Since the most troublesome adjustments of standard detectors have been automated in the Sabre, the tuning procedure for this detector is simply a matter of selecting the desired operating mode, setting the sensitivity level, and the discriminate levels.
Regardless of which mode you select, you should begin operation with maximum sensitivity. In most situations you encounter, you will be able to operate at this setting. If there are sources of electrical interference present, or if the area is extremely trashy or mineralized, your detector may give some false signals. These signals are generally short, choppy sounds which can easily be distinguished form a good target response. Turning down the Sensitivity control will eliminate most of these signals, if necessary.
SEARCH MODE SELECTION AND TUNING
The Golden Sabre offers two operating modes, All Metal and Discriminate. Both of these modes are mineral free and requires that the searchcoil be moving slightly for target detection. There is no "threshold" sound present as in most ordinary detectors.
The All Metal mode will detect all manner of metallic targets, as the name implies. This mode is excellent for relic hunting or ghost town searching. This mode is also good for beach hunting, where the sand allows easy digging.
The Discriminate mode will allow you to control the detector's response to most of the common metallic trash items found in most schools, parks, and beaches. This mode is generally used for coinshooting such areas to avoid having to dig most of this common trash. The Notch Filter controls allow you to control the response to the targets in three ways.
When the Notch Mode switch is in the off position, the amount of trash rejection is controlled by the Discriminate Level Control. With the Disc Level Control set at about 2 or 3, the detector should reject foil and ferrous targets, while detecting those targets whose phase response is higher than foil. As the control is increased, more of the remaining targets are rejected. With the control increased to about 6 or 7, all of the targets shown are rejected except the penny and quarter. Note that at this level, the nickel and small gold ring are also rejected as bad targets. Since small gold items may have a phase response as low as foil, you can see that operating a normal discriminator at the pulltab reject level can also cause you to miss a lot of valuable finds. The Notch Filter in the Golden Sabre can help you to overcome this inherent problem of normal discriminators.
In the Notch Reject Mode, the response of the detector can be more closely controlled. The Discriminate level Control is used to set the lower cutoff level, for example, to eliminate ferrous targets, foil, and steel bottle caps. The Notch Filter is then used to reject the narrow band of targets containing pull tabs.
The Notch width is factory set to cover the range of most common pull tabs and lift rings would fall into, but some peculiar tabs may still be detected. If pull tabs have been chopped or mutilated by a lawnmower, the pieces may be detected as nickels, and of course, some valuable items may have the same phase response as pull tabs and be rejected. Still, the Notch Filter allows detection of nickels and small gold rings while rejecting almost all of the pull tab signals. The Notch level should always be set higher than the Disc level.
NOTE: It is possible to adjust the width of the Notch Filter, but we recommend for best result to leave it set as it comes from the factory. If it becomes necessary to readjust the Notch Width to suit particular circumstances, contact your dealer for details.
The Notch Accept Mode allows the detector to respond only to a narrow band of targets. This may be useful if you are searching for a particular target, such as a lost ring or treasure hunt token. It is also useful to help you classify or identify a target before digging.
The control panel decal is labeled to show the approximate location where some objects respond to Disc Level and Notch Level settings.
Each detector can vary somewhat due to manufacturing tolerance, so you should experiment with your detector and become familiar with the rejection levels for these trash items with your detector.
Earlier motion detectors that operated with "threshold" sound would give the user a definite indication of metallic trash by either nulling completely or by generating short, choppy sounds. Since the Golden Sabre operates without threshold sound, there is no nulling to indicate that the area is extremely trashy, but under such circumstances the detector will probably also emit some short chirpy sounds. These are easy to distinguish from the good target's longer cleaner sound.
FIELD USE
The detector should be held in a position that is comfortable for you. Swing the detector from side to side in about a three foot arc, overlapping succeeding strokes well. This motion is called a “sweep.” The Golden Sabre was 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 in Discriminate may even cause a loss of depth in heavily mineralized locations.
It would be helpful to bury some coins and trash metal junk items in an area that you know is clear of other metal objects, and then try the unit in its various modes. Check the area in All Metal Mode first to be sure its clear of trash then bury the targets at least a foot apart, and from 2 to 6 inches deep to start. Make a map of the test bed to be sure you know what each target is and how deep it is. Practice on these targets to familiarize yourself with your detector’s target response. This will also help you learn the proper sweep rate for best operation.
