Tesoro LOBO Assembly instructions

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Lobo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
Sincemostgoldnuggetsareverysmall,ithasbeenverydifficulttofindthemusingnormaldetectorswhichwere
basicallydesignedforcoinshootinguse.Historically,anyattemptstodiscriminateagainsttrashhavecausedacomplete
lossoftheverysmallgoldobjects.Manytrashitemshoweverhavearesponsetothemetaldetectorwhichisabovethe
domainofgoldnuggets.CarefuluseoftheLobo'sdiscriminationmode,afterfindingthetargetintheAllMetalmode,willallow
rejectionofmuchofthistrash.
TheLoboisournewestandmostpowerfulmetaldetectorexpresslydesignedforthepurposeoffindinggoldnuggets,
althoughitiscertainlyusefulasacoinshootersinceitisequippedwithanextremelysensitivediscriminatemode.Its
strengthwillalsoallowitsuseasarelichunter,orformostotherhuntingsituations.
Twocoilstylesareavailable,bothoftheminellipticalpackages.TheEllipticonsearchcoilisaconcentricstyle,andis
joinedbythenewTesoroWideScanelliptical.Bothstylesareextremelyhotforgold,butthenewwidescanislesseffected
bymineralization.Bothstylegiveamuchwidersweepthanroundcoils,butarenarrowenoughtofitintocrevicesand
betweenrocks.
Aswithanydetector,thefamiliarityoftheuserwiththeinstrumentwillhaveagreatdealtodowithhowsuccessfulthe
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assemblyoftheLoboisverysimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.Theonlyassemblyrequiredistomountthe
searchcoiltotheendofthelowerstem,andtoinstallthelowerstemandlockassemblytotheupperstem.
1. Removethescrewandthumbnutfromthepoletipintheendofthelowerpole.Insertthepoletipintothemounting
earsofthesearchcoil,makingsurethatyoudon'tlosethefrictionwashersfromthepoletip.
2. Lineuptheholesinthemountingearswiththoseofthepoletip,andinsertthemountingscrew.
3. Installthethumbnutonthescrewandtightenbyhand.
4. Depressthetwobuttonsontheupperendofthelowerstem,andinsertthelowerstemintotheupperstem.Push
thelowerstemupsothatthebuttonsclickinthethirdsetofholes.
5. Windthesearchcoilcablearoundthepole,andinstalltheconnectorintothereceptacleonthecontrolhousing.
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
NOTE:Duetotheextremeamountofgainintheelectroniccircuitry,theNormalmodehasbeenfurnishedwithavery
slowautomatictuning.Thistuningisnecessarytokeepthedetectorfromdriftingupordownwhentunedtothreshold.
TESOROElectronics,Inc.,reservestherighttomodifyorimprovethedesignwithoutfurthernotice.
CONTROLS
TheLobo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. THRESHOLD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. GROUNDADJUSTCONTROL.ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalmodesamplingsothattheLoboignoresthe
normalgroundmineralization.Thiscontrolisatenturndevice,anditissometimesdifficulttofeelwhentheendoftheten
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TUNINGandbesureyoulearnhowtoproperlyadjustthiscontrol.
3. AUTOTUNE/MODECHANGESWITCH.ThisswitchisusedtocontrolthetuningmodeoftheLobo,aswellasto
determineifthedetectorwillchangemodeswhentheMODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Inthetoptwo
position,theLobowillbeintheAUTOtunemode,andwilltrytomaintainthethresholdsound.Inthelowerposition,the
tuningwillbeNORMAL,wherebythedegreeofautotuningisvery,verysmall.Intheupperposition,theLobowillremain
intheALLMETALmodewhentheMODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Thiswillenableyoutohearthe
thresholdsoundwhenyouareretuning.Inthelowertwopositions,theLobowillgototheDISCRIMINATEmodewhenthe
MODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Thismomentarymodechangewillallowyoutocheckyourtargetin
DISCRIMINATE,andthenreturntotheALLMETALmodewhenyoureleasetheMODEswitch.
4. MODESWITCH.ThisswitchisusedtodeterminetheoperatingmodeoftheLobo.Thedownpositionselectsthe
Discriminatemode.ThecenterpositionistheALLMETALmodeposition,whichistheprimaryoperatingmodeforgold
nuggethunting..TheupperpositionistheRETUNEposition,whichmaycausethedetectortoshifttoDISCRIMINATE
whilethispositionisheld.ReleasingtheMODEswitchfromtheRETUNEpositionwillreturntheLobototheALLMETAL
modewiththethresholdsoundadjustedbacktosuittheenvironmentthedetectorseesastheswitchisreleased.
5. ON/OFFSENSITIVITYCONTROL.Theprimaryfunctionofthiscontrolistoreducethedetectorssensitivitytothose
influencesthatmakeoperationoredifficultforyou.Thiscontrolalsoturnsthepoweronandoff.Whentheknobisfirst
turnedon,thedetectorwilltestit'sbatteriesforabout3to5seconds,withtheaudiostrengthindicatingtheremaining
powerinthebatteries.
6. DISCRIMINATELEVELCONTROL.Thiscontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedmetallic
trashwhenusedinthediscriminatemode.Atthelowestsettingmostironwillberejected,butsomewillstillbefound.
Asthecontrolsettingisincreased,moreandmoreofthetrashitemswillberejected.Ifyouareusingthiscontrolwhile
nuggethunting,beawarethatalmostallgoldnuggetswillberejectedpriortolosingpulltabs.
TUNING
WhiletheLoboisusefulasacoinhunter,itwasdesignedasanuggethunter,sotheextrapoweravailablemakesits
GROUNDADJUSTtuningoneofthemorecriticalsettingsyoumustmaketoobtainproperoperationofthedetector.Also,in
mostareasthatwillyieldgoldnuggets,youwillbeplaguedbyfalsesignalscausedby"hotrocks".Mostofthesefalse
signalscanbeminimizedoreliminatedbyconstantattentiontotheGROUNDADJUSTsetting.Sincethemineralizationwill
changesometimesquitedrasticallywithinafewfeet,youmayneedtoreadjustthecontrolveryoftentomaintaintheproper
tuning.
ToachievemaximumperformancefromyourLobo,besuretoproperlyadjusttheGROUNDADJUSTandTHRESHOLD
controlsintheALLMETALmode.Thesettingsofbothofthesecontrolswillalsoaffecttheoperationofthedetectorinthe
DISCRIMINATEmode,sobesuretoadjustthemproperly,evenifyouaregoingtohuntonlyintheDISCRIMINATEmode.
TUNINGINTHEAUTOTUNEDMODE
1. PuttheAutoTune/ModeChangeSwitchintheAuto/AllMetalpositionandtheSensitivitycontrolonMax.Makesure
thatthethresholdadjustgivesjustaweakbeginningofsound.
2. Rapidlylowerthesearchcoilfromaboutonefootabovethegroundtoabouttwoinchesabovetheground.Listento
seewhateffectthishasonthethresholdsound.Ifthereisnochange,youareproperlytuned.Ifthesounddecreasesas
thecoilislowered,andthencomesbacktothresholdastheautotuningrecovers,youshouldturntheGroundAdjust
controlaboutonehalfaturnclockwise.Repeatthestepofloweringthecoilrapidlyagain.Ifthesoundincreasesbefore
theautotuningrecovers,youwillneedtoturntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutonehalfaturncounterclockwise.Repeat
thestepofloweringthecoilrapidlyagain.
3. Keeprepeatingtheloweringofthesearchcoil,andmakingsuchadjustmentstotheGroundAdjustcontroluntilthe
responseisreversed.ThenturntheGroundAdjustcontrolbackinsmallincrementsuntilyoufindthesettingwherethere
isnotachangeinthethresholdsoundasthesearchcoilisloweredtowardtheground.
4. Youarenowtunedproperly,andonlyneedtobeginyoursearch.Keepmonitoringthetuningbyraisingandlowering
thesearchcoileverysooften.ReadjusttheGroundAdjustasnecessarytokeepthedetectorproperlytuned.
TUNINGINTHENORMALMODE
1. PuttheAutoTune/ModeChangeSwitchinthelowerposition,withtheSensitivitycontrolintheMaxposition.Be
surethatthethresholdcontrolisadjustedtojustyieldafaintbeginningofsoundsignal.Holdthesearchcoilaboutone
footfromtheground,andifthethresholdhaschanged,momentarilylifttheModeswitchtoretunebacktothreshold.
Thenlowerthesearchcoiltoabouttwoinchesabovetheground.RememberthatyoucannotheartheThresholdsound
whiletheModeswitchisintheRetuneposition.
2. Ifthereisnochangeinthethresholdsound,youareproperlytuned.Ifthesoundincreasesordecreases,itwillnot
recoverautomaticallyasitdidintheAutoTunedmode.Ifthesounddecreased,turntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutone
halfturnclockwise.Ifthesoundincreased,turntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutonehalfturncounterclockwise.When
youturntheGroundAdjustcontrol,thethresholdsoundmaygeteitherlouderorgoquiet.That'snormal,andmeans
nothingtothetuningprocedure.
3. Movethesearchcoilbackuptoaboutafoodabovetheground,andmomentarilypushtheModeswitchintothe
Retunepositiontoreestablishthethresholdsound.Repeatthestepofloweringthesearchcoiltotheground.Readjust
theGroundAdjustcontrolasindicatedbythechangeinthethreshold.
4. Whenthethresholdchangereverse,thenmovetheGroundAdjustcontrolbackinsmallincrements,untilthereisno
changeasthesearchcoilisloweredtowardstheground.RemembertomomentarilyholdtheModeswitchintheRetune
positioneachtimejustbeforeyoulowerthecoiltotheground.
NOTE:TheNormalmodeofoperationhasveryslowautomaticretuningwhichisjustfastenoughtohelpyoumaintainthe
thresholdsoundasyousearch.ThisslowautotuningisnecessarybecauseoftheextremepoweroftheLobocircuitry.
TUNINGINTHEDISCRIMINATEMODE
TuningtheLobo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operation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settingnecessaryforoperationinDiscriminatemodeisset
theDiscLevelcontroltothedesiredamountoftrashrejection,andtosettheDiscSensitivitycontroltothemaximumsetting
thatwillallowsmoothoperation.
SELECTINGTHEPROPERMODEOFOPERATION
TheLobo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Normal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nuggetshootinguse,AutoTuning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.ObviouslytheAutoTunedmodewillhelpyouinthisrespect.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's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.
NormalTuningisveryusefulforpinpointing,sincesearchcoilmotionisn'tnecessary.Thismodeisalsousefulfor
searchingandforidentifyingwhetherasoundistargetortheovershootfromanintensemineralsignalsuchasahotrock.
Thismodeisgoingtorequiremuchmorecareandattentionfromyoualso,sinceyouwillneedtoretunethedetectormore
oftentomaintainthreshold,andyouwillalsoneedtoreadjusttheGroundAdjustcontrolmoreoften.
RememberthattheveryslowautotuningintheNormalmodewillcauseanullingofthethresholdsoundifyoupassthe
searchcoiloveraverystrongmetallictarget.
Whennuggethunting,theDiscriminatemodecanbeusedtocheckalocatedtarget,butsincetheresponseofgold
nuggetsissobroad,youwillstilldigalotoftrashifyouaretobesuccessful.TheDiscriminatelevelcanbesetataboutthe
pulltablevel,andanytargetswhichcausearesponseinthediscriminatemodecanbeignored,sincetheyareabovethe
domainofgold.Thiswillallowyoutoignoremanyjunkitemssuchaspulltabs,screwcaps,beercans,shotgunshellends,
coins,etc.Ifyourdetectordoesn'trespondindiscriminate,DIGTHETARGET.
Sincegoldisfoundnaturallyinareaswhichwillmostlikelyincludehotrocks,blacksand,andotherintenseminerals,it
maybenecessarytolowertheSensitivitycontroltominimumwhenhuntingsuchareas.Itmayalsorequirereadjustingthe
GroundAdjustcontroltohelpcompensatefortheaddedminerals.
TheWideScancoilsuppliedasstandardontheLoboismuchlessaffectedbybadsoilandhotrocksthanthe
concentriccoil,althoughitdoeslosesomeabilitytodetecttinygoldobjects.Ifyouaresearchingfornuggetsinanareathat
isfreeofhotrocks,theconcentriccoilmightbeanexcellentcoiltouse.
RelicorCacheHuntingalsogenerallycallsforusingtheAllMetalmode,buttheDiscriminationmodecanbeusedto
eliminatetheresponsetoirontargets.Muchrelichuntingisdoneinwoodsandbrushtoothicktoproperlyutilizethemotion
basedDiscriminatemode.ItusuallyispossibletosearchintheAllMetalmode,andwhenatargetisfound,switchtoDiscto
checkthetargetresponse.
CompetitionandCoinshootingcanbeaccomplishedineithermode,dependingupontheamountoftrashatthesite.Coil
typeandsizearealsoofconcerntothesehunters.Generally,mosttargetsareburiedveryshallowatcompetitionhunts,so
operatingatreducedSensitivitysettingswillyieldbetterstability.Whencoinshooting,ahighersettingofSensitivitywillhelp
pickupthedeepertargets,aslongasthedetectorisstillstable.
