Tesoro De Leon Assembly instructions

OOPPEERRAATTOORRIINNSSTTRRUUCCTTIIOONNMMAANNUUAALL
"The Name That Means Treasure"

CONGRATULATIONS!
Your new Tesoro DeLeón metal detector is part of a new series of
detectors 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, or as you take pleasure in the
great outdoors with family and friends searching for precious metals. I
wish we could share these experiences with you, and all of us at Tesoro
wish you the best of success.
Your Tesoro detector is capable of meeting your needs in a wide range
of treasure hunting situations. As with any other metal detector, familiar-
ity with this instrument is probably the limiting factor in determining how
successful you can be. I recommend that you read this manual and fully
understand how to operate this detector before attempting to use it in the
field. As you become more familiar with your detector through practice,
your rate of success will increase dramatically.
The DeLeón is a precision electronic instrument that will last for
years if properly cared for. Treat it right and it won’t let you down.
Good Hunting!
Jack Gifford
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 con-
sent of Tesoro Electronics Incorporated, except in the manner described in this documentation.
© 2003 Tesoro Electronics Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States.
Tesoro Electronics, Incorporated
715 White Spar Road
Prescott, AZ 86303
[phone]
DDEELLEEÓÓNN
OOPPEERRAATTOORRIINNSSTTRRUUCCTTIIOONNMMAANNUUAALL
1 DELEÓN OPERATOR INSTRUCTION MANUAL

GETTING STARTED
UNPACKING THE BOX ..........................................3
INSTALLING THE BATTERY ..................................4
ASSEMBLING YOUR DETECTOR ..........................5
ADJUSTING THE POLE & SEARCHCOIL ............7
QUICKSTART ........................................................8
Prepare for the Quickstart................................................8
Check Display Readings in DISC Mode ..........................9
Adjust SENSITIVITY ......................................................16
Perform Air Test in DISC Mode......................................17
Adjust THRESHOLD ......................................................18
Perform Air Test in ALL METAL Mode ..........................20
Perform BATT TEST ......................................................20
Conclusion......................................................................21
OPERATING TECHNIQUES
Handling Your Detector ..................................................22
Pinpointing a Target ......................................................22
Planting a Test Garden ..................................................23
Recommended Recovery Methods ..........................24-25
GENERAL INFORMATION
Basic Care......................................................................26
Protecting Your Investment ............................................26
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES ..................................28
Scuff Covers ..................................................................28
Searchcoils ....................................................................28
Headphones ..................................................................29
SPECIFICATIONS ................................................29
CODE OF ETHICS ................................................30
WARRANTY SERVICE ..........................Back Cover
CCOONNTTEENNTTSS
2

Your DeLeón was shipped with these parts:
1 Upper Pole Assembly
Fully assembled, including upper pole stem with handle grip,
padded arm bracket and control housing.
1 Middle Pole Assembly With Pole Lock
1 ABS Lower Pole Assembly
Fully assembled, complete with two friction washers, mounting
screw, lock washer and thumb nut.
1 9 x 8 Concentric Searchcoil With 3’ Cable
2 Battery Packs, Each With 4 AA Batteries
1 Velcro Arm Strap Set
1 Warranty Card
1 Operator Instruction Manual
If any of these items are missing, immediately contact the Tesoro
Authorized Dealer where you purchased your detector.
Assembling the DeLeón is simple and requires no special tools. Just
install the battery packs, mount the searchcoil on the lower pole assem-
bly, connect the pole assemblies together, wrap the excess cable around
the pole and plug the cable into the control housing. Finally, adjust the
pole length and searchcoil angle and you're ready!
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3 DELEÓN OPERATOR INSTRUCTION MANUAL

