Tesoro Vaquero - Question on "Tone ID"

[USArmyParatrooper]

From everything I've read the Vaquero is supposed to make a different pitch tone based on the conductivity of the metal. But my Vaquero sounds exactly the same for copper as it does silver and everything else. The only thing it does is get louder or quieter based on the size and proximity to the target.

I'm a brand new detectionist with my very first detector. Am I missing something?

 

[digitaltim]

Set the threshold to just audible.

Use headphones.

If air testing try swinging a few to 6 inches above the target and see if there's a difference.

Iron ( if disc'd out) will sound rough, break up, and blip.

Aluminum will have a very distinct sound... Almost like a hum in the tone

silver and copper will sound slightly higher, smooth, and sharp


It's all the same tone, but there are differences. When I super tune I can't tell the difference, but I rarely super tune.

It's easier to learn by just going out and digging. Set the disc above iron and go.

 

[fwcrawford]

The Vaquero is a monotone machine meaing it only has one tone, but the quality of the tone can tell you about what you are over.
Headphones definately make it easier to tell the differences in the quality of the tone.
Felix

 

[Dan-Pa.]

Heck its only a one tone unit but like all Tesoro's has audio variances not found on most units..Certainly takes a good headphone(only use one and don't switch) time in the field and a trained ear but its there if you listen carefully...

 

[tvr]

All metal is a VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) mode where there is pitch variation. When you pinpoint you should be able to tell some pitch difference as you approach a target and center it and move away from a target.

In discriminate mode, it is single tone. With practice you can develop an ear for subtle differences in how rapidly the tone rises, falls, has uneveness, chirpiness, roundness of tone, length of tone; all pieces of information about what is under the coil.

Can also thumb the discriminator to find at what conductivity level a target goes away. Just remember to return the discriminator to a lower level so you don't discriminate out good targets after checking one.
Cheers,
tvr

 

[Jay Evans]

The VCO pinpoint mode can also give you an idea of depth when pinpointing....... if it changes to a high pitched tone as you pinpoint it's probably a shallow target just under the grass or dirt. if it stays a deeper tone it's probably a deeper target.... in descriminate mode the sounds a targets makes can tell you alot before you dig.... if it gets choppy or breaks up towards the end of a sweep and isn't a solid repeatable tone it's probably trash. Vary your sweep speed and sweep length in descriminate mode and listen carefully to it's tone. it will talk to you after you've gotten some practice time in and get used to it.

 

[oldcoon]

The advice the above posters gave you is sound advice.

You will develop an ear for the quality of your machine's tone.

This, however, takes time.

Not hours, not weeks but months. You must dig many many targets.

In the Vaquero you have one of the best machines on the market today.

Some will disagree because it is not the poster child of electronic gadgetry.

Because I own one and use one, I know the machine's capabilities.

When hunting with persons using machines costing two and three times as much, I do not feel outgunned.

Frequently while they are adjusting menus and other settings, I am digging targets.

Good luck and happy hunting.

 

[amcjavelin]

and that said by old coon i feel the same way!

 

[Jay Evans]

absolutely right old coon.... Hammer on the head!

 

[damiano]

You must learn the differences of the tone signal - when you learn it you can have almost the same information that users with detectors who have LCD.
I know you are better because VID on screen many times cheat you

 

[Rled2005]

Does anyone know how to alter the tone to make it higher pitched?

 

[REVIER]

Does anyone know how to alter the tone to make it higher pitched?

It entails changing one part in the circuit board to change the frequency but only those that know how to do it should even attempt it.


Most just sent it into Tesoro, they do the change for a small fee...or used to.
For registered first time owners it cost $15, for units not under that lifetime warranty it costs a bit more.
Right now I wouldn't even try, they still have several units at the factory that were sent in months ago for repair and up until recently they were telling people that they were still accepting units for repair....then they went dark.
Nobody has been able to get them on the phone, they are not answering e mails and they sure are not calling anybody back to tell them about the status of any units sitting in their facilities.
This is not good, everyone is hoping they are just working with a skeleton crew and/or shut down for the holiday and lost all of their common sense but many are concerned they might never get their property back, repaired or not.
Right now it is looking more and more that they just quit being concerned about their customers at all and don't really care about screwing over anybody but hopefully they will get a clue and open some kind of communication soon.

Wait until things get straightened out before sending anything to them.

I had a high tone Vaq, loved it until I bought a Compadre and realized I liked the lower frequency tones better but I kept the high tone because it did have a few advantages for me when hunting in heavy foil and aluminum infested sites.

 

[Rled2005]

Do you know which part to change? I did a lot of component repair and replacement, soldering and resoldering in the Air Force. I think I can Handle one part. Does anyone have a schematic?

 

[slingshot]

All Tesoro monotones give SIZE, COMPOSITION, and CONFIGURATION tonal responses that can be interpreted by an experienced user.
SIZE: coin gives broader, stronger signal "snap" than small trash.
COMPOSITION: Iron or steel "blip" to indicate lesser conductivity target
CONFIGURATION: Skips, clicks, etc. indicate an irregular shape.
ONLY indications, as a gold chain sometimes has multiple skips.

 

[Sven]

Do you know which part to change? I did a lot of component repair and replacement, soldering and resoldering in the Air Force. I think I can Handle one part. Does anyone have a schematic?

Detectors circuitry is a lot different than many electronics, you need to understand how they work first. Its not just replace a part here and there. Tone change as I recall is programmed into the removable IC chip in the IC socket on the board. That's why it was a cheap mod for Tesoro to remove, reprogram and replace the IC.

I suggest you register at the Geotech Forums where the detector builders reside. Owned by Carl Moreland, former engineer at White's and now at First Texas with Dave Johnson.
http://www.geotech1.com/cgi-bin/pages/common/index.pl?page=main&file=main.dat Carl's email is at the bottom in case you have difficulty in registering. It would make perfect sense to buy this book by Carl and George Overland if you plan on playing with detectors. https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Metal-Detector-George-Overton/dp/0985834218
You can also find reverse engineered schematics at Geotech, you won't find any orig. schematics from Tesoro. Think only White's released some schematics from older discontinued models.