PINPOINTING
ItwillprobablybeagoodideatochecktheGroundAdjustsettingtobesurethatyourLoboisproperlytunedpriorto
pinpointing,especiallyifyouhavebeensearchingintheAutoTunedmode.PinpointingisbestdoneintheNormalmode;
however,sinceyoucandothiswithoutsweepingthesearchcoil,youcanalsoretuneclosetothetargetcentertocutthe
detectorsresponsetothetarget.
1. Trymovingthesearchcoilbackandforthandforwardandbackuntilyougetthestrongestaudiosignal.Thetarget
shouldbedirectlybelowthecoilcenter.
2. Iftheaudioresponseismaximumoveraverylargearea,justmomentarilypushtheModeswitchtotheRetune
positionwhenyouareclosetothetargetcenter.Thiswillcausethetargetsoundtoshrinkdrastically,whichwillallow
moreaccuratepinpointing.
3. Youmayhavebetterluckatpinpointingifyoutry'Xing'thetarget.Sweepthecoilfromsidetosideuntilyougetthe
loudestresponse.Makeamentalnoteofthispointandthenmovetoapositionwhereyoucansweepthecoilat90
degreestotheoriginalposition.Again,sweepsidetosideuntilyougettheloudestresponse.Digwherethesetwolines
intersect.
RECOVERINGYOURTARGET
WiththeextremepoweroftheLobo,justpinpointingisn'tallthereistorecoveringatarget.Sincemostofthereallytiny
nuggetslookjustliketherocksandotherpiecesofsoiltheyarefoundin,theycanbeverydifficulttolocate.Also,mostof
yourtargetswon'tbegold,theywillbejunksuchasnails,wire,iron,pulltabs,etc.Youwillneedtodigthemalltobesure
youdon'tmissthatoccasionalsmallpieceofgold.
Yourchoiceofadiggingtollwillbeuptoyou,butmostprospectorsuseasmallpickaxeandcarryamagnettohelp
identifyirontargets.Somestoressellapickaxewithamagnetintheendofthehandle.
Whenyouhavepinpointedyourtarget,digsomeofthesoilbackfromthepinpointedareawithyourpickaxe.Recheck
withyourLobotoseeifyouhavemovedthetarget.Ifyouhave,trythemagnettoseeifyoucanpickupthetarget.Ifthe
magnetdoesn'tpickitup,youcansetyourdetectordownwiththecoilclosetotheareacontainingthetarget.
Pickupsomedirt,andwaveyourhandinfrontofthecoil.Ifyouareholdingthetargetyoushouldgetagoodsignalfrom
thedetector.SincetheLobohassomuchgain,itwillprobablyreadapositivesignalfromjustyourhandatmaxsensitivity.
Youmayneedtotryjustasmallamountofdirtheldinyourfingertips.
YoucanalsoputtheLobointheAutotunedmode,andsetthecoilontheground.Trydumpingsomeofthedirtontothe
topofthesearchcoil.Whenthetargethitsthecoil,youwillreceiveagoodsignalfromthedetector.Youwillneedtobe
carefulusingthistechniquethough,sincethewearonthesearchcoilwon'tbecoveredbywarranty.
BATTERYREPLACEMENT
TheLobohasanautomaticbatterytestsequencewitheachinitialpowerturnon.Tocheckthebatteries,simplyturnthe
Lobooff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no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batterypacksfromthedetector,andthenremovethebatteriesfromthepacks.Replacethenewpenlight
batteriesintothepacks,observingthepolarityindicatorsthatareembossedintotheinsidesofthepacks.Slidethepacks
backintothedetector,makingsurethatthebatteryclipleadisconnectedtothepacks.Installthebatterydoorbackontothe
chassis,andpushthe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.
Shouldyoudesiretodoso,rechargeableNickelCadmiumbatteriescanbesubstitutedforstandardpenlightcells.
IndividualAAsizecellsarereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores,aswellasthechargersforthem,andtheycan
beinsertedintothestandard8holderusedinyourInca.Theinitialbatterycheckreadingwillbeslightlylower,butwillnot
dropasmuchwithuse,untilthebatteriesarecompletelydischarged.
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.
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Inca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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factorfornearestrepair
center.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
OperatingFrequency Approx.20kHz
SearchcoilType ConcentricorWideScan
AudioFrequency Approx.625Hz
AudioOutput 11/2"speaker
HeadphoneCompatibility 1/4"stereoearphonejack
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 31/4lbs.
BatteryRequirement 12voltsDC
8AApenlightbatteries
BatteryLife(typical) 15to30hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OperatingModes AllMetal&Discriminate
Tuning AutomaticorNormal
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Lobo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
Sincemostgoldnuggetsareverysmall,ithasbeenverydifficulttofindthemusingnormaldetectorswhichwere
basicallydesignedforcoinshootinguse.Historically,anyattemptstodiscriminateagainsttrashhavecausedacomplete
lossoftheverysmallgoldobjects.Manytrashitemshoweverhavearesponsetothemetaldetectorwhichisabovethe
domainofgoldnuggets.CarefuluseoftheLobo'sdiscriminationmode,afterfindingthetargetintheAllMetalmode,willallow
rejectionofmuchofthistrash.
TheLoboisournewestandmostpowerfulmetaldetectorexpresslydesignedforthepurposeoffindinggoldnuggets,
althoughitiscertainlyusefulasacoinshootersinceitisequippedwithanextremelysensitivediscriminatemode.Its
strengthwillalsoallowitsuseasarelichunter,orformostotherhuntingsituations.
Twocoilstylesareavailable,bothoftheminellipticalpackages.TheEllipticonsearchcoilisaconcentricstyle,andis
joinedbythenewTesoroWideScanelliptical.Bothstylesareextremelyhotforgold,butthenewwidescanislesseffected
bymineralization.Bothstylegiveamuchwidersweepthanroundcoils,butarenarrowenoughtofitintocrevicesand
betweenrocks.
Aswithanydetector,thefamiliarityoftheuserwiththeinstrumentwillhaveagreatdealtodowithhowsuccessfulthe
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assemblyoftheLoboisverysimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.Theonlyassemblyrequiredistomountthe
searchcoiltotheendofthelowerstem,andtoinstallthelowerstemandlockassemblytotheupperstem.
1. Removethescrewandthumbnutfromthepoletipintheendofthelowerpole.Insertthepoletipintothemounting
earsofthesearchcoil,makingsurethatyoudon'tlosethefrictionwashersfromthepoletip.
2. Lineuptheholesinthemountingearswiththoseofthepoletip,andinsertthemountingscrew.
3. Installthethumbnutonthescrewandtightenbyhand.
4. Depressthetwobuttonsontheupperendofthelowerstem,andinsertthelowerstemintotheupperstem.Push
thelowerstemupsothatthebuttonsclickinthethirdsetofholes.
5. Windthesearchcoilcablearoundthepole,andinstalltheconnectorintothereceptacleonthecontrolhousing.
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
NOTE:Duetotheextremeamountofgainintheelectroniccircuitry,theNormalmodehasbeenfurnishedwithavery
slowautomatictuning.Thistuningisnecessarytokeepthedetectorfromdriftingupordownwhentunedtothreshold.
TESOROElectronics,Inc.,reservestherighttomodifyorimprovethedesignwithoutfurthernotice.
CONTROLS
TheLobo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. THRESHOLD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. GROUNDADJUSTCONTROL.ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalmodesamplingsothattheLoboignoresthe
normalgroundmineralization.Thiscontrolisatenturndevice,anditissometimesdifficulttofeelwhentheendoftheten
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TUNINGandbesureyoulearnhowtoproperlyadjustthiscontrol.
3. AUTOTUNE/MODECHANGESWITCH.ThisswitchisusedtocontrolthetuningmodeoftheLobo,aswellasto
determineifthedetectorwillchangemodeswhentheMODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Inthetoptwo
position,theLobowillbeintheAUTOtunemode,andwilltrytomaintainthethresholdsound.Inthelowerposition,the
tuningwillbeNORMAL,wherebythedegreeofautotuningisvery,verysmall.Intheupperposition,theLobowillremain
intheALLMETALmodewhentheMODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Thiswillenableyoutohearthe
thresholdsoundwhenyouareretuning.Inthelowertwopositions,theLobowillgototheDISCRIMINATEmodewhenthe
MODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Thismomentarymodechangewillallowyoutocheckyourtargetin
DISCRIMINATE,andthenreturntotheALLMETALmodewhenyoureleasetheMODEswitch.
4. MODESWITCH.ThisswitchisusedtodeterminetheoperatingmodeoftheLobo.Thedownpositionselectsthe
Discriminatemode.ThecenterpositionistheALLMETALmodeposition,whichistheprimaryoperatingmodeforgold
nuggethunting..TheupperpositionistheRETUNEposition,whichmaycausethedetectortoshifttoDISCRIMINATE
whilethispositionisheld.ReleasingtheMODEswitchfromtheRETUNEpositionwillreturntheLobototheALLMETAL
modewiththethresholdsoundadjustedbacktosuittheenvironmentthedetectorseesastheswitchisreleased.
5. ON/OFFSENSITIVITYCONTROL.Theprimaryfunctionofthiscontrolistoreducethedetectorssensitivitytothose
influencesthatmakeoperationoredifficultforyou.Thiscontrolalsoturnsthepoweronandoff.Whentheknobisfirst
turnedon,thedetectorwilltestit'sbatteriesforabout3to5seconds,withtheaudiostrengthindicatingtheremaining
powerinthebatteries.
6. DISCRIMINATELEVELCONTROL.Thiscontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedmetallic
trashwhenusedinthediscriminatemode.Atthelowestsettingmostironwillberejected,butsomewillstillbefound.
Asthecontrolsettingisincreased,moreandmoreofthetrashitemswillberejected.Ifyouareusingthiscontrolwhile
nuggethunting,beawarethatalmostallgoldnuggetswillberejectedpriortolosingpulltabs.
TUNING
WhiletheLoboisusefulasacoinhunter,itwasdesignedasanuggethunter,sotheextrapoweravailablemakesits
GROUNDADJUSTtuningoneofthemorecriticalsettingsyoumustmaketoobtainproperoperationofthedetector.Also,in
mostareasthatwillyieldgoldnuggets,youwillbeplaguedbyfalsesignalscausedby"hotrocks".Mostofthesefalse
signalscanbeminimizedoreliminatedbyconstantattentiontotheGROUNDADJUSTsetting.Sincethemineralizationwill
changesometimesquitedrasticallywithinafewfeet,youmayneedtoreadjustthecontrolveryoftentomaintaintheproper
tuning.
ToachievemaximumperformancefromyourLobo,besuretoproperlyadjusttheGROUNDADJUSTandTHRESHOLD
controlsintheALLMETALmode.Thesettingsofbothofthesecontrolswillalsoaffecttheoperationofthedetectorinthe
DISCRIMINATEmode,sobesuretoadjustthemproperly,evenifyouaregoingtohuntonlyintheDISCRIMINATEmode.
TUNINGINTHEAUTOTUNEDMODE
1. PuttheAutoTune/ModeChangeSwitchintheAuto/AllMetalpositionandtheSensitivitycontrolonMax.Makesure
thatthethresholdadjustgivesjustaweakbeginningofsound.
2. Rapidlylowerthesearchcoilfromaboutonefootabovethegroundtoabouttwoinchesabovetheground.Listento
seewhateffectthishasonthethresholdsound.Ifthereisnochange,youareproperlytuned.Ifthesounddecreasesas
thecoilislowered,andthencomesbacktothresholdastheautotuningrecovers,youshouldturntheGroundAdjust
controlaboutonehalfaturnclockwise.Repeatthestepofloweringthecoilrapidlyagain.Ifthesoundincreasesbefore
theautotuningrecovers,youwillneedtoturntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutonehalfaturncounterclockwise.Repeat
thestepofloweringthecoilrapidlyagain.
3. Keeprepeatingtheloweringofthesearchcoil,andmakingsuchadjustmentstotheGroundAdjustcontroluntilthe
responseisreversed.ThenturntheGroundAdjustcontrolbackinsmallincrementsuntilyoufindthesettingwherethere
isnotachangeinthethresholdsoundasthesearchcoilisloweredtowardtheground.
4. Youarenowtunedproperly,andonlyneedtobeginyoursearch.Keepmonitoringthetuningbyraisingandlowering
thesearchcoileverysooften.ReadjusttheGroundAdjustasnecessarytokeepthedetectorproperlytuned.
TUNINGINTHENORMALMODE
1. PuttheAutoTune/ModeChangeSwitchinthelowerposition,withtheSensitivitycontrolintheMaxposition.Be
surethatthethresholdcontrolisadjustedtojustyieldafaintbeginningofsoundsignal.Holdthesearchcoilaboutone
footfromtheground,andifthethresholdhaschanged,momentarilylifttheModeswitchtoretunebacktothreshold.
Thenlowerthesearchcoiltoabouttwoinchesabovetheground.RememberthatyoucannotheartheThresholdsound
whiletheModeswitchisintheRetuneposition.
2. Ifthereisnochangeinthethresholdsound,youareproperlytuned.Ifthesoundincreasesordecreases,itwillnot
recoverautomaticallyasitdidintheAutoTunedmode.Ifthesounddecreased,turntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutone
halfturnclockwise.Ifthesoundincreased,turntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutonehalfturncounterclockwise.When
youturntheGroundAdjustcontrol,thethresholdsoundmaygeteitherlouderorgoquiet.That'snormal,andmeans
nothingtothetuningprocedure.
