Tesoro COMPADRE Operator's Instruction Manual

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COMPADRE OPERATOR INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Thank you for purchasing a Compadre metal detector. Your Compadre detector is a single knob VLF Discriminator. It is
simple enough for the beginner, yet powerful enough for the experienced detectorist. With proper care and use, your detector
should give you years of enjoyment.
Please check in the box and make sure that you have the following items:
1. Upper Pole Assembly with Control Housing, pole lock and attached Coil.
2. Metal Middle Pole with Pole Lock.
3. ABS Lower Pole with Metal hardware and rubber washers.
4. Literature: this manual, a detector protection checklist and a warranty card.
If any of these items are missing, contact the dealer where you purchased your detector from immediately.
First, we will assemble your detector. Start by sliding the metal middle pole into the upper pole and allowing the spring
clips to seat. Turn the pole lock on the upper pole assembly in the direction of the arrow to remove any excess play between
the two poles. Next, remove the hardware from the ABS lower pole and place pole tip with rubber friction washers between the
coil ears. The fit should be snug due to the washers. Reinsert the hardware so that it passes through the coil ears, rubber
washers and pole tip and tighten the hardware finger tight. Insert the ABS lower pole into the middle and upper pole assembly,
sliding the pole in but not seating the spring clips. Twist the lower pole and coil assembly together to wind the coil cable
around the pole. The cable should be loosely wrapped around the pole to keep it from flopping over the coil. Once you have
wrapped the coil cable, slide the lower pole spring clips into the set of holes on the middle pole that is best suited to your
height and turn the pole lock in the direction of the arrow. Slide the battery door off and drop in a 9volt battery as shown on the
diagram inside the battery box. Replace the battery door and your unit is now ready to use.
Take your detector and a few targets (a screw or small nail, a nickel and a quarter will do nicely) outside to a spot that is
clear of other metal items and set your targets on the ground at least 12 inches away from each other. Then adjust the coil so
that it is about one inch above the ground and even with it. When you swing your detector while searching, keep your arm
relaxed and swing mainly from the shoulder. As you swing the detector, you should be making an arc of about 3 to 5 feet in
front of yourself. Try not to raise or snap your coil at the ends of the sweep or you may cause false signals from your detector.
The Compadre is a motion­based machine so you will need to keep the coil moving as you search.
Turn the control knob clockwise just far enough to turn on your detector. When you turn your detector on, you will hear a
beep that lasts for a couple seconds. That is the battery test—a 5 to 7 second loud beep lets you know that your batteries
are good. A weak and very short beep lets you know that it is time to change your batteries. When the battery test is done,
leave the knob in the lowest position. This is the All ­Metal setting. Sweep your coil about 3 inches above the targets. You
should get a positive target response from all of the targets. Try sweeping your coil at different heights above the targets to
see what kind of different responses you get. You may also try setting some of the targets on edge to hear the different
responses you will get as well.
Once you have practiced in the All­Metal Mode, try turning the knob to various discrimination levels. The knob is clearly
marked for what will be tuned out. Please remember that everything below your discrimination setting will be tuned out as
well. For example: if you tune out pull ­tabs, you will lose nickels, foil and iron. Take some time to practice with the
discrimination settings. You may notice that targets less than one inch away from the coil may sound off even though they
have been tuned out. If this occurs, lift the coil an inch or two and the detector should stop responding to the target.
When you find a target, the next step will be to pinpoint it. Pinpointing is a process of narrowing your search pattern so
you can dig up your target making as little of a hole as possible. You can practice by using the targets that you already have.
Pick one of the targets and swing the coil over it and notice where the beeps are occurring. Shorten and slow your swing until
you are only swinging the coil a few inches and note where the beeps are happening. Next, you will want to get a 90° reading
on your target. This can be accomplished be either turning your body to the right or left and swinging the coil over the target or
by simply pushing the coil forwards and back over the target. Whatever methods you use, bring the swings down to only a
couple of inches and note where the beeps are. They should overlap the previous beeps and give you the best spot to dig. You
may want to bury various targets and create a test patch. This will help you practice your detecting skills.
Congratulations, you have just learned how to operate your new Compadre metal detector, but experience is the best
teacher. I would recommend that you get out and practice what you have learned as much as possible. Any time spent using