INSTALLING THE BATTERY
The DeLeón is powered by 8 AA batteries divided into 2 compart-
ments, which are located in the armrest housing.
Open the battery compartment under the armrest by gently grasping
the bottom edge of the door and pulling outward and upward. (The door
is hinged at the top.)
Remove the batteries by pressing down on the right side of the 4-pack
battery holder so that the left side of the holder will pop up. Pull out the
holder and replace the batteries as needed.
When returning the holder, note the position of the spring clips inside
the armrest housing and make sure that the battery pack contacts fit snug-
ly against the springs. Insert the side with the contacts first and then press
down on the left edge of the battery holder to reseat the holder.
Snap compartment cover to close.
GETTING STARTED 4

1) On the lower pole assembly, remove the mounting screw and thumb
nut from the pole tip.
2) Insert the pole tip between the mounting ears of the searchcoil and
align the holes of the pole tip and washers with those of the mounting ears.
Note: The pole tip should fit very snugly into the mounting ears.
3) Insert the mounting screw through the holes in the mounting ears and
pole tip—entering from the side opposite the cable connection.
4) Install the thumb nut on the mounting screw and tighten by hand.
Note: Do not overtighten the thumb nut. It should be snug but not too dif-
ficult to loosen.
5) On the middle pole assembly, depress the two spring buttons and slide
the middle pole assembly into the upper pole assembly until the spring but-
tons click into the holes, thus locking the two assemblies into place.
Tighten the pole lock to secure the two assemblies together.
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5 DELEÓN OPERATOR INSTRUCTION MANUAL

6) Slide lower pole into middle pole until the spring buttons click into
the first set of adjustment holes. Turn pole lock to tighten the assembly
into place.
7) Wrap the cable around the pole leaving enough slack near the search-
coil to permit searchcoil adjustment.
Note: Do not allow the cable to flop loosely over the searchcoil. Since
the detector is sensitive enough to "see"the tiny wires in the cable, a
floppy cable can cause false signals as the searchcoil senses the moving
wires.
8) Plug the male cable end into the female connector on the control
housing and tighten the cable thumb nut. You are finished!
Note: You will want to adjust the pole length and the searchcoil angle to
your preference.
Note: We have included an optional Velcro arm strap with your DeLeón
detector. To install, remove the backing on the two smaller hook patch-
es and press firmly to sides of arm cup. Adjust strap to provide snug
comfortable fit.
GETTING STARTED 6

The pole length should be adjusted so that the detector does not
become uncomfortable or tiring after long periods of use. The detector
grip should rest in your hand with your arm relaxed, your elbow straight
but not locked, with the pole extending out in front of you at the approx-
imate angle shown in the
photo.
You should be able to
swing the detector back and
forth in front of you—using
relaxed shoulder movement—
while keeping the searchcoil as
close to the ground as possible.
This swinging movement is
often called a "sweep."
The searchcoil should not
touch the ground during your
sweep. The pole length should
be adjusted to allow this with-
out having to lift the detector
with your elbow or shoulder.
The searchcoil should rest
about one inch above the
ground while you are standing
erect. The angle of the search-
coil should allow the bottom to
be parallel to the ground.
The pole length is adjusted
by loosening the pole lock,
then depressing the spring but-
tons and extending or shortening the pole until the spring buttons click
into the set of holes that give you the most comfortable pole length.
To adjust the searchcoil angle, simply loosen the searchcoil thumb nut
slightly and move the searchcoil into the desired position. Tighten the
searchcoil thumb nut by hand so that the searchcoil will hold in place.
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7 DELEÓN OPERATOR INSTRUCTION MANUAL

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GETTING STARTED 8
The Quickstart is designed to teach you how to use your new
DeLeón. It provides a quick and easy means of learning your detector and
the concepts behind all the functions.
You will need the following items:
1) Your fully assembled DeLeón.
2) An Iron target (a small nail or screw will do), an iron wash-
er, a nickel, a zinc penny (1982 or later), a quarter and a cou-
ple of different pull tabs.
3) A nonmetal table top or counter.
Here's what you will do:
1) Check Display Readings in DISC Mode
2) Adjust SENSITIVITY
3) Perform Air Test in DISC Mode
4) Adjust THRESHOLD
5) Perform Air Test in ALL METAL Mode
6) Perform BATT TEST
Prepare for the Quickstart
Place your assembled DeLeón on the nonmetal surface. Make sure
that there are no metal objects near the coil and remove any jewelry from
your hands and wrists.

