Tesoro Detectors...coil choices? Which one??!

[BuddhaPie]

I'm fairly new to metal detecting, and this is the first forum I've joined , as well as the first post I've written so bare with my ridiculous questions/ramblings I am about to bring forth.

I have a new to me Tesoro Conquistador Umax with manual ground balance as well as a new to me Tesoro Cibola, both with the stock 9x8 concentric coils in their respective epsilon and delta configurations. Firstly the Conquistador is modded with a 3-3/4 turn manual ground balance that I have done myself. The mod works great, and has essentially turned this detector into an Eldorado. The circuit board even reads eldo1.1 which leads me to believe this has the ed-180 disc circuitry that seems very desirable in a Tesoro as well as the hi-tone that is also seemingly desireable amongst many Tesoro owners. The Cibola is soon to be modded with a 10 turn manual ground balance, and a trigger replacing the pinpoint button for all metal/ disc selection, but not before it is sent into Tesoro for a new hi-tone mod.

My thinking is that the Conquistador Umax with its ed-180 disc and manual ground balance would be a great detector for iron laden house sites, parks, etc. And that the Cibola with its H.O.T circuitry (and not quite ed-180 disc) would be better suited for open areas where iron isn't so much of a bother, but a little more depth, and ground coverage are desired.

So my first question as it pertains to the Conquistador Umax is:
Would a widescan coil such as a Cors Fortune 9.5"x5.5" DD be a good choice for the Conquistador in Iron laden areas? Cors markets the coil for excellent target speration in land heavily littered with iron and other debris.
Or, is one of the 11"x8" widescan DD coils (although larger) from Tesoro a better choice? Since it may be better tuned to the Tesoro electronics (disc setting, etc) compared to the Cors which are available to many other brands?

My second question as it pertains the Cibola is:
Would a large widescan coil such as the Cors Fire 15" DD be a good choice for the Cibola in areas where ground coverage, and depth are desired? Cors markets this coil to have exceptional depth and ground coverage for use in open Terrain.
Or, is the large widescan 12"x10" DD coil (although smaller) from Tesoro a better choice with slightly less coverage? Again because it may be better tuned to the Tesoro electronics (disc settings, etc) compared to the Cors which are available to many different brands of detectors.

Feel free to elaborate on as much or as little as you choose; mods, detectors, coils, etc. I would greatly appreciate any opinions on these detector/coil pairings or machines/coils like them that you have owned, had experience with, or have heard about through the grapevine.

Thanks to all, and Happy hunting!

 

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[deserthoag]

I have used the Nels coils which is similar to the Cors coils and they worked out good. One thing is Nels and Cors are heavier than most stock coils of the same size. For myself, I would consider the Tesoro coil, if for nothing else, machine balance. jmo Cal

 

[eman1000]

Might call Tesoro and ask?

I would look to get a small concentric 5.5 for the Umax for trasy sites and the Tesoro 12x10 DD for the Cibolo for depth, although the stock concentric is pretty impressive by itself.

 

[BuddhaPie]

Ive since done some more in depth questioneering, and have heard some worthy opinions that the best coils for the Conquistador may be the 5.75 concentric for those trash ridden sites, and furthermore that good success has been had with the Cors Fortune on the Cibola, with the basis being that the H.O.T Tesoros work well with these coils, but most others do not.

 

[BuddhaPie]

I have used the Nels coils which is similar to the Cors coils and they worked out good. One thing is Nels and Cors are heavier than most stock coils of the same size. For myself, I would consider the Tesoro coil, if for nothing else, machine balance. jmo Cal

I do understand that something larger will throw off the balance, might have to use some ingenuity to balance out the machine if I do decide to go that route, I'd really like a Cors 15" Fire on my Cibola for some pastureland.

 

[Davers]

Interesting Thread .

Ill look forward to future opinions.

Me ..I stay Tesoro Stock coils only but what do I know?

 

[BuddhaPie]

Interesting Thread .

Ill look forward to future opinions.

Me ..I stay Tesoro Stock coils only but what do I know?

I'll still use the stock coils, If anything I know the small concentric is a good choice, there's a lot of posts about how well it does on the Tesoro's, I'm sure the big 15" coil is overkill, but I'm not sure many have tried these coils out and maybe for good reason, they are seriously expensive and will cost more than I paid for the detector itself.

 

[deserthoag]

I do understand that something larger will throw off the balance, might have to use some ingenuity to balance out the machine if I do decide to go that route, I'd really like a Cors 15" Fire on my Cibola for some pastureland.

If your hunting pasture land, the 15 inch should be the ticket. HH
HH

 

[Peter67]

I like the 9x8 for parc hunting. Very easy in pinpointing and therefore digging small plugs.

 

[BuddhaPie]

I like the 9x8 for parc hunting. Very easy in pinpointing and therefore digging small plugs.

