Tesoro Bandido ii Assembly instructions

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BandidoIIOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL
CONGRATULATIONS!
YournewTESOROMetalDetectorwasdesignedtoprovideyouwithmanyhappyhoursofenjoymentinthemost
rewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingandexcitingexperiencesasyoustepintothe
past–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,andwewishyouthe
bestofsuccess.
YourTESOROMetalDetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinanyconceivabletreasurehuntingsituation.Aswith
anydetector,operatingskillandfamiliaritywiththisinstrumentareprobablythelimitingfactorsindetermininghowsuccessful
youwillbe.Werecommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullybeforeattemptingtousetheinstrumentinthe
field.Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.
TheTESOROMetalDetectorisaprecisionelectronicinstrument,whichwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatit
rightanditwon'tletyoudown.
GoodHunting!JackGifford
GENERALDESCRIPTION
TheBandidoIIisaTransmitterReceiver(TR)typeofdetectorthatoperatesintheVeryLowFrequency(VLF)portionof
theRadioFrequency(RF)spectrum.ItprovidestruemineralfreeoperationinboththeAllMetalandDiscriminatemodes.The
Discriminatemodeismotionbased,buttheamountofmotionrequiredissoslightthatpinpointingiseasilyaccomplishedin
thismode.TheAllMetalmodeisnotamotionbasedtype,andsoisexcellentforsearchingaswellaspinpointing.
TheBandidoIIwasdesignedtobeatrueAllPurposetypeofdetector.Itissensitivetosmallgoldparticles,ispowerful
enoughtoserveasarelicandcachehunter,andisplentyfastenoughforcompetitionhunting.Itisequippedwithan8"
concentriccoil,althoughothercoilsizesandtypesareavailable.
TheBandidoIIcanbeassembledasapolemountedarmrestunit,orasabodymountunit.Itcanbeconvertedeasily
withouttools.
Aswithanydetector,thefamiliarityoftheuserwiththeinstrumentwillhaveagreatdealtodowithhowsuccessfulthe
treasurehunteris.Werecommendthatyoureadandunderstandthismanualfullybeforeattemptingtousetheinstrumentin
thefield.
Besuretofilloutandmailyourwarrantyregistrationcardtovalidateyourwarranty.
ASSEMBLY
TheBandidoIIcanbeassembledineitheroftwoconfigurationsoreasilyconvertedfromonetotheother.Theelectronic
controlhousingcanbemountedonthearmrestpole,orcanbebodymounted.Installationofthelowerpoleandcoilisthe
sameforeitherconfiguration.
1. Depressthetwobuttonsontheupperendofthelowerstem,andslideitintotheupperstem.Pushthelowerstem
upsothatthebuttonsclickintothethirdsetofholesfromtheendoftheupperstem.
2. Insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsofthesearchcoil,afterremovingthescrewandthumbnut.Alignthe
holesinthepoletipandthoseinthemountingears.Besuretherubberfrictionwashersareinpeace.
3. Insertthecoilmountingscrewthroughthecoilandpoletip.Thescrewheadshouldbeonthesideofthesearchcoil
wherethecablecomesout.
4. Installthethumbnutonthescrewandtightenbyhand.
5. Windthesearchcoilcablearoundthepoleasshown,leavingjustenoughflextopermitangeladjustmentofthe
searchcoil.
POLEMOUNT
1. Thecontrolhousingisalreadymountedonthepole,asshippedfromthefactory,soallthatisnecessaryistoinsert
thesearchcoilconnectorintothecontrolhousingconnector,andtightenfingertight.
2. Usethetwovelcrostrapstoholdthecabletightagainstthepole.
BODYMOUNT
1. Tousethedetectorasabodymount,simplyremovethecontrolhousingfromtheupperpolebydepressingthe
springnutsintheplasticmountingpiece,andslidethecontrolhousingoffthepole.
2. Insertthesearchcoilconnectorintothecontrolhousingconnectorandthenfingertighten.
3. Usethetwovelcrostrapstoclampthesearchcoilcable.Itwillbebestforyoutosometimesmovethestrapssothat
thewearonthecableisspreadoveralargearea.
CONVERSION
Obviously,convertingtheunitfrombodytopolemountorviceversa,issimplyputtingthecontrolhousingbackonthe
pole,orremovingitfromthepole.Besuretokeepthesearchcoilcablewoundtightenougharoundthepolethatitdoesn'tflap
rightoversearchcoilhousing.TheBandidoIIisstrongenoughtoseethetinycablewiresmoving,andcangiveyoufalse
signalsifthecableistooloose.
ADJUSTMENT
Thesearchcoilangleandstemlengthshouldbeadjustedsothattheunitisnotuncomfortableortiringafterlongperiods
ofuse.Thestemlengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthepoletilltheyclickinto
theholesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablesetting.Thecoilshouldbeaboutoneinchabovethegroundwhilestandingerect.
Adjusttheangleofthesearchcoil,sothatthecoilisparalleltotheground.Tightenthesearchcoilthumbnutbyhandto
maintainthissetting.