3. Movethesearchcoilbackuptoaboutafoodabovetheground,andmomentarilypushtheModeswitchintothe
Retunepositiontoreestablishthethresholdsound.Repeatthestepofloweringthesearchcoiltotheground.Readjust
theGroundAdjustcontrolasindicatedbythechangeinthethreshold.
4. Whenthethresholdchangereverse,thenmovetheGroundAdjustcontrolbackinsmallincrements,untilthereisno
changeasthesearchcoilisloweredtowardstheground.RemembertomomentarilyholdtheModeswitchintheRetune
positioneachtimejustbeforeyoulowerthecoiltotheground.
NOTE:TheNormalmodeofoperationhasveryslowautomaticretuningwhichisjustfastenoughtohelpyoumaintainthe
thresholdsoundasyousearch.ThisslowautotuningisnecessarybecauseoftheextremepoweroftheLobocircuitry.
TUNINGINTHEDISCRIMINATEMODE
TuningtheLobo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operation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settingnecessaryforoperationinDiscriminatemodeisset
theDiscLevelcontroltothedesiredamountoftrashrejection,andtosettheDiscSensitivitycontroltothemaximumsetting
thatwillallowsmoothoperation.
SELECTINGTHEPROPERMODEOFOPERATION
TheLobo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Normal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nuggetshootinguse,AutoTuning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.ObviouslytheAutoTunedmodewillhelpyouinthisrespect.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's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.
NormalTuningisveryusefulforpinpointing,sincesearchcoilmotionisn'tnecessary.Thismodeisalsousefulfor
searchingandforidentifyingwhetherasoundistargetortheovershootfromanintensemineralsignalsuchasahotrock.
Thismodeisgoingtorequiremuchmorecareandattentionfromyoualso,sinceyouwillneedtoretunethedetectormore
oftentomaintainthreshold,andyouwillalsoneedtoreadjusttheGroundAdjustcontrolmoreoften.
RememberthattheveryslowautotuningintheNormalmodewillcauseanullingofthethresholdsoundifyoupassthe
searchcoiloveraverystrongmetallictarget.
Whennuggethunting,theDiscriminatemodecanbeusedtocheckalocatedtarget,butsincetheresponseofgold
nuggetsissobroad,youwillstilldigalotoftrashifyouaretobesuccessful.TheDiscriminatelevelcanbesetataboutthe
pulltablevel,andanytargetswhichcausearesponseinthediscriminatemodecanbeignored,sincetheyareabovethe
domainofgold.Thiswillallowyoutoignoremanyjunkitemssuchaspulltabs,screwcaps,beercans,shotgunshellends,
coins,etc.Ifyourdetectordoesn'trespondindiscriminate,DIGTHETARGET.
Sincegoldisfoundnaturallyinareaswhichwillmostlikelyincludehotrocks,blacksand,andotherintenseminerals,it
maybenecessarytolowertheSensitivitycontroltominimumwhenhuntingsuchareas.Itmayalsorequirereadjustingthe
GroundAdjustcontroltohelpcompensatefortheaddedminerals.
TheWideScancoilsuppliedasstandardontheLoboismuchlessaffectedbybadsoilandhotrocksthanthe
concentriccoil,althoughitdoeslosesomeabilitytodetecttinygoldobjects.Ifyouaresearchingfornuggetsinanareathat
isfreeofhotrocks,theconcentriccoilmightbeanexcellentcoiltouse.
RelicorCacheHuntingalsogenerallycallsforusingtheAllMetalmode,buttheDiscriminationmodecanbeusedto
eliminatetheresponsetoirontargets.Muchrelichuntingisdoneinwoodsandbrushtoothicktoproperlyutilizethemotion
basedDiscriminatemode.ItusuallyispossibletosearchintheAllMetalmode,andwhenatargetisfound,switchtoDiscto
checkthetargetresponse.
CompetitionandCoinshootingcanbeaccomplishedineithermode,dependingupontheamountoftrashatthesite.Coil
typeandsizearealsoofconcerntothesehunters.Generally,mosttargetsareburiedveryshallowatcompetitionhunts,so
operatingatreducedSensitivitysettingswillyieldbetterstability.Whencoinshooting,ahighersettingofSensitivitywillhelp
pickupthedeepertargets,aslongasthedetectorisstillstable.
PINPOINTING
ItwillprobablybeagoodideatochecktheGroundAdjustsettingtobesurethatyourLoboisproperlytunedpriorto
pinpointing,especiallyifyouhavebeensearchingintheAutoTunedmode.PinpointingisbestdoneintheNormalmode;
however,sinceyoucandothiswithoutsweepingthesearchcoil,youcanalsoretuneclosetothetargetcentertocutthe
detectorsresponsetothetarget.
1. Trymovingthesearchcoilbackandforthandforwardandbackuntilyougetthestrongestaudiosignal.Thetarget
shouldbedirectlybelowthecoilcenter.
2. Iftheaudioresponseismaximumoveraverylargearea,justmomentarilypushtheModeswitchtotheRetune
positionwhenyouareclosetothetargetcenter.Thiswillcausethetargetsoundtoshrinkdrastically,whichwillallow
moreaccuratepinpointing.
3. Youmayhavebetterluckatpinpointingifyoutry'Xing'thetarget.Sweepthecoilfromsidetosideuntilyougetthe
loudestresponse.Makeamentalnoteofthispointandthenmovetoapositionwhereyoucansweepthecoilat90
degreestotheoriginalposition.Again,sweepsidetosideuntilyougettheloudestresponse.Digwherethesetwolines
intersect.
RECOVERINGYOURTARGET
WiththeextremepoweroftheLobo,justpinpointingisn'tallthereistorecoveringatarget.Sincemostofthereallytiny
nuggetslookjustliketherocksandotherpiecesofsoiltheyarefoundin,theycanbeverydifficulttolocate.Also,mostof
yourtargetswon'tbegold,theywillbejunksuchasnails,wire,iron,pulltabs,etc.Youwillneedtodigthemalltobesure
youdon'tmissthatoccasionalsmallpieceofgold.
Yourchoiceofadiggingtollwillbeuptoyou,butmostprospectorsuseasmallpickaxeandcarryamagnettohelp
identifyirontargets.Somestoressellapickaxewithamagnetintheendofthehandle.
Whenyouhavepinpointedyourtarget,digsomeofthesoilbackfromthepinpointedareawithyourpickaxe.Recheck
withyourLobotoseeifyouhavemovedthetarget.Ifyouhave,trythemagnettoseeifyoucanpickupthetarget.Ifthe
magnetdoesn'tpickitup,youcansetyourdetectordownwiththecoilclosetotheareacontainingthetarget.
Pickupsomedirt,andwaveyourhandinfrontofthecoil.Ifyouareholdingthetargetyoushouldgetagoodsignalfrom
thedetector.SincetheLobohassomuchgain,itwillprobablyreadapositivesignalfromjustyourhandatmaxsensitivity.
Youmayneedtotryjustasmallamountofdirtheldinyourfingertips.
YoucanalsoputtheLobointheAutotunedmode,andsetthecoilontheground.Trydumpingsomeofthedirtontothe
topofthesearchcoil.Whenthetargethitsthecoil,youwillreceiveagoodsignalfromthedetector.Youwillneedtobe
carefulusingthistechniquethough,sincethewearonthesearchcoilwon'tbecoveredbywarranty.
BATTERYREPLACEMENT
TheLobohasanautomaticbatterytestsequencewitheachinitialpowerturnon.Tocheckthebatteries,simplyturnthe
Lobooff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no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batterypacksfromthedetector,andthenremovethebatteriesfromthepacks.Replacethenewpenlight
batteriesintothepacks,observingthepolarityindicatorsthatareembossedintotheinsidesofthepacks.Slidethepacks
backintothedetector,makingsurethatthebatteryclipleadisconnectedtothepacks.Installthebatterydoorbackontothe
chassis,andpushthe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.
Shouldyoudesiretodoso,rechargeableNickelCadmiumbatteriescanbesubstitutedforstandardpenlightcells.
IndividualAAsizecellsarereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores,aswellasthechargersforthem,andtheycan
beinsertedintothestandard8holderusedinyourInca.Theinitialbatterycheckreadingwillbeslightlylower,butwillnot
dropasmuchwithuse,untilthebatteriesarecompletelydischarged.
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.
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Inca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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factorfornearestrepair
center.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
OperatingFrequency Approx.20kHz
SearchcoilType ConcentricorWideScan
AudioFrequency Approx.625Hz
AudioOutput 11/2"speaker
HeadphoneCompatibility 1/4"stereoearphonejack
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 31/4lbs.
BatteryRequirement 12voltsDC
8AApenlightbatteries
BatteryLife(typical) 15to30hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OperatingModes AllMetal&Discriminate
Tuning AutomaticorNormal
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Lobo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
Sincemostgoldnuggetsareverysmall,ithasbeenverydifficulttofindthemusingnormaldetectorswhichwere
basicallydesignedforcoinshootinguse.Historically,anyattemptstodiscriminateagainsttrashhavecausedacomplete
lossoftheverysmallgoldobjects.Manytrashitemshoweverhavearesponsetothemetaldetectorwhichisabovethe
domainofgoldnuggets.CarefuluseoftheLobo'sdiscriminationmode,afterfindingthetargetintheAllMetalmode,willallow
rejectionofmuchofthistrash.
TheLoboisournewestandmostpowerfulmetaldetectorexpresslydesignedforthepurposeoffindinggoldnuggets,
althoughitiscertainlyusefulasacoinshootersinceitisequippedwithanextremelysensitivediscriminatemode.Its
strengthwillalsoallowitsuseasarelichunter,orformostotherhuntingsituations.
Twocoilstylesareavailable,bothoftheminellipticalpackages.TheEllipticonsearchcoilisaconcentricstyle,andis
joinedbythenewTesoroWideScanelliptical.Bothstylesareextremelyhotforgold,butthenewwidescanislesseffected
bymineralization.Bothstylegiveamuchwidersweepthanroundcoils,butarenarrowenoughtofitintocrevicesand
betweenrocks.
Aswithanydetector,thefamiliarityoftheuserwiththeinstrumentwillhaveagreatdealtodowithhowsuccessfulthe
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assemblyoftheLoboisverysimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.Theonlyassemblyrequiredistomountthe
searchcoiltotheendofthelowerstem,andtoinstallthelowerstemandlockassemblytotheupperstem.
1. Removethescrewandthumbnutfromthepoletipintheendofthelowerpole.Insertthepoletipintothemounting
earsofthesearchcoil,makingsurethatyoudon'tlosethefrictionwashersfromthepoletip.
2. Lineuptheholesinthemountingearswiththoseofthepoletip,andinsertthemountingscrew.
3. Installthethumbnutonthescrewandtightenbyhand.
4. Depressthetwobuttonsontheupperendofthelowerstem,andinsertthelowerstemintotheupperstem.Push
thelowerstemupsothatthebuttonsclickinthethirdsetofholes.
5. Windthesearchcoilcablearoundthepole,andinstalltheconnectorintothereceptacleonthecontrolhousing.
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
NOTE:Duetotheextremeamountofgainintheelectroniccircuitry,theNormalmodehasbeenfurnishedwithavery
slowautomatictuning.Thistuningisnecessarytokeepthedetectorfromdriftingupordownwhentunedtothreshold.
TESOROElectronics,Inc.,reservestherighttomodifyorimprovethedesignwithoutfurthernotice.
CONTROLS
TheLobo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. THRESHOLD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. GROUNDADJUSTCONTROL.ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalmodesamplingsothattheLoboignoresthe
normalgroundmineralization.Thiscontrolisatenturndevice,anditissometimesdifficulttofeelwhentheendoftheten
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TUNINGandbesureyoulearnhowtoproperlyadjustthiscontrol.
3. AUTOTUNE/MODECHANGESWITCH.ThisswitchisusedtocontrolthetuningmodeoftheLobo,aswellasto
determineifthedetectorwillchangemodeswhentheMODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Inthetoptwo
position,theLobowillbeintheAUTOtunemode,andwilltrytomaintainthethresholdsound.Inthelowerposition,the
tuningwillbeNORMAL,wherebythedegreeofautotuningisvery,verysmall.Intheupperposition,theLobowillremain
intheALLMETALmodewhentheMODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Thiswillenableyoutohearthe
thresholdsoundwhenyouareretuning.Inthelowertwopositions,theLobowillgototheDISCRIMINATEmodewhenthe
MODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Thismomentarymodechangewillallowyoutocheckyourtargetin
DISCRIMINATE,andthenreturntotheALLMETALmodewhenyoureleasetheMODEswitch.
4. MODESWITCH.ThisswitchisusedtodeterminetheoperatingmodeoftheLobo.Thedownpositionselectsthe
Discriminatemode.ThecenterpositionistheALLMETALmodeposition,whichistheprimaryoperatingmodeforgold
nuggethunting..TheupperpositionistheRETUNEposition,whichmaycausethedetectortoshifttoDISCRIMINATE
whilethispositionisheld.ReleasingtheMODEswitchfromtheRETUNEpositionwillreturntheLobototheALLMETAL
modewiththethresholdsoundadjustedbacktosuittheenvironmentthedetectorseesastheswitchisreleased.
