Tesoro mMAX BANDIDO Assembly instructions

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µMAXBANDIDOOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL
CONGRATULATIONS!
YournewTesoroµMAXBandidoMetalDetectorispartofanewseriesofdetectorsdesignedtoprovideyouwithmany
happyhoursofenjoymentinthemostrewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingand
excitingexperiencesasyoustepintothepast–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations–or,asyoutakepleasurein
thegreatoutdoorswithfamilyandfriendssearchingforpreciousmetals.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,
andallofusatTesorowishyouthebestofsuccess.
YourTesoroµMAXdetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinawiderangeoftreasurehuntingsituations.Aswithany
othermetaldetector,familiaritywiththisinstrumentisprobablythelimitingfactorindetermininghowsuccessfulyoucanbe.I
recommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullyhowtooperatethisdetectorbeforeattemptingtouseitinthefield.
Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.
TheµMAXBandidoisaprecisionelectronicinstrumentthatwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatitrightandit
won'tletyoudown.
GoodHunting!JackGifford
INTRODUCTION
Tobesuccessfulintreasurehuntingwithadetectoryoumust:
lUseahighperformancemetaldetectordesignedforthetypeoftreasurehuntingyouwillbedoing.
lLearnhowtouseyourmetaldetectorproperly.
lSearchwherethereisburiedtreasuretobefound.
lBepersistent.
TheµMAXBandidoisatrueallpurposedetector.Itwasdesignedfortopperformanceinthewidestrangeofdetectingusespossible.Itis
sensitivetosmallgoldparticles,itispowerfulenoughtorelicandcachehuntwith,itisplentyfastenoughforcompetitionhuntinganditisgreat
forcoinhunting.Yet,evenwithitsamazingpower,itisstilleasytouse.
ThisOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUALisdesignedtohelpyoulearntooperatethedetectorproperlyformaximumperformanceinvarious
searchconditions.CompleteinstructionsonhowtooperatetheµMAXBandidoarefoundinthetwomainsections:GETTINGSTARTEDand
OPERATINGTECHNIQUES.
Ifyouarenewtometaldetecting,wehighlyrecommendreadingandfollowingtheentireGETTINGSTARTEDsectiontodevelopthe"feel"
ofyourdetector.Then,studyandpracticetheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESsection–especiallyGroundBalancing–togetthebestperformance
fromyourdetector.
Ifyouarenewtotreasurehuntingwithmetaldetectors,keepinmindthatiftherearenovaluablemetalobjectsburiedwhereyouare
searching,itwon'tmatterhowgoodyourmetaldetectorisorhowskilledandpersistentyouare.Tolearnmoreaboutwheretosearchforvaluable
buriedmetalscheckwithyourmetaldetectordealerorbooksellerformagazinesandbooksontreasurehunting.
GENERALDESCRIPTION
TheµMAXBandidoisoneofthefirstofitskind:anultralightweight,compactdetectorthatpacksthepowerandperformanceofthebestfull
size,heavierdetectors.Byutilizingstateoftheartcircuitry,Tesorohascreatedanamazinglyversatileandpowerful,easytooperatedetectorthat's
perfectforalltypesofdetecting,andfortravel.
TheµMAXBandidoisaTransmitterReceiver(TR)typeofdetectorthatoperatesintheVeryLowFrequency(VLF)portionoftheRadio
Frequency(RF)spectrum.TheµMAXBandidousesonlythreecontrolknobsandtwotoggleswitchestoprovidefullVLFcapabilities. 
TheperformanceoftheµMAXBandidowillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorists,whetherexperiencedornovice.Atthecentre
oftheµMAXBandidoisaspecialHybridcircuitboarddevelopedfromSurfaceMountTechnologythatincorporatesTesoro'sprovenHighGain
SensitivityCircuitry.Thiscircuitboardhelpsprovidegreaterdepthsandmoresensitivitytosmaller,lessconductivemetalobjectsor"targets"such
asfinegoldjewelry.
TheµMAXBandidohasfeaturesthatmakeitspowereasytouse.Throughsimpleandfastoperatoradjusted"groundbalancing,"theground
rejectioncircuitrywillallowoperationineventhemostdifficultgroundmineralizationconditions.Twooperatingmodesandtwotuningmodes
addtotheversatilityofthedetector'soperation.TheDiscriminateModeisSilentSearch,meaningthesearchcoilmustbemovingtodetecta
target.TheAllMetalModeisnomotion,meaningthesearchcoilwilldetectatargetlocateddirectlyunderit,evenwhenthesearchcoilisnot
moving.AutoTune,theautomatictuningmode,isfastandretunesthedetectorinsecondsafterencounteringatarget.NormalTunegivesthe
operatortotalcontrolofretuningatthetouchofaswitch.
TheelectronicminiaturizationofSurfaceMountTechnologypermitsthecomplex,powerfulcircuitryoftheµMAXdetectorstofitintoavery
smallspace.Theresultisadetectorthatissoincrediblylightthereisnoneedtobodymountthecontrolhousing.Thisexclusivedesignfeature
addstotheµMAXBandido'seaseofuseandmakesthoselongersearchesmoreenjoyable. 
TheµMAXBandidocomeswithan8"roundconcentricsearchcoilforbestallaroundperformancewithgooddepth.Avarietyofoptional
Tesorosearchcoilsarealsoavailableandwillenhancethedetector'sperformanceundervariousconditions(seeOPTIONALACCESSORIES).
GETTINGSTARTEDUNPACKINGTHEBOX
YourµMAXBandidowasshippedwiththeseparts:
1UpperPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingupperpolestemwithhandlegrip,paddedarmbracketandcontrolhousing.
1LowerPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingmiddlepolestemwithknurlednut,lowerpolestem,andnylonpoletipcompletewithtwothickfriction
washers,mountingscrew,lockwasherandthumbnut.
18"round,concentricsearchcoilwith3'cable
19VoltAlkalineBattery
1Extrasetoftwothinfrictionwashers
1OperatorInstructionManual
1TesoroWarrantyCard
Ifanyoftheseitemsaremissing,contacttheTesoroAuthorizedDealerwhereyoupurchasedyourdetectorimmediately.
AssemblyoftheµMAXBandidoissimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.JustInstallthebattery,mountthesearchcoilonthelowerpole
assembly,connectthetwopoleassembliestogether,wraptheexcesscablearoundthepoleandplugthecableintothecontrolhousing.Finally,
adjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangleandyou'reready!
INSTALLTHEBATTERY
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformance.The
batteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutes,andthenperiodicallywhenusedforlongdurations.Formore
detailedinformationgotoPerformingtheAudioBatteryTestunderTUNINGYOURDETECTOR. 
Toinstallorreplacethebattery,firstmakesuretheSENSITIVITYcontrolissettoPOWOFFturnedcompletelycounterclockwisepastthe
"click".Removethebatterydoorfromthebackofthecontrolhousing.Dothisbypressingyourthumbfirmlyonthelouveredsquare atthebottom
ofthebatterydoorandslidingthebatterydoorupward(inthedirectionofthearrow)whilepushing.
Connectafreshsingle9voltalkalinebatterytothebatteryleadterminals.Makecertainthepolaritysnapstofitproperly.Apoorconnection
maycausethedetectortoacterraticallyorfailtooperatecompletely.
Placethebatteryintothebatterycompartmentwithoutpullingorstretchingthebatteryleadwires.Replacethebatterydoorbyslidingitinto
placemakingsuretheuppermountslotsareinlineandthelocktongueissnappedintoplace.
ASSEMBLINGYOURDETECTOR
1. Onthelowerpoleassembly,graspthepoletipfirmlyinonehand.Withtheotherhand,fullydepressthetwospringbuttonsonthe
oppositeendoftheassembly.
2. Pullthemiddlestemoutfarenoughforthespringbuttonstoclickintothefirstsetoftheadjustmentholeslockingtheassemblyinto
placeagain.
3. Removethemountingscrewandthumbnutfromtheblacknylonpoletip.
4. Insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsandthesearchcoilandaligntheholesofthepoletipandwasherswiththoseofthe
mountingears.
Note:thepoletipshouldfitverysnuglyintothemountingears,however,itmaybenecessarytousethethinfrictionwashersinstead.
5. Insertthemountingscrewthroughtheholesinthemountingearsandpoletipenteringfromthesideoppositethecableconnection.
6. Installthethumbnutonthemountingscrewandtightenbyhand.
Note:Donotovertightenthethumbnut.Itshouldbesnug,butnottoodifficulttoloosenup. 
7. Ontheupperpoleassembly,depressthetwospringbuttonsandslidetheupperassemblyintothelowerpoleassemblyuntilthespring
buttonsclickintotheholeslockingthetwoassembliesintoplace.Tightentheknurlednuttosecurethetwoassembliestogether.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto “see”thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
8. Wrapthecablearoundthepoleleavingenoughslacknearthesearchcoiltopermitsearchcoiladjustment.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto"see"thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
9. Plugthemalecableendintothefemaleconnectoronthecontrolhousingandtightenthecablethumbnut.Youarefinished! 
Note:Youwillwanttoadjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangletoyourpreference.
ADJUSTINGTHEPOLE&SEARCHCOIL
Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedsothatthedetectordoesnotbecomeuncomfortableortiringafter
longperiodsofuse.Thedetectorgripshouldrestinyourhandwithyourarmrelaxed,yourelbowstraightbut
notlocked,withthepoleextendingoutinfrontofyouattheapproximateangleshowninthephoto. 
Youshouldbeabletoswingthedetectorbackandforthinfrontofyou—usingrelaxedshoulder
movement—whilekeepingthesearchcoilasclosetothegroundaspossible.Thisswingingmovementisoften
calleda“sweep.”
Thesearchcoilshouldnottouchthegroundduringyoursweep.Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedto
allowthiswithouthavingtoliftthedetectorwithyourelboworshoulder.Thesearchcoilshouldrestaboutone
inchabovethegroundwhileyouarestandingerect.Theangleofthesearchcoilshouldallowthebottomto
beparalleltotheground.
Thepolelengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthepoleuntil
thespringbuttonsclickintothesetofholesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablepolelength.
Toadjustthesearchcoilangle,simplyloosenthesearchcoilthumbnutslightlyandmovethesearchcoil
intothedesiredposition.Tightenthesearchcoilthumbnutbyhandsothatthesearchcoilwillholdinplace.
QUICKSTARTSELFGUIDEDTUTORIAL
TheQuickStartisdesignedtohelpyouuseyournewµMAXBandidometaldetectorrightaway,evenif
youhaveneverusedametaldetectorbefore.Justfolloweacheasystepcarefullyandyou'llquicklyseehowthebasicdetectorfunctionswork.
You'llalsobeintroducedtosomeimportantconceptsontheway.
Here'swhatyouwillneed:
1. YourfullyassembledµMAXBandidometaldetector
2. Threenewercoins:apenny*,anickelandaquarter
3. Anonmetaltableorcountersurface
4. Approximately20minutestocompletetheQuickStart
*mustbe1984ornewermadeofzinc
Here’swhatyouwilldo:
1. PerformanAudioBatteryTest
2. AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
3. PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
4. PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
PreparefortheQuickstart
PlaceyourassembledµMAXBandidoonthenonmetalsurface.Makesuretherearenometalobjectsnearthecoil.Removeanyjewelryfrom
yourhandsandwrists.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVTYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoNORM
lMODEswithsettoDISC
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange:
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop.
TheGROUNDcontrolshouldbeleftatthissettingfortheentireQuickStart. 
Step1PerformanAudioBatteryTest
lTurntheSENSIIVITYcontrolfromPOWOFFto1
Youwillhearthebatterytesttoneforafewsecondsasthebatteryisautomaticallytested.Whenthetonestopsthedetectorisonthecontrols
arereadyforadjusting.
FunctionDemonstrated:Howthebatterytesttonewilltellyouthebatteryisworkingeachtimethedetectoristurnedon. 
NOTE:YoushouldalwaysperformtheAudioBatteryTestwithModeSwitchsettoDISC. 
Step2AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
nTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolfrom1to8
Thisisagoodsettingtobeginwitheachtimeyouuseyourdetector.LeavethecontrolatthissettingfortherestoftheQuickStart.
FunctionDemonstrated:WheretosettheSENSITIVITYcontrolforbasicoperation. 
Step3PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
IdentifytheThresholdSound
IdentifyTargetResponse
RetunetheThreshold
lFliptheMODEswitchtoALLMETAL
Listentothecontinuous,fairlyeventone.Thisiscalledthe"thresholdsound".Youwillhearthethresholdsoundonlywhenoperatingthe
detectorinAllMetalMode.
Holdthequarterinyourfingertipsandmovethequarterfromsidetosideabout12inchesfromthefrontofthesearchcoil. 
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitfromsidetoside  untilyouhearthethresholdsound
increase.Thisincreaseinvolumeiscalledthe"targetresponsesound". 
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoldstillandthenmovingitslightly.Trypassingitinfrontoftheedgeofthesearchcoilandthenunder
thecenter.Noticethedifferencesinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange.
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary,sometimessubtly.
Yourdetectorwillrespondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalwhentheobjectisinthesearchcoil'ssensitivityareaor"range".Operatingyour
detectorinthiswayiscalleda"nomotionAllMetalModewithNormalTune".
Retuningthethreshold
Holdthequarterstillabout2to4inchesfromthesearchcoil,inlinewiththesearchcoilcenter.Listentothetargetresponsesoundfor1or2
seconds.Donotmovethequarter!
lFliptheMODEswitchtoRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticethatthetargetresponsesoundwilldecreasetotheregularlevelofthethresholdsound.Now,slowlymovethequarterfromsidetoside,
goingpasttheedgeofthesearchcoil.Noticetheregularthresholdsoundisgoneandthetargetresponsesoundisnowa"beep"thatoccurswhen
thetargetpassesinfrontofthesearchcoilcenter.Thistechniqueisusedto"pinpoint"theexactlocationofanobject. 
Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoil.
lFliptheMODEswitchtoeRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticetheregularthresholdreturns.Movethequarterclosetothesearchcoilandnoticetheloudcontinuoustargetresponsesoundhas
returned.Takethequarterawayagain.
lFliptheTUNEswitchtoAUTO
Holdthequarterstillnearthesearchcoilforafewsecondandnoticethedetectorautomaticallyretunesitself.Then,trymovingthecoinfrom
sidetosideandnoticethetargetresponsesoundisa"beep".Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoilforafewsecondsandtryitagain.Now,try
thistestwiththedifferentcoinsusingbothtuningmethodsandlistforthedifferencesinthesounds. 
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)HowtheAllMetalModetargetresponsesoundwillvarydependingonthevariousfactorssuchaswhattypeof
metaltargetsareburiedintheground,howdeeptheyare,howfastyoumoveyoursearchcoilandsoon.2)Howthedetector'sthresholdcanreturn
manuallyinNormalTuneorautomaticallyinAutoTuneandhowthiseffectsthetargetresponsesound.
Step4PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
IdentifytheTargetResponse
UseDiscrimination
lFliptheMODEswitchtoDISC
lLeavetheDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
NOTE:InDiscriminateMode,youwillnothearthecontinuousthresholdsoundoftheAllMetalMode,soreturningisnotneeded.
Holdthequarterinyourhandandmovethequarterbackandforthabout12inchesinfrontofthesearchcoilbottom.
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitbackandforthuntilyouheara"beep".Thisbeepthetarget
responsesound.
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoinstillthenmovingitslightly.Noticethedifferenceinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange. 
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary.Yourdetectorcan
respondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalifthereismovementbetweentheobjectandthedetector.Operatingyourdetectorinthiswayis
calleda"SilentSearch".
lTurntheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMINtoMAX
Passthequarterbackandforthinfrontofandclosetothesearchcoilbottom.Noticethesoundasthecoinnearsthecenterofthesearchcoil.
Now,trythiswiththenickelandthenthezincpenny.Noticethereisnosoundwiththesetwocoins.Theabilityofametaldetectortoignore
certaintypesofmetalthatitencountersiscalled"discrimination".Usingyourdetectorinthiswayiscalleda"SilentSearchDiscriminateMode". 
Controlsettingstoignoremostzincandnickelobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVELMAX
lMovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMAXto7
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthecoil.Noticethequarterandthezincpennynowcauseatargetresponsesound. 
Controlsettingstoignoremostnickelcanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL7
lNowmovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfrom7to4
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthesearchcoil.Noticeallthreecoinsnowcauseatargetresponsesound.
ControlsettingstoincludenewerUScoinswhileexcludingmostironobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL4
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)ThemotionbasedoperationandtargetresponsesoundofSilentSearchDiscriminateMode.2)Howthe
DiscriminateModecanbeusedtohelpdeterminethetypesofmetalatargetmaybe.ByadjustingtheDISCLEVELcontrolyoucanselectwhat
metalsyourdetectorwillignore.
Conclusion
Welldone!YouhavefinishedtheQuickStartGuideandhaveoperatedmanyofthebasicdetectingfeaturesofthe µMAXBandido.Youhave
alsobeenintroducedtotheideasof:1)"targetresponsesound",2)"thresholdsound",3)"returningthethreshold",4)"targetdiscrimination"and5)
"targetpinpointing".
Nowyouarealmostreadytobeginthejourneyintotheartofmetaldetectingbyactuallyusingyourdetectortofindburiedmetal.Butfirsta
wordaboutairtests.
TheairtestsintheQuickStartareoflimitedvalue.Metaldetectorsperformdifferentlyinairteststhanwheninactualuse"inthefield".Tesoro
detectorsarespecificallydesignedtodeliverthebestperformanceinthefield.
TheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESandTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionswillgiveyoumoredetailedinformationonhowtosetyour
detector'scontrols,especiallyselectingatuningmodeandusingdiscrimination,forthebestresults. 
BeforeyouuseyourµMAXBandidointhefieldyouneedtolearnhowtooperateonemorefeatures:theGROUNDcontrol.Usingthe
GROUNDcontroltoproperly"GroundBalance"yourµMAXBandidowillallowyoutotapintoitsfullpowerandperformancecapabilitiesandis
perhapsthemostimportantfeaturetomaster.TheGroundBalancesectionwillexplainstepbystephowtousethisfeature.
Finally,theonlywayyoucanbecometrulyproficientatusingyourdetectortofindburiedtreasureistouseitinthefieldandlearnfrom
experience!However,westronglysuggestthatyoureadthisentiremanualtobecomeproficientwithallofthefeaturesasyoucontinuetouseyour
detector.
Youhavethefinesttoolavailable,nowallyouneedistheskillthatcomesfromexperience.
TOTURNYOURDETECTOROFF:
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTOPOWOFF
Counterclockwisepastthe"click".
TOTURNYOURDETECTORON:
lMAKESURETHEMODESWITCHISSETTODISC
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTO1
Clockwisepastthe"click".
OPERATINGTECHNIQUESCONTROLS
TheµMAXBandidohasonlyfivecontrols,allmountedonthefrontpanelofthehousingforfingertipadjustment.Howthesecontrolsshould
besetforpeakperformancewilldependonthetypeofmetalyouaresearchingfor,searchsiteconditions,mineralcontentofthesoilandsoforth.
UsetheinformationinthissectionandtheTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionasabasisforsettingthecontrolsonyourdetector.Usingyour
detectorinthefieldwillallowyoutolearnthedetector'sresponsestovariousconditionsandwillguideyouinfinetuningthedetector'soperating
controls.
SENSITIVITYON/OFFSensitivityControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasthreefunctions:
lTurnsthedetectorONandOFF
lActivatestheautomaticAudioBatteryTest
lAdjuststheSensitivityLevel
NOTE:Thedetectorshouldalwaysbeturnedoffwhennotinuse. 
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwisepasttheinitial"click"turnsthedetectoronandactivestheautomaticAudioBatteryTestcircuit.This
testwillgiveyouasound,usuallylastingseveralseconds,thatindicatesthebattery'scondition.WhentheAudioBatteryTestisover,thedetector ’s
SensitivityLevelcanbeadjusted.
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector'sSensitivityLevel.Thelevelfrom1upto10isthenormalrange.Thisrange
correspondswiththenormalSensitivityonstandarddetector's.TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobpast10intotheorangeareaputstheSensitivity
intotheMAXBoostrangefoundonlytheµMAXdetectors.
NOTE:ItisbesttoturnthedetectoroninDiscriminateMode.SincetheDiscriminateModeisasilentmodewithnocontinuousthreshold
sound,itwillbeobviouswhentheAudioBatteryTestiscomplete.
IfyouturnthedetectoroninAllMetalModetheAudioBatteryTestsoundwillbeimmediatelyfollowedbythethresholdsound.Thismay
makeitdifficulttohearthebatterytestendanddiscernthebatterycondition.
Also,theSensitivityLevelisbestsetwhileintheDiscriminateMode.AftertheAudioBatterTestisoverandtheSensitivityLevelisproperly
set,youmaychangetheoperatingmodetoAllMetalwithoutdifficulty.
DISTLEVELDiscriminationLevelControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheDiscriminationLevel.
OncethedetectorisintheDiscriminateMode,theDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sDiscriminationLevel.TurningtheDISC
LEVELknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector ’sDiscriminationLevelandviceversa.
NOTE:WhenthedetectorisoperatingintheAllMetalModetheDISCLEVELcontrolisnotused. 
TUNETuningModeSelectionSwitch
Thistoggleswitchhasonefunction:
lSetstheTuningMode:NormalorAuto
Thistogglehastopositions:TotherightlabeledAUTOitlocksinplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoAutomatic.Totheleft 
labeledNORMthelockstheplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoNormal.NOTE:ThetuningModeisusedonlywhenoperatingintheAll
MetalMode.
MODEModeSelection/RetuneSwitch
Thecombinationtoggleswitchhastwofunctions.
lSetstheoperatingmode:AllMetalorDiscriminate
lRetunesthethresholdinAllMetalMode.
Thistogglehasthreepositions:TotherightlabeledDISCitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoDiscriminate.Tothecenter
labeledALLMETitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoAllMetal.TotheleftlabeledRETUNEitspringreturnstothecenter
positionandretunesthedetector’sthresholdwhileremaininginAllMetalMode.So,thiscomboswitchfunctionsasaRetuneSwitchbypressing
theswitchcompletelytotheleftandreleasingitsoitspringsbacktothecenterposition.
NOTE:Manualretuning(MODE/RETUNE)isusedonlywhenoperatingintheAllMetalModewithTuningsettoNormal(TUNE/NORM). 
GROUNDGroundBalanceControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheGroundBalance
ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalModesamplingsothattheµMAXBandidoignoresthenormalgroundmineralization.Makingthis
adjustmentisoftencalled"GroundBalancing".Theknobwillturncontinuallyineitherdirection,althoughitseffectuserangeisonly3 ¾turns.
Onceyouhaveturnedtheknobtotheendofitsuserangeineitherdirection,youshouldnoticeaslightincreasein"drag"astheknobisturned.
Whenyoufeelthe"drag"youmayimmediatelyreversedirectiontoentertheeffectiveuserangeofthenext3 ¾turns.
NOTE:TheGROUNDcontroldoesaffectbothoperatingmodesbyshouldbeadjustedinAllMetalMode.
TUNINGYOURDETECTOR
Everydetectormustbeproperlytunedinordertoperformatitspeakandprovidemaximumdepth.Infact,themorepowerfuladetectoris,the
morecriticalthetuningbecomes.Lesspowerfuldetectorsaremoretolerantofimpropertuning,butarealsonotcapableofthedepthofaproperly
tunedhighpowerdetectorsuchastheµMAXBandido.ToachievepeakperformancefromyourµMAXBandido,besuretoproperlyadjustthe
GROUNDcontrolintheAllMetalMode.Thesettingsofthiscontrolwillalsoaffectthedetector ’sperformanceinDiscriminateMode,somakesure
toadjustitproperlyfirst,evenifyouwillnotbehuntinginAllMetalMode.Remember:impropertuningwillreduceperformanceandcanalso
cause"false"anderroneous"ghostingsignals".
TuningyourµMAXBandidocanbedonein5simplesteps:
1. GroundBalancingthedetectorusingtheGROUNDcontrol.
2. SettingtheoperatingmodeusingtheMODEswitch.
3. SettingthetuningmodeusingtheTUNEswitch.
4. SettingtheSensitivitylevelusingtheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
5. SettingtheDiscriminationlevelusingtheDISCLEVELcontrol.
NOTE:GroundBalancingshouldbedonewhileinAllMetalModeandAutoTuneMode.SettingtheDiscriminationLevelandtheSensitivity
LevelshouldbedonewhileoperatinginDiscriminateMode.
GroundBalancing
GroundBalancingisnotadifficultprocedure,butitiscriticalifyoudesiremaximumdepthandstability.Itisespeciallyimportantifyouplan
togoldnuggethuntformatchheadsizedorsmallernuggetsinahighlymineralizedground.
NOTE:Nomatterwhereyouwillbesearching,orwhetheryouwillbeoperatingintheAllMetalModeorDiscriminateMode,makesurethe
detectorisproperlyGroundBalancedintheAllMetalModewithAutoTuneModefirst.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVITYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoAUTO
lMODEswitchsettoALLMETAL
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop
Next:
lTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolsetto10
Wait3to4secondsuntiltheAudioBatterytestiscomplete.
Raisethesearchcoilto6to8inchesabovetheground,levelandparalleltotheground.Whilelisteningtothethresholdsound,lowerthe
searchcoilquicklytothegroundlevelandlistentowhatthethresholdsounddoes.
Oneofthreethingswillhappentothesound:1)thesoundwillincrease,2)thesoundwillgosilent,or3)thesoundwillremainthesame.
WhichoneofthesehappenswilldeterminewhatyouneedtodotoproperlyGroundBalanceyourdetectorfortheareayouareat. 
1)Ifthethresholdsoundgetslouderwhenyoulowerthesearchcoil,itmeanstheGROUNDknobneedstogotheleft.
2)Ifthedetectorgoessilentandyoulosethethresholdsoundmomentarily,thenyouwillneedtoturntheGROUNDknobtotheright. 
3)Ifthereisnochangeinthethresholdsoundasyoulowerthesearchcoiltotheground,thenyoujusthappentoalreadyhavetheproper
groundbalanceandcanproceedtohunt.
StartoutusingslightturnsoftheGROUNDknob,thedistanceofthemovementbeingequivalenttoaboutonehouronaclockface.The
entireeffectiveareaofthiscontrolis3¾turnsfromminimumtomaximum,soifyoustartGroundBalancinginthemiddleoftheeffectiverangeit
willonlytakeabouttwocompleteturnsineitherdirectiontobeatoneendoftheeffectiverange.
NOTE:TherearethreeimportantthingstorememberwhenGroundBalancingwiththismethod. 
First,youareintheAutoTunemodeandonceyouhesitateatgroundlevelforasecondortwo,thedetectorwillretunethethreshold
automatically.Therefore,whenyoulowerthesearchcoiltowardtheground,youareonlylisteningfortheinitialchangeinvolume. 
Second,makeyouareGroundBalancinginacleanareaandnotloweringthesearchcoildownoverapieceofmetal. 
Third,whenyouraisethesearchcoilbesurethatyouDONOTtiltthesearchcoilatanangle.
Bycontinually"pumping"thesearchcoilfrom6to8inchesabovethegroundtogroundlevelandbackupintheairagainwhileturningthe
GROUNDknobintheappropriatedirection,youwillveryquicklyreachthepointwherethereistheabsoluteminimalchangeinthresholdsound
duringthepumping.Whenyouhavereachedthatpointyouare"GroundBalanced"andcanbeginsearchingthearea. 
NOTE:ChanginggroundmineralizationmaymakeoccasionalsmalladjustmentstotheGROUNDknobnecessarytomaintainpeak
performance.
Selectingtheproperoperatingmode
TheµMAXBandidoofferstwooperatingmodes,AllMetalModeandDiscriminateMode. 
TheDiscriminateModeis"SilentSearch"operatingmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillmakenosounduntilitencountersametaltarget.
Thismoderequiresthatthesearchcoilbemovingslightlyfortargetdetection.
TheAllMetalMode,however,isa"nomotion"operationmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillemitacontinuous"thresholdsound"untilit
encountersametaltargetatwhichtimethesoundwillnoticeablyincrease.Thismodedoesnotrequiremotionsothesearchcoilcanbeheldstill
fortargetdetectionifneeded.
TheAllMetalMode,asthenameimplies,willdetectalltypesofmetaltargets.Whenoperatinginthismodeyouwillfindunwanted"trash"
metalobjectssuchasnails,foil,pulltabs,etc.,justasyouwouldwithanyhighperformancedetector.TheAllMetalModeispreferredforhunting
relics,artifactsandotherobjectsthataremadeofnon preciousmetalsespeciallyiron.Thismodeisalsogoodforbeachhuntingwherethesand
allowseasydiggingandtimewastedondigginguptrashmetalobjectsisnotamajorconcern. 
TheAllMetalModemustbeusedforgoldnuggethunting,sincetheresponsetosmallgolditemsissoclosetoiron.Formostnuggethunting,
theAllMetalMode&AutoTuneModecombinationwillprovidethebestperformancealthoughsomespecialattentionforhotrocksmaybe
necessary(seeSelectinghepropertuningmode).
TheDiscriminateModewillallowyoutocontrolthedetector'sresponsetomostofthecommontrashmetalobjectsfoundinschoolyards,
parks,andbeaches.Discriminatemodeisgenerallyusedfor"coinshooting"suchareaswhereyouprefertoavoidwastingtimediggingup
commontrashmetal.TheDiscriminationLevelyouselectwilldeterminewhattypesofmetalyourdetectorwillignore.
Inmanyothermetaldetectors,theAllMetalModeoffersgreaterdepthupto30%overtheDiscriminationMode.Notsowiththe µMAX
detectors.ThenewµMAXcircuitrywithMAXBoostovercomesthiscommonproblemanddeliverssuperiorsensitivityandbetterdepthinboth
operatingmodes.
Selectingthepropertuningmode
TheAutoTuneMode(TUNEAUTO)ontheµMAXBandidoisafastautomatictuningthattakesjust2to3secondstoautomaticallyadjust
itself.TheAutoTunequicklyretunesthedetectortoitsestablishedthresholdfollowingatargetresponse.
AutoTuneModealsokeepsthedetector'ssignalfromdrifting.ThistuningmodeoffersmaximumstabilitywhilesearchinginAllMetalMode
andisrecommendforgoldnuggethunting.
TheNormalTuningMode(TUNENORM)willholdatarget'ssignalwithoutretuningforaslongasthesearchcoilisheldstationarydirectly
overthetarget.Somedriftmayoccurinthismode,butisquicklyremediedbymanuallyretuningusingtheMODEswitch(MODE RETUNE).For
precisepinpointing,identifyingtargetsize,linetracingandoresamplinginAllMetalMode,usetheNormalTuneMode. 
Fastautomatictuningcancausean"overshootsignal"on"hotrocks"thatis,amomentarysilenceasthesearchcoilsweepsoveranextremely
mineralizedrock,followedbyaloud"boing"soundwhenthesearchcoilpassesclearofit.Thissoundissodifferentfromagoodtargetresponse
sound,thatitiseasilyrecognized.(Theonlyproblemwithjustignoringthesesoundsovershootsignalsisthatasmallgoldnuggetmaybehiding
beneaththehotrock).Also,theAutoTuningModewillcausea“nulling”ofthethresholdsoundwhenthesearchcoilsweepsoveraverystrong
metaltarget.
SettingtheSensitivityLevel
Inlightlytomoderatelymineralizedground,youcanusuallysettheSENSITIVITYcontrolashighas8to10(normalmaximumsetting).Inthe
rightconditionsyoucanmovetheSENSITIVITYintotheMAXBoostareaforincreaseddepth.
ToadjusttheSensitivityLeveltoyoursearchconditions,firstsettheoperatingmodetoDISCandturntheSENSITIVITYcontrolclockwiseas
faraspossibleuntilthedetectorjustbeginsto"chirp"intermittently.Ifthechirpingistoofrequent,simplyturnthecontrolcounterclockwisejust
enoughtocausethechirpingtosubside.Onceset,thiscontrolshouldnotrequirereadjustingunlesssiteconditionschange. 
Occasionallyyoumayneedtoreducethesettingtoeliminate"falsesignals"causedbydifficultconditions.Someofthemanythingsthatcan
causetheresponseofthedetectortobecomeerraticduringregularuseareverylargetargets,highlymineralizedgroundontrashysites,intense
groundmineralizationchanges,CBradios,radioandTVbroadcastingantennas,andnearbysourcesofelectricalinterference.
Thesefalsesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsthatarenotrepeatableandtherefore,caneasilybedistinguishedfromagoodtarget
responsesound.Theycanbedistracting,though,andreducingtheSensitivitylevelwillhelpreducethesesignalswithanaccompanyinglossof
targetsensitivity.
ExtremeconditionssuchassaltwetsandmayrequireyoutoloweryourSensitivitysettingintothe2to5range.Overall,youshouldalwaysset
theSensitivitycontrolashighaspossible,whilestillgettingsmoothoperation. 
NOTE:ThenomotionAllMetalModeoftheµMAXBandidoisnotaffectedbytheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
SettingtheSensitivityLevelinMAXBoost
TheMAXBoostfeatureisahighgainboostoverandabovethenormalmaximumof10andindicatedbytheorangeareaonthe
SENSITIVITYcontrol.UsingMAXBoostwillcausenoharmtoyourdetectorbut,incertainconditionsitcanresultintheannoyingchirpingsounds
thatmaymakeitdifficulttohearagoodtargetresponsesound. 
InidealconditionsMAXBoostcanaddinchesofdepthtoyoursearchwithnochirping.Indifficultconditionstheextradepthwillstillbethere
butheavychirpingmaymakethefeaturetodifficulttouse.YoumustdeterminewhenandhowmuchoftheMAXboostfeaturetouseforyour
searchsiteconditions.
SettingtheDiscriminationLevel
TheDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedtrashmetalwhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode.Atthe
lowestsetting(MIN),thedetectorwillignoremostironobjects,butwillstillrespondtolightfoil,bottlecaps,pulltabsandmostothermetalobjects.
AstheDiscriminationLevelisincreased,moreofthesetrashmetalobjectsareignoredandgivenotargetresponsesoundwheninsidethe
searchcoil’srange.
TheDISCLEVELshouldbesettoyourdesired"rejectionlevel"fortheparticularareayouaresearching.Werecommendstartingatalow
settingifyouareunsureofhowmuchtrashisinthearea.Adjustthelevelhigherifyoufindyourselfdiggingmoretrashthenyoulike.Remember
thatwithanymetaldetector,youwilllosetargetresponsetosmallgoldringsandnickelswhendiscriminationissetatthepulltabrejectionlevel.
So,diggingsometrashwillincreaseyournumberofgoodfinds.
Thebelowdiagram"DISCLEVELDiscriminationLevelSettings"showsthesettingswheremanyofthecommonmetalobjectsareignored
byatypicaldetector.Eachdetectorcanvaryalittleduetomanufacturingtolerance soyoushouldexperimentwithyourdetectorandbecome
familiarwithitsrejectionlevelsforthesetrashmetalobjects.
Earliermotiondetectorsthatoperatedwithacontinuous"threshold"soundwouldgivetheuseradefiniteindicationoftrashmetalbyeither
"nulling"completely(nosoundmadetemporarily)orbygeneratingshort,choppysounds.SincetheµMAXBandido'sDiscriminateModeisSilent
Searchandoperateswithoutthresholdsound,thereisnonullingtoindicatethattheareaisextremelytrashy. 
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateModewerecommendthatyouperiodicallyswitchtoAllMetalModeandchecktheareayouare
searchingtogetanideaofhowmuchtrashisreallythere.Inextremelytrashyareasitmaybedesirabletoswitchtoasmallersearchcoil,even
thoughdoingsomaycausealossofdepth.Thesmallercoilwillallowyouabetterchanceoffindingcoinsbetweentheclosepiecesoftrash.

PerformingtheAudioBatteryTest
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformancefromit.
Thebatteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutesandthenperiodicallyifyouareusingitforlongperiods.
ToactivatetheAudioBatteryTest,simplyturnthedetectoroffmomentarilyandthenbackonagain.Ifthebatteryisfresh,thedetectorshould
emitacontinuousandloud"Beep"soundthatlastsforabout4or5seconds,andthenslowlyfadesintosilence.Asthebatteryages,thissoundis
lessintenseandfadesoutmorequickly.Whenyouhearonlyabrief"buzz"ornosoundatall,replacethebatterywithafreshone. 
Ifyouprefer,arechargeableNickelCadmium(NiCad)batterycanbesubstituteforthestandard9voltalkalinebattery.Individual9voltsize
NiCadcells,aswellasthechargersforthem,arereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores.Theyareinstalledintoyourdetectorinthe
samemannerasnonrechargeablebatteries.TheBatteryTestsoundonaNi Cadwillbeweakerthananalkalineinthebeginning,butwillnot
weakenasmuchwithuse.
ControllingAudioVolume
ThespeakerintheµMAXdoesnothaveavolumecontrol.Thevolumeshouldbesufficienttoaccuratelyhearthetargetresponsesoundin
mostenvironments.Ifmoreorlessvolumeisrequiredinyourparticularsituationwerecommendusingasetofgoodqualityheadphoneswitha
builtinvolumecontrol.
FIELDUSE
HandlingYourDetector
Thedetectorshouldbeheldinapositionthatiscomfortableforyouasshowninthe"AdjustingthePole&Searchcoil"sectionin"Getting
Started."Swingthedetectorfromsidetosideinaboutathreefootarc,overlappingsucceedingstrokeswell.Thismotioniscalleda “sweep.”The
µMAXBandidowasdesignedtogetmaximumdepthwithoutthefranticpacerequiredofearliermotiondetectors,sogoatapacethatis
comfortableforyou.Infact,tryingtohunttoofastmayevencausealossofdepthinheavilymineralizedlocations. 
Regardlessofwhichmodeyouareusing,trytokeepyoursearchcoilheightconstantandclosetotheground.Mostpeopletendtoraisethe
coilattheendofasweep—muchlikeapendulum—especiallyifinahurry.Trytoavoidthis,asanyincreaseinheightfromthegroundwillcause
acorrespondinglossofdepth.
Inareaswithwellkeptlawns,theeasiestwaytomaintainaconstantsearchcoilheightistoallowthecoiltorestonthegrassasyousweep
fromsidetoside.Inroughandrockyareas,itisbestnotto“scrub”thecoilontheground,astherockswillactlikeabrasivesandwearawaythecoil
bottom(anoptionalcoilscuffcoverwillprotectagainstthis).Sweepthecoilasclosetothegroundaspossiblewithouttouching.Hittingtheground
orrocksmaycauseafalsesignalmuchlikeadesiredtargetwould.Sweepingthecoiltoohighabovethegroundresultsinalossofdepth.
PlantingaTestGarden
Tobetterlearnhowyourdetectorwillperforminthefield,itwouldbehelpfultoburysomecoinsandtrashmetaljunkitemsinanareathat
youknowisclearofothermetalobjects,andthentrytheµMAXBandidoinitstwodifferentoperatingmodes.ChecktheareainAllMetalMode
firsttobesureitsclearoftrashthenburythetargetsatleast1footapart,andfrom2to4inchesdeeptostart.Makeamapoftheareatobesure
youknowwhateachtargetisandhowdeepitis.Practiceonthesetargetstofamiliarizeyourselfwithyourdetector’stargetresponse.Thiswillalso
helpyoulearnthepropersweepspeedforbestoperation.Thistypeofpracticeareaisoftencalleda“testgarden”or“testbed”andisoneofbest
toolstohelpyoudevelopyourmetaldetectingskills.
RecognizingFalseSignalsinDiscriminateMode
WhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode,some“falsesignals”maybecausedby1)heavyconcentrationsoftrashmetalobjects,2)verylarge
trashmetalobjects,or3)electricalinterference.Thesesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsandsounddifferentthan “goodsignals”(good
targetresponsesounds).
Attheendofyoursweep,asyouthereversethecoildirection,thedetectorismostsusceptibletotrashinducednoise.Therearetwowaysto
tellwhetherthesesoundsaregooddeepsignalsortrash“noise.”Thefirstisbyrepeatability.Trashinducednoiseswillnotberegularasyousweep
thecoiloverthesuspectedtargetseveraltimes,whereasagoodtargetresponsewillberepeatable.ThesecondmethodistoswitchtoAllMetal
Modeandcheckthetargetresponsesound.Iftheresponseisweak,itmaywellbeadeep,goodtarget;butiftheresponseisverystrong,itis
probablytrash.Notethatacoinclosetothesurfacecangiveadoublebeepsound,butitisregularandrepeatable.Raisingthecoilaninchortwo
willrestorethesinglebeeponsurfacetargets.
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateMode,itisbestnottouseahigherDISCLEVELsettingthannecessary.Nickelsandmostsmallerringsare
rejectedwhentheDISCLEVELissettorejectpulltabsonanymetaldetectorthatisaTRDiscriminatorliketheµMAXBandido.Ifyoudon’tdig
anyjunkatall,youaresurelypassingupalotofgoodfindsaswell.SettheDISCLEVELonlyhighenoughtosuittheconditionswhereyouare
searching.Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,digit.
PinpointingaTarget
Whenpinpointingatarget,theAllMetalMode/NormalTuningModecanofferadvantagesoverDiscriminateMode,suchasnofalsesignals
andnoneedtomovethesearchcoiltogetatargetresponse.
AgoodmethodforpinpointinginAllMetalmodeis“Xing”thetargetwiththesearchcoil.Rememberthatthetargetsresponsesoundisalways
greatestwhenthetargetisdirectlyunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.To “X”atarget,sweepthesearchcoiloverthetargetfromsidetosideand
themfromfronttobackuntilyoucanidentifythecenteroftheX:thespotonthegroundwherethetargetresponsesoundisthegreatest.Holdyour
searchcoilstationaryoverthecenteroftheXandhittheRETUNEswitch.NowrepeattheX ing;thistimewatchingfortheexactspot—underthe
coilcenter—wherethedetectorbeeps.Thatspotiswherethetargetislocated. 
PinpointingatargetinDiscriminateModeisprobablybestdoneby“Xing”aswell.Rememberthatthedetectorwillbeepjustasthetarget
passesunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.SlowingthesweepspeeddownwillhelpyoupickoutthecenteroftheXbecausethetargetresponseis
reducedatveryslowspeedsmakingiteasiertocorrelatethesoundwiththecoilcenter. 
Anothereasymethodistosweepthecoilfromsidetosideacrossthetargetinveryshortsweeps,asyouslowlymoveforwardandbackward
acrossthetarget.Slowdownthesweeprateandshortenthesweepsuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Thetargetwillbedirectly
belowthecoilcenteratthisresponsetime.
AnothermethodofpinpointinginDiscriminateModeistoquicklychangetoAllMetalModetocheckthetargetresponse.RememberthatAll
MetalModeisnotsusceptibletothefalsesignalsofDiscriminateModeandcansometimesgiveaclearerandmoreconsistentresponsetodifficult
targetssuchasadimeburiednexttoapulltab.ByswitchingbackandforthbetweenmodesandcomparingthetargetresponsesoundinAllMetal
tothetargetresponsesoundinDiscriminateyoucanoftenbetteridentifythelikelylocationofthetarget.
Finally,raisingthesearchcoilduringpinpointingcanalsohelpbynarrowingtheresponsetothetarget.Practicepinpointingoften,andyou
willsoonbecomemoreaccurateandfaster.
RecoveringaTarget
Ifthetargetisshallowandthesoilissoft,youmaybeableto“probe”andfindtheexactlocationofthetargetbeforeyoudigit.Sincefilling
allholesafteryourecoverthetargetissoimportant,diggingasmallpreciseholeisbest.Ifthetargetisdeep,youmayneedtodigalargerhole.
Asyoudig,occasionallychecktheholewithyourdetectortoseeifyouhavemovedtheobject,canprobeit,orhavealreadydugit.Besuretofill
allholesafteryourecoverthetarget.Twomethodsareshownonthenexttwopagesthatworkmosteverywhere.
Besuretoprotectyourhobbybyleavingthesitecleanerthanyoufounditandwithallholesfilled!
RECOMMENDEDRECOVERYMETHODS
GENERALINFORMATIONCAREANDUSE
BasicCare
TheµMAXBandidoisasturdyinstrumentbutitisnotdesignedtowithstandabuse.IncaringforyourµMAXBandidothereareseveral
important“DONOTs”toremember.DONOTuseittopryrockslooseortobeatbushesoutoftheway.DONOTdropthemachineintowater.DO
NOTuseitunprotectedintherain.DONOTleaveitexposedatnightwheredewcouldformonit.DONOTstoreitinplacesthatcouldget
extremelyhot(nexttoawoodstove,inanattic).DONOTleaveitinthetrunkofacarorinthebackofahatchbackstylecarwherehigh
temperaturescouldbuildup.DONOTstoreitwiththebatteryinstalledasbatteriesmayleak.DONOTspraylubricantssuchasWD40,oranytype
ofcleaners,solvents,sealantsorotherchemicalsintoorontotheelectronicparts,switchesorcontrols.Andfinally:DONOTattempttomodifyor
repairthedetector’selectronicsasthiswillvoidyourdetector'swarranty. 
THEWARRANTYDOESNOTCOVERDAMAGERESULTINGFROMANACCIDENT,NEGLECTORABUSE.
ProtectingYourInvestment
Somanydetectoristsaredisappointedwhentheirnewdetectorslowlybecomeslessandlessresponsiveandseemstohavelostsomeofits
originalperformance.Youcanhelpavoidthisfromhappeningtoyourdetectorbyfollowingthesebasiccareandprotectionguidelines.
lOperateyourdetectorexactlyasrecommendedinthisOperatorInstructionManual.
lUseonlyhighqualityalkalinebatteriesofthecorrectvoltage.Neversubstituteadifferentvoltage.WhenusingaNi Cadbattery,always
useaseparateconvertiblepackwiththepropervoltageoutputforthedetector ’sdesign.
lRemovethebatteryfromthedetectoraftereachuse.Thiswillpreventdamagetothedetectorifthebatteryleaks.
lThesearchcoilcableishardwiredtothesearchcoilandprotectedbyastrainrelief.Inspectthestrainrelieffrequentlytomakesureitis
firmlyattachedandintact.
lKeepcablesproperlywoundaroundthepolestemsandprotectthemduringuse.Floppy,pinched,orcablesthatbecomesnagged
duringusemayshort,causingerraticnoisesorunnecessaryreplacementofthesearchcoil.
lSweepthesearchcoilcarefully,especiallywhenusingaroundrocksandbuildingfoundations.Avoidhittingthesearchcoilagainsthard,
solidobjectsandsurfaces.
lKeepyoursearchcoilslightlyoffofthegroundduringthesweep,especiallywhenusingingravelorhard,rockydirt.
lAlwaysuseaproperlydesignedprotectivescuffcoveronthesearchcoil.(See"OptionalAccessories"inthenextsection.) 
lRemoveandcleanoutscuffcoversperiodicallytoavoidbuildupofmineralizeddirtparticleswhichwillaffectperformance.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofandcanbesubmergedineitherfreshorsaltwater.Afterthesearchcoilisusedinsaltwater,rinseitandthe
lowerstemassemblywellwithfreshwatertopreventcorrosionofthemetalparts.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofbuttheelectronicsarenot,soalwayspreventanymoistureorwaterfromenteringthecontrolhousingand
neverallowthecableconnectorstobecomesubmergedinwater.
lIfworkinginornearwater,orifthereisapossibilityofrain,useaprotectiveweatherresistantpouchorplasticbagtocoverthecontrol
housing.Makesureitcan"breathe"inordertoensureagainstcondensationbuildupinside.
lAftereachuse,cleanthedetectorwithasoftclothtoremovedust,moisture,orothercontaminants.
lWhentransportingthedetectorinacarduringhotweather,storeitonthefloorofthepassengercompartmentifpossible.Usingacarry
baggivesadditionalprotection.Inanycase,neverallowthedetectortorollaroundunprotectedinthetrunkorbackofapickuptruck.
lProtectyourdetectorfromdust,moisture,andextremetemperaturesduringstorage.
lWhenshipping,usetheoriginalfactorycartonorsimilarheavydutycontainerandprovideaminimumoneinchofpaddingaroundall
parts.
lTreatyourdetectorasyouwouldanysensitiveelectronicinstrument.Thoughruggedlyconstructedanddesignedtowithstandthe
demandsofnormaltreasurehunting,propercareisessential.