Thearmrestontherearofthehandlecanbemovedforwardbyremovingthescrewsandnuts,andreinstallingthe
assemblyintothemostforwardsetofholes.
Specifications
TESOROElectronics,Inc.,reservestherighttomodifyorimprovethedesignwithoutfurthernotice.
CONTROLS
TheBandidoIIhasfivecontrolsonitsfrontpanel,andathresholdadjustonitsrearpanel.Thefrontpanelcontrolsareall
readilyadjustedwiththeindexfingerofthehandholdingthedetector.
1. THESHOLDCONTROL.Thiscontrolisplacedonthebackpanelofthedetector,sinceitrequiresverylittleusage.
Oncethecontrolisadjustedtothedesiredthreshold,itwillnotrequirefrequentresetting.
2. TUNESELECT.Thistoggleswitchallowsthedetectortobeoperatedwithfastautotuningwhenthetoggleisplaced
intheAutoTunepositionorwithnoautotunewhenplacedintheNormalTuneposition.AutoTunequicklyretunesthe
detectortoit'sestablishedthresholdautomaticallyfollowingatargetresponse.Fastautotunecancauseanovershoot
signalonhotrocksplusitkeepstheinstrumentfromdrifting.NormalTunewillholdatarget'ssignalwithoutreturningfor
aslongasthesearchcoilishelddirectlyoverthetarget.Somedriftmayoccur,butisquicklyremediedbypushingthe
modeswitchtoRetunemomentarily.NormalTuneisusedforAllMetalspinpointing,identifyingtargetsize,linetracing,
andoresampling.
3. GROUNDADJUSTCONTROL.ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalmodesamplingsothattheBandidoIIignoresthe
normalgroundmineralization.Thiscontrolisatenturndevice,anditissometimesdifficulttofeelwhentheendofthe
turnrangeisreached.Thesettingofthiscontrolisthemostcriticaladjustmenttodo,butitisaverysimpleadjustment
tomake.StudythemanualsectiononTUNINGtobesureyoulearnhowtoproperlyadjustthiscontrol.
4. ON/OFF,BATTERYTEST,SENSITIVITYCONTROL.Theprimaryfunctionofthiscontrolistoreducethedetectors
sensitivitytothoseinfluencesthatcouldmaketheoperationmoredifficultforyou.Thiscontrolalsoisusedtoturnthe
poweronandoff.Turningtheknobcompletelycounterclockwiseuntilitclicksdisconnectsthebatteriesfromthecircuit.
Whentheknobisfirstturnedon(clockwise),thedetectorwillautomaticallytestitsbatteries,andgiveyouanaudible
indicationoftheirconnection.NOTE:ThistestshouldbeperformedwiththeModeSwitchintheDiscriminate
position.Freshbatterieswillcausealoudaudioresponsewhichwillgraduallydecayintosilenceoveraperiodofabout4
or5seconds.Asthebatteriesageandbecomeweaker,theinitialaudioresponsewillbeweaker,andwilldecayquicker.
Whentheresponseisjustashortbuzzinsteadofalongbeep,orwhenthereisnoaudioresponse,it'stimefornew
batteries.Itisrecommendedtoalwaysusealkalinebatteries.
Manythingscancausetheresponseofthedetectortobecomeerraticasyouareusingit.Normallyyouwillnothearany
soundfromthedetectorunlessyoupassthecoiloveragoodtarget.Verylargetargetsoramultitudeofcloselyspaced
smallerrejectedtrashtargetscancausethedetectortoemitchoppysputteringsounds.CBradios,radioandTV
broadcastingantennas,intensemineralizationchanges,andothersourcesofelectricalnoisecanalsocausethedetector
toemitfalsesignals.Thesesignalswillgenerallysound"chopped"andwillnotberepeatablesoyouwillnothaveany
troublerecognizingthem.Theycanbedistracting,though,andturningdownthesensitivitycontrolwillhelpreducethem.
Thiswillalsocauseasmalllossoftargetsensitivity,soalwaysrunthesensitivitycontrolashighasyoucan,whilestill
gettingsmoothoperation.
5. MODECONTROL.ThistoggleswitchisusedtoselecttheAllMetalmodeofoperationortheDiscriminatemode.In
theDiscriminatemode,thedetectorsresponsetounwantedtrashcanbecontrolledtoeliminatediggingmuchofthe
commonmetallictrashitemsfoundinlikelyhuntingspots.Thedetectormaybeepbrieflywhentheswitchischanged,
butisreadyforoperatingintheselectedmodeinstantly.InAllMetal,thedetectorwillfindnotonlythehighlyconductive
nonferrousmetals,butwillalsofindtheferrousmetals.Thismodewillbeidealforrelichuntingorghosttownsearching,
sincemanydesirableartifacts(suchasguns)aremadeofironandsteal.
NOTE:TheAllMetalmodemayormaynothaveautotuningtohelpnarrowthedetector'sresponsetothetargetwhen
youarepinpointing.ItwilldependonwhichtuningmodetheTuneSelecttoggleisin.Tomanuallyretunetheunitto
thresholdforeithermode,justpushthemodeswitchuptotheRetunepositionmomentarily.
6. DISCRIMINATELEVEL.Thiscontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedmetallictrashwhenused
intheDiscriminatemode.Atthelowestsetting"0",thedetectorwilleliminatemostironobjects,butwillstillrespondina
positivemannertolightfoil,bottlecaps,pulltabsandmostothermetallicitems.Astheknobsettingisincreased,
responsetomoreofthesemetallictrashitemsisreversedsothattheseobjectsgivenoresponse.
7.
Thefigurebelowgivesthecontrolsettingswheresomeofthecommonlyfoundtrashitemscanberejected.