5. ON/OFFSENSITIVITYCONTROL.Theprimaryfunctionofthiscontrolistoreducethedetectorssensitivitytothose
influencesthatmakeoperationoredifficultforyou.Thiscontrolalsoturnsthepoweronandoff.Whentheknobisfirst
turnedon,thedetectorwilltestit'sbatteriesforabout3to5seconds,withtheaudiostrengthindicatingtheremaining
powerinthebatteries.
6. DISCRIMINATELEVELCONTROL.Thiscontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedmetallic
trashwhenusedinthediscriminatemode.Atthelowestsettingmostironwillberejected,butsomewillstillbefound.
Asthecontrolsettingisincreased,moreandmoreofthetrashitemswillberejected.Ifyouareusingthiscontrolwhile
nuggethunting,beawarethatalmostallgoldnuggetswillberejectedpriortolosingpulltabs.
TUNING
WhiletheLoboisusefulasacoinhunter,itwasdesignedasanuggethunter,sotheextrapoweravailablemakesits
GROUNDADJUSTtuningoneofthemorecriticalsettingsyoumustmaketoobtainproperoperationofthedetector.Also,in
mostareasthatwillyieldgoldnuggets,youwillbeplaguedbyfalsesignalscausedby"hotrocks".Mostofthesefalse
signalscanbeminimizedoreliminatedbyconstantattentiontotheGROUNDADJUSTsetting.Sincethemineralizationwill
changesometimesquitedrasticallywithinafewfeet,youmayneedtoreadjustthecontrolveryoftentomaintaintheproper
tuning.
ToachievemaximumperformancefromyourLobo,besuretoproperlyadjusttheGROUNDADJUSTandTHRESHOLD
controlsintheALLMETALmode.Thesettingsofbothofthesecontrolswillalsoaffecttheoperationofthedetectorinthe
DISCRIMINATEmode,sobesuretoadjustthemproperly,evenifyouaregoingtohuntonlyintheDISCRIMINATEmode.
TUNINGINTHEAUTOTUNEDMODE
1. PuttheAutoTune/ModeChangeSwitchintheAuto/AllMetalpositionandtheSensitivitycontrolonMax.Makesure
thatthethresholdadjustgivesjustaweakbeginningofsound.
2. Rapidlylowerthesearchcoilfromaboutonefootabovethegroundtoabouttwoinchesabovetheground.Listento
seewhateffectthishasonthethresholdsound.Ifthereisnochange,youareproperlytuned.Ifthesounddecreasesas
thecoilislowered,andthencomesbacktothresholdastheautotuningrecovers,youshouldturntheGroundAdjust
controlaboutonehalfaturnclockwise.Repeatthestepofloweringthecoilrapidlyagain.Ifthesoundincreasesbefore
theautotuningrecovers,youwillneedtoturntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutonehalfaturncounterclockwise.Repeat
thestepofloweringthecoilrapidlyagain.
3. Keeprepeatingtheloweringofthesearchcoil,andmakingsuchadjustmentstotheGroundAdjustcontroluntilthe
responseisreversed.ThenturntheGroundAdjustcontrolbackinsmallincrementsuntilyoufindthesettingwherethere
isnotachangeinthethresholdsoundasthesearchcoilisloweredtowardtheground.
4. Youarenowtunedproperly,andonlyneedtobeginyoursearch.Keepmonitoringthetuningbyraisingandlowering
thesearchcoileverysooften.ReadjusttheGroundAdjustasnecessarytokeepthedetectorproperlytuned.
TUNINGINTHENORMALMODE
1. PuttheAutoTune/ModeChangeSwitchinthelowerposition,withtheSensitivitycontrolintheMaxposition.Be
surethatthethresholdcontrolisadjustedtojustyieldafaintbeginningofsoundsignal.Holdthesearchcoilaboutone
footfromtheground,andifthethresholdhaschanged,momentarilylifttheModeswitchtoretunebacktothreshold.
Thenlowerthesearchcoiltoabouttwoinchesabovetheground.RememberthatyoucannotheartheThresholdsound
whiletheModeswitchisintheRetuneposition.
2. Ifthereisnochangeinthethresholdsound,youareproperlytuned.Ifthesoundincreasesordecreases,itwillnot
recoverautomaticallyasitdidintheAutoTunedmode.Ifthesounddecreased,turntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutone
halfturnclockwise.Ifthesoundincreased,turntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutonehalfturncounterclockwise.When
youturntheGroundAdjustcontrol,thethresholdsoundmaygeteitherlouderorgoquiet.That'snormal,andmeans
nothingtothetuningprocedure.
3. Movethesearchcoilbackuptoaboutafoodabovetheground,andmomentarilypushtheModeswitchintothe
Retunepositiontoreestablishthethresholdsound.Repeatthestepofloweringthesearchcoiltotheground.Readjust
theGroundAdjustcontrolasindicatedbythechangeinthethreshold.
4. Whenthethresholdchangereverse,thenmovetheGroundAdjustcontrolbackinsmallincrements,untilthereisno
changeasthesearchcoilisloweredtowardstheground.RemembertomomentarilyholdtheModeswitchintheRetune
positioneachtimejustbeforeyoulowerthecoiltotheground.
NOTE:TheNormalmodeofoperationhasveryslowautomaticretuningwhichisjustfastenoughtohelpyoumaintainthe
thresholdsoundasyousearch.ThisslowautotuningisnecessarybecauseoftheextremepoweroftheLobocircuitry.
TUNINGINTHEDISCRIMINATEMODE
TuningtheLobo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operation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settingnecessaryforoperationinDiscriminatemodeisset
theDiscLevelcontroltothedesiredamountoftrashrejection,andtosettheDiscSensitivitycontroltothemaximumsetting
thatwillallowsmoothoperation.
SELECTINGTHEPROPERMODEOFOPERATION
TheLobo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Normal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nuggetshootinguse,AutoTuning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.ObviouslytheAutoTunedmodewillhelpyouinthisrespect.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's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.
NormalTuningisveryusefulforpinpointing,sincesearchcoilmotionisn'tnecessary.Thismodeisalsousefulfor
searchingandforidentifyingwhetherasoundistargetortheovershootfromanintensemineralsignalsuchasahotrock.
Thismodeisgoingtorequiremuchmorecareandattentionfromyoualso,sinceyouwillneedtoretunethedetectormore
oftentomaintainthreshold,andyouwillalsoneedtoreadjusttheGroundAdjustcontrolmoreoften.
RememberthattheveryslowautotuningintheNormalmodewillcauseanullingofthethresholdsoundifyoupassthe
searchcoiloveraverystrongmetallictarget.
Whennuggethunting,theDiscriminatemodecanbeusedtocheckalocatedtarget,butsincetheresponseofgold
nuggetsissobroad,youwillstilldigalotoftrashifyouaretobesuccessful.TheDiscriminatelevelcanbesetataboutthe
pulltablevel,andanytargetswhichcausearesponseinthediscriminatemodecanbeignored,sincetheyareabovethe
domainofgold.Thiswillallowyoutoignoremanyjunkitemssuchaspulltabs,screwcaps,beercans,shotgunshellends,
coins,etc.Ifyourdetectordoesn'trespondindiscriminate,DIGTHETARGET.
Sincegoldisfoundnaturallyinareaswhichwillmostlikelyincludehotrocks,blacksand,andotherintenseminerals,it
maybenecessarytolowertheSensitivitycontroltominimumwhenhuntingsuchareas.Itmayalsorequirereadjustingthe
GroundAdjustcontroltohelpcompensatefortheaddedminerals.
TheWideScancoilsuppliedasstandardontheLoboismuchlessaffectedbybadsoilandhotrocksthanthe
concentriccoil,althoughitdoeslosesomeabilitytodetecttinygoldobjects.Ifyouaresearchingfornuggetsinanareathat
isfreeofhotrocks,theconcentriccoilmightbeanexcellentcoiltouse.
RelicorCacheHuntingalsogenerallycallsforusingtheAllMetalmode,buttheDiscriminationmodecanbeusedto
eliminatetheresponsetoirontargets.Muchrelichuntingisdoneinwoodsandbrushtoothicktoproperlyutilizethemotion
basedDiscriminatemode.ItusuallyispossibletosearchintheAllMetalmode,andwhenatargetisfound,switchtoDiscto
checkthetargetresponse.
CompetitionandCoinshootingcanbeaccomplishedineithermode,dependingupontheamountoftrashatthesite.Coil
typeandsizearealsoofconcerntothesehunters.Generally,mosttargetsareburiedveryshallowatcompetitionhunts,so
operatingatreducedSensitivitysettingswillyieldbetterstability.Whencoinshooting,ahighersettingofSensitivitywillhelp
pickupthedeepertargets,aslongasthedetectorisstillstable.
PINPOINTING
ItwillprobablybeagoodideatochecktheGroundAdjustsettingtobesurethatyourLoboisproperlytunedpriorto
pinpointing,especiallyifyouhavebeensearchingintheAutoTunedmode.PinpointingisbestdoneintheNormalmode;
however,sinceyoucandothiswithoutsweepingthesearchcoil,youcanalsoretuneclosetothetargetcentertocutthe
detectorsresponsetothetarget.
1. Trymovingthesearchcoilbackandforthandforwardandbackuntilyougetthestrongestaudiosignal.Thetarget
shouldbedirectlybelowthecoilcenter.
2. Iftheaudioresponseismaximumoveraverylargearea,justmomentarilypushtheModeswitchtotheRetune
positionwhenyouareclosetothetargetcenter.Thiswillcausethetargetsoundtoshrinkdrastically,whichwillallow
moreaccuratepinpointing.
3. Youmayhavebetterluckatpinpointingifyoutry'Xing'thetarget.Sweepthecoilfromsidetosideuntilyougetthe
loudestresponse.Makeamentalnoteofthispointandthenmovetoapositionwhereyoucansweepthecoilat90
degreestotheoriginalposition.Again,sweepsidetosideuntilyougettheloudestresponse.Digwherethesetwolines
intersect.
RECOVERINGYOURTARGET
WiththeextremepoweroftheLobo,justpinpointingisn'tallthereistorecoveringatarget.Sincemostofthereallytiny
nuggetslookjustliketherocksandotherpiecesofsoiltheyarefoundin,theycanbeverydifficulttolocate.Also,mostof
yourtargetswon'tbegold,theywillbejunksuchasnails,wire,iron,pulltabs,etc.Youwillneedtodigthemalltobesure
youdon'tmissthatoccasionalsmallpieceofgold.
Yourchoiceofadiggingtollwillbeuptoyou,butmostprospectorsuseasmallpickaxeandcarryamagnettohelp
identifyirontargets.Somestoressellapickaxewithamagnetintheendofthehandle.
Whenyouhavepinpointedyourtarget,digsomeofthesoilbackfromthepinpointedareawithyourpickaxe.Recheck
withyourLobotoseeifyouhavemovedthetarget.Ifyouhave,trythemagnettoseeifyoucanpickupthetarget.Ifthe
magnetdoesn'tpickitup,youcansetyourdetectordownwiththecoilclosetotheareacontainingthetarget.
Pickupsomedirt,andwaveyourhandinfrontofthecoil.Ifyouareholdingthetargetyoushouldgetagoodsignalfrom
thedetector.SincetheLobohassomuchgain,itwillprobablyreadapositivesignalfromjustyourhandatmaxsensitivity.
Youmayneedtotryjustasmallamountofdirtheldinyourfingertips.
YoucanalsoputtheLobointheAutotunedmode,andsetthecoilontheground.Trydumpingsomeofthedirtontothe
topofthesearchcoil.Whenthetargethitsthecoil,youwillreceiveagoodsignalfromthedetector.Youwillneedtobe
carefulusingthistechniquethough,sincethewearonthesearchcoilwon'tbecoveredbywarranty.
BATTERYREPLACEMENT
TheLobohasanautomaticbatterytestsequencewitheachinitialpowerturnon.Tocheckthebatteries,simplyturnthe
Lobooff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no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batterypacksfromthedetector,andthenremovethebatteriesfromthepacks.Replacethenewpenlight
batteriesintothepacks,observingthepolarityindicatorsthatareembossedintotheinsidesofthepacks.Slidethepacks
backintothedetector,makingsurethatthebatteryclipleadisconnectedtothepacks.Installthebatterydoorbackontothe
chassis,andpushthe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.
Shouldyoudesiretodoso,rechargeableNickelCadmiumbatteriescanbesubstitutedforstandardpenlightcells.
IndividualAAsizecellsarereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores,aswellasthechargersforthem,andtheycan
beinsertedintothestandard8holderusedinyourInca.Theinitialbatterycheckreadingwillbeslightlylower,butwillnot
dropasmuchwithuse,untilthebatteriesarecompletelydischarged.
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.
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Inca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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factorfornearestrepair
center.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
OperatingFrequency Approx.20kHz
SearchcoilType ConcentricorWideScan
AudioFrequency Approx.625Hz
AudioOutput 11/2"speaker
HeadphoneCompatibility 1/4"stereoearphonejack
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 31/4lbs.