I agree, I haven't done much park hunting, tried to get permission hunt our local fairgrounds today where they have the carnivals, but was faced with a "no digging" but go ahead and detect lol oh well probly go out with a screw driver and try to pop some coins.

 

[luvsdux]

Either the 8" donut or the 8X9 do a great job most of the time. In my own experience with larger than that, I haven't found them to be useful for my hunting most of the time so I agree with those that suggest the smaller 5.75" coil.
luvsdux

 

[pinenut]

I say, stick with genuine Tesoro concentrics..

Not a thing wrong with the new 7” concentric either; it’s an excellent coil. In fact, any and all of Tesoro’s concentrics if you want discrimination to work best. More trash around, go with a smaller coil. Open spaces with little trash, a bigger coil.
I rarely use Tesoro’s Widescan coils except occasionally for areas with little trash but a few hot rocks (though concentrics are fine there too) - I just find disc working better with the concentrics. It’s only when soil conditions are constantly changing - a lot - that I like the Widescans.

BTW- one feature I really like on my favorite Tesoro is the disc/all metal toggle. When hot rocks can sound like a metal target in disc, a quick switch to all metal usually tells me it’s just a hot rock. The hots around here (actually “cold” hot rocks..) will null when in all metal, but metal targets will sound off louder in AM. In fact, when targets thin out in cleaner areas, I switch to AM, turn threshold low and listen for deeper stuff.

My favorite coils for manicured (mowed grass) parks is either the 8” donut or the 9x8. Both seem about the same to me, and are a good compromise between coverage, depth, pinpointing and light weight. They work well in light trash.
For spots with lots of bottlecaps, nails, foil, pulltabs..and small bullet shells (some spots I do are littered with .22’s), then either the 5.75 or 7” (concentrics) will be a better pick. While I also have the big 10” donut and little 4”, I rarely use ‘em. My 10 is heavier to swing than the 8” donut, and not much (if any) deeper. The 4” is fine in totlots and swings like air, but has little depth and too little coverage.

Anyway, for that Conquistador.. get either the 5.75 or 7” concentric for those iron areas.
I see a stock Cibola as a good park detector - I’d just stick with the stock Tesoro 9x8 coil and not bother with aftermarket. If you really want depth from a big aftermarket coil, then you’ll probably want adjustable ground balance as well, which means a different Tesoro..

 

[doggoneitdignit]

Yep just love the 5.75 Vaquero and the 8" on the Compadre, I hope to meet a person with a Mojave someday so I can try the 7" Con though. Would I ever get the 9x8, nope or the 7" likely not, but sure heck would love to try the 10" eliptical, has anyone tryed that on a Bandido or even a Cibola, Vaquero or Tejon even? I only hear about the 10" eliptical stock on the LST and here no one would try anything else.

What is the difference between the 11x8 RSD vs 10 elliptical in coverage and detection, I imagine ground conditions would apply the same here for these two anyways should be not much diffence.

Any thoughts?

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...tesoro-5-x-10-elliptical-coil-my-vaquero.html

 

[Stoof2010]

The 7" is a nice coil on my 5 pins. Runs well on the outlaw and bandido II micromax. Compared to the 8" donut it's alot lighter, but not as deep in my experience. Not by much but there's slightly more depth on the 8" donut.
I love the 8" though. On any machine I've used it on it's great. The hole in the middle is awesome.
I also have the old school Troy super 7 coil that the new precision was made to look like (proprietary "Troy spec" windings) and had great results on my 5pin epsilos as well. I like having it but if you can't find one don't spend a fortune on one, the new 7" precision will not leave you wanting (if that's what you are looking to buy). For the most part my Troy super 7 stays on my Deleon I had it set to by Tesoro.

 

[Stoof2010]

Yep just love the 5.75 Vaquero and the 8" on the Compadre, I hope to meet a person with a Mojave someday so I can try the 7" Con though. Would I ever get the 9x8, nope or the 7" likely not, but sure heck would love to try the 10" eliptical, has anyone tryed that on a Bandido or even a Cibola, Vaquero or Tejon even? I only hear about the 10" eliptical stock on the LST and here no one would try anything else.

What is the difference between the 11x8 RSD vs 10 elliptical in coverage and detection, I imagine ground conditions would apply the same here for these two anyways should be not much diffence.

Any thoughts?

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...tesoro-5-x-10-elliptical-coil-my-vaquero.html

I have the elliptical. It's heavy, but it's nice. It separates alot better than the 8x11 RSD and not as mean to you about bottle caps. I do like that it covers 10" of ground but separates like a 5" coil. You can purchase it spearately but I haven't seen many other people with one. I got mine in a trade for steve1357 who wanted a 5.75 and I had 2. Not sure if I'd buy it again but it's nice. If you do get one I recommend calling Rusty for it. Most places that even carry it only carry the long cable version because, well I don't know why. But Rusty could get you the short cable version. It a pain to me but I found a solution. I wrap it like any other coil cable around the shaft but then I make loops up near the control box. It's not good to bend the cable as much as is needed to have the whole long cable wrapped around the shaft. It would be very small tight wraps. I can post a pic if I didn't explain it properly.