TUNING
Nodetector,regardlessofhowpowerfulitis,canprovideoptimumdepthifitisimproperlytuned.Infact,themore
powerfula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BandidoII.Toachievemaximum
performancefromyourBandidoII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onlyplantooperatethedetectorintheDiscrimmode.Impropertuning(groundadjustment)notonly
reducesperformance,butmaycausefalseanderroneousghostingsignalsaswell.
TUNINGINTHEALLMETALMODE
NOTE:Makesuretherearenometallicobjectsunderornearthesearchcoilwhentuning.Todothisturnthedetectoron
andusetheAllMetalmode,thenfollowpropertuningproceduresonceyouaresuretheareaismetalfree.
1. AUTOTUNING
A. PuttheTuneSelectswitchintheAutoTuneposition.
B. PuttheModeSwitchintheAllMetalposition.
C. Whileholdingthesearchcoilaboutafootintheairturnthedetectoron.Waitforthebatterychecktocompleteitscyclethenturnthe
Sensitivitycontroltonearmaximum.
D. AdjusttheThresholdcontroluntilyouachieveafaintaudiosoundsignal.Iftheaudiolevelofthethresholdhaschangedwhile
adjusting,momentarilylifttheModeSwitchtoRetunethenlistentomakecertaintheThresholdmaintainsabarelyaudiblelevel.Keepthe
searchcoilelevatedthroughoutthisprocess.
E. Quicklylowerthesearchcoiltoaboutoneortwoinchesabovetheground,immediatelyafterretuning,thenbeginpumpingthesearch
coilupanddownwithaboutafourtosixinchstroke.
F. WhilepumpingthesearchcoilturntheGroundAdjustuntilnochangeinthethresholdsoundisobtained.Ifthereisnochangeinthe
thresholdsoundyouareproperlytuned.IfthesounddecreasesasthesearchcoilisloweredturntheGroundAdjustclockwise;ifthesound
increasesasthesearchcoilisloweredturntheGroundAdjustclockwise;ifthesoundincreasesasthesearchcoilisloweredturntheGround
Adjustcounterclockwise.Continuedthisprocedureuntilnoaudiochangeinthethresholdisachieved.
2. NORMALTUNING
A. PuttheTuneSelectswitchintheNormalTuneposition.
B. PuttheModeSwitchintheAllMetalposition.
C. Whileholdingthesearchcoilaboutafootintheairturnthedetectoron.Waitforthebatterychecktocompleteitscyclethenturnthe
Sensitivitycontroltonearmaximum.
D. AdjusttheThresholdcontroluntilyouachieveafaintaudiosoundsignal.Iftheaudiolevelofthethresholdhaschangedwhile
adjusting,momentarilylifttheModeSwitchtoRetunethenlistentomakecertainthethresholdmaintainsabarelyaudiblelevel.Keepthe
searchcoilelevatedthroughoutthisprocess.
E. Retunethenquicklylowerthesearchcoiltoaboutonetotwoinchesabovethegroundandlistenforanaudiochangeinthethreshold.If
thereisnochangeinthethresholdsound,youareproperlytuned.
F. Ifthethresholdsoundincreasesasthesearchcoilnearstheground,turntheGroundAdjustaboutonehalfturncounterclockwise,after
liftingthesearchcoilbackintotheair.PushRetunemomentarilythenquicklylowerthesearchcoiltowardsthegroundagain.
G. Ifthethresholdsounddecreasesasthesearchcoilnearstheground,turntheGroundAdjustaboutonehalfturnclockwise,afterliftingthe
searchcoilbackintotheair.PushRetunemomentarilythenquicklylowerthesearchcoiltowardsthegroundagain.
H. RepeattheabovestepsreadjustingtheGroundAdjustcontrolasindicatedbythechangeinthethresholdasthecoilapproachesthe
ground.
I. Whentheaudiochangeinthethresholdreversesitself,asyouaremakingadjustments,thenmovetheGroundAdjustcontrolbackin
smallincrements,untilthereisnochangeasthesearchcoilisloweredtowardtheground.RemembertoalwaysmomentarilyholdtheMode
SwitchintotheRetunepositioneachtimejustbeforeyoulowerthesearchcoiltowardthegroundagain.
TUNINGINTHEDISCRIMINATEMODE
TuningtheBandidoIIforuseintheDiscriminatemoderequiresthattheAllMetalModetuningprocedurebeproperly
accomplished,astheGroundAdjustcontrolprovidesformineralfreeoperatinginboththeAllMetalandDiscrimmodes.Also,
thethresholdsettingoftheTuningcontroldeterminestheminimumsoundlevelfordeeptargetsintheDiscriminatemode.Too
littlethreshold,anddepthwillbelost.Toomuchthreshold,andthedetectormaybecomeerratic.
AftertheAllMetalmodeprocedureisaccomplished,theonlysettingsnecessaryforoperationinDiscriminatemodeisto
settheDiscLevelcontroltothedesiredamountoftrashrejection,andtosettheSensitivitycontrolthemaximumsettingthat
willallowsmoothoperation.
THRESHOLD
TheThresholdcontrolisusedtoadjusttheaudiolevelofthethresholdupordown;itisnotavolumecontrolforthe
detectoritself.Thethresholdestablishesanaudiblereferencepointfortuningthedetectortogroundbalanceit.
SELECTINGTHEPROPERMODEOFOPERATION
TheBandidoIIofferstwobasicmodesofoperation,theAllMetalmodeandtheDiscriminatemode.Bothmodesare
mineralfreeiftheunitisproperlyadjusted.TheAllMetalmodeistheindustrystandard"VLF"typewhichdoesnotrequire
motionofthesearchcoilforproperoperation.Thismode,whilerequiringaninitialgroundadjustsettingofsoundthreshold,
offerstwoveryimportantadvantages,thesebeingtheabilitytopinpointwithoutmotion,andtoprovideexactground
canceling.TheDiscriminatemodeisbasedonmotionofthesearchcoil,butrequiresverylittlemotion,andoffersthe
advantageofcompletelysilentoperation.
NuggetHuntingrequiresusingtheAllMetalmode,sincetheresponsetosmallgolditemsissoclosetoiron.
Wefeelthatformostnuggetshootinguse,AllMetalAutoTunewillprovidethebestperformance.Sincemostgold
nuggetsarequitesmall,youneedtobesurethatyourdetectoristunedtothresholdatalltimestoavoidmissinganyofthese
littlenuggets.HotRockswillcauseamomentarysilenceasthecoilissweptoverthem,withaloudovershootwhenthecoil
clearsthem.Thesoundissodifferentfromagoodtargetsound,thatitisveryeasilyrecognized.Theonlyproblemwithjust
ignoringthesesoundsarethatasmallnuggetmaybehidingbeneaththehotrock.AdjustingthegroundAdjustcontrolinthe