BatteryRequirement 12voltsDC
8AApenlightbatteries
BatteryLife(typical) 15to30hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OperatingModes AllMetal&Discriminate
Tuning AutomaticorNormal
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Lobo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
Sincemostgoldnuggetsareverysmall,ithasbeenverydifficulttofindthemusingnormaldetectorswhichwere
basicallydesignedforcoinshootinguse.Historically,anyattemptstodiscriminateagainsttrashhavecausedacomplete
lossoftheverysmallgoldobjects.Manytrashitemshoweverhavearesponsetothemetaldetectorwhichisabovethe
domainofgoldnuggets.CarefuluseoftheLobo'sdiscriminationmode,afterfindingthetargetintheAllMetalmode,willallow
rejectionofmuchofthistrash.
TheLoboisournewestandmostpowerfulmetaldetectorexpresslydesignedforthepurposeoffindinggoldnuggets,
althoughitiscertainlyusefulasacoinshootersinceitisequippedwithanextremelysensitivediscriminatemode.Its
strengthwillalsoallowitsuseasarelichunter,orformostotherhuntingsituations.
Twocoilstylesareavailable,bothoftheminellipticalpackages.TheEllipticonsearchcoilisaconcentricstyle,andis
joinedbythenewTesoroWideScanelliptical.Bothstylesareextremelyhotforgold,butthenewwidescanislesseffected
bymineralization.Bothstylegiveamuchwidersweepthanroundcoils,butarenarrowenoughtofitintocrevicesand
betweenrocks.
Aswithanydetector,thefamiliarityoftheuserwiththeinstrumentwillhaveagreatdealtodowithhowsuccessfulthe
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assemblyoftheLoboisverysimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.Theonlyassemblyrequiredistomountthe
searchcoiltotheendofthelowerstem,andtoinstallthelowerstemandlockassemblytotheupperstem.
1. Removethescrewandthumbnutfromthepoletipintheendofthelowerpole.Insertthepoletipintothemounting
earsofthesearchcoil,makingsurethatyoudon'tlosethefrictionwashersfromthepoletip.
2. Lineuptheholesinthemountingearswiththoseofthepoletip,andinsertthemountingscrew.
3. Installthethumbnutonthescrewandtightenbyhand.
4. Depressthetwobuttonsontheupperendofthelowerstem,andinsertthelowerstemintotheupperstem.Push
thelowerstemupsothatthebuttonsclickinthethirdsetofholes.
5. Windthesearchcoilcablearoundthepole,andinstalltheconnectorintothereceptacleonthecontrolhousing.
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
NOTE:Duetotheextremeamountofgainintheelectroniccircuitry,theNormalmodehasbeenfurnishedwithavery
slowautomatictuning.Thistuningisnecessarytokeepthedetectorfromdriftingupordownwhentunedtothreshold.
TESOROElectronics,Inc.,reservestherighttomodifyorimprovethedesignwithoutfurthernotice.
CONTROLS
TheLobo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. THRESHOLD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. GROUNDADJUSTCONTROL.ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalmodesamplingsothattheLoboignoresthe
normalgroundmineralization.Thiscontrolisatenturndevice,anditissometimesdifficulttofeelwhentheendoftheten
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TUNINGandbesureyoulearnhowtoproperlyadjustthiscontrol.
3. AUTOTUNE/MODECHANGESWITCH.ThisswitchisusedtocontrolthetuningmodeoftheLobo,aswellasto
determineifthedetectorwillchangemodeswhentheMODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Inthetoptwo
position,theLobowillbeintheAUTOtunemode,andwilltrytomaintainthethresholdsound.Inthelowerposition,the
tuningwillbeNORMAL,wherebythedegreeofautotuningisvery,verysmall.Intheupperposition,theLobowillremain
intheALLMETALmodewhentheMODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Thiswillenableyoutohearthe
thresholdsoundwhenyouareretuning.Inthelowertwopositions,theLobowillgototheDISCRIMINATEmodewhenthe
MODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Thismomentarymodechangewillallowyoutocheckyourtargetin
DISCRIMINATE,andthenreturntotheALLMETALmodewhenyoureleasetheMODEswitch.
4. MODESWITCH.ThisswitchisusedtodeterminetheoperatingmodeoftheLobo.Thedownpositionselectsthe
Discriminatemode.ThecenterpositionistheALLMETALmodeposition,whichistheprimaryoperatingmodeforgold
nuggethunting..TheupperpositionistheRETUNEposition,whichmaycausethedetectortoshifttoDISCRIMINATE
whilethispositionisheld.ReleasingtheMODEswitchfromtheRETUNEpositionwillreturntheLobototheALLMETAL
modewiththethresholdsoundadjustedbacktosuittheenvironmentthedetectorseesastheswitchisreleased.
5. ON/OFFSENSITIVITYCONTROL.Theprimaryfunctionofthiscontrolistoreducethedetectorssensitivitytothose
influencesthatmakeoperationoredifficultforyou.Thiscontrolalsoturnsthepoweronandoff.Whentheknobisfirst
turnedon,thedetectorwilltestit'sbatteriesforabout3to5seconds,withtheaudiostrengthindicatingtheremaining
powerinthebatteries.
6. DISCRIMINATELEVELCONTROL.Thiscontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedmetallic
trashwhenusedinthediscriminatemode.Atthelowestsettingmostironwillberejected,butsomewillstillbefound.
Asthecontrolsettingisincreased,moreandmoreofthetrashitemswillberejected.Ifyouareusingthiscontrolwhile
nuggethunting,beawarethatalmostallgoldnuggetswillberejectedpriortolosingpulltabs.
TUNING
WhiletheLoboisusefulasacoinhunter,itwasdesignedasanuggethunter,sotheextrapoweravailablemakesits
GROUNDADJUSTtuningoneofthemorecriticalsettingsyoumustmaketoobtainproperoperationofthedetector.Also,in
mostareasthatwillyieldgoldnuggets,youwillbeplaguedbyfalsesignalscausedby"hotrocks".Mostofthesefalse
signalscanbeminimizedoreliminatedbyconstantattentiontotheGROUNDADJUSTsetting.Sincethemineralizationwill
changesometimesquitedrasticallywithinafewfeet,youmayneedtoreadjustthecontrolveryoftentomaintaintheproper
tuning.
ToachievemaximumperformancefromyourLobo,besuretoproperlyadjusttheGROUNDADJUSTandTHRESHOLD
controlsintheALLMETALmode.Thesettingsofbothofthesecontrolswillalsoaffecttheoperationofthedetectorinthe
DISCRIMINATEmode,sobesuretoadjustthemproperly,evenifyouaregoingtohuntonlyintheDISCRIMINATEmode.
TUNINGINTHEAUTOTUNEDMODE
1. PuttheAutoTune/ModeChangeSwitchintheAuto/AllMetalpositionandtheSensitivitycontrolonMax.Makesure
thatthethresholdadjustgivesjustaweakbeginningofsound.
2. Rapidlylowerthesearchcoilfromaboutonefootabovethegroundtoabouttwoinchesabovetheground.Listento
seewhateffectthishasonthethresholdsound.Ifthereisnochange,youareproperlytuned.Ifthesounddecreasesas
thecoilislowered,andthencomesbacktothresholdastheautotuningrecovers,youshouldturntheGroundAdjust
controlaboutonehalfaturnclockwise.Repeatthestepofloweringthecoilrapidlyagain.Ifthesoundincreasesbefore
theautotuningrecovers,youwillneedtoturntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutonehalfaturncounterclockwise.Repeat
thestepofloweringthecoilrapidlyagain.
3. Keeprepeatingtheloweringofthesearchcoil,andmakingsuchadjustmentstotheGroundAdjustcontroluntilthe
responseisreversed.ThenturntheGroundAdjustcontrolbackinsmallincrementsuntilyoufindthesettingwherethere
isnotachangeinthethresholdsoundasthesearchcoilisloweredtowardtheground.
4. Youarenowtunedproperly,andonlyneedtobeginyoursearch.Keepmonitoringthetuningbyraisingandlowering
thesearchcoileverysooften.ReadjusttheGroundAdjustasnecessarytokeepthedetectorproperlytuned.
TUNINGINTHENORMALMODE
1. PuttheAutoTune/ModeChangeSwitchinthelowerposition,withtheSensitivitycontrolintheMaxposition.Be
surethatthethresholdcontrolisadjustedtojustyieldafaintbeginningofsoundsignal.Holdthesearchcoilaboutone
footfromtheground,andifthethresholdhaschanged,momentarilylifttheModeswitchtoretunebacktothreshold.
Thenlowerthesearchcoiltoabouttwoinchesabovetheground.RememberthatyoucannotheartheThresholdsound
whiletheModeswitchisintheRetuneposition.
2. Ifthereisnochangeinthethresholdsound,youareproperlytuned.Ifthesoundincreasesordecreases,itwillnot
recoverautomaticallyasitdidintheAutoTunedmode.Ifthesounddecreased,turntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutone
halfturnclockwise.Ifthesoundincreased,turntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutonehalfturncounterclockwise.When
youturntheGroundAdjustcontrol,thethresholdsoundmaygeteitherlouderorgoquiet.That'snormal,andmeans
nothingtothetuningprocedure.
3. Movethesearchcoilbackuptoaboutafoodabovetheground,andmomentarilypushtheModeswitchintothe
Retunepositiontoreestablishthethresholdsound.Repeatthestepofloweringthesearchcoiltotheground.Readjust
theGroundAdjustcontrolasindicatedbythechangeinthethreshold.
4. Whenthethresholdchangereverse,thenmovetheGroundAdjustcontrolbackinsmallincrements,untilthereisno
changeasthesearchcoilisloweredtowardstheground.RemembertomomentarilyholdtheModeswitchintheRetune
positioneachtimejustbeforeyoulowerthecoiltotheground.
NOTE:TheNormalmodeofoperationhasveryslowautomaticretuningwhichisjustfastenoughtohelpyoumaintainthe
thresholdsoundasyousearch.ThisslowautotuningisnecessarybecauseoftheextremepoweroftheLobocircuitry.
TUNINGINTHEDISCRIMINATEMODE
TuningtheLobo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operation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settingnecessaryforoperationinDiscriminatemodeisset
theDiscLevelcontroltothedesiredamountoftrashrejection,andtosettheDiscSensitivitycontroltothemaximumsetting
thatwillallowsmoothoperation.
SELECTINGTHEPROPERMODEOFOPERATION
TheLobo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Normal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nuggetshootinguse,AutoTuning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.ObviouslytheAutoTunedmodewillhelpyouinthisrespect.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's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.
NormalTuningisveryusefulforpinpointing,sincesearchcoilmotionisn'tnecessary.Thismodeisalsousefulfor
searchingandforidentifyingwhetherasoundistargetortheovershootfromanintensemineralsignalsuchasahotrock.
Thismodeisgoingtorequiremuchmorecareandattentionfromyoualso,sinceyouwillneedtoretunethedetectormore
oftentomaintainthreshold,andyouwillalsoneedtoreadjusttheGroundAdjustcontrolmoreoften.
RememberthattheveryslowautotuningintheNormalmodewillcauseanullingofthethresholdsoundifyoupassthe
searchcoiloveraverystrongmetallictarget.
Whennuggethunting,theDiscriminatemodecanbeusedtocheckalocatedtarget,butsincetheresponseofgold
nuggetsissobroad,youwillstilldigalotoftrashifyouaretobesuccessful.TheDiscriminatelevelcanbesetataboutthe
pulltablevel,andanytargetswhichcausearesponseinthediscriminatemodecanbeignored,sincetheyareabovethe
domainofgold.Thiswillallowyoutoignoremanyjunkitemssuchaspulltabs,screwcaps,beercans,shotgunshellends,
coins,etc.Ifyourdetectordoesn'trespondindiscriminate,DIGTHETARGET.
Sincegoldisfoundnaturallyinareaswhichwillmostlikelyincludehotrocks,blacksand,andotherintenseminerals,it
maybenecessarytolowertheSensitivitycontroltominimumwhenhuntingsuchareas.Itmayalsorequirereadjustingthe
GroundAdjustcontroltohelpcompensatefortheaddedminerals.
TheWideScancoilsuppliedasstandardontheLoboismuchlessaffectedbybadsoilandhotrocksthanthe
concentriccoil,althoughitdoeslosesomeabilitytodetecttinygoldobjects.Ifyouaresearchingfornuggetsinanareathat
isfreeofhotrocks,theconcentriccoilmightbeanexcellentcoiltouse.
RelicorCacheHuntingalsogenerallycallsforusingtheAllMetalmode,buttheDiscriminationmodecanbeusedto
eliminatetheresponsetoirontargets.Muchrelichuntingisdoneinwoodsandbrushtoothicktoproperlyutilizethemotion
basedDiscriminatemode.ItusuallyispossibletosearchintheAllMetalmode,andwhenatargetisfound,switchtoDiscto
checkthetargetresponse.
CompetitionandCoinshootingcanbeaccomplishedineithermode,dependingupontheamountoftrashatthesite.Coil
typeandsizearealsoofconcerntothesehunters.Generally,mosttargetsareburiedveryshallowatcompetitionhunts,so
operatingatreducedSensitivitysettingswillyieldbetterstability.Whencoinshooting,ahighersettingofSensitivitywillhelp
pickupthedeepertargets,aslongasthedetectorisstillstable.
