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Compadre On Basalt(?) Rocks


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Today I picked up a Compadre at a great price to try out since I've read so many good things about Tesoros. I brought it home and played around with it a little in the yard. I think I've cleaned out my yard of good targets so I was just listening to the tone. Then walked into the garden against the house. I got a hit where I've been over multiple times before with an AT Pro and I bent down to check it out since it sounded like it was right on top. I moved a rock out of the way and probed around with the pinpointer and nothing. So I scanned the spot again and there was no beep and then I started scanning around thinking I moved whatever it was when I brushed away some dirt. Come to find out it was the rock itself that was making the detector beep. Here's the weird part...I had rolled the disc all the way up to max and it still beeped. I bent down and put the pinpointer against the rock and nothing. I went inside and grabbed my AT Pro and scanned the rock and again nothing. I thought it was weird and walked away. Then a little later I went to a park in my home town and was checking the playground with the mulch/woodchips. I found a dime and a zinc penny, both gave good repeatable tones and I had the disc set to the "N" in iron. Then I walked out of the playground and started checking around the edge in the normal dirt and was getting beeps all over the place. I turned disc up to max and again was getting beeps from rocks of the same type. These rocks are ignored by the AT Pro, the Garrett Pro Pointer AT and a Whites CoinMaster Pro that I had before

I'm pretty sure these rocks are called basalt, they are brown on the outside and if you crack them open they are pretty solid and uniform and a blueish gray color in the center and a lighter ring around the outside. I'm also pretty sure they are high in iron and of volcanic origin (I learned about them years ago in grade school). I can upload a picture and a video of the Compadre hitting on them if anyone wants.

I guess my question is for people using this machine, how do you deal with these type of rocks, do you learn the subtle nuances of the beep given off by these rocks compared to say a coin or junk or do you just try not to hunt in areas where they are concentrated? I honestly bought the machine to try and learn it and probably use it in playgrounds and tight junky areas. I don't see myself using it in fields or anywhere wide open since it has the 5.75" coil on it. 

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I am not sure of the rock type but here is my guess about what is going on. The ground balance on a Compadre is factory preset. The rocks must be well outside the range of the preset, and they are of such high iron content (many basalts are high in magnetite) that they are “wrapping high” as a false coin signal.

The disc control on the Compadre is not full range. Even at Max the Compadre will respond on silver, clad, and copper pennies. If the rocks are false signaling into that range - well, you know the result.

If you are lucky you might be able to reduce the gain enough that the rocks do not beep, but a metal item will. Some people might suggest trying to fiddle the internal preset GB pot. I would pass on that myself and just use one of your other machines.

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Thank you for your reply Steve! Someone else said to send it in to get serviced. I think I might hold off for now and just use it purely in the playgrounds/tot lots and see how it goes, if it becomes a problem then I'll go that route. I do like it even though I'm used to the AT Pro but I'm determined to learn this one.

When you say reduce the gain, how would I go about doing that? Would I have to open it up and fool around with one of the potentiometer screw thingies it has on the board? I'd have to get a good video or written instructions if I do end up going that route. I wouldn't want to screw anything up.

I made a video I'll link here so you can see whats going on. I also broke the rock open and showed the inside just in case I'm wrong with the type. I don't have the AT Pro with me to show how it doesn't hit on it but you can take my word. Thanks again for everything!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zpbHRl4dijokFvby1

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Oops, I am sorry, I forgot that the Compadre does not even have a Sensitivity/Gain control. The Compadre is a paragon of simplicity, but this is a perfect example of where lack of control has limits.

I believe you on what's happening. I honestly think your best solution is to use the AT pro and reserve the Compadre for areas where it does work well. Like where there are none of those rocks!

There are internal adjustments for sensitivity and ground balance but I do not recommend getting into that. If you choose to do so, then here are links to many threads on the subject.

Compadre Internal Adjustments

tesoro-compadre-metal-detector-controls.jpg

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Steve, thank you again for your reply. For now I'll use it on playgrounds and try it out other places here and there and see what the results are. I've called Tesoro and was told that I could send it in, with the rock, and they could tune it for me. It's an option but for now I know it works well on the playgrounds so it'll be a dedicated detector.

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Ok, I fixed it. Here's my solution just in case anyone else is having thins problem. From the video above you see that the detector is in "Max Disc" and is still hitting on the rock that I assume is basalt and is high in iron. I took off the face plate and adjusted two screws, the ground balance and the sensitivity. See this photo (found on the internet)...

Click image for larger version.   Name: compadre.JPG  Views: 0  Size: 44.5 KB  ID: 1548028

First I turned on the detector and set it to "IRON" and adjusted the "Ground Balance" screw CLOCKWISE until the rock no longer gave a signal, it was a very minimal adjustment. Then I took out coins and started testing them. I have some Costa Rican coins and passed those and they all gave a beep (They are bronze and aluminum coins) then I took out a large cent, a silver Roosevelt dime, a silver Washington quarter, my silver chain with solid silver pendants and a generic .999 silver 1 ounce round. The reason for the .999 round comes in to play later and I did this after reading "Monte's Power Balancing" and his story of a detector not hitting solidly on a walker half. The large cent hit perfectly, nice loud tone to about 5-6 inches. The silver dime hit good at about 4 inches. The quarter wasn't hitting great until it was about 3-4 inches from the coil which seemed weird and the .999 1 ounce round was only hitting very close to the coil.

I then adjusted the "Sensitivity" screw COUNTER CLOCKWISE, turning the sensitivity up high until it started beeping erratically, then i adjusted it back CLOCKWISE (lowering) until it was silent again. After this adjustment I then went back to the ground balance screw (trimmer I guess is the correct word) and adjusted it COUNTER CLOCKWISE until the rock in question was giving a signal. From there I again adjusted CLOCKWISE until the rock wasn't giving a signal and tested all the coins again. Now the silvers are hitting perfectly as they should, along with the Costa Rican coins and my silver chain. This is my solution for my problem, it might not be everyone's solution but it did work for me. I wasn't able to find a clear problem/solution online but instead pieced together from many sources what might work and it did. The only thing that is different now is when I adjust the Disc from zinc to max it gives a little beep but so far it doesn't seem like a problem.

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Well done sir!

The other great part of the compadre is that it is the perfect specimen for tinkering. Just recently received all the parts to add gb and sensitivity controls to the face plate of mine. It already has a three way disc toggle that functions like the coin check on the Troy detectors.  Also have another that i water proofed. Its a fresh water jewelry magnet!

 

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