This was my prime for a long time, don't use it much anymore but still pull it out once in awhile and it always finds the goods.
I have the standard, the 10X12 DD, and the small concentric sniper and they all seem to get great depth.
I used to hunt with the knob just below nickel so I could get most gold rings, that was a mistake and I learned my lesson.
In all metal just a slight hum on the threshold, like most sense as high as I can just below the chatter point in both AM and disc, I can usually get to 8 or even into the red sometimes at a few sites.
In disc my high tone model has a superpower I have not read about from any other high tone owners.
I bought a Compadre and found that I prefer the lower tone better, that high tone became a bit annoying to me and I was going to send it to Tesoro for a free tune up and pay the $15 to let them change it but then I thought about that.
When it comes to aluminum cans and can slaw trash, not just the big stuff but the smaller pieces that come in from nickel on up, that high tone gives me a very tinny and most annoying tone that other targets don't.
When my back teeth gnash and I wince I know I am swinging over garbage like this instantly and about 100%of the time.
It kinda works on the Compadre too, but not as well as that high tone Vaq so I will leave it as it is because I don't want to lose that ability.
In disc, most of the time I will supertune and put the threshold at the 3:00 area, Tesoro says max it out to do this but I don't see much difference going any higher than my setting...and I do get a few deeper and clearer signals supertuned.
I have also used Montie's power balance settings and they seem to work.
In my very mineralized soil back in Alabama I definitely got more signals with this method, but it does set the Vaq slightly more positive and most believe, the folks at Tesoro do for sure, that you could indeed miss deep silver with these settings.
In good soil without heavy mineralization this might not be a great idea especially if you are a deep silver hunter.
I usually set the disc knob at the I in iron at sites where I might find jewelry, I have found some very small and thin chains below the n in iron in the past.
At trashy sites I might move the knob up to the n in iron, or a little past that n if I am coming across a lot of those foil sports drink inserts that tabman mentioned, they come in a hair past the n for me and I like to hunt basketball courts so these are everywhere and my arch enemy.
In really trashy sites or when I am tired I might move the knob up to just below the f in foil...never higher.
All gold rings and all but those very tiny chains in silver and gold have come in from the f in foil on up so I can't take the chance and miss these.
To figure out targets I have never set my knob at one place and dig all beeps with the Vaq or the Compadre, that hunting style drives me crazy.
I have always tried to thumb that knob and make a guess on every target before I dig, just a little game I have always played with myself and I have gotten fast and efficient at this after so many hundreds of hours.
I also don't use the knob the way Tesoro says to do it by moving that disc knob to the fade out point...I haven't done that in years.
I always use a technique that another hunter called "reverse discrimination"...for me a much more accurate way of figuring out targets before I dig.
I set the knob at my lower starting level to get the deepest and clearest signals and thumb that knob up and past the fade out point and then slowly turn it back down while making short quick side to side swipes over the target and listen closely to exactly how the target "comes in".
After digging thousands upon thousands of targets good and bad I have come to the conclusion that good targets will usually just...appear....this way, solid and clear.
Most trash will be a bit fuzzy and noisy before they firm up, if I get crackles or spits or clicks, even a few clicks, that is usually a sign of trash for me and I leave most of these in the ground most of the time nowadays, especially if I get this noise from more than one direction.
This seems to work well on most targets that aren't deep...99% of all targets I have dug were 6" or less in depth, deep targets could act differently.
Many times I have had targets fade out going up in one area and come in going down in another area...going down my way has always been the more accurate method.
This technique is not foolproof, some good signals could come in noisy, especially in the nickel range and lower for some reason, and about 20% of the trash out there will still come in solid like a coin, but I set these digging rules for myself and usually stick to them and my coin and jewelry find amounts satisfy me so I will stick to that method for now till I find something better.
Keep in mind it is all about the tone for me, whether I am using my Tesoros or my Fishers with screens.
If I hear a good tone that triggers my digging instinct I dig it no matter what, noise, clicks chatter or whatever.
No X-Ray vision so I would rather spend the energy and dig it than let the "what if's" bother me forever.
. I didn't gain much depth in all metal but could definitely see it's use in areas where there is emi or mineralization. One thing I did notice was that keeping the threshold in the one to two o' clock position, deep targets act modulated, which is pretty cool. With the threshold maxed out the target doesn't fade out , it's just either there or not. Depth is negligible from one o' clock to max. Sensitivity, on the other hand, gained up to three inches on a dime between two o' clock and maxed out. I was able too get a diggable signal up to 13" on a dime with the sensitivity at max. Obviously these observations are only with air testing, but it gives me a good idea where my settings will be! Will post real world results soon. I gained permission to an 1850s site today that isn't grown up with weeds. Hoping to hit it tomorrow! Thanks again for all the input.