9 DELEÓN OPERATOR INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Start with the controls as shown in the photo below:
1) THRESHOLD, SENSITIVITY and DISCRIMINATE LEV-
EL knobs turned completely counterclockwise.
2) MODE switch in the DISC setting.
Check Display Readings in DISC Mode
Turn the SENSITIVITY knob from OFF to about 2-3. In the first
couple of seconds, you may or may not hear a slight hum that will fade
away and the display will read TESORO, DELEON and DISC. As long
as these three screens show up, you can be assured that your DeLeón has
started up properly.

GETTING STARTED 10
TESORO
Silver
Coins
Tabs
5¢
Ir on
Foil
Coin
Depth
ID
Num
Zinc
¢
DELEON
Silver
Coins
Tabs
5¢
Iron
Foil
Coin
Depth
ID
Num
Zinc
¢
DISC
Silver
Coins
Tabs
5¢
Ir on
Foil
Coin
Depth
ID
Num
Zinc
¢

11 DELEÓN OPERATOR INSTRUCTION MANUAL
The Tesoro DeLeón is a Target Identification Detector or T.I.D. The
most important feature is the 1 by 8 character display found on the upper
half of the detector faceplate. At this time the only thing that should be
showing in your display is the word DISC.
Pass any target over the coil and read the display. The information
displayed is unimportant at this moment. After about 6 to 10 seconds, the
screen clears and the word DISC will appear again. The DeLeón will
clear the display screen after that amount of time so you will be able to
visually see a target even if you do not get an audio response. You may
want to take some time to try this out.
As you wave the targets, you will notice that the display has three key
areas that contain information: the Coin Depth indicator, the 5 segment
bar graph area and the 2 digit ID Number. All of the different areas will
be used together to determine the most likely identification of the target
while it is still in the ground. As you practice, please note that different
distances from the coil, orientation of the target and width of sweeps or
passes over the coil may produce a variety of slightly different but dis-
tinct display readings.
NOTE: A target identification detector is never 100% accurate. If
you get a strong positive audio signal when hunting, dig it, no matter
what the display shows. Digging the good audio/bad display target will
result in better finds over the long run than ignoring those signals.
Starting from the left-hand edge, you will find the COIN DEPTH
indicator. This section will let you know the approximate depth of the tar-
get. The next section is a 5 segment bar graph. It will show all of the
information that the detector saw during the entire coil sweep. Full sweep
information is helpful in determining possible treasure/trash masking and
odd-shaped iron. The last section is the ID NUMBER. The ID NUMBER
DISC
Silver
Coins
Tabs
5¢
Ir on
Foil
Coin
Depth
ID
Num
Zinc
¢

GETTING STARTED 12
shows the peak part of the signal as a two digit number from 0 to 95. Iron
reads as 0 and copper and silver coins read 95. All other targets will read
somewhere in-between. Take some time to try all your targets and notice
the different readings that you get.
The best distance from the coil is somewhere between 4 and 8 inch-
es. If you get closer, you will notice the display will show a series of
arrows pointing upwards or the words "LIFT COIL." Either one of these
display readings indicates that there is too much signal for the micro-
processor to handle properly. When the arrows are showing, the display
will show as much information as it possibly can. Once the overload is
too great, the display will show "LIFT COIL." Moving the target away
from the coil will result in a more accurate reading. When using the
DeLeón in the field, lifting the coil will accomplish the same result.
Silver
Coins
Tabs
5¢
Iron
Foil
Coin
Depth
ID
Num
Zinc
¢
LIFT COIL
Silver
Coins
Tabs
5¢
Iron
Foil
Coin
Depth
ID
Num
Zinc
¢
495
^^^^