OPTIONALACCESSORIES
TesoroMetalDetectorsandgenuineTesoroAccessoriesaresoldonlythroughindependentTesoroAuthorizedDealers,whoarealmostalways
metaldetectoriststhemselves.TheycanansweryourquestionsaboutyourTesorodetector,whataccessoriesmaybehelpfulandaboutmetal
detectingingeneral.
SeeyourTesoroAuthorizedDealerformoreinformationandpricesonoptionalaccessories.
ScuffCovers
Wehighlyrecommendusingascuffcovertoprotectyoursearchcoilatalltimes.Thescuffcoverforthe µMAXBandidofittedwiththe8"
searchcoilisTesoroPart#SCUFF8RB.
Searchcoils
The8"concentricsearchcoilprovidedwiththeµMAXBandidoisdesignedforbestallaroundperformance.Optionalsearchcoilsmayaddto
yourdetector'sperformance.
Smallersearchcoilsgivebetter“targetseparation”thatis,moredistincttargetresponseformetalobjectsburiedcloselytogetherwhichis
veryusefulwhenhuntingtrashysites.Verysmallsearchcoilscandeliverthebestresponseanddepthtosmalltargetssuchasfinegoldchainswith
somesacrificeindepthonlargerobjects.Largersearchcoilsgiveawidersweep,coveringmoreground,greaterdepthespeciallyonlargerobjects;
however,theymaynotdetectsomeverysmallobjectsuchashalfdimesandwillhavedifficultyinverytrashyareas. 
Widescansearchcoilsignoregroundmineralizationbetterthanconcentricsearchcoilsandmayofferimprovedperformanceinextreme
groundconditions.
Selectingtherightoptionalsearchcoildependsonfactorssuchaswhatyouaresearchingforandsearchsiteconditions.Noonesearchcoilis
betterthanalltherest.SeveraloptionalinterchangeablesearchcoilsareavailablefortheµMAX.Theyarealleasytomountandrequireno
specialtools.SeethenextpageforalistofthesesearchcoilswiththeTesoropart#anddescription.
TesoroSearchcoils
OptionalscuffcoversarealsoavailableforanyTesorosearchcoil. 
Headphones
Mostmetaldetectoristsprefertouseheadphonesinsteadofthedetector'sbuiltinspeaker.Headphoneshelpblockoutbackgroundnoise(such
aswind)andmakeiteasiertohearfaintsignals.Headphoneswithabuiltinvolumecontrolwillallowyoutoadjustthesoundvolumetoyour
preference.
SPECIFICATIONS
µMAXBANDIDOFEATURES
lHighGainSensitivityCircuitry—designedspecificallytodelivergreaterdepth,sensitivityandstability. 
lMAXBoostFeature—extrapowerofsuperhighgaincanaddinchestodiscriminationsearchdepthinidealconditions.
lHighsensitivitySearchcoil—a8inchopencenterconcentricforbroadsweep,goodpinpointinganddeepgroundpenetration.
lUltralightWeight—searchlongerwithoutfatigue.
l3pieceKnockdownPole—compactforstorageandtravel.
lTurnonandgomakesstoringandtravelingconvenient.
lTwoOperatingModes—motionbasedAllMetalandDiscriminate.
lEasytoOperatejusttwosimplecontrolsatyourfingertips.
lEconomicalUse—upto20hoursplusonasinglebattery.
lTesoroLifetimeWarranty—ourpledgeofqualitytoyou.
Whatitdoesn'thave.
Abig,heavy,highpoweredspeaker.Loud,heavyspeakersarepopularwithmanymanufacturers.The"fuller"soundtheyproducegivesthe
illusionofgreatersensitivitytosmallanddeeptargets—agreatshowroomsalestool!Mostseriousdetectorists,however,huntwithheadphonesand
aµMAXwilldrivestandardheadphoneswell.Ifyouchoosenottouseheadphones,theµMAXspeakerwillbeloudenoughformostenvironments.
Itwillallowyoutohearthesmallanddeeptargetsfoundbythe µMAX'shighpowercircuitry—withoutexcessivebatterydrain.
Ahipmount,armstraporbatteryrechargingsystem.Thesekindsof"builtinaccessories”aresimplyunnecessaryinaµMAXdetector.
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µMAXBandido
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.
ThepowerandfeaturesoftheTesoroµMAXBandidomakeitidealfortheserious
detectoristwhowantstopofthelineperformanceandversatilityinalightweight,lowcost
detector.Itisalsoanidealdetectorforabeginnerwhowantsamachinetheywillnever
outgrow.
WARRANTYSERVICE
YourTesorometaldetectoriscoveredbyaLimitedLifetimeWarranty,thetermsofwhich
arelistedbelow.Ifyourmetaldetectorshouldrequireservice,youmayreturnittotheTesoro
factoryattheaddressbelow.
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.
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. 
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.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
TesoroPart# Description
COIL4RC 4"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RC 7"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL8RCWB 8"roundconcentricweighted(opencenter,brown)
COIL10.5RC 10½"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RW 7"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
COIL11RW 11"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
OperatingFrequency 12kHz
SearchcoilType Round,opencenterconcentric
SearchcoilSize 8"diameter
CableLength Approx.3’
AudioFrequency Approx.300Hz
AudioOutput 1½”speakerandheadphonejack
HeadphoneCompatibility ¼”stereoplug
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 2.2lbs.
BatteryRequirement One9voltDC(alkaline)
BatteryLife(typical) 10to20hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OptimumHumidity 0to75%R.H.
OperatingModes
SilentSearchAllMetal
SilentSearchDiscriminate
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µMAXBANDIDOOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL
CONGRATULATIONS!
YournewTesoroµMAXBandidoMetalDetectorispartofanewseriesofdetectorsdesignedtoprovideyouwithmany
happyhoursofenjoymentinthemostrewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingand
excitingexperiencesasyoustepintothepast–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations–or,asyoutakepleasurein
thegreatoutdoorswithfamilyandfriendssearchingforpreciousmetals.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,
andallofusatTesorowishyouthebestofsuccess.
YourTesoroµMAXdetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinawiderangeoftreasurehuntingsituations.Aswithany
othermetaldetector,familiaritywiththisinstrumentisprobablythelimitingfactorindetermininghowsuccessfulyoucanbe.I
recommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullyhowtooperatethisdetectorbeforeattemptingtouseitinthefield.
Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.
TheµMAXBandidoisaprecisionelectronicinstrumentthatwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatitrightandit
won'tletyoudown.
GoodHunting!JackGifford
INTRODUCTION
Tobesuccessfulintreasurehuntingwithadetectoryoumust:
lUseahighperformancemetaldetectordesignedforthetypeoftreasurehuntingyouwillbedoing.
lLearnhowtouseyourmetaldetectorproperly.
lSearchwherethereisburiedtreasuretobefound.
lBepersistent.
TheµMAXBandidoisatrueallpurposedetector.Itwasdesignedfortopperformanceinthewidestrangeofdetectingusespossible.Itis
sensitivetosmallgoldparticles,itispowerfulenoughtorelicandcachehuntwith,itisplentyfastenoughforcompetitionhuntinganditisgreat
forcoinhunting.Yet,evenwithitsamazingpower,itisstilleasytouse.
ThisOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUALisdesignedtohelpyoulearntooperatethedetectorproperlyformaximumperformanceinvarious
searchconditions.CompleteinstructionsonhowtooperatetheµMAXBandidoarefoundinthetwomainsections:GETTINGSTARTEDand
OPERATINGTECHNIQUES.
Ifyouarenewtometaldetecting,wehighlyrecommendreadingandfollowingtheentireGETTINGSTARTEDsectiontodevelopthe"feel"
ofyourdetector.Then,studyandpracticetheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESsection–especiallyGroundBalancing–togetthebestperformance
fromyourdetector.
Ifyouarenewtotreasurehuntingwithmetaldetectors,keepinmindthatiftherearenovaluablemetalobjectsburiedwhereyouare
searching,itwon'tmatterhowgoodyourmetaldetectorisorhowskilledandpersistentyouare.Tolearnmoreaboutwheretosearchforvaluable
buriedmetalscheckwithyourmetaldetectordealerorbooksellerformagazinesandbooksontreasurehunting.
GENERALDESCRIPTION
TheµMAXBandidoisoneofthefirstofitskind:anultralightweight,compactdetectorthatpacksthepowerandperformanceofthebestfull
size,heavierdetectors.Byutilizingstateoftheartcircuitry,Tesorohascreatedanamazinglyversatileandpowerful,easytooperatedetectorthat's
perfectforalltypesofdetecting,andfortravel.
TheµMAXBandidoisaTransmitterReceiver(TR)typeofdetectorthatoperatesintheVeryLowFrequency(VLF)portionoftheRadio
Frequency(RF)spectrum.TheµMAXBandidousesonlythreecontrolknobsandtwotoggleswitchestoprovidefullVLFcapabilities. 
TheperformanceoftheµMAXBandidowillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorists,whetherexperiencedornovice.Atthecentre
oftheµMAXBandidoisaspecialHybridcircuitboarddevelopedfromSurfaceMountTechnologythatincorporatesTesoro'sprovenHighGain
SensitivityCircuitry.Thiscircuitboardhelpsprovidegreaterdepthsandmoresensitivitytosmaller,lessconductivemetalobjectsor"targets"such
asfinegoldjewelry.
TheµMAXBandidohasfeaturesthatmakeitspowereasytouse.Throughsimpleandfastoperatoradjusted"groundbalancing,"theground
rejectioncircuitrywillallowoperationineventhemostdifficultgroundmineralizationconditions.Twooperatingmodesandtwotuningmodes
addtotheversatilityofthedetector'soperation.TheDiscriminateModeisSilentSearch,meaningthesearchcoilmustbemovingtodetecta
target.TheAllMetalModeisnomotion,meaningthesearchcoilwilldetectatargetlocateddirectlyunderit,evenwhenthesearchcoilisnot
moving.AutoTune,theautomatictuningmode,isfastandretunesthedetectorinsecondsafterencounteringatarget.NormalTunegivesthe
operatortotalcontrolofretuningatthetouchofaswitch.
TheelectronicminiaturizationofSurfaceMountTechnologypermitsthecomplex,powerfulcircuitryoftheµMAXdetectorstofitintoavery
smallspace.Theresultisadetectorthatissoincrediblylightthereisnoneedtobodymountthecontrolhousing.Thisexclusivedesignfeature
addstotheµMAXBandido'seaseofuseandmakesthoselongersearchesmoreenjoyable. 
TheµMAXBandidocomeswithan8"roundconcentricsearchcoilforbestallaroundperformancewithgooddepth.Avarietyofoptional
Tesorosearchcoilsarealsoavailableandwillenhancethedetector'sperformanceundervariousconditions(seeOPTIONALACCESSORIES).
GETTINGSTARTEDUNPACKINGTHEBOX
YourµMAXBandidowasshippedwiththeseparts:
1UpperPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingupperpolestemwithhandlegrip,paddedarmbracketandcontrolhousing.
1LowerPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingmiddlepolestemwithknurlednut,lowerpolestem,andnylonpoletipcompletewithtwothickfriction
washers,mountingscrew,lockwasherandthumbnut.
18"round,concentricsearchcoilwith3'cable
19VoltAlkalineBattery
1Extrasetoftwothinfrictionwashers
1OperatorInstructionManual
1TesoroWarrantyCard
Ifanyoftheseitemsaremissing,contacttheTesoroAuthorizedDealerwhereyoupurchasedyourdetectorimmediately.
AssemblyoftheµMAXBandidoissimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.JustInstallthebattery,mountthesearchcoilonthelowerpole
assembly,connectthetwopoleassembliestogether,wraptheexcesscablearoundthepoleandplugthecableintothecontrolhousing.Finally,
adjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangleandyou'reready!
INSTALLTHEBATTERY
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformance.The
batteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutes,andthenperiodicallywhenusedforlongdurations.Formore
detailedinformationgotoPerformingtheAudioBatteryTestunderTUNINGYOURDETECTOR. 
Toinstallorreplacethebattery,firstmakesuretheSENSITIVITYcontrolissettoPOWOFFturnedcompletelycounterclockwisepastthe
"click".Removethebatterydoorfromthebackofthecontrolhousing.Dothisbypressingyourthumbfirmlyonthelouveredsquare atthebottom
ofthebatterydoorandslidingthebatterydoorupward(inthedirectionofthearrow)whilepushing.
Connectafreshsingle9voltalkalinebatterytothebatteryleadterminals.Makecertainthepolaritysnapstofitproperly.Apoorconnection
maycausethedetectortoacterraticallyorfailtooperatecompletely.
Placethebatteryintothebatterycompartmentwithoutpullingorstretchingthebatteryleadwires.Replacethebatterydoorbyslidingitinto
placemakingsuretheuppermountslotsareinlineandthelocktongueissnappedintoplace.
ASSEMBLINGYOURDETECTOR
1. Onthelowerpoleassembly,graspthepoletipfirmlyinonehand.Withtheotherhand,fullydepressthetwospringbuttonsonthe
oppositeendoftheassembly.
2. Pullthemiddlestemoutfarenoughforthespringbuttonstoclickintothefirstsetoftheadjustmentholeslockingtheassemblyinto
placeagain.
3. Removethemountingscrewandthumbnutfromtheblacknylonpoletip.
4. Insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsandthesearchcoilandaligntheholesofthepoletipandwasherswiththoseofthe
mountingears.
Note:thepoletipshouldfitverysnuglyintothemountingears,however,itmaybenecessarytousethethinfrictionwashersinstead.
5. Insertthemountingscrewthroughtheholesinthemountingearsandpoletipenteringfromthesideoppositethecableconnection.
6. Installthethumbnutonthemountingscrewandtightenbyhand.
Note:Donotovertightenthethumbnut.Itshouldbesnug,butnottoodifficulttoloosenup. 
7. Ontheupperpoleassembly,depressthetwospringbuttonsandslidetheupperassemblyintothelowerpoleassemblyuntilthespring
buttonsclickintotheholeslockingthetwoassembliesintoplace.Tightentheknurlednuttosecurethetwoassembliestogether.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto “see”thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
8. Wrapthecablearoundthepoleleavingenoughslacknearthesearchcoiltopermitsearchcoiladjustment.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto"see"thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
9. Plugthemalecableendintothefemaleconnectoronthecontrolhousingandtightenthecablethumbnut.Youarefinished! 
Note:Youwillwanttoadjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangletoyourpreference.
ADJUSTINGTHEPOLE&SEARCHCOIL
Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedsothatthedetectordoesnotbecomeuncomfortableortiringafter
longperiodsofuse.Thedetectorgripshouldrestinyourhandwithyourarmrelaxed,yourelbowstraightbut
notlocked,withthepoleextendingoutinfrontofyouattheapproximateangleshowninthephoto. 
Youshouldbeabletoswingthedetectorbackandforthinfrontofyou—usingrelaxedshoulder
movement—whilekeepingthesearchcoilasclosetothegroundaspossible.Thisswingingmovementisoften
calleda“sweep.”
Thesearchcoilshouldnottouchthegroundduringyoursweep.Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedto
allowthiswithouthavingtoliftthedetectorwithyourelboworshoulder.Thesearchcoilshouldrestaboutone
inchabovethegroundwhileyouarestandingerect.Theangleofthesearchcoilshouldallowthebottomto
beparalleltotheground.
Thepolelengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthepoleuntil
thespringbuttonsclickintothesetofholesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablepolelength.
Toadjustthesearchcoilangle,simplyloosenthesearchcoilthumbnutslightlyandmovethesearchcoil
intothedesiredposition.Tightenthesearchcoilthumbnutbyhandsothatthesearchcoilwillholdinplace.
QUICKSTARTSELFGUIDEDTUTORIAL
TheQuickStartisdesignedtohelpyouuseyournewµMAXBandidometaldetectorrightaway,evenif
youhaveneverusedametaldetectorbefore.Justfolloweacheasystepcarefullyandyou'llquicklyseehowthebasicdetectorfunctionswork.
You'llalsobeintroducedtosomeimportantconceptsontheway.
Here'swhatyouwillneed:
1. YourfullyassembledµMAXBandidometaldetector
2. Threenewercoins:apenny*,anickelandaquarter
3. Anonmetaltableorcountersurface
4. Approximately20minutestocompletetheQuickStart
*mustbe1984ornewermadeofzinc
Here’swhatyouwilldo:
1. PerformanAudioBatteryTest
2. AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
3. PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
4. PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
PreparefortheQuickstart
PlaceyourassembledµMAXBandidoonthenonmetalsurface.Makesuretherearenometalobjectsnearthecoil.Removeanyjewelryfrom
yourhandsandwrists.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVTYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoNORM
lMODEswithsettoDISC
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange:
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop.
TheGROUNDcontrolshouldbeleftatthissettingfortheentireQuickStart. 
Step1PerformanAudioBatteryTest
lTurntheSENSIIVITYcontrolfromPOWOFFto1
Youwillhearthebatterytesttoneforafewsecondsasthebatteryisautomaticallytested.Whenthetonestopsthedetectorisonthecontrols
arereadyforadjusting.
FunctionDemonstrated:Howthebatterytesttonewilltellyouthebatteryisworkingeachtimethedetectoristurnedon. 
NOTE:YoushouldalwaysperformtheAudioBatteryTestwithModeSwitchsettoDISC. 
Step2AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
nTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolfrom1to8
Thisisagoodsettingtobeginwitheachtimeyouuseyourdetector.LeavethecontrolatthissettingfortherestoftheQuickStart.
FunctionDemonstrated:WheretosettheSENSITIVITYcontrolforbasicoperation. 
Step3PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
IdentifytheThresholdSound
IdentifyTargetResponse
RetunetheThreshold
lFliptheMODEswitchtoALLMETAL
Listentothecontinuous,fairlyeventone.Thisiscalledthe"thresholdsound".Youwillhearthethresholdsoundonlywhenoperatingthe
detectorinAllMetalMode.
Holdthequarterinyourfingertipsandmovethequarterfromsidetosideabout12inchesfromthefrontofthesearchcoil. 
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitfromsidetoside  untilyouhearthethresholdsound
increase.Thisincreaseinvolumeiscalledthe"targetresponsesound". 
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoldstillandthenmovingitslightly.Trypassingitinfrontoftheedgeofthesearchcoilandthenunder
thecenter.Noticethedifferencesinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange.
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary,sometimessubtly.
Yourdetectorwillrespondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalwhentheobjectisinthesearchcoil'ssensitivityareaor"range".Operatingyour
detectorinthiswayiscalleda"nomotionAllMetalModewithNormalTune".
Retuningthethreshold
Holdthequarterstillabout2to4inchesfromthesearchcoil,inlinewiththesearchcoilcenter.Listentothetargetresponsesoundfor1or2
seconds.Donotmovethequarter!
lFliptheMODEswitchtoRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticethatthetargetresponsesoundwilldecreasetotheregularlevelofthethresholdsound.Now,slowlymovethequarterfromsidetoside,
goingpasttheedgeofthesearchcoil.Noticetheregularthresholdsoundisgoneandthetargetresponsesoundisnowa"beep"thatoccurswhen
thetargetpassesinfrontofthesearchcoilcenter.Thistechniqueisusedto"pinpoint"theexactlocationofanobject. 
Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoil.
lFliptheMODEswitchtoeRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticetheregularthresholdreturns.Movethequarterclosetothesearchcoilandnoticetheloudcontinuoustargetresponsesoundhas
returned.Takethequarterawayagain.
lFliptheTUNEswitchtoAUTO
Holdthequarterstillnearthesearchcoilforafewsecondandnoticethedetectorautomaticallyretunesitself.Then,trymovingthecoinfrom
sidetosideandnoticethetargetresponsesoundisa"beep".Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoilforafewsecondsandtryitagain.Now,try
thistestwiththedifferentcoinsusingbothtuningmethodsandlistforthedifferencesinthesounds. 
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)HowtheAllMetalModetargetresponsesoundwillvarydependingonthevariousfactorssuchaswhattypeof
metaltargetsareburiedintheground,howdeeptheyare,howfastyoumoveyoursearchcoilandsoon.2)Howthedetector'sthresholdcanreturn
manuallyinNormalTuneorautomaticallyinAutoTuneandhowthiseffectsthetargetresponsesound.
Step4PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
IdentifytheTargetResponse
UseDiscrimination
lFliptheMODEswitchtoDISC
lLeavetheDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
NOTE:InDiscriminateMode,youwillnothearthecontinuousthresholdsoundoftheAllMetalMode,soreturningisnotneeded.
Holdthequarterinyourhandandmovethequarterbackandforthabout12inchesinfrontofthesearchcoilbottom.
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitbackandforthuntilyouheara"beep".Thisbeepthetarget
responsesound.
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoinstillthenmovingitslightly.Noticethedifferenceinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange. 
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary.Yourdetectorcan
respondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalifthereismovementbetweentheobjectandthedetector.Operatingyourdetectorinthiswayis
calleda"SilentSearch".
lTurntheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMINtoMAX
Passthequarterbackandforthinfrontofandclosetothesearchcoilbottom.Noticethesoundasthecoinnearsthecenterofthesearchcoil.
Now,trythiswiththenickelandthenthezincpenny.Noticethereisnosoundwiththesetwocoins.Theabilityofametaldetectortoignore
certaintypesofmetalthatitencountersiscalled"discrimination".Usingyourdetectorinthiswayiscalleda"SilentSearchDiscriminateMode". 
Controlsettingstoignoremostzincandnickelobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVELMAX
lMovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMAXto7
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthecoil.Noticethequarterandthezincpennynowcauseatargetresponsesound. 
Controlsettingstoignoremostnickelcanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL7
lNowmovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfrom7to4
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthesearchcoil.Noticeallthreecoinsnowcauseatargetresponsesound.
ControlsettingstoincludenewerUScoinswhileexcludingmostironobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL4
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)ThemotionbasedoperationandtargetresponsesoundofSilentSearchDiscriminateMode.2)Howthe
DiscriminateModecanbeusedtohelpdeterminethetypesofmetalatargetmaybe.ByadjustingtheDISCLEVELcontrolyoucanselectwhat
metalsyourdetectorwillignore.
Conclusion
Welldone!YouhavefinishedtheQuickStartGuideandhaveoperatedmanyofthebasicdetectingfeaturesofthe µMAXBandido.Youhave
alsobeenintroducedtotheideasof:1)"targetresponsesound",2)"thresholdsound",3)"returningthethreshold",4)"targetdiscrimination"and5)
"targetpinpointing".
Nowyouarealmostreadytobeginthejourneyintotheartofmetaldetectingbyactuallyusingyourdetectortofindburiedmetal.Butfirsta
wordaboutairtests.
TheairtestsintheQuickStartareoflimitedvalue.Metaldetectorsperformdifferentlyinairteststhanwheninactualuse"inthefield".Tesoro
detectorsarespecificallydesignedtodeliverthebestperformanceinthefield.
TheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESandTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionswillgiveyoumoredetailedinformationonhowtosetyour
detector'scontrols,especiallyselectingatuningmodeandusingdiscrimination,forthebestresults. 
BeforeyouuseyourµMAXBandidointhefieldyouneedtolearnhowtooperateonemorefeatures:theGROUNDcontrol.Usingthe
GROUNDcontroltoproperly"GroundBalance"yourµMAXBandidowillallowyoutotapintoitsfullpowerandperformancecapabilitiesandis
perhapsthemostimportantfeaturetomaster.TheGroundBalancesectionwillexplainstepbystephowtousethisfeature.
Finally,theonlywayyoucanbecometrulyproficientatusingyourdetectortofindburiedtreasureistouseitinthefieldandlearnfrom
experience!However,westronglysuggestthatyoureadthisentiremanualtobecomeproficientwithallofthefeaturesasyoucontinuetouseyour
detector.
Youhavethefinesttoolavailable,nowallyouneedistheskillthatcomesfromexperience.
TOTURNYOURDETECTOROFF:
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTOPOWOFF
Counterclockwisepastthe"click".
TOTURNYOURDETECTORON:
lMAKESURETHEMODESWITCHISSETTODISC
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTO1
Clockwisepastthe"click".
OPERATINGTECHNIQUESCONTROLS
TheµMAXBandidohasonlyfivecontrols,allmountedonthefrontpanelofthehousingforfingertipadjustment.Howthesecontrolsshould
besetforpeakperformancewilldependonthetypeofmetalyouaresearchingfor,searchsiteconditions,mineralcontentofthesoilandsoforth.
UsetheinformationinthissectionandtheTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionasabasisforsettingthecontrolsonyourdetector.Usingyour
detectorinthefieldwillallowyoutolearnthedetector'sresponsestovariousconditionsandwillguideyouinfinetuningthedetector'soperating
controls.
SENSITIVITYON/OFFSensitivityControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasthreefunctions:
lTurnsthedetectorONandOFF
lActivatestheautomaticAudioBatteryTest
lAdjuststheSensitivityLevel
NOTE:Thedetectorshouldalwaysbeturnedoffwhennotinuse. 
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwisepasttheinitial"click"turnsthedetectoronandactivestheautomaticAudioBatteryTestcircuit.This
testwillgiveyouasound,usuallylastingseveralseconds,thatindicatesthebattery'scondition.WhentheAudioBatteryTestisover,thedetector ’s
SensitivityLevelcanbeadjusted.
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector'sSensitivityLevel.Thelevelfrom1upto10isthenormalrange.Thisrange
correspondswiththenormalSensitivityonstandarddetector's.TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobpast10intotheorangeareaputstheSensitivity
intotheMAXBoostrangefoundonlytheµMAXdetectors.
NOTE:ItisbesttoturnthedetectoroninDiscriminateMode.SincetheDiscriminateModeisasilentmodewithnocontinuousthreshold
sound,itwillbeobviouswhentheAudioBatteryTestiscomplete.
IfyouturnthedetectoroninAllMetalModetheAudioBatteryTestsoundwillbeimmediatelyfollowedbythethresholdsound.Thismay
makeitdifficulttohearthebatterytestendanddiscernthebatterycondition.
Also,theSensitivityLevelisbestsetwhileintheDiscriminateMode.AftertheAudioBatterTestisoverandtheSensitivityLevelisproperly
set,youmaychangetheoperatingmodetoAllMetalwithoutdifficulty.
DISTLEVELDiscriminationLevelControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheDiscriminationLevel.
OncethedetectorisintheDiscriminateMode,theDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sDiscriminationLevel.TurningtheDISC
LEVELknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector ’sDiscriminationLevelandviceversa.
NOTE:WhenthedetectorisoperatingintheAllMetalModetheDISCLEVELcontrolisnotused. 
TUNETuningModeSelectionSwitch
Thistoggleswitchhasonefunction:
lSetstheTuningMode:NormalorAuto
Thistogglehastopositions:TotherightlabeledAUTOitlocksinplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoAutomatic.Totheleft 
labeledNORMthelockstheplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoNormal.NOTE:ThetuningModeisusedonlywhenoperatingintheAll
MetalMode.
MODEModeSelection/RetuneSwitch
Thecombinationtoggleswitchhastwofunctions.
lSetstheoperatingmode:AllMetalorDiscriminate
lRetunesthethresholdinAllMetalMode.
Thistogglehasthreepositions:TotherightlabeledDISCitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoDiscriminate.Tothecenter
labeledALLMETitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoAllMetal.TotheleftlabeledRETUNEitspringreturnstothecenter
positionandretunesthedetector’sthresholdwhileremaininginAllMetalMode.So,thiscomboswitchfunctionsasaRetuneSwitchbypressing
theswitchcompletelytotheleftandreleasingitsoitspringsbacktothecenterposition.
NOTE:Manualretuning(MODE/RETUNE)isusedonlywhenoperatingintheAllMetalModewithTuningsettoNormal(TUNE/NORM). 
GROUNDGroundBalanceControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheGroundBalance
ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalModesamplingsothattheµMAXBandidoignoresthenormalgroundmineralization.Makingthis
adjustmentisoftencalled"GroundBalancing".Theknobwillturncontinuallyineitherdirection,althoughitseffectuserangeisonly3 ¾turns.
Onceyouhaveturnedtheknobtotheendofitsuserangeineitherdirection,youshouldnoticeaslightincreasein"drag"astheknobisturned.
Whenyoufeelthe"drag"youmayimmediatelyreversedirectiontoentertheeffectiveuserangeofthenext3 ¾turns.
NOTE:TheGROUNDcontroldoesaffectbothoperatingmodesbyshouldbeadjustedinAllMetalMode.
TUNINGYOURDETECTOR
Everydetectormustbeproperlytunedinordertoperformatitspeakandprovidemaximumdepth.Infact,themorepowerfuladetectoris,the
morecriticalthetuningbecomes.Lesspowerfuldetectorsaremoretolerantofimpropertuning,butarealsonotcapableofthedepthofaproperly
tunedhighpowerdetectorsuchastheµMAXBandido.ToachievepeakperformancefromyourµMAXBandido,besuretoproperlyadjustthe
GROUNDcontrolintheAllMetalMode.Thesettingsofthiscontrolwillalsoaffectthedetector ’sperformanceinDiscriminateMode,somakesure
toadjustitproperlyfirst,evenifyouwillnotbehuntinginAllMetalMode.Remember:impropertuningwillreduceperformanceandcanalso
cause"false"anderroneous"ghostingsignals".
TuningyourµMAXBandidocanbedonein5simplesteps:
1. GroundBalancingthedetectorusingtheGROUNDcontrol.
2. SettingtheoperatingmodeusingtheMODEswitch.
3. SettingthetuningmodeusingtheTUNEswitch.
4. SettingtheSensitivitylevelusingtheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
5. SettingtheDiscriminationlevelusingtheDISCLEVELcontrol.
NOTE:GroundBalancingshouldbedonewhileinAllMetalModeandAutoTuneMode.SettingtheDiscriminationLevelandtheSensitivity
LevelshouldbedonewhileoperatinginDiscriminateMode.
GroundBalancing
GroundBalancingisnotadifficultprocedure,butitiscriticalifyoudesiremaximumdepthandstability.Itisespeciallyimportantifyouplan
togoldnuggethuntformatchheadsizedorsmallernuggetsinahighlymineralizedground.
NOTE:Nomatterwhereyouwillbesearching,orwhetheryouwillbeoperatingintheAllMetalModeorDiscriminateMode,makesurethe
detectorisproperlyGroundBalancedintheAllMetalModewithAutoTuneModefirst.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVITYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoAUTO
lMODEswitchsettoALLMETAL
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop
Next:
lTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolsetto10
Wait3to4secondsuntiltheAudioBatterytestiscomplete.
Raisethesearchcoilto6to8inchesabovetheground,levelandparalleltotheground.Whilelisteningtothethresholdsound,lowerthe
searchcoilquicklytothegroundlevelandlistentowhatthethresholdsounddoes.
Oneofthreethingswillhappentothesound:1)thesoundwillincrease,2)thesoundwillgosilent,or3)thesoundwillremainthesame.
WhichoneofthesehappenswilldeterminewhatyouneedtodotoproperlyGroundBalanceyourdetectorfortheareayouareat. 
1)Ifthethresholdsoundgetslouderwhenyoulowerthesearchcoil,itmeanstheGROUNDknobneedstogotheleft.
2)Ifthedetectorgoessilentandyoulosethethresholdsoundmomentarily,thenyouwillneedtoturntheGROUNDknobtotheright. 
3)Ifthereisnochangeinthethresholdsoundasyoulowerthesearchcoiltotheground,thenyoujusthappentoalreadyhavetheproper
groundbalanceandcanproceedtohunt.
StartoutusingslightturnsoftheGROUNDknob,thedistanceofthemovementbeingequivalenttoaboutonehouronaclockface.The
entireeffectiveareaofthiscontrolis3¾turnsfromminimumtomaximum,soifyoustartGroundBalancinginthemiddleoftheeffectiverangeit
willonlytakeabouttwocompleteturnsineitherdirectiontobeatoneendoftheeffectiverange.
NOTE:TherearethreeimportantthingstorememberwhenGroundBalancingwiththismethod. 
First,youareintheAutoTunemodeandonceyouhesitateatgroundlevelforasecondortwo,thedetectorwillretunethethreshold
automatically.Therefore,whenyoulowerthesearchcoiltowardtheground,youareonlylisteningfortheinitialchangeinvolume. 
Second,makeyouareGroundBalancinginacleanareaandnotloweringthesearchcoildownoverapieceofmetal. 
Third,whenyouraisethesearchcoilbesurethatyouDONOTtiltthesearchcoilatanangle.
Bycontinually"pumping"thesearchcoilfrom6to8inchesabovethegroundtogroundlevelandbackupintheairagainwhileturningthe
GROUNDknobintheappropriatedirection,youwillveryquicklyreachthepointwherethereistheabsoluteminimalchangeinthresholdsound
duringthepumping.Whenyouhavereachedthatpointyouare"GroundBalanced"andcanbeginsearchingthearea. 
NOTE:ChanginggroundmineralizationmaymakeoccasionalsmalladjustmentstotheGROUNDknobnecessarytomaintainpeak
performance.
Selectingtheproperoperatingmode
TheµMAXBandidoofferstwooperatingmodes,AllMetalModeandDiscriminateMode. 
TheDiscriminateModeis"SilentSearch"operatingmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillmakenosounduntilitencountersametaltarget.
Thismoderequiresthatthesearchcoilbemovingslightlyfortargetdetection.
TheAllMetalMode,however,isa"nomotion"operationmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillemitacontinuous"thresholdsound"untilit
encountersametaltargetatwhichtimethesoundwillnoticeablyincrease.Thismodedoesnotrequiremotionsothesearchcoilcanbeheldstill
fortargetdetectionifneeded.
TheAllMetalMode,asthenameimplies,willdetectalltypesofmetaltargets.Whenoperatinginthismodeyouwillfindunwanted"trash"
metalobjectssuchasnails,foil,pulltabs,etc.,justasyouwouldwithanyhighperformancedetector.TheAllMetalModeispreferredforhunting
relics,artifactsandotherobjectsthataremadeofnon preciousmetalsespeciallyiron.Thismodeisalsogoodforbeachhuntingwherethesand
allowseasydiggingandtimewastedondigginguptrashmetalobjectsisnotamajorconcern. 
TheAllMetalModemustbeusedforgoldnuggethunting,sincetheresponsetosmallgolditemsissoclosetoiron.Formostnuggethunting,
theAllMetalMode&AutoTuneModecombinationwillprovidethebestperformancealthoughsomespecialattentionforhotrocksmaybe
necessary(seeSelectinghepropertuningmode).
TheDiscriminateModewillallowyoutocontrolthedetector'sresponsetomostofthecommontrashmetalobjectsfoundinschoolyards,
parks,andbeaches.Discriminatemodeisgenerallyusedfor"coinshooting"suchareaswhereyouprefertoavoidwastingtimediggingup
commontrashmetal.TheDiscriminationLevelyouselectwilldeterminewhattypesofmetalyourdetectorwillignore.
Inmanyothermetaldetectors,theAllMetalModeoffersgreaterdepthupto30%overtheDiscriminationMode.Notsowiththe µMAX
detectors.ThenewµMAXcircuitrywithMAXBoostovercomesthiscommonproblemanddeliverssuperiorsensitivityandbetterdepthinboth
operatingmodes.
Selectingthepropertuningmode
TheAutoTuneMode(TUNEAUTO)ontheµMAXBandidoisafastautomatictuningthattakesjust2to3secondstoautomaticallyadjust
itself.TheAutoTunequicklyretunesthedetectortoitsestablishedthresholdfollowingatargetresponse.
AutoTuneModealsokeepsthedetector'ssignalfromdrifting.ThistuningmodeoffersmaximumstabilitywhilesearchinginAllMetalMode
andisrecommendforgoldnuggethunting.
TheNormalTuningMode(TUNENORM)willholdatarget'ssignalwithoutretuningforaslongasthesearchcoilisheldstationarydirectly
overthetarget.Somedriftmayoccurinthismode,butisquicklyremediedbymanuallyretuningusingtheMODEswitch(MODE RETUNE).For
precisepinpointing,identifyingtargetsize,linetracingandoresamplinginAllMetalMode,usetheNormalTuneMode. 
Fastautomatictuningcancausean"overshootsignal"on"hotrocks"thatis,amomentarysilenceasthesearchcoilsweepsoveranextremely
mineralizedrock,followedbyaloud"boing"soundwhenthesearchcoilpassesclearofit.Thissoundissodifferentfromagoodtargetresponse
sound,thatitiseasilyrecognized.(Theonlyproblemwithjustignoringthesesoundsovershootsignalsisthatasmallgoldnuggetmaybehiding
beneaththehotrock).Also,theAutoTuningModewillcausea“nulling”ofthethresholdsoundwhenthesearchcoilsweepsoveraverystrong
metaltarget.
SettingtheSensitivityLevel
Inlightlytomoderatelymineralizedground,youcanusuallysettheSENSITIVITYcontrolashighas8to10(normalmaximumsetting).Inthe
rightconditionsyoucanmovetheSENSITIVITYintotheMAXBoostareaforincreaseddepth.
ToadjusttheSensitivityLeveltoyoursearchconditions,firstsettheoperatingmodetoDISCandturntheSENSITIVITYcontrolclockwiseas
faraspossibleuntilthedetectorjustbeginsto"chirp"intermittently.Ifthechirpingistoofrequent,simplyturnthecontrolcounterclockwisejust
enoughtocausethechirpingtosubside.Onceset,thiscontrolshouldnotrequirereadjustingunlesssiteconditionschange. 
Occasionallyyoumayneedtoreducethesettingtoeliminate"falsesignals"causedbydifficultconditions.Someofthemanythingsthatcan
causetheresponseofthedetectortobecomeerraticduringregularuseareverylargetargets,highlymineralizedgroundontrashysites,intense
groundmineralizationchanges,CBradios,radioandTVbroadcastingantennas,andnearbysourcesofelectricalinterference.
Thesefalsesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsthatarenotrepeatableandtherefore,caneasilybedistinguishedfromagoodtarget
responsesound.Theycanbedistracting,though,andreducingtheSensitivitylevelwillhelpreducethesesignalswithanaccompanyinglossof
targetsensitivity.
ExtremeconditionssuchassaltwetsandmayrequireyoutoloweryourSensitivitysettingintothe2to5range.Overall,youshouldalwaysset
theSensitivitycontrolashighaspossible,whilestillgettingsmoothoperation. 
NOTE:ThenomotionAllMetalModeoftheµMAXBandidoisnotaffectedbytheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
SettingtheSensitivityLevelinMAXBoost
TheMAXBoostfeatureisahighgainboostoverandabovethenormalmaximumof10andindicatedbytheorangeareaonthe
SENSITIVITYcontrol.UsingMAXBoostwillcausenoharmtoyourdetectorbut,incertainconditionsitcanresultintheannoyingchirpingsounds
thatmaymakeitdifficulttohearagoodtargetresponsesound. 
InidealconditionsMAXBoostcanaddinchesofdepthtoyoursearchwithnochirping.Indifficultconditionstheextradepthwillstillbethere
butheavychirpingmaymakethefeaturetodifficulttouse.YoumustdeterminewhenandhowmuchoftheMAXboostfeaturetouseforyour
searchsiteconditions.
SettingtheDiscriminationLevel
TheDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedtrashmetalwhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode.Atthe
lowestsetting(MIN),thedetectorwillignoremostironobjects,butwillstillrespondtolightfoil,bottlecaps,pulltabsandmostothermetalobjects.
AstheDiscriminationLevelisincreased,moreofthesetrashmetalobjectsareignoredandgivenotargetresponsesoundwheninsidethe
searchcoil’srange.
TheDISCLEVELshouldbesettoyourdesired"rejectionlevel"fortheparticularareayouaresearching.Werecommendstartingatalow
settingifyouareunsureofhowmuchtrashisinthearea.Adjustthelevelhigherifyoufindyourselfdiggingmoretrashthenyoulike.Remember
thatwithanymetaldetector,youwilllosetargetresponsetosmallgoldringsandnickelswhendiscriminationissetatthepulltabrejectionlevel.
So,diggingsometrashwillincreaseyournumberofgoodfinds.
Thebelowdiagram"DISCLEVELDiscriminationLevelSettings"showsthesettingswheremanyofthecommonmetalobjectsareignored
byatypicaldetector.Eachdetectorcanvaryalittleduetomanufacturingtolerance soyoushouldexperimentwithyourdetectorandbecome
familiarwithitsrejectionlevelsforthesetrashmetalobjects.
Earliermotiondetectorsthatoperatedwithacontinuous"threshold"soundwouldgivetheuseradefiniteindicationoftrashmetalbyeither
"nulling"completely(nosoundmadetemporarily)orbygeneratingshort,choppysounds.SincetheµMAXBandido'sDiscriminateModeisSilent
Searchandoperateswithoutthresholdsound,thereisnonullingtoindicatethattheareaisextremelytrashy. 
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateModewerecommendthatyouperiodicallyswitchtoAllMetalModeandchecktheareayouare
searchingtogetanideaofhowmuchtrashisreallythere.Inextremelytrashyareasitmaybedesirabletoswitchtoasmallersearchcoil,even
thoughdoingsomaycausealossofdepth.Thesmallercoilwillallowyouabetterchanceoffindingcoinsbetweentheclosepiecesoftrash.

PerformingtheAudioBatteryTest
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformancefromit.
Thebatteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutesandthenperiodicallyifyouareusingitforlongperiods.
ToactivatetheAudioBatteryTest,simplyturnthedetectoroffmomentarilyandthenbackonagain.Ifthebatteryisfresh,thedetectorshould
emitacontinuousandloud"Beep"soundthatlastsforabout4or5seconds,andthenslowlyfadesintosilence.Asthebatteryages,thissoundis
lessintenseandfadesoutmorequickly.Whenyouhearonlyabrief"buzz"ornosoundatall,replacethebatterywithafreshone. 
Ifyouprefer,arechargeableNickelCadmium(NiCad)batterycanbesubstituteforthestandard9voltalkalinebattery.Individual9voltsize
NiCadcells,aswellasthechargersforthem,arereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores.Theyareinstalledintoyourdetectorinthe
samemannerasnonrechargeablebatteries.TheBatteryTestsoundonaNi Cadwillbeweakerthananalkalineinthebeginning,butwillnot
weakenasmuchwithuse.
ControllingAudioVolume
ThespeakerintheµMAXdoesnothaveavolumecontrol.Thevolumeshouldbesufficienttoaccuratelyhearthetargetresponsesoundin
mostenvironments.Ifmoreorlessvolumeisrequiredinyourparticularsituationwerecommendusingasetofgoodqualityheadphoneswitha
builtinvolumecontrol.
FIELDUSE
HandlingYourDetector
Thedetectorshouldbeheldinapositionthatiscomfortableforyouasshowninthe"AdjustingthePole&Searchcoil"sectionin"Getting
Started."Swingthedetectorfromsidetosideinaboutathreefootarc,overlappingsucceedingstrokeswell.Thismotioniscalleda “sweep.”The
µMAXBandidowasdesignedtogetmaximumdepthwithoutthefranticpacerequiredofearliermotiondetectors,sogoatapacethatis
comfortableforyou.Infact,tryingtohunttoofastmayevencausealossofdepthinheavilymineralizedlocations. 
Regardlessofwhichmodeyouareusing,trytokeepyoursearchcoilheightconstantandclosetotheground.Mostpeopletendtoraisethe
coilattheendofasweep—muchlikeapendulum—especiallyifinahurry.Trytoavoidthis,asanyincreaseinheightfromthegroundwillcause
acorrespondinglossofdepth.
Inareaswithwellkeptlawns,theeasiestwaytomaintainaconstantsearchcoilheightistoallowthecoiltorestonthegrassasyousweep
fromsidetoside.Inroughandrockyareas,itisbestnotto“scrub”thecoilontheground,astherockswillactlikeabrasivesandwearawaythecoil
bottom(anoptionalcoilscuffcoverwillprotectagainstthis).Sweepthecoilasclosetothegroundaspossiblewithouttouching.Hittingtheground
orrocksmaycauseafalsesignalmuchlikeadesiredtargetwould.Sweepingthecoiltoohighabovethegroundresultsinalossofdepth.
PlantingaTestGarden
Tobetterlearnhowyourdetectorwillperforminthefield,itwouldbehelpfultoburysomecoinsandtrashmetaljunkitemsinanareathat
youknowisclearofothermetalobjects,andthentrytheµMAXBandidoinitstwodifferentoperatingmodes.ChecktheareainAllMetalMode
firsttobesureitsclearoftrashthenburythetargetsatleast1footapart,andfrom2to4inchesdeeptostart.Makeamapoftheareatobesure
youknowwhateachtargetisandhowdeepitis.Practiceonthesetargetstofamiliarizeyourselfwithyourdetector’stargetresponse.Thiswillalso
helpyoulearnthepropersweepspeedforbestoperation.Thistypeofpracticeareaisoftencalleda“testgarden”or“testbed”andisoneofbest
toolstohelpyoudevelopyourmetaldetectingskills.
RecognizingFalseSignalsinDiscriminateMode
WhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode,some“falsesignals”maybecausedby1)heavyconcentrationsoftrashmetalobjects,2)verylarge
trashmetalobjects,or3)electricalinterference.Thesesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsandsounddifferentthan “goodsignals”(good
targetresponsesounds).