clockwisedirectionuntilthehotrocksarealmostneutralizedwillhelpdetectsmallgoldnuggetsbutthegroundwillreadasa
positivesignal,soyouwillhavetobeverycarefultokeepyourcoilheightconstant.
RememberthattheautotuningintheAllMetalmodewillcauseanullingofthethresholdsoundifyoupassthe
searchcoiloveraverystrongmetallictarget.
Beachhuntingonsaltwaterbeachesrequiresslightlydifferentsettingsfromothertypesofhunting.Thedrysandarea
shouldbenoproblem,butonceyouencounterwetsandorenterthesurfyoumayneedtomakesomeadjustments.Salt,
especiallywetsalt,ishighlyconductiveandmaycausethedetectortoemitfalsesignals.Tohelpovercomethesalt'seffects
settheGroundAdjustsothatthethresholdgivesaveryslightaudioincreaseasthesearchcoilisloweredtotheground.This
willhelpkeepthedetectorfromsoundingoffoverfootprints,sandripplesandholes.Itmaybenecessarytoturnthesensitivity
downconsiderablyortoraisetheDiscLevelslightlyinordertosmoothouttheinstrument.Surfhuntinginsaltwatermay
requireusingtheDiscModeduetotheconductivesaltwatercausingelectronicresponsesasthewashesdirectlyoverthe
searchcoil,emittingfalsesignals.
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coinshottingsuchareasinordertoavoidhaving
todigmostofthiscommontrash.TheDiscriminateLevelcontrolisusedtoadjusttheresponsetothesetrashitems.Each
detectorcanvarysomewhatduetothemanufacturingtolerances,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areoperatedwiththe"Threshold"soundwouldgivetheuseradefiniteindicationofmetallic
trashbyeithernullingcompletelyorbygeneratingshort,choppysounds.SincetheDiscriminatemodeoperateswithout
thresholdsound,thereisnonullingtoindicatethattheareaisextremelytrashy.WhensearchingintheDiscriminatemode,
werecommendthatyouperiodicallyswitchtoAllMetalandchecktheareayouaresearchingtogetanideaofhowmuch
trashisreallythere.Inextremelyheavytrashareas,itmaybedesirabletoswitchtoasmallersearchcoil,eventhroughdoing
sowillcausealossofdepth.Thesmallercoilwillallowyouabetterchanceoffindingcoinsbetweentheclosepiecesof
trash.
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BandidoII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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speed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fromthegroundwillcauseacorrespondinglossofdepth.
InAllMetalmodeoperation,keepthedetectortunedsothatthereisjustaslightbuzzingofasound.Thisiseasytodo
becausethegroundmineralsdonotaffecttheAllMetalmodeifproperlyadjusted.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1)heavyconcentrationsoftrashmetal
objects,2)verylargetrashmetalobjects,or3)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.
Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,DIGIT.Forthissamereason,intheDiscriminateMode,itisbest
nottouseahigherDISCLEVELsettingthannecessary.NickelsandmostsmallerringsarerejectedwhentheDISCLEVEL
issettorejectpulltabsonanymetaldetectorthatisaTRDiscriminatorliketheBadidoII.Ifyoudon’tdiganyjunkatall,you
aresurelypassingupalotofgoodfindsaswell.SettheDISCLEVELonlyhighenoughtosuittheconditionswhereyouare
searching.
PINPOINTINGATARGET
ThesweepspeedoftheBandidoII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.
TheeasiestwaytopinpointformostpeoplewillbetoswitchtotheAllMetal/NormalTunemode,sincenomotionis
required.Topinpoint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tuningmodeswitchtotheretunepositionmomentarilyovertheareatodetune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.
RECOMMENDEDRECOVERYMETHODS
PROTECTYOURHOBBYFILLALLHOLES
BATTERYREPLACEMENT
TheBandidoIIhasanautomaticbatterytestsequencewitheachinitialpowertunon.Tocheckthebatteries,simplyturn
theBandidoIIofforaboutfiveseconds,andthenturnitbackon.Thebatterytestcircuitwillengageforabout3to5seconds,
withtheaudiooutputloudnessindicatingtheremainingbatterystrength.Asthebatteriesage,thistonewillgetquieter,and
whenyouhearonlyabriefbuzzornotoutputatall,it'stimeto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batteriesfromthedetector,andthenremovetheleads.Replacethenewbatteriesintothedetector,observingthe
polarityindicatorsontheclipleads.Installthebatterydoorbackontothechassis,andpushth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both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detector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or16ohmsetwith1/4inchstereojackwilldo.
HAPPYHUNTING,andthankyouforpurchasingaTESORO.
Underthecopyrightlawsthisdocumentationmaynotbecopied,photocopied,reproduced,translatedorreducedtoanyelectronicor
machinereadableform,inwholeorinpart,withoutthepriorwrittenconsentofTesoroElectronicsIncorporated,exceptfortheprivate
useofaBandidoIIowneroroperator,orinamannerotherwisedescribedinthisdocumentation.
©1995 1996TesoroElectronicsIncorporated.Allrightsreserved.PrintedintheUnitedStates.
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.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
OperatingFrequency 10kHz
SearchcoilType Concentric
SearchcoilSize 8"diameter
CableLength Approx.3’
AudioFrequency Approx.625Hz
AudioOutput 11/2"speaker
HeadphoneCompatibility 1/4"stereoearphonejack
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 3lbs.
BatteryRequirement 9voltsDC
2ea.9Valkalinebatteries
BatteryLife(typical) 15to30hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OptimumHumidity 0to75%R.H.
OperatingModes
AllMetal
Discriminate
TuningModes
AutoTune
NormalTune
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BandidoIIOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL

CONGRATULATIONS!

YournewTESOROMetalDetectorwasdesignedtoprovideyouwithmanyhappyhoursofenjoymentinthemost

rewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingandexcitingexperiencesasyoustepintothe

past–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,andwewishyouthe

bestofsuccess.

YourTESOROMetalDetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinanyconceivabletreasurehuntingsituation.Aswith

anydetector,operatingskillandfamiliaritywiththisinstrumentareprobablythelimitingfactorsindetermininghowsuccessful

youwillbe.Werecommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullybeforeattemptingtousetheinstrumentinthe

field.Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.

TheTESOROMetalDetectorisaprecisionelectronicinstrument,whichwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatit

rightanditwon'tletyoudown.

GoodHunting!JackGifford

GENERALDESCRIPTION

TheBandidoIIisaTransmitterReceiver(TR)typeofdetectorthatoperatesintheVeryLowFrequency(VLF)portionof

theRadioFrequency(RF)spectrum.ItprovidestruemineralfreeoperationinboththeAllMetalandDiscriminatemodes.The

Discriminatemodeismotionbased,buttheamountofmotionrequiredissoslightthatpinpointingiseasilyaccomplishedin

thismode.TheAllMetalmodeisnotamotionbasedtype,andsoisexcellentforsearchingaswellaspinpointing.

TheBandidoIIwasdesignedtobeatrueAllPurposetypeofdetector.Itissensitivetosmallgoldparticles,ispowerful

enoughtoserveasarelicandcachehunter,andisplentyfastenoughforcompetitionhunting.Itisequippedwithan8"

concentriccoil,althoughothercoilsizesandtypesareavailable.

TheBandidoIIcanbeassembledasapolemountedarmrestunit,orasabodymountunit.Itcanbeconvertedeasily

withouttools.

Aswithanydetector,thefamiliarityoftheuserwiththeinstrumentwillhaveagreatdealtodowithhowsuccessfulthe

treasurehunteris.Werecommendthatyoureadandunderstandthismanualfullybeforeattemptingtousetheinstrumentin

thefield.

Besuretofilloutandmailyourwarrantyregistrationcardtovalidateyourwarranty.

ASSEMBLY

TheBandidoIIcanbeassembledineitheroftwoconfigurationsoreasilyconvertedfromonetotheother.Theelectronic

controlhousingcanbemountedonthearmrestpole,orcanbebodymounted.Installationofthelowerpoleandcoilisthe

sameforeitherconfiguration.

1. Depressthetwobuttonsontheupperendofthelowerstem,andslideitintotheupperstem.Pushthelowerstem

upsothatthebuttonsclickintothethirdsetofholesfromtheendoftheupperstem.

2. Insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsofthesearchcoil,afterremovingthescrewandthumbnut.Alignthe

holesinthepoletipandthoseinthemountingears.Besuretherubberfrictionwashersareinpeace.

3. Insertthecoilmountingscrewthroughthecoilandpoletip.Thescrewheadshouldbeonthesideofthesearchcoil

wherethecablecomesout.

4. Installthethumbnutonthescrewandtightenbyhand.

5. Windthesearchcoilcablearoundthepoleasshown,leavingjustenoughflextopermitangeladjustmentofthe

searchcoil.

POLEMOUNT

1. Thecontrolhousingisalreadymountedonthepole,asshippedfromthefactory,soallthatisnecessaryistoinsert

thesearchcoilconnectorintothecontrolhousingconnector,andtightenfingertight.

2. Usethetwovelcrostrapstoholdthecabletightagainstthepole.

BODYMOUNT

1. Tousethedetectorasabodymount,simplyremovethecontrolhousingfromtheupperpolebydepressingthe

springnutsintheplasticmountingpiece,andslidethecontrolhousingoffthepole.

2. Insertthesearchcoilconnectorintothecontrolhousingconnectorandthenfingertighten.

3. Usethetwovelcrostrapstoclampthesearchcoilcable.Itwillbebestforyoutosometimesmovethestrapssothat

thewearonthecableisspreadoveralargearea.

CONVERSION

Obviously,convertingtheunitfrombodytopolemountorviceversa,issimplyputtingthecontrolhousingbackonthe

pole,orremovingitfromthepole.Besuretokeepthesearchcoilcablewoundtightenougharoundthepolethatitdoesn'tflap

rightoversearchcoilhousing.TheBandidoIIisstrongenoughtoseethetinycablewiresmoving,andcangiveyoufalse

signalsifthecableistooloose.

ADJUSTMENT

Thesearchcoilangleandstemlengthshouldbeadjustedsothattheunitisnotuncomfortableortiringafterlongperiods

ofuse.Thestemlengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthepoletilltheyclickinto

theholesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablesetting.Thecoilshouldbeaboutoneinchabovethegroundwhilestandingerect.

Adjusttheangleofthesearchcoil,sothatthecoilisparalleltotheground.Tightenthesearchcoilthumbnutbyhandto

maintainthissetting.

Thearmrestontherearofthehandlecanbemovedforwardbyremovingthescrewsandnuts,andreinstallingthe

assemblyintothemostforwardsetofholes.

Specifications

TESOROElectronics,Inc.,reservestherighttomodifyorimprovethedesignwithoutfurthernotice.

CONTROLS

TheBandidoIIhasfivecontrolsonitsfrontpanel,andathresholdadjustonitsrearpanel.Thefrontpanelcontrolsareall

readilyadjustedwiththeindexfingerofthehandholdingthedetector.

1. THESHOLDCONTROL.Thiscontrolisplacedonthebackpanelofthedetector,sinceitrequiresverylittleusage.

Oncethecontrolisadjustedtothedesiredthreshold,itwillnotrequirefrequentresetting.