Regardless of which mode you are using, try to keep your searchcoil height constant and close to the ground. Most people tend to raise the coil at the end of a sweep, much like a pendulum, especially if they are hurrying. Try to avoid this, as any increase in height will cause a corresponding loss of depth.
In areas with well kept lawns, the easiest way to maintain a constant searchcoil height is to allow the coil to rest on the grass as you sweep from side to side. In rough and rocky areas it is best not to “scrub” the coil on the ground, as the rocks will act like abrasives, and wear away the coil bottom (an optional coil scuff cover will protect against this.) Sweep the coil as close to the ground as possible without touching. Hitting the ground or rocks may cause a false signal much like a desired target would. Sweeping the coil too high above the ground results in a loss of depth.
When operating in the Discriminate Mode, some “false signals” may be caused by heavy concentrations of trash metal objects, by very large trash items, or by electrical interference. These signals will sound different than good target signals because they are generally short, choppy sounds. At the end of your sweep, as you the reverse the coil direction, the detector is most susceptible to trash induced noise. There are two ways to tell whether these sounds are good deep signals or trash “noise.” The first is by repeatability. Trash induced noises will not be regular as you sweep the coil over the suspected target several times, whereas a good target response will be repeatable. The second method is to switch to All Metal Mode and check the target response sound. If the response is weak, it may well be a deep, good target; but if the response is very strong, it is probably trash. Note that a coin close to the surface can give a double beep sound, but it is regular and repeatable. Raising the coil an inch or two will restore the single beep on surface targets. Raising the coil an inch or two will also many times cause surface trash false signals to suddenly disappear, while good target responses just become fainter.
If the trash in an area is so heavy that you are getting lots of choppy sounding false signals, it might be good to change to a smaller coil. If this isn't feasible, you can probably get better results by slowing down your sweep speed, and using shorter sweeps. It would be good to hunt the area twice, the second time at right angles to the first time. This technique will probably allow detection of some targets that were hidden by trash the first time due to the sweep direction.
If there is any doubt whether a target is good or not, DIG IT.
If you don't dig any junk at all, you are surely passing up a lot of good finds, too. Set the DISC LEVEL only high enough to suit the conditions where you are searching, and use the Notch Filter if called for.
The Golden Sabre is furnished with an 8" concentric searchcoil with an open center. This coil will yield the best results for most coin hunting situations. Pinpointing is greatly simplified by an open center, since you can now see the actual point on the ground where you will dig instead of logging your eyes on the coil center and trying to follow the coil as you move it out of the way. Optional coils of 4", 7" and 11" are available to allow you to tailor the response of your detector to suit special situations.
The 4" and 7" coils are useful for coinshooting in extremely trashy locations and can actually greatly increase your number of good finds under such conditions, although some loss of depth will be experienced. The smaller coil will allow you to detect coins and other good targets much closer to surface trash items. The 11" coil will yield about an extra inch in depth in most areas, and is an excellent coinshooting coil in relatively clean areas. The increased surface area makes pinpointing a little more difficult, and allows trash to hide the good targets a little easier. The 11" coil is also an excellent relic hunting coil and can provide greatly increased depth on larger targets, especially in the All Metal mode where surface junk won't hide the deep targets.
PINPOINTING
Pinpointing a target is usually accomplished by "X-ing" the target with the searchcoil. Remember that the detector will beep just as the target passes the center of the searchcoil. Swing the searchcoil over the target from size to side and then from front to back until you can "zero in" on the exact location of the coil center when the detector beeps. Slowing the sweep speed down will help you pick out the center of the X because the target response will be reduced at very slow speeds and it's easier to correlate the sound with the coil center a slower speeds.
Another easy method is to sweep the coil from side to side across the target in very short sweeps, as you slowly move forward and backward across the target. Slow down the sweep rate and shorten the sweeps until you just barely get a response at one spot. The target will be directly below the coil center at this response time. In fact, you will be looking at the exact spot in the ground where you want to dig, because of the open coil center.
Reducing the Sensitivity and raising the searchcoil can also help pinpoint by narrowing the response to the target. Practice pinpointing often, and you will soon become more accurate and faster. Be sure to fill all holes after you recover the target. Your local dealer should be able to point out the preferred methods of digging in your area. Two methods are shown here which work most everywhere. Be sure to protect your hobby by leaving the site cleaner than you found it, and with all holes filled.