Attheendofyoursweep,asyouthereversethecoildirection,thedetectorismostsusceptibletotrashinducednoise.Therearetwowaysto
tellwhetherthesesoundsaregooddeepsignalsortrash“noise.”Thefirstisbyrepeatability.Trashinducednoiseswillnotberegularasyousweep
thecoiloverthesuspectedtargetseveraltimes,whereasagoodtargetresponsewillberepeatable.ThesecondmethodistoswitchtoAllMetal
Modeandcheckthetargetresponsesound.Iftheresponseisweak,itmaywellbeadeep,goodtarget;butiftheresponseisverystrong,itis
probablytrash.Notethatacoinclosetothesurfacecangiveadoublebeepsound,butitisregularandrepeatable.Raisingthecoilaninchortwo
willrestorethesinglebeeponsurfacetargets.
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateMode,itisbestnottouseahigherDISCLEVELsettingthannecessary.Nickelsandmostsmallerringsare
rejectedwhentheDISCLEVELissettorejectpulltabsonanymetaldetectorthatisaTRDiscriminatorliketheµMAXBandido.Ifyoudon’tdig
anyjunkatall,youaresurelypassingupalotofgoodfindsaswell.SettheDISCLEVELonlyhighenoughtosuittheconditionswhereyouare
searching.Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,digit.
PinpointingaTarget
Whenpinpointingatarget,theAllMetalMode/NormalTuningModecanofferadvantagesoverDiscriminateMode,suchasnofalsesignals
andnoneedtomovethesearchcoiltogetatargetresponse.
AgoodmethodforpinpointinginAllMetalmodeis“Xing”thetargetwiththesearchcoil.Rememberthatthetargetsresponsesoundisalways
greatestwhenthetargetisdirectlyunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.To “X”atarget,sweepthesearchcoiloverthetargetfromsidetosideand
themfromfronttobackuntilyoucanidentifythecenteroftheX:thespotonthegroundwherethetargetresponsesoundisthegreatest.Holdyour
searchcoilstationaryoverthecenteroftheXandhittheRETUNEswitch.NowrepeattheX ing;thistimewatchingfortheexactspot—underthe
coilcenter—wherethedetectorbeeps.Thatspotiswherethetargetislocated. 
PinpointingatargetinDiscriminateModeisprobablybestdoneby“Xing”aswell.Rememberthatthedetectorwillbeepjustasthetarget
passesunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.SlowingthesweepspeeddownwillhelpyoupickoutthecenteroftheXbecausethetargetresponseis
reducedatveryslowspeedsmakingiteasiertocorrelatethesoundwiththecoilcenter. 
Anothereasymethodistosweepthecoilfromsidetosideacrossthetargetinveryshortsweeps,asyouslowlymoveforwardandbackward
acrossthetarget.Slowdownthesweeprateandshortenthesweepsuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Thetargetwillbedirectly
belowthecoilcenteratthisresponsetime.
AnothermethodofpinpointinginDiscriminateModeistoquicklychangetoAllMetalModetocheckthetargetresponse.RememberthatAll
MetalModeisnotsusceptibletothefalsesignalsofDiscriminateModeandcansometimesgiveaclearerandmoreconsistentresponsetodifficult
targetssuchasadimeburiednexttoapulltab.ByswitchingbackandforthbetweenmodesandcomparingthetargetresponsesoundinAllMetal
tothetargetresponsesoundinDiscriminateyoucanoftenbetteridentifythelikelylocationofthetarget.
Finally,raisingthesearchcoilduringpinpointingcanalsohelpbynarrowingtheresponsetothetarget.Practicepinpointingoften,andyou
willsoonbecomemoreaccurateandfaster.
RecoveringaTarget
Ifthetargetisshallowandthesoilissoft,youmaybeableto“probe”andfindtheexactlocationofthetargetbeforeyoudigit.Sincefilling
allholesafteryourecoverthetargetissoimportant,diggingasmallpreciseholeisbest.Ifthetargetisdeep,youmayneedtodigalargerhole.
Asyoudig,occasionallychecktheholewithyourdetectortoseeifyouhavemovedtheobject,canprobeit,orhavealreadydugit.Besuretofill
allholesafteryourecoverthetarget.Twomethodsareshownonthenexttwopagesthatworkmosteverywhere.
Besuretoprotectyourhobbybyleavingthesitecleanerthanyoufounditandwithallholesfilled!
RECOMMENDEDRECOVERYMETHODS
GENERALINFORMATIONCAREANDUSE
BasicCare
TheµMAXBandidoisasturdyinstrumentbutitisnotdesignedtowithstandabuse.IncaringforyourµMAXBandidothereareseveral
important“DONOTs”toremember.DONOTuseittopryrockslooseortobeatbushesoutoftheway.DONOTdropthemachineintowater.DO
NOTuseitunprotectedintherain.DONOTleaveitexposedatnightwheredewcouldformonit.DONOTstoreitinplacesthatcouldget
extremelyhot(nexttoawoodstove,inanattic).DONOTleaveitinthetrunkofacarorinthebackofahatchbackstylecarwherehigh
temperaturescouldbuildup.DONOTstoreitwiththebatteryinstalledasbatteriesmayleak.DONOTspraylubricantssuchasWD40,oranytype
ofcleaners,solvents,sealantsorotherchemicalsintoorontotheelectronicparts,switchesorcontrols.Andfinally:DONOTattempttomodifyor
repairthedetector’selectronicsasthiswillvoidyourdetector'swarranty. 
THEWARRANTYDOESNOTCOVERDAMAGERESULTINGFROMANACCIDENT,NEGLECTORABUSE.
ProtectingYourInvestment
Somanydetectoristsaredisappointedwhentheirnewdetectorslowlybecomeslessandlessresponsiveandseemstohavelostsomeofits
originalperformance.Youcanhelpavoidthisfromhappeningtoyourdetectorbyfollowingthesebasiccareandprotectionguidelines.
lOperateyourdetectorexactlyasrecommendedinthisOperatorInstructionManual.
lUseonlyhighqualityalkalinebatteriesofthecorrectvoltage.Neversubstituteadifferentvoltage.WhenusingaNi Cadbattery,always
useaseparateconvertiblepackwiththepropervoltageoutputforthedetector ’sdesign.
lRemovethebatteryfromthedetectoraftereachuse.Thiswillpreventdamagetothedetectorifthebatteryleaks.
lThesearchcoilcableishardwiredtothesearchcoilandprotectedbyastrainrelief.Inspectthestrainrelieffrequentlytomakesureitis
firmlyattachedandintact.
lKeepcablesproperlywoundaroundthepolestemsandprotectthemduringuse.Floppy,pinched,orcablesthatbecomesnagged
duringusemayshort,causingerraticnoisesorunnecessaryreplacementofthesearchcoil.
lSweepthesearchcoilcarefully,especiallywhenusingaroundrocksandbuildingfoundations.Avoidhittingthesearchcoilagainsthard,
solidobjectsandsurfaces.
lKeepyoursearchcoilslightlyoffofthegroundduringthesweep,especiallywhenusingingravelorhard,rockydirt.
lAlwaysuseaproperlydesignedprotectivescuffcoveronthesearchcoil.(See"OptionalAccessories"inthenextsection.) 
lRemoveandcleanoutscuffcoversperiodicallytoavoidbuildupofmineralizeddirtparticleswhichwillaffectperformance.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofandcanbesubmergedineitherfreshorsaltwater.Afterthesearchcoilisusedinsaltwater,rinseitandthe
lowerstemassemblywellwithfreshwatertopreventcorrosionofthemetalparts.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofbuttheelectronicsarenot,soalwayspreventanymoistureorwaterfromenteringthecontrolhousingand
neverallowthecableconnectorstobecomesubmergedinwater.
lIfworkinginornearwater,orifthereisapossibilityofrain,useaprotectiveweatherresistantpouchorplasticbagtocoverthecontrol
housing.Makesureitcan"breathe"inordertoensureagainstcondensationbuildupinside.
lAftereachuse,cleanthedetectorwithasoftclothtoremovedust,moisture,orothercontaminants.
lWhentransportingthedetectorinacarduringhotweather,storeitonthefloorofthepassengercompartmentifpossible.Usingacarry
baggivesadditionalprotection.Inanycase,neverallowthedetectortorollaroundunprotectedinthetrunkorbackofapickuptruck.
lProtectyourdetectorfromdust,moisture,andextremetemperaturesduringstorage.
lWhenshipping,usetheoriginalfactorycartonorsimilarheavydutycontainerandprovideaminimumoneinchofpaddingaroundall
parts.
lTreatyourdetectorasyouwouldanysensitiveelectronicinstrument.Thoughruggedlyconstructedanddesignedtowithstandthe
demandsofnormaltreasurehunting,propercareisessential.
OPTIONALACCESSORIES
TesoroMetalDetectorsandgenuineTesoroAccessoriesaresoldonlythroughindependentTesoroAuthorizedDealers,whoarealmostalways
metaldetectoriststhemselves.TheycanansweryourquestionsaboutyourTesorodetector,whataccessoriesmaybehelpfulandaboutmetal
detectingingeneral.
SeeyourTesoroAuthorizedDealerformoreinformationandpricesonoptionalaccessories.
ScuffCovers
Wehighlyrecommendusingascuffcovertoprotectyoursearchcoilatalltimes.Thescuffcoverforthe µMAXBandidofittedwiththe8"
searchcoilisTesoroPart#SCUFF8RB.
Searchcoils
The8"concentricsearchcoilprovidedwiththeµMAXBandidoisdesignedforbestallaroundperformance.Optionalsearchcoilsmayaddto
yourdetector'sperformance.
Smallersearchcoilsgivebetter“targetseparation”thatis,moredistincttargetresponseformetalobjectsburiedcloselytogetherwhichis
veryusefulwhenhuntingtrashysites.Verysmallsearchcoilscandeliverthebestresponseanddepthtosmalltargetssuchasfinegoldchainswith
somesacrificeindepthonlargerobjects.Largersearchcoilsgiveawidersweep,coveringmoreground,greaterdepthespeciallyonlargerobjects;
however,theymaynotdetectsomeverysmallobjectsuchashalfdimesandwillhavedifficultyinverytrashyareas. 
Widescansearchcoilsignoregroundmineralizationbetterthanconcentricsearchcoilsandmayofferimprovedperformanceinextreme
groundconditions.
Selectingtherightoptionalsearchcoildependsonfactorssuchaswhatyouaresearchingforandsearchsiteconditions.Noonesearchcoilis
betterthanalltherest.SeveraloptionalinterchangeablesearchcoilsareavailablefortheµMAX.Theyarealleasytomountandrequireno
specialtools.SeethenextpageforalistofthesesearchcoilswiththeTesoropart#anddescription.
TesoroSearchcoils
OptionalscuffcoversarealsoavailableforanyTesorosearchcoil. 
Headphones
Mostmetaldetectoristsprefertouseheadphonesinsteadofthedetector'sbuiltinspeaker.Headphoneshelpblockoutbackgroundnoise(such
aswind)andmakeiteasiertohearfaintsignals.Headphoneswithabuiltinvolumecontrolwillallowyoutoadjustthesoundvolumetoyour
preference.
SPECIFICATIONS
µMAXBANDIDOFEATURES
lHighGainSensitivityCircuitry—designedspecificallytodelivergreaterdepth,sensitivityandstability. 
lMAXBoostFeature—extrapowerofsuperhighgaincanaddinchestodiscriminationsearchdepthinidealconditions.
lHighsensitivitySearchcoil—a8inchopencenterconcentricforbroadsweep,goodpinpointinganddeepgroundpenetration.
lUltralightWeight—searchlongerwithoutfatigue.
l3pieceKnockdownPole—compactforstorageandtravel.
lTurnonandgomakesstoringandtravelingconvenient.
lTwoOperatingModes—motionbasedAllMetalandDiscriminate.
lEasytoOperatejusttwosimplecontrolsatyourfingertips.
lEconomicalUse—upto20hoursplusonasinglebattery.
lTesoroLifetimeWarranty—ourpledgeofqualitytoyou.
Whatitdoesn'thave.
Abig,heavy,highpoweredspeaker.Loud,heavyspeakersarepopularwithmanymanufacturers.The"fuller"soundtheyproducegivesthe
illusionofgreatersensitivitytosmallanddeeptargets—agreatshowroomsalestool!Mostseriousdetectorists,however,huntwithheadphonesand
aµMAXwilldrivestandardheadphoneswell.Ifyouchoosenottouseheadphones,theµMAXspeakerwillbeloudenoughformostenvironments.
Itwillallowyoutohearthesmallanddeeptargetsfoundbythe µMAX'shighpowercircuitry—withoutexcessivebatterydrain.
Ahipmount,armstraporbatteryrechargingsystem.Thesekindsof"builtinaccessories”aresimplyunnecessaryinaµMAXdetector.
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µMAXBandido
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.
ThepowerandfeaturesoftheTesoroµMAXBandidomakeitidealfortheserious
detectoristwhowantstopofthelineperformanceandversatilityinalightweight,lowcost
detector.Itisalsoanidealdetectorforabeginnerwhowantsamachinetheywillnever
outgrow.
WARRANTYSERVICE
YourTesorometaldetectoriscoveredbyaLimitedLifetimeWarranty,thetermsofwhich
arelistedbelow.Ifyourmetaldetectorshouldrequireservice,youmayreturnittotheTesoro
factoryattheaddressbelow.
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.
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. 
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.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
TesoroPart# Description
COIL4RC 4"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RC 7"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL8RCWB 8"roundconcentricweighted(opencenter,brown)
COIL10.5RC 10½"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RW 7"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
COIL11RW 11"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
OperatingFrequency 12kHz
SearchcoilType Round,opencenterconcentric
SearchcoilSize 8"diameter
CableLength Approx.3’
AudioFrequency Approx.300Hz
AudioOutput 1½”speakerandheadphonejack
HeadphoneCompatibility ¼”stereoplug
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 2.2lbs.
BatteryRequirement One9voltDC(alkaline)
BatteryLife(typical) 10to20hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OptimumHumidity 0to75%R.H.
OperatingModes
SilentSearchAllMetal
SilentSearchDiscriminate
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µMAXBANDIDOOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL
CONGRATULATIONS!
YournewTesoroµMAXBandidoMetalDetectorispartofanewseriesofdetectorsdesignedtoprovideyouwithmany
happyhoursofenjoymentinthemostrewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingand
excitingexperiencesasyoustepintothepast–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations–or,asyoutakepleasurein
thegreatoutdoorswithfamilyandfriendssearchingforpreciousmetals.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,
andallofusatTesorowishyouthebestofsuccess.
YourTesoroµMAXdetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinawiderangeoftreasurehuntingsituations.Aswithany
othermetaldetector,familiaritywiththisinstrumentisprobablythelimitingfactorindetermininghowsuccessfulyoucanbe.I
recommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullyhowtooperatethisdetectorbeforeattemptingtouseitinthefield.
Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.
TheµMAXBandidoisaprecisionelectronicinstrumentthatwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatitrightandit
won'tletyoudown.
GoodHunting!JackGifford
INTRODUCTION
Tobesuccessfulintreasurehuntingwithadetectoryoumust:
lUseahighperformancemetaldetectordesignedforthetypeoftreasurehuntingyouwillbedoing.
lLearnhowtouseyourmetaldetectorproperly.
lSearchwherethereisburiedtreasuretobefound.
lBepersistent.
TheµMAXBandidoisatrueallpurposedetector.Itwasdesignedfortopperformanceinthewidestrangeofdetectingusespossible.Itis
sensitivetosmallgoldparticles,itispowerfulenoughtorelicandcachehuntwith,itisplentyfastenoughforcompetitionhuntinganditisgreat
forcoinhunting.Yet,evenwithitsamazingpower,itisstilleasytouse.
ThisOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUALisdesignedtohelpyoulearntooperatethedetectorproperlyformaximumperformanceinvarious
searchconditions.CompleteinstructionsonhowtooperatetheµMAXBandidoarefoundinthetwomainsections:GETTINGSTARTEDand
OPERATINGTECHNIQUES.
Ifyouarenewtometaldetecting,wehighlyrecommendreadingandfollowingtheentireGETTINGSTARTEDsectiontodevelopthe"feel"
ofyourdetector.Then,studyandpracticetheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESsection–especiallyGroundBalancing–togetthebestperformance
fromyourdetector.
Ifyouarenewtotreasurehuntingwithmetaldetectors,keepinmindthatiftherearenovaluablemetalobjectsburiedwhereyouare
searching,itwon'tmatterhowgoodyourmetaldetectorisorhowskilledandpersistentyouare.Tolearnmoreaboutwheretosearchforvaluable
buriedmetalscheckwithyourmetaldetectordealerorbooksellerformagazinesandbooksontreasurehunting.
GENERALDESCRIPTION
TheµMAXBandidoisoneofthefirstofitskind:anultralightweight,compactdetectorthatpacksthepowerandperformanceofthebestfull
size,heavierdetectors.Byutilizingstateoftheartcircuitry,Tesorohascreatedanamazinglyversatileandpowerful,easytooperatedetectorthat's
perfectforalltypesofdetecting,andfortravel.
TheµMAXBandidoisaTransmitterReceiver(TR)typeofdetectorthatoperatesintheVeryLowFrequency(VLF)portionoftheRadio
Frequency(RF)spectrum.TheµMAXBandidousesonlythreecontrolknobsandtwotoggleswitchestoprovidefullVLFcapabilities. 
TheperformanceoftheµMAXBandidowillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorists,whetherexperiencedornovice.Atthecentre
oftheµMAXBandidoisaspecialHybridcircuitboarddevelopedfromSurfaceMountTechnologythatincorporatesTesoro'sprovenHighGain
SensitivityCircuitry.Thiscircuitboardhelpsprovidegreaterdepthsandmoresensitivitytosmaller,lessconductivemetalobjectsor"targets"such
asfinegoldjewelry.
TheµMAXBandidohasfeaturesthatmakeitspowereasytouse.Throughsimpleandfastoperatoradjusted"groundbalancing,"theground
rejectioncircuitrywillallowoperationineventhemostdifficultgroundmineralizationconditions.Twooperatingmodesandtwotuningmodes
addtotheversatilityofthedetector'soperation.TheDiscriminateModeisSilentSearch,meaningthesearchcoilmustbemovingtodetecta
target.TheAllMetalModeisnomotion,meaningthesearchcoilwilldetectatargetlocateddirectlyunderit,evenwhenthesearchcoilisnot
moving.AutoTune,theautomatictuningmode,isfastandretunesthedetectorinsecondsafterencounteringatarget.NormalTunegivesthe
operatortotalcontrolofretuningatthetouchofaswitch.
TheelectronicminiaturizationofSurfaceMountTechnologypermitsthecomplex,powerfulcircuitryoftheµMAXdetectorstofitintoavery
smallspace.Theresultisadetectorthatissoincrediblylightthereisnoneedtobodymountthecontrolhousing.Thisexclusivedesignfeature
addstotheµMAXBandido'seaseofuseandmakesthoselongersearchesmoreenjoyable. 
TheµMAXBandidocomeswithan8"roundconcentricsearchcoilforbestallaroundperformancewithgooddepth.Avarietyofoptional
Tesorosearchcoilsarealsoavailableandwillenhancethedetector'sperformanceundervariousconditions(seeOPTIONALACCESSORIES).
GETTINGSTARTEDUNPACKINGTHEBOX
YourµMAXBandidowasshippedwiththeseparts:
1UpperPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingupperpolestemwithhandlegrip,paddedarmbracketandcontrolhousing.
1LowerPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingmiddlepolestemwithknurlednut,lowerpolestem,andnylonpoletipcompletewithtwothickfriction
washers,mountingscrew,lockwasherandthumbnut.
18"round,concentricsearchcoilwith3'cable
19VoltAlkalineBattery
1Extrasetoftwothinfrictionwashers
1OperatorInstructionManual
1TesoroWarrantyCard
Ifanyoftheseitemsaremissing,contacttheTesoroAuthorizedDealerwhereyoupurchasedyourdetectorimmediately.
AssemblyoftheµMAXBandidoissimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.JustInstallthebattery,mountthesearchcoilonthelowerpole
assembly,connectthetwopoleassembliestogether,wraptheexcesscablearoundthepoleandplugthecableintothecontrolhousing.Finally,
adjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangleandyou'reready!
INSTALLTHEBATTERY
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformance.The
batteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutes,andthenperiodicallywhenusedforlongdurations.Formore
detailedinformationgotoPerformingtheAudioBatteryTestunderTUNINGYOURDETECTOR. 
Toinstallorreplacethebattery,firstmakesuretheSENSITIVITYcontrolissettoPOWOFFturnedcompletelycounterclockwisepastthe
"click".Removethebatterydoorfromthebackofthecontrolhousing.Dothisbypressingyourthumbfirmlyonthelouveredsquare atthebottom
ofthebatterydoorandslidingthebatterydoorupward(inthedirectionofthearrow)whilepushing.
Connectafreshsingle9voltalkalinebatterytothebatteryleadterminals.Makecertainthepolaritysnapstofitproperly.Apoorconnection
maycausethedetectortoacterraticallyorfailtooperatecompletely.
Placethebatteryintothebatterycompartmentwithoutpullingorstretchingthebatteryleadwires.Replacethebatterydoorbyslidingitinto
placemakingsuretheuppermountslotsareinlineandthelocktongueissnappedintoplace.
ASSEMBLINGYOURDETECTOR
1. Onthelowerpoleassembly,graspthepoletipfirmlyinonehand.Withtheotherhand,fullydepressthetwospringbuttonsonthe
oppositeendoftheassembly.
2. Pullthemiddlestemoutfarenoughforthespringbuttonstoclickintothefirstsetoftheadjustmentholeslockingtheassemblyinto
placeagain.
3. Removethemountingscrewandthumbnutfromtheblacknylonpoletip.
4. Insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsandthesearchcoilandaligntheholesofthepoletipandwasherswiththoseofthe
mountingears.
Note:thepoletipshouldfitverysnuglyintothemountingears,however,itmaybenecessarytousethethinfrictionwashersinstead.
5. Insertthemountingscrewthroughtheholesinthemountingearsandpoletipenteringfromthesideoppositethecableconnection.
6. Installthethumbnutonthemountingscrewandtightenbyhand.
Note:Donotovertightenthethumbnut.Itshouldbesnug,butnottoodifficulttoloosenup. 
7. Ontheupperpoleassembly,depressthetwospringbuttonsandslidetheupperassemblyintothelowerpoleassemblyuntilthespring
buttonsclickintotheholeslockingthetwoassembliesintoplace.Tightentheknurlednuttosecurethetwoassembliestogether.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto “see”thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
8. Wrapthecablearoundthepoleleavingenoughslacknearthesearchcoiltopermitsearchcoiladjustment.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto"see"thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
9. Plugthemalecableendintothefemaleconnectoronthecontrolhousingandtightenthecablethumbnut.Youarefinished! 
Note:Youwillwanttoadjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangletoyourpreference.
ADJUSTINGTHEPOLE&SEARCHCOIL
Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedsothatthedetectordoesnotbecomeuncomfortableortiringafter
longperiodsofuse.Thedetectorgripshouldrestinyourhandwithyourarmrelaxed,yourelbowstraightbut
notlocked,withthepoleextendingoutinfrontofyouattheapproximateangleshowninthephoto. 
Youshouldbeabletoswingthedetectorbackandforthinfrontofyou—usingrelaxedshoulder
movement—whilekeepingthesearchcoilasclosetothegroundaspossible.Thisswingingmovementisoften
calleda“sweep.”
Thesearchcoilshouldnottouchthegroundduringyoursweep.Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedto
allowthiswithouthavingtoliftthedetectorwithyourelboworshoulder.Thesearchcoilshouldrestaboutone
inchabovethegroundwhileyouarestandingerect.Theangleofthesearchcoilshouldallowthebottomto
beparalleltotheground.
Thepolelengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthepoleuntil
thespringbuttonsclickintothesetofholesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablepolelength.
Toadjustthesearchcoilangle,simplyloosenthesearchcoilthumbnutslightlyandmovethesearchcoil
intothedesiredposition.Tightenthesearchcoilthumbnutbyhandsothatthesearchcoilwillholdinplace.
QUICKSTARTSELFGUIDEDTUTORIAL
TheQuickStartisdesignedtohelpyouuseyournewµMAXBandidometaldetectorrightaway,evenif
youhaveneverusedametaldetectorbefore.Justfolloweacheasystepcarefullyandyou'llquicklyseehowthebasicdetectorfunctionswork.
You'llalsobeintroducedtosomeimportantconceptsontheway.
Here'swhatyouwillneed:
1. YourfullyassembledµMAXBandidometaldetector
2. Threenewercoins:apenny*,anickelandaquarter
3. Anonmetaltableorcountersurface
4. Approximately20minutestocompletetheQuickStart
*mustbe1984ornewermadeofzinc
Here’swhatyouwilldo:
1. PerformanAudioBatteryTest
2. AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
3. PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
4. PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
PreparefortheQuickstart
PlaceyourassembledµMAXBandidoonthenonmetalsurface.Makesuretherearenometalobjectsnearthecoil.Removeanyjewelryfrom
yourhandsandwrists.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVTYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoNORM
lMODEswithsettoDISC
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange:
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop.
TheGROUNDcontrolshouldbeleftatthissettingfortheentireQuickStart. 
Step1PerformanAudioBatteryTest
lTurntheSENSIIVITYcontrolfromPOWOFFto1
Youwillhearthebatterytesttoneforafewsecondsasthebatteryisautomaticallytested.Whenthetonestopsthedetectorisonthecontrols
arereadyforadjusting.
FunctionDemonstrated:Howthebatterytesttonewilltellyouthebatteryisworkingeachtimethedetectoristurnedon. 
NOTE:YoushouldalwaysperformtheAudioBatteryTestwithModeSwitchsettoDISC. 
Step2AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
nTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolfrom1to8
Thisisagoodsettingtobeginwitheachtimeyouuseyourdetector.LeavethecontrolatthissettingfortherestoftheQuickStart.
FunctionDemonstrated:WheretosettheSENSITIVITYcontrolforbasicoperation. 
Step3PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
IdentifytheThresholdSound
IdentifyTargetResponse
RetunetheThreshold
lFliptheMODEswitchtoALLMETAL
Listentothecontinuous,fairlyeventone.Thisiscalledthe"thresholdsound".Youwillhearthethresholdsoundonlywhenoperatingthe
detectorinAllMetalMode.
Holdthequarterinyourfingertipsandmovethequarterfromsidetosideabout12inchesfromthefrontofthesearchcoil. 
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitfromsidetoside  untilyouhearthethresholdsound
increase.Thisincreaseinvolumeiscalledthe"targetresponsesound". 
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoldstillandthenmovingitslightly.Trypassingitinfrontoftheedgeofthesearchcoilandthenunder
thecenter.Noticethedifferencesinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange.
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary,sometimessubtly.
Yourdetectorwillrespondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalwhentheobjectisinthesearchcoil'ssensitivityareaor"range".Operatingyour
detectorinthiswayiscalleda"nomotionAllMetalModewithNormalTune".
Retuningthethreshold
Holdthequarterstillabout2to4inchesfromthesearchcoil,inlinewiththesearchcoilcenter.Listentothetargetresponsesoundfor1or2
seconds.Donotmovethequarter!
lFliptheMODEswitchtoRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticethatthetargetresponsesoundwilldecreasetotheregularlevelofthethresholdsound.Now,slowlymovethequarterfromsidetoside,
goingpasttheedgeofthesearchcoil.Noticetheregularthresholdsoundisgoneandthetargetresponsesoundisnowa"beep"thatoccurswhen
thetargetpassesinfrontofthesearchcoilcenter.Thistechniqueisusedto"pinpoint"theexactlocationofanobject. 
Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoil.
lFliptheMODEswitchtoeRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticetheregularthresholdreturns.Movethequarterclosetothesearchcoilandnoticetheloudcontinuoustargetresponsesoundhas
returned.Takethequarterawayagain.
lFliptheTUNEswitchtoAUTO
Holdthequarterstillnearthesearchcoilforafewsecondandnoticethedetectorautomaticallyretunesitself.Then,trymovingthecoinfrom
sidetosideandnoticethetargetresponsesoundisa"beep".Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoilforafewsecondsandtryitagain.Now,try
thistestwiththedifferentcoinsusingbothtuningmethodsandlistforthedifferencesinthesounds. 
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)HowtheAllMetalModetargetresponsesoundwillvarydependingonthevariousfactorssuchaswhattypeof
metaltargetsareburiedintheground,howdeeptheyare,howfastyoumoveyoursearchcoilandsoon.2)Howthedetector'sthresholdcanreturn
manuallyinNormalTuneorautomaticallyinAutoTuneandhowthiseffectsthetargetresponsesound.
Step4PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
IdentifytheTargetResponse
UseDiscrimination
lFliptheMODEswitchtoDISC
lLeavetheDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
NOTE:InDiscriminateMode,youwillnothearthecontinuousthresholdsoundoftheAllMetalMode,soreturningisnotneeded.
Holdthequarterinyourhandandmovethequarterbackandforthabout12inchesinfrontofthesearchcoilbottom.
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitbackandforthuntilyouheara"beep".Thisbeepthetarget
responsesound.
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoinstillthenmovingitslightly.Noticethedifferenceinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange. 
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary.Yourdetectorcan
respondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalifthereismovementbetweentheobjectandthedetector.Operatingyourdetectorinthiswayis
calleda"SilentSearch".
lTurntheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMINtoMAX
Passthequarterbackandforthinfrontofandclosetothesearchcoilbottom.Noticethesoundasthecoinnearsthecenterofthesearchcoil.
Now,trythiswiththenickelandthenthezincpenny.Noticethereisnosoundwiththesetwocoins.Theabilityofametaldetectortoignore
certaintypesofmetalthatitencountersiscalled"discrimination".Usingyourdetectorinthiswayiscalleda"SilentSearchDiscriminateMode". 
Controlsettingstoignoremostzincandnickelobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVELMAX
lMovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMAXto7
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthecoil.Noticethequarterandthezincpennynowcauseatargetresponsesound. 
Controlsettingstoignoremostnickelcanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL7
lNowmovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfrom7to4
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthesearchcoil.Noticeallthreecoinsnowcauseatargetresponsesound.
ControlsettingstoincludenewerUScoinswhileexcludingmostironobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL4
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)ThemotionbasedoperationandtargetresponsesoundofSilentSearchDiscriminateMode.2)Howthe
DiscriminateModecanbeusedtohelpdeterminethetypesofmetalatargetmaybe.ByadjustingtheDISCLEVELcontrolyoucanselectwhat
metalsyourdetectorwillignore.
Conclusion
Welldone!YouhavefinishedtheQuickStartGuideandhaveoperatedmanyofthebasicdetectingfeaturesofthe µMAXBandido.Youhave
alsobeenintroducedtotheideasof:1)"targetresponsesound",2)"thresholdsound",3)"returningthethreshold",4)"targetdiscrimination"and5)
"targetpinpointing".
Nowyouarealmostreadytobeginthejourneyintotheartofmetaldetectingbyactuallyusingyourdetectortofindburiedmetal.Butfirsta
wordaboutairtests.
TheairtestsintheQuickStartareoflimitedvalue.Metaldetectorsperformdifferentlyinairteststhanwheninactualuse"inthefield".Tesoro
detectorsarespecificallydesignedtodeliverthebestperformanceinthefield.
TheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESandTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionswillgiveyoumoredetailedinformationonhowtosetyour
detector'scontrols,especiallyselectingatuningmodeandusingdiscrimination,forthebestresults. 
BeforeyouuseyourµMAXBandidointhefieldyouneedtolearnhowtooperateonemorefeatures:theGROUNDcontrol.Usingthe
GROUNDcontroltoproperly"GroundBalance"yourµMAXBandidowillallowyoutotapintoitsfullpowerandperformancecapabilitiesandis
perhapsthemostimportantfeaturetomaster.TheGroundBalancesectionwillexplainstepbystephowtousethisfeature.
Finally,theonlywayyoucanbecometrulyproficientatusingyourdetectortofindburiedtreasureistouseitinthefieldandlearnfrom
experience!However,westronglysuggestthatyoureadthisentiremanualtobecomeproficientwithallofthefeaturesasyoucontinuetouseyour
detector.
Youhavethefinesttoolavailable,nowallyouneedistheskillthatcomesfromexperience.
TOTURNYOURDETECTOROFF:
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTOPOWOFF
Counterclockwisepastthe"click".
TOTURNYOURDETECTORON:
lMAKESURETHEMODESWITCHISSETTODISC
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTO1
Clockwisepastthe"click".
OPERATINGTECHNIQUESCONTROLS
TheµMAXBandidohasonlyfivecontrols,allmountedonthefrontpanelofthehousingforfingertipadjustment.Howthesecontrolsshould
besetforpeakperformancewilldependonthetypeofmetalyouaresearchingfor,searchsiteconditions,mineralcontentofthesoilandsoforth.
UsetheinformationinthissectionandtheTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionasabasisforsettingthecontrolsonyourdetector.Usingyour
detectorinthefieldwillallowyoutolearnthedetector'sresponsestovariousconditionsandwillguideyouinfinetuningthedetector'soperating
controls.
SENSITIVITYON/OFFSensitivityControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasthreefunctions:
lTurnsthedetectorONandOFF
lActivatestheautomaticAudioBatteryTest
lAdjuststheSensitivityLevel
NOTE:Thedetectorshouldalwaysbeturnedoffwhennotinuse. 
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwisepasttheinitial"click"turnsthedetectoronandactivestheautomaticAudioBatteryTestcircuit.This
testwillgiveyouasound,usuallylastingseveralseconds,thatindicatesthebattery'scondition.WhentheAudioBatteryTestisover,thedetector ’s
SensitivityLevelcanbeadjusted.
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector'sSensitivityLevel.Thelevelfrom1upto10isthenormalrange.Thisrange
correspondswiththenormalSensitivityonstandarddetector's.TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobpast10intotheorangeareaputstheSensitivity
intotheMAXBoostrangefoundonlytheµMAXdetectors.
NOTE:ItisbesttoturnthedetectoroninDiscriminateMode.SincetheDiscriminateModeisasilentmodewithnocontinuousthreshold
sound,itwillbeobviouswhentheAudioBatteryTestiscomplete.
IfyouturnthedetectoroninAllMetalModetheAudioBatteryTestsoundwillbeimmediatelyfollowedbythethresholdsound.Thismay
makeitdifficulttohearthebatterytestendanddiscernthebatterycondition.
Also,theSensitivityLevelisbestsetwhileintheDiscriminateMode.AftertheAudioBatterTestisoverandtheSensitivityLevelisproperly
set,youmaychangetheoperatingmodetoAllMetalwithoutdifficulty.
DISTLEVELDiscriminationLevelControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheDiscriminationLevel.
OncethedetectorisintheDiscriminateMode,theDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sDiscriminationLevel.TurningtheDISC
LEVELknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector ’sDiscriminationLevelandviceversa.
NOTE:WhenthedetectorisoperatingintheAllMetalModetheDISCLEVELcontrolisnotused. 
TUNETuningModeSelectionSwitch
Thistoggleswitchhasonefunction:
lSetstheTuningMode:NormalorAuto
Thistogglehastopositions:TotherightlabeledAUTOitlocksinplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoAutomatic.Totheleft 
labeledNORMthelockstheplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoNormal.NOTE:ThetuningModeisusedonlywhenoperatingintheAll
MetalMode.
MODEModeSelection/RetuneSwitch
Thecombinationtoggleswitchhastwofunctions.
lSetstheoperatingmode:AllMetalorDiscriminate
lRetunesthethresholdinAllMetalMode.
Thistogglehasthreepositions:TotherightlabeledDISCitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoDiscriminate.Tothecenter
labeledALLMETitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoAllMetal.TotheleftlabeledRETUNEitspringreturnstothecenter
positionandretunesthedetector’sthresholdwhileremaininginAllMetalMode.So,thiscomboswitchfunctionsasaRetuneSwitchbypressing
theswitchcompletelytotheleftandreleasingitsoitspringsbacktothecenterposition.
NOTE:Manualretuning(MODE/RETUNE)isusedonlywhenoperatingintheAllMetalModewithTuningsettoNormal(TUNE/NORM). 
GROUNDGroundBalanceControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheGroundBalance
ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalModesamplingsothattheµMAXBandidoignoresthenormalgroundmineralization.Makingthis
adjustmentisoftencalled"GroundBalancing".Theknobwillturncontinuallyineitherdirection,althoughitseffectuserangeisonly3 ¾turns.
Onceyouhaveturnedtheknobtotheendofitsuserangeineitherdirection,youshouldnoticeaslightincreasein"drag"astheknobisturned.
Whenyoufeelthe"drag"youmayimmediatelyreversedirectiontoentertheeffectiveuserangeofthenext3 ¾turns.
NOTE:TheGROUNDcontroldoesaffectbothoperatingmodesbyshouldbeadjustedinAllMetalMode.
TUNINGYOURDETECTOR
Everydetectormustbeproperlytunedinordertoperformatitspeakandprovidemaximumdepth.Infact,themorepowerfuladetectoris,the
morecriticalthetuningbecomes.Lesspowerfuldetectorsaremoretolerantofimpropertuning,butarealsonotcapableofthedepthofaproperly
tunedhighpowerdetectorsuchastheµMAXBandido.ToachievepeakperformancefromyourµMAXBandido,besuretoproperlyadjustthe
GROUNDcontrolintheAllMetalMode.Thesettingsofthiscontrolwillalsoaffectthedetector ’sperformanceinDiscriminateMode,somakesure
toadjustitproperlyfirst,evenifyouwillnotbehuntinginAllMetalMode.Remember:impropertuningwillreduceperformanceandcanalso
cause"false"anderroneous"ghostingsignals".
TuningyourµMAXBandidocanbedonein5simplesteps:
1. GroundBalancingthedetectorusingtheGROUNDcontrol.
2. SettingtheoperatingmodeusingtheMODEswitch.
3. SettingthetuningmodeusingtheTUNEswitch.
4. SettingtheSensitivitylevelusingtheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
5. SettingtheDiscriminationlevelusingtheDISCLEVELcontrol.
NOTE:GroundBalancingshouldbedonewhileinAllMetalModeandAutoTuneMode.SettingtheDiscriminationLevelandtheSensitivity
LevelshouldbedonewhileoperatinginDiscriminateMode.
GroundBalancing
GroundBalancingisnotadifficultprocedure,butitiscriticalifyoudesiremaximumdepthandstability.Itisespeciallyimportantifyouplan
togoldnuggethuntformatchheadsizedorsmallernuggetsinahighlymineralizedground.
NOTE:Nomatterwhereyouwillbesearching,orwhetheryouwillbeoperatingintheAllMetalModeorDiscriminateMode,makesurethe
detectorisproperlyGroundBalancedintheAllMetalModewithAutoTuneModefirst.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVITYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoAUTO
lMODEswitchsettoALLMETAL
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop
Next:
lTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolsetto10
Wait3to4secondsuntiltheAudioBatterytestiscomplete.
Raisethesearchcoilto6to8inchesabovetheground,levelandparalleltotheground.Whilelisteningtothethresholdsound,lowerthe
searchcoilquicklytothegroundlevelandlistentowhatthethresholdsounddoes.
Oneofthreethingswillhappentothesound:1)thesoundwillincrease,2)thesoundwillgosilent,or3)thesoundwillremainthesame.
WhichoneofthesehappenswilldeterminewhatyouneedtodotoproperlyGroundBalanceyourdetectorfortheareayouareat. 
1)Ifthethresholdsoundgetslouderwhenyoulowerthesearchcoil,itmeanstheGROUNDknobneedstogotheleft.
2)Ifthedetectorgoessilentandyoulosethethresholdsoundmomentarily,thenyouwillneedtoturntheGROUNDknobtotheright. 
3)Ifthereisnochangeinthethresholdsoundasyoulowerthesearchcoiltotheground,thenyoujusthappentoalreadyhavetheproper
groundbalanceandcanproceedtohunt.
StartoutusingslightturnsoftheGROUNDknob,thedistanceofthemovementbeingequivalenttoaboutonehouronaclockface.The
entireeffectiveareaofthiscontrolis3¾turnsfromminimumtomaximum,soifyoustartGroundBalancinginthemiddleoftheeffectiverangeit
willonlytakeabouttwocompleteturnsineitherdirectiontobeatoneendoftheeffectiverange.
NOTE:TherearethreeimportantthingstorememberwhenGroundBalancingwiththismethod. 
First,youareintheAutoTunemodeandonceyouhesitateatgroundlevelforasecondortwo,thedetectorwillretunethethreshold
automatically.Therefore,whenyoulowerthesearchcoiltowardtheground,youareonlylisteningfortheinitialchangeinvolume. 
Second,makeyouareGroundBalancinginacleanareaandnotloweringthesearchcoildownoverapieceofmetal. 
Third,whenyouraisethesearchcoilbesurethatyouDONOTtiltthesearchcoilatanangle.
Bycontinually"pumping"thesearchcoilfrom6to8inchesabovethegroundtogroundlevelandbackupintheairagainwhileturningthe
GROUNDknobintheappropriatedirection,youwillveryquicklyreachthepointwherethereistheabsoluteminimalchangeinthresholdsound
duringthepumping.Whenyouhavereachedthatpointyouare"GroundBalanced"andcanbeginsearchingthearea. 
NOTE:ChanginggroundmineralizationmaymakeoccasionalsmalladjustmentstotheGROUNDknobnecessarytomaintainpeak
performance.
Selectingtheproperoperatingmode
TheµMAXBandidoofferstwooperatingmodes,AllMetalModeandDiscriminateMode. 
TheDiscriminateModeis"SilentSearch"operatingmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillmakenosounduntilitencountersametaltarget.
Thismoderequiresthatthesearchcoilbemovingslightlyfortargetdetection.
TheAllMetalMode,however,isa"nomotion"operationmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillemitacontinuous"thresholdsound"untilit
encountersametaltargetatwhichtimethesoundwillnoticeablyincrease.Thismodedoesnotrequiremotionsothesearchcoilcanbeheldstill
fortargetdetectionifneeded.
TheAllMetalMode,asthenameimplies,willdetectalltypesofmetaltargets.Whenoperatinginthismodeyouwillfindunwanted"trash"
metalobjectssuchasnails,foil,pulltabs,etc.,justasyouwouldwithanyhighperformancedetector.TheAllMetalModeispreferredforhunting
relics,artifactsandotherobjectsthataremadeofnon preciousmetalsespeciallyiron.Thismodeisalsogoodforbeachhuntingwherethesand
allowseasydiggingandtimewastedondigginguptrashmetalobjectsisnotamajorconcern. 
TheAllMetalModemustbeusedforgoldnuggethunting,sincetheresponsetosmallgolditemsissoclosetoiron.Formostnuggethunting,
theAllMetalMode&AutoTuneModecombinationwillprovidethebestperformancealthoughsomespecialattentionforhotrocksmaybe
necessary(seeSelectinghepropertuningmode).
TheDiscriminateModewillallowyoutocontrolthedetector'sresponsetomostofthecommontrashmetalobjectsfoundinschoolyards,
parks,andbeaches.Discriminatemodeisgenerallyusedfor"coinshooting"suchareaswhereyouprefertoavoidwastingtimediggingup
commontrashmetal.TheDiscriminationLevelyouselectwilldeterminewhattypesofmetalyourdetectorwillignore.
Inmanyothermetaldetectors,theAllMetalModeoffersgreaterdepthupto30%overtheDiscriminationMode.Notsowiththe µMAX
detectors.ThenewµMAXcircuitrywithMAXBoostovercomesthiscommonproblemanddeliverssuperiorsensitivityandbetterdepthinboth
operatingmodes.
Selectingthepropertuningmode
TheAutoTuneMode(TUNEAUTO)ontheµMAXBandidoisafastautomatictuningthattakesjust2to3secondstoautomaticallyadjust
itself.TheAutoTunequicklyretunesthedetectortoitsestablishedthresholdfollowingatargetresponse.
AutoTuneModealsokeepsthedetector'ssignalfromdrifting.ThistuningmodeoffersmaximumstabilitywhilesearchinginAllMetalMode
andisrecommendforgoldnuggethunting.
TheNormalTuningMode(TUNENORM)willholdatarget'ssignalwithoutretuningforaslongasthesearchcoilisheldstationarydirectly
overthetarget.Somedriftmayoccurinthismode,butisquicklyremediedbymanuallyretuningusingtheMODEswitch(MODE RETUNE).For
precisepinpointing,identifyingtargetsize,linetracingandoresamplinginAllMetalMode,usetheNormalTuneMode. 
Fastautomatictuningcancausean"overshootsignal"on"hotrocks"thatis,amomentarysilenceasthesearchcoilsweepsoveranextremely
mineralizedrock,followedbyaloud"boing"soundwhenthesearchcoilpassesclearofit.Thissoundissodifferentfromagoodtargetresponse
sound,thatitiseasilyrecognized.(Theonlyproblemwithjustignoringthesesoundsovershootsignalsisthatasmallgoldnuggetmaybehiding
beneaththehotrock).Also,theAutoTuningModewillcausea“nulling”ofthethresholdsoundwhenthesearchcoilsweepsoveraverystrong
metaltarget.
SettingtheSensitivityLevel
Inlightlytomoderatelymineralizedground,youcanusuallysettheSENSITIVITYcontrolashighas8to10(normalmaximumsetting).Inthe
rightconditionsyoucanmovetheSENSITIVITYintotheMAXBoostareaforincreaseddepth.
ToadjusttheSensitivityLeveltoyoursearchconditions,firstsettheoperatingmodetoDISCandturntheSENSITIVITYcontrolclockwiseas
faraspossibleuntilthedetectorjustbeginsto"chirp"intermittently.Ifthechirpingistoofrequent,simplyturnthecontrolcounterclockwisejust
enoughtocausethechirpingtosubside.Onceset,thiscontrolshouldnotrequirereadjustingunlesssiteconditionschange. 
Occasionallyyoumayneedtoreducethesettingtoeliminate"falsesignals"causedbydifficultconditions.Someofthemanythingsthatcan
causetheresponseofthedetectortobecomeerraticduringregularuseareverylargetargets,highlymineralizedgroundontrashysites,intense
groundmineralizationchanges,CBradios,radioandTVbroadcastingantennas,andnearbysourcesofelectricalinterference.
Thesefalsesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsthatarenotrepeatableandtherefore,caneasilybedistinguishedfromagoodtarget
responsesound.Theycanbedistracting,though,andreducingtheSensitivitylevelwillhelpreducethesesignalswithanaccompanyinglossof
targetsensitivity.
ExtremeconditionssuchassaltwetsandmayrequireyoutoloweryourSensitivitysettingintothe2to5range.Overall,youshouldalwaysset
theSensitivitycontrolashighaspossible,whilestillgettingsmoothoperation. 