13 DELEÓN OPERATOR INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Below are some of the possible readings from various targets. These
are not exact and your machine may read slightly different. Take the time
to learn the readings and responses for your machine, both in the air test
and in the ground.
Small Iron Target (Screw or Nail): You may or may not get an audio sig-
nal depending on the size and shape of the target. However, you will get
a meter reading.
Iron Washer or Odd-Shaped Iron: Odd-shaped iron targets or iron targets
that have holes can fool many machines. As it starts to pass under the
edges of the coil, it produces a signal that looks like a silver coin. But as
it nears the center of the coil, the signal shifts to a more traditional iron
signal. Notice the following two illustrations. In the first, the bar graph
shows a small peak in the silver bar and the ID number reads 0. In the
second, the bar graph shows iron but the ID number reads 85.
Silver
Coins
Tabs
5¢
Iron
Foil
Coin
Depth
ID
Num
Zinc
¢
0
Small Iron Object
Silver
Coins
Tabs
5¢
Iron
Foil
Coin
Depth
ID
Num
Zinc
¢
0
Small Iron Washer

GETTING STARTED 14
The thing that both of these illustrations have in common is that var-
ious segments of the display do not "agree" with each other. This is a sure
sign that you are detecting an odd-shaped piece of iron. Notice on the rest
of the illustrations that the bar graph and the ID number show about the
same information. When the ID number and the graph "agree," you can
be sure that your DeLeón is receiving a clean signal.
Silver
Coins
Tabs
5¢
Iron
Foil
Coin
Depth
ID
Num
Zinc
¢
433
Nickel
Silver
Coins
Tabs
5¢
Iron
Foil
Coin
Depth
ID
Num
Zinc
¢
4
Square Tab
59
Silver
Coins
Tabs
5¢
Iron
Foil
Coin
Depth
ID
Num
Zinc
¢
Large Iron Washer
85

15 DELEÓN OPERATOR INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Silver
Coins
Tabs
5¢
Iron
Foil
Coin
Depth
ID
Num
Zinc
¢
4
Zinc Penny
75
Silver
Coins
Tabs
5¢
Iron
Foil
Coin
Depth
ID
Num
Zinc
¢
4
Round Tab
36
Silver
Coins
Tabs
5¢
Iron
Foil
Coin
Depth
ID
Num
Zinc
¢
495
Quarter

GETTING STARTED 16
Adjust SENSITIVITY
The all metal circuit uses a single channel to detect various metals.
The discriminate circuit uses two different channels, then amplifies and
filters them. The detector will then compare the signals and determine
whether or not to beep at the target. While there is a great advantage to
ignoring unwanted targets, it can make the circuitry more susceptible to
interference. A number of outside conditions such as power lines, highly
mineralized soil, and wet salt sand can cause interference.
The SENSITIVITY knob is used to raise or lower the power to the
operational amplifiers, which changes the gain. Gain is a measurement of
how much a signal is amplified. The higher the gain the more depth and
sensitivity to small objects a detector has. Unfortunately, any small inter-
ference that is amplified can cause the detector to become erratic. The
SENSITIVITY control is used to find the best gain setting in any location
without letting the detector become unstable.
The SENSITIVITY knob is numbered from MIN to 10 and then has
an orange area called the Max Boost Zone. For normal hunting, anywhere
in the numbered zone will work very well. However, the Max Boost will
allow you to increase the power to the operational amplifiers to the point
of overload. This may cause your detector to become unstable and force
you to turn the SENSITIVITY knob to a lower setting. An overload situ-
ation will not hurt your detector, but it will maximize the gain that is used
by your detector. This can, in certain conditions such as low mineraliza-
tion in the soil, cause your detector to penetrate deeper into the ground

