Need some help with my Tesoro.

[Hodr]

So, to preface this post I will tell you all that I have owned a medal detector for 8 or 9 years now, and have only used it twice.

I started trawling the online treasure and medal detecting forums when I was in college (10 years ago) and eventually talked myself into buying a detector. I trawled the paper and ebay for a deal and after a week or so I saw a good deal for a Tesoro Bandito uMax (I don't remember what I paid, but it was considerably less than the new price).

I received the machine (sans instructions) and while I tried to figure out the ground balancing functions and so on, it just didn't seem to have much in the way of depth (and I couldn't find much stuff in my yard when I tried).

So, I sent the machine to Tesoro to check it out, and a month or so later I got it back with a letter stating that it was in good working condition.

I chalked up the bad test run to my complete lack of experience and figured I would join a club and latch on to some pro's who could show me the ropes.

So, I wen't in search of a club and found that the nearest one was more than an hour's drive away. Not wanting to strike out on my own (and being a bit intimidated by the many varied laws that govern the hobby) I ended up forgetting about my detector.

Then I moved from Southern California to Arizona, eventually decided to check out detecting again and found that once again there were no local clubs, and that the city I lived in completely disallowed the use of metal detectors on all public grounds (so I gave up again).

Now I have moved to the east coast (Maryland) and am once again interested in detecting. I am tracking down a local club (looks like a 40 minute drive, but thats manageable), but I find that the first issue I ever had still haunts me.

I have no idea how to properly set up my detector. The instructions I found once upon a time (online) for ground balancing seemed a bit vague, or just didn't work well for me.

Is anyone here experienced with this unit (Tesoro Bandito uMax).

Or, more importantly, can you tell me if it would be worth my time to even keep and use this detector (or should I save up for something newer)?

Any help, information, or anecdotal experiences with this detector are welcome and apreciated.

Thank you.

 

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You can download a manual and get some of your questions answered here.

www.tesoro.com

 

[Philvis]

Hodr, welcome aboard. There are some very knowledgable people on this board when it comes to metal detectors. You might want to take your question to the Tesoro sub-forum on here. Plenty of experienced folks there that can help you out. I can tell you from experience that proper ground balancing is a must. Good luck and keep us updated!

 

[Hodr]

Thanks for the welcome, I guess I was too lazy to look up the Tesoro subforum. And despite the fact that is says new user under my name, this account was created in 2006 (I guess you stay new for a while) and I actually had an old account several years before this one.

------------Edited Below------------

Here is a link to the first time I asked this question, 9 years ago...
http://www.treasurenet.com/forum/metaldetecting/archives/20010109/messages/1029121.shtml#followups

The online manual helps, but once again it is somewhat vague. Wish someone with experience with this unit would write-up a quick ground balancing guide (like some of the other models have in the Tesoro subforum).

 

[luvsdux]

Turn the machine on in all metal, set the threshold to a light hum, then lower the coil STRAIGHT down from 8 - 14/15 inches to about an inch of the ground - be sure to do this over a metal free area. If the threshold drops or nulls out turn the GB knob clockwise (think volume like radio) until the sound remains even or rises very slighlty and you're good to go. If the sound gets louder, do the reverse. Turn the GB knob counter clockwise (think lower volume like radio) until the sound is even or rises a slight amount. The slight rise indicates a positive ground balance and is usually considered the best way to go. This becomes quick and easy with practice. Hope this helps.
Bill