Tesoro Compare with 8" coil

[woodknack]

Tesoro Compadre with 8" coil

I'd love to hear about this little puppy from anyone that has one. From what I have read they are great machines. Like to know the depth with the 8" coil and how is the sepetation with the 8"? I want to 8" because I want to cover more ground.

 

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[DiggerinVA]

The 5 inch gets around 5-6 inches on most targets small stuff a little less. So I would think the 8" should get better depth. The only bad thing I have heard on the 8" is chatting in some areas due to no sensitivity adjustment. The 5 inch is killer in moderate to heavy trash. If I was dead set on the bigger coil I would go with the silver umax. Sales for around $250 and has sensitivity adjust and changeable coils. Mine got 6-7" on coins. A shade deeper in all-metal.

 

[woodknack]

I have seen people put adjustable sen knob on there's. Looks very easy to do. Ive even seen them put screw thingys in so you can change coils. Voids warranty I know but really, its only $150 machine!

 

[DiggerinVA]

I have seen people put adjustable sen knob on there's. Looks very easy to do. Ive even seen them put screw thingys in so you can change coils. Voids warranty I know but really, its only $150 machine!

But by the time and money you sppend to do that you can buy a $250 Silver Umax with 8" coil...

 

[woodknack]

But by the time and money you sppend to do that you can buy a $250 Silver Umax with 8" coil...

Two different machines. I am asking about a compade. The u max is a different kHz.

So again if anybody has the compadre with 8" coil, I'd love to here how you like it.

 

[Welgund]

I have the compadre with the 8 inch. I Also Have The vaquero, Deus And At Pro And Use The Compadre Just As Much As The rest. Great machine and lots of fun to use

 

[jfeeney]

I got a Compadre w/ 8" coil as a backup to my Outlaw. It's a great value, light and can discriminate very well. No bells and whistles but for $150 I am very happy. I've had no issues with separating targets and trash. Even found a 10k gold ring with it.

 

[woodknack]

Nice 10k ring!
Any tips or tricks.

 

[digger27]

I got a million.
I have the 7" coil model and I tried out the 8" coil unit for a few weeks a couple of summers ago.
It is a bit deeper...how much I don't really know but it is deeper.
Seems just as sensitive as the ones with the smaller coils.

Here is some info I posted a couple of years ago to help out another new user on a different forum.
Notice the special tip.
Way back then I started to use the disc knob a totally different way than the one page "manual" says you should do to hunt with it or most other Tesorors for that matter and I never do it any other way with this one or my Vaquero.
I usually hunt with very low disc to get the deepest and clearest signals and then thumb that knob up to figure out the target.
I never stop when the target fades out and look at the position the knob is in as Tesoro says, I always thumb past the target to silence and then slow back down and listen closely to exactly how the target comes in instead.
Targets that are choppy, chattery, or have a decent amount of noise before they firm up...even a few clicks, are usually trash and I rarely dig them.
Good targets, coins, jewelry and the like will just "appear" most of the time and come in solid with very little if no noise.
Not all the time but most of the time and I can cut out digging about 80% of the trash out there doing it this way because it is way more accurate than the way Tesoro says to do it...WAY more.

Below is also a vid I posted showing the big coil model also possesses the unique superpower that all Compadres have where it will double beep on targets near, next to or even leaning on big metal like tot lot iron, fence posts and bench legs.
In the vid you can hear that it will even triple beep if the target is shallow and within one inch of the coil.
This is the only unit that I have ever run out of many different ones with several coil combinations and settings that can do this, and believe me I have tried, and it does this task effortlessly.
This is the main reason I recommend that everyone must have one of these in the arsenal no matter what even if only used for this purpose...but there are so many more on top of that, too, and the fun factor is another huge one.

______________!_
This is where is where metals will show up on your dial.
Forget the numbers, just study their locations.

The way you figure out what you are digging before you dig it, which is never 100% by the way, is to "thumb" that disc knob and figure out where the metals in the range you see in the picture go away or "disc out".

*Tip*....It is more accurate to turn the knob way up and then turn it down slowly as you are swinging over the target and stop at the area where you hear a tone come in, than to turn it up until it fades out.

