Tesoro Lobo for wet sand

[goldcorundum]

I am stranded in Daytona Beach and don't have the xtra cash for a new detector, so I'm wondering....can you "adjust" a gold detector to use in this salt-mineralized environment. And that is without permanently changing it?
I'm not knowlegable about doing any of this kind of work myself, so just a simple bit of info is what I am looking for thanks....
Also, a tad of the problem....the detector just gives off a shrill scream as the coil gets close enough to the sand to be in range to start searching.

[Reg]

Hi,

I assume you mean your Tesoro Lobo starts starts it shrill signal when the coil gets near the wet sand and you are in the all metal mode. If this is the case, all you can do is to try to adjust the ground balance as far as possible to minimize the signals and search in the disc mode only. Tesoro's have a little more adjustment than many of the other VLF's so you might be able to reduce the problem, but not eliminate it. Turning the sensitivity down should help also.

If you try to use the all metal mode, make sure you are in the normal and not pinpoint mode, and then reduce the senstivity control to minimize the ground signals.

There isn't a simple fix to this problem except to try what I just mentioned or simply move back from the wet sand and only detect the dry areas. The detector should work fine in the dry locations.

Most VLF detectors will perform much like yours since salt water is a conductive signal much like any target.

One more point, I am assuming you are talking about the older Tesoro Lobo and the newer Lobo Super Trac. If by chance you are referring to the LST, then you can follow the general instructions except for the ground balance. On the LST, try operating in the alkali mode. Actually, one should use this mode all the time for any hunting conditions, except meteorite hunting.

Reg

[goldcorundum]

Thanks Reg

I'l give that a try...I was thinking I was probably out of luck trying to use (1994) Lobo near wet beach sand at all. Why is say a minelab Excaliber good for saltwater searching? One of these days I do need to get a good 'salty machine.....For regular hunting, the Lobo has been satisfyingly productive! Haven't been in any good gold spots really...good for dredging but too much junk to take the time to ignore the dredge and go for singles. Thanks again for the tip! an off color question-Had any experience or witness any dowsing?

[goldcorundum]

hey Reg

You hint at some M.O. specifically for meteorite hunting........Any tips for that with my older Lobo? That is something that has come up in my research as a possibility in a hunt I am slowly gearing up for...
:confused: .......thanks.....:confused:

[Reg]

Hi,

The older Lobo should work very well for meteorites. In fact, it should work better than most coin machines.

When hunting for meteorites, always hunt in the all metal mode.

Most meteorites, about 95% or so, are of the "stony" variety, meaning they contain very little iron, if any. Usually, they contain enough nickel to cause a response though. In many cases, this response is quite weak. That is why a decent gold machine works well. Make sure to check out any rock that generates a weak positive response.

Just ground balance properly and anticipate anything from a fairly weak signal to a very strong signal from a suspected rock. Iron meteorites will be very heavy, generate a strong response much like any piece of iron, and have a very strong attraction to a magnet just like iron. In many cases, an iron meteorite will have to be analyzed to tell if it is just a junk piece of iron or a meteorite.

In the case of a stony meteorite, they can more look like an ordinary rock if they have been around for a long time. Such meteorites could be any color also. In most cases they do not contain any quartz. Generally, they will have a surface that looks sort of scalloped or has "thumb print" type indentations" and may be somewhat round. However, those that have broken could look like most anything. Newer fallen ones could have a thin black or very dark surface. However, over an extended period of time, this surface characteristic does disappear, making it more difficult to determine if a suspected rock is a meteorite or not.

Stony's will generally be attracted to a very strong magnet. This may be a reasonably strong attraction or it could be a very weak one. It all depends upon the composition of the meteorite.

Normally, if the detector is ground balanced properly for minimal response to the local ground, a meteorite will cause a positive response. Normally, a negative response is caused by a piece of magnetite, which could look somewhat like a meteorite.

Since meteorites do not follow any rules and can fall anywhere, one should always be on the lookout for them. Always check any "out of place" rock just to be sure. Many years ago I gave atalk at a gold prospecting club and mentioned one should check any out of place rock. Well, one couple did and the result was a nice meteorite find worth around $20,000. Not bad for a rock.

Reg

[goldcorundum]

thanks Reg

Thanks for the insight on meteorites'affects....