PINPOINTING
ItwillprobablybeagoodideatochecktheGroundAdjustsettingtobesurethatyourLoboisproperlytunedpriorto
pinpointing,especiallyifyouhavebeensearchingintheAutoTunedmode.PinpointingisbestdoneintheNormalmode;
however,sinceyoucandothiswithoutsweepingthesearchcoil,youcanalsoretuneclosetothetargetcentertocutthe
detectorsresponsetothetarget.
1. Trymovingthesearchcoilbackandforthandforwardandbackuntilyougetthestrongestaudiosignal.Thetarget
shouldbedirectlybelowthecoilcenter.
2. Iftheaudioresponseismaximumoveraverylargearea,justmomentarilypushtheModeswitchtotheRetune
positionwhenyouareclosetothetargetcenter.Thiswillcausethetargetsoundtoshrinkdrastically,whichwillallow
moreaccuratepinpointing.
3. Youmayhavebetterluckatpinpointingifyoutry'Xing'thetarget.Sweepthecoilfromsidetosideuntilyougetthe
loudestresponse.Makeamentalnoteofthispointandthenmovetoapositionwhereyoucansweepthecoilat90
degreestotheoriginalposition.Again,sweepsidetosideuntilyougettheloudestresponse.Digwherethesetwolines
intersect.
RECOVERINGYOURTARGET
WiththeextremepoweroftheLobo,justpinpointingisn'tallthereistorecoveringatarget.Sincemostofthereallytiny
nuggetslookjustliketherocksandotherpiecesofsoiltheyarefoundin,theycanbeverydifficulttolocate.Also,mostof
yourtargetswon'tbegold,theywillbejunksuchasnails,wire,iron,pulltabs,etc.Youwillneedtodigthemalltobesure
youdon'tmissthatoccasionalsmallpieceofgold.
Yourchoiceofadiggingtollwillbeuptoyou,butmostprospectorsuseasmallpickaxeandcarryamagnettohelp
identifyirontargets.Somestoressellapickaxewithamagnetintheendofthehandle.
Whenyouhavepinpointedyourtarget,digsomeofthesoilbackfromthepinpointedareawithyourpickaxe.Recheck
withyourLobotoseeifyouhavemovedthetarget.Ifyouhave,trythemagnettoseeifyoucanpickupthetarget.Ifthe
magnetdoesn'tpickitup,youcansetyourdetectordownwiththecoilclosetotheareacontainingthetarget.
Pickupsomedirt,andwaveyourhandinfrontofthecoil.Ifyouareholdingthetargetyoushouldgetagoodsignalfrom
thedetector.SincetheLobohassomuchgain,itwillprobablyreadapositivesignalfromjustyourhandatmaxsensitivity.
Youmayneedtotryjustasmallamountofdirtheldinyourfingertips.
YoucanalsoputtheLobointheAutotunedmode,andsetthecoilontheground.Trydumpingsomeofthedirtontothe
topofthesearchcoil.Whenthetargethitsthecoil,youwillreceiveagoodsignalfromthedetector.Youwillneedtobe
carefulusingthistechniquethough,sincethewearonthesearchcoilwon'tbecoveredbywarranty.
BATTERYREPLACEMENT
TheLobohasanautomaticbatterytestsequencewitheachinitialpowerturnon.Tocheckthebatteries,simplyturnthe
Lobooff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no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batterypacksfromthedetector,andthenremovethebatteriesfromthepacks.Replacethenewpenlight
batteriesintothepacks,observingthepolarityindicatorsthatareembossedintotheinsidesofthepacks.Slidethepacks
backintothedetector,makingsurethatthebatteryclipleadisconnectedtothepacks.Installthebatterydoorbackontothe
chassis,andpushthe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.
Shouldyoudesiretodoso,rechargeableNickelCadmiumbatteriescanbesubstitutedforstandardpenlightcells.
IndividualAAsizecellsarereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores,aswellasthechargersforthem,andtheycan
beinsertedintothestandard8holderusedinyourInca.Theinitialbatterycheckreadingwillbeslightlylower,butwillnot
dropasmuchwithuse,untilthebatteriesarecompletelydischarged.
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.
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Inca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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factorfornearestrepair
center.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
OperatingFrequency Approx.20kHz
SearchcoilType ConcentricorWideScan
AudioFrequency Approx.625Hz
AudioOutput 11/2"speaker
HeadphoneCompatibility 1/4"stereoearphonejack
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 31/4lbs.
BatteryRequirement 12voltsDC
8AApenlightbatteries
BatteryLife(typical) 15to30hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OperatingModes AllMetal&Discriminate
Tuning AutomaticorNormal
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Lobo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
Sincemostgoldnuggetsareverysmall,ithasbeenverydifficulttofindthemusingnormaldetectorswhichwere
basicallydesignedforcoinshootinguse.Historically,anyattemptstodiscriminateagainsttrashhavecausedacomplete
lossoftheverysmallgoldobjects.Manytrashitemshoweverhavearesponsetothemetaldetectorwhichisabovethe
domainofgoldnuggets.CarefuluseoftheLobo'sdiscriminationmode,afterfindingthetargetintheAllMetalmode,willallow
rejectionofmuchofthistrash.
TheLoboisournewestandmostpowerfulmetaldetectorexpresslydesignedforthepurposeoffindinggoldnuggets,
althoughitiscertainlyusefulasacoinshootersinceitisequippedwithanextremelysensitivediscriminatemode.Its
strengthwillalsoallowitsuseasarelichunter,orformostotherhuntingsituations.
Twocoilstylesareavailable,bothoftheminellipticalpackages.TheEllipticonsearchcoilisaconcentricstyle,andis
joinedbythenewTesoroWideScanelliptical.Bothstylesareextremelyhotforgold,butthenewwidescanislesseffected
bymineralization.Bothstylegiveamuchwidersweepthanroundcoils,butarenarrowenoughtofitintocrevicesand
betweenrocks.
Aswithanydetector,thefamiliarityoftheuserwiththeinstrumentwillhaveagreatdealtodowithhowsuccessfulthe
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assemblyoftheLoboisverysimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.Theonlyassemblyrequiredistomountthe
searchcoiltotheendofthelowerstem,andtoinstallthelowerstemandlockassemblytotheupperstem.
1. Removethescrewandthumbnutfromthepoletipintheendofthelowerpole.Insertthepoletipintothemounting
earsofthesearchcoil,makingsurethatyoudon'tlosethefrictionwashersfromthepoletip.
2. Lineuptheholesinthemountingearswiththoseofthepoletip,andinsertthemountingscrew.
3. Installthethumbnutonthescrewandtightenbyhand.
4. Depressthetwobuttonsontheupperendofthelowerstem,andinsertthelowerstemintotheupperstem.Push
thelowerstemupsothatthebuttonsclickinthethirdsetofholes.
5. Windthesearchcoilcablearoundthepole,andinstalltheconnectorintothereceptacleonthecontrolhousing.
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
NOTE:Duetotheextremeamountofgainintheelectroniccircuitry,theNormalmodehasbeenfurnishedwithavery
slowautomatictuning.Thistuningisnecessarytokeepthedetectorfromdriftingupordownwhentunedtothreshold.
TESOROElectronics,Inc.,reservestherighttomodifyorimprovethedesignwithoutfurthernotice.
CONTROLS
TheLobo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. THRESHOLD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. GROUNDADJUSTCONTROL.ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalmodesamplingsothattheLoboignoresthe
normalgroundmineralization.Thiscontrolisatenturndevice,anditissometimesdifficulttofeelwhentheendoftheten
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TUNINGandbesureyoulearnhowtoproperlyadjustthiscontrol.
3. AUTOTUNE/MODECHANGESWITCH.ThisswitchisusedtocontrolthetuningmodeoftheLobo,aswellasto
determineifthedetectorwillchangemodeswhentheMODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Inthetoptwo
position,theLobowillbeintheAUTOtunemode,andwilltrytomaintainthethresholdsound.Inthelowerposition,the
tuningwillbeNORMAL,wherebythedegreeofautotuningisvery,verysmall.Intheupperposition,theLobowillremain
intheALLMETALmodewhentheMODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Thiswillenableyoutohearthe
thresholdsoundwhenyouareretuning.Inthelowertwopositions,theLobowillgototheDISCRIMINATEmodewhenthe
MODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Thismomentarymodechangewillallowyoutocheckyourtargetin
DISCRIMINATE,andthenreturntotheALLMETALmodewhenyoureleasetheMODEswitch.
4. MODESWITCH.ThisswitchisusedtodeterminetheoperatingmodeoftheLobo.Thedownpositionselectsthe
Discriminatemode.ThecenterpositionistheALLMETALmodeposition,whichistheprimaryoperatingmodeforgold
nuggethunting..TheupperpositionistheRETUNEposition,whichmaycausethedetectortoshifttoDISCRIMINATE
whilethispositionisheld.ReleasingtheMODEswitchfromtheRETUNEpositionwillreturntheLobototheALLMETAL
modewiththethresholdsoundadjustedbacktosuittheenvironmentthedetectorseesastheswitchisreleased.
5. ON/OFFSENSITIVITYCONTROL.Theprimaryfunctionofthiscontrolistoreducethedetectorssensitivitytothose
influencesthatmakeoperationoredifficultforyou.Thiscontrolalsoturnsthepoweronandoff.Whentheknobisfirst
turnedon,thedetectorwilltestit'sbatteriesforabout3to5seconds,withtheaudiostrengthindicatingtheremaining
powerinthebatteries.
6. DISCRIMINATELEVELCONTROL.Thiscontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedmetallic
trashwhenusedinthediscriminatemode.Atthelowestsettingmostironwillberejected,butsomewillstillbefound.
Asthecontrolsettingisincreased,moreandmoreofthetrashitemswillberejected.Ifyouareusingthiscontrolwhile
nuggethunting,beawarethatalmostallgoldnuggetswillberejectedpriortolosingpulltabs.
TUNING
WhiletheLoboisusefulasacoinhunter,itwasdesignedasanuggethunter,sotheextrapoweravailablemakesits
GROUNDADJUSTtuningoneofthemorecriticalsettingsyoumustmaketoobtainproperoperationofthedetector.Also,in
mostareasthatwillyieldgoldnuggets,youwillbeplaguedbyfalsesignalscausedby"hotrocks".Mostofthesefalse
signalscanbeminimizedoreliminatedbyconstantattentiontotheGROUNDADJUSTsetting.Sincethemineralizationwill
changesometimesquitedrasticallywithinafewfeet,youmayneedtoreadjustthecontrolveryoftentomaintaintheproper
tuning.
ToachievemaximumperformancefromyourLobo,besuretoproperlyadjusttheGROUNDADJUSTandTHRESHOLD
controlsintheALLMETALmode.Thesettingsofbothofthesecontrolswillalsoaffecttheoperationofthedetectorinthe
DISCRIMINATEmode,sobesuretoadjustthemproperly,evenifyouaregoingtohuntonlyintheDISCRIMINATEmode.
TUNINGINTHEAUTOTUNEDMODE
1. PuttheAutoTune/ModeChangeSwitchintheAuto/AllMetalpositionandtheSensitivitycontrolonMax.Makesure
thatthethresholdadjustgivesjustaweakbeginningofsound.
2. Rapidlylowerthesearchcoilfromaboutonefootabovethegroundtoabouttwoinchesabovetheground.Listento
seewhateffectthishasonthethresholdsound.Ifthereisnochange,youareproperlytuned.Ifthesounddecreasesas
thecoilislowered,andthencomesbacktothresholdastheautotuningrecovers,youshouldturntheGroundAdjust
controlaboutonehalfaturnclockwise.Repeatthestepofloweringthecoilrapidlyagain.Ifthesoundincreasesbefore
theautotuningrecovers,youwillneedtoturntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutonehalfaturncounterclockwise.Repeat
thestepofloweringthecoilrapidlyagain.
3. Keeprepeatingtheloweringofthesearchcoil,andmakingsuchadjustmentstotheGroundAdjustcontroluntilthe
responseisreversed.ThenturntheGroundAdjustcontrolbackinsmallincrementsuntilyoufindthesettingwherethere
isnotachangeinthethresholdsoundasthesearchcoilisloweredtowardtheground.
4. Youarenowtunedproperly,andonlyneedtobeginyoursearch.Keepmonitoringthetuningbyraisingandlowering
thesearchcoileverysooften.ReadjusttheGroundAdjustasnecessarytokeepthedetectorproperlytuned.
TUNINGINTHENORMALMODE
1. PuttheAutoTune/ModeChangeSwitchinthelowerposition,withtheSensitivitycontrolintheMaxposition.Be
surethatthethresholdcontrolisadjustedtojustyieldafaintbeginningofsoundsignal.Holdthesearchcoilaboutone
footfromtheground,andifthethresholdhaschanged,momentarilylifttheModeswitchtoretunebacktothreshold.
Thenlowerthesearchcoiltoabouttwoinchesabovetheground.RememberthatyoucannotheartheThresholdsound
whiletheModeswitchisintheRetuneposition.
2. Ifthereisnochangeinthethresholdsound,youareproperlytuned.Ifthesoundincreasesordecreases,itwillnot
recoverautomaticallyasitdidintheAutoTunedmode.Ifthesounddecreased,turntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutone
halfturnclockwise.Ifthesoundincreased,turntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutonehalfturncounterclockwise.When
youturntheGroundAdjustcontrol,thethresholdsoundmaygeteitherlouderorgoquiet.That'snormal,andmeans
nothingtothetuningprocedure.