Now you have done this and lets say it was silent till you got to the zinc mark.
Now you have a clue, and this hobby is all about taking all your clues and putting them together to make an educated guess.
From studying the picture, you remember that this zinc area should sound off if you have a zinc penny or other zinc item, an Indian head penny, a screw-cap or gold.
Might be some other things like can slaw, but it could be one of the first four, too.
Maybe you want to switch to all metal, now, and run your coil around the target area and try to size the target.
Where does the tone sound loudest and then fade out?
Hit it from a different angle and try to get a picture in your mind on how big it is...coin size, maybe a little bigger?
In all metal or turning it back below zinc on the disc knob, how loud does it sound when you scan it?
Really loud, maybe medium loud or softer?
This gives you a clue on the depth.
Another depth trick is lift the coil and swing over it.
Do you lose it at 3 inches above the ground, 4-5?
If you know your limit of your detector, and subtract the height of your coil above the target where it goes silent, this can give you approximate depth.

Now you decide to whip your coil over the target real fast and see if the tones stay solid from all angles or breaks up.
If it breaks up it could be trash, if not, still might be a good target.

All of these techniques are aimed to give you clues, and those clues will lead you to an educated guess and that will lead you to digging a hole...or not.

As you put in your time, you also start to hear slight differences in that tone.
A zinc penny might sound very solid and full and the same all the way through, but a screw-cap might not sound so full.
Maybe you noticed after locating and scanning hundreds of these that a screw-cap doesn't stay full, but maybe breaks a little right at the end.
It gets a little fuzzy.
You never could tell the difference at the beginning, but now, after much practice, you can hear that difference, and so you have another good clue as to what you might have sitting in the ground below you.

Solid tone, rings true, no breaking of the signal, small like a coin, really loud tone, can raise the coil pretty high before it fades out...I think this is a zinc penny that is about 1 inch down...then you dig it...and it is.
Or maybe not, like I said, not 100% in this hobby...ever...but you cut your odds down some on digging trash, and you made a good guess.

It's a process.
As you progress, your guesses get better.

The universe must be laughing at us that do this hobby because it made so many bad things ring up in the same areas as so many good things.
Aluminum hangs out where the high tone coins do.
Nickels and gold live in the same neighborhood as pull tabs...as a matter of fact, gold seems to live in almost all the neighborhoods.
Nobody is perfect, we all dig lots of trash, but the better you get the less trash you dig and the more treasure you find.

Study the picture, know your metals and where they line up in relation to your disc knob.

Then practice, practice practice.
Really listen and try to remember that tone you hear before you dig a target, then remember what target you dug after that specific tone.
It takes time for your instincts to kick in and this stuff becomes second nature, but it will eventually happen.
Once you dig enough holes.

That's how I do it.



https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MmWzTo4GCak

 

[woodknack]

I got a million.
I have the 7" coil model and I tried out the 8" coil unit for a few weeks a couple of summers ago.
It is a bit deeper...how much I don't really know but it is deeper.
Seems just as sensitive as the ones with the smaller coils.

Here is some info I posted a couple of years ago to help out another new user on a different forum.
Notice the special tip.
Way back then I started to use the disc knob a totally different way than the one page "manual" says you should do to hunt with it or most other Tesorors for that matter and I never do it any other way with this one or my Vaquero.
I usually hunt with very low disc to get the deepest and clearest signals and then thumb that knob up to figure out the target.
I never stop when the target fades out and look at the position the knob is in as Tesoro says, I always thumb past the target to silence and then slow back down and listen closely to exactly how the target comes in instead.
Targets that are choppy, chattery, or have a decent amount of noise before they firm up...even a few clicks, are usually trash and I rarely dig them.
Good targets, coins, jewelry and the like will just "appear" most of the time and come in solid with very little if no noise.
Not all the time but most of the time and I can cut out digging about 80% of the trash out there doing it this way because it is way more accurate than the way Tesoro says to do it...WAY more.

Below is also a vid I posted showing the big coil model also possesses the unique superpower that all Compadres have where it will double beep on targets near, next to or even leaning on big metal like tot lot iron, fence posts and bench legs.
In the vid you can hear that it will even triple beep if the target is shallow and within one inch of the coil.
This is the only unit that I have ever run out of many different ones with several coil combinations and settings that can do this, and believe me I have tried, and it does this task effortlessly.
This is the main reason I recommend that everyone must have one of these in the arsenal no matter what even if only used for this purpose...but there are so many more on top of that, too, and the fun factor is another huge one.

