity turned up, I don't get quite as close to the poles.
Cheers,
tvr

 

[ToddB64]

tvr......Interesting method, although I'll need to re-read a few times and think about it to fully understand. It's 2:24AM EST, so I'm not real sharp right now.

Keep a small short-handled rake in your car. If you can park the car fairly close to a Tot Lot, use this rake to pull chips a little ways from the poles and then you can scan over the chip pile with the 9 x 8 coil without pole-signal interference......their might be a target in that pile ! When done with Tot Lots, put rake back in car , so it's not a nuisance as you continue hunting other areas of the park.

I've been thinking about doing this at my village park, i.e. raking chips back a little ways from under the slides and wherever else I have trouble getting a coil close to metal structures. Of course, after scanning each raked-up pile, be sure to put the chips back over the fabric, nice and tidy.

Hope this helps ! Good luck in the Tot Lots !

ToddB64

In some of the wood-chipped lots I find the weed block fabric too. I don't cut it no matter how sweet the target sounds. Fortunately I find it in only about 1/4 of the lots I've come across. Every year about 1/4 of the lots I frequent will have new wood chips spread in preparation for a new school year. When I am time limited in a hunt on one of the tot lots with the fabric I do a test. In an area without a target hit, dig down to the fabric. Drop a dime on the fabric, pin-point it in the center of the coil and raise the coil up to see how far up it is when the detector looses the target. If I get a target that does not discriminate out as I thumb the discrimination up and I can raise the coil no more than the test height on the dime, I will leave it and move to the next target. Not a fool proof test by any means but it cuts down on the targets beneath the fabric that I start to recover and then have to abandon.

Should be able to get closer to the poles with the smaller, stock coil. With the 9 x 8 coil wired in and the sensitivity turned up, I don't get quite as close to the poles.
Cheers,
tvr

 

[tvr]

The rake sounds like a good method to get under some of the slides! Could even use some of the chips that get packed under the slide and fill in low spots at the bottom of the slide leaving the play area better than before. I like that idea.

Sometimes I'll just take the digger and take out wood chips around poles and scan the piles then replace the chips. Don't do that if I'm running tight on time. It does sometimes add a coin or two.