Tesoro Vaquero Test Garden

[kimbershot]

I received my new Vaquero last week and put it through it's first field trial. My first target (clad dime) beeped about 30 seconds into the hunt. The hunt ended with a couple of clad quarters/dimes/zinc pennies, an old pocket knife, a couple of pull tabs etc. I was pleased with the ease of operation, ground balancing, discrimination sensitivity and the unit's light weight.

I'll be planting a test garden with various coins and assorted junk. My hunting goal is to focus on CW relics and coin shooting at older sites. The "seeds will be planted at various depths and some targets will have junk planted with them. I know my garden will have to "age" but I am hopeful that it will be representitive of actual field conditions and targets that I'm likely to pass the coil over.

Included by size from left to right/top to bottom:

1917 Netherlands 1/2 cent (tiny copper)
1944d Wheat cent
1920 Canadian Nickel (tiny)
1937 Buffalo
1945S War Nickel
1969 Clad Dime
1946 Silver Dime
1948 Silver Dime
1881 German Mark (about quarter size)
1886 German Mark
1901 Canadian Quarter (silver) (I don't have a Washington Silver Quarter)

Junk items--as shown.

Next up will be planting a C/W repro brass buckle and a gold plated ring.

Does anyone have any other seed suggestions for my garden?

 

[kaolinwasher]

the vaq seems to really like Gold and brass, & aluminum best finds to you .

 

[Scanman]

Thats my test garden plan as well, to represent likely finds, so I can better learn and identify in the field . I have been saving all my junk finds, going to sort, choose the most common, plus the current US coins into the garden. Take pictures for future reference.

 

[MarkCZ]

Wheat cents and Clad dimes are the same, now the difference would be depth, normally the Wheat cent would be a little deeper than the clad dime. I wouldn't waist my time planting the two at the same depth.

The Same thing goes for the Buffalo and war nickel, there the same except for possible depth.

Now the silver dime and the clad dime are a bit different and most likely the Vaquero will like the clad dime better than the silver, if there is enough difference in them to tell it. The reason for this is the higher frequency of the Vaquero will like the lower conductors like the copper, vs the silver, the nickels and tabs over the copper and the Gold.

Also, remember in the test garden to factor in the grass (if any) 8" dirt is DEEP and add to that a couple of inches off the ground for grass.

Mark

 

[atomicscott]

This may reveal some good (or bad news) regarding your Vaq. For me it was the latter

 

[Rainyday101]

Don't get to all pumped about your test garden. They take a long time to be an effective judge of any detector. The problem is the soil matrix. Undisturbed soil reaches a state where the linear alignment of molecules exist such that all the "+" (plus's) and "-" (minus's) of the molecules align to form a nice even matrix. When you dig it up and disturb the soil, molecule alignment is now a scattered mess. A nice undisturbed matrix is a nice even medium to transmit through, where as disturbed soil is not a nice medium to transmit through. Every time a transmitted signal hits a change in medium three things happen: 1. some signal is reflected (a very small amount) 2. some singnal is absorbed (a very very small amount) 3. some signal continues on (most of the signal). A disturbed soil matrix is like tons of different medium changes and has a large effect on the signal.

The best way to make a test garden that will be effective much quicker is to cut and remove plugs with a sharpened peice of pipe at least 3" in diameter. Place the coin in the bottom of the hole in the center and re-insert plug, stomp down, and water. This way leaves a large portion of soil matrix undisturbed.

My test garden is 1.5 years old and is still pretty useless. I almost threw my first detector away when I tested it in my new garden. Then I spent a lot of time researching to learn why it did not work.

Halo effect really does not exist for coins. Halo effect is found on ferrous metals like iron.

 

[kimbershot]

yes--you have a very valid observation. i dug up my old garden when i moved to my new home. i think i'll actually be better off swinging my coil and digging--ultimately a beter way to learn.