No detector, regardless of how powerful it is, can provide optimum depth if it is improperly tuned. In fact, the more powerful the detector is, the more critical the tuning becomes. Less powerful units are more tolerant of operator misadjustment, but are not capable of the depth of a properly tuned high power detector such as the Pantera.
To achieve maximum performance from your Pantera be sure to properly adjust the GROUND ADJUST and TUNING controls in the All Metal Mode. The settings of these controls will also affect the detector's performance in the Discrim Mode, so be sure to adjust them properly, even if you plan to operate the detector in the Discrim Mode.
TUNING IN THE ALL METAL MODE
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 Pantera 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 detector 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 to follow the coil as you move it out of the way. Optional coils of 4", 7" and 10 1/2" 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 10 1/2" coil will yield about an extra inch in depth in most areas. The increased surface area makes pinpointing a little more difficult, and allows trash to hide the good targets a little easier. The 10 1/2" 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
The sweep speed of the Pantera is slow enough to allow pin-pointing in the Discriminate Mode, but will require a little more practice. Move the coil slowly from side to side and then from front to back over the target. Raising the coil slightly and slowing the sweep speed will narrow down the detection area enough that it's easy to tell where the coil center is at the instant of the sound.
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.
The easiest way to pinpoint for most people will be to switch to the All Metal, since no motion is required. To pinpoint a target that doesn't saturate the audio, just move the coil forward and back, and side to side until you get the strongest sound. The target will be directly below the coil center. If the audio saturates over a large area, simply push the mode switch to the retune position momentarily over the area to retune the detector. This will narrow its field of response to allow you to once again seek the area of strongest response. It may be necessary to retune more than once with this technique. With a moderate amount of automatic tuning, the detector itself will be attempting to tune back to threshold, which automatically narrows down its area of strongest target response.
BATTERY REPLACEMENT
The Pantera has an automatic battery test sequence with each initial power turn on. To check the batteries simply turn the detector off momentarily and then back on. The detector should beep loudly for about 3 to 5 seconds, with the sound slowly fading into silence, if the batteries are fresh. As the batteries age, this sound less intense, and fades out quicker. When you just hear a brief buzz, or not audio at all, replace the batteries.
To replace the batteries, pull the large knobs on the battery door on the rear of the unit. The entire door will pop out. Remove the battery packs from the detector, and then remove the batteries from the packs. Place the new penlight batteries into the packs, being sure that you observe the polarity indicators on the inside of the packs. Slide the packs back into the detector. Install the battery door back onto the chassis, and push the nylon fasteners into the holes on the chassis, making sure that the plungers are still pulled out. Then push the plungers back in to lock the door in place.
We recommend when you replace the batteries, that you change all at the same time, and that you always use good quality alkaline batteries.
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.
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 Pantera 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 32 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.