BATTERY REPLACEMENT
The Golden Sabre is equipped with a automatic battery test circuit so that you can always be sure you are getting top performance from it. The batteries should be checked after the detector has been on for about 10 minutes, and then periodically as you are using it for long periods. To activate the battery test circuit, simply turn the detector off momentarily and then back on. The detector should beep loudly if the batteries are fresh. As the batteries age, the sound is less intense, and fades out quicker. When you hear just a brief buzz, or there is no audio at all, replace the batteries.
To replace the batteries, pull the large knobs on the battery door on the front of the unit. The entire door will pop out. Remove the battery pack from the detector, and then remove the batteries from the pack. Place the new penlight batteries into the pack, being sure that you observe the polarity indicators on the inside of the packs. Slide the pack back into the detector, making sure that the battery clip lead is connected to the pack. Install the battery door back onto the detector making sure the plungers are still pulled out. The door should fit over the screw heads and be completely flush with the front panel. Then push the plungers back in to lock the door in place.
Should you desire to do so, rechargeable Nickel-Cadmium batteries can be substituted for standard penlight cells. Individual AA size cells are readily available at most electronic supply stores, as well as the charges for them, and they can be inserted into the standard holder used in your detector. The initial battery check reading will be slightly lower, but will not drop as much with use, until the batteries are completely discharged.
GENERAL CARE AND USE
If the detector is to be stored for a long period of time, it is best to remove the battery pack from the detector. This will prevent internal damage to the detector if the batteries should leak.
The searchcoil is waterproof and may be submerged in either fresh or salt water. Caution should be exercised to prevent water from entering the chassis, where it could damage the electronic circuitry. After the coil is used in salt water, the coil and lower stem assembly should be rinsed well with fresh water to prevent corrosion of the metal parts. When used in the body mount configuration, you should not allow the cable connectors to be submerged. Several waterproof adapters are available through your dealer which will allow you to waterproof the connection between the searchcoil and the extender cable connectors.
There are several good books to help the beginner learn how to use the detector, where to search and how to recover a target without damaging the environment. A good coin shooter can recover a lot of finds and leave the area looking as though he had never been there. Above all, always fill your holes when you have recovered the target.
TESORO Metal Detectors are sold through independent dealers, who are almost always treasure hunters themselves. They can provide you with you much needed information about how to use your detector, how to probe, plug and dig in your locale, and answer most of your questions about treasure hunting in general.
The use of earphones will benefit you in two ways. Most earphones will very effectively block out most of the ambient noise, such as traffic noise and wind noise, which will enable you to better hear the fainter signals caused by the deeper targets. Obviously, the older, more valuable coins will probably be deeper than the ones which were lost last week, so you should take advantage of anything that will help you hear the weaker signals. Secondly, using earphones will greatly extend the battery life, since it takes much less power to operate them. The Golden Sabre is not equipped with a volume control, but does have a limiting circuit in the earphone jack. If less volume is desired with earphones, you may want to use earphones with a built in volume control. Any good 8 to 16 ohm set with 1/4 inch stereo jack will do.
HAPPY HUNTING, and thank you for purchasing a TESORO.
WARRANTY SERVICE
Your Tesoro metal detector is covered by a Limited Lifetime Warranty, the terms of which are listed below. If your metal detector should require service, you may return it to the Tesoro factory, or tone of the factory authorized service centers. Contact the factory for the name and address of the nearest service center.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact the factory.
LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY
This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may have other rights which vary from state to state.
This instrument is warranted to be free of defects in material and workmanship as long as it is owned by the original consumer purchaser. This warranty is not transferable, and is valid only if the warranty registration card has been completed and mailed within 10 days of purchase.
During the first two years, TESORO will, at its option, repair or replace any instrument covered by this warranty, without charge, except for transportation charges, at its factory in Prescott, Arizona, or at one of its authorized repair centers. After two years from date of purchase, TESORO will replace defective parts at no charge except a nominal labor change and transportation charges.
This warranty excludes batteries, damage caused by leaky batteries, cable breakage due to flexing on body mount units, and wear of the searchcoil housing. Also excluded are instruments which have been abused, altered, or repaired by an unauthorized party.
If warrant service should be necessary, contact the factory for nearest repair center.