As for the difference between the elliptical and the 8x11, the 8x11 is deeper by far. It does spearately better in my experience. The elliptical is used for more trashy places for me but not too trashy as to need the 5.75 coil. The 8x11 for me is used in much more wide open areas like pastures, fields, farms, etc. Can't spearately enough in littered sites. But in mild trash but alot of area I'd use the elliptical. Sparse trash lots of area I'd use the 8x11. Mid level or even mild I use the 9x8 stock on my vaq and Cibola. Great coil and still respectable deep as well as better disc abilities than widescan (DD) have. Very trashy I use my 5.75 concentric. Extreme trash I'd pull out the outlaw or bandido II micromax and throw in the teeny 4" coil.

Again I want to reiterate, the money spent is better spent on another coil other than the 10 elliptical. I ha EA a it because I have all the rest and just wanted that one. Im glad to have it and do use it, but if starting from stock, I'd go for the 5.75 concentric (or wisescan if you have really bad ground, but I prefer concentric in my mild soil) then the 8x11 RSD if you ever hunt in larger sparse trash areas.
I like to collect them to have them at my disposal, but I wouldn't recommend getting that particular coil over others listed above if you are starting from scratch and getting accessory coils beyond your stock coil.

 

[Stoof2010]

Not a thing wrong with the new 7” concentric either; it’s an excellent coil. In fact, any and all of Tesoro’s concentrics if you want discrimination to work best. More trash around, go with a smaller coil. Open spaces with little trash, a bigger coil.
I rarely use Tesoro’s Widescan coils except occasionally for areas with little trash but a few hot rocks (though concentrics are fine there too) - I just find disc working better with the concentrics. It’s only when soil conditions are constantly changing - a lot - that I like the Widescans.

BTW- one feature I really like on my favorite Tesoro is the disc/all metal toggle. When hot rocks can sound like a metal target in disc, a quick switch to all metal usually tells me it’s just a hot rock. The hots around here (actually “cold” hot rocks..) will null when in all metal, but metal targets will sound off louder in AM. In fact, when targets thin out in cleaner areas, I switch to AM, turn threshold low and listen for deeper stuff.

My favorite coils for manicured (mowed grass) parks is either the 8” donut or the 9x8. Both seem about the same to me, and are a good compromise between coverage, depth, pinpointing and light weight. They work well in light trash.
For spots with lots of bottlecaps, nails, foil, pulltabs..and small bullet shells (some spots I do are littered with .22’s), then either the 5.75 or 7” (concentrics) will be a better pick. While I also have the big 10” donut and little 4”, I rarely use ‘em. My 10 is heavier to swing than the 8” donut, and not much (if any) deeper. The 4” is fine in totlots and swings like air, but has little depth and too little coverage.

Anyway, for that Conquistador.. get either the 5.75 or 7” concentric for those iron areas.
I see a stock Cibola as a good park detector - I’d just stick with the stock Tesoro 9x8 coil and not bother with aftermarket. If you really want depth from a big aftermarket coil, then you’ll probably want adjustable ground balance as well, which means a different Tesoro..

Well said sir!!

But I'd have to add the other option is to mod the cibola
Haha jk jk. That mod was the most nerve racking thing I've probably ever done. Glad I did it. Not sure if I would do it again.... But it was an........ Experience.

But for real well said. Hit the nail on the head. Hard to beat the Tesoro concentric.

 

[Eleven Cents]

Kind of funny how DDs have typically been viewed as the "better" coils, and most manufacturers have bundled a concentric so users would upgrade to the DD. Tesoro has turned that around. My Vaq came bundled with the DD, and now I want to upgrade to a concentric.

 

[Stoof2010]

Cost wise and if you'll end up with the 8x11 RSD anyway, it's better to buy the vaq with the 8x11 then buy the 9x8 or another of your choice separate.
Buying the 9x8 vaq then the 8x11 after adds up to more than buying the 8x11 vaq then buying the 9x8 later.
Lol

 

[Whimpster]

Has Anyone had experience on sand beaches with the Mojave....I'm wondering how the larger DD coil would work on mineralized beach sand with the high mineral ground balance setting?

 

[Kitz]

Has Anyone had experience on sand beaches with the Mojave....I'm wondering how the larger DD coil would work on mineralized beach sand with the high mineral ground balance setting?

Hi Whimp, I've tried the Mojave with the stock 7" concentric on wet salt sand, and it worked great. I used the High ground balance setting and the machine was very stable. I found a 1918 large cent, 1917 quarter and an interesting 1/2 ounce fishing lure weight, so the Mojo was definitely detecting stuff.

The sand I tried it on was pretty normal-looking (not black sand), so was probably pretty neutral mineralization-wise apart from the salt. I haven't tried the M on more challenging sand yet.

-Ken