Vaquero SWING SPEED

[DavHut]

All this talk of swing speed deserves a thread of its own. I admit that my detecting is casual and I dont worry so much as some. If I miss something, well, I'll get it next time. Or maybe another will - after all, it's a hobby.

Now, I have noticed that if I swing real fast, the signal narrows and is just a blip on the radar. However, I gotta be whipping it pretty good to experience this. At anything like a normal speed, I dont detect))any major concerns.

All detectors have a limit to how fast you should swing them. Ive noticed with my Garrett 1350 a slight increase in speed seems to aid in detecting deeper targets, especially when they're is alot of trash present - although too fast and its all a blur. Most makers recommend a "moderate" swing rate, as rule. Let's quote the Vaquero manual on the matter, shall we?:

"The Vaquero is designed to get maximum depth without the frantic pace required of earlier motion detectors, so go at a pace that is comfortable for you. In fact, trying to hunt too fast may even cause a loss of depth in heavily mineralized locations."

Okay, so what did THAT say?! Simple, go at a comfy pace and don't go too fast. Also, note that minerlaization is a factor and of course, having that GB correct matters, too.

Is anyone able to define an absolute "best speed", in terms of feet/second, one that will work everywhere for everyone? I rather doubt it and the best advice was given on the matter already:

"Practice in a test garden..."

Or you could just get out and USE your Vaquero at a moderate speed - and smile as the rest of the world whisks on by, uncaring.

David,
Aiken, SC

 

[Dig'n in Va.]

That quote from the manual that mentions "heavily mineralized ground" says it all..I couldn't begin to list all the detectors I've tried in good ground or air tested and seen fantastic depths & perfomance and then swing them over this nasty dirt and lose all their greatness..I think differences in ground conditions are to blame for a lot of the posts you read from people with widely different opinions on how great or how poorly certain detectors perform. People that live in good dirt areas have a hard time believing just how strong an effect the minerals have on most detectors.......But as to the Vaquero, I was still wondering if there were variations among them that made some more intolerable to a faster sweep speed. I have noticed even in GOOD ground areas that the Vaquero needs a slower sweep than any of my other Tesoro's..To put it in perspective, the Whites models such as the spectrum & xlt can be almost "whipped" across the ground without losing depth. In fact in disc. mode these detectors will actually miss deep targets if moved too slow. At the other extreme was my Sovereign which had to be crawled across the ground in order to not miss the deep targets. The Vaquero falls into the lower half of the middle of these two extremes....if this makes any sense??......... Dave

 

[DavHut]

... or other targets. I guess its a matter of learning your detector. I'll probably only have one Vaquero, ever, so I wont have to worry "is it is or is it aint". I'll just get out and enjoy. Can you believe it??? Just one, cheap nine volt battery...awesome!

I will take the following approach, unless you can offer me another way that works well(Im always open to ideas):

Ground balance the Vaquero according to the instructions, swing moderately and DIG. All else is, as they say, duck soup.

Thanks for your superb insight on this subject, Dave, and sharing your experience with other models as well.

David
Aiken, SC

 

[zeb]

Hey DavHut,

Thanks for the report on swing speed.

But could you (or someone) comment on the lack of a manual ground balance on the DeLeon?

 

[Les in the UK]

I think that you will find that the Deleon was made for the switch on and go market just like the Cibola is switch on and go detector and the Vaquero is a manual ground balance detector.
The Vaquero could have had a toggle switch put on it so that it could be in fixed ground balance one way and manual ground balance the other way just like the old Tesoro Laser B1 used to have and that detector was a Bandido and a silver sabre in 1 detector.

The Deleon might have been a better detector with a ground balance added to it but for my friend on the sites that he searches it works just fine as it is.

 

[DavHut]

Alot has to do with your hunting. If you are a turn and burn, cruiser type hunter, the GB may not be your cup of tea. If so, get a Deleon or Cibola and GO!

If you are a relic hunter and just GOTTA get that last millimeter of depth, the you would want the GB feature - The Vaquero or Cortez(although it's my understanding that the GB doesn't function in the DISC mode on the Cortes - its got a preset GB in DISC).

If you are somewhere in between then I think the user features would be better considered than any other worries over GB'ing or not. I used to have a Silver Sabre II and never cared about GB'ing. If I felt I was working a deep target, I employed "SuperTuning". And I found ALOT with that old SSII.

I got a Vaquero simply because I am a digger and I want the GB feature on tap, should I need it. I use it for everything - cruising, slowpicking, whatever. If it beeps and the DISC thumbs promising - Im on my knees, trowel in hand. You may not be so eclectic.

Regardless, if you expect to use whatever detector you get for 'cruisin', then get the small coil - youll like it in the trashy stuff.

David

 

[RICK IN KY]

Dave im glad you brought that up,we need a forum column just for hunting in bad ground,Here in Kentucky I hunt alot of bad Ground and beleive me it really effects the performace of the detectors and thats with manual Ground Balance.Its a subject that needs to be talked about more and hopfully the Detector companies will listen,Well thats my 2
cents worth.HH
Rick in KY

 

[DavHut]

Share with us how you handle the bad ground you encounter, and more importantly, how you know for a certainty when you have run into it. Would you object to that/

Davi
Aiken SC

 

[Dig'n in Va.]

You probably live in a good ground area and should count yourself lucky..As Rick in Ky. mentioned, there could be whole forums kept busy with bad dirt talk. But it would be boring to the ones who live in areas where they never have to deal with it..For a short basic answer to your question,- you will know you have hit bad ground when your detector starts falsing, loses penetration depth, and needs ground balancing.. How to deal with it,- depends on the detector you're using. Some models just can't handle it due to lack of ground balance capabilities. Others can be ground balanced but have no penetration depth. Some models can be used in all metal and a couple can still operate in disc. mode..Actually it's almost impossible to cover the subject of hunting in mineralized ground in a single post. There's just too much to deal with unless just giving general info......Dave

 

[DavHut]

Im blessed with good soils and little trouble. But you never know!
David