2. TUNESELECT.Thistoggleswitchallowsthedetectortobeoperatedwithfastautotuningwhenthetoggleisplaced

intheAutoTunepositionorwithnoautotunewhenplacedintheNormalTuneposition.AutoTunequicklyretunesthe

detectortoit'sestablishedthresholdautomaticallyfollowingatargetresponse.Fastautotunecancauseanovershoot

signalonhotrocksplusitkeepstheinstrumentfromdrifting.NormalTunewillholdatarget'ssignalwithoutreturningfor

aslongasthesearchcoilishelddirectlyoverthetarget.Somedriftmayoccur,butisquicklyremediedbypushingthe

modeswitchtoRetunemomentarily.NormalTuneisusedforAllMetalspinpointing,identifyingtargetsize,linetracing,

andoresampling.

3. GROUNDADJUSTCONTROL.ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalmodesamplingsothattheBandidoIIignoresthe

normalgroundmineralization.Thiscontrolisatenturndevice,anditissometimesdifficulttofeelwhentheendofthe

turnrangeisreached.Thesettingofthiscontrolisthemostcriticaladjustmenttodo,butitisaverysimpleadjustment

tomake.StudythemanualsectiononTUNINGtobesureyoulearnhowtoproperlyadjustthiscontrol.

4. ON/OFF,BATTERYTEST,SENSITIVITYCONTROL.Theprimaryfunctionofthiscontrolistoreducethedetectors

sensitivitytothoseinfluencesthatcouldmaketheoperationmoredifficultforyou.Thiscontrolalsoisusedtoturnthe

poweronandoff.Turningtheknobcompletelycounterclockwiseuntilitclicksdisconnectsthebatteriesfromthecircuit.

Whentheknobisfirstturnedon(clockwise),thedetectorwillautomaticallytestitsbatteries,andgiveyouanaudible

indicationoftheirconnection.NOTE:ThistestshouldbeperformedwiththeModeSwitchintheDiscriminate

position.Freshbatterieswillcausealoudaudioresponsewhichwillgraduallydecayintosilenceoveraperiodofabout4

or5seconds.Asthebatteriesageandbecomeweaker,theinitialaudioresponsewillbeweaker,andwilldecayquicker.

Whentheresponseisjustashortbuzzinsteadofalongbeep,orwhenthereisnoaudioresponse,it'stimefornew

batteries.Itisrecommendedtoalwaysusealkalinebatteries.

Manythingscancausetheresponseofthedetectortobecomeerraticasyouareusingit.Normallyyouwillnothearany

soundfromthedetectorunlessyoupassthecoiloveragoodtarget.Verylargetargetsoramultitudeofcloselyspaced

smallerrejectedtrashtargetscancausethedetectortoemitchoppysputteringsounds.CBradios,radioandTV

broadcastingantennas,intensemineralizationchanges,andothersourcesofelectricalnoisecanalsocausethedetector

toemitfalsesignals.Thesesignalswillgenerallysound"chopped"andwillnotberepeatablesoyouwillnothaveany

troublerecognizingthem.Theycanbedistracting,though,andturningdownthesensitivitycontrolwillhelpreducethem.

Thiswillalsocauseasmalllossoftargetsensitivity,soalwaysrunthesensitivitycontrolashighasyoucan,whilestill

gettingsmoothoperation.

5. MODECONTROL.ThistoggleswitchisusedtoselecttheAllMetalmodeofoperationortheDiscriminatemode.In

theDiscriminatemode,thedetectorsresponsetounwantedtrashcanbecontrolledtoeliminatediggingmuchofthe

commonmetallictrashitemsfoundinlikelyhuntingspots.Thedetectormaybeepbrieflywhentheswitchischanged,

butisreadyforoperatingintheselectedmodeinstantly.InAllMetal,thedetectorwillfindnotonlythehighlyconductive

nonferrousmetals,butwillalsofindtheferrousmetals.Thismodewillbeidealforrelichuntingorghosttownsearching,

sincemanydesirableartifacts(suchasguns)aremadeofironandsteal.

NOTE:TheAllMetalmodemayormaynothaveautotuningtohelpnarrowthedetector'sresponsetothetargetwhen

youarepinpointing.ItwilldependonwhichtuningmodetheTuneSelecttoggleisin.Tomanuallyretunetheunitto

thresholdforeithermode,justpushthemodeswitchuptotheRetunepositionmomentarily.

6. DISCRIMINATELEVEL.Thiscontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedmetallictrashwhenused

intheDiscriminatemode.Atthelowestsetting"0",thedetectorwilleliminatemostironobjects,butwillstillrespondina

positivemannertolightfoil,bottlecaps,pulltabsandmostothermetallicitems.Astheknobsettingisincreased,

responsetomoreofthesemetallictrashitemsisreversedsothattheseobjectsgivenoresponse.

Thefigurebelowgivesthecontrolsettingswheresomeofthecommonlyfoundtrashitemscanberejected.



TUNING

Nodetector,regardlessofhowpowerfulitis,canprovideoptimumdepthifitisimproperlytuned.Infact,themore

powerfula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BandidoII.Toachievemaximum

performancefromyourBandidoII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onlyplantooperatethedetectorintheDiscrimmode.Impropertuning(groundadjustment)notonly

reducesperformance,butmaycausefalseanderroneousghostingsignalsaswell.

TUNINGINTHEALLMETALMODE

NOTE:Makesuretherearenometallicobjectsunderornearthesearchcoilwhentuning.Todothisturnthedetectoron

andusetheAllMetalmode,thenfollowpropertuningproceduresonceyouaresuretheareaismetalfree.

1. AUTOTUNING

A. PuttheTuneSelectswitchintheAutoTuneposition.

B. PuttheModeSwitchintheAllMetalposition.

C. Whileholdingthesearchcoilaboutafootintheairturnthedetectoron.Waitforthebatterychecktocompleteitscyclethenturnthe

Sensitivitycontroltonearmaximum.

