vaquero with monolithic or 11 X 8 widescan

[dfmike]

I'm thinking about maybe getting a Vaquero in a few months. I can get either the pale one with the monolithic 9 X 8 coil or the black one with the 11 X 8 coil for the same price. I hunt for everything (clad, silver, gold, relics). What would you recommend ? Thanks.

 

[trojdor]

My choice would be the 11x8, especially if your ground has any noticable mineralization.

I would also suggest that if you do much relic hunting, or hunt iron infested areas, that you consider budgeting in a 5.75" coil for better separation.
The big coil is great for depth in 'open' areas, but there's a limit to how much trash/junk it can handle.
(This is generally true of all big coils, of course.)

Hope you enjoy the new Vaq,
mike

 

[dfmike]

Thanks trojdor.

Mineralization is moderate to high around here. That is if my F5 is precise. I get 3 bars out of 4 about 60% of the time. The rest of the time it's on 2 bars and the occasional spike at 4.

 

[trojdor]

Yep, then definitely the RSD/Widescan/DD coil.

mike

 

[amberjack]

love that word monolithic

AJ

 

[dfmike]

Thanks trojdor.

I'M tempted by that detector. I just wonder if I can ever get used to not seeing the visual info I am so used to. How is one supposed to estimate depth on these machines ? Does the pinpoint button work well ? When I say "work well" I mean does it pinpoint with precision ?
I could manage without knowing the depth of a target I suppose but accurate pinpointing is crucial.

 

[Welgund]

Tesoros are the easiest of all machines to pinpoint with imo to the point you seldom need a propointer.

 

[trojdor]

dfmike,
It's sometimes a big advantage to NOT have a meter in front of you for one very important, seldom admitted fact...meters lie...a lot.
And too much of the time, it's either got you digging iron, or passing up good targets.

The analog audio you get from a target is full of so much more information than a simple TID number.
So much so that when I'm using a TID detector, the very first thing I do when getting a possible signal is to switch to the analog pinpoint mode to hear more from the audio.

As far as judging depth, there's several ways;
1. Some play with the sens knob and back it off to see if the target immediately disappears...indicating pretty deep. (Personally, I don't like screwing around with my settings while I'm hunting, So I don't ever do this.)
2. An easier way is to just start lifting the coil incrementally, while making passes over the target. If the signal still sounds strong, it's shallow. If it disappears, it's deep. (I do this all the time.)
3. Switch to all metal mode. If it's small (size wise) and faint it's deep. If it's big and loud it's shallow. If it's really wide and loud, it's a pepsi can. (I do this all the time, as well.)

How deep is deep? Go out to your coin garden and listen while trying out these techniques. Listen for subtle differences. You'll hear it.
An analog detector doesn't just give a thumbs up or thumbs down...there's an indication of 'quality' in the response, as well.

And as far as pinpointing goes...yes, they pinpoint exceptionally well. Better than most.

mike

 

[REVIER]

Thanks trojdor.

I'M tempted by that detector. I just wonder if I can ever get used to not seeing the visual info I am so used to. How is one supposed to estimate depth on these machines ? Does the pinpoint button work well ? When I say "work well" I mean does it pinpoint with precision ?
I could manage without knowing the depth of a target I suppose but accurate pinpointing is crucial.

On all Tesoros pinpointing is extremely accurate precise and laser-like just swinging over targets, estimating depth is not hard to learn and also very accurate once you do.



I am a child of 2 worlds...I hunted with a Vaq for 100's of hours and learned to hunt using only sound and all the different techniques we use to identify targets which is what I love to do before I dig.
Found a ton, had a great amount of fun.
Then I bought an F2 just as a backup/take on vacation detector and I got a screen unit only because in case I ever lent it out to a guest newbie I thought a screen unit would be easier to deal with.
I didn't need the screen, that was entirely for the benefit of others.
I picked the F2 because I wanted a super fast recovery unit with superior target separation...as close to my Tesoro as I could get.
I was surprised when I took it out and used it that it was so much fun and even though I was not great with it and digging a lot of empty holes at first I was still finding great stuff along the way.
Sometime you find a tool that you just click with and I discovered that just like with my Vaq I had a great affinity with this Fisher too.
Learning to get the best out of any detector I choose to swing is just about as fun for me as the actual digging and finding part so not only was I still into listening to the tones on any detector I use thanks to that Tesoro training now I had the screen and new dimensions and behavior to learn and I was happy.
Used the F2 for the next 3 seasons but still rotated the Vaq into my hunts several times and along the way I bought a Compadre so I took that out a bunch and added it to the mix.
Something about that little one knob wonder seemed even more fun to use than my Vaq which I still thoroughly enjoyed swinging.
Over time I came to consider myself lucky to have acquired a small arsenal of more than one detector and many coils and very lucky that they were so different and I could change from one to another on a whim just for a change and also to keep boredom away.
Since then I upgraded to an F70 and found the tones and understanding them are also a big part of this thing along with the screen info, plus I still pull out the Vaq and the Compadre from time to time and I still enjoy using all of them.
Both types are extreme fun to use for me but in different ways and I understand and enjoy those differences immensely.
As a matter of fact I have learned things with my Fisher that helped me improve my skills hunting with my Tesoros and the training I had using my Tesoros have been great a great benefit to me and moved me along the learning curve much faster when I use my Fisher.
For a long time now I have always stated that learning to use and understand sounds the Tesoro way can have nothing but benefits for every hunter no matter what kind of detector you prefer to swing...screen or no screen.

Now I am at the point in my career and experience that I can laugh at those at the extreme ends of the different opinions about these types of units.
Those that say all hunters that use screens will definitely miss a ton because they believe that screen 100% don't seem to understand the screen is just another piece of data to consider and the sounds of targets still count for a lot if you are smart, and those that use only screens and say all single tone Tesoros are "ONLY" beep and dig machines don't have an inkling of a clue about how much information that tone can convey once you learn the language.
Over the years I needed to cut down on the amount of trash I dig for several reasons so I concentrated on learning techniques to narrow down that amount considerably but even though I probably miss a few things here and there I still I seem to find more than my share of great treasure and surprisingly I have learned enough to cut out about 80% of the trash I used to dig with both kinds of detectors.

There are many different kind of hunters out there that like to hunt with do many different brands and types of tools.
I am blessed to have learned to have so much fun using such different types, and doubly blessed to have a few different very capable tools to do it with.

That Vaq will be advantage to you for your entire career when you learn it and much fun along the way as you do, not to mention surprisingly productive.