3. Movethesearchcoilbackuptoaboutafoodabovetheground,andmomentarilypushtheModeswitchintothe
Retunepositiontoreestablishthethresholdsound.Repeatthestepofloweringthesearchcoiltotheground.Readjust
theGroundAdjustcontrolasindicatedbythechangeinthethreshold.
4. Whenthethresholdchangereverse,thenmovetheGroundAdjustcontrolbackinsmallincrements,untilthereisno
changeasthesearchcoilisloweredtowardstheground.RemembertomomentarilyholdtheModeswitchintheRetune
positioneachtimejustbeforeyoulowerthecoiltotheground.
NOTE:TheNormalmodeofoperationhasveryslowautomaticretuningwhichisjustfastenoughtohelpyoumaintainthe
thresholdsoundasyousearch.ThisslowautotuningisnecessarybecauseoftheextremepoweroftheLobocircuitry.
TUNINGINTHEDISCRIMINATEMODE
TuningtheLobo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operation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settingnecessaryforoperationinDiscriminatemodeisset
theDiscLevelcontroltothedesiredamountoftrashrejection,andtosettheDiscSensitivitycontroltothemaximumsetting
thatwillallowsmoothoperation.
SELECTINGTHEPROPERMODEOFOPERATION
TheLobo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Normal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nuggetshootinguse,AutoTuning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.ObviouslytheAutoTunedmodewillhelpyouinthisrespect.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's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.
NormalTuningisveryusefulforpinpointing,sincesearchcoilmotionisn'tnecessary.Thismodeisalsousefulfor
searchingandforidentifyingwhetherasoundistargetortheovershootfromanintensemineralsignalsuchasahotrock.
Thismodeisgoingtorequiremuchmorecareandattentionfromyoualso,sinceyouwillneedtoretunethedetectormore
oftentomaintainthreshold,andyouwillalsoneedtoreadjusttheGroundAdjustcontrolmoreoften.
RememberthattheveryslowautotuningintheNormalmodewillcauseanullingofthethresholdsoundifyoupassthe
searchcoiloveraverystrongmetallictarget.
Whennuggethunting,theDiscriminatemodecanbeusedtocheckalocatedtarget,butsincetheresponseofgold
nuggetsissobroad,youwillstilldigalotoftrashifyouaretobesuccessful.TheDiscriminatelevelcanbesetataboutthe
pulltablevel,andanytargetswhichcausearesponseinthediscriminatemodecanbeignored,sincetheyareabovethe
domainofgold.Thiswillallowyoutoignoremanyjunkitemssuchaspulltabs,screwcaps,beercans,shotgunshellends,
coins,etc.Ifyourdetectordoesn'trespondindiscriminate,DIGTHETARGET.
Sincegoldisfoundnaturallyinareaswhichwillmostlikelyincludehotrocks,blacksand,andotherintenseminerals,it
maybenecessarytolowertheSensitivitycontroltominimumwhenhuntingsuchareas.Itmayalsorequirereadjustingthe
GroundAdjustcontroltohelpcompensatefortheaddedminerals.
TheWideScancoilsuppliedasstandardontheLoboismuchlessaffectedbybadsoilandhotrocksthanthe
concentriccoil,althoughitdoeslosesomeabilitytodetecttinygoldobjects.Ifyouaresearchingfornuggetsinanareathat
isfreeofhotrocks,theconcentriccoilmightbeanexcellentcoiltouse.
RelicorCacheHuntingalsogenerallycallsforusingtheAllMetalmode,buttheDiscriminationmodecanbeusedto
eliminatetheresponsetoirontargets.Muchrelichuntingisdoneinwoodsandbrushtoothicktoproperlyutilizethemotion
basedDiscriminatemode.ItusuallyispossibletosearchintheAllMetalmode,andwhenatargetisfound,switchtoDiscto
checkthetargetresponse.
CompetitionandCoinshootingcanbeaccomplishedineithermode,dependingupontheamountoftrashatthesite.Coil
typeandsizearealsoofconcerntothesehunters.Generally,mosttargetsareburiedveryshallowatcompetitionhunts,so
operatingatreducedSensitivitysettingswillyieldbetterstability.Whencoinshooting,ahighersettingofSensitivitywillhelp
pickupthedeepertargets,aslongasthedetectorisstillstable.
PINPOINTING
ItwillprobablybeagoodideatochecktheGroundAdjustsettingtobesurethatyourLoboisproperlytunedpriorto
pinpointing,especiallyifyouhavebeensearchingintheAutoTunedmode.PinpointingisbestdoneintheNormalmode;
however,sinceyoucandothiswithoutsweepingthesearchcoil,youcanalsoretuneclosetothetargetcentertocutthe
detectorsresponsetothetarget.
1. Trymovingthesearchcoilbackandforthandforwardandbackuntilyougetthestrongestaudiosignal.Thetarget
shouldbedirectlybelowthecoilcenter.
2. Iftheaudioresponseismaximumoveraverylargearea,justmomentarilypushtheModeswitchtotheRetune
positionwhenyouareclosetothetargetcenter.Thiswillcausethetargetsoundtoshrinkdrastically,whichwillallow
moreaccuratepinpointing.
3. Youmayhavebetterluckatpinpointingifyoutry'Xing'thetarget.Sweepthecoilfromsidetosideuntilyougetthe
loudestresponse.Makeamentalnoteofthispointandthenmovetoapositionwhereyoucansweepthecoilat90
degreestotheoriginalposition.Again,sweepsidetosideuntilyougettheloudestresponse.Digwherethesetwolines
intersect.
RECOVERINGYOURTARGET
WiththeextremepoweroftheLobo,justpinpointingisn'tallthereistorecoveringatarget.Sincemostofthereallytiny
nuggetslookjustliketherocksandotherpiecesofsoiltheyarefoundin,theycanbeverydifficulttolocate.Also,mostof
yourtargetswon'tbegold,theywillbejunksuchasnails,wire,iron,pulltabs,etc.Youwillneedtodigthemalltobesure
youdon'tmissthatoccasionalsmallpieceofgold.
Yourchoiceofadiggingtollwillbeuptoyou,butmostprospectorsuseasmallpickaxeandcarryamagnettohelp
identifyirontargets.Somestoressellapickaxewithamagnetintheendofthehandle.
Whenyouhavepinpointedyourtarget,digsomeofthesoilbackfromthepinpointedareawithyourpickaxe.Recheck
withyourLobotoseeifyouhavemovedthetarget.Ifyouhave,trythemagnettoseeifyoucanpickupthetarget.Ifthe
magnetdoesn'tpickitup,youcansetyourdetectordownwiththecoilclosetotheareacontainingthetarget.
Pickupsomedirt,andwaveyourhandinfrontofthecoil.Ifyouareholdingthetargetyoushouldgetagoodsignalfrom
thedetector.SincetheLobohassomuchgain,itwillprobablyreadapositivesignalfromjustyourhandatmaxsensitivity.
Youmayneedtotryjustasmallamountofdirtheldinyourfingertips.
YoucanalsoputtheLobointheAutotunedmode,andsetthecoilontheground.Trydumpingsomeofthedirtontothe
topofthesearchcoil.Whenthetargethitsthecoil,youwillreceiveagoodsignalfromthedetector.Youwillneedtobe
carefulusingthistechniquethough,sincethewearonthesearchcoilwon'tbecoveredbywarranty.
BATTERYREPLACEMENT
TheLobohasanautomaticbatterytestsequencewitheachinitialpowerturnon.Tocheckthebatteries,simplyturnthe
Lobooff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no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batterypacksfromthedetector,andthenremovethebatteriesfromthepacks.Replacethenewpenlight
batteriesintothepacks,observingthepolarityindicatorsthatareembossedintotheinsidesofthepacks.Slidethepacks
backintothedetector,makingsurethatthebatteryclipleadisconnectedtothepacks.Installthebatterydoorbackontothe
chassis,andpushthe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.
Shouldyoudesiretodoso,rechargeableNickelCadmiumbatteriescanbesubstitutedforstandardpenlightcells.
IndividualAAsizecellsarereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores,aswellasthechargersforthem,andtheycan
beinsertedintothestandard8holderusedinyourInca.Theinitialbatterycheckreadingwillbeslightlylower,butwillnot
dropasmuchwithuse,untilthebatteriesarecompletelydischarged.
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.
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Inca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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factorfornearestrepair
center.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
OperatingFrequency Approx.20kHz
SearchcoilType ConcentricorWideScan
AudioFrequency Approx.625Hz
AudioOutput 11/2"speaker
HeadphoneCompatibility 1/4"stereoearphonejack
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 31/4lbs.
BatteryRequirement 12voltsDC
8AApenlightbatteries
BatteryLife(typical) 15to30hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OperatingModes AllMetal&Discriminate
Tuning AutomaticorNormal
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Lobo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
Sincemostgoldnuggetsareverysmall,ithasbeenverydifficulttofindthemusingnormaldetectorswhichwere
basicallydesignedforcoinshootinguse.Historically,anyattemptstodiscriminateagainsttrashhavecausedacomplete
lossoftheverysmallgoldobjects.Manytrashitemshoweverhavearesponsetothemetaldetectorwhichisabovethe
domainofgoldnuggets.CarefuluseoftheLobo'sdiscriminationmode,afterfindingthetargetintheAllMetalmode,willallow
rejectionofmuchofthistrash.
TheLoboisournewestandmostpowerfulmetaldetectorexpresslydesignedforthepurposeoffindinggoldnuggets,
althoughitiscertainlyusefulasacoinshootersinceitisequippedwithanextremelysensitivediscriminatemode.Its
strengthwillalsoallowitsuseasarelichunter,orformostotherhuntingsituations.
Twocoilstylesareavailable,bothoftheminellipticalpackages.TheEllipticonsearchcoilisaconcentricstyle,andis
joinedbythenewTesoroWideScanelliptical.Bothstylesareextremelyhotforgold,butthenewwidescanislesseffected
bymineralization.Bothstylegiveamuchwidersweepthanroundcoils,butarenarrowenoughtofitintocrevicesand
betweenrocks.
Aswithanydetector,thefamiliarityoftheuserwiththeinstrumentwillhaveagreatdealtodowithhowsuccessfulthe
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assemblyoftheLoboisverysimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.Theonlyassemblyrequiredistomountthe
searchcoiltotheendofthelowerstem,andtoinstallthelowerstemandlockassemblytotheupperstem.
1. Removethescrewandthumbnutfromthepoletipintheendofthelowerpole.Insertthepoletipintothemounting
earsofthesearchcoil,makingsurethatyoudon'tlosethefrictionwashersfromthepoletip.
2. Lineuptheholesinthemountingearswiththoseofthepoletip,andinsertthemountingscrew.
3. Installthethumbnutonthescrewandtightenbyhand.
4. Depressthetwobuttonsontheupperendofthelowerstem,andinsertthelowerstemintotheupperstem.Push
thelowerstemupsothatthebuttonsclickinthethirdsetofholes.
5. Windthesearchcoilcablearoundthepole,andinstalltheconnectorintothereceptacleonthecontrolhousing.
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
NOTE:Duetotheextremeamountofgainintheelectroniccircuitry,theNormalmodehasbeenfurnishedwithavery
slowautomatictuning.Thistuningisnecessarytokeepthedetectorfromdriftingupordownwhentunedtothreshold.
TESOROElectronics,Inc.,reservestherighttomodifyorimprovethedesignwithoutfurthernotice.
CONTROLS
TheLobo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. THRESHOLD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. GROUNDADJUSTCONTROL.ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalmodesamplingsothattheLoboignoresthe
normalgroundmineralization.Thiscontrolisatenturndevice,anditissometimesdifficulttofeelwhentheendoftheten
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TUNINGandbesureyoulearnhowtoproperlyadjustthiscontrol.
3. AUTOTUNE/MODECHANGESWITCH.ThisswitchisusedtocontrolthetuningmodeoftheLobo,aswellasto
determineifthedetectorwillchangemodeswhentheMODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Inthetoptwo
position,theLobowillbeintheAUTOtunemode,andwilltrytomaintainthethresholdsound.Inthelowerposition,the
tuningwillbeNORMAL,wherebythedegreeofautotuningisvery,verysmall.Intheupperposition,theLobowillremain
intheALLMETALmodewhentheMODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Thiswillenableyoutohearthe
thresholdsoundwhenyouareretuning.Inthelowertwopositions,theLobowillgototheDISCRIMINATEmodewhenthe
MODEswitchisheldintheRETUNEposition.Thismomentarymodechangewillallowyoutocheckyourtargetin
DISCRIMINATE,andthenreturntotheALLMETALmodewhenyoureleasetheMODEswitch.
4. MODESWITCH.ThisswitchisusedtodeterminetheoperatingmodeoftheLobo.Thedownpositionselectsthe
Discriminatemode.ThecenterpositionistheALLMETALmodeposition,whichistheprimaryoperatingmodeforgold
nuggethunting..TheupperpositionistheRETUNEposition,whichmaycausethedetectortoshifttoDISCRIMINATE
whilethispositionisheld.ReleasingtheMODEswitchfromtheRETUNEpositionwillreturntheLobototheALLMETAL
modewiththethresholdsoundadjustedbacktosuittheenvironmentthedetectorseesastheswitchisreleased.