D. AdjusttheThresholdcontroluntilyouachieveafaintaudiosoundsignal.Iftheaudiolevelofthethresholdhaschangedwhile

adjusting,momentarilylifttheModeSwitchtoRetunethenlistentomakecertaintheThresholdmaintainsabarelyaudiblelevel.Keepthe

searchcoilelevatedthroughoutthisprocess.

E. Quicklylowerthesearchcoiltoaboutoneortwoinchesabovetheground,immediatelyafterretuning,thenbeginpumpingthesearch

coilupanddownwithaboutafourtosixinchstroke.

F. WhilepumpingthesearchcoilturntheGroundAdjustuntilnochangeinthethresholdsoundisobtained.Ifthereisnochangeinthe

thresholdsoundyouareproperlytuned.IfthesounddecreasesasthesearchcoilisloweredturntheGroundAdjustclockwise;ifthesound

increasesasthesearchcoilisloweredturntheGroundAdjustclockwise;ifthesoundincreasesasthesearchcoilisloweredturntheGround

Adjustcounterclockwise.Continuedthisprocedureuntilnoaudiochangeinthethresholdisachieved.

2. NORMALTUNING

A. PuttheTuneSelectswitchintheNormalTuneposition.

B. PuttheModeSwitchintheAllMetalposition.

C. Whileholdingthesearchcoilaboutafootintheairturnthedetectoron.Waitforthebatterychecktocompleteitscyclethenturnthe

Sensitivitycontroltonearmaximum.

D. AdjusttheThresholdcontroluntilyouachieveafaintaudiosoundsignal.Iftheaudiolevelofthethresholdhaschangedwhile

adjusting,momentarilylifttheModeSwitchtoRetunethenlistentomakecertainthethresholdmaintainsabarelyaudiblelevel.Keepthe

searchcoilelevatedthroughoutthisprocess.

E. Retunethenquicklylowerthesearchcoiltoaboutonetotwoinchesabovethegroundandlistenforanaudiochangeinthethreshold.If

thereisnochangeinthethresholdsound,youareproperlytuned.

F. Ifthethresholdsoundincreasesasthesearchcoilnearstheground,turntheGroundAdjustaboutonehalfturncounterclockwise,after

liftingthesearchcoilbackintotheair.PushRetunemomentarilythenquicklylowerthesearchcoiltowardsthegroundagain.

G. Ifthethresholdsounddecreasesasthesearchcoilnearstheground,turntheGroundAdjustaboutonehalfturnclockwise,afterliftingthe

searchcoilbackintotheair.PushRetunemomentarilythenquicklylowerthesearchcoiltowardsthegroundagain.

H. RepeattheabovestepsreadjustingtheGroundAdjustcontrolasindicatedbythechangeinthethresholdasthecoilapproachesthe

ground.

I. Whentheaudiochangeinthethresholdreversesitself,asyouaremakingadjustments,thenmovetheGroundAdjustcontrolbackin

smallincrements,untilthereisnochangeasthesearchcoilisloweredtowardtheground.RemembertoalwaysmomentarilyholdtheMode

SwitchintotheRetunepositioneachtimejustbeforeyoulowerthesearchcoiltowardthegroundagain.

TUNINGINTHEDISCRIMINATEMODE

TuningtheBandidoIIforuseintheDiscriminatemoderequiresthattheAllMetalModetuningprocedurebeproperly

accomplished,astheGroundAdjustcontrolprovidesformineralfreeoperatinginboththeAllMetalandDiscrimmodes.Also,

thethresholdsettingoftheTuningcontroldeterminestheminimumsoundlevelfordeeptargetsintheDiscriminatemode.Too

littlethreshold,anddepthwillbelost.Toomuchthreshold,andthedetectormaybecomeerratic.

AftertheAllMetalmodeprocedureisaccomplished,theonlysettingsnecessaryforoperationinDiscriminatemodeisto

settheDiscLevelcontroltothedesiredamountoftrashrejection,andtosettheSensitivitycontrolthemaximumsettingthat

willallowsmoothoperation.

THRESHOLD

TheThresholdcontrolisusedtoadjusttheaudiolevelofthethresholdupordown;itisnotavolumecontrolforthe

detectoritself.Thethresholdestablishesanaudiblereferencepointfortuningthedetectortogroundbalanceit.

SELECTINGTHEPROPERMODEOFOPERATION

TheBandidoIIofferstwobasicmodesofoperation,theAllMetalmodeandtheDiscriminatemode.Bothmodesare

mineralfreeiftheunitisproperlyadjusted.TheAllMetalmodeistheindustrystandard"VLF"typewhichdoesnotrequire

motionofthesearchcoilforproperoperation.Thismode,whilerequiringaninitialgroundadjustsettingofsoundthreshold,

offerstwoveryimportantadvantages,thesebeingtheabilitytopinpointwithoutmotion,andtoprovideexactground

canceling.TheDiscriminatemodeisbasedonmotionofthesearchcoil,butrequiresverylittlemotion,andoffersthe

advantageofcompletelysilentoperation.

NuggetHuntingrequiresusingtheAllMetalmode,sincetheresponsetosmallgolditemsissoclosetoiron.

Wefeelthatformostnuggetshootinguse,AllMetalAutoTunewillprovidethebestperformance.Sincemostgold

nuggetsarequitesmall,youneedtobesurethatyourdetectoristunedtothresholdatalltimestoavoidmissinganyofthese

littlenuggets.HotRockswillcauseamomentarysilenceasthecoilissweptoverthem,withaloudovershootwhenthecoil

clearsthem.Thesoundissodifferentfromagoodtargetsound,thatitisveryeasilyrecognized.Theonlyproblemwithjust

ignoringthesesoundsarethatasmallnuggetmaybehidingbeneaththehotrock.AdjustingthegroundAdjustcontrolinthe

clockwisedirectionuntilthehotrocksarealmostneutralizedwillhelpdetectsmallgoldnuggetsbutthegroundwillreadasa

positivesignal,soyouwillhavetobeverycarefultokeepyourcoilheightconstant.