NOTE:ThenomotionAllMetalModeoftheµMAXBandidoisnotaffectedbytheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
SettingtheSensitivityLevelinMAXBoost
TheMAXBoostfeatureisahighgainboostoverandabovethenormalmaximumof10andindicatedbytheorangeareaonthe
SENSITIVITYcontrol.UsingMAXBoostwillcausenoharmtoyourdetectorbut,incertainconditionsitcanresultintheannoyingchirpingsounds
thatmaymakeitdifficulttohearagoodtargetresponsesound. 
InidealconditionsMAXBoostcanaddinchesofdepthtoyoursearchwithnochirping.Indifficultconditionstheextradepthwillstillbethere
butheavychirpingmaymakethefeaturetodifficulttouse.YoumustdeterminewhenandhowmuchoftheMAXboostfeaturetouseforyour
searchsiteconditions.
SettingtheDiscriminationLevel
TheDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedtrashmetalwhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode.Atthe
lowestsetting(MIN),thedetectorwillignoremostironobjects,butwillstillrespondtolightfoil,bottlecaps,pulltabsandmostothermetalobjects.
AstheDiscriminationLevelisincreased,moreofthesetrashmetalobjectsareignoredandgivenotargetresponsesoundwheninsidethe
searchcoil’srange.
TheDISCLEVELshouldbesettoyourdesired"rejectionlevel"fortheparticularareayouaresearching.Werecommendstartingatalow
settingifyouareunsureofhowmuchtrashisinthearea.Adjustthelevelhigherifyoufindyourselfdiggingmoretrashthenyoulike.Remember
thatwithanymetaldetector,youwilllosetargetresponsetosmallgoldringsandnickelswhendiscriminationissetatthepulltabrejectionlevel.
So,diggingsometrashwillincreaseyournumberofgoodfinds.
Thebelowdiagram"DISCLEVELDiscriminationLevelSettings"showsthesettingswheremanyofthecommonmetalobjectsareignored
byatypicaldetector.Eachdetectorcanvaryalittleduetomanufacturingtolerance soyoushouldexperimentwithyourdetectorandbecome
familiarwithitsrejectionlevelsforthesetrashmetalobjects.
Earliermotiondetectorsthatoperatedwithacontinuous"threshold"soundwouldgivetheuseradefiniteindicationoftrashmetalbyeither
"nulling"completely(nosoundmadetemporarily)orbygeneratingshort,choppysounds.SincetheµMAXBandido'sDiscriminateModeisSilent
Searchandoperateswithoutthresholdsound,thereisnonullingtoindicatethattheareaisextremelytrashy. 
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateModewerecommendthatyouperiodicallyswitchtoAllMetalModeandchecktheareayouare
searchingtogetanideaofhowmuchtrashisreallythere.Inextremelytrashyareasitmaybedesirabletoswitchtoasmallersearchcoil,even
thoughdoingsomaycausealossofdepth.Thesmallercoilwillallowyouabetterchanceoffindingcoinsbetweentheclosepiecesoftrash.

PerformingtheAudioBatteryTest
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformancefromit.
Thebatteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutesandthenperiodicallyifyouareusingitforlongperiods.
ToactivatetheAudioBatteryTest,simplyturnthedetectoroffmomentarilyandthenbackonagain.Ifthebatteryisfresh,thedetectorshould
emitacontinuousandloud"Beep"soundthatlastsforabout4or5seconds,andthenslowlyfadesintosilence.Asthebatteryages,thissoundis
lessintenseandfadesoutmorequickly.Whenyouhearonlyabrief"buzz"ornosoundatall,replacethebatterywithafreshone. 
Ifyouprefer,arechargeableNickelCadmium(NiCad)batterycanbesubstituteforthestandard9voltalkalinebattery.Individual9voltsize
NiCadcells,aswellasthechargersforthem,arereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores.Theyareinstalledintoyourdetectorinthe
samemannerasnonrechargeablebatteries.TheBatteryTestsoundonaNi Cadwillbeweakerthananalkalineinthebeginning,butwillnot
weakenasmuchwithuse.
ControllingAudioVolume
ThespeakerintheµMAXdoesnothaveavolumecontrol.Thevolumeshouldbesufficienttoaccuratelyhearthetargetresponsesoundin
mostenvironments.Ifmoreorlessvolumeisrequiredinyourparticularsituationwerecommendusingasetofgoodqualityheadphoneswitha
builtinvolumecontrol.
FIELDUSE
HandlingYourDetector
Thedetectorshouldbeheldinapositionthatiscomfortableforyouasshowninthe"AdjustingthePole&Searchcoil"sectionin"Getting
Started."Swingthedetectorfromsidetosideinaboutathreefootarc,overlappingsucceedingstrokeswell.Thismotioniscalleda “sweep.”The
µMAXBandidowasdesignedtogetmaximumdepthwithoutthefranticpacerequiredofearliermotiondetectors,sogoatapacethatis
comfortableforyou.Infact,tryingtohunttoofastmayevencausealossofdepthinheavilymineralizedlocations. 
Regardlessofwhichmodeyouareusing,trytokeepyoursearchcoilheightconstantandclosetotheground.Mostpeopletendtoraisethe
coilattheendofasweep—muchlikeapendulum—especiallyifinahurry.Trytoavoidthis,asanyincreaseinheightfromthegroundwillcause
acorrespondinglossofdepth.
Inareaswithwellkeptlawns,theeasiestwaytomaintainaconstantsearchcoilheightistoallowthecoiltorestonthegrassasyousweep
fromsidetoside.Inroughandrockyareas,itisbestnotto“scrub”thecoilontheground,astherockswillactlikeabrasivesandwearawaythecoil
bottom(anoptionalcoilscuffcoverwillprotectagainstthis).Sweepthecoilasclosetothegroundaspossiblewithouttouching.Hittingtheground
orrocksmaycauseafalsesignalmuchlikeadesiredtargetwould.Sweepingthecoiltoohighabovethegroundresultsinalossofdepth.
PlantingaTestGarden
Tobetterlearnhowyourdetectorwillperforminthefield,itwouldbehelpfultoburysomecoinsandtrashmetaljunkitemsinanareathat
youknowisclearofothermetalobjects,andthentrytheµMAXBandidoinitstwodifferentoperatingmodes.ChecktheareainAllMetalMode
firsttobesureitsclearoftrashthenburythetargetsatleast1footapart,andfrom2to4inchesdeeptostart.Makeamapoftheareatobesure
youknowwhateachtargetisandhowdeepitis.Practiceonthesetargetstofamiliarizeyourselfwithyourdetector’stargetresponse.Thiswillalso
helpyoulearnthepropersweepspeedforbestoperation.Thistypeofpracticeareaisoftencalleda“testgarden”or“testbed”andisoneofbest
toolstohelpyoudevelopyourmetaldetectingskills.
RecognizingFalseSignalsinDiscriminateMode
WhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode,some“falsesignals”maybecausedby1)heavyconcentrationsoftrashmetalobjects,2)verylarge
trashmetalobjects,or3)electricalinterference.Thesesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsandsounddifferentthan “goodsignals”(good
targetresponsesounds).
Attheendofyoursweep,asyouthereversethecoildirection,thedetectorismostsusceptibletotrashinducednoise.Therearetwowaysto
tellwhetherthesesoundsaregooddeepsignalsortrash“noise.”Thefirstisbyrepeatability.Trashinducednoiseswillnotberegularasyousweep
thecoiloverthesuspectedtargetseveraltimes,whereasagoodtargetresponsewillberepeatable.ThesecondmethodistoswitchtoAllMetal
Modeandcheckthetargetresponsesound.Iftheresponseisweak,itmaywellbeadeep,goodtarget;butiftheresponseisverystrong,itis
probablytrash.Notethatacoinclosetothesurfacecangiveadoublebeepsound,butitisregularandrepeatable.Raisingthecoilaninchortwo
willrestorethesinglebeeponsurfacetargets.
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateMode,itisbestnottouseahigherDISCLEVELsettingthannecessary.Nickelsandmostsmallerringsare
rejectedwhentheDISCLEVELissettorejectpulltabsonanymetaldetectorthatisaTRDiscriminatorliketheµMAXBandido.Ifyoudon’tdig
anyjunkatall,youaresurelypassingupalotofgoodfindsaswell.SettheDISCLEVELonlyhighenoughtosuittheconditionswhereyouare
searching.Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,digit.
PinpointingaTarget
Whenpinpointingatarget,theAllMetalMode/NormalTuningModecanofferadvantagesoverDiscriminateMode,suchasnofalsesignals
andnoneedtomovethesearchcoiltogetatargetresponse.
AgoodmethodforpinpointinginAllMetalmodeis“Xing”thetargetwiththesearchcoil.Rememberthatthetargetsresponsesoundisalways
greatestwhenthetargetisdirectlyunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.To “X”atarget,sweepthesearchcoiloverthetargetfromsidetosideand
themfromfronttobackuntilyoucanidentifythecenteroftheX:thespotonthegroundwherethetargetresponsesoundisthegreatest.Holdyour
searchcoilstationaryoverthecenteroftheXandhittheRETUNEswitch.NowrepeattheX ing;thistimewatchingfortheexactspot—underthe
coilcenter—wherethedetectorbeeps.Thatspotiswherethetargetislocated. 
PinpointingatargetinDiscriminateModeisprobablybestdoneby“Xing”aswell.Rememberthatthedetectorwillbeepjustasthetarget
passesunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.SlowingthesweepspeeddownwillhelpyoupickoutthecenteroftheXbecausethetargetresponseis
reducedatveryslowspeedsmakingiteasiertocorrelatethesoundwiththecoilcenter. 
Anothereasymethodistosweepthecoilfromsidetosideacrossthetargetinveryshortsweeps,asyouslowlymoveforwardandbackward
acrossthetarget.Slowdownthesweeprateandshortenthesweepsuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Thetargetwillbedirectly
belowthecoilcenteratthisresponsetime.
AnothermethodofpinpointinginDiscriminateModeistoquicklychangetoAllMetalModetocheckthetargetresponse.RememberthatAll
MetalModeisnotsusceptibletothefalsesignalsofDiscriminateModeandcansometimesgiveaclearerandmoreconsistentresponsetodifficult
targetssuchasadimeburiednexttoapulltab.ByswitchingbackandforthbetweenmodesandcomparingthetargetresponsesoundinAllMetal
tothetargetresponsesoundinDiscriminateyoucanoftenbetteridentifythelikelylocationofthetarget.
Finally,raisingthesearchcoilduringpinpointingcanalsohelpbynarrowingtheresponsetothetarget.Practicepinpointingoften,andyou
willsoonbecomemoreaccurateandfaster.
RecoveringaTarget
Ifthetargetisshallowandthesoilissoft,youmaybeableto“probe”andfindtheexactlocationofthetargetbeforeyoudigit.Sincefilling
allholesafteryourecoverthetargetissoimportant,diggingasmallpreciseholeisbest.Ifthetargetisdeep,youmayneedtodigalargerhole.
Asyoudig,occasionallychecktheholewithyourdetectortoseeifyouhavemovedtheobject,canprobeit,orhavealreadydugit.Besuretofill
allholesafteryourecoverthetarget.Twomethodsareshownonthenexttwopagesthatworkmosteverywhere.
Besuretoprotectyourhobbybyleavingthesitecleanerthanyoufounditandwithallholesfilled!
RECOMMENDEDRECOVERYMETHODS
GENERALINFORMATIONCAREANDUSE
BasicCare
TheµMAXBandidoisasturdyinstrumentbutitisnotdesignedtowithstandabuse.IncaringforyourµMAXBandidothereareseveral
important“DONOTs”toremember.DONOTuseittopryrockslooseortobeatbushesoutoftheway.DONOTdropthemachineintowater.DO
NOTuseitunprotectedintherain.DONOTleaveitexposedatnightwheredewcouldformonit.DONOTstoreitinplacesthatcouldget
extremelyhot(nexttoawoodstove,inanattic).DONOTleaveitinthetrunkofacarorinthebackofahatchbackstylecarwherehigh
temperaturescouldbuildup.DONOTstoreitwiththebatteryinstalledasbatteriesmayleak.DONOTspraylubricantssuchasWD40,oranytype
ofcleaners,solvents,sealantsorotherchemicalsintoorontotheelectronicparts,switchesorcontrols.Andfinally:DONOTattempttomodifyor
repairthedetector’selectronicsasthiswillvoidyourdetector'swarranty. 
THEWARRANTYDOESNOTCOVERDAMAGERESULTINGFROMANACCIDENT,NEGLECTORABUSE.
ProtectingYourInvestment
Somanydetectoristsaredisappointedwhentheirnewdetectorslowlybecomeslessandlessresponsiveandseemstohavelostsomeofits
originalperformance.Youcanhelpavoidthisfromhappeningtoyourdetectorbyfollowingthesebasiccareandprotectionguidelines.
lOperateyourdetectorexactlyasrecommendedinthisOperatorInstructionManual.
lUseonlyhighqualityalkalinebatteriesofthecorrectvoltage.Neversubstituteadifferentvoltage.WhenusingaNi Cadbattery,always
useaseparateconvertiblepackwiththepropervoltageoutputforthedetector ’sdesign.
lRemovethebatteryfromthedetectoraftereachuse.Thiswillpreventdamagetothedetectorifthebatteryleaks.
lThesearchcoilcableishardwiredtothesearchcoilandprotectedbyastrainrelief.Inspectthestrainrelieffrequentlytomakesureitis
firmlyattachedandintact.
lKeepcablesproperlywoundaroundthepolestemsandprotectthemduringuse.Floppy,pinched,orcablesthatbecomesnagged
duringusemayshort,causingerraticnoisesorunnecessaryreplacementofthesearchcoil.
lSweepthesearchcoilcarefully,especiallywhenusingaroundrocksandbuildingfoundations.Avoidhittingthesearchcoilagainsthard,
solidobjectsandsurfaces.
lKeepyoursearchcoilslightlyoffofthegroundduringthesweep,especiallywhenusingingravelorhard,rockydirt.
lAlwaysuseaproperlydesignedprotectivescuffcoveronthesearchcoil.(See"OptionalAccessories"inthenextsection.) 
lRemoveandcleanoutscuffcoversperiodicallytoavoidbuildupofmineralizeddirtparticleswhichwillaffectperformance.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofandcanbesubmergedineitherfreshorsaltwater.Afterthesearchcoilisusedinsaltwater,rinseitandthe
lowerstemassemblywellwithfreshwatertopreventcorrosionofthemetalparts.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofbuttheelectronicsarenot,soalwayspreventanymoistureorwaterfromenteringthecontrolhousingand
neverallowthecableconnectorstobecomesubmergedinwater.
lIfworkinginornearwater,orifthereisapossibilityofrain,useaprotectiveweatherresistantpouchorplasticbagtocoverthecontrol
housing.Makesureitcan"breathe"inordertoensureagainstcondensationbuildupinside.
lAftereachuse,cleanthedetectorwithasoftclothtoremovedust,moisture,orothercontaminants.
lWhentransportingthedetectorinacarduringhotweather,storeitonthefloorofthepassengercompartmentifpossible.Usingacarry
baggivesadditionalprotection.Inanycase,neverallowthedetectortorollaroundunprotectedinthetrunkorbackofapickuptruck.
lProtectyourdetectorfromdust,moisture,andextremetemperaturesduringstorage.
lWhenshipping,usetheoriginalfactorycartonorsimilarheavydutycontainerandprovideaminimumoneinchofpaddingaroundall
parts.
lTreatyourdetectorasyouwouldanysensitiveelectronicinstrument.Thoughruggedlyconstructedanddesignedtowithstandthe
demandsofnormaltreasurehunting,propercareisessential.
OPTIONALACCESSORIES
TesoroMetalDetectorsandgenuineTesoroAccessoriesaresoldonlythroughindependentTesoroAuthorizedDealers,whoarealmostalways
metaldetectoriststhemselves.TheycanansweryourquestionsaboutyourTesorodetector,whataccessoriesmaybehelpfulandaboutmetal
detectingingeneral.
SeeyourTesoroAuthorizedDealerformoreinformationandpricesonoptionalaccessories.
ScuffCovers
Wehighlyrecommendusingascuffcovertoprotectyoursearchcoilatalltimes.Thescuffcoverforthe µMAXBandidofittedwiththe8"
searchcoilisTesoroPart#SCUFF8RB.
Searchcoils
The8"concentricsearchcoilprovidedwiththeµMAXBandidoisdesignedforbestallaroundperformance.Optionalsearchcoilsmayaddto
yourdetector'sperformance.
Smallersearchcoilsgivebetter“targetseparation”thatis,moredistincttargetresponseformetalobjectsburiedcloselytogetherwhichis
veryusefulwhenhuntingtrashysites.Verysmallsearchcoilscandeliverthebestresponseanddepthtosmalltargetssuchasfinegoldchainswith
somesacrificeindepthonlargerobjects.Largersearchcoilsgiveawidersweep,coveringmoreground,greaterdepthespeciallyonlargerobjects;
however,theymaynotdetectsomeverysmallobjectsuchashalfdimesandwillhavedifficultyinverytrashyareas. 
Widescansearchcoilsignoregroundmineralizationbetterthanconcentricsearchcoilsandmayofferimprovedperformanceinextreme
groundconditions.
Selectingtherightoptionalsearchcoildependsonfactorssuchaswhatyouaresearchingforandsearchsiteconditions.Noonesearchcoilis
betterthanalltherest.SeveraloptionalinterchangeablesearchcoilsareavailablefortheµMAX.Theyarealleasytomountandrequireno
specialtools.SeethenextpageforalistofthesesearchcoilswiththeTesoropart#anddescription.
TesoroSearchcoils
OptionalscuffcoversarealsoavailableforanyTesorosearchcoil. 
Headphones
Mostmetaldetectoristsprefertouseheadphonesinsteadofthedetector'sbuiltinspeaker.Headphoneshelpblockoutbackgroundnoise(such
aswind)andmakeiteasiertohearfaintsignals.Headphoneswithabuiltinvolumecontrolwillallowyoutoadjustthesoundvolumetoyour
preference.
SPECIFICATIONS
µMAXBANDIDOFEATURES
lHighGainSensitivityCircuitry—designedspecificallytodelivergreaterdepth,sensitivityandstability. 
lMAXBoostFeature—extrapowerofsuperhighgaincanaddinchestodiscriminationsearchdepthinidealconditions.
lHighsensitivitySearchcoil—a8inchopencenterconcentricforbroadsweep,goodpinpointinganddeepgroundpenetration.
lUltralightWeight—searchlongerwithoutfatigue.
l3pieceKnockdownPole—compactforstorageandtravel.
lTurnonandgomakesstoringandtravelingconvenient.
lTwoOperatingModes—motionbasedAllMetalandDiscriminate.
lEasytoOperatejusttwosimplecontrolsatyourfingertips.
lEconomicalUse—upto20hoursplusonasinglebattery.
lTesoroLifetimeWarranty—ourpledgeofqualitytoyou.
Whatitdoesn'thave.
Abig,heavy,highpoweredspeaker.Loud,heavyspeakersarepopularwithmanymanufacturers.The"fuller"soundtheyproducegivesthe
illusionofgreatersensitivitytosmallanddeeptargets—agreatshowroomsalestool!Mostseriousdetectorists,however,huntwithheadphonesand
aµMAXwilldrivestandardheadphoneswell.Ifyouchoosenottouseheadphones,theµMAXspeakerwillbeloudenoughformostenvironments.
Itwillallowyoutohearthesmallanddeeptargetsfoundbythe µMAX'shighpowercircuitry—withoutexcessivebatterydrain.
Ahipmount,armstraporbatteryrechargingsystem.Thesekindsof"builtinaccessories”aresimplyunnecessaryinaµMAXdetector.
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µMAXBandido
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.
ThepowerandfeaturesoftheTesoroµMAXBandidomakeitidealfortheserious
detectoristwhowantstopofthelineperformanceandversatilityinalightweight,lowcost
detector.Itisalsoanidealdetectorforabeginnerwhowantsamachinetheywillnever
outgrow.
WARRANTYSERVICE
YourTesorometaldetectoriscoveredbyaLimitedLifetimeWarranty,thetermsofwhich
arelistedbelow.Ifyourmetaldetectorshouldrequireservice,youmayreturnittotheTesoro
factoryattheaddressbelow.
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.
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. 
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.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
TesoroPart# Description
COIL4RC 4"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RC 7"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL8RCWB 8"roundconcentricweighted(opencenter,brown)
COIL10.5RC 10½"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RW 7"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
COIL11RW 11"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
OperatingFrequency 12kHz
SearchcoilType Round,opencenterconcentric
SearchcoilSize 8"diameter
CableLength Approx.3’
AudioFrequency Approx.300Hz
AudioOutput 1½”speakerandheadphonejack
HeadphoneCompatibility ¼”stereoplug
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 2.2lbs.
BatteryRequirement One9voltDC(alkaline)
BatteryLife(typical) 10to20hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OptimumHumidity 0to75%R.H.
OperatingModes
SilentSearchAllMetal
SilentSearchDiscriminate
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µMAXBANDIDOOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL
CONGRATULATIONS!
YournewTesoroµMAXBandidoMetalDetectorispartofanewseriesofdetectorsdesignedtoprovideyouwithmany
happyhoursofenjoymentinthemostrewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingand
excitingexperiencesasyoustepintothepast–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations–or,asyoutakepleasurein
thegreatoutdoorswithfamilyandfriendssearchingforpreciousmetals.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,
andallofusatTesorowishyouthebestofsuccess.
YourTesoroµMAXdetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinawiderangeoftreasurehuntingsituations.Aswithany
othermetaldetector,familiaritywiththisinstrumentisprobablythelimitingfactorindetermininghowsuccessfulyoucanbe.I
recommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullyhowtooperatethisdetectorbeforeattemptingtouseitinthefield.
Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.
TheµMAXBandidoisaprecisionelectronicinstrumentthatwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatitrightandit
won'tletyoudown.
GoodHunting!JackGifford
INTRODUCTION
Tobesuccessfulintreasurehuntingwithadetectoryoumust:
lUseahighperformancemetaldetectordesignedforthetypeoftreasurehuntingyouwillbedoing.
lLearnhowtouseyourmetaldetectorproperly.
lSearchwherethereisburiedtreasuretobefound.
lBepersistent.
TheµMAXBandidoisatrueallpurposedetector.Itwasdesignedfortopperformanceinthewidestrangeofdetectingusespossible.Itis
sensitivetosmallgoldparticles,itispowerfulenoughtorelicandcachehuntwith,itisplentyfastenoughforcompetitionhuntinganditisgreat
forcoinhunting.Yet,evenwithitsamazingpower,itisstilleasytouse.
ThisOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUALisdesignedtohelpyoulearntooperatethedetectorproperlyformaximumperformanceinvarious
searchconditions.CompleteinstructionsonhowtooperatetheµMAXBandidoarefoundinthetwomainsections:GETTINGSTARTEDand
OPERATINGTECHNIQUES.
Ifyouarenewtometaldetecting,wehighlyrecommendreadingandfollowingtheentireGETTINGSTARTEDsectiontodevelopthe"feel"
ofyourdetector.Then,studyandpracticetheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESsection–especiallyGroundBalancing–togetthebestperformance
fromyourdetector.
Ifyouarenewtotreasurehuntingwithmetaldetectors,keepinmindthatiftherearenovaluablemetalobjectsburiedwhereyouare
searching,itwon'tmatterhowgoodyourmetaldetectorisorhowskilledandpersistentyouare.Tolearnmoreaboutwheretosearchforvaluable
buriedmetalscheckwithyourmetaldetectordealerorbooksellerformagazinesandbooksontreasurehunting.
GENERALDESCRIPTION
TheµMAXBandidoisoneofthefirstofitskind:anultralightweight,compactdetectorthatpacksthepowerandperformanceofthebestfull
size,heavierdetectors.Byutilizingstateoftheartcircuitry,Tesorohascreatedanamazinglyversatileandpowerful,easytooperatedetectorthat's
perfectforalltypesofdetecting,andfortravel.
TheµMAXBandidoisaTransmitterReceiver(TR)typeofdetectorthatoperatesintheVeryLowFrequency(VLF)portionoftheRadio
Frequency(RF)spectrum.TheµMAXBandidousesonlythreecontrolknobsandtwotoggleswitchestoprovidefullVLFcapabilities. 
TheperformanceoftheµMAXBandidowillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorists,whetherexperiencedornovice.Atthecentre
oftheµMAXBandidoisaspecialHybridcircuitboarddevelopedfromSurfaceMountTechnologythatincorporatesTesoro'sprovenHighGain
SensitivityCircuitry.Thiscircuitboardhelpsprovidegreaterdepthsandmoresensitivitytosmaller,lessconductivemetalobjectsor"targets"such
asfinegoldjewelry.
TheµMAXBandidohasfeaturesthatmakeitspowereasytouse.Throughsimpleandfastoperatoradjusted"groundbalancing,"theground
rejectioncircuitrywillallowoperationineventhemostdifficultgroundmineralizationconditions.Twooperatingmodesandtwotuningmodes
addtotheversatilityofthedetector'soperation.TheDiscriminateModeisSilentSearch,meaningthesearchcoilmustbemovingtodetecta
target.TheAllMetalModeisnomotion,meaningthesearchcoilwilldetectatargetlocateddirectlyunderit,evenwhenthesearchcoilisnot
moving.AutoTune,theautomatictuningmode,isfastandretunesthedetectorinsecondsafterencounteringatarget.NormalTunegivesthe
operatortotalcontrolofretuningatthetouchofaswitch.
TheelectronicminiaturizationofSurfaceMountTechnologypermitsthecomplex,powerfulcircuitryoftheµMAXdetectorstofitintoavery
smallspace.Theresultisadetectorthatissoincrediblylightthereisnoneedtobodymountthecontrolhousing.Thisexclusivedesignfeature
addstotheµMAXBandido'seaseofuseandmakesthoselongersearchesmoreenjoyable. 
TheµMAXBandidocomeswithan8"roundconcentricsearchcoilforbestallaroundperformancewithgooddepth.Avarietyofoptional
Tesorosearchcoilsarealsoavailableandwillenhancethedetector'sperformanceundervariousconditions(seeOPTIONALACCESSORIES).
GETTINGSTARTEDUNPACKINGTHEBOX
YourµMAXBandidowasshippedwiththeseparts:
1UpperPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingupperpolestemwithhandlegrip,paddedarmbracketandcontrolhousing.
1LowerPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingmiddlepolestemwithknurlednut,lowerpolestem,andnylonpoletipcompletewithtwothickfriction
washers,mountingscrew,lockwasherandthumbnut.
18"round,concentricsearchcoilwith3'cable
19VoltAlkalineBattery
1Extrasetoftwothinfrictionwashers
1OperatorInstructionManual
1TesoroWarrantyCard
Ifanyoftheseitemsaremissing,contacttheTesoroAuthorizedDealerwhereyoupurchasedyourdetectorimmediately.
AssemblyoftheµMAXBandidoissimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.JustInstallthebattery,mountthesearchcoilonthelowerpole
assembly,connectthetwopoleassembliestogether,wraptheexcesscablearoundthepoleandplugthecableintothecontrolhousing.Finally,
adjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangleandyou'reready!
INSTALLTHEBATTERY
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformance.The
batteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutes,andthenperiodicallywhenusedforlongdurations.Formore
detailedinformationgotoPerformingtheAudioBatteryTestunderTUNINGYOURDETECTOR. 
Toinstallorreplacethebattery,firstmakesuretheSENSITIVITYcontrolissettoPOWOFFturnedcompletelycounterclockwisepastthe
"click".Removethebatterydoorfromthebackofthecontrolhousing.Dothisbypressingyourthumbfirmlyonthelouveredsquare atthebottom
ofthebatterydoorandslidingthebatterydoorupward(inthedirectionofthearrow)whilepushing.
Connectafreshsingle9voltalkalinebatterytothebatteryleadterminals.Makecertainthepolaritysnapstofitproperly.Apoorconnection
maycausethedetectortoacterraticallyorfailtooperatecompletely.
Placethebatteryintothebatterycompartmentwithoutpullingorstretchingthebatteryleadwires.Replacethebatterydoorbyslidingitinto
placemakingsuretheuppermountslotsareinlineandthelocktongueissnappedintoplace.
ASSEMBLINGYOURDETECTOR
1. Onthelowerpoleassembly,graspthepoletipfirmlyinonehand.Withtheotherhand,fullydepressthetwospringbuttonsonthe
oppositeendoftheassembly.
2. Pullthemiddlestemoutfarenoughforthespringbuttonstoclickintothefirstsetoftheadjustmentholeslockingtheassemblyinto
placeagain.
3. Removethemountingscrewandthumbnutfromtheblacknylonpoletip.
4. Insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsandthesearchcoilandaligntheholesofthepoletipandwasherswiththoseofthe
mountingears.
Note:thepoletipshouldfitverysnuglyintothemountingears,however,itmaybenecessarytousethethinfrictionwashersinstead.
5. Insertthemountingscrewthroughtheholesinthemountingearsandpoletipenteringfromthesideoppositethecableconnection.
6. Installthethumbnutonthemountingscrewandtightenbyhand.
Note:Donotovertightenthethumbnut.Itshouldbesnug,butnottoodifficulttoloosenup. 
7. Ontheupperpoleassembly,depressthetwospringbuttonsandslidetheupperassemblyintothelowerpoleassemblyuntilthespring
buttonsclickintotheholeslockingthetwoassembliesintoplace.Tightentheknurlednuttosecurethetwoassembliestogether.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto “see”thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
8. Wrapthecablearoundthepoleleavingenoughslacknearthesearchcoiltopermitsearchcoiladjustment.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto"see"thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
9. Plugthemalecableendintothefemaleconnectoronthecontrolhousingandtightenthecablethumbnut.Youarefinished! 
Note:Youwillwanttoadjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangletoyourpreference.
ADJUSTINGTHEPOLE&SEARCHCOIL
Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedsothatthedetectordoesnotbecomeuncomfortableortiringafter
longperiodsofuse.Thedetectorgripshouldrestinyourhandwithyourarmrelaxed,yourelbowstraightbut
notlocked,withthepoleextendingoutinfrontofyouattheapproximateangleshowninthephoto. 
Youshouldbeabletoswingthedetectorbackandforthinfrontofyou—usingrelaxedshoulder
movement—whilekeepingthesearchcoilasclosetothegroundaspossible.Thisswingingmovementisoften
calleda“sweep.”
Thesearchcoilshouldnottouchthegroundduringyoursweep.Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedto
allowthiswithouthavingtoliftthedetectorwithyourelboworshoulder.Thesearchcoilshouldrestaboutone
inchabovethegroundwhileyouarestandingerect.Theangleofthesearchcoilshouldallowthebottomto
beparalleltotheground.
Thepolelengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthepoleuntil
thespringbuttonsclickintothesetofholesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablepolelength.
Toadjustthesearchcoilangle,simplyloosenthesearchcoilthumbnutslightlyandmovethesearchcoil
intothedesiredposition.Tightenthesearchcoilthumbnutbyhandsothatthesearchcoilwillholdinplace.
QUICKSTARTSELFGUIDEDTUTORIAL
TheQuickStartisdesignedtohelpyouuseyournewµMAXBandidometaldetectorrightaway,evenif
youhaveneverusedametaldetectorbefore.Justfolloweacheasystepcarefullyandyou'llquicklyseehowthebasicdetectorfunctionswork.
You'llalsobeintroducedtosomeimportantconceptsontheway.
Here'swhatyouwillneed:
1. YourfullyassembledµMAXBandidometaldetector
2. Threenewercoins:apenny*,anickelandaquarter
3. Anonmetaltableorcountersurface
4. Approximately20minutestocompletetheQuickStart
*mustbe1984ornewermadeofzinc
Here’swhatyouwilldo:
1. PerformanAudioBatteryTest
2. AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
3. PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
4. PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
PreparefortheQuickstart
PlaceyourassembledµMAXBandidoonthenonmetalsurface.Makesuretherearenometalobjectsnearthecoil.Removeanyjewelryfrom
yourhandsandwrists.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVTYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoNORM
lMODEswithsettoDISC
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange:
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop.
TheGROUNDcontrolshouldbeleftatthissettingfortheentireQuickStart. 
Step1PerformanAudioBatteryTest
lTurntheSENSIIVITYcontrolfromPOWOFFto1
Youwillhearthebatterytesttoneforafewsecondsasthebatteryisautomaticallytested.Whenthetonestopsthedetectorisonthecontrols
arereadyforadjusting.
FunctionDemonstrated:Howthebatterytesttonewilltellyouthebatteryisworkingeachtimethedetectoristurnedon. 
NOTE:YoushouldalwaysperformtheAudioBatteryTestwithModeSwitchsettoDISC. 
Step2AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
nTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolfrom1to8
Thisisagoodsettingtobeginwitheachtimeyouuseyourdetector.LeavethecontrolatthissettingfortherestoftheQuickStart.
FunctionDemonstrated:WheretosettheSENSITIVITYcontrolforbasicoperation. 
Step3PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
IdentifytheThresholdSound
IdentifyTargetResponse
RetunetheThreshold
lFliptheMODEswitchtoALLMETAL
Listentothecontinuous,fairlyeventone.Thisiscalledthe"thresholdsound".Youwillhearthethresholdsoundonlywhenoperatingthe
detectorinAllMetalMode.
Holdthequarterinyourfingertipsandmovethequarterfromsidetosideabout12inchesfromthefrontofthesearchcoil. 
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitfromsidetoside  untilyouhearthethresholdsound
increase.Thisincreaseinvolumeiscalledthe"targetresponsesound". 
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoldstillandthenmovingitslightly.Trypassingitinfrontoftheedgeofthesearchcoilandthenunder
thecenter.Noticethedifferencesinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange.
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary,sometimessubtly.
Yourdetectorwillrespondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalwhentheobjectisinthesearchcoil'ssensitivityareaor"range".Operatingyour
detectorinthiswayiscalleda"nomotionAllMetalModewithNormalTune".
Retuningthethreshold
Holdthequarterstillabout2to4inchesfromthesearchcoil,inlinewiththesearchcoilcenter.Listentothetargetresponsesoundfor1or2
seconds.Donotmovethequarter!
lFliptheMODEswitchtoRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticethatthetargetresponsesoundwilldecreasetotheregularlevelofthethresholdsound.Now,slowlymovethequarterfromsidetoside,
goingpasttheedgeofthesearchcoil.Noticetheregularthresholdsoundisgoneandthetargetresponsesoundisnowa"beep"thatoccurswhen
thetargetpassesinfrontofthesearchcoilcenter.Thistechniqueisusedto"pinpoint"theexactlocationofanobject. 
Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoil.
lFliptheMODEswitchtoeRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticetheregularthresholdreturns.Movethequarterclosetothesearchcoilandnoticetheloudcontinuoustargetresponsesoundhas
returned.Takethequarterawayagain.
lFliptheTUNEswitchtoAUTO
Holdthequarterstillnearthesearchcoilforafewsecondandnoticethedetectorautomaticallyretunesitself.Then,trymovingthecoinfrom
sidetosideandnoticethetargetresponsesoundisa"beep".Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoilforafewsecondsandtryitagain.Now,try
thistestwiththedifferentcoinsusingbothtuningmethodsandlistforthedifferencesinthesounds. 
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)HowtheAllMetalModetargetresponsesoundwillvarydependingonthevariousfactorssuchaswhattypeof
metaltargetsareburiedintheground,howdeeptheyare,howfastyoumoveyoursearchcoilandsoon.2)Howthedetector'sthresholdcanreturn
manuallyinNormalTuneorautomaticallyinAutoTuneandhowthiseffectsthetargetresponsesound.
Step4PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
IdentifytheTargetResponse
UseDiscrimination
lFliptheMODEswitchtoDISC
lLeavetheDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
NOTE:InDiscriminateMode,youwillnothearthecontinuousthresholdsoundoftheAllMetalMode,soreturningisnotneeded.
Holdthequarterinyourhandandmovethequarterbackandforthabout12inchesinfrontofthesearchcoilbottom.
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitbackandforthuntilyouheara"beep".Thisbeepthetarget
responsesound.
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoinstillthenmovingitslightly.Noticethedifferenceinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange. 
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary.Yourdetectorcan
respondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalifthereismovementbetweentheobjectandthedetector.Operatingyourdetectorinthiswayis
calleda"SilentSearch".
lTurntheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMINtoMAX
Passthequarterbackandforthinfrontofandclosetothesearchcoilbottom.Noticethesoundasthecoinnearsthecenterofthesearchcoil.
Now,trythiswiththenickelandthenthezincpenny.Noticethereisnosoundwiththesetwocoins.Theabilityofametaldetectortoignore
certaintypesofmetalthatitencountersiscalled"discrimination".Usingyourdetectorinthiswayiscalleda"SilentSearchDiscriminateMode". 
Controlsettingstoignoremostzincandnickelobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVELMAX
lMovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMAXto7
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthecoil.Noticethequarterandthezincpennynowcauseatargetresponsesound. 
Controlsettingstoignoremostnickelcanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL7
lNowmovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfrom7to4
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthesearchcoil.Noticeallthreecoinsnowcauseatargetresponsesound.
ControlsettingstoincludenewerUScoinswhileexcludingmostironobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL4
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)ThemotionbasedoperationandtargetresponsesoundofSilentSearchDiscriminateMode.2)Howthe
DiscriminateModecanbeusedtohelpdeterminethetypesofmetalatargetmaybe.ByadjustingtheDISCLEVELcontrolyoucanselectwhat
metalsyourdetectorwillignore.
Conclusion
Welldone!YouhavefinishedtheQuickStartGuideandhaveoperatedmanyofthebasicdetectingfeaturesofthe µMAXBandido.Youhave
alsobeenintroducedtotheideasof:1)"targetresponsesound",2)"thresholdsound",3)"returningthethreshold",4)"targetdiscrimination"and5)
"targetpinpointing".
Nowyouarealmostreadytobeginthejourneyintotheartofmetaldetectingbyactuallyusingyourdetectortofindburiedmetal.Butfirsta
wordaboutairtests.
TheairtestsintheQuickStartareoflimitedvalue.Metaldetectorsperformdifferentlyinairteststhanwheninactualuse"inthefield".Tesoro
detectorsarespecificallydesignedtodeliverthebestperformanceinthefield.
TheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESandTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionswillgiveyoumoredetailedinformationonhowtosetyour
detector'scontrols,especiallyselectingatuningmodeandusingdiscrimination,forthebestresults. 
BeforeyouuseyourµMAXBandidointhefieldyouneedtolearnhowtooperateonemorefeatures:theGROUNDcontrol.Usingthe
GROUNDcontroltoproperly"GroundBalance"yourµMAXBandidowillallowyoutotapintoitsfullpowerandperformancecapabilitiesandis
perhapsthemostimportantfeaturetomaster.TheGroundBalancesectionwillexplainstepbystephowtousethisfeature.
Finally,theonlywayyoucanbecometrulyproficientatusingyourdetectortofindburiedtreasureistouseitinthefieldandlearnfrom
experience!However,westronglysuggestthatyoureadthisentiremanualtobecomeproficientwithallofthefeaturesasyoucontinuetouseyour
detector.
Youhavethefinesttoolavailable,nowallyouneedistheskillthatcomesfromexperience.
TOTURNYOURDETECTOROFF:
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTOPOWOFF
Counterclockwisepastthe"click".
TOTURNYOURDETECTORON:
lMAKESURETHEMODESWITCHISSETTODISC
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTO1
Clockwisepastthe"click".
OPERATINGTECHNIQUESCONTROLS
TheµMAXBandidohasonlyfivecontrols,allmountedonthefrontpanelofthehousingforfingertipadjustment.Howthesecontrolsshould
besetforpeakperformancewilldependonthetypeofmetalyouaresearchingfor,searchsiteconditions,mineralcontentofthesoilandsoforth.
UsetheinformationinthissectionandtheTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionasabasisforsettingthecontrolsonyourdetector.Usingyour
detectorinthefieldwillallowyoutolearnthedetector'sresponsestovariousconditionsandwillguideyouinfinetuningthedetector'soperating
controls.
SENSITIVITYON/OFFSensitivityControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasthreefunctions:
lTurnsthedetectorONandOFF
lActivatestheautomaticAudioBatteryTest
lAdjuststheSensitivityLevel
NOTE:Thedetectorshouldalwaysbeturnedoffwhennotinuse. 
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwisepasttheinitial"click"turnsthedetectoronandactivestheautomaticAudioBatteryTestcircuit.This
testwillgiveyouasound,usuallylastingseveralseconds,thatindicatesthebattery'scondition.WhentheAudioBatteryTestisover,thedetector ’s
SensitivityLevelcanbeadjusted.
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector'sSensitivityLevel.Thelevelfrom1upto10isthenormalrange.Thisrange
correspondswiththenormalSensitivityonstandarddetector's.TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobpast10intotheorangeareaputstheSensitivity
intotheMAXBoostrangefoundonlytheµMAXdetectors.
NOTE:ItisbesttoturnthedetectoroninDiscriminateMode.SincetheDiscriminateModeisasilentmodewithnocontinuousthreshold
sound,itwillbeobviouswhentheAudioBatteryTestiscomplete.
IfyouturnthedetectoroninAllMetalModetheAudioBatteryTestsoundwillbeimmediatelyfollowedbythethresholdsound.Thismay
makeitdifficulttohearthebatterytestendanddiscernthebatterycondition.
Also,theSensitivityLevelisbestsetwhileintheDiscriminateMode.AftertheAudioBatterTestisoverandtheSensitivityLevelisproperly
set,youmaychangetheoperatingmodetoAllMetalwithoutdifficulty.
DISTLEVELDiscriminationLevelControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheDiscriminationLevel.
OncethedetectorisintheDiscriminateMode,theDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sDiscriminationLevel.TurningtheDISC
LEVELknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector ’sDiscriminationLevelandviceversa.
NOTE:WhenthedetectorisoperatingintheAllMetalModetheDISCLEVELcontrolisnotused. 
TUNETuningModeSelectionSwitch
Thistoggleswitchhasonefunction:
lSetstheTuningMode:NormalorAuto
Thistogglehastopositions:TotherightlabeledAUTOitlocksinplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoAutomatic.Totheleft 
labeledNORMthelockstheplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoNormal.NOTE:ThetuningModeisusedonlywhenoperatingintheAll
MetalMode.
MODEModeSelection/RetuneSwitch
Thecombinationtoggleswitchhastwofunctions.
lSetstheoperatingmode:AllMetalorDiscriminate
lRetunesthethresholdinAllMetalMode.
Thistogglehasthreepositions:TotherightlabeledDISCitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoDiscriminate.Tothecenter
labeledALLMETitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoAllMetal.TotheleftlabeledRETUNEitspringreturnstothecenter
positionandretunesthedetector’sthresholdwhileremaininginAllMetalMode.So,thiscomboswitchfunctionsasaRetuneSwitchbypressing
theswitchcompletelytotheleftandreleasingitsoitspringsbacktothecenterposition.
NOTE:Manualretuning(MODE/RETUNE)isusedonlywhenoperatingintheAllMetalModewithTuningsettoNormal(TUNE/NORM). 
GROUNDGroundBalanceControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheGroundBalance
ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalModesamplingsothattheµMAXBandidoignoresthenormalgroundmineralization.Makingthis
adjustmentisoftencalled"GroundBalancing".Theknobwillturncontinuallyineitherdirection,althoughitseffectuserangeisonly3 ¾turns.
Onceyouhaveturnedtheknobtotheendofitsuserangeineitherdirection,youshouldnoticeaslightincreasein"drag"astheknobisturned.
Whenyoufeelthe"drag"youmayimmediatelyreversedirectiontoentertheeffectiveuserangeofthenext3 ¾turns.
NOTE:TheGROUNDcontroldoesaffectbothoperatingmodesbyshouldbeadjustedinAllMetalMode.
TUNINGYOURDETECTOR
Everydetectormustbeproperlytunedinordertoperformatitspeakandprovidemaximumdepth.Infact,themorepowerfuladetectoris,the
morecriticalthetuningbecomes.Lesspowerfuldetectorsaremoretolerantofimpropertuning,butarealsonotcapableofthedepthofaproperly
tunedhighpowerdetectorsuchastheµMAXBandido.ToachievepeakperformancefromyourµMAXBandido,besuretoproperlyadjustthe
GROUNDcontrolintheAllMetalMode.Thesettingsofthiscontrolwillalsoaffectthedetector ’sperformanceinDiscriminateMode,somakesure
toadjustitproperlyfirst,evenifyouwillnotbehuntinginAllMetalMode.Remember:impropertuningwillreduceperformanceandcanalso
cause"false"anderroneous"ghostingsignals".
TuningyourµMAXBandidocanbedonein5simplesteps:
1. GroundBalancingthedetectorusingtheGROUNDcontrol.
2. SettingtheoperatingmodeusingtheMODEswitch.
3. SettingthetuningmodeusingtheTUNEswitch.
4. SettingtheSensitivitylevelusingtheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
5. SettingtheDiscriminationlevelusingtheDISCLEVELcontrol.
NOTE:GroundBalancingshouldbedonewhileinAllMetalModeandAutoTuneMode.SettingtheDiscriminationLevelandtheSensitivity
LevelshouldbedonewhileoperatinginDiscriminateMode.
GroundBalancing
GroundBalancingisnotadifficultprocedure,butitiscriticalifyoudesiremaximumdepthandstability.Itisespeciallyimportantifyouplan
togoldnuggethuntformatchheadsizedorsmallernuggetsinahighlymineralizedground.
NOTE:Nomatterwhereyouwillbesearching,orwhetheryouwillbeoperatingintheAllMetalModeorDiscriminateMode,makesurethe
detectorisproperlyGroundBalancedintheAllMetalModewithAutoTuneModefirst.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVITYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoAUTO
lMODEswitchsettoALLMETAL
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop
Next:
lTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolsetto10
Wait3to4secondsuntiltheAudioBatterytestiscomplete.
Raisethesearchcoilto6to8inchesabovetheground,levelandparalleltotheground.Whilelisteningtothethresholdsound,lowerthe
searchcoilquicklytothegroundlevelandlistentowhatthethresholdsounddoes.
Oneofthreethingswillhappentothesound:1)thesoundwillincrease,2)thesoundwillgosilent,or3)thesoundwillremainthesame.
WhichoneofthesehappenswilldeterminewhatyouneedtodotoproperlyGroundBalanceyourdetectorfortheareayouareat. 
1)Ifthethresholdsoundgetslouderwhenyoulowerthesearchcoil,itmeanstheGROUNDknobneedstogotheleft.
2)Ifthedetectorgoessilentandyoulosethethresholdsoundmomentarily,thenyouwillneedtoturntheGROUNDknobtotheright. 
3)Ifthereisnochangeinthethresholdsoundasyoulowerthesearchcoiltotheground,thenyoujusthappentoalreadyhavetheproper
groundbalanceandcanproceedtohunt.