______________!_
This is where is where metals will show up on your dial.
Forget the numbers, just study their locations.

The way you figure out what you are digging before you dig it, which is never 100% by the way, is to "thumb" that disc knob and figure out where the metals in the range you see in the picture go away or "disc out".

*Tip*....It is more accurate to turn the knob way up and then turn it down slowly as you are swinging over the target and stop at the area where you hear a tone come in, than to turn it up until it fades out.

Now you have done this and lets say it was silent till you got to the zinc mark.
Now you have a clue, and this hobby is all about taking all your clues and putting them together to make an educated guess.
From studying the picture, you remember that this zinc area should sound off if you have a zinc penny or other zinc item, an Indian head penny, a screw-cap or gold.
Might be some other things like can slaw, but it could be one of the first four, too.
Maybe you want to switch to all metal, now, and run your coil around the target area and try to size the target.
Where does the tone sound loudest and then fade out?
Hit it from a different angle and try to get a picture in your mind on how big it is...coin size, maybe a little bigger?
In all metal or turning it back below zinc on the disc knob, how loud does it sound when you scan it?
Really loud, maybe medium loud or softer?
This gives you a clue on the depth.
Another depth trick is lift the coil and swing over it.
Do you lose it at 3 inches above the ground, 4-5?
If you know your limit of your detector, and subtract the height of your coil above the target where it goes silent, this can give you approximate depth.

Now you decide to whip your coil over the target real fast and see if the tones stay solid from all angles or breaks up.
If it breaks up it could be trash, if not, still might be a good target.

All of these techniques are aimed to give you clues, and those clues will lead you to an educated guess and that will lead you to digging a hole...or not.

As you put in your time, you also start to hear slight differences in that tone.
A zinc penny might sound very solid and full and the same all the way through, but a screw-cap might not sound so full.
Maybe you noticed after locating and scanning hundreds of these that a screw-cap doesn't stay full, but maybe breaks a little right at the end.
It gets a little fuzzy.
You never could tell the difference at the beginning, but now, after much practice, you can hear that difference, and so you have another good clue as to what you might have sitting in the ground below you.

Solid tone, rings true, no breaking of the signal, small like a coin, really loud tone, can raise the coil pretty high before it fades out...I think this is a zinc penny that is about 1 inch down...then you dig it...and it is.
Or maybe not, like I said, not 100% in this hobby...ever...but you cut your odds down some on digging trash, and you made a good guess.

It's a process.
As you progress, your guesses get better.

The universe must be laughing at us that do this hobby because it made so many bad things ring up in the same areas as so many good things.
Aluminum hangs out where the high tone coins do.
Nickels and gold live in the same neighborhood as pull tabs...as a matter of fact, gold seems to live in almost all the neighborhoods.
Nobody is perfect, we all dig lots of trash, but the better you get the less trash you dig and the more treasure you find.

Study the picture, know your metals and where they line up in relation to your disc knob.

Then practice, practice practice.
Really listen and try to remember that tone you hear before you dig a target, then remember what target you dug after that specific tone.
It takes time for your instincts to kick in and this stuff becomes second nature, but it will eventually happen.
Once you dig enough holes.

That's how I do it.



https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MmWzTo4GCak

Thanks for ALL that great info! Wow lots there to take in and try.
Very informative post! Thanks again.

 

[atomicscott]

But by the time and money you sppend to do that you can buy a $250 Silver Umax with 8" coil...

$5 for a potentiometer, $30 for the switchcraft connectors. Thats pretty reasonable. Still much cheaper than buying a Umax. The Comp disc works so good, I would rather upgrade one, than chance getting a different model. Some even put a ground balance pot on their Compadre

 

[DiggerinVA]

$5 for a potentiometer, $30 for the switchcraft connectors. Thats pretty reasonable. Still much cheaper than buying a Umax. The Comp disc works so good, I would rather upgrade one, then chance getting a different model. Some even put a ground balance pot on their Compadre

It will also cost you a lifetime warranty...

 

[atomicscott]

It will also cost you a lifetime warranty...