5. ON/OFFSENSITIVITYCONTROL.Theprimaryfunctionofthiscontrolistoreducethedetectorssensitivitytothose
influencesthatmakeoperationoredifficultforyou.Thiscontrolalsoturnsthepoweronandoff.Whentheknobisfirst
turnedon,thedetectorwilltestit'sbatteriesforabout3to5seconds,withtheaudiostrengthindicatingtheremaining
powerinthebatteries.
6. DISCRIMINATELEVELCONTROL.Thiscontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedmetallic
trashwhenusedinthediscriminatemode.Atthelowestsettingmostironwillberejected,butsomewillstillbefound.
Asthecontrolsettingisincreased,moreandmoreofthetrashitemswillberejected.Ifyouareusingthiscontrolwhile
nuggethunting,beawarethatalmostallgoldnuggetswillberejectedpriortolosingpulltabs.
TUNING
WhiletheLoboisusefulasacoinhunter,itwasdesignedasanuggethunter,sotheextrapoweravailablemakesits
GROUNDADJUSTtuningoneofthemorecriticalsettingsyoumustmaketoobtainproperoperationofthedetector.Also,in
mostareasthatwillyieldgoldnuggets,youwillbeplaguedbyfalsesignalscausedby"hotrocks".Mostofthesefalse
signalscanbeminimizedoreliminatedbyconstantattentiontotheGROUNDADJUSTsetting.Sincethemineralizationwill
changesometimesquitedrasticallywithinafewfeet,youmayneedtoreadjustthecontrolveryoftentomaintaintheproper
tuning.
ToachievemaximumperformancefromyourLobo,besuretoproperlyadjusttheGROUNDADJUSTandTHRESHOLD
controlsintheALLMETALmode.Thesettingsofbothofthesecontrolswillalsoaffecttheoperationofthedetectorinthe
DISCRIMINATEmode,sobesuretoadjustthemproperly,evenifyouaregoingtohuntonlyintheDISCRIMINATEmode.
TUNINGINTHEAUTOTUNEDMODE
1. PuttheAutoTune/ModeChangeSwitchintheAuto/AllMetalpositionandtheSensitivitycontrolonMax.Makesure
thatthethresholdadjustgivesjustaweakbeginningofsound.
2. Rapidlylowerthesearchcoilfromaboutonefootabovethegroundtoabouttwoinchesabovetheground.Listento
seewhateffectthishasonthethresholdsound.Ifthereisnochange,youareproperlytuned.Ifthesounddecreasesas
thecoilislowered,andthencomesbacktothresholdastheautotuningrecovers,youshouldturntheGroundAdjust
controlaboutonehalfaturnclockwise.Repeatthestepofloweringthecoilrapidlyagain.Ifthesoundincreasesbefore
theautotuningrecovers,youwillneedtoturntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutonehalfaturncounterclockwise.Repeat
thestepofloweringthecoilrapidlyagain.
3. Keeprepeatingtheloweringofthesearchcoil,andmakingsuchadjustmentstotheGroundAdjustcontroluntilthe
responseisreversed.ThenturntheGroundAdjustcontrolbackinsmallincrementsuntilyoufindthesettingwherethere
isnotachangeinthethresholdsoundasthesearchcoilisloweredtowardtheground.
4. Youarenowtunedproperly,andonlyneedtobeginyoursearch.Keepmonitoringthetuningbyraisingandlowering
thesearchcoileverysooften.ReadjusttheGroundAdjustasnecessarytokeepthedetectorproperlytuned.
TUNINGINTHENORMALMODE
1. PuttheAutoTune/ModeChangeSwitchinthelowerposition,withtheSensitivitycontrolintheMaxposition.Be
surethatthethresholdcontrolisadjustedtojustyieldafaintbeginningofsoundsignal.Holdthesearchcoilaboutone
footfromtheground,andifthethresholdhaschanged,momentarilylifttheModeswitchtoretunebacktothreshold.
Thenlowerthesearchcoiltoabouttwoinchesabovetheground.RememberthatyoucannotheartheThresholdsound
whiletheModeswitchisintheRetuneposition.
2. Ifthereisnochangeinthethresholdsound,youareproperlytuned.Ifthesoundincreasesordecreases,itwillnot
recoverautomaticallyasitdidintheAutoTunedmode.Ifthesounddecreased,turntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutone
halfturnclockwise.Ifthesoundincreased,turntheGroundAdjustcontrolaboutonehalfturncounterclockwise.When
youturntheGroundAdjustcontrol,thethresholdsoundmaygeteitherlouderorgoquiet.That'snormal,andmeans
nothingtothetuningprocedure.
3. Movethesearchcoilbackuptoaboutafoodabovetheground,andmomentarilypushtheModeswitchintothe
Retunepositiontoreestablishthethresholdsound.Repeatthestepofloweringthesearchcoiltotheground.Readjust
theGroundAdjustcontrolasindicatedbythechangeinthethreshold.
4. Whenthethresholdchangereverse,thenmovetheGroundAdjustcontrolbackinsmallincrements,untilthereisno
changeasthesearchcoilisloweredtowardstheground.RemembertomomentarilyholdtheModeswitchintheRetune
positioneachtimejustbeforeyoulowerthecoiltotheground.
NOTE:TheNormalmodeofoperationhasveryslowautomaticretuningwhichisjustfastenoughtohelpyoumaintainthe
thresholdsoundasyousearch.ThisslowautotuningisnecessarybecauseoftheextremepoweroftheLobocircuitry.
TUNINGINTHEDISCRIMINATEMODE
TuningtheLobo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operation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settingnecessaryforoperationinDiscriminatemodeisset
theDiscLevelcontroltothedesiredamountoftrashrejection,andtosettheDiscSensitivitycontroltothemaximumsetting
thatwillallowsmoothoperation.
SELECTINGTHEPROPERMODEOFOPERATION
TheLobo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Normal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nuggetshootinguse,AutoTuning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.ObviouslytheAutoTunedmodewillhelpyouinthisrespect.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's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.
NormalTuningisveryusefulforpinpointing,sincesearchcoilmotionisn'tnecessary.Thismodeisalsousefulfor
searchingandforidentifyingwhetherasoundistargetortheovershootfromanintensemineralsignalsuchasahotrock.
Thismodeisgoingtorequiremuchmorecareandattentionfromyoualso,sinceyouwillneedtoretunethedetectormore
oftentomaintainthreshold,andyouwillalsoneedtoreadjusttheGroundAdjustcontrolmoreoften.
RememberthattheveryslowautotuningintheNormalmodewillcauseanullingofthethresholdsoundifyoupassthe
searchcoiloveraverystrongmetallictarget.
Whennuggethunting,theDiscriminatemodecanbeusedtocheckalocatedtarget,butsincetheresponseofgold
nuggetsissobroad,youwillstilldigalotoftrashifyouaretobesuccessful.TheDiscriminatelevelcanbesetataboutthe
pulltablevel,andanytargetswhichcausearesponseinthediscriminatemodecanbeignored,sincetheyareabovethe
domainofgold.Thiswillallowyoutoignoremanyjunkitemssuchaspulltabs,screwcaps,beercans,shotgunshellends,
coins,etc.Ifyourdetectordoesn'trespondindiscriminate,DIGTHETARGET.
Sincegoldisfoundnaturallyinareaswhichwillmostlikelyincludehotrocks,blacksand,andotherintenseminerals,it
maybenecessarytolowertheSensitivitycontroltominimumwhenhuntingsuchareas.Itmayalsorequirereadjustingthe
GroundAdjustcontroltohelpcompensatefortheaddedminerals.
TheWideScancoilsuppliedasstandardontheLoboismuchlessaffectedbybadsoilandhotrocksthanthe
concentriccoil,althoughitdoeslosesomeabilitytodetecttinygoldobjects.Ifyouaresearchingfornuggetsinanareathat
isfreeofhotrocks,theconcentriccoilmightbeanexcellentcoiltouse.
RelicorCacheHuntingalsogenerallycallsforusingtheAllMetalmode,buttheDiscriminationmodecanbeusedto
eliminatetheresponsetoirontargets.Muchrelichuntingisdoneinwoodsandbrushtoothicktoproperlyutilizethemotion
basedDiscriminatemode.ItusuallyispossibletosearchintheAllMetalmode,andwhenatargetisfound,switchtoDiscto
checkthetargetresponse.
CompetitionandCoinshootingcanbeaccomplishedineithermode,dependingupontheamountoftrashatthesite.Coil
typeandsizearealsoofconcerntothesehunters.Generally,mosttargetsareburiedveryshallowatcompetitionhunts,so
operatingatreducedSensitivitysettingswillyieldbetterstability.Whencoinshooting,ahighersettingofSensitivitywillhelp
pickupthedeepertargets,aslongasthedetectorisstillstable.
PINPOINTING
ItwillprobablybeagoodideatochecktheGroundAdjustsettingtobesurethatyourLoboisproperlytunedpriorto
pinpointing,especiallyifyouhavebeensearchingintheAutoTunedmode.PinpointingisbestdoneintheNormalmode;
however,sinceyoucandothiswithoutsweepingthesearchcoil,youcanalsoretuneclosetothetargetcentertocutthe
detectorsresponsetothetarget.
1. Trymovingthesearchcoilbackandforthandforwardandbackuntilyougetthestrongestaudiosignal.Thetarget
shouldbedirectlybelowthecoilcenter.
2. Iftheaudioresponseismaximumoveraverylargearea,justmomentarilypushtheModeswitchtotheRetune
positionwhenyouareclosetothetargetcenter.Thiswillcausethetargetsoundtoshrinkdrastically,whichwillallow
moreaccuratepinpointing.
3. Youmayhavebetterluckatpinpointingifyoutry'Xing'thetarget.Sweepthecoilfromsidetosideuntilyougetthe
loudestresponse.Makeamentalnoteofthispointandthenmovetoapositionwhereyoucansweepthecoilat90
degreestotheoriginalposition.Again,sweepsidetosideuntilyougettheloudestresponse.Digwherethesetwolines
intersect.
RECOVERINGYOURTARGET
WiththeextremepoweroftheLobo,justpinpointingisn'tallthereistorecoveringatarget.Sincemostofthereallytiny
nuggetslookjustliketherocksandotherpiecesofsoiltheyarefoundin,theycanbeverydifficulttolocate.Also,mostof
yourtargetswon'tbegold,theywillbejunksuchasnails,wire,iron,pulltabs,etc.Youwillneedtodigthemalltobesure
youdon'tmissthatoccasionalsmallpieceofgold.
Yourchoiceofadiggingtollwillbeuptoyou,butmostprospectorsuseasmallpickaxeandcarryamagnettohelp
identifyirontargets.Somestoressellapickaxewithamagnetintheendofthehandle.
Whenyouhavepinpointedyourtarget,digsomeofthesoilbackfromthepinpointedareawithyourpickaxe.Recheck
withyourLobotoseeifyouhavemovedthetarget.Ifyouhave,trythemagnettoseeifyoucanpickupthetarget.Ifthe
magnetdoesn'tpickitup,youcansetyourdetectordownwiththecoilclosetotheareacontainingthetarget.
Pickupsomedirt,andwaveyourhandinfrontofthecoil.Ifyouareholdingthetargetyoushouldgetagoodsignalfrom
thedetector.SincetheLobohassomuchgain,itwillprobablyreadapositivesignalfromjustyourhandatmaxsensitivity.
Youmayneedtotryjustasmallamountofdirtheldinyourfingertips.
YoucanalsoputtheLobointheAutotunedmode,andsetthecoilontheground.Trydumpingsomeofthedirtontothe
topofthesearchcoil.Whenthetargethitsthecoil,youwillreceiveagoodsignalfromthedetector.Youwillneedtobe
carefulusingthistechniquethough,sincethewearonthesearchcoilwon'tbecoveredbywarranty.
BATTERYREPLACEMENT
TheLobohasanautomaticbatterytestsequencewitheachinitialpowerturnon.Tocheckthebatteries,simplyturnthe
Lobooff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no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batterypacksfromthedetector,andthenremovethebatteriesfromthepacks.Replacethenewpenlight
batteriesintothepacks,observingthepolarityindicatorsthatareembossedintotheinsidesofthepacks.Slidethepacks
backintothedetector,makingsurethatthebatteryclipleadisconnectedtothepacks.Installthebatterydoorbackontothe
chassis,andpushthe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.
Shouldyoudesiretodoso,rechargeableNickelCadmiumbatteriescanbesubstitutedforstandardpenlightcells.
IndividualAAsizecellsarereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores,aswellasthechargersforthem,andtheycan
beinsertedintothestandard8holderusedinyourInca.Theinitialbatterycheckreadingwillbeslightlylower,butwillnot
dropasmuchwithuse,untilthebatteriesarecompletelydischarged.
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.
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Inca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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factorfornearestrepair
center.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
OperatingFrequency Approx.20kHz
SearchcoilType ConcentricorWideScan
AudioFrequency Approx.625Hz
AudioOutput 11/2"speaker
HeadphoneCompatibility 1/4"stereoearphonejack
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 31/4lbs.
BatteryRequirement 12voltsDC
8AApenlightbatteries
BatteryLife(typical) 15to30hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OperatingModes AllMetal&Discriminate
Tuning AutomaticorNormal
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