StartoutusingslightturnsoftheGROUNDknob,thedistanceofthemovementbeingequivalenttoaboutonehouronaclockface.The
entireeffectiveareaofthiscontrolis3¾turnsfromminimumtomaximum,soifyoustartGroundBalancinginthemiddleoftheeffectiverangeit
willonlytakeabouttwocompleteturnsineitherdirectiontobeatoneendoftheeffectiverange.
NOTE:TherearethreeimportantthingstorememberwhenGroundBalancingwiththismethod. 
First,youareintheAutoTunemodeandonceyouhesitateatgroundlevelforasecondortwo,thedetectorwillretunethethreshold
automatically.Therefore,whenyoulowerthesearchcoiltowardtheground,youareonlylisteningfortheinitialchangeinvolume. 
Second,makeyouareGroundBalancinginacleanareaandnotloweringthesearchcoildownoverapieceofmetal. 
Third,whenyouraisethesearchcoilbesurethatyouDONOTtiltthesearchcoilatanangle.
Bycontinually"pumping"thesearchcoilfrom6to8inchesabovethegroundtogroundlevelandbackupintheairagainwhileturningthe
GROUNDknobintheappropriatedirection,youwillveryquicklyreachthepointwherethereistheabsoluteminimalchangeinthresholdsound
duringthepumping.Whenyouhavereachedthatpointyouare"GroundBalanced"andcanbeginsearchingthearea. 
NOTE:ChanginggroundmineralizationmaymakeoccasionalsmalladjustmentstotheGROUNDknobnecessarytomaintainpeak
performance.
Selectingtheproperoperatingmode
TheµMAXBandidoofferstwooperatingmodes,AllMetalModeandDiscriminateMode. 
TheDiscriminateModeis"SilentSearch"operatingmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillmakenosounduntilitencountersametaltarget.
Thismoderequiresthatthesearchcoilbemovingslightlyfortargetdetection.
TheAllMetalMode,however,isa"nomotion"operationmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillemitacontinuous"thresholdsound"untilit
encountersametaltargetatwhichtimethesoundwillnoticeablyincrease.Thismodedoesnotrequiremotionsothesearchcoilcanbeheldstill
fortargetdetectionifneeded.
TheAllMetalMode,asthenameimplies,willdetectalltypesofmetaltargets.Whenoperatinginthismodeyouwillfindunwanted"trash"
metalobjectssuchasnails,foil,pulltabs,etc.,justasyouwouldwithanyhighperformancedetector.TheAllMetalModeispreferredforhunting
relics,artifactsandotherobjectsthataremadeofnon preciousmetalsespeciallyiron.Thismodeisalsogoodforbeachhuntingwherethesand
allowseasydiggingandtimewastedondigginguptrashmetalobjectsisnotamajorconcern. 
TheAllMetalModemustbeusedforgoldnuggethunting,sincetheresponsetosmallgolditemsissoclosetoiron.Formostnuggethunting,
theAllMetalMode&AutoTuneModecombinationwillprovidethebestperformancealthoughsomespecialattentionforhotrocksmaybe
necessary(seeSelectinghepropertuningmode).
TheDiscriminateModewillallowyoutocontrolthedetector'sresponsetomostofthecommontrashmetalobjectsfoundinschoolyards,
parks,andbeaches.Discriminatemodeisgenerallyusedfor"coinshooting"suchareaswhereyouprefertoavoidwastingtimediggingup
commontrashmetal.TheDiscriminationLevelyouselectwilldeterminewhattypesofmetalyourdetectorwillignore.
Inmanyothermetaldetectors,theAllMetalModeoffersgreaterdepthupto30%overtheDiscriminationMode.Notsowiththe µMAX
detectors.ThenewµMAXcircuitrywithMAXBoostovercomesthiscommonproblemanddeliverssuperiorsensitivityandbetterdepthinboth
operatingmodes.
Selectingthepropertuningmode
TheAutoTuneMode(TUNEAUTO)ontheµMAXBandidoisafastautomatictuningthattakesjust2to3secondstoautomaticallyadjust
itself.TheAutoTunequicklyretunesthedetectortoitsestablishedthresholdfollowingatargetresponse.
AutoTuneModealsokeepsthedetector'ssignalfromdrifting.ThistuningmodeoffersmaximumstabilitywhilesearchinginAllMetalMode
andisrecommendforgoldnuggethunting.
TheNormalTuningMode(TUNENORM)willholdatarget'ssignalwithoutretuningforaslongasthesearchcoilisheldstationarydirectly
overthetarget.Somedriftmayoccurinthismode,butisquicklyremediedbymanuallyretuningusingtheMODEswitch(MODE RETUNE).For
precisepinpointing,identifyingtargetsize,linetracingandoresamplinginAllMetalMode,usetheNormalTuneMode. 
Fastautomatictuningcancausean"overshootsignal"on"hotrocks"thatis,amomentarysilenceasthesearchcoilsweepsoveranextremely
mineralizedrock,followedbyaloud"boing"soundwhenthesearchcoilpassesclearofit.Thissoundissodifferentfromagoodtargetresponse
sound,thatitiseasilyrecognized.(Theonlyproblemwithjustignoringthesesoundsovershootsignalsisthatasmallgoldnuggetmaybehiding
beneaththehotrock).Also,theAutoTuningModewillcausea“nulling”ofthethresholdsoundwhenthesearchcoilsweepsoveraverystrong
metaltarget.
SettingtheSensitivityLevel
Inlightlytomoderatelymineralizedground,youcanusuallysettheSENSITIVITYcontrolashighas8to10(normalmaximumsetting).Inthe
rightconditionsyoucanmovetheSENSITIVITYintotheMAXBoostareaforincreaseddepth.
ToadjusttheSensitivityLeveltoyoursearchconditions,firstsettheoperatingmodetoDISCandturntheSENSITIVITYcontrolclockwiseas
faraspossibleuntilthedetectorjustbeginsto"chirp"intermittently.Ifthechirpingistoofrequent,simplyturnthecontrolcounterclockwisejust
enoughtocausethechirpingtosubside.Onceset,thiscontrolshouldnotrequirereadjustingunlesssiteconditionschange. 
Occasionallyyoumayneedtoreducethesettingtoeliminate"falsesignals"causedbydifficultconditions.Someofthemanythingsthatcan
causetheresponseofthedetectortobecomeerraticduringregularuseareverylargetargets,highlymineralizedgroundontrashysites,intense
groundmineralizationchanges,CBradios,radioandTVbroadcastingantennas,andnearbysourcesofelectricalinterference.
Thesefalsesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsthatarenotrepeatableandtherefore,caneasilybedistinguishedfromagoodtarget
responsesound.Theycanbedistracting,though,andreducingtheSensitivitylevelwillhelpreducethesesignalswithanaccompanyinglossof
targetsensitivity.
ExtremeconditionssuchassaltwetsandmayrequireyoutoloweryourSensitivitysettingintothe2to5range.Overall,youshouldalwaysset
theSensitivitycontrolashighaspossible,whilestillgettingsmoothoperation. 
NOTE:ThenomotionAllMetalModeoftheµMAXBandidoisnotaffectedbytheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
SettingtheSensitivityLevelinMAXBoost
TheMAXBoostfeatureisahighgainboostoverandabovethenormalmaximumof10andindicatedbytheorangeareaonthe
SENSITIVITYcontrol.UsingMAXBoostwillcausenoharmtoyourdetectorbut,incertainconditionsitcanresultintheannoyingchirpingsounds
thatmaymakeitdifficulttohearagoodtargetresponsesound. 
InidealconditionsMAXBoostcanaddinchesofdepthtoyoursearchwithnochirping.Indifficultconditionstheextradepthwillstillbethere
butheavychirpingmaymakethefeaturetodifficulttouse.YoumustdeterminewhenandhowmuchoftheMAXboostfeaturetouseforyour
searchsiteconditions.
SettingtheDiscriminationLevel
TheDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedtrashmetalwhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode.Atthe
lowestsetting(MIN),thedetectorwillignoremostironobjects,butwillstillrespondtolightfoil,bottlecaps,pulltabsandmostothermetalobjects.
AstheDiscriminationLevelisincreased,moreofthesetrashmetalobjectsareignoredandgivenotargetresponsesoundwheninsidethe
searchcoil’srange.
TheDISCLEVELshouldbesettoyourdesired"rejectionlevel"fortheparticularareayouaresearching.Werecommendstartingatalow
settingifyouareunsureofhowmuchtrashisinthearea.Adjustthelevelhigherifyoufindyourselfdiggingmoretrashthenyoulike.Remember
thatwithanymetaldetector,youwilllosetargetresponsetosmallgoldringsandnickelswhendiscriminationissetatthepulltabrejectionlevel.
So,diggingsometrashwillincreaseyournumberofgoodfinds.
Thebelowdiagram"DISCLEVELDiscriminationLevelSettings"showsthesettingswheremanyofthecommonmetalobjectsareignored
byatypicaldetector.Eachdetectorcanvaryalittleduetomanufacturingtolerance soyoushouldexperimentwithyourdetectorandbecome
familiarwithitsrejectionlevelsforthesetrashmetalobjects.
Earliermotiondetectorsthatoperatedwithacontinuous"threshold"soundwouldgivetheuseradefiniteindicationoftrashmetalbyeither
"nulling"completely(nosoundmadetemporarily)orbygeneratingshort,choppysounds.SincetheµMAXBandido'sDiscriminateModeisSilent
Searchandoperateswithoutthresholdsound,thereisnonullingtoindicatethattheareaisextremelytrashy. 
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateModewerecommendthatyouperiodicallyswitchtoAllMetalModeandchecktheareayouare
searchingtogetanideaofhowmuchtrashisreallythere.Inextremelytrashyareasitmaybedesirabletoswitchtoasmallersearchcoil,even
thoughdoingsomaycausealossofdepth.Thesmallercoilwillallowyouabetterchanceoffindingcoinsbetweentheclosepiecesoftrash.

PerformingtheAudioBatteryTest
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformancefromit.
Thebatteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutesandthenperiodicallyifyouareusingitforlongperiods.
ToactivatetheAudioBatteryTest,simplyturnthedetectoroffmomentarilyandthenbackonagain.Ifthebatteryisfresh,thedetectorshould
emitacontinuousandloud"Beep"soundthatlastsforabout4or5seconds,andthenslowlyfadesintosilence.Asthebatteryages,thissoundis
lessintenseandfadesoutmorequickly.Whenyouhearonlyabrief"buzz"ornosoundatall,replacethebatterywithafreshone. 
Ifyouprefer,arechargeableNickelCadmium(NiCad)batterycanbesubstituteforthestandard9voltalkalinebattery.Individual9voltsize
NiCadcells,aswellasthechargersforthem,arereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores.Theyareinstalledintoyourdetectorinthe
samemannerasnonrechargeablebatteries.TheBatteryTestsoundonaNi Cadwillbeweakerthananalkalineinthebeginning,butwillnot
weakenasmuchwithuse.
ControllingAudioVolume
ThespeakerintheµMAXdoesnothaveavolumecontrol.Thevolumeshouldbesufficienttoaccuratelyhearthetargetresponsesoundin
mostenvironments.Ifmoreorlessvolumeisrequiredinyourparticularsituationwerecommendusingasetofgoodqualityheadphoneswitha
builtinvolumecontrol.
FIELDUSE
HandlingYourDetector
Thedetectorshouldbeheldinapositionthatiscomfortableforyouasshowninthe"AdjustingthePole&Searchcoil"sectionin"Getting
Started."Swingthedetectorfromsidetosideinaboutathreefootarc,overlappingsucceedingstrokeswell.Thismotioniscalleda “sweep.”The
µMAXBandidowasdesignedtogetmaximumdepthwithoutthefranticpacerequiredofearliermotiondetectors,sogoatapacethatis
comfortableforyou.Infact,tryingtohunttoofastmayevencausealossofdepthinheavilymineralizedlocations. 
Regardlessofwhichmodeyouareusing,trytokeepyoursearchcoilheightconstantandclosetotheground.Mostpeopletendtoraisethe
coilattheendofasweep—muchlikeapendulum—especiallyifinahurry.Trytoavoidthis,asanyincreaseinheightfromthegroundwillcause
acorrespondinglossofdepth.
Inareaswithwellkeptlawns,theeasiestwaytomaintainaconstantsearchcoilheightistoallowthecoiltorestonthegrassasyousweep
fromsidetoside.Inroughandrockyareas,itisbestnotto“scrub”thecoilontheground,astherockswillactlikeabrasivesandwearawaythecoil
bottom(anoptionalcoilscuffcoverwillprotectagainstthis).Sweepthecoilasclosetothegroundaspossiblewithouttouching.Hittingtheground
orrocksmaycauseafalsesignalmuchlikeadesiredtargetwould.Sweepingthecoiltoohighabovethegroundresultsinalossofdepth.
PlantingaTestGarden
Tobetterlearnhowyourdetectorwillperforminthefield,itwouldbehelpfultoburysomecoinsandtrashmetaljunkitemsinanareathat
youknowisclearofothermetalobjects,andthentrytheµMAXBandidoinitstwodifferentoperatingmodes.ChecktheareainAllMetalMode
firsttobesureitsclearoftrashthenburythetargetsatleast1footapart,andfrom2to4inchesdeeptostart.Makeamapoftheareatobesure
youknowwhateachtargetisandhowdeepitis.Practiceonthesetargetstofamiliarizeyourselfwithyourdetector’stargetresponse.Thiswillalso
helpyoulearnthepropersweepspeedforbestoperation.Thistypeofpracticeareaisoftencalleda“testgarden”or“testbed”andisoneofbest
toolstohelpyoudevelopyourmetaldetectingskills.
RecognizingFalseSignalsinDiscriminateMode
WhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode,some“falsesignals”maybecausedby1)heavyconcentrationsoftrashmetalobjects,2)verylarge
trashmetalobjects,or3)electricalinterference.Thesesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsandsounddifferentthan “goodsignals”(good
targetresponsesounds).
Attheendofyoursweep,asyouthereversethecoildirection,thedetectorismostsusceptibletotrashinducednoise.Therearetwowaysto
tellwhetherthesesoundsaregooddeepsignalsortrash“noise.”Thefirstisbyrepeatability.Trashinducednoiseswillnotberegularasyousweep
thecoiloverthesuspectedtargetseveraltimes,whereasagoodtargetresponsewillberepeatable.ThesecondmethodistoswitchtoAllMetal
Modeandcheckthetargetresponsesound.Iftheresponseisweak,itmaywellbeadeep,goodtarget;butiftheresponseisverystrong,itis
probablytrash.Notethatacoinclosetothesurfacecangiveadoublebeepsound,butitisregularandrepeatable.Raisingthecoilaninchortwo
willrestorethesinglebeeponsurfacetargets.
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateMode,itisbestnottouseahigherDISCLEVELsettingthannecessary.Nickelsandmostsmallerringsare
rejectedwhentheDISCLEVELissettorejectpulltabsonanymetaldetectorthatisaTRDiscriminatorliketheµMAXBandido.Ifyoudon’tdig
anyjunkatall,youaresurelypassingupalotofgoodfindsaswell.SettheDISCLEVELonlyhighenoughtosuittheconditionswhereyouare
searching.Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,digit.
PinpointingaTarget
Whenpinpointingatarget,theAllMetalMode/NormalTuningModecanofferadvantagesoverDiscriminateMode,suchasnofalsesignals
andnoneedtomovethesearchcoiltogetatargetresponse.
AgoodmethodforpinpointinginAllMetalmodeis“Xing”thetargetwiththesearchcoil.Rememberthatthetargetsresponsesoundisalways
greatestwhenthetargetisdirectlyunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.To “X”atarget,sweepthesearchcoiloverthetargetfromsidetosideand
themfromfronttobackuntilyoucanidentifythecenteroftheX:thespotonthegroundwherethetargetresponsesoundisthegreatest.Holdyour
searchcoilstationaryoverthecenteroftheXandhittheRETUNEswitch.NowrepeattheX ing;thistimewatchingfortheexactspot—underthe
coilcenter—wherethedetectorbeeps.Thatspotiswherethetargetislocated. 
PinpointingatargetinDiscriminateModeisprobablybestdoneby“Xing”aswell.Rememberthatthedetectorwillbeepjustasthetarget
passesunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.SlowingthesweepspeeddownwillhelpyoupickoutthecenteroftheXbecausethetargetresponseis
reducedatveryslowspeedsmakingiteasiertocorrelatethesoundwiththecoilcenter. 
Anothereasymethodistosweepthecoilfromsidetosideacrossthetargetinveryshortsweeps,asyouslowlymoveforwardandbackward
acrossthetarget.Slowdownthesweeprateandshortenthesweepsuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Thetargetwillbedirectly
belowthecoilcenteratthisresponsetime.
AnothermethodofpinpointinginDiscriminateModeistoquicklychangetoAllMetalModetocheckthetargetresponse.RememberthatAll
MetalModeisnotsusceptibletothefalsesignalsofDiscriminateModeandcansometimesgiveaclearerandmoreconsistentresponsetodifficult
targetssuchasadimeburiednexttoapulltab.ByswitchingbackandforthbetweenmodesandcomparingthetargetresponsesoundinAllMetal
tothetargetresponsesoundinDiscriminateyoucanoftenbetteridentifythelikelylocationofthetarget.
Finally,raisingthesearchcoilduringpinpointingcanalsohelpbynarrowingtheresponsetothetarget.Practicepinpointingoften,andyou
willsoonbecomemoreaccurateandfaster.
RecoveringaTarget
Ifthetargetisshallowandthesoilissoft,youmaybeableto“probe”andfindtheexactlocationofthetargetbeforeyoudigit.Sincefilling
allholesafteryourecoverthetargetissoimportant,diggingasmallpreciseholeisbest.Ifthetargetisdeep,youmayneedtodigalargerhole.
Asyoudig,occasionallychecktheholewithyourdetectortoseeifyouhavemovedtheobject,canprobeit,orhavealreadydugit.Besuretofill
allholesafteryourecoverthetarget.Twomethodsareshownonthenexttwopagesthatworkmosteverywhere.
Besuretoprotectyourhobbybyleavingthesitecleanerthanyoufounditandwithallholesfilled!
RECOMMENDEDRECOVERYMETHODS
GENERALINFORMATIONCAREANDUSE
BasicCare
TheµMAXBandidoisasturdyinstrumentbutitisnotdesignedtowithstandabuse.IncaringforyourµMAXBandidothereareseveral
important“DONOTs”toremember.DONOTuseittopryrockslooseortobeatbushesoutoftheway.DONOTdropthemachineintowater.DO
NOTuseitunprotectedintherain.DONOTleaveitexposedatnightwheredewcouldformonit.DONOTstoreitinplacesthatcouldget
extremelyhot(nexttoawoodstove,inanattic).DONOTleaveitinthetrunkofacarorinthebackofahatchbackstylecarwherehigh
temperaturescouldbuildup.DONOTstoreitwiththebatteryinstalledasbatteriesmayleak.DONOTspraylubricantssuchasWD40,oranytype
ofcleaners,solvents,sealantsorotherchemicalsintoorontotheelectronicparts,switchesorcontrols.Andfinally:DONOTattempttomodifyor
repairthedetector’selectronicsasthiswillvoidyourdetector'swarranty. 
THEWARRANTYDOESNOTCOVERDAMAGERESULTINGFROMANACCIDENT,NEGLECTORABUSE.
ProtectingYourInvestment
Somanydetectoristsaredisappointedwhentheirnewdetectorslowlybecomeslessandlessresponsiveandseemstohavelostsomeofits
originalperformance.Youcanhelpavoidthisfromhappeningtoyourdetectorbyfollowingthesebasiccareandprotectionguidelines.
lOperateyourdetectorexactlyasrecommendedinthisOperatorInstructionManual.
lUseonlyhighqualityalkalinebatteriesofthecorrectvoltage.Neversubstituteadifferentvoltage.WhenusingaNi Cadbattery,always
useaseparateconvertiblepackwiththepropervoltageoutputforthedetector ’sdesign.
lRemovethebatteryfromthedetectoraftereachuse.Thiswillpreventdamagetothedetectorifthebatteryleaks.
lThesearchcoilcableishardwiredtothesearchcoilandprotectedbyastrainrelief.Inspectthestrainrelieffrequentlytomakesureitis
firmlyattachedandintact.
lKeepcablesproperlywoundaroundthepolestemsandprotectthemduringuse.Floppy,pinched,orcablesthatbecomesnagged
duringusemayshort,causingerraticnoisesorunnecessaryreplacementofthesearchcoil.
lSweepthesearchcoilcarefully,especiallywhenusingaroundrocksandbuildingfoundations.Avoidhittingthesearchcoilagainsthard,
solidobjectsandsurfaces.
lKeepyoursearchcoilslightlyoffofthegroundduringthesweep,especiallywhenusingingravelorhard,rockydirt.
lAlwaysuseaproperlydesignedprotectivescuffcoveronthesearchcoil.(See"OptionalAccessories"inthenextsection.) 
lRemoveandcleanoutscuffcoversperiodicallytoavoidbuildupofmineralizeddirtparticleswhichwillaffectperformance.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofandcanbesubmergedineitherfreshorsaltwater.Afterthesearchcoilisusedinsaltwater,rinseitandthe
lowerstemassemblywellwithfreshwatertopreventcorrosionofthemetalparts.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofbuttheelectronicsarenot,soalwayspreventanymoistureorwaterfromenteringthecontrolhousingand
neverallowthecableconnectorstobecomesubmergedinwater.
lIfworkinginornearwater,orifthereisapossibilityofrain,useaprotectiveweatherresistantpouchorplasticbagtocoverthecontrol
housing.Makesureitcan"breathe"inordertoensureagainstcondensationbuildupinside.
lAftereachuse,cleanthedetectorwithasoftclothtoremovedust,moisture,orothercontaminants.
lWhentransportingthedetectorinacarduringhotweather,storeitonthefloorofthepassengercompartmentifpossible.Usingacarry
baggivesadditionalprotection.Inanycase,neverallowthedetectortorollaroundunprotectedinthetrunkorbackofapickuptruck.
lProtectyourdetectorfromdust,moisture,andextremetemperaturesduringstorage.
lWhenshipping,usetheoriginalfactorycartonorsimilarheavydutycontainerandprovideaminimumoneinchofpaddingaroundall
parts.
lTreatyourdetectorasyouwouldanysensitiveelectronicinstrument.Thoughruggedlyconstructedanddesignedtowithstandthe
demandsofnormaltreasurehunting,propercareisessential.
OPTIONALACCESSORIES
TesoroMetalDetectorsandgenuineTesoroAccessoriesaresoldonlythroughindependentTesoroAuthorizedDealers,whoarealmostalways
metaldetectoriststhemselves.TheycanansweryourquestionsaboutyourTesorodetector,whataccessoriesmaybehelpfulandaboutmetal
detectingingeneral.
SeeyourTesoroAuthorizedDealerformoreinformationandpricesonoptionalaccessories.
ScuffCovers
Wehighlyrecommendusingascuffcovertoprotectyoursearchcoilatalltimes.Thescuffcoverforthe µMAXBandidofittedwiththe8"
searchcoilisTesoroPart#SCUFF8RB.
Searchcoils
The8"concentricsearchcoilprovidedwiththeµMAXBandidoisdesignedforbestallaroundperformance.Optionalsearchcoilsmayaddto
yourdetector'sperformance.
Smallersearchcoilsgivebetter“targetseparation”thatis,moredistincttargetresponseformetalobjectsburiedcloselytogetherwhichis
veryusefulwhenhuntingtrashysites.Verysmallsearchcoilscandeliverthebestresponseanddepthtosmalltargetssuchasfinegoldchainswith
somesacrificeindepthonlargerobjects.Largersearchcoilsgiveawidersweep,coveringmoreground,greaterdepthespeciallyonlargerobjects;
however,theymaynotdetectsomeverysmallobjectsuchashalfdimesandwillhavedifficultyinverytrashyareas. 
Widescansearchcoilsignoregroundmineralizationbetterthanconcentricsearchcoilsandmayofferimprovedperformanceinextreme
groundconditions.
Selectingtherightoptionalsearchcoildependsonfactorssuchaswhatyouaresearchingforandsearchsiteconditions.Noonesearchcoilis
betterthanalltherest.SeveraloptionalinterchangeablesearchcoilsareavailablefortheµMAX.Theyarealleasytomountandrequireno
specialtools.SeethenextpageforalistofthesesearchcoilswiththeTesoropart#anddescription.
TesoroSearchcoils
OptionalscuffcoversarealsoavailableforanyTesorosearchcoil. 
Headphones
Mostmetaldetectoristsprefertouseheadphonesinsteadofthedetector'sbuiltinspeaker.Headphoneshelpblockoutbackgroundnoise(such
aswind)andmakeiteasiertohearfaintsignals.Headphoneswithabuiltinvolumecontrolwillallowyoutoadjustthesoundvolumetoyour
preference.
SPECIFICATIONS
µMAXBANDIDOFEATURES
lHighGainSensitivityCircuitry—designedspecificallytodelivergreaterdepth,sensitivityandstability. 
lMAXBoostFeature—extrapowerofsuperhighgaincanaddinchestodiscriminationsearchdepthinidealconditions.
lHighsensitivitySearchcoil—a8inchopencenterconcentricforbroadsweep,goodpinpointinganddeepgroundpenetration.
lUltralightWeight—searchlongerwithoutfatigue.
l3pieceKnockdownPole—compactforstorageandtravel.
lTurnonandgomakesstoringandtravelingconvenient.
lTwoOperatingModes—motionbasedAllMetalandDiscriminate.
lEasytoOperatejusttwosimplecontrolsatyourfingertips.
lEconomicalUse—upto20hoursplusonasinglebattery.
lTesoroLifetimeWarranty—ourpledgeofqualitytoyou.
Whatitdoesn'thave.
Abig,heavy,highpoweredspeaker.Loud,heavyspeakersarepopularwithmanymanufacturers.The"fuller"soundtheyproducegivesthe
illusionofgreatersensitivitytosmallanddeeptargets—agreatshowroomsalestool!Mostseriousdetectorists,however,huntwithheadphonesand
aµMAXwilldrivestandardheadphoneswell.Ifyouchoosenottouseheadphones,theµMAXspeakerwillbeloudenoughformostenvironments.
Itwillallowyoutohearthesmallanddeeptargetsfoundbythe µMAX'shighpowercircuitry—withoutexcessivebatterydrain.
Ahipmount,armstraporbatteryrechargingsystem.Thesekindsof"builtinaccessories”aresimplyunnecessaryinaµMAXdetector.
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µMAXBandido
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.
ThepowerandfeaturesoftheTesoroµMAXBandidomakeitidealfortheserious
detectoristwhowantstopofthelineperformanceandversatilityinalightweight,lowcost
detector.Itisalsoanidealdetectorforabeginnerwhowantsamachinetheywillnever
outgrow.
WARRANTYSERVICE
YourTesorometaldetectoriscoveredbyaLimitedLifetimeWarranty,thetermsofwhich
arelistedbelow.Ifyourmetaldetectorshouldrequireservice,youmayreturnittotheTesoro
factoryattheaddressbelow.
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.
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. 
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.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
TesoroPart# Description
COIL4RC 4"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RC 7"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL8RCWB 8"roundconcentricweighted(opencenter,brown)
COIL10.5RC 10½"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RW 7"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
COIL11RW 11"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
OperatingFrequency 12kHz
SearchcoilType Round,opencenterconcentric
SearchcoilSize 8"diameter
CableLength Approx.3’
AudioFrequency Approx.300Hz
AudioOutput 1½”speakerandheadphonejack
HeadphoneCompatibility ¼”stereoplug
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 2.2lbs.
BatteryRequirement One9voltDC(alkaline)
BatteryLife(typical) 10to20hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OptimumHumidity 0to75%R.H.
OperatingModes
SilentSearchAllMetal
SilentSearchDiscriminate
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µMAXBANDIDOOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL
CONGRATULATIONS!
YournewTesoroµMAXBandidoMetalDetectorispartofanewseriesofdetectorsdesignedtoprovideyouwithmany
happyhoursofenjoymentinthemostrewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingand
excitingexperiencesasyoustepintothepast–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations–or,asyoutakepleasurein
thegreatoutdoorswithfamilyandfriendssearchingforpreciousmetals.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,
andallofusatTesorowishyouthebestofsuccess.
YourTesoroµMAXdetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinawiderangeoftreasurehuntingsituations.Aswithany
othermetaldetector,familiaritywiththisinstrumentisprobablythelimitingfactorindetermininghowsuccessfulyoucanbe.I
recommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullyhowtooperatethisdetectorbeforeattemptingtouseitinthefield.
Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.
TheµMAXBandidoisaprecisionelectronicinstrumentthatwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatitrightandit
won'tletyoudown.
GoodHunting!JackGifford
INTRODUCTION
Tobesuccessfulintreasurehuntingwithadetectoryoumust:
lUseahighperformancemetaldetectordesignedforthetypeoftreasurehuntingyouwillbedoing.
lLearnhowtouseyourmetaldetectorproperly.
lSearchwherethereisburiedtreasuretobefound.
lBepersistent.
TheµMAXBandidoisatrueallpurposedetector.Itwasdesignedfortopperformanceinthewidestrangeofdetectingusespossible.Itis
sensitivetosmallgoldparticles,itispowerfulenoughtorelicandcachehuntwith,itisplentyfastenoughforcompetitionhuntinganditisgreat
forcoinhunting.Yet,evenwithitsamazingpower,itisstilleasytouse.
ThisOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUALisdesignedtohelpyoulearntooperatethedetectorproperlyformaximumperformanceinvarious
searchconditions.CompleteinstructionsonhowtooperatetheµMAXBandidoarefoundinthetwomainsections:GETTINGSTARTEDand
OPERATINGTECHNIQUES.
Ifyouarenewtometaldetecting,wehighlyrecommendreadingandfollowingtheentireGETTINGSTARTEDsectiontodevelopthe"feel"
ofyourdetector.Then,studyandpracticetheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESsection–especiallyGroundBalancing–togetthebestperformance
fromyourdetector.
Ifyouarenewtotreasurehuntingwithmetaldetectors,keepinmindthatiftherearenovaluablemetalobjectsburiedwhereyouare
searching,itwon'tmatterhowgoodyourmetaldetectorisorhowskilledandpersistentyouare.Tolearnmoreaboutwheretosearchforvaluable
buriedmetalscheckwithyourmetaldetectordealerorbooksellerformagazinesandbooksontreasurehunting.
GENERALDESCRIPTION
TheµMAXBandidoisoneofthefirstofitskind:anultralightweight,compactdetectorthatpacksthepowerandperformanceofthebestfull
size,heavierdetectors.Byutilizingstateoftheartcircuitry,Tesorohascreatedanamazinglyversatileandpowerful,easytooperatedetectorthat's
perfectforalltypesofdetecting,andfortravel.
TheµMAXBandidoisaTransmitterReceiver(TR)typeofdetectorthatoperatesintheVeryLowFrequency(VLF)portionoftheRadio
Frequency(RF)spectrum.TheµMAXBandidousesonlythreecontrolknobsandtwotoggleswitchestoprovidefullVLFcapabilities. 
TheperformanceoftheµMAXBandidowillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorists,whetherexperiencedornovice.Atthecentre
oftheµMAXBandidoisaspecialHybridcircuitboarddevelopedfromSurfaceMountTechnologythatincorporatesTesoro'sprovenHighGain
SensitivityCircuitry.Thiscircuitboardhelpsprovidegreaterdepthsandmoresensitivitytosmaller,lessconductivemetalobjectsor"targets"such
asfinegoldjewelry.
TheµMAXBandidohasfeaturesthatmakeitspowereasytouse.Throughsimpleandfastoperatoradjusted"groundbalancing,"theground
rejectioncircuitrywillallowoperationineventhemostdifficultgroundmineralizationconditions.Twooperatingmodesandtwotuningmodes
addtotheversatilityofthedetector'soperation.TheDiscriminateModeisSilentSearch,meaningthesearchcoilmustbemovingtodetecta
target.TheAllMetalModeisnomotion,meaningthesearchcoilwilldetectatargetlocateddirectlyunderit,evenwhenthesearchcoilisnot
moving.AutoTune,theautomatictuningmode,isfastandretunesthedetectorinsecondsafterencounteringatarget.NormalTunegivesthe
operatortotalcontrolofretuningatthetouchofaswitch.
TheelectronicminiaturizationofSurfaceMountTechnologypermitsthecomplex,powerfulcircuitryoftheµMAXdetectorstofitintoavery
smallspace.Theresultisadetectorthatissoincrediblylightthereisnoneedtobodymountthecontrolhousing.Thisexclusivedesignfeature
addstotheµMAXBandido'seaseofuseandmakesthoselongersearchesmoreenjoyable. 
TheµMAXBandidocomeswithan8"roundconcentricsearchcoilforbestallaroundperformancewithgooddepth.Avarietyofoptional
Tesorosearchcoilsarealsoavailableandwillenhancethedetector'sperformanceundervariousconditions(seeOPTIONALACCESSORIES).
GETTINGSTARTEDUNPACKINGTHEBOX
YourµMAXBandidowasshippedwiththeseparts:
1UpperPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingupperpolestemwithhandlegrip,paddedarmbracketandcontrolhousing.
1LowerPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingmiddlepolestemwithknurlednut,lowerpolestem,andnylonpoletipcompletewithtwothickfriction
washers,mountingscrew,lockwasherandthumbnut.
18"round,concentricsearchcoilwith3'cable
19VoltAlkalineBattery
1Extrasetoftwothinfrictionwashers
1OperatorInstructionManual
1TesoroWarrantyCard
Ifanyoftheseitemsaremissing,contacttheTesoroAuthorizedDealerwhereyoupurchasedyourdetectorimmediately.
AssemblyoftheµMAXBandidoissimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.JustInstallthebattery,mountthesearchcoilonthelowerpole
assembly,connectthetwopoleassembliestogether,wraptheexcesscablearoundthepoleandplugthecableintothecontrolhousing.Finally,
adjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangleandyou'reready!
INSTALLTHEBATTERY
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformance.The
batteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutes,andthenperiodicallywhenusedforlongdurations.Formore
detailedinformationgotoPerformingtheAudioBatteryTestunderTUNINGYOURDETECTOR. 
Toinstallorreplacethebattery,firstmakesuretheSENSITIVITYcontrolissettoPOWOFFturnedcompletelycounterclockwisepastthe
"click".Removethebatterydoorfromthebackofthecontrolhousing.Dothisbypressingyourthumbfirmlyonthelouveredsquare atthebottom
ofthebatterydoorandslidingthebatterydoorupward(inthedirectionofthearrow)whilepushing.
Connectafreshsingle9voltalkalinebatterytothebatteryleadterminals.Makecertainthepolaritysnapstofitproperly.Apoorconnection
maycausethedetectortoacterraticallyorfailtooperatecompletely.
Placethebatteryintothebatterycompartmentwithoutpullingorstretchingthebatteryleadwires.Replacethebatterydoorbyslidingitinto
placemakingsuretheuppermountslotsareinlineandthelocktongueissnappedintoplace.
ASSEMBLINGYOURDETECTOR
1. Onthelowerpoleassembly,graspthepoletipfirmlyinonehand.Withtheotherhand,fullydepressthetwospringbuttonsonthe
oppositeendoftheassembly.
2. Pullthemiddlestemoutfarenoughforthespringbuttonstoclickintothefirstsetoftheadjustmentholeslockingtheassemblyinto
placeagain.
3. Removethemountingscrewandthumbnutfromtheblacknylonpoletip.
4. Insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsandthesearchcoilandaligntheholesofthepoletipandwasherswiththoseofthe
mountingears.
Note:thepoletipshouldfitverysnuglyintothemountingears,however,itmaybenecessarytousethethinfrictionwashersinstead.
5. Insertthemountingscrewthroughtheholesinthemountingearsandpoletipenteringfromthesideoppositethecableconnection.
6. Installthethumbnutonthemountingscrewandtightenbyhand.
Note:Donotovertightenthethumbnut.Itshouldbesnug,butnottoodifficulttoloosenup. 
7. Ontheupperpoleassembly,depressthetwospringbuttonsandslidetheupperassemblyintothelowerpoleassemblyuntilthespring
buttonsclickintotheholeslockingthetwoassembliesintoplace.Tightentheknurlednuttosecurethetwoassembliestogether.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto “see”thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
8. Wrapthecablearoundthepoleleavingenoughslacknearthesearchcoiltopermitsearchcoiladjustment.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto"see"thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
9. Plugthemalecableendintothefemaleconnectoronthecontrolhousingandtightenthecablethumbnut.Youarefinished! 
Note:Youwillwanttoadjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangletoyourpreference.
ADJUSTINGTHEPOLE&SEARCHCOIL
Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedsothatthedetectordoesnotbecomeuncomfortableortiringafter
longperiodsofuse.Thedetectorgripshouldrestinyourhandwithyourarmrelaxed,yourelbowstraightbut
notlocked,withthepoleextendingoutinfrontofyouattheapproximateangleshowninthephoto. 
Youshouldbeabletoswingthedetectorbackandforthinfrontofyou—usingrelaxedshoulder
movement—whilekeepingthesearchcoilasclosetothegroundaspossible.Thisswingingmovementisoften
calleda“sweep.”
Thesearchcoilshouldnottouchthegroundduringyoursweep.Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedto
allowthiswithouthavingtoliftthedetectorwithyourelboworshoulder.Thesearchcoilshouldrestaboutone
inchabovethegroundwhileyouarestandingerect.Theangleofthesearchcoilshouldallowthebottomto
beparalleltotheground.
Thepolelengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthepoleuntil
thespringbuttonsclickintothesetofholesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablepolelength.
Toadjustthesearchcoilangle,simplyloosenthesearchcoilthumbnutslightlyandmovethesearchcoil
intothedesiredposition.Tightenthesearchcoilthumbnutbyhandsothatthesearchcoilwillholdinplace.
QUICKSTARTSELFGUIDEDTUTORIAL
TheQuickStartisdesignedtohelpyouuseyournewµMAXBandidometaldetectorrightaway,evenif
youhaveneverusedametaldetectorbefore.Justfolloweacheasystepcarefullyandyou'llquicklyseehowthebasicdetectorfunctionswork.
You'llalsobeintroducedtosomeimportantconceptsontheway.
Here'swhatyouwillneed:
1. YourfullyassembledµMAXBandidometaldetector
2. Threenewercoins:apenny*,anickelandaquarter
3. Anonmetaltableorcountersurface
4. Approximately20minutestocompletetheQuickStart
*mustbe1984ornewermadeofzinc
Here’swhatyouwilldo:
1. PerformanAudioBatteryTest
2. AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
3. PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
4. PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
PreparefortheQuickstart
PlaceyourassembledµMAXBandidoonthenonmetalsurface.Makesuretherearenometalobjectsnearthecoil.Removeanyjewelryfrom
yourhandsandwrists.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVTYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoNORM
lMODEswithsettoDISC
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange:
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop.
TheGROUNDcontrolshouldbeleftatthissettingfortheentireQuickStart. 
Step1PerformanAudioBatteryTest
lTurntheSENSIIVITYcontrolfromPOWOFFto1
Youwillhearthebatterytesttoneforafewsecondsasthebatteryisautomaticallytested.Whenthetonestopsthedetectorisonthecontrols
arereadyforadjusting.
FunctionDemonstrated:Howthebatterytesttonewilltellyouthebatteryisworkingeachtimethedetectoristurnedon. 
NOTE:YoushouldalwaysperformtheAudioBatteryTestwithModeSwitchsettoDISC. 
Step2AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
nTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolfrom1to8
Thisisagoodsettingtobeginwitheachtimeyouuseyourdetector.LeavethecontrolatthissettingfortherestoftheQuickStart.
FunctionDemonstrated:WheretosettheSENSITIVITYcontrolforbasicoperation. 
Step3PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
IdentifytheThresholdSound
IdentifyTargetResponse
RetunetheThreshold
lFliptheMODEswitchtoALLMETAL
Listentothecontinuous,fairlyeventone.Thisiscalledthe"thresholdsound".Youwillhearthethresholdsoundonlywhenoperatingthe
detectorinAllMetalMode.
Holdthequarterinyourfingertipsandmovethequarterfromsidetosideabout12inchesfromthefrontofthesearchcoil. 
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitfromsidetoside  untilyouhearthethresholdsound
increase.Thisincreaseinvolumeiscalledthe"targetresponsesound". 
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoldstillandthenmovingitslightly.Trypassingitinfrontoftheedgeofthesearchcoilandthenunder
thecenter.Noticethedifferencesinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange.
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary,sometimessubtly.
Yourdetectorwillrespondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalwhentheobjectisinthesearchcoil'ssensitivityareaor"range".Operatingyour
detectorinthiswayiscalleda"nomotionAllMetalModewithNormalTune".
Retuningthethreshold
Holdthequarterstillabout2to4inchesfromthesearchcoil,inlinewiththesearchcoilcenter.Listentothetargetresponsesoundfor1or2
seconds.Donotmovethequarter!
lFliptheMODEswitchtoRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticethatthetargetresponsesoundwilldecreasetotheregularlevelofthethresholdsound.Now,slowlymovethequarterfromsidetoside,
goingpasttheedgeofthesearchcoil.Noticetheregularthresholdsoundisgoneandthetargetresponsesoundisnowa"beep"thatoccurswhen
thetargetpassesinfrontofthesearchcoilcenter.Thistechniqueisusedto"pinpoint"theexactlocationofanobject. 
Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoil.
lFliptheMODEswitchtoeRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticetheregularthresholdreturns.Movethequarterclosetothesearchcoilandnoticetheloudcontinuoustargetresponsesoundhas
returned.Takethequarterawayagain.
lFliptheTUNEswitchtoAUTO
Holdthequarterstillnearthesearchcoilforafewsecondandnoticethedetectorautomaticallyretunesitself.Then,trymovingthecoinfrom
sidetosideandnoticethetargetresponsesoundisa"beep".Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoilforafewsecondsandtryitagain.Now,try
thistestwiththedifferentcoinsusingbothtuningmethodsandlistforthedifferencesinthesounds. 
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)HowtheAllMetalModetargetresponsesoundwillvarydependingonthevariousfactorssuchaswhattypeof
metaltargetsareburiedintheground,howdeeptheyare,howfastyoumoveyoursearchcoilandsoon.2)Howthedetector'sthresholdcanreturn
manuallyinNormalTuneorautomaticallyinAutoTuneandhowthiseffectsthetargetresponsesound.
Step4PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
IdentifytheTargetResponse
UseDiscrimination
lFliptheMODEswitchtoDISC
lLeavetheDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
NOTE:InDiscriminateMode,youwillnothearthecontinuousthresholdsoundoftheAllMetalMode,soreturningisnotneeded.
Holdthequarterinyourhandandmovethequarterbackandforthabout12inchesinfrontofthesearchcoilbottom.
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitbackandforthuntilyouheara"beep".Thisbeepthetarget
responsesound.
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoinstillthenmovingitslightly.Noticethedifferenceinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange. 
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary.Yourdetectorcan
respondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalifthereismovementbetweentheobjectandthedetector.Operatingyourdetectorinthiswayis
calleda"SilentSearch".
lTurntheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMINtoMAX
Passthequarterbackandforthinfrontofandclosetothesearchcoilbottom.Noticethesoundasthecoinnearsthecenterofthesearchcoil.
Now,trythiswiththenickelandthenthezincpenny.Noticethereisnosoundwiththesetwocoins.Theabilityofametaldetectortoignore
certaintypesofmetalthatitencountersiscalled"discrimination".Usingyourdetectorinthiswayiscalleda"SilentSearchDiscriminateMode". 
Controlsettingstoignoremostzincandnickelobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVELMAX
lMovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMAXto7
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthecoil.Noticethequarterandthezincpennynowcauseatargetresponsesound. 
Controlsettingstoignoremostnickelcanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL7
lNowmovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfrom7to4
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthesearchcoil.Noticeallthreecoinsnowcauseatargetresponsesound.
ControlsettingstoincludenewerUScoinswhileexcludingmostironobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL4
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)ThemotionbasedoperationandtargetresponsesoundofSilentSearchDiscriminateMode.2)Howthe
DiscriminateModecanbeusedtohelpdeterminethetypesofmetalatargetmaybe.ByadjustingtheDISCLEVELcontrolyoucanselectwhat
metalsyourdetectorwillignore.
Conclusion
Welldone!YouhavefinishedtheQuickStartGuideandhaveoperatedmanyofthebasicdetectingfeaturesofthe µMAXBandido.Youhave
alsobeenintroducedtotheideasof:1)"targetresponsesound",2)"thresholdsound",3)"returningthethreshold",4)"targetdiscrimination"and5)
"targetpinpointing".
Nowyouarealmostreadytobeginthejourneyintotheartofmetaldetectingbyactuallyusingyourdetectortofindburiedmetal.Butfirsta
wordaboutairtests.
TheairtestsintheQuickStartareoflimitedvalue.Metaldetectorsperformdifferentlyinairteststhanwheninactualuse"inthefield".Tesoro
detectorsarespecificallydesignedtodeliverthebestperformanceinthefield.
TheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESandTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionswillgiveyoumoredetailedinformationonhowtosetyour
detector'scontrols,especiallyselectingatuningmodeandusingdiscrimination,forthebestresults. 
BeforeyouuseyourµMAXBandidointhefieldyouneedtolearnhowtooperateonemorefeatures:theGROUNDcontrol.Usingthe
GROUNDcontroltoproperly"GroundBalance"yourµMAXBandidowillallowyoutotapintoitsfullpowerandperformancecapabilitiesandis
perhapsthemostimportantfeaturetomaster.TheGroundBalancesectionwillexplainstepbystephowtousethisfeature.
Finally,theonlywayyoucanbecometrulyproficientatusingyourdetectortofindburiedtreasureistouseitinthefieldandlearnfrom
experience!However,westronglysuggestthatyoureadthisentiremanualtobecomeproficientwithallofthefeaturesasyoucontinuetouseyour
detector.
Youhavethefinesttoolavailable,nowallyouneedistheskillthatcomesfromexperience.
TOTURNYOURDETECTOROFF:
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTOPOWOFF
Counterclockwisepastthe"click".
TOTURNYOURDETECTORON:
lMAKESURETHEMODESWITCHISSETTODISC
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTO1
Clockwisepastthe"click".
OPERATINGTECHNIQUESCONTROLS
TheµMAXBandidohasonlyfivecontrols,allmountedonthefrontpanelofthehousingforfingertipadjustment.Howthesecontrolsshould
besetforpeakperformancewilldependonthetypeofmetalyouaresearchingfor,searchsiteconditions,mineralcontentofthesoilandsoforth.
UsetheinformationinthissectionandtheTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionasabasisforsettingthecontrolsonyourdetector.Usingyour
detectorinthefieldwillallowyoutolearnthedetector'sresponsestovariousconditionsandwillguideyouinfinetuningthedetector'soperating
controls.