True, but you take a chance with most detectors after 3-5 years anyway. Got my X-Terra second hand 2 years ago, not even worried about it. Other than cleaning scratchy pot, (due to it being totally exposed to dust) I never had a problem with the Compadre. The Vaquero was sent back, & "retuned" per AllCav's recommendation (free of charge, of course).

 

[woodknack]

Thanks for the info guys. I really wanted to try the 8" coil. But I got a good deal on a compadre with a 7" instead.
I figure it should be a happy medium between the 5 3/4 and the 8".
Any thoughts on the 7" coil?

 

[digger27]

Thanks for the info guys. I really wanted to try the 8" coil. But I got a good deal on a compadre with a 7" instead.
I figure it should be a happy medium between the 5 3/4 and the 8".
Any thoughts on the 7" coil?

That's mine.
Love it, love it, love it.
I think the disc might be a little sharper than the 8" model I tried.
Works great in even super heavy trash, for hunting larger areas it "feels" like a big coil to me and less frustrating than hunting that type of area with smaller coils.
Mine has the sense turned up to just below max and I also love it this way.

Keith Southern is a well respected hunter in this hobby, also a big tech guy and into mods, repairs and all things electronic.
As sensitive as the more modern Compadres are to chains, gold and small items which is legendary, he says the 7" coil unit is even hotter.
I will never get rid of mine, I might be able to enjoy hunting with another unit just as much but I can't take the chance.
Plus, even just using mine part time it has found me about 10X's it's initial cost in clad and jewelry so I feel very loyal to it.

 

[woodknack]

That's great news. Now I'm super pumped. Can't wait to get it! Hey digger27 how is your coil attached? Metal screw or nylon?

 

[digger27]

That's great news. Now I'm super pumped. Can't wait to get it! Hey digger27 how is your coil attached? Metal screw or nylon?

Metal, stainless steel I think.
Very common on many detectors especially older Tesoros and causes great concern for many when they see this.
It is at a fixed point and even though it is that close to the coil the scanning field is not affected because there is no motion over this thing.

Now about the legendary sensitivity.
The first time out with it I got a banging signal just like a coin in some tot lot chips but I had lots of trouble finding the target even in my hand.
My Propointer tip had to be touching this thing before it would even go off.
It ended up being one lone bead off a tiny chain like the kind that comes on a nail clipper.
This was only the first time my jaw dropped using this thing.
Another owner, slingshot on the forums, has a newer 5.75 coil model and he once found the ball that comes on the end of a ball point pen.
Not the whole assembly...just the tiny ball.

I have tons more tips and techniques using this thing.
Send me a PM and I will hook you up.

 

[atomicscott]

That's great news. Now I'm super pumped. Can't wait to get it! Hey digger27 how is your coil attached? Metal screw or nylon?

Both my Compadre & Vaquero had nylon coil attachment screw/nuts

 

[woodknack]

Just received my compadre with the 7" coil today. I haven't put a battery in it yet because its late at night (don't want to wake anybody up).
1st impressions? WOW the control box on this thing is much smaller then it looks like on the internet. The disc knob is tiny!! It does look like a toy!

BUT then after I started to really inspect it, I realized it is made much better then it looks. The plastic parts they use, seems like they have it in the right places. The metal pole seems rugged. And once locked in and tightened down feels firm and solid. The disc knob looks cheap. But once turned on and thumbed through feels like a quality dial with just a cheap plastic knob. The dial feels so smooth as you move it. Its very nice. This is where i'm starting to fall in love with this thing! The handle seems really comfy. On my bounty hunter platinum the control box rubs the top part of my hand. Making it a bit uncomfortable. The compadre, your hand is far away from the box. But close enough for you to put your thumb on the disc knob with ease. Its a little bit heavier then my bounty hunter platinum but not by much! But just enough to make it feel solid and made of something. It doesn't feel cheap and plasticky.The coil is heavier then my BF. But its well balanced. and the swing feels natural and very easy to control. I really like it so far!

 

[digger27]

Just wait till you actually use it.
Here are just a few of my finds with this thing.
Not shown is a few other gold and silver rings, my first 1800's Indian head, my first silver thimble, hundreds of dollars in coins and a lot of other great targets too numerous to show here.
Hope you got those tips I sent you.