RememberthattheautotuningintheAllMetalmodewillcauseanullingofthethresholdsoundifyoupassthe

searchcoiloveraverystrongmetallictarget.

Beachhuntingonsaltwaterbeachesrequiresslightlydifferentsettingsfromothertypesofhunting.Thedrysandarea

shouldbenoproblem,butonceyouencounterwetsandorenterthesurfyoumayneedtomakesomeadjustments.Salt,

especiallywetsalt,ishighlyconductiveandmaycausethedetectortoemitfalsesignals.Tohelpovercomethesalt'seffects

settheGroundAdjustsothatthethresholdgivesaveryslightaudioincreaseasthesearchcoilisloweredtotheground.This

willhelpkeepthedetectorfromsoundingoffoverfootprints,sandripplesandholes.Itmaybenecessarytoturnthesensitivity

downconsiderablyortoraisetheDiscLevelslightlyinordertosmoothouttheinstrument.Surfhuntinginsaltwatermay

requireusingtheDiscModeduetotheconductivesaltwatercausingelectronicresponsesasthewashesdirectlyoverthe

searchcoil,emittingfalsesignals.

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coinshottingsuchareasinordertoavoidhaving

todigmostofthiscommontrash.TheDiscriminateLevelcontrolisusedtoadjusttheresponsetothesetrashitems.Each

detectorcanvarysomewhatduetothemanufacturingtolerances,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areoperatedwiththe"Threshold"soundwouldgivetheuseradefiniteindicationofmetallic

trashbyeithernullingcompletelyorbygeneratingshort,choppysounds.SincetheDiscriminatemodeoperateswithout

thresholdsound,thereisnonullingtoindicatethattheareaisextremelytrashy.WhensearchingintheDiscriminatemode,

werecommendthatyouperiodicallyswitchtoAllMetalandchecktheareayouaresearchingtogetanideaofhowmuch

trashisreallythere.Inextremelyheavytrashareas,itmaybedesirabletoswitchtoasmallersearchcoil,eventhroughdoing

sowillcausealossofdepth.Thesmallercoilwillallowyouabetterchanceoffindingcoinsbetweentheclosepiecesof

trash.

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BandidoII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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speed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fromthegroundwillcauseacorrespondinglossofdepth.

InAllMetalmodeoperation,keepthedetectortunedsothatthereisjustaslightbuzzingofasound.Thisiseasytodo

becausethegroundmineralsdonotaffecttheAllMetalmodeifproperlyadjusted.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1)heavyconcentrationsoftrashmetal

objects,2)verylargetrashmetalobjects,or3)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.

Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,DIGIT.Forthissamereason,intheDiscriminateMode,itisbest

nottouseahigherDISCLEVELsettingthannecessary.NickelsandmostsmallerringsarerejectedwhentheDISCLEVEL

issettorejectpulltabsonanymetaldetectorthatisaTRDiscriminatorliketheBadidoII.Ifyoudon’tdiganyjunkatall,you

aresurelypassingupalotofgoodfindsaswell.SettheDISCLEVELonlyhighenoughtosuittheconditionswhereyouare

searching.

PINPOINTINGATARGET

ThesweepspeedoftheBandidoII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.

TheeasiestwaytopinpointformostpeoplewillbetoswitchtotheAllMetal/NormalTunemode,sincenomotionis

required.Topinpoint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tuningmodeswitchtotheretunepositionmomentarilyovertheareatodetune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.

RECOMMENDEDRECOVERYMETHODS

PROTECTYOURHOBBYFILLALLHOLES

BATTERYREPLACEMENT

TheBandidoIIhasanautomaticbatterytestsequencewitheachinitialpowertunon.Tocheckthebatteries,simplyturn

theBandidoIIofforaboutfiveseconds,andthenturnitbackon.Thebatterytestcircuitwillengageforabout3to5seconds,

withtheaudiooutputloudnessindicatingtheremainingbatterystrength.Asthebatteriesage,thistonewillgetquieter,and

whenyouhearonlyabriefbuzzornotoutputatall,it'stimeto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batteriesfromthedetector,andthenremovetheleads.Replacethenewbatteriesintothedetector,observingthe

polarityindicatorsontheclipleads.Installthebatterydoorbackontothechassis,andpushth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both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detector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or16ohmsetwith1/4inchstereojackwilldo.

HAPPYHUNTING,andthankyouforpurchasingaTESORO.

Underthecopyrightlawsthisdocumentationmaynotbecopied,photocopied,reproduced,translatedorreducedtoanyelectronicor

machinereadableform,inwholeorinpart,withoutthepriorwrittenconsentofTesoroElectronicsIncorporated,exceptfortheprivate

useofaBandidoIIowneroroperator,orinamannerotherwisedescribedinthisdocumentation.

©1995 1996TesoroElectronicsIncorporated.Allrightsreserved.PrintedintheUnitedStates.

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.

TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646

OperatingFrequency 10kHz

SearchcoilType Concentric

SearchcoilSize 8"diameter

CableLength Approx.3’

AudioFrequency Approx.625Hz

AudioOutput 11/2"speaker

HeadphoneCompatibility 1/4"stereoearphonejack

Weight(mayvaryslightly) 3lbs.

BatteryRequirement 9voltsDC

2ea.9Valkalinebatteries

BatteryLife(typical) 15to30hours

OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F

OptimumHumidity 0to75%R.H.

OperatingModes

AllMetal

Discriminate

TuningModes

AutoTune

NormalTune

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