and become more sensitive to small targets.
Take some time to try waving targets in front of the coil with differ-
ent sensitivity settings. Notice that the higher the sensitivity setting, the
farther away from the coil that a target can be and still respond with an
audio signal.
Perform Air Test in DISC Mode
The Discriminate Mode is used to filter unwanted targets from good
targets. The principle behind this is pretty simple. The detector sends out
a signal and then receives it back creating a small electronic field. As
metal passes through the field that the detector generates, it causes a
change in the received signal. The amount of change that each type of
metal causes is fairly constant; therefore, we can tune our detectors to
miss targets that we don't want to find. The change is based on the
amount of conductivity of each target type. The general list of conductive
targets is as follows: iron, foil, nickels, gold jewelry, pull tabs, screw tabs,
pennies and silver coins starting with dimes and working up to silver dol-
lars. This is very easy to visualize using the bar graph. This list is meant
to be a guide only. There is a point that some pull tabs, nickels and gold
jewelry overlap. Also, the depth of the target and its orientation in the
ground can change the received signal. A coin that is flat to the coil will
produce a better signal than a coin that is on edge. Take some time to try
different combinations of depths and orientation of your targets and find
out how your detector responds.
17 DELEÓN OPERATOR INSTRUCTION MANUAL

We are now ready to discriminate targets from each other. We will
start with the DISCRIMINATE LEVEL at MIN. Please notice that the
DISCRIMINATE LEVEL knob has words that correspond to the items
that are discriminated out. While performing the Air Test, notice that your
DeLeón will continue to display target data for items that do not respond
with an audio signal.
All of your targets, except the small iron, will respond with a good
audio signal at the MIN setting. Next, we will turn the DISCRIMINATE
LEVEL up to the 5¢ setting. This level is high enough to knock out the
nickel. At this time the iron target and the nickel should give no response,
while most of the pull tabs, the zinc penny and the quarter will give a
solid response. The iron washer may fall out at some point or may give a
choppy signal all the way up to MAX. But reading the display should
give you the indication that it is odd-shaped iron. Next, turn the DIS-
CRIMINATE LEVEL knob just past the PULL TAB marking. At this
time most or all of the pull tabs should not give any audio signal. The zinc
penny and the quarter should give a strong signal. Now, roll the DIS-
CRIMINATE LEVEL all the way to MAX. Notice that the penny has
stopped responding and only the quarter is still responding. The discrim-
ination will not go high enough to lose most of the silver coins.
This Air Test was designed to quickly show you how your
Discriminate Mode works. Each machine may be a little different from
all others, so you may want to take some time and try different targets to
find the responses of your machine. At a later date, you may want to build
a test garden to test your detector in the field.
Adjust THRESHOLD
Flip the MODE switch to the center position. This will put your
DeLeón into the ALL METAL Mode. The display screen will show AM.
This is the indication that you are now in the ALL METAL Mode. The
ALL METAL Mode is used to pinpoint. The DeLeón uses a factory pre-
set ground balance in both the DISCRIMINATE and ALL METAL
Modes. This should work fine for most hunting conditions.
GETTING STARTED 18

To adjust the threshold tone, turn the THRESHOLD knob clockwise
until you hear a slight but steady tone. You will have to turn the knob to
somewhere between the 10 o'clock and 1 o'clock position to get the best
hum.
In the field, some targets may be small enough or deep enough that
they will not be able to generate an audio signal by themselves. By mon-
itoring a threshold, you already have an audio signal so changes in vol-
ume will be easier to hear. However, if the threshold is set too soft or too
loud, small changes in the signal will be hard to hear. Take some time to
find the threshold level right for you.
AM
Silver
Coins
Tabs
5¢
Ir on
Foil
Coin
Depth
ID
Num
Zinc
¢
19 DELEÓN OPERATOR INSTRUCTION MANUAL