SENSITIVITYON/OFFSensitivityControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasthreefunctions:
lTurnsthedetectorONandOFF
lActivatestheautomaticAudioBatteryTest
lAdjuststheSensitivityLevel
NOTE:Thedetectorshouldalwaysbeturnedoffwhennotinuse. 
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwisepasttheinitial"click"turnsthedetectoronandactivestheautomaticAudioBatteryTestcircuit.This
testwillgiveyouasound,usuallylastingseveralseconds,thatindicatesthebattery'scondition.WhentheAudioBatteryTestisover,thedetector ’s
SensitivityLevelcanbeadjusted.
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector'sSensitivityLevel.Thelevelfrom1upto10isthenormalrange.Thisrange
correspondswiththenormalSensitivityonstandarddetector's.TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobpast10intotheorangeareaputstheSensitivity
intotheMAXBoostrangefoundonlytheµMAXdetectors.
NOTE:ItisbesttoturnthedetectoroninDiscriminateMode.SincetheDiscriminateModeisasilentmodewithnocontinuousthreshold
sound,itwillbeobviouswhentheAudioBatteryTestiscomplete.
IfyouturnthedetectoroninAllMetalModetheAudioBatteryTestsoundwillbeimmediatelyfollowedbythethresholdsound.Thismay
makeitdifficulttohearthebatterytestendanddiscernthebatterycondition.
Also,theSensitivityLevelisbestsetwhileintheDiscriminateMode.AftertheAudioBatterTestisoverandtheSensitivityLevelisproperly
set,youmaychangetheoperatingmodetoAllMetalwithoutdifficulty.
DISTLEVELDiscriminationLevelControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheDiscriminationLevel.
OncethedetectorisintheDiscriminateMode,theDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sDiscriminationLevel.TurningtheDISC
LEVELknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector ’sDiscriminationLevelandviceversa.
NOTE:WhenthedetectorisoperatingintheAllMetalModetheDISCLEVELcontrolisnotused. 
TUNETuningModeSelectionSwitch
Thistoggleswitchhasonefunction:
lSetstheTuningMode:NormalorAuto
Thistogglehastopositions:TotherightlabeledAUTOitlocksinplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoAutomatic.Totheleft 
labeledNORMthelockstheplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoNormal.NOTE:ThetuningModeisusedonlywhenoperatingintheAll
MetalMode.
MODEModeSelection/RetuneSwitch
Thecombinationtoggleswitchhastwofunctions.
lSetstheoperatingmode:AllMetalorDiscriminate
lRetunesthethresholdinAllMetalMode.
Thistogglehasthreepositions:TotherightlabeledDISCitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoDiscriminate.Tothecenter
labeledALLMETitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoAllMetal.TotheleftlabeledRETUNEitspringreturnstothecenter
positionandretunesthedetector’sthresholdwhileremaininginAllMetalMode.So,thiscomboswitchfunctionsasaRetuneSwitchbypressing
theswitchcompletelytotheleftandreleasingitsoitspringsbacktothecenterposition.
NOTE:Manualretuning(MODE/RETUNE)isusedonlywhenoperatingintheAllMetalModewithTuningsettoNormal(TUNE/NORM). 
GROUNDGroundBalanceControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheGroundBalance
ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalModesamplingsothattheµMAXBandidoignoresthenormalgroundmineralization.Makingthis
adjustmentisoftencalled"GroundBalancing".Theknobwillturncontinuallyineitherdirection,althoughitseffectuserangeisonly3 ¾turns.
Onceyouhaveturnedtheknobtotheendofitsuserangeineitherdirection,youshouldnoticeaslightincreasein"drag"astheknobisturned.
Whenyoufeelthe"drag"youmayimmediatelyreversedirectiontoentertheeffectiveuserangeofthenext3 ¾turns.
NOTE:TheGROUNDcontroldoesaffectbothoperatingmodesbyshouldbeadjustedinAllMetalMode.
TUNINGYOURDETECTOR
Everydetectormustbeproperlytunedinordertoperformatitspeakandprovidemaximumdepth.Infact,themorepowerfuladetectoris,the
morecriticalthetuningbecomes.Lesspowerfuldetectorsaremoretolerantofimpropertuning,butarealsonotcapableofthedepthofaproperly
tunedhighpowerdetectorsuchastheµMAXBandido.ToachievepeakperformancefromyourµMAXBandido,besuretoproperlyadjustthe
GROUNDcontrolintheAllMetalMode.Thesettingsofthiscontrolwillalsoaffectthedetector ’sperformanceinDiscriminateMode,somakesure
toadjustitproperlyfirst,evenifyouwillnotbehuntinginAllMetalMode.Remember:impropertuningwillreduceperformanceandcanalso
cause"false"anderroneous"ghostingsignals".
TuningyourµMAXBandidocanbedonein5simplesteps:
1. GroundBalancingthedetectorusingtheGROUNDcontrol.
2. SettingtheoperatingmodeusingtheMODEswitch.
3. SettingthetuningmodeusingtheTUNEswitch.
4. SettingtheSensitivitylevelusingtheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
5. SettingtheDiscriminationlevelusingtheDISCLEVELcontrol.
NOTE:GroundBalancingshouldbedonewhileinAllMetalModeandAutoTuneMode.SettingtheDiscriminationLevelandtheSensitivity
LevelshouldbedonewhileoperatinginDiscriminateMode.
GroundBalancing
GroundBalancingisnotadifficultprocedure,butitiscriticalifyoudesiremaximumdepthandstability.Itisespeciallyimportantifyouplan
togoldnuggethuntformatchheadsizedorsmallernuggetsinahighlymineralizedground.
NOTE:Nomatterwhereyouwillbesearching,orwhetheryouwillbeoperatingintheAllMetalModeorDiscriminateMode,makesurethe
detectorisproperlyGroundBalancedintheAllMetalModewithAutoTuneModefirst.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVITYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoAUTO
lMODEswitchsettoALLMETAL
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop
Next:
lTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolsetto10
Wait3to4secondsuntiltheAudioBatterytestiscomplete.
Raisethesearchcoilto6to8inchesabovetheground,levelandparalleltotheground.Whilelisteningtothethresholdsound,lowerthe
searchcoilquicklytothegroundlevelandlistentowhatthethresholdsounddoes.
Oneofthreethingswillhappentothesound:1)thesoundwillincrease,2)thesoundwillgosilent,or3)thesoundwillremainthesame.
WhichoneofthesehappenswilldeterminewhatyouneedtodotoproperlyGroundBalanceyourdetectorfortheareayouareat. 
1)Ifthethresholdsoundgetslouderwhenyoulowerthesearchcoil,itmeanstheGROUNDknobneedstogotheleft.
2)Ifthedetectorgoessilentandyoulosethethresholdsoundmomentarily,thenyouwillneedtoturntheGROUNDknobtotheright. 
3)Ifthereisnochangeinthethresholdsoundasyoulowerthesearchcoiltotheground,thenyoujusthappentoalreadyhavetheproper
groundbalanceandcanproceedtohunt.
StartoutusingslightturnsoftheGROUNDknob,thedistanceofthemovementbeingequivalenttoaboutonehouronaclockface.The
entireeffectiveareaofthiscontrolis3¾turnsfromminimumtomaximum,soifyoustartGroundBalancinginthemiddleoftheeffectiverangeit
willonlytakeabouttwocompleteturnsineitherdirectiontobeatoneendoftheeffectiverange.
NOTE:TherearethreeimportantthingstorememberwhenGroundBalancingwiththismethod. 
First,youareintheAutoTunemodeandonceyouhesitateatgroundlevelforasecondortwo,thedetectorwillretunethethreshold
automatically.Therefore,whenyoulowerthesearchcoiltowardtheground,youareonlylisteningfortheinitialchangeinvolume. 
Second,makeyouareGroundBalancinginacleanareaandnotloweringthesearchcoildownoverapieceofmetal. 
Third,whenyouraisethesearchcoilbesurethatyouDONOTtiltthesearchcoilatanangle.
Bycontinually"pumping"thesearchcoilfrom6to8inchesabovethegroundtogroundlevelandbackupintheairagainwhileturningthe
GROUNDknobintheappropriatedirection,youwillveryquicklyreachthepointwherethereistheabsoluteminimalchangeinthresholdsound
duringthepumping.Whenyouhavereachedthatpointyouare"GroundBalanced"andcanbeginsearchingthearea. 
NOTE:ChanginggroundmineralizationmaymakeoccasionalsmalladjustmentstotheGROUNDknobnecessarytomaintainpeak
performance.
Selectingtheproperoperatingmode
TheµMAXBandidoofferstwooperatingmodes,AllMetalModeandDiscriminateMode. 
TheDiscriminateModeis"SilentSearch"operatingmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillmakenosounduntilitencountersametaltarget.
Thismoderequiresthatthesearchcoilbemovingslightlyfortargetdetection.
TheAllMetalMode,however,isa"nomotion"operationmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillemitacontinuous"thresholdsound"untilit
encountersametaltargetatwhichtimethesoundwillnoticeablyincrease.Thismodedoesnotrequiremotionsothesearchcoilcanbeheldstill
fortargetdetectionifneeded.
TheAllMetalMode,asthenameimplies,willdetectalltypesofmetaltargets.Whenoperatinginthismodeyouwillfindunwanted"trash"
metalobjectssuchasnails,foil,pulltabs,etc.,justasyouwouldwithanyhighperformancedetector.TheAllMetalModeispreferredforhunting
relics,artifactsandotherobjectsthataremadeofnon preciousmetalsespeciallyiron.Thismodeisalsogoodforbeachhuntingwherethesand
allowseasydiggingandtimewastedondigginguptrashmetalobjectsisnotamajorconcern. 
TheAllMetalModemustbeusedforgoldnuggethunting,sincetheresponsetosmallgolditemsissoclosetoiron.Formostnuggethunting,
theAllMetalMode&AutoTuneModecombinationwillprovidethebestperformancealthoughsomespecialattentionforhotrocksmaybe
necessary(seeSelectinghepropertuningmode).
TheDiscriminateModewillallowyoutocontrolthedetector'sresponsetomostofthecommontrashmetalobjectsfoundinschoolyards,
parks,andbeaches.Discriminatemodeisgenerallyusedfor"coinshooting"suchareaswhereyouprefertoavoidwastingtimediggingup
commontrashmetal.TheDiscriminationLevelyouselectwilldeterminewhattypesofmetalyourdetectorwillignore.
Inmanyothermetaldetectors,theAllMetalModeoffersgreaterdepthupto30%overtheDiscriminationMode.Notsowiththe µMAX
detectors.ThenewµMAXcircuitrywithMAXBoostovercomesthiscommonproblemanddeliverssuperiorsensitivityandbetterdepthinboth
operatingmodes.
Selectingthepropertuningmode
TheAutoTuneMode(TUNEAUTO)ontheµMAXBandidoisafastautomatictuningthattakesjust2to3secondstoautomaticallyadjust
itself.TheAutoTunequicklyretunesthedetectortoitsestablishedthresholdfollowingatargetresponse.
AutoTuneModealsokeepsthedetector'ssignalfromdrifting.ThistuningmodeoffersmaximumstabilitywhilesearchinginAllMetalMode
andisrecommendforgoldnuggethunting.
TheNormalTuningMode(TUNENORM)willholdatarget'ssignalwithoutretuningforaslongasthesearchcoilisheldstationarydirectly
overthetarget.Somedriftmayoccurinthismode,butisquicklyremediedbymanuallyretuningusingtheMODEswitch(MODE RETUNE).For
precisepinpointing,identifyingtargetsize,linetracingandoresamplinginAllMetalMode,usetheNormalTuneMode. 
Fastautomatictuningcancausean"overshootsignal"on"hotrocks"thatis,amomentarysilenceasthesearchcoilsweepsoveranextremely
mineralizedrock,followedbyaloud"boing"soundwhenthesearchcoilpassesclearofit.Thissoundissodifferentfromagoodtargetresponse
sound,thatitiseasilyrecognized.(Theonlyproblemwithjustignoringthesesoundsovershootsignalsisthatasmallgoldnuggetmaybehiding
beneaththehotrock).Also,theAutoTuningModewillcausea“nulling”ofthethresholdsoundwhenthesearchcoilsweepsoveraverystrong
metaltarget.
SettingtheSensitivityLevel
Inlightlytomoderatelymineralizedground,youcanusuallysettheSENSITIVITYcontrolashighas8to10(normalmaximumsetting).Inthe
rightconditionsyoucanmovetheSENSITIVITYintotheMAXBoostareaforincreaseddepth.
ToadjusttheSensitivityLeveltoyoursearchconditions,firstsettheoperatingmodetoDISCandturntheSENSITIVITYcontrolclockwiseas
faraspossibleuntilthedetectorjustbeginsto"chirp"intermittently.Ifthechirpingistoofrequent,simplyturnthecontrolcounterclockwisejust
enoughtocausethechirpingtosubside.Onceset,thiscontrolshouldnotrequirereadjustingunlesssiteconditionschange. 
Occasionallyyoumayneedtoreducethesettingtoeliminate"falsesignals"causedbydifficultconditions.Someofthemanythingsthatcan
causetheresponseofthedetectortobecomeerraticduringregularuseareverylargetargets,highlymineralizedgroundontrashysites,intense
groundmineralizationchanges,CBradios,radioandTVbroadcastingantennas,andnearbysourcesofelectricalinterference.
Thesefalsesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsthatarenotrepeatableandtherefore,caneasilybedistinguishedfromagoodtarget
responsesound.Theycanbedistracting,though,andreducingtheSensitivitylevelwillhelpreducethesesignalswithanaccompanyinglossof
targetsensitivity.
ExtremeconditionssuchassaltwetsandmayrequireyoutoloweryourSensitivitysettingintothe2to5range.Overall,youshouldalwaysset
theSensitivitycontrolashighaspossible,whilestillgettingsmoothoperation. 
NOTE:ThenomotionAllMetalModeoftheµMAXBandidoisnotaffectedbytheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
SettingtheSensitivityLevelinMAXBoost
TheMAXBoostfeatureisahighgainboostoverandabovethenormalmaximumof10andindicatedbytheorangeareaonthe
SENSITIVITYcontrol.UsingMAXBoostwillcausenoharmtoyourdetectorbut,incertainconditionsitcanresultintheannoyingchirpingsounds
thatmaymakeitdifficulttohearagoodtargetresponsesound. 
InidealconditionsMAXBoostcanaddinchesofdepthtoyoursearchwithnochirping.Indifficultconditionstheextradepthwillstillbethere
butheavychirpingmaymakethefeaturetodifficulttouse.YoumustdeterminewhenandhowmuchoftheMAXboostfeaturetouseforyour
searchsiteconditions.
SettingtheDiscriminationLevel
TheDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedtrashmetalwhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode.Atthe
lowestsetting(MIN),thedetectorwillignoremostironobjects,butwillstillrespondtolightfoil,bottlecaps,pulltabsandmostothermetalobjects.
AstheDiscriminationLevelisincreased,moreofthesetrashmetalobjectsareignoredandgivenotargetresponsesoundwheninsidethe
searchcoil’srange.
TheDISCLEVELshouldbesettoyourdesired"rejectionlevel"fortheparticularareayouaresearching.Werecommendstartingatalow
settingifyouareunsureofhowmuchtrashisinthearea.Adjustthelevelhigherifyoufindyourselfdiggingmoretrashthenyoulike.Remember
thatwithanymetaldetector,youwilllosetargetresponsetosmallgoldringsandnickelswhendiscriminationissetatthepulltabrejectionlevel.
So,diggingsometrashwillincreaseyournumberofgoodfinds.
Thebelowdiagram"DISCLEVELDiscriminationLevelSettings"showsthesettingswheremanyofthecommonmetalobjectsareignored
byatypicaldetector.Eachdetectorcanvaryalittleduetomanufacturingtolerance soyoushouldexperimentwithyourdetectorandbecome
familiarwithitsrejectionlevelsforthesetrashmetalobjects.
Earliermotiondetectorsthatoperatedwithacontinuous"threshold"soundwouldgivetheuseradefiniteindicationoftrashmetalbyeither
"nulling"completely(nosoundmadetemporarily)orbygeneratingshort,choppysounds.SincetheµMAXBandido'sDiscriminateModeisSilent
Searchandoperateswithoutthresholdsound,thereisnonullingtoindicatethattheareaisextremelytrashy. 
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateModewerecommendthatyouperiodicallyswitchtoAllMetalModeandchecktheareayouare
searchingtogetanideaofhowmuchtrashisreallythere.Inextremelytrashyareasitmaybedesirabletoswitchtoasmallersearchcoil,even
thoughdoingsomaycausealossofdepth.Thesmallercoilwillallowyouabetterchanceoffindingcoinsbetweentheclosepiecesoftrash.

PerformingtheAudioBatteryTest
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformancefromit.
Thebatteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutesandthenperiodicallyifyouareusingitforlongperiods.
ToactivatetheAudioBatteryTest,simplyturnthedetectoroffmomentarilyandthenbackonagain.Ifthebatteryisfresh,thedetectorshould
emitacontinuousandloud"Beep"soundthatlastsforabout4or5seconds,andthenslowlyfadesintosilence.Asthebatteryages,thissoundis
lessintenseandfadesoutmorequickly.Whenyouhearonlyabrief"buzz"ornosoundatall,replacethebatterywithafreshone. 
Ifyouprefer,arechargeableNickelCadmium(NiCad)batterycanbesubstituteforthestandard9voltalkalinebattery.Individual9voltsize
NiCadcells,aswellasthechargersforthem,arereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores.Theyareinstalledintoyourdetectorinthe
samemannerasnonrechargeablebatteries.TheBatteryTestsoundonaNi Cadwillbeweakerthananalkalineinthebeginning,butwillnot
weakenasmuchwithuse.
ControllingAudioVolume
ThespeakerintheµMAXdoesnothaveavolumecontrol.Thevolumeshouldbesufficienttoaccuratelyhearthetargetresponsesoundin
mostenvironments.Ifmoreorlessvolumeisrequiredinyourparticularsituationwerecommendusingasetofgoodqualityheadphoneswitha
builtinvolumecontrol.
FIELDUSE
HandlingYourDetector
Thedetectorshouldbeheldinapositionthatiscomfortableforyouasshowninthe"AdjustingthePole&Searchcoil"sectionin"Getting
Started."Swingthedetectorfromsidetosideinaboutathreefootarc,overlappingsucceedingstrokeswell.Thismotioniscalleda “sweep.”The
µMAXBandidowasdesignedtogetmaximumdepthwithoutthefranticpacerequiredofearliermotiondetectors,sogoatapacethatis
comfortableforyou.Infact,tryingtohunttoofastmayevencausealossofdepthinheavilymineralizedlocations. 
Regardlessofwhichmodeyouareusing,trytokeepyoursearchcoilheightconstantandclosetotheground.Mostpeopletendtoraisethe
coilattheendofasweep—muchlikeapendulum—especiallyifinahurry.Trytoavoidthis,asanyincreaseinheightfromthegroundwillcause
acorrespondinglossofdepth.
Inareaswithwellkeptlawns,theeasiestwaytomaintainaconstantsearchcoilheightistoallowthecoiltorestonthegrassasyousweep
fromsidetoside.Inroughandrockyareas,itisbestnotto“scrub”thecoilontheground,astherockswillactlikeabrasivesandwearawaythecoil
bottom(anoptionalcoilscuffcoverwillprotectagainstthis).Sweepthecoilasclosetothegroundaspossiblewithouttouching.Hittingtheground
orrocksmaycauseafalsesignalmuchlikeadesiredtargetwould.Sweepingthecoiltoohighabovethegroundresultsinalossofdepth.
PlantingaTestGarden
Tobetterlearnhowyourdetectorwillperforminthefield,itwouldbehelpfultoburysomecoinsandtrashmetaljunkitemsinanareathat
youknowisclearofothermetalobjects,andthentrytheµMAXBandidoinitstwodifferentoperatingmodes.ChecktheareainAllMetalMode
firsttobesureitsclearoftrashthenburythetargetsatleast1footapart,andfrom2to4inchesdeeptostart.Makeamapoftheareatobesure
youknowwhateachtargetisandhowdeepitis.Practiceonthesetargetstofamiliarizeyourselfwithyourdetector’stargetresponse.Thiswillalso
helpyoulearnthepropersweepspeedforbestoperation.Thistypeofpracticeareaisoftencalleda“testgarden”or“testbed”andisoneofbest
toolstohelpyoudevelopyourmetaldetectingskills.
RecognizingFalseSignalsinDiscriminateMode
WhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode,some“falsesignals”maybecausedby1)heavyconcentrationsoftrashmetalobjects,2)verylarge
trashmetalobjects,or3)electricalinterference.Thesesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsandsounddifferentthan “goodsignals”(good
targetresponsesounds).
Attheendofyoursweep,asyouthereversethecoildirection,thedetectorismostsusceptibletotrashinducednoise.Therearetwowaysto
tellwhetherthesesoundsaregooddeepsignalsortrash“noise.”Thefirstisbyrepeatability.Trashinducednoiseswillnotberegularasyousweep
thecoiloverthesuspectedtargetseveraltimes,whereasagoodtargetresponsewillberepeatable.ThesecondmethodistoswitchtoAllMetal
Modeandcheckthetargetresponsesound.Iftheresponseisweak,itmaywellbeadeep,goodtarget;butiftheresponseisverystrong,itis
probablytrash.Notethatacoinclosetothesurfacecangiveadoublebeepsound,butitisregularandrepeatable.Raisingthecoilaninchortwo
willrestorethesinglebeeponsurfacetargets.
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateMode,itisbestnottouseahigherDISCLEVELsettingthannecessary.Nickelsandmostsmallerringsare
rejectedwhentheDISCLEVELissettorejectpulltabsonanymetaldetectorthatisaTRDiscriminatorliketheµMAXBandido.Ifyoudon’tdig
anyjunkatall,youaresurelypassingupalotofgoodfindsaswell.SettheDISCLEVELonlyhighenoughtosuittheconditionswhereyouare
searching.Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,digit.
PinpointingaTarget
Whenpinpointingatarget,theAllMetalMode/NormalTuningModecanofferadvantagesoverDiscriminateMode,suchasnofalsesignals
andnoneedtomovethesearchcoiltogetatargetresponse.
AgoodmethodforpinpointinginAllMetalmodeis“Xing”thetargetwiththesearchcoil.Rememberthatthetargetsresponsesoundisalways
greatestwhenthetargetisdirectlyunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.To “X”atarget,sweepthesearchcoiloverthetargetfromsidetosideand
themfromfronttobackuntilyoucanidentifythecenteroftheX:thespotonthegroundwherethetargetresponsesoundisthegreatest.Holdyour
searchcoilstationaryoverthecenteroftheXandhittheRETUNEswitch.NowrepeattheX ing;thistimewatchingfortheexactspot—underthe
coilcenter—wherethedetectorbeeps.Thatspotiswherethetargetislocated. 
PinpointingatargetinDiscriminateModeisprobablybestdoneby“Xing”aswell.Rememberthatthedetectorwillbeepjustasthetarget
passesunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.SlowingthesweepspeeddownwillhelpyoupickoutthecenteroftheXbecausethetargetresponseis
reducedatveryslowspeedsmakingiteasiertocorrelatethesoundwiththecoilcenter. 
Anothereasymethodistosweepthecoilfromsidetosideacrossthetargetinveryshortsweeps,asyouslowlymoveforwardandbackward
acrossthetarget.Slowdownthesweeprateandshortenthesweepsuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Thetargetwillbedirectly
belowthecoilcenteratthisresponsetime.
AnothermethodofpinpointinginDiscriminateModeistoquicklychangetoAllMetalModetocheckthetargetresponse.RememberthatAll
MetalModeisnotsusceptibletothefalsesignalsofDiscriminateModeandcansometimesgiveaclearerandmoreconsistentresponsetodifficult
targetssuchasadimeburiednexttoapulltab.ByswitchingbackandforthbetweenmodesandcomparingthetargetresponsesoundinAllMetal
tothetargetresponsesoundinDiscriminateyoucanoftenbetteridentifythelikelylocationofthetarget.
Finally,raisingthesearchcoilduringpinpointingcanalsohelpbynarrowingtheresponsetothetarget.Practicepinpointingoften,andyou
willsoonbecomemoreaccurateandfaster.
RecoveringaTarget
Ifthetargetisshallowandthesoilissoft,youmaybeableto“probe”andfindtheexactlocationofthetargetbeforeyoudigit.Sincefilling
allholesafteryourecoverthetargetissoimportant,diggingasmallpreciseholeisbest.Ifthetargetisdeep,youmayneedtodigalargerhole.
Asyoudig,occasionallychecktheholewithyourdetectortoseeifyouhavemovedtheobject,canprobeit,orhavealreadydugit.Besuretofill
allholesafteryourecoverthetarget.Twomethodsareshownonthenexttwopagesthatworkmosteverywhere.
Besuretoprotectyourhobbybyleavingthesitecleanerthanyoufounditandwithallholesfilled!
RECOMMENDEDRECOVERYMETHODS
GENERALINFORMATIONCAREANDUSE
BasicCare
TheµMAXBandidoisasturdyinstrumentbutitisnotdesignedtowithstandabuse.IncaringforyourµMAXBandidothereareseveral
important“DONOTs”toremember.DONOTuseittopryrockslooseortobeatbushesoutoftheway.DONOTdropthemachineintowater.DO
NOTuseitunprotectedintherain.DONOTleaveitexposedatnightwheredewcouldformonit.DONOTstoreitinplacesthatcouldget
extremelyhot(nexttoawoodstove,inanattic).DONOTleaveitinthetrunkofacarorinthebackofahatchbackstylecarwherehigh
temperaturescouldbuildup.DONOTstoreitwiththebatteryinstalledasbatteriesmayleak.DONOTspraylubricantssuchasWD40,oranytype
ofcleaners,solvents,sealantsorotherchemicalsintoorontotheelectronicparts,switchesorcontrols.Andfinally:DONOTattempttomodifyor
repairthedetector’selectronicsasthiswillvoidyourdetector'swarranty. 
THEWARRANTYDOESNOTCOVERDAMAGERESULTINGFROMANACCIDENT,NEGLECTORABUSE.
ProtectingYourInvestment
Somanydetectoristsaredisappointedwhentheirnewdetectorslowlybecomeslessandlessresponsiveandseemstohavelostsomeofits
originalperformance.Youcanhelpavoidthisfromhappeningtoyourdetectorbyfollowingthesebasiccareandprotectionguidelines.
lOperateyourdetectorexactlyasrecommendedinthisOperatorInstructionManual.
lUseonlyhighqualityalkalinebatteriesofthecorrectvoltage.Neversubstituteadifferentvoltage.WhenusingaNi Cadbattery,always
useaseparateconvertiblepackwiththepropervoltageoutputforthedetector ’sdesign.
lRemovethebatteryfromthedetectoraftereachuse.Thiswillpreventdamagetothedetectorifthebatteryleaks.
lThesearchcoilcableishardwiredtothesearchcoilandprotectedbyastrainrelief.Inspectthestrainrelieffrequentlytomakesureitis
firmlyattachedandintact.
lKeepcablesproperlywoundaroundthepolestemsandprotectthemduringuse.Floppy,pinched,orcablesthatbecomesnagged
duringusemayshort,causingerraticnoisesorunnecessaryreplacementofthesearchcoil.
lSweepthesearchcoilcarefully,especiallywhenusingaroundrocksandbuildingfoundations.Avoidhittingthesearchcoilagainsthard,
solidobjectsandsurfaces.
lKeepyoursearchcoilslightlyoffofthegroundduringthesweep,especiallywhenusingingravelorhard,rockydirt.
lAlwaysuseaproperlydesignedprotectivescuffcoveronthesearchcoil.(See"OptionalAccessories"inthenextsection.) 
lRemoveandcleanoutscuffcoversperiodicallytoavoidbuildupofmineralizeddirtparticleswhichwillaffectperformance.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofandcanbesubmergedineitherfreshorsaltwater.Afterthesearchcoilisusedinsaltwater,rinseitandthe
lowerstemassemblywellwithfreshwatertopreventcorrosionofthemetalparts.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofbuttheelectronicsarenot,soalwayspreventanymoistureorwaterfromenteringthecontrolhousingand
neverallowthecableconnectorstobecomesubmergedinwater.
lIfworkinginornearwater,orifthereisapossibilityofrain,useaprotectiveweatherresistantpouchorplasticbagtocoverthecontrol
housing.Makesureitcan"breathe"inordertoensureagainstcondensationbuildupinside.
lAftereachuse,cleanthedetectorwithasoftclothtoremovedust,moisture,orothercontaminants.
lWhentransportingthedetectorinacarduringhotweather,storeitonthefloorofthepassengercompartmentifpossible.Usingacarry
baggivesadditionalprotection.Inanycase,neverallowthedetectortorollaroundunprotectedinthetrunkorbackofapickuptruck.
lProtectyourdetectorfromdust,moisture,andextremetemperaturesduringstorage.
lWhenshipping,usetheoriginalfactorycartonorsimilarheavydutycontainerandprovideaminimumoneinchofpaddingaroundall
parts.
lTreatyourdetectorasyouwouldanysensitiveelectronicinstrument.Thoughruggedlyconstructedanddesignedtowithstandthe
demandsofnormaltreasurehunting,propercareisessential.
OPTIONALACCESSORIES
TesoroMetalDetectorsandgenuineTesoroAccessoriesaresoldonlythroughindependentTesoroAuthorizedDealers,whoarealmostalways
metaldetectoriststhemselves.TheycanansweryourquestionsaboutyourTesorodetector,whataccessoriesmaybehelpfulandaboutmetal
detectingingeneral.
SeeyourTesoroAuthorizedDealerformoreinformationandpricesonoptionalaccessories.
ScuffCovers
Wehighlyrecommendusingascuffcovertoprotectyoursearchcoilatalltimes.Thescuffcoverforthe µMAXBandidofittedwiththe8"
searchcoilisTesoroPart#SCUFF8RB.
Searchcoils
The8"concentricsearchcoilprovidedwiththeµMAXBandidoisdesignedforbestallaroundperformance.Optionalsearchcoilsmayaddto
yourdetector'sperformance.
Smallersearchcoilsgivebetter“targetseparation”thatis,moredistincttargetresponseformetalobjectsburiedcloselytogetherwhichis
veryusefulwhenhuntingtrashysites.Verysmallsearchcoilscandeliverthebestresponseanddepthtosmalltargetssuchasfinegoldchainswith
somesacrificeindepthonlargerobjects.Largersearchcoilsgiveawidersweep,coveringmoreground,greaterdepthespeciallyonlargerobjects;
however,theymaynotdetectsomeverysmallobjectsuchashalfdimesandwillhavedifficultyinverytrashyareas. 
Widescansearchcoilsignoregroundmineralizationbetterthanconcentricsearchcoilsandmayofferimprovedperformanceinextreme
groundconditions.
Selectingtherightoptionalsearchcoildependsonfactorssuchaswhatyouaresearchingforandsearchsiteconditions.Noonesearchcoilis
betterthanalltherest.SeveraloptionalinterchangeablesearchcoilsareavailablefortheµMAX.Theyarealleasytomountandrequireno
specialtools.SeethenextpageforalistofthesesearchcoilswiththeTesoropart#anddescription.
TesoroSearchcoils
OptionalscuffcoversarealsoavailableforanyTesorosearchcoil. 
Headphones
Mostmetaldetectoristsprefertouseheadphonesinsteadofthedetector'sbuiltinspeaker.Headphoneshelpblockoutbackgroundnoise(such
aswind)andmakeiteasiertohearfaintsignals.Headphoneswithabuiltinvolumecontrolwillallowyoutoadjustthesoundvolumetoyour
preference.
SPECIFICATIONS
µMAXBANDIDOFEATURES
lHighGainSensitivityCircuitry—designedspecificallytodelivergreaterdepth,sensitivityandstability. 
lMAXBoostFeature—extrapowerofsuperhighgaincanaddinchestodiscriminationsearchdepthinidealconditions.
lHighsensitivitySearchcoil—a8inchopencenterconcentricforbroadsweep,goodpinpointinganddeepgroundpenetration.
lUltralightWeight—searchlongerwithoutfatigue.
l3pieceKnockdownPole—compactforstorageandtravel.
lTurnonandgomakesstoringandtravelingconvenient.
lTwoOperatingModes—motionbasedAllMetalandDiscriminate.
lEasytoOperatejusttwosimplecontrolsatyourfingertips.
lEconomicalUse—upto20hoursplusonasinglebattery.
lTesoroLifetimeWarranty—ourpledgeofqualitytoyou.
Whatitdoesn'thave.
Abig,heavy,highpoweredspeaker.Loud,heavyspeakersarepopularwithmanymanufacturers.The"fuller"soundtheyproducegivesthe
illusionofgreatersensitivitytosmallanddeeptargets—agreatshowroomsalestool!Mostseriousdetectorists,however,huntwithheadphonesand
aµMAXwilldrivestandardheadphoneswell.Ifyouchoosenottouseheadphones,theµMAXspeakerwillbeloudenoughformostenvironments.
Itwillallowyoutohearthesmallanddeeptargetsfoundbythe µMAX'shighpowercircuitry—withoutexcessivebatterydrain.
Ahipmount,armstraporbatteryrechargingsystem.Thesekindsof"builtinaccessories”aresimplyunnecessaryinaµMAXdetector.
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µMAXBandido
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.
ThepowerandfeaturesoftheTesoroµMAXBandidomakeitidealfortheserious
detectoristwhowantstopofthelineperformanceandversatilityinalightweight,lowcost
detector.Itisalsoanidealdetectorforabeginnerwhowantsamachinetheywillnever
outgrow.
WARRANTYSERVICE
YourTesorometaldetectoriscoveredbyaLimitedLifetimeWarranty,thetermsofwhich
arelistedbelow.Ifyourmetaldetectorshouldrequireservice,youmayreturnittotheTesoro
factoryattheaddressbelow.
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.
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. 
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.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
TesoroPart# Description
COIL4RC 4"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RC 7"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL8RCWB 8"roundconcentricweighted(opencenter,brown)
COIL10.5RC 10½"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RW 7"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
COIL11RW 11"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
OperatingFrequency 12kHz
SearchcoilType Round,opencenterconcentric
SearchcoilSize 8"diameter
CableLength Approx.3’
AudioFrequency Approx.300Hz
AudioOutput 1½”speakerandheadphonejack
HeadphoneCompatibility ¼”stereoplug
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 2.2lbs.
BatteryRequirement One9voltDC(alkaline)
BatteryLife(typical) 10to20hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OptimumHumidity 0to75%R.H.
OperatingModes
SilentSearchAllMetal
SilentSearchDiscriminate
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µMAXBANDIDOOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL
CONGRATULATIONS!
YournewTesoroµMAXBandidoMetalDetectorispartofanewseriesofdetectorsdesignedtoprovideyouwithmany
happyhoursofenjoymentinthemostrewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingand
excitingexperiencesasyoustepintothepast–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations–or,asyoutakepleasurein
thegreatoutdoorswithfamilyandfriendssearchingforpreciousmetals.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,
andallofusatTesorowishyouthebestofsuccess.
YourTesoroµMAXdetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinawiderangeoftreasurehuntingsituations.Aswithany
othermetaldetector,familiaritywiththisinstrumentisprobablythelimitingfactorindetermininghowsuccessfulyoucanbe.I
recommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullyhowtooperatethisdetectorbeforeattemptingtouseitinthefield.
Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.
TheµMAXBandidoisaprecisionelectronicinstrumentthatwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatitrightandit
won'tletyoudown.
GoodHunting!JackGifford
INTRODUCTION
Tobesuccessfulintreasurehuntingwithadetectoryoumust:
lUseahighperformancemetaldetectordesignedforthetypeoftreasurehuntingyouwillbedoing.
lLearnhowtouseyourmetaldetectorproperly.
lSearchwherethereisburiedtreasuretobefound.
lBepersistent.
TheµMAXBandidoisatrueallpurposedetector.Itwasdesignedfortopperformanceinthewidestrangeofdetectingusespossible.Itis
sensitivetosmallgoldparticles,itispowerfulenoughtorelicandcachehuntwith,itisplentyfastenoughforcompetitionhuntinganditisgreat
forcoinhunting.Yet,evenwithitsamazingpower,itisstilleasytouse.
ThisOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUALisdesignedtohelpyoulearntooperatethedetectorproperlyformaximumperformanceinvarious
searchconditions.CompleteinstructionsonhowtooperatetheµMAXBandidoarefoundinthetwomainsections:GETTINGSTARTEDand
OPERATINGTECHNIQUES.
Ifyouarenewtometaldetecting,wehighlyrecommendreadingandfollowingtheentireGETTINGSTARTEDsectiontodevelopthe"feel"
ofyourdetector.Then,studyandpracticetheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESsection–especiallyGroundBalancing–togetthebestperformance
fromyourdetector.
Ifyouarenewtotreasurehuntingwithmetaldetectors,keepinmindthatiftherearenovaluablemetalobjectsburiedwhereyouare
searching,itwon'tmatterhowgoodyourmetaldetectorisorhowskilledandpersistentyouare.Tolearnmoreaboutwheretosearchforvaluable
buriedmetalscheckwithyourmetaldetectordealerorbooksellerformagazinesandbooksontreasurehunting.
GENERALDESCRIPTION
TheµMAXBandidoisoneofthefirstofitskind:anultralightweight,compactdetectorthatpacksthepowerandperformanceofthebestfull
size,heavierdetectors.Byutilizingstateoftheartcircuitry,Tesorohascreatedanamazinglyversatileandpowerful,easytooperatedetectorthat's
perfectforalltypesofdetecting,andfortravel.
TheµMAXBandidoisaTransmitterReceiver(TR)typeofdetectorthatoperatesintheVeryLowFrequency(VLF)portionoftheRadio
Frequency(RF)spectrum.TheµMAXBandidousesonlythreecontrolknobsandtwotoggleswitchestoprovidefullVLFcapabilities. 
TheperformanceoftheµMAXBandidowillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorists,whetherexperiencedornovice.Atthecentre
oftheµMAXBandidoisaspecialHybridcircuitboarddevelopedfromSurfaceMountTechnologythatincorporatesTesoro'sprovenHighGain
SensitivityCircuitry.Thiscircuitboardhelpsprovidegreaterdepthsandmoresensitivitytosmaller,lessconductivemetalobjectsor"targets"such
asfinegoldjewelry.
TheµMAXBandidohasfeaturesthatmakeitspowereasytouse.Throughsimpleandfastoperatoradjusted"groundbalancing,"theground
rejectioncircuitrywillallowoperationineventhemostdifficultgroundmineralizationconditions.Twooperatingmodesandtwotuningmodes
addtotheversatilityofthedetector'soperation.TheDiscriminateModeisSilentSearch,meaningthesearchcoilmustbemovingtodetecta
target.TheAllMetalModeisnomotion,meaningthesearchcoilwilldetectatargetlocateddirectlyunderit,evenwhenthesearchcoilisnot
moving.AutoTune,theautomatictuningmode,isfastandretunesthedetectorinsecondsafterencounteringatarget.NormalTunegivesthe
operatortotalcontrolofretuningatthetouchofaswitch.
TheelectronicminiaturizationofSurfaceMountTechnologypermitsthecomplex,powerfulcircuitryoftheµMAXdetectorstofitintoavery
smallspace.Theresultisadetectorthatissoincrediblylightthereisnoneedtobodymountthecontrolhousing.Thisexclusivedesignfeature
addstotheµMAXBandido'seaseofuseandmakesthoselongersearchesmoreenjoyable. 
TheµMAXBandidocomeswithan8"roundconcentricsearchcoilforbestallaroundperformancewithgooddepth.Avarietyofoptional
Tesorosearchcoilsarealsoavailableandwillenhancethedetector'sperformanceundervariousconditions(seeOPTIONALACCESSORIES).
GETTINGSTARTEDUNPACKINGTHEBOX
YourµMAXBandidowasshippedwiththeseparts:
1UpperPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingupperpolestemwithhandlegrip,paddedarmbracketandcontrolhousing.
1LowerPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingmiddlepolestemwithknurlednut,lowerpolestem,andnylonpoletipcompletewithtwothickfriction
washers,mountingscrew,lockwasherandthumbnut.
18"round,concentricsearchcoilwith3'cable
19VoltAlkalineBattery
1Extrasetoftwothinfrictionwashers
1OperatorInstructionManual
1TesoroWarrantyCard
Ifanyoftheseitemsaremissing,contacttheTesoroAuthorizedDealerwhereyoupurchasedyourdetectorimmediately.
AssemblyoftheµMAXBandidoissimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.JustInstallthebattery,mountthesearchcoilonthelowerpole
assembly,connectthetwopoleassembliestogether,wraptheexcesscablearoundthepoleandplugthecableintothecontrolhousing.Finally,
adjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangleandyou'reready!
INSTALLTHEBATTERY
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformance.The
batteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutes,andthenperiodicallywhenusedforlongdurations.Formore
detailedinformationgotoPerformingtheAudioBatteryTestunderTUNINGYOURDETECTOR. 
Toinstallorreplacethebattery,firstmakesuretheSENSITIVITYcontrolissettoPOWOFFturnedcompletelycounterclockwisepastthe
"click".Removethebatterydoorfromthebackofthecontrolhousing.Dothisbypressingyourthumbfirmlyonthelouveredsquare atthebottom
ofthebatterydoorandslidingthebatterydoorupward(inthedirectionofthearrow)whilepushing.
Connectafreshsingle9voltalkalinebatterytothebatteryleadterminals.Makecertainthepolaritysnapstofitproperly.Apoorconnection
maycausethedetectortoacterraticallyorfailtooperatecompletely.
Placethebatteryintothebatterycompartmentwithoutpullingorstretchingthebatteryleadwires.Replacethebatterydoorbyslidingitinto
placemakingsuretheuppermountslotsareinlineandthelocktongueissnappedintoplace.
ASSEMBLINGYOURDETECTOR
1. Onthelowerpoleassembly,graspthepoletipfirmlyinonehand.Withtheotherhand,fullydepressthetwospringbuttonsonthe
oppositeendoftheassembly.
2. Pullthemiddlestemoutfarenoughforthespringbuttonstoclickintothefirstsetoftheadjustmentholeslockingtheassemblyinto
placeagain.
3. Removethemountingscrewandthumbnutfromtheblacknylonpoletip.
4. Insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsandthesearchcoilandaligntheholesofthepoletipandwasherswiththoseofthe
mountingears.
Note:thepoletipshouldfitverysnuglyintothemountingears,however,itmaybenecessarytousethethinfrictionwashersinstead.
5. Insertthemountingscrewthroughtheholesinthemountingearsandpoletipenteringfromthesideoppositethecableconnection.
6. Installthethumbnutonthemountingscrewandtightenbyhand.
Note:Donotovertightenthethumbnut.Itshouldbesnug,butnottoodifficulttoloosenup. 
7. Ontheupperpoleassembly,depressthetwospringbuttonsandslidetheupperassemblyintothelowerpoleassemblyuntilthespring
buttonsclickintotheholeslockingthetwoassembliesintoplace.Tightentheknurlednuttosecurethetwoassembliestogether.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto “see”thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
8. Wrapthecablearoundthepoleleavingenoughslacknearthesearchcoiltopermitsearchcoiladjustment.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto"see"thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
9. Plugthemalecableendintothefemaleconnectoronthecontrolhousingandtightenthecablethumbnut.Youarefinished! 
Note:Youwillwanttoadjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangletoyourpreference.
ADJUSTINGTHEPOLE&SEARCHCOIL
Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedsothatthedetectordoesnotbecomeuncomfortableortiringafter
longperiodsofuse.Thedetectorgripshouldrestinyourhandwithyourarmrelaxed,yourelbowstraightbut
notlocked,withthepoleextendingoutinfrontofyouattheapproximateangleshowninthephoto. 
Youshouldbeabletoswingthedetectorbackandforthinfrontofyou—usingrelaxedshoulder
movement—whilekeepingthesearchcoilasclosetothegroundaspossible.Thisswingingmovementisoften
calleda“sweep.”
Thesearchcoilshouldnottouchthegroundduringyoursweep.Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedto
allowthiswithouthavingtoliftthedetectorwithyourelboworshoulder.Thesearchcoilshouldrestaboutone
inchabovethegroundwhileyouarestandingerect.Theangleofthesearchcoilshouldallowthebottomto
beparalleltotheground.
Thepolelengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthepoleuntil
thespringbuttonsclickintothesetofholesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablepolelength.
Toadjustthesearchcoilangle,simplyloosenthesearchcoilthumbnutslightlyandmovethesearchcoil
intothedesiredposition.Tightenthesearchcoilthumbnutbyhandsothatthesearchcoilwillholdinplace.
QUICKSTARTSELFGUIDEDTUTORIAL
TheQuickStartisdesignedtohelpyouuseyournewµMAXBandidometaldetectorrightaway,evenif
youhaveneverusedametaldetectorbefore.Justfolloweacheasystepcarefullyandyou'llquicklyseehowthebasicdetectorfunctionswork.
You'llalsobeintroducedtosomeimportantconceptsontheway.
Here'swhatyouwillneed:
1. YourfullyassembledµMAXBandidometaldetector
2. Threenewercoins:apenny*,anickelandaquarter
3. Anonmetaltableorcountersurface
4. Approximately20minutestocompletetheQuickStart
*mustbe1984ornewermadeofzinc
Here’swhatyouwilldo:
1. PerformanAudioBatteryTest
2. AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
3. PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
4. PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
PreparefortheQuickstart
PlaceyourassembledµMAXBandidoonthenonmetalsurface.Makesuretherearenometalobjectsnearthecoil.Removeanyjewelryfrom
yourhandsandwrists.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVTYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoNORM
lMODEswithsettoDISC
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange:
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop.
TheGROUNDcontrolshouldbeleftatthissettingfortheentireQuickStart. 
Step1PerformanAudioBatteryTest
lTurntheSENSIIVITYcontrolfromPOWOFFto1
Youwillhearthebatterytesttoneforafewsecondsasthebatteryisautomaticallytested.Whenthetonestopsthedetectorisonthecontrols
arereadyforadjusting.
FunctionDemonstrated:Howthebatterytesttonewilltellyouthebatteryisworkingeachtimethedetectoristurnedon. 
NOTE:YoushouldalwaysperformtheAudioBatteryTestwithModeSwitchsettoDISC. 
Step2AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
nTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolfrom1to8
Thisisagoodsettingtobeginwitheachtimeyouuseyourdetector.LeavethecontrolatthissettingfortherestoftheQuickStart.
FunctionDemonstrated:WheretosettheSENSITIVITYcontrolforbasicoperation. 
Step3PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
IdentifytheThresholdSound
IdentifyTargetResponse
RetunetheThreshold
lFliptheMODEswitchtoALLMETAL
Listentothecontinuous,fairlyeventone.Thisiscalledthe"thresholdsound".Youwillhearthethresholdsoundonlywhenoperatingthe
detectorinAllMetalMode.
Holdthequarterinyourfingertipsandmovethequarterfromsidetosideabout12inchesfromthefrontofthesearchcoil. 
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitfromsidetoside  untilyouhearthethresholdsound
increase.Thisincreaseinvolumeiscalledthe"targetresponsesound". 
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoldstillandthenmovingitslightly.Trypassingitinfrontoftheedgeofthesearchcoilandthenunder
thecenter.Noticethedifferencesinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange.
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary,sometimessubtly.
Yourdetectorwillrespondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalwhentheobjectisinthesearchcoil'ssensitivityareaor"range".Operatingyour
detectorinthiswayiscalleda"nomotionAllMetalModewithNormalTune".
Retuningthethreshold
Holdthequarterstillabout2to4inchesfromthesearchcoil,inlinewiththesearchcoilcenter.Listentothetargetresponsesoundfor1or2
seconds.Donotmovethequarter!
lFliptheMODEswitchtoRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticethatthetargetresponsesoundwilldecreasetotheregularlevelofthethresholdsound.Now,slowlymovethequarterfromsidetoside,
goingpasttheedgeofthesearchcoil.Noticetheregularthresholdsoundisgoneandthetargetresponsesoundisnowa"beep"thatoccurswhen
thetargetpassesinfrontofthesearchcoilcenter.Thistechniqueisusedto"pinpoint"theexactlocationofanobject. 
Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoil.
lFliptheMODEswitchtoeRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticetheregularthresholdreturns.Movethequarterclosetothesearchcoilandnoticetheloudcontinuoustargetresponsesoundhas
returned.Takethequarterawayagain.
lFliptheTUNEswitchtoAUTO
Holdthequarterstillnearthesearchcoilforafewsecondandnoticethedetectorautomaticallyretunesitself.Then,trymovingthecoinfrom
sidetosideandnoticethetargetresponsesoundisa"beep".Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoilforafewsecondsandtryitagain.Now,try
thistestwiththedifferentcoinsusingbothtuningmethodsandlistforthedifferencesinthesounds. 
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)HowtheAllMetalModetargetresponsesoundwillvarydependingonthevariousfactorssuchaswhattypeof
metaltargetsareburiedintheground,howdeeptheyare,howfastyoumoveyoursearchcoilandsoon.2)Howthedetector'sthresholdcanreturn
manuallyinNormalTuneorautomaticallyinAutoTuneandhowthiseffectsthetargetresponsesound.
Step4PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
IdentifytheTargetResponse
UseDiscrimination
lFliptheMODEswitchtoDISC
lLeavetheDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
NOTE:InDiscriminateMode,youwillnothearthecontinuousthresholdsoundoftheAllMetalMode,soreturningisnotneeded.
Holdthequarterinyourhandandmovethequarterbackandforthabout12inchesinfrontofthesearchcoilbottom.
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitbackandforthuntilyouheara"beep".Thisbeepthetarget
responsesound.
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoinstillthenmovingitslightly.Noticethedifferenceinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange. 
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary.Yourdetectorcan
respondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalifthereismovementbetweentheobjectandthedetector.Operatingyourdetectorinthiswayis
calleda"SilentSearch".
lTurntheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMINtoMAX
Passthequarterbackandforthinfrontofandclosetothesearchcoilbottom.Noticethesoundasthecoinnearsthecenterofthesearchcoil.
Now,trythiswiththenickelandthenthezincpenny.Noticethereisnosoundwiththesetwocoins.Theabilityofametaldetectortoignore
certaintypesofmetalthatitencountersiscalled"discrimination".Usingyourdetectorinthiswayiscalleda"SilentSearchDiscriminateMode". 
Controlsettingstoignoremostzincandnickelobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVELMAX
lMovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMAXto7
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthecoil.Noticethequarterandthezincpennynowcauseatargetresponsesound. 
Controlsettingstoignoremostnickelcanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL7
lNowmovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfrom7to4
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthesearchcoil.Noticeallthreecoinsnowcauseatargetresponsesound.
ControlsettingstoincludenewerUScoinswhileexcludingmostironobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL4
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)ThemotionbasedoperationandtargetresponsesoundofSilentSearchDiscriminateMode.2)Howthe
DiscriminateModecanbeusedtohelpdeterminethetypesofmetalatargetmaybe.ByadjustingtheDISCLEVELcontrolyoucanselectwhat
metalsyourdetectorwillignore.
Conclusion
Welldone!YouhavefinishedtheQuickStartGuideandhaveoperatedmanyofthebasicdetectingfeaturesofthe µMAXBandido.Youhave
alsobeenintroducedtotheideasof:1)"targetresponsesound",2)"thresholdsound",3)"returningthethreshold",4)"targetdiscrimination"and5)
"targetpinpointing".
Nowyouarealmostreadytobeginthejourneyintotheartofmetaldetectingbyactuallyusingyourdetectortofindburiedmetal.Butfirsta
wordaboutairtests.
TheairtestsintheQuickStartareoflimitedvalue.Metaldetectorsperformdifferentlyinairteststhanwheninactualuse"inthefield".Tesoro
detectorsarespecificallydesignedtodeliverthebestperformanceinthefield.
TheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESandTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionswillgiveyoumoredetailedinformationonhowtosetyour
detector'scontrols,especiallyselectingatuningmodeandusingdiscrimination,forthebestresults. 
BeforeyouuseyourµMAXBandidointhefieldyouneedtolearnhowtooperateonemorefeatures:theGROUNDcontrol.Usingthe
GROUNDcontroltoproperly"GroundBalance"yourµMAXBandidowillallowyoutotapintoitsfullpowerandperformancecapabilitiesandis
perhapsthemostimportantfeaturetomaster.TheGroundBalancesectionwillexplainstepbystephowtousethisfeature.
Finally,theonlywayyoucanbecometrulyproficientatusingyourdetectortofindburiedtreasureistouseitinthefieldandlearnfrom
experience!However,westronglysuggestthatyoureadthisentiremanualtobecomeproficientwithallofthefeaturesasyoucontinuetouseyour
detector.
Youhavethefinesttoolavailable,nowallyouneedistheskillthatcomesfromexperience.
TOTURNYOURDETECTOROFF:
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTOPOWOFF
Counterclockwisepastthe"click".
TOTURNYOURDETECTORON:
lMAKESURETHEMODESWITCHISSETTODISC
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTO1
Clockwisepastthe"click".
OPERATINGTECHNIQUESCONTROLS
TheµMAXBandidohasonlyfivecontrols,allmountedonthefrontpanelofthehousingforfingertipadjustment.Howthesecontrolsshould
besetforpeakperformancewilldependonthetypeofmetalyouaresearchingfor,searchsiteconditions,mineralcontentofthesoilandsoforth.
UsetheinformationinthissectionandtheTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionasabasisforsettingthecontrolsonyourdetector.Usingyour
detectorinthefieldwillallowyoutolearnthedetector'sresponsestovariousconditionsandwillguideyouinfinetuningthedetector'soperating
controls.
SENSITIVITYON/OFFSensitivityControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasthreefunctions:
lTurnsthedetectorONandOFF
lActivatestheautomaticAudioBatteryTest
lAdjuststheSensitivityLevel
NOTE:Thedetectorshouldalwaysbeturnedoffwhennotinuse. 
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwisepasttheinitial"click"turnsthedetectoronandactivestheautomaticAudioBatteryTestcircuit.This
testwillgiveyouasound,usuallylastingseveralseconds,thatindicatesthebattery'scondition.WhentheAudioBatteryTestisover,thedetector ’s
SensitivityLevelcanbeadjusted.
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector'sSensitivityLevel.Thelevelfrom1upto10isthenormalrange.Thisrange
correspondswiththenormalSensitivityonstandarddetector's.TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobpast10intotheorangeareaputstheSensitivity
intotheMAXBoostrangefoundonlytheµMAXdetectors.
NOTE:ItisbesttoturnthedetectoroninDiscriminateMode.SincetheDiscriminateModeisasilentmodewithnocontinuousthreshold
sound,itwillbeobviouswhentheAudioBatteryTestiscomplete.
IfyouturnthedetectoroninAllMetalModetheAudioBatteryTestsoundwillbeimmediatelyfollowedbythethresholdsound.Thismay
makeitdifficulttohearthebatterytestendanddiscernthebatterycondition.
Also,theSensitivityLevelisbestsetwhileintheDiscriminateMode.AftertheAudioBatterTestisoverandtheSensitivityLevelisproperly
set,youmaychangetheoperatingmodetoAllMetalwithoutdifficulty.
DISTLEVELDiscriminationLevelControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheDiscriminationLevel.
OncethedetectorisintheDiscriminateMode,theDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sDiscriminationLevel.TurningtheDISC
LEVELknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector ’sDiscriminationLevelandviceversa.
NOTE:WhenthedetectorisoperatingintheAllMetalModetheDISCLEVELcontrolisnotused. 
TUNETuningModeSelectionSwitch
Thistoggleswitchhasonefunction:
lSetstheTuningMode:NormalorAuto
Thistogglehastopositions:TotherightlabeledAUTOitlocksinplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoAutomatic.Totheleft 
labeledNORMthelockstheplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoNormal.NOTE:ThetuningModeisusedonlywhenoperatingintheAll
MetalMode.
MODEModeSelection/RetuneSwitch
Thecombinationtoggleswitchhastwofunctions.
lSetstheoperatingmode:AllMetalorDiscriminate
lRetunesthethresholdinAllMetalMode.
Thistogglehasthreepositions:TotherightlabeledDISCitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoDiscriminate.Tothecenter
labeledALLMETitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoAllMetal.TotheleftlabeledRETUNEitspringreturnstothecenter
positionandretunesthedetector’sthresholdwhileremaininginAllMetalMode.So,thiscomboswitchfunctionsasaRetuneSwitchbypressing
theswitchcompletelytotheleftandreleasingitsoitspringsbacktothecenterposition.
NOTE:Manualretuning(MODE/RETUNE)isusedonlywhenoperatingintheAllMetalModewithTuningsettoNormal(TUNE/NORM). 
GROUNDGroundBalanceControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheGroundBalance
ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalModesamplingsothattheµMAXBandidoignoresthenormalgroundmineralization.Makingthis
adjustmentisoftencalled"GroundBalancing".Theknobwillturncontinuallyineitherdirection,althoughitseffectuserangeisonly3 ¾turns.
Onceyouhaveturnedtheknobtotheendofitsuserangeineitherdirection,youshouldnoticeaslightincreasein"drag"astheknobisturned.
Whenyoufeelthe"drag"youmayimmediatelyreversedirectiontoentertheeffectiveuserangeofthenext3 ¾turns.
NOTE:TheGROUNDcontroldoesaffectbothoperatingmodesbyshouldbeadjustedinAllMetalMode.
TUNINGYOURDETECTOR
Everydetectormustbeproperlytunedinordertoperformatitspeakandprovidemaximumdepth.Infact,themorepowerfuladetectoris,the
morecriticalthetuningbecomes.Lesspowerfuldetectorsaremoretolerantofimpropertuning,butarealsonotcapableofthedepthofaproperly
tunedhighpowerdetectorsuchastheµMAXBandido.ToachievepeakperformancefromyourµMAXBandido,besuretoproperlyadjustthe
GROUNDcontrolintheAllMetalMode.Thesettingsofthiscontrolwillalsoaffectthedetector ’sperformanceinDiscriminateMode,somakesure
toadjustitproperlyfirst,evenifyouwillnotbehuntinginAllMetalMode.Remember:impropertuningwillreduceperformanceandcanalso
cause"false"anderroneous"ghostingsignals".
TuningyourµMAXBandidocanbedonein5simplesteps:
1. GroundBalancingthedetectorusingtheGROUNDcontrol.
2. SettingtheoperatingmodeusingtheMODEswitch.
3. SettingthetuningmodeusingtheTUNEswitch.
4. SettingtheSensitivitylevelusingtheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
5. SettingtheDiscriminationlevelusingtheDISCLEVELcontrol.
NOTE:GroundBalancingshouldbedonewhileinAllMetalModeandAutoTuneMode.SettingtheDiscriminationLevelandtheSensitivity
LevelshouldbedonewhileoperatinginDiscriminateMode.
GroundBalancing
GroundBalancingisnotadifficultprocedure,butitiscriticalifyoudesiremaximumdepthandstability.Itisespeciallyimportantifyouplan
togoldnuggethuntformatchheadsizedorsmallernuggetsinahighlymineralizedground.
NOTE:Nomatterwhereyouwillbesearching,orwhetheryouwillbeoperatingintheAllMetalModeorDiscriminateMode,makesurethe
detectorisproperlyGroundBalancedintheAllMetalModewithAutoTuneModefirst.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVITYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoAUTO
lMODEswitchsettoALLMETAL
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop
Next:
lTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolsetto10
Wait3to4secondsuntiltheAudioBatterytestiscomplete.
Raisethesearchcoilto6to8inchesabovetheground,levelandparalleltotheground.Whilelisteningtothethresholdsound,lowerthe
searchcoilquicklytothegroundlevelandlistentowhatthethresholdsounddoes.
Oneofthreethingswillhappentothesound:1)thesoundwillincrease,2)thesoundwillgosilent,or3)thesoundwillremainthesame.
WhichoneofthesehappenswilldeterminewhatyouneedtodotoproperlyGroundBalanceyourdetectorfortheareayouareat. 
1)Ifthethresholdsoundgetslouderwhenyoulowerthesearchcoil,itmeanstheGROUNDknobneedstogotheleft.
2)Ifthedetectorgoessilentandyoulosethethresholdsoundmomentarily,thenyouwillneedtoturntheGROUNDknobtotheright. 
3)Ifthereisnochangeinthethresholdsoundasyoulowerthesearchcoiltotheground,thenyoujusthappentoalreadyhavetheproper
groundbalanceandcanproceedtohunt.
StartoutusingslightturnsoftheGROUNDknob,thedistanceofthemovementbeingequivalenttoaboutonehouronaclockface.The
entireeffectiveareaofthiscontrolis3¾turnsfromminimumtomaximum,soifyoustartGroundBalancinginthemiddleoftheeffectiverangeit
willonlytakeabouttwocompleteturnsineitherdirectiontobeatoneendoftheeffectiverange.
NOTE:TherearethreeimportantthingstorememberwhenGroundBalancingwiththismethod. 
First,youareintheAutoTunemodeandonceyouhesitateatgroundlevelforasecondortwo,thedetectorwillretunethethreshold
automatically.Therefore,whenyoulowerthesearchcoiltowardtheground,youareonlylisteningfortheinitialchangeinvolume. 
Second,makeyouareGroundBalancinginacleanareaandnotloweringthesearchcoildownoverapieceofmetal. 
Third,whenyouraisethesearchcoilbesurethatyouDONOTtiltthesearchcoilatanangle.
Bycontinually"pumping"thesearchcoilfrom6to8inchesabovethegroundtogroundlevelandbackupintheairagainwhileturningthe
GROUNDknobintheappropriatedirection,youwillveryquicklyreachthepointwherethereistheabsoluteminimalchangeinthresholdsound
duringthepumping.Whenyouhavereachedthatpointyouare"GroundBalanced"andcanbeginsearchingthearea. 
NOTE:ChanginggroundmineralizationmaymakeoccasionalsmalladjustmentstotheGROUNDknobnecessarytomaintainpeak
performance.
Selectingtheproperoperatingmode
TheµMAXBandidoofferstwooperatingmodes,AllMetalModeandDiscriminateMode. 
TheDiscriminateModeis"SilentSearch"operatingmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillmakenosounduntilitencountersametaltarget.
Thismoderequiresthatthesearchcoilbemovingslightlyfortargetdetection.
TheAllMetalMode,however,isa"nomotion"operationmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillemitacontinuous"thresholdsound"untilit
encountersametaltargetatwhichtimethesoundwillnoticeablyincrease.Thismodedoesnotrequiremotionsothesearchcoilcanbeheldstill
fortargetdetectionifneeded.
TheAllMetalMode,asthenameimplies,willdetectalltypesofmetaltargets.Whenoperatinginthismodeyouwillfindunwanted"trash"
metalobjectssuchasnails,foil,pulltabs,etc.,justasyouwouldwithanyhighperformancedetector.TheAllMetalModeispreferredforhunting
relics,artifactsandotherobjectsthataremadeofnon preciousmetalsespeciallyiron.Thismodeisalsogoodforbeachhuntingwherethesand
allowseasydiggingandtimewastedondigginguptrashmetalobjectsisnotamajorconcern. 
TheAllMetalModemustbeusedforgoldnuggethunting,sincetheresponsetosmallgolditemsissoclosetoiron.Formostnuggethunting,
theAllMetalMode&AutoTuneModecombinationwillprovidethebestperformancealthoughsomespecialattentionforhotrocksmaybe
necessary(seeSelectinghepropertuningmode).
TheDiscriminateModewillallowyoutocontrolthedetector'sresponsetomostofthecommontrashmetalobjectsfoundinschoolyards,
parks,andbeaches.Discriminatemodeisgenerallyusedfor"coinshooting"suchareaswhereyouprefertoavoidwastingtimediggingup
commontrashmetal.TheDiscriminationLevelyouselectwilldeterminewhattypesofmetalyourdetectorwillignore.
Inmanyothermetaldetectors,theAllMetalModeoffersgreaterdepthupto30%overtheDiscriminationMode.Notsowiththe µMAX
detectors.ThenewµMAXcircuitrywithMAXBoostovercomesthiscommonproblemanddeliverssuperiorsensitivityandbetterdepthinboth
operatingmodes.
Selectingthepropertuningmode
TheAutoTuneMode(TUNEAUTO)ontheµMAXBandidoisafastautomatictuningthattakesjust2to3secondstoautomaticallyadjust
itself.TheAutoTunequicklyretunesthedetectortoitsestablishedthresholdfollowingatargetresponse.
AutoTuneModealsokeepsthedetector'ssignalfromdrifting.ThistuningmodeoffersmaximumstabilitywhilesearchinginAllMetalMode
andisrecommendforgoldnuggethunting.
TheNormalTuningMode(TUNENORM)willholdatarget'ssignalwithoutretuningforaslongasthesearchcoilisheldstationarydirectly
overthetarget.Somedriftmayoccurinthismode,butisquicklyremediedbymanuallyretuningusingtheMODEswitch(MODE RETUNE).For
precisepinpointing,identifyingtargetsize,linetracingandoresamplinginAllMetalMode,usetheNormalTuneMode. 
Fastautomatictuningcancausean"overshootsignal"on"hotrocks"thatis,amomentarysilenceasthesearchcoilsweepsoveranextremely
mineralizedrock,followedbyaloud"boing"soundwhenthesearchcoilpassesclearofit.Thissoundissodifferentfromagoodtargetresponse
sound,thatitiseasilyrecognized.(Theonlyproblemwithjustignoringthesesoundsovershootsignalsisthatasmallgoldnuggetmaybehiding
beneaththehotrock).Also,theAutoTuningModewillcausea“nulling”ofthethresholdsoundwhenthesearchcoilsweepsoveraverystrong
metaltarget.
SettingtheSensitivityLevel
Inlightlytomoderatelymineralizedground,youcanusuallysettheSENSITIVITYcontrolashighas8to10(normalmaximumsetting).Inthe
rightconditionsyoucanmovetheSENSITIVITYintotheMAXBoostareaforincreaseddepth.
ToadjusttheSensitivityLeveltoyoursearchconditions,firstsettheoperatingmodetoDISCandturntheSENSITIVITYcontrolclockwiseas
faraspossibleuntilthedetectorjustbeginsto"chirp"intermittently.Ifthechirpingistoofrequent,simplyturnthecontrolcounterclockwisejust
enoughtocausethechirpingtosubside.Onceset,thiscontrolshouldnotrequirereadjustingunlesssiteconditionschange. 
Occasionallyyoumayneedtoreducethesettingtoeliminate"falsesignals"causedbydifficultconditions.Someofthemanythingsthatcan
causetheresponseofthedetectortobecomeerraticduringregularuseareverylargetargets,highlymineralizedgroundontrashysites,intense
groundmineralizationchanges,CBradios,radioandTVbroadcastingantennas,andnearbysourcesofelectricalinterference.
Thesefalsesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsthatarenotrepeatableandtherefore,caneasilybedistinguishedfromagoodtarget
responsesound.Theycanbedistracting,though,andreducingtheSensitivitylevelwillhelpreducethesesignalswithanaccompanyinglossof
targetsensitivity.
ExtremeconditionssuchassaltwetsandmayrequireyoutoloweryourSensitivitysettingintothe2to5range.Overall,youshouldalwaysset
theSensitivitycontrolashighaspossible,whilestillgettingsmoothoperation. 
NOTE:ThenomotionAllMetalModeoftheµMAXBandidoisnotaffectedbytheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
SettingtheSensitivityLevelinMAXBoost
TheMAXBoostfeatureisahighgainboostoverandabovethenormalmaximumof10andindicatedbytheorangeareaonthe
SENSITIVITYcontrol.UsingMAXBoostwillcausenoharmtoyourdetectorbut,incertainconditionsitcanresultintheannoyingchirpingsounds
thatmaymakeitdifficulttohearagoodtargetresponsesound. 
InidealconditionsMAXBoostcanaddinchesofdepthtoyoursearchwithnochirping.Indifficultconditionstheextradepthwillstillbethere
butheavychirpingmaymakethefeaturetodifficulttouse.YoumustdeterminewhenandhowmuchoftheMAXboostfeaturetouseforyour
searchsiteconditions.
SettingtheDiscriminationLevel
TheDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedtrashmetalwhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode.Atthe
lowestsetting(MIN),thedetectorwillignoremostironobjects,butwillstillrespondtolightfoil,bottlecaps,pulltabsandmostothermetalobjects.
AstheDiscriminationLevelisincreased,moreofthesetrashmetalobjectsareignoredandgivenotargetresponsesoundwheninsidethe
searchcoil’srange.
TheDISCLEVELshouldbesettoyourdesired"rejectionlevel"fortheparticularareayouaresearching.Werecommendstartingatalow
settingifyouareunsureofhowmuchtrashisinthearea.Adjustthelevelhigherifyoufindyourselfdiggingmoretrashthenyoulike.Remember
thatwithanymetaldetector,youwilllosetargetresponsetosmallgoldringsandnickelswhendiscriminationissetatthepulltabrejectionlevel.
So,diggingsometrashwillincreaseyournumberofgoodfinds.
Thebelowdiagram"DISCLEVELDiscriminationLevelSettings"showsthesettingswheremanyofthecommonmetalobjectsareignored
byatypicaldetector.Eachdetectorcanvaryalittleduetomanufacturingtolerance soyoushouldexperimentwithyourdetectorandbecome
familiarwithitsrejectionlevelsforthesetrashmetalobjects.
Earliermotiondetectorsthatoperatedwithacontinuous"threshold"soundwouldgivetheuseradefiniteindicationoftrashmetalbyeither
"nulling"completely(nosoundmadetemporarily)orbygeneratingshort,choppysounds.SincetheµMAXBandido'sDiscriminateModeisSilent
Searchandoperateswithoutthresholdsound,thereisnonullingtoindicatethattheareaisextremelytrashy. 
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateModewerecommendthatyouperiodicallyswitchtoAllMetalModeandchecktheareayouare
searchingtogetanideaofhowmuchtrashisreallythere.Inextremelytrashyareasitmaybedesirabletoswitchtoasmallersearchcoil,even
thoughdoingsomaycausealossofdepth.Thesmallercoilwillallowyouabetterchanceoffindingcoinsbetweentheclosepiecesoftrash.

PerformingtheAudioBatteryTest
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformancefromit.
Thebatteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutesandthenperiodicallyifyouareusingitforlongperiods.
ToactivatetheAudioBatteryTest,simplyturnthedetectoroffmomentarilyandthenbackonagain.Ifthebatteryisfresh,thedetectorshould
emitacontinuousandloud"Beep"soundthatlastsforabout4or5seconds,andthenslowlyfadesintosilence.Asthebatteryages,thissoundis
lessintenseandfadesoutmorequickly.Whenyouhearonlyabrief"buzz"ornosoundatall,replacethebatterywithafreshone. 
Ifyouprefer,arechargeableNickelCadmium(NiCad)batterycanbesubstituteforthestandard9voltalkalinebattery.Individual9voltsize
NiCadcells,aswellasthechargersforthem,arereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores.Theyareinstalledintoyourdetectorinthe
samemannerasnonrechargeablebatteries.TheBatteryTestsoundonaNi Cadwillbeweakerthananalkalineinthebeginning,butwillnot
weakenasmuchwithuse.
ControllingAudioVolume
ThespeakerintheµMAXdoesnothaveavolumecontrol.Thevolumeshouldbesufficienttoaccuratelyhearthetargetresponsesoundin
mostenvironments.Ifmoreorlessvolumeisrequiredinyourparticularsituationwerecommendusingasetofgoodqualityheadphoneswitha
builtinvolumecontrol.
FIELDUSE
HandlingYourDetector
Thedetectorshouldbeheldinapositionthatiscomfortableforyouasshowninthe"AdjustingthePole&Searchcoil"sectionin"Getting
Started."Swingthedetectorfromsidetosideinaboutathreefootarc,overlappingsucceedingstrokeswell.Thismotioniscalleda “sweep.”The
µMAXBandidowasdesignedtogetmaximumdepthwithoutthefranticpacerequiredofearliermotiondetectors,sogoatapacethatis
comfortableforyou.Infact,tryingtohunttoofastmayevencausealossofdepthinheavilymineralizedlocations. 
Regardlessofwhichmodeyouareusing,trytokeepyoursearchcoilheightconstantandclosetotheground.Mostpeopletendtoraisethe
coilattheendofasweep—muchlikeapendulum—especiallyifinahurry.Trytoavoidthis,asanyincreaseinheightfromthegroundwillcause
acorrespondinglossofdepth.
Inareaswithwellkeptlawns,theeasiestwaytomaintainaconstantsearchcoilheightistoallowthecoiltorestonthegrassasyousweep
fromsidetoside.Inroughandrockyareas,itisbestnotto“scrub”thecoilontheground,astherockswillactlikeabrasivesandwearawaythecoil
bottom(anoptionalcoilscuffcoverwillprotectagainstthis).Sweepthecoilasclosetothegroundaspossiblewithouttouching.Hittingtheground
orrocksmaycauseafalsesignalmuchlikeadesiredtargetwould.Sweepingthecoiltoohighabovethegroundresultsinalossofdepth.
PlantingaTestGarden
Tobetterlearnhowyourdetectorwillperforminthefield,itwouldbehelpfultoburysomecoinsandtrashmetaljunkitemsinanareathat
youknowisclearofothermetalobjects,andthentrytheµMAXBandidoinitstwodifferentoperatingmodes.ChecktheareainAllMetalMode
firsttobesureitsclearoftrashthenburythetargetsatleast1footapart,andfrom2to4inchesdeeptostart.Makeamapoftheareatobesure
youknowwhateachtargetisandhowdeepitis.Practiceonthesetargetstofamiliarizeyourselfwithyourdetector’stargetresponse.Thiswillalso
helpyoulearnthepropersweepspeedforbestoperation.Thistypeofpracticeareaisoftencalleda“testgarden”or“testbed”andisoneofbest
toolstohelpyoudevelopyourmetaldetectingskills.
RecognizingFalseSignalsinDiscriminateMode
WhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode,some“falsesignals”maybecausedby1)heavyconcentrationsoftrashmetalobjects,2)verylarge
trashmetalobjects,or3)electricalinterference.Thesesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsandsounddifferentthan “goodsignals”(good
targetresponsesounds).
Attheendofyoursweep,asyouthereversethecoildirection,thedetectorismostsusceptibletotrashinducednoise.Therearetwowaysto
tellwhetherthesesoundsaregooddeepsignalsortrash“noise.”Thefirstisbyrepeatability.Trashinducednoiseswillnotberegularasyousweep
thecoiloverthesuspectedtargetseveraltimes,whereasagoodtargetresponsewillberepeatable.ThesecondmethodistoswitchtoAllMetal
Modeandcheckthetargetresponsesound.Iftheresponseisweak,itmaywellbeadeep,goodtarget;butiftheresponseisverystrong,itis
probablytrash.Notethatacoinclosetothesurfacecangiveadoublebeepsound,butitisregularandrepeatable.Raisingthecoilaninchortwo
willrestorethesinglebeeponsurfacetargets.
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateMode,itisbestnottouseahigherDISCLEVELsettingthannecessary.Nickelsandmostsmallerringsare
rejectedwhentheDISCLEVELissettorejectpulltabsonanymetaldetectorthatisaTRDiscriminatorliketheµMAXBandido.Ifyoudon’tdig
anyjunkatall,youaresurelypassingupalotofgoodfindsaswell.SettheDISCLEVELonlyhighenoughtosuittheconditionswhereyouare
searching.Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,digit.
PinpointingaTarget
Whenpinpointingatarget,theAllMetalMode/NormalTuningModecanofferadvantagesoverDiscriminateMode,suchasnofalsesignals
andnoneedtomovethesearchcoiltogetatargetresponse.
AgoodmethodforpinpointinginAllMetalmodeis“Xing”thetargetwiththesearchcoil.Rememberthatthetargetsresponsesoundisalways
greatestwhenthetargetisdirectlyunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.To “X”atarget,sweepthesearchcoiloverthetargetfromsidetosideand
themfromfronttobackuntilyoucanidentifythecenteroftheX:thespotonthegroundwherethetargetresponsesoundisthegreatest.Holdyour
searchcoilstationaryoverthecenteroftheXandhittheRETUNEswitch.NowrepeattheX ing;thistimewatchingfortheexactspot—underthe
coilcenter—wherethedetectorbeeps.Thatspotiswherethetargetislocated. 
PinpointingatargetinDiscriminateModeisprobablybestdoneby“Xing”aswell.Rememberthatthedetectorwillbeepjustasthetarget
passesunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.SlowingthesweepspeeddownwillhelpyoupickoutthecenteroftheXbecausethetargetresponseis
reducedatveryslowspeedsmakingiteasiertocorrelatethesoundwiththecoilcenter. 
Anothereasymethodistosweepthecoilfromsidetosideacrossthetargetinveryshortsweeps,asyouslowlymoveforwardandbackward
acrossthetarget.Slowdownthesweeprateandshortenthesweepsuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Thetargetwillbedirectly
belowthecoilcenteratthisresponsetime.
AnothermethodofpinpointinginDiscriminateModeistoquicklychangetoAllMetalModetocheckthetargetresponse.RememberthatAll
MetalModeisnotsusceptibletothefalsesignalsofDiscriminateModeandcansometimesgiveaclearerandmoreconsistentresponsetodifficult
targetssuchasadimeburiednexttoapulltab.ByswitchingbackandforthbetweenmodesandcomparingthetargetresponsesoundinAllMetal
tothetargetresponsesoundinDiscriminateyoucanoftenbetteridentifythelikelylocationofthetarget.
Finally,raisingthesearchcoilduringpinpointingcanalsohelpbynarrowingtheresponsetothetarget.Practicepinpointingoften,andyou
willsoonbecomemoreaccurateandfaster.
RecoveringaTarget
Ifthetargetisshallowandthesoilissoft,youmaybeableto“probe”andfindtheexactlocationofthetargetbeforeyoudigit.Sincefilling
allholesafteryourecoverthetargetissoimportant,diggingasmallpreciseholeisbest.Ifthetargetisdeep,youmayneedtodigalargerhole.
Asyoudig,occasionallychecktheholewithyourdetectortoseeifyouhavemovedtheobject,canprobeit,orhavealreadydugit.Besuretofill
allholesafteryourecoverthetarget.Twomethodsareshownonthenexttwopagesthatworkmosteverywhere.
Besuretoprotectyourhobbybyleavingthesitecleanerthanyoufounditandwithallholesfilled!
RECOMMENDEDRECOVERYMETHODS
GENERALINFORMATIONCAREANDUSE
BasicCare
TheµMAXBandidoisasturdyinstrumentbutitisnotdesignedtowithstandabuse.IncaringforyourµMAXBandidothereareseveral
important“DONOTs”toremember.DONOTuseittopryrockslooseortobeatbushesoutoftheway.DONOTdropthemachineintowater.DO
NOTuseitunprotectedintherain.DONOTleaveitexposedatnightwheredewcouldformonit.DONOTstoreitinplacesthatcouldget
extremelyhot(nexttoawoodstove,inanattic).DONOTleaveitinthetrunkofacarorinthebackofahatchbackstylecarwherehigh
temperaturescouldbuildup.DONOTstoreitwiththebatteryinstalledasbatteriesmayleak.DONOTspraylubricantssuchasWD40,oranytype
ofcleaners,solvents,sealantsorotherchemicalsintoorontotheelectronicparts,switchesorcontrols.Andfinally:DONOTattempttomodifyor
repairthedetector’selectronicsasthiswillvoidyourdetector'swarranty. 
THEWARRANTYDOESNOTCOVERDAMAGERESULTINGFROMANACCIDENT,NEGLECTORABUSE.
ProtectingYourInvestment
Somanydetectoristsaredisappointedwhentheirnewdetectorslowlybecomeslessandlessresponsiveandseemstohavelostsomeofits
originalperformance.Youcanhelpavoidthisfromhappeningtoyourdetectorbyfollowingthesebasiccareandprotectionguidelines.
lOperateyourdetectorexactlyasrecommendedinthisOperatorInstructionManual.
lUseonlyhighqualityalkalinebatteriesofthecorrectvoltage.Neversubstituteadifferentvoltage.WhenusingaNi Cadbattery,always
useaseparateconvertiblepackwiththepropervoltageoutputforthedetector ’sdesign.
lRemovethebatteryfromthedetectoraftereachuse.Thiswillpreventdamagetothedetectorifthebatteryleaks.
lThesearchcoilcableishardwiredtothesearchcoilandprotectedbyastrainrelief.Inspectthestrainrelieffrequentlytomakesureitis
firmlyattachedandintact.
lKeepcablesproperlywoundaroundthepolestemsandprotectthemduringuse.Floppy,pinched,orcablesthatbecomesnagged
duringusemayshort,causingerraticnoisesorunnecessaryreplacementofthesearchcoil.
lSweepthesearchcoilcarefully,especiallywhenusingaroundrocksandbuildingfoundations.Avoidhittingthesearchcoilagainsthard,
solidobjectsandsurfaces.
lKeepyoursearchcoilslightlyoffofthegroundduringthesweep,especiallywhenusingingravelorhard,rockydirt.
lAlwaysuseaproperlydesignedprotectivescuffcoveronthesearchcoil.(See"OptionalAccessories"inthenextsection.) 
lRemoveandcleanoutscuffcoversperiodicallytoavoidbuildupofmineralizeddirtparticleswhichwillaffectperformance.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofandcanbesubmergedineitherfreshorsaltwater.Afterthesearchcoilisusedinsaltwater,rinseitandthe
lowerstemassemblywellwithfreshwatertopreventcorrosionofthemetalparts.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofbuttheelectronicsarenot,soalwayspreventanymoistureorwaterfromenteringthecontrolhousingand
neverallowthecableconnectorstobecomesubmergedinwater.
lIfworkinginornearwater,orifthereisapossibilityofrain,useaprotectiveweatherresistantpouchorplasticbagtocoverthecontrol
housing.Makesureitcan"breathe"inordertoensureagainstcondensationbuildupinside.
lAftereachuse,cleanthedetectorwithasoftclothtoremovedust,moisture,orothercontaminants.
lWhentransportingthedetectorinacarduringhotweather,storeitonthefloorofthepassengercompartmentifpossible.Usingacarry
baggivesadditionalprotection.Inanycase,neverallowthedetectortorollaroundunprotectedinthetrunkorbackofapickuptruck.
lProtectyourdetectorfromdust,moisture,andextremetemperaturesduringstorage.
lWhenshipping,usetheoriginalfactorycartonorsimilarheavydutycontainerandprovideaminimumoneinchofpaddingaroundall
parts.
lTreatyourdetectorasyouwouldanysensitiveelectronicinstrument.Thoughruggedlyconstructedanddesignedtowithstandthe
demandsofnormaltreasurehunting,propercareisessential.
OPTIONALACCESSORIES
TesoroMetalDetectorsandgenuineTesoroAccessoriesaresoldonlythroughindependentTesoroAuthorizedDealers,whoarealmostalways
metaldetectoriststhemselves.TheycanansweryourquestionsaboutyourTesorodetector,whataccessoriesmaybehelpfulandaboutmetal
detectingingeneral.
SeeyourTesoroAuthorizedDealerformoreinformationandpricesonoptionalaccessories.
ScuffCovers
Wehighlyrecommendusingascuffcovertoprotectyoursearchcoilatalltimes.Thescuffcoverforthe µMAXBandidofittedwiththe8"
searchcoilisTesoroPart#SCUFF8RB.
Searchcoils
The8"concentricsearchcoilprovidedwiththeµMAXBandidoisdesignedforbestallaroundperformance.Optionalsearchcoilsmayaddto
yourdetector'sperformance.
Smallersearchcoilsgivebetter“targetseparation”thatis,moredistincttargetresponseformetalobjectsburiedcloselytogetherwhichis
veryusefulwhenhuntingtrashysites.Verysmallsearchcoilscandeliverthebestresponseanddepthtosmalltargetssuchasfinegoldchainswith
somesacrificeindepthonlargerobjects.Largersearchcoilsgiveawidersweep,coveringmoreground,greaterdepthespeciallyonlargerobjects;
however,theymaynotdetectsomeverysmallobjectsuchashalfdimesandwillhavedifficultyinverytrashyareas. 
Widescansearchcoilsignoregroundmineralizationbetterthanconcentricsearchcoilsandmayofferimprovedperformanceinextreme
groundconditions.
Selectingtherightoptionalsearchcoildependsonfactorssuchaswhatyouaresearchingforandsearchsiteconditions.Noonesearchcoilis
betterthanalltherest.SeveraloptionalinterchangeablesearchcoilsareavailablefortheµMAX.Theyarealleasytomountandrequireno
specialtools.SeethenextpageforalistofthesesearchcoilswiththeTesoropart#anddescription.
TesoroSearchcoils
OptionalscuffcoversarealsoavailableforanyTesorosearchcoil. 
Headphones
Mostmetaldetectoristsprefertouseheadphonesinsteadofthedetector'sbuiltinspeaker.Headphoneshelpblockoutbackgroundnoise(such
aswind)andmakeiteasiertohearfaintsignals.Headphoneswithabuiltinvolumecontrolwillallowyoutoadjustthesoundvolumetoyour
preference.
SPECIFICATIONS
µMAXBANDIDOFEATURES
lHighGainSensitivityCircuitry—designedspecificallytodelivergreaterdepth,sensitivityandstability. 
lMAXBoostFeature—extrapowerofsuperhighgaincanaddinchestodiscriminationsearchdepthinidealconditions.
lHighsensitivitySearchcoil—a8inchopencenterconcentricforbroadsweep,goodpinpointinganddeepgroundpenetration.
lUltralightWeight—searchlongerwithoutfatigue.
l3pieceKnockdownPole—compactforstorageandtravel.
lTurnonandgomakesstoringandtravelingconvenient.
lTwoOperatingModes—motionbasedAllMetalandDiscriminate.
lEasytoOperatejusttwosimplecontrolsatyourfingertips.
lEconomicalUse—upto20hoursplusonasinglebattery.
lTesoroLifetimeWarranty—ourpledgeofqualitytoyou.
Whatitdoesn'thave.
Abig,heavy,highpoweredspeaker.Loud,heavyspeakersarepopularwithmanymanufacturers.The"fuller"soundtheyproducegivesthe
illusionofgreatersensitivitytosmallanddeeptargets—agreatshowroomsalestool!Mostseriousdetectorists,however,huntwithheadphonesand
aµMAXwilldrivestandardheadphoneswell.Ifyouchoosenottouseheadphones,theµMAXspeakerwillbeloudenoughformostenvironments.
Itwillallowyoutohearthesmallanddeeptargetsfoundbythe µMAX'shighpowercircuitry—withoutexcessivebatterydrain.
Ahipmount,armstraporbatteryrechargingsystem.Thesekindsof"builtinaccessories”aresimplyunnecessaryinaµMAXdetector.
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µMAXBandido
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.
ThepowerandfeaturesoftheTesoroµMAXBandidomakeitidealfortheserious
detectoristwhowantstopofthelineperformanceandversatilityinalightweight,lowcost
detector.Itisalsoanidealdetectorforabeginnerwhowantsamachinetheywillnever
outgrow.
WARRANTYSERVICE
YourTesorometaldetectoriscoveredbyaLimitedLifetimeWarranty,thetermsofwhich
arelistedbelow.Ifyourmetaldetectorshouldrequireservice,youmayreturnittotheTesoro
factoryattheaddressbelow.
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.
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. 
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.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
TesoroPart# Description
COIL4RC 4"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RC 7"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL8RCWB 8"roundconcentricweighted(opencenter,brown)
COIL10.5RC 10½"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RW 7"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
COIL11RW 11"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
OperatingFrequency 12kHz
SearchcoilType Round,opencenterconcentric
SearchcoilSize 8"diameter
CableLength Approx.3’
AudioFrequency Approx.300Hz
AudioOutput 1½”speakerandheadphonejack
HeadphoneCompatibility ¼”stereoplug
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 2.2lbs.
BatteryRequirement One9voltDC(alkaline)
BatteryLife(typical) 10to20hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OptimumHumidity 0to75%R.H.
OperatingModes
SilentSearchAllMetal
SilentSearchDiscriminate
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µMAXBANDIDOOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL
CONGRATULATIONS!
YournewTesoroµMAXBandidoMetalDetectorispartofanewseriesofdetectorsdesignedtoprovideyouwithmany
happyhoursofenjoymentinthemostrewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingand
excitingexperiencesasyoustepintothepast–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations–or,asyoutakepleasurein
thegreatoutdoorswithfamilyandfriendssearchingforpreciousmetals.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,
andallofusatTesorowishyouthebestofsuccess.
YourTesoroµMAXdetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinawiderangeoftreasurehuntingsituations.Aswithany
othermetaldetector,familiaritywiththisinstrumentisprobablythelimitingfactorindetermininghowsuccessfulyoucanbe.I
recommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullyhowtooperatethisdetectorbeforeattemptingtouseitinthefield.
Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.
TheµMAXBandidoisaprecisionelectronicinstrumentthatwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatitrightandit
won'tletyoudown.
GoodHunting!JackGifford
INTRODUCTION
Tobesuccessfulintreasurehuntingwithadetectoryoumust:
lUseahighperformancemetaldetectordesignedforthetypeoftreasurehuntingyouwillbedoing.
lLearnhowtouseyourmetaldetectorproperly.
lSearchwherethereisburiedtreasuretobefound.
lBepersistent.
TheµMAXBandidoisatrueallpurposedetector.Itwasdesignedfortopperformanceinthewidestrangeofdetectingusespossible.Itis
sensitivetosmallgoldparticles,itispowerfulenoughtorelicandcachehuntwith,itisplentyfastenoughforcompetitionhuntinganditisgreat
forcoinhunting.Yet,evenwithitsamazingpower,itisstilleasytouse.
ThisOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUALisdesignedtohelpyoulearntooperatethedetectorproperlyformaximumperformanceinvarious
searchconditions.CompleteinstructionsonhowtooperatetheµMAXBandidoarefoundinthetwomainsections:GETTINGSTARTEDand
OPERATINGTECHNIQUES.
Ifyouarenewtometaldetecting,wehighlyrecommendreadingandfollowingtheentireGETTINGSTARTEDsectiontodevelopthe"feel"
ofyourdetector.Then,studyandpracticetheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESsection–especiallyGroundBalancing–togetthebestperformance
fromyourdetector.
Ifyouarenewtotreasurehuntingwithmetaldetectors,keepinmindthatiftherearenovaluablemetalobjectsburiedwhereyouare
searching,itwon'tmatterhowgoodyourmetaldetectorisorhowskilledandpersistentyouare.Tolearnmoreaboutwheretosearchforvaluable
buriedmetalscheckwithyourmetaldetectordealerorbooksellerformagazinesandbooksontreasurehunting.
GENERALDESCRIPTION
TheµMAXBandidoisoneofthefirstofitskind:anultralightweight,compactdetectorthatpacksthepowerandperformanceofthebestfull
size,heavierdetectors.Byutilizingstateoftheartcircuitry,Tesorohascreatedanamazinglyversatileandpowerful,easytooperatedetectorthat's
perfectforalltypesofdetecting,andfortravel.
TheµMAXBandidoisaTransmitterReceiver(TR)typeofdetectorthatoperatesintheVeryLowFrequency(VLF)portionoftheRadio
Frequency(RF)spectrum.TheµMAXBandidousesonlythreecontrolknobsandtwotoggleswitchestoprovidefullVLFcapabilities. 
TheperformanceoftheµMAXBandidowillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorists,whetherexperiencedornovice.Atthecentre
oftheµMAXBandidoisaspecialHybridcircuitboarddevelopedfromSurfaceMountTechnologythatincorporatesTesoro'sprovenHighGain
SensitivityCircuitry.Thiscircuitboardhelpsprovidegreaterdepthsandmoresensitivitytosmaller,lessconductivemetalobjectsor"targets"such
asfinegoldjewelry.
TheµMAXBandidohasfeaturesthatmakeitspowereasytouse.Throughsimpleandfastoperatoradjusted"groundbalancing,"theground
rejectioncircuitrywillallowoperationineventhemostdifficultgroundmineralizationconditions.Twooperatingmodesandtwotuningmodes
addtotheversatilityofthedetector'soperation.TheDiscriminateModeisSilentSearch,meaningthesearchcoilmustbemovingtodetecta
target.TheAllMetalModeisnomotion,meaningthesearchcoilwilldetectatargetlocateddirectlyunderit,evenwhenthesearchcoilisnot
moving.AutoTune,theautomatictuningmode,isfastandretunesthedetectorinsecondsafterencounteringatarget.NormalTunegivesthe
operatortotalcontrolofretuningatthetouchofaswitch.
TheelectronicminiaturizationofSurfaceMountTechnologypermitsthecomplex,powerfulcircuitryoftheµMAXdetectorstofitintoavery
smallspace.Theresultisadetectorthatissoincrediblylightthereisnoneedtobodymountthecontrolhousing.Thisexclusivedesignfeature
addstotheµMAXBandido'seaseofuseandmakesthoselongersearchesmoreenjoyable. 
TheµMAXBandidocomeswithan8"roundconcentricsearchcoilforbestallaroundperformancewithgooddepth.Avarietyofoptional
Tesorosearchcoilsarealsoavailableandwillenhancethedetector'sperformanceundervariousconditions(seeOPTIONALACCESSORIES).
GETTINGSTARTEDUNPACKINGTHEBOX
YourµMAXBandidowasshippedwiththeseparts:
1UpperPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingupperpolestemwithhandlegrip,paddedarmbracketandcontrolhousing.
1LowerPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingmiddlepolestemwithknurlednut,lowerpolestem,andnylonpoletipcompletewithtwothickfriction
washers,mountingscrew,lockwasherandthumbnut.
18"round,concentricsearchcoilwith3'cable
19VoltAlkalineBattery
1Extrasetoftwothinfrictionwashers
1OperatorInstructionManual
1TesoroWarrantyCard
Ifanyoftheseitemsaremissing,contacttheTesoroAuthorizedDealerwhereyoupurchasedyourdetectorimmediately.
AssemblyoftheµMAXBandidoissimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.JustInstallthebattery,mountthesearchcoilonthelowerpole
assembly,connectthetwopoleassembliestogether,wraptheexcesscablearoundthepoleandplugthecableintothecontrolhousing.Finally,
adjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangleandyou'reready!
INSTALLTHEBATTERY
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformance.The
batteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutes,andthenperiodicallywhenusedforlongdurations.Formore
detailedinformationgotoPerformingtheAudioBatteryTestunderTUNINGYOURDETECTOR. 
Toinstallorreplacethebattery,firstmakesuretheSENSITIVITYcontrolissettoPOWOFFturnedcompletelycounterclockwisepastthe
"click".Removethebatterydoorfromthebackofthecontrolhousing.Dothisbypressingyourthumbfirmlyonthelouveredsquare atthebottom
ofthebatterydoorandslidingthebatterydoorupward(inthedirectionofthearrow)whilepushing.
Connectafreshsingle9voltalkalinebatterytothebatteryleadterminals.Makecertainthepolaritysnapstofitproperly.Apoorconnection
maycausethedetectortoacterraticallyorfailtooperatecompletely.
Placethebatteryintothebatterycompartmentwithoutpullingorstretchingthebatteryleadwires.Replacethebatterydoorbyslidingitinto
placemakingsuretheuppermountslotsareinlineandthelocktongueissnappedintoplace.
ASSEMBLINGYOURDETECTOR
1. Onthelowerpoleassembly,graspthepoletipfirmlyinonehand.Withtheotherhand,fullydepressthetwospringbuttonsonthe
oppositeendoftheassembly.
2. Pullthemiddlestemoutfarenoughforthespringbuttonstoclickintothefirstsetoftheadjustmentholeslockingtheassemblyinto
placeagain.
3. Removethemountingscrewandthumbnutfromtheblacknylonpoletip.
4. Insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsandthesearchcoilandaligntheholesofthepoletipandwasherswiththoseofthe
mountingears.
Note:thepoletipshouldfitverysnuglyintothemountingears,however,itmaybenecessarytousethethinfrictionwashersinstead.
5. Insertthemountingscrewthroughtheholesinthemountingearsandpoletipenteringfromthesideoppositethecableconnection.
6. Installthethumbnutonthemountingscrewandtightenbyhand.
Note:Donotovertightenthethumbnut.Itshouldbesnug,butnottoodifficulttoloosenup. 
7. Ontheupperpoleassembly,depressthetwospringbuttonsandslidetheupperassemblyintothelowerpoleassemblyuntilthespring
buttonsclickintotheholeslockingthetwoassembliesintoplace.Tightentheknurlednuttosecurethetwoassembliestogether.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto “see”thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
8. Wrapthecablearoundthepoleleavingenoughslacknearthesearchcoiltopermitsearchcoiladjustment.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto"see"thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
9. Plugthemalecableendintothefemaleconnectoronthecontrolhousingandtightenthecablethumbnut.Youarefinished! 
Note:Youwillwanttoadjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangletoyourpreference.
ADJUSTINGTHEPOLE&SEARCHCOIL
Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedsothatthedetectordoesnotbecomeuncomfortableortiringafter
longperiodsofuse.Thedetectorgripshouldrestinyourhandwithyourarmrelaxed,yourelbowstraightbut
notlocked,withthepoleextendingoutinfrontofyouattheapproximateangleshowninthephoto. 
Youshouldbeabletoswingthedetectorbackandforthinfrontofyou—usingrelaxedshoulder
movement—whilekeepingthesearchcoilasclosetothegroundaspossible.Thisswingingmovementisoften
calleda“sweep.”
Thesearchcoilshouldnottouchthegroundduringyoursweep.Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedto
allowthiswithouthavingtoliftthedetectorwithyourelboworshoulder.Thesearchcoilshouldrestaboutone
inchabovethegroundwhileyouarestandingerect.Theangleofthesearchcoilshouldallowthebottomto
beparalleltotheground.
Thepolelengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthepoleuntil
thespringbuttonsclickintothesetofholesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablepolelength.
Toadjustthesearchcoilangle,simplyloosenthesearchcoilthumbnutslightlyandmovethesearchcoil
intothedesiredposition.Tightenthesearchcoilthumbnutbyhandsothatthesearchcoilwillholdinplace.
QUICKSTARTSELFGUIDEDTUTORIAL
TheQuickStartisdesignedtohelpyouuseyournewµMAXBandidometaldetectorrightaway,evenif
youhaveneverusedametaldetectorbefore.Justfolloweacheasystepcarefullyandyou'llquicklyseehowthebasicdetectorfunctionswork.
You'llalsobeintroducedtosomeimportantconceptsontheway.
Here'swhatyouwillneed:
1. YourfullyassembledµMAXBandidometaldetector
2. Threenewercoins:apenny*,anickelandaquarter
3. Anonmetaltableorcountersurface
4. Approximately20minutestocompletetheQuickStart
*mustbe1984ornewermadeofzinc
Here’swhatyouwilldo:
1. PerformanAudioBatteryTest
2. AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
3. PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
4. PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
PreparefortheQuickstart
PlaceyourassembledµMAXBandidoonthenonmetalsurface.Makesuretherearenometalobjectsnearthecoil.Removeanyjewelryfrom
yourhandsandwrists.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVTYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoNORM
lMODEswithsettoDISC
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange:
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop.
TheGROUNDcontrolshouldbeleftatthissettingfortheentireQuickStart. 
Step1PerformanAudioBatteryTest
lTurntheSENSIIVITYcontrolfromPOWOFFto1
Youwillhearthebatterytesttoneforafewsecondsasthebatteryisautomaticallytested.Whenthetonestopsthedetectorisonthecontrols
arereadyforadjusting.
FunctionDemonstrated:Howthebatterytesttonewilltellyouthebatteryisworkingeachtimethedetectoristurnedon. 
NOTE:YoushouldalwaysperformtheAudioBatteryTestwithModeSwitchsettoDISC. 
Step2AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
nTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolfrom1to8
Thisisagoodsettingtobeginwitheachtimeyouuseyourdetector.LeavethecontrolatthissettingfortherestoftheQuickStart.
FunctionDemonstrated:WheretosettheSENSITIVITYcontrolforbasicoperation. 
Step3PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
IdentifytheThresholdSound
IdentifyTargetResponse
RetunetheThreshold
lFliptheMODEswitchtoALLMETAL
Listentothecontinuous,fairlyeventone.Thisiscalledthe"thresholdsound".Youwillhearthethresholdsoundonlywhenoperatingthe
detectorinAllMetalMode.
Holdthequarterinyourfingertipsandmovethequarterfromsidetosideabout12inchesfromthefrontofthesearchcoil. 
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitfromsidetoside  untilyouhearthethresholdsound
increase.Thisincreaseinvolumeiscalledthe"targetresponsesound". 
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoldstillandthenmovingitslightly.Trypassingitinfrontoftheedgeofthesearchcoilandthenunder
thecenter.Noticethedifferencesinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange.
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary,sometimessubtly.
Yourdetectorwillrespondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalwhentheobjectisinthesearchcoil'ssensitivityareaor"range".Operatingyour
detectorinthiswayiscalleda"nomotionAllMetalModewithNormalTune".
Retuningthethreshold
Holdthequarterstillabout2to4inchesfromthesearchcoil,inlinewiththesearchcoilcenter.Listentothetargetresponsesoundfor1or2
seconds.Donotmovethequarter!
lFliptheMODEswitchtoRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticethatthetargetresponsesoundwilldecreasetotheregularlevelofthethresholdsound.Now,slowlymovethequarterfromsidetoside,
goingpasttheedgeofthesearchcoil.Noticetheregularthresholdsoundisgoneandthetargetresponsesoundisnowa"beep"thatoccurswhen
thetargetpassesinfrontofthesearchcoilcenter.Thistechniqueisusedto"pinpoint"theexactlocationofanobject. 
Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoil.
lFliptheMODEswitchtoeRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticetheregularthresholdreturns.Movethequarterclosetothesearchcoilandnoticetheloudcontinuoustargetresponsesoundhas
returned.Takethequarterawayagain.
lFliptheTUNEswitchtoAUTO
Holdthequarterstillnearthesearchcoilforafewsecondandnoticethedetectorautomaticallyretunesitself.Then,trymovingthecoinfrom
sidetosideandnoticethetargetresponsesoundisa"beep".Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoilforafewsecondsandtryitagain.Now,try
thistestwiththedifferentcoinsusingbothtuningmethodsandlistforthedifferencesinthesounds. 
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)HowtheAllMetalModetargetresponsesoundwillvarydependingonthevariousfactorssuchaswhattypeof
metaltargetsareburiedintheground,howdeeptheyare,howfastyoumoveyoursearchcoilandsoon.2)Howthedetector'sthresholdcanreturn
manuallyinNormalTuneorautomaticallyinAutoTuneandhowthiseffectsthetargetresponsesound.
Step4PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
IdentifytheTargetResponse
UseDiscrimination
lFliptheMODEswitchtoDISC
lLeavetheDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
NOTE:InDiscriminateMode,youwillnothearthecontinuousthresholdsoundoftheAllMetalMode,soreturningisnotneeded.
Holdthequarterinyourhandandmovethequarterbackandforthabout12inchesinfrontofthesearchcoilbottom.
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitbackandforthuntilyouheara"beep".Thisbeepthetarget
responsesound.
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoinstillthenmovingitslightly.Noticethedifferenceinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange. 
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary.Yourdetectorcan
respondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalifthereismovementbetweentheobjectandthedetector.Operatingyourdetectorinthiswayis
calleda"SilentSearch".
lTurntheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMINtoMAX
Passthequarterbackandforthinfrontofandclosetothesearchcoilbottom.Noticethesoundasthecoinnearsthecenterofthesearchcoil.
Now,trythiswiththenickelandthenthezincpenny.Noticethereisnosoundwiththesetwocoins.Theabilityofametaldetectortoignore
certaintypesofmetalthatitencountersiscalled"discrimination".Usingyourdetectorinthiswayiscalleda"SilentSearchDiscriminateMode". 
Controlsettingstoignoremostzincandnickelobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVELMAX
lMovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMAXto7
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthecoil.Noticethequarterandthezincpennynowcauseatargetresponsesound. 
Controlsettingstoignoremostnickelcanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL7
lNowmovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfrom7to4
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthesearchcoil.Noticeallthreecoinsnowcauseatargetresponsesound.
ControlsettingstoincludenewerUScoinswhileexcludingmostironobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL4
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)ThemotionbasedoperationandtargetresponsesoundofSilentSearchDiscriminateMode.2)Howthe
DiscriminateModecanbeusedtohelpdeterminethetypesofmetalatargetmaybe.ByadjustingtheDISCLEVELcontrolyoucanselectwhat
metalsyourdetectorwillignore.
Conclusion
Welldone!YouhavefinishedtheQuickStartGuideandhaveoperatedmanyofthebasicdetectingfeaturesofthe µMAXBandido.Youhave
alsobeenintroducedtotheideasof:1)"targetresponsesound",2)"thresholdsound",3)"returningthethreshold",4)"targetdiscrimination"and5)
"targetpinpointing".
Nowyouarealmostreadytobeginthejourneyintotheartofmetaldetectingbyactuallyusingyourdetectortofindburiedmetal.Butfirsta
wordaboutairtests.
TheairtestsintheQuickStartareoflimitedvalue.Metaldetectorsperformdifferentlyinairteststhanwheninactualuse"inthefield".Tesoro
detectorsarespecificallydesignedtodeliverthebestperformanceinthefield.
TheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESandTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionswillgiveyoumoredetailedinformationonhowtosetyour
detector'scontrols,especiallyselectingatuningmodeandusingdiscrimination,forthebestresults. 
BeforeyouuseyourµMAXBandidointhefieldyouneedtolearnhowtooperateonemorefeatures:theGROUNDcontrol.Usingthe
GROUNDcontroltoproperly"GroundBalance"yourµMAXBandidowillallowyoutotapintoitsfullpowerandperformancecapabilitiesandis
perhapsthemostimportantfeaturetomaster.TheGroundBalancesectionwillexplainstepbystephowtousethisfeature.
Finally,theonlywayyoucanbecometrulyproficientatusingyourdetectortofindburiedtreasureistouseitinthefieldandlearnfrom
experience!However,westronglysuggestthatyoureadthisentiremanualtobecomeproficientwithallofthefeaturesasyoucontinuetouseyour
detector.
Youhavethefinesttoolavailable,nowallyouneedistheskillthatcomesfromexperience.
TOTURNYOURDETECTOROFF:
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTOPOWOFF
Counterclockwisepastthe"click".
TOTURNYOURDETECTORON:
lMAKESURETHEMODESWITCHISSETTODISC
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTO1
Clockwisepastthe"click".
OPERATINGTECHNIQUESCONTROLS
TheµMAXBandidohasonlyfivecontrols,allmountedonthefrontpanelofthehousingforfingertipadjustment.Howthesecontrolsshould
besetforpeakperformancewilldependonthetypeofmetalyouaresearchingfor,searchsiteconditions,mineralcontentofthesoilandsoforth.
UsetheinformationinthissectionandtheTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionasabasisforsettingthecontrolsonyourdetector.Usingyour
detectorinthefieldwillallowyoutolearnthedetector'sresponsestovariousconditionsandwillguideyouinfinetuningthedetector'soperating
controls.
SENSITIVITYON/OFFSensitivityControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasthreefunctions:
lTurnsthedetectorONandOFF
lActivatestheautomaticAudioBatteryTest
lAdjuststheSensitivityLevel
NOTE:Thedetectorshouldalwaysbeturnedoffwhennotinuse. 
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwisepasttheinitial"click"turnsthedetectoronandactivestheautomaticAudioBatteryTestcircuit.This
testwillgiveyouasound,usuallylastingseveralseconds,thatindicatesthebattery'scondition.WhentheAudioBatteryTestisover,thedetector ’s
SensitivityLevelcanbeadjusted.
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector'sSensitivityLevel.Thelevelfrom1upto10isthenormalrange.Thisrange
correspondswiththenormalSensitivityonstandarddetector's.TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobpast10intotheorangeareaputstheSensitivity
intotheMAXBoostrangefoundonlytheµMAXdetectors.
NOTE:ItisbesttoturnthedetectoroninDiscriminateMode.SincetheDiscriminateModeisasilentmodewithnocontinuousthreshold
sound,itwillbeobviouswhentheAudioBatteryTestiscomplete.
IfyouturnthedetectoroninAllMetalModetheAudioBatteryTestsoundwillbeimmediatelyfollowedbythethresholdsound.Thismay
makeitdifficulttohearthebatterytestendanddiscernthebatterycondition.
Also,theSensitivityLevelisbestsetwhileintheDiscriminateMode.AftertheAudioBatterTestisoverandtheSensitivityLevelisproperly
set,youmaychangetheoperatingmodetoAllMetalwithoutdifficulty.
DISTLEVELDiscriminationLevelControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheDiscriminationLevel.
OncethedetectorisintheDiscriminateMode,theDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sDiscriminationLevel.TurningtheDISC
LEVELknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector ’sDiscriminationLevelandviceversa.
NOTE:WhenthedetectorisoperatingintheAllMetalModetheDISCLEVELcontrolisnotused. 
TUNETuningModeSelectionSwitch
Thistoggleswitchhasonefunction:
lSetstheTuningMode:NormalorAuto
Thistogglehastopositions:TotherightlabeledAUTOitlocksinplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoAutomatic.Totheleft 
labeledNORMthelockstheplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoNormal.NOTE:ThetuningModeisusedonlywhenoperatingintheAll
MetalMode.
MODEModeSelection/RetuneSwitch
Thecombinationtoggleswitchhastwofunctions.
lSetstheoperatingmode:AllMetalorDiscriminate
lRetunesthethresholdinAllMetalMode.
Thistogglehasthreepositions:TotherightlabeledDISCitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoDiscriminate.Tothecenter
labeledALLMETitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoAllMetal.TotheleftlabeledRETUNEitspringreturnstothecenter
positionandretunesthedetector’sthresholdwhileremaininginAllMetalMode.So,thiscomboswitchfunctionsasaRetuneSwitchbypressing
theswitchcompletelytotheleftandreleasingitsoitspringsbacktothecenterposition.
NOTE:Manualretuning(MODE/RETUNE)isusedonlywhenoperatingintheAllMetalModewithTuningsettoNormal(TUNE/NORM). 
GROUNDGroundBalanceControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheGroundBalance
ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalModesamplingsothattheµMAXBandidoignoresthenormalgroundmineralization.Makingthis
adjustmentisoftencalled"GroundBalancing".Theknobwillturncontinuallyineitherdirection,althoughitseffectuserangeisonly3 ¾turns.
Onceyouhaveturnedtheknobtotheendofitsuserangeineitherdirection,youshouldnoticeaslightincreasein"drag"astheknobisturned.
Whenyoufeelthe"drag"youmayimmediatelyreversedirectiontoentertheeffectiveuserangeofthenext3 ¾turns.
NOTE:TheGROUNDcontroldoesaffectbothoperatingmodesbyshouldbeadjustedinAllMetalMode.
TUNINGYOURDETECTOR
Everydetectormustbeproperlytunedinordertoperformatitspeakandprovidemaximumdepth.Infact,themorepowerfuladetectoris,the
morecriticalthetuningbecomes.Lesspowerfuldetectorsaremoretolerantofimpropertuning,butarealsonotcapableofthedepthofaproperly
tunedhighpowerdetectorsuchastheµMAXBandido.ToachievepeakperformancefromyourµMAXBandido,besuretoproperlyadjustthe
GROUNDcontrolintheAllMetalMode.Thesettingsofthiscontrolwillalsoaffectthedetector ’sperformanceinDiscriminateMode,somakesure
toadjustitproperlyfirst,evenifyouwillnotbehuntinginAllMetalMode.Remember:impropertuningwillreduceperformanceandcanalso
cause"false"anderroneous"ghostingsignals".
TuningyourµMAXBandidocanbedonein5simplesteps:
1. GroundBalancingthedetectorusingtheGROUNDcontrol.
2. SettingtheoperatingmodeusingtheMODEswitch.
3. SettingthetuningmodeusingtheTUNEswitch.
4. SettingtheSensitivitylevelusingtheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
5. SettingtheDiscriminationlevelusingtheDISCLEVELcontrol.
NOTE:GroundBalancingshouldbedonewhileinAllMetalModeandAutoTuneMode.SettingtheDiscriminationLevelandtheSensitivity
LevelshouldbedonewhileoperatinginDiscriminateMode.
GroundBalancing
GroundBalancingisnotadifficultprocedure,butitiscriticalifyoudesiremaximumdepthandstability.Itisespeciallyimportantifyouplan
togoldnuggethuntformatchheadsizedorsmallernuggetsinahighlymineralizedground.
NOTE:Nomatterwhereyouwillbesearching,orwhetheryouwillbeoperatingintheAllMetalModeorDiscriminateMode,makesurethe
detectorisproperlyGroundBalancedintheAllMetalModewithAutoTuneModefirst.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVITYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoAUTO
lMODEswitchsettoALLMETAL
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop
Next:
lTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolsetto10
Wait3to4secondsuntiltheAudioBatterytestiscomplete.
Raisethesearchcoilto6to8inchesabovetheground,levelandparalleltotheground.Whilelisteningtothethresholdsound,lowerthe
searchcoilquicklytothegroundlevelandlistentowhatthethresholdsounddoes.
Oneofthreethingswillhappentothesound:1)thesoundwillincrease,2)thesoundwillgosilent,or3)thesoundwillremainthesame.
WhichoneofthesehappenswilldeterminewhatyouneedtodotoproperlyGroundBalanceyourdetectorfortheareayouareat. 
1)Ifthethresholdsoundgetslouderwhenyoulowerthesearchcoil,itmeanstheGROUNDknobneedstogotheleft.
2)Ifthedetectorgoessilentandyoulosethethresholdsoundmomentarily,thenyouwillneedtoturntheGROUNDknobtotheright. 
3)Ifthereisnochangeinthethresholdsoundasyoulowerthesearchcoiltotheground,thenyoujusthappentoalreadyhavetheproper
groundbalanceandcanproceedtohunt.
StartoutusingslightturnsoftheGROUNDknob,thedistanceofthemovementbeingequivalenttoaboutonehouronaclockface.The
entireeffectiveareaofthiscontrolis3¾turnsfromminimumtomaximum,soifyoustartGroundBalancinginthemiddleoftheeffectiverangeit
willonlytakeabouttwocompleteturnsineitherdirectiontobeatoneendoftheeffectiverange.
NOTE:TherearethreeimportantthingstorememberwhenGroundBalancingwiththismethod. 
First,youareintheAutoTunemodeandonceyouhesitateatgroundlevelforasecondortwo,thedetectorwillretunethethreshold
automatically.Therefore,whenyoulowerthesearchcoiltowardtheground,youareonlylisteningfortheinitialchangeinvolume. 
Second,makeyouareGroundBalancinginacleanareaandnotloweringthesearchcoildownoverapieceofmetal. 
Third,whenyouraisethesearchcoilbesurethatyouDONOTtiltthesearchcoilatanangle.
Bycontinually"pumping"thesearchcoilfrom6to8inchesabovethegroundtogroundlevelandbackupintheairagainwhileturningthe
GROUNDknobintheappropriatedirection,youwillveryquicklyreachthepointwherethereistheabsoluteminimalchangeinthresholdsound
duringthepumping.Whenyouhavereachedthatpointyouare"GroundBalanced"andcanbeginsearchingthearea. 
NOTE:ChanginggroundmineralizationmaymakeoccasionalsmalladjustmentstotheGROUNDknobnecessarytomaintainpeak
performance.
Selectingtheproperoperatingmode
TheµMAXBandidoofferstwooperatingmodes,AllMetalModeandDiscriminateMode. 
TheDiscriminateModeis"SilentSearch"operatingmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillmakenosounduntilitencountersametaltarget.
Thismoderequiresthatthesearchcoilbemovingslightlyfortargetdetection.
TheAllMetalMode,however,isa"nomotion"operationmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillemitacontinuous"thresholdsound"untilit
encountersametaltargetatwhichtimethesoundwillnoticeablyincrease.Thismodedoesnotrequiremotionsothesearchcoilcanbeheldstill
fortargetdetectionifneeded.
TheAllMetalMode,asthenameimplies,willdetectalltypesofmetaltargets.Whenoperatinginthismodeyouwillfindunwanted"trash"
metalobjectssuchasnails,foil,pulltabs,etc.,justasyouwouldwithanyhighperformancedetector.TheAllMetalModeispreferredforhunting
relics,artifactsandotherobjectsthataremadeofnon preciousmetalsespeciallyiron.Thismodeisalsogoodforbeachhuntingwherethesand
allowseasydiggingandtimewastedondigginguptrashmetalobjectsisnotamajorconcern. 
TheAllMetalModemustbeusedforgoldnuggethunting,sincetheresponsetosmallgolditemsissoclosetoiron.Formostnuggethunting,
theAllMetalMode&AutoTuneModecombinationwillprovidethebestperformancealthoughsomespecialattentionforhotrocksmaybe
necessary(seeSelectinghepropertuningmode).
TheDiscriminateModewillallowyoutocontrolthedetector'sresponsetomostofthecommontrashmetalobjectsfoundinschoolyards,
parks,andbeaches.Discriminatemodeisgenerallyusedfor"coinshooting"suchareaswhereyouprefertoavoidwastingtimediggingup
commontrashmetal.TheDiscriminationLevelyouselectwilldeterminewhattypesofmetalyourdetectorwillignore.
Inmanyothermetaldetectors,theAllMetalModeoffersgreaterdepthupto30%overtheDiscriminationMode.Notsowiththe µMAX
detectors.ThenewµMAXcircuitrywithMAXBoostovercomesthiscommonproblemanddeliverssuperiorsensitivityandbetterdepthinboth
operatingmodes.
Selectingthepropertuningmode
TheAutoTuneMode(TUNEAUTO)ontheµMAXBandidoisafastautomatictuningthattakesjust2to3secondstoautomaticallyadjust
itself.TheAutoTunequicklyretunesthedetectortoitsestablishedthresholdfollowingatargetresponse.
AutoTuneModealsokeepsthedetector'ssignalfromdrifting.ThistuningmodeoffersmaximumstabilitywhilesearchinginAllMetalMode
andisrecommendforgoldnuggethunting.
TheNormalTuningMode(TUNENORM)willholdatarget'ssignalwithoutretuningforaslongasthesearchcoilisheldstationarydirectly
overthetarget.Somedriftmayoccurinthismode,butisquicklyremediedbymanuallyretuningusingtheMODEswitch(MODE RETUNE).For
precisepinpointing,identifyingtargetsize,linetracingandoresamplinginAllMetalMode,usetheNormalTuneMode. 
Fastautomatictuningcancausean"overshootsignal"on"hotrocks"thatis,amomentarysilenceasthesearchcoilsweepsoveranextremely
mineralizedrock,followedbyaloud"boing"soundwhenthesearchcoilpassesclearofit.Thissoundissodifferentfromagoodtargetresponse
sound,thatitiseasilyrecognized.(Theonlyproblemwithjustignoringthesesoundsovershootsignalsisthatasmallgoldnuggetmaybehiding
beneaththehotrock).Also,theAutoTuningModewillcausea“nulling”ofthethresholdsoundwhenthesearchcoilsweepsoveraverystrong
metaltarget.
SettingtheSensitivityLevel
Inlightlytomoderatelymineralizedground,youcanusuallysettheSENSITIVITYcontrolashighas8to10(normalmaximumsetting).Inthe
rightconditionsyoucanmovetheSENSITIVITYintotheMAXBoostareaforincreaseddepth.
ToadjusttheSensitivityLeveltoyoursearchconditions,firstsettheoperatingmodetoDISCandturntheSENSITIVITYcontrolclockwiseas
faraspossibleuntilthedetectorjustbeginsto"chirp"intermittently.Ifthechirpingistoofrequent,simplyturnthecontrolcounterclockwisejust
enoughtocausethechirpingtosubside.Onceset,thiscontrolshouldnotrequirereadjustingunlesssiteconditionschange. 
Occasionallyyoumayneedtoreducethesettingtoeliminate"falsesignals"causedbydifficultconditions.Someofthemanythingsthatcan
causetheresponseofthedetectortobecomeerraticduringregularuseareverylargetargets,highlymineralizedgroundontrashysites,intense
groundmineralizationchanges,CBradios,radioandTVbroadcastingantennas,andnearbysourcesofelectricalinterference.
Thesefalsesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsthatarenotrepeatableandtherefore,caneasilybedistinguishedfromagoodtarget
responsesound.Theycanbedistracting,though,andreducingtheSensitivitylevelwillhelpreducethesesignalswithanaccompanyinglossof
targetsensitivity.
ExtremeconditionssuchassaltwetsandmayrequireyoutoloweryourSensitivitysettingintothe2to5range.Overall,youshouldalwaysset
theSensitivitycontrolashighaspossible,whilestillgettingsmoothoperation. 
NOTE:ThenomotionAllMetalModeoftheµMAXBandidoisnotaffectedbytheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
SettingtheSensitivityLevelinMAXBoost
TheMAXBoostfeatureisahighgainboostoverandabovethenormalmaximumof10andindicatedbytheorangeareaonthe
SENSITIVITYcontrol.UsingMAXBoostwillcausenoharmtoyourdetectorbut,incertainconditionsitcanresultintheannoyingchirpingsounds
thatmaymakeitdifficulttohearagoodtargetresponsesound. 
InidealconditionsMAXBoostcanaddinchesofdepthtoyoursearchwithnochirping.Indifficultconditionstheextradepthwillstillbethere
butheavychirpingmaymakethefeaturetodifficulttouse.YoumustdeterminewhenandhowmuchoftheMAXboostfeaturetouseforyour
searchsiteconditions.
SettingtheDiscriminationLevel
TheDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedtrashmetalwhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode.Atthe
lowestsetting(MIN),thedetectorwillignoremostironobjects,butwillstillrespondtolightfoil,bottlecaps,pulltabsandmostothermetalobjects.
AstheDiscriminationLevelisincreased,moreofthesetrashmetalobjectsareignoredandgivenotargetresponsesoundwheninsidethe
searchcoil’srange.
TheDISCLEVELshouldbesettoyourdesired"rejectionlevel"fortheparticularareayouaresearching.Werecommendstartingatalow
settingifyouareunsureofhowmuchtrashisinthearea.Adjustthelevelhigherifyoufindyourselfdiggingmoretrashthenyoulike.Remember
thatwithanymetaldetector,youwilllosetargetresponsetosmallgoldringsandnickelswhendiscriminationissetatthepulltabrejectionlevel.
So,diggingsometrashwillincreaseyournumberofgoodfinds.
Thebelowdiagram"DISCLEVELDiscriminationLevelSettings"showsthesettingswheremanyofthecommonmetalobjectsareignored
byatypicaldetector.Eachdetectorcanvaryalittleduetomanufacturingtolerance soyoushouldexperimentwithyourdetectorandbecome
familiarwithitsrejectionlevelsforthesetrashmetalobjects.
Earliermotiondetectorsthatoperatedwithacontinuous"threshold"soundwouldgivetheuseradefiniteindicationoftrashmetalbyeither
"nulling"completely(nosoundmadetemporarily)orbygeneratingshort,choppysounds.SincetheµMAXBandido'sDiscriminateModeisSilent
Searchandoperateswithoutthresholdsound,thereisnonullingtoindicatethattheareaisextremelytrashy. 
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateModewerecommendthatyouperiodicallyswitchtoAllMetalModeandchecktheareayouare
searchingtogetanideaofhowmuchtrashisreallythere.Inextremelytrashyareasitmaybedesirabletoswitchtoasmallersearchcoil,even
thoughdoingsomaycausealossofdepth.Thesmallercoilwillallowyouabetterchanceoffindingcoinsbetweentheclosepiecesoftrash.

PerformingtheAudioBatteryTest
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformancefromit.
Thebatteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutesandthenperiodicallyifyouareusingitforlongperiods.
ToactivatetheAudioBatteryTest,simplyturnthedetectoroffmomentarilyandthenbackonagain.Ifthebatteryisfresh,thedetectorshould
emitacontinuousandloud"Beep"soundthatlastsforabout4or5seconds,andthenslowlyfadesintosilence.Asthebatteryages,thissoundis
lessintenseandfadesoutmorequickly.Whenyouhearonlyabrief"buzz"ornosoundatall,replacethebatterywithafreshone. 
Ifyouprefer,arechargeableNickelCadmium(NiCad)batterycanbesubstituteforthestandard9voltalkalinebattery.Individual9voltsize
NiCadcells,aswellasthechargersforthem,arereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores.Theyareinstalledintoyourdetectorinthe
samemannerasnonrechargeablebatteries.TheBatteryTestsoundonaNi Cadwillbeweakerthananalkalineinthebeginning,butwillnot
weakenasmuchwithuse.
ControllingAudioVolume
ThespeakerintheµMAXdoesnothaveavolumecontrol.Thevolumeshouldbesufficienttoaccuratelyhearthetargetresponsesoundin
mostenvironments.Ifmoreorlessvolumeisrequiredinyourparticularsituationwerecommendusingasetofgoodqualityheadphoneswitha
builtinvolumecontrol.
FIELDUSE
HandlingYourDetector
Thedetectorshouldbeheldinapositionthatiscomfortableforyouasshowninthe"AdjustingthePole&Searchcoil"sectionin"Getting
Started."Swingthedetectorfromsidetosideinaboutathreefootarc,overlappingsucceedingstrokeswell.Thismotioniscalleda “sweep.”The
µMAXBandidowasdesignedtogetmaximumdepthwithoutthefranticpacerequiredofearliermotiondetectors,sogoatapacethatis
comfortableforyou.Infact,tryingtohunttoofastmayevencausealossofdepthinheavilymineralizedlocations. 
Regardlessofwhichmodeyouareusing,trytokeepyoursearchcoilheightconstantandclosetotheground.Mostpeopletendtoraisethe
coilattheendofasweep—muchlikeapendulum—especiallyifinahurry.Trytoavoidthis,asanyincreaseinheightfromthegroundwillcause
acorrespondinglossofdepth.
Inareaswithwellkeptlawns,theeasiestwaytomaintainaconstantsearchcoilheightistoallowthecoiltorestonthegrassasyousweep
fromsidetoside.Inroughandrockyareas,itisbestnotto“scrub”thecoilontheground,astherockswillactlikeabrasivesandwearawaythecoil
bottom(anoptionalcoilscuffcoverwillprotectagainstthis).Sweepthecoilasclosetothegroundaspossiblewithouttouching.Hittingtheground
orrocksmaycauseafalsesignalmuchlikeadesiredtargetwould.Sweepingthecoiltoohighabovethegroundresultsinalossofdepth.
PlantingaTestGarden
Tobetterlearnhowyourdetectorwillperforminthefield,itwouldbehelpfultoburysomecoinsandtrashmetaljunkitemsinanareathat
youknowisclearofothermetalobjects,andthentrytheµMAXBandidoinitstwodifferentoperatingmodes.ChecktheareainAllMetalMode
firsttobesureitsclearoftrashthenburythetargetsatleast1footapart,andfrom2to4inchesdeeptostart.Makeamapoftheareatobesure
youknowwhateachtargetisandhowdeepitis.Practiceonthesetargetstofamiliarizeyourselfwithyourdetector’stargetresponse.Thiswillalso
helpyoulearnthepropersweepspeedforbestoperation.Thistypeofpracticeareaisoftencalleda“testgarden”or“testbed”andisoneofbest
toolstohelpyoudevelopyourmetaldetectingskills.
RecognizingFalseSignalsinDiscriminateMode
WhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode,some“falsesignals”maybecausedby1)heavyconcentrationsoftrashmetalobjects,2)verylarge
trashmetalobjects,or3)electricalinterference.Thesesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsandsounddifferentthan “goodsignals”(good
targetresponsesounds).
Attheendofyoursweep,asyouthereversethecoildirection,thedetectorismostsusceptibletotrashinducednoise.Therearetwowaysto
tellwhetherthesesoundsaregooddeepsignalsortrash“noise.”Thefirstisbyrepeatability.Trashinducednoiseswillnotberegularasyousweep
thecoiloverthesuspectedtargetseveraltimes,whereasagoodtargetresponsewillberepeatable.ThesecondmethodistoswitchtoAllMetal
Modeandcheckthetargetresponsesound.Iftheresponseisweak,itmaywellbeadeep,goodtarget;butiftheresponseisverystrong,itis
probablytrash.Notethatacoinclosetothesurfacecangiveadoublebeepsound,butitisregularandrepeatable.Raisingthecoilaninchortwo
willrestorethesinglebeeponsurfacetargets.
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateMode,itisbestnottouseahigherDISCLEVELsettingthannecessary.Nickelsandmostsmallerringsare
rejectedwhentheDISCLEVELissettorejectpulltabsonanymetaldetectorthatisaTRDiscriminatorliketheµMAXBandido.Ifyoudon’tdig
anyjunkatall,youaresurelypassingupalotofgoodfindsaswell.SettheDISCLEVELonlyhighenoughtosuittheconditionswhereyouare
searching.Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,digit.
PinpointingaTarget
Whenpinpointingatarget,theAllMetalMode/NormalTuningModecanofferadvantagesoverDiscriminateMode,suchasnofalsesignals
andnoneedtomovethesearchcoiltogetatargetresponse.
AgoodmethodforpinpointinginAllMetalmodeis“Xing”thetargetwiththesearchcoil.Rememberthatthetargetsresponsesoundisalways
greatestwhenthetargetisdirectlyunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.To “X”atarget,sweepthesearchcoiloverthetargetfromsidetosideand
themfromfronttobackuntilyoucanidentifythecenteroftheX:thespotonthegroundwherethetargetresponsesoundisthegreatest.Holdyour
searchcoilstationaryoverthecenteroftheXandhittheRETUNEswitch.NowrepeattheX ing;thistimewatchingfortheexactspot—underthe
coilcenter—wherethedetectorbeeps.Thatspotiswherethetargetislocated. 
PinpointingatargetinDiscriminateModeisprobablybestdoneby“Xing”aswell.Rememberthatthedetectorwillbeepjustasthetarget
passesunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.SlowingthesweepspeeddownwillhelpyoupickoutthecenteroftheXbecausethetargetresponseis
reducedatveryslowspeedsmakingiteasiertocorrelatethesoundwiththecoilcenter. 
Anothereasymethodistosweepthecoilfromsidetosideacrossthetargetinveryshortsweeps,asyouslowlymoveforwardandbackward
acrossthetarget.Slowdownthesweeprateandshortenthesweepsuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Thetargetwillbedirectly
belowthecoilcenteratthisresponsetime.
AnothermethodofpinpointinginDiscriminateModeistoquicklychangetoAllMetalModetocheckthetargetresponse.RememberthatAll
MetalModeisnotsusceptibletothefalsesignalsofDiscriminateModeandcansometimesgiveaclearerandmoreconsistentresponsetodifficult
targetssuchasadimeburiednexttoapulltab.ByswitchingbackandforthbetweenmodesandcomparingthetargetresponsesoundinAllMetal
tothetargetresponsesoundinDiscriminateyoucanoftenbetteridentifythelikelylocationofthetarget.
Finally,raisingthesearchcoilduringpinpointingcanalsohelpbynarrowingtheresponsetothetarget.Practicepinpointingoften,andyou
willsoonbecomemoreaccurateandfaster.
RecoveringaTarget
Ifthetargetisshallowandthesoilissoft,youmaybeableto“probe”andfindtheexactlocationofthetargetbeforeyoudigit.Sincefilling
allholesafteryourecoverthetargetissoimportant,diggingasmallpreciseholeisbest.Ifthetargetisdeep,youmayneedtodigalargerhole.
Asyoudig,occasionallychecktheholewithyourdetectortoseeifyouhavemovedtheobject,canprobeit,orhavealreadydugit.Besuretofill
allholesafteryourecoverthetarget.Twomethodsareshownonthenexttwopagesthatworkmosteverywhere.
Besuretoprotectyourhobbybyleavingthesitecleanerthanyoufounditandwithallholesfilled!
RECOMMENDEDRECOVERYMETHODS
GENERALINFORMATIONCAREANDUSE
BasicCare
TheµMAXBandidoisasturdyinstrumentbutitisnotdesignedtowithstandabuse.IncaringforyourµMAXBandidothereareseveral
important“DONOTs”toremember.DONOTuseittopryrockslooseortobeatbushesoutoftheway.DONOTdropthemachineintowater.DO
NOTuseitunprotectedintherain.DONOTleaveitexposedatnightwheredewcouldformonit.DONOTstoreitinplacesthatcouldget
extremelyhot(nexttoawoodstove,inanattic).DONOTleaveitinthetrunkofacarorinthebackofahatchbackstylecarwherehigh
temperaturescouldbuildup.DONOTstoreitwiththebatteryinstalledasbatteriesmayleak.DONOTspraylubricantssuchasWD40,oranytype
ofcleaners,solvents,sealantsorotherchemicalsintoorontotheelectronicparts,switchesorcontrols.Andfinally:DONOTattempttomodifyor
repairthedetector’selectronicsasthiswillvoidyourdetector'swarranty. 
THEWARRANTYDOESNOTCOVERDAMAGERESULTINGFROMANACCIDENT,NEGLECTORABUSE.
ProtectingYourInvestment
Somanydetectoristsaredisappointedwhentheirnewdetectorslowlybecomeslessandlessresponsiveandseemstohavelostsomeofits
originalperformance.Youcanhelpavoidthisfromhappeningtoyourdetectorbyfollowingthesebasiccareandprotectionguidelines.
lOperateyourdetectorexactlyasrecommendedinthisOperatorInstructionManual.
lUseonlyhighqualityalkalinebatteriesofthecorrectvoltage.Neversubstituteadifferentvoltage.WhenusingaNi Cadbattery,always
useaseparateconvertiblepackwiththepropervoltageoutputforthedetector ’sdesign.
lRemovethebatteryfromthedetectoraftereachuse.Thiswillpreventdamagetothedetectorifthebatteryleaks.
lThesearchcoilcableishardwiredtothesearchcoilandprotectedbyastrainrelief.Inspectthestrainrelieffrequentlytomakesureitis
firmlyattachedandintact.
lKeepcablesproperlywoundaroundthepolestemsandprotectthemduringuse.Floppy,pinched,orcablesthatbecomesnagged
duringusemayshort,causingerraticnoisesorunnecessaryreplacementofthesearchcoil.
lSweepthesearchcoilcarefully,especiallywhenusingaroundrocksandbuildingfoundations.Avoidhittingthesearchcoilagainsthard,
solidobjectsandsurfaces.
lKeepyoursearchcoilslightlyoffofthegroundduringthesweep,especiallywhenusingingravelorhard,rockydirt.
lAlwaysuseaproperlydesignedprotectivescuffcoveronthesearchcoil.(See"OptionalAccessories"inthenextsection.) 
lRemoveandcleanoutscuffcoversperiodicallytoavoidbuildupofmineralizeddirtparticleswhichwillaffectperformance.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofandcanbesubmergedineitherfreshorsaltwater.Afterthesearchcoilisusedinsaltwater,rinseitandthe
lowerstemassemblywellwithfreshwatertopreventcorrosionofthemetalparts.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofbuttheelectronicsarenot,soalwayspreventanymoistureorwaterfromenteringthecontrolhousingand
neverallowthecableconnectorstobecomesubmergedinwater.
lIfworkinginornearwater,orifthereisapossibilityofrain,useaprotectiveweatherresistantpouchorplasticbagtocoverthecontrol
housing.Makesureitcan"breathe"inordertoensureagainstcondensationbuildupinside.
lAftereachuse,cleanthedetectorwithasoftclothtoremovedust,moisture,orothercontaminants.
lWhentransportingthedetectorinacarduringhotweather,storeitonthefloorofthepassengercompartmentifpossible.Usingacarry
baggivesadditionalprotection.Inanycase,neverallowthedetectortorollaroundunprotectedinthetrunkorbackofapickuptruck.
lProtectyourdetectorfromdust,moisture,andextremetemperaturesduringstorage.
lWhenshipping,usetheoriginalfactorycartonorsimilarheavydutycontainerandprovideaminimumoneinchofpaddingaroundall
parts.
lTreatyourdetectorasyouwouldanysensitiveelectronicinstrument.Thoughruggedlyconstructedanddesignedtowithstandthe
demandsofnormaltreasurehunting,propercareisessential.
OPTIONALACCESSORIES
TesoroMetalDetectorsandgenuineTesoroAccessoriesaresoldonlythroughindependentTesoroAuthorizedDealers,whoarealmostalways
metaldetectoriststhemselves.TheycanansweryourquestionsaboutyourTesorodetector,whataccessoriesmaybehelpfulandaboutmetal
detectingingeneral.
SeeyourTesoroAuthorizedDealerformoreinformationandpricesonoptionalaccessories.
ScuffCovers
Wehighlyrecommendusingascuffcovertoprotectyoursearchcoilatalltimes.Thescuffcoverforthe µMAXBandidofittedwiththe8"
searchcoilisTesoroPart#SCUFF8RB.
Searchcoils
The8"concentricsearchcoilprovidedwiththeµMAXBandidoisdesignedforbestallaroundperformance.Optionalsearchcoilsmayaddto
yourdetector'sperformance.
Smallersearchcoilsgivebetter“targetseparation”thatis,moredistincttargetresponseformetalobjectsburiedcloselytogetherwhichis
veryusefulwhenhuntingtrashysites.Verysmallsearchcoilscandeliverthebestresponseanddepthtosmalltargetssuchasfinegoldchainswith
somesacrificeindepthonlargerobjects.Largersearchcoilsgiveawidersweep,coveringmoreground,greaterdepthespeciallyonlargerobjects;
however,theymaynotdetectsomeverysmallobjectsuchashalfdimesandwillhavedifficultyinverytrashyareas. 
Widescansearchcoilsignoregroundmineralizationbetterthanconcentricsearchcoilsandmayofferimprovedperformanceinextreme
groundconditions.
Selectingtherightoptionalsearchcoildependsonfactorssuchaswhatyouaresearchingforandsearchsiteconditions.Noonesearchcoilis
betterthanalltherest.SeveraloptionalinterchangeablesearchcoilsareavailablefortheµMAX.Theyarealleasytomountandrequireno
specialtools.SeethenextpageforalistofthesesearchcoilswiththeTesoropart#anddescription.
TesoroSearchcoils
OptionalscuffcoversarealsoavailableforanyTesorosearchcoil. 
Headphones
Mostmetaldetectoristsprefertouseheadphonesinsteadofthedetector'sbuiltinspeaker.Headphoneshelpblockoutbackgroundnoise(such
aswind)andmakeiteasiertohearfaintsignals.Headphoneswithabuiltinvolumecontrolwillallowyoutoadjustthesoundvolumetoyour
preference.
SPECIFICATIONS
µMAXBANDIDOFEATURES
lHighGainSensitivityCircuitry—designedspecificallytodelivergreaterdepth,sensitivityandstability. 
lMAXBoostFeature—extrapowerofsuperhighgaincanaddinchestodiscriminationsearchdepthinidealconditions.
lHighsensitivitySearchcoil—a8inchopencenterconcentricforbroadsweep,goodpinpointinganddeepgroundpenetration.
lUltralightWeight—searchlongerwithoutfatigue.
l3pieceKnockdownPole—compactforstorageandtravel.
lTurnonandgomakesstoringandtravelingconvenient.
lTwoOperatingModes—motionbasedAllMetalandDiscriminate.
lEasytoOperatejusttwosimplecontrolsatyourfingertips.
lEconomicalUse—upto20hoursplusonasinglebattery.
lTesoroLifetimeWarranty—ourpledgeofqualitytoyou.
Whatitdoesn'thave.
Abig,heavy,highpoweredspeaker.Loud,heavyspeakersarepopularwithmanymanufacturers.The"fuller"soundtheyproducegivesthe
illusionofgreatersensitivitytosmallanddeeptargets—agreatshowroomsalestool!Mostseriousdetectorists,however,huntwithheadphonesand
aµMAXwilldrivestandardheadphoneswell.Ifyouchoosenottouseheadphones,theµMAXspeakerwillbeloudenoughformostenvironments.
Itwillallowyoutohearthesmallanddeeptargetsfoundbythe µMAX'shighpowercircuitry—withoutexcessivebatterydrain.
Ahipmount,armstraporbatteryrechargingsystem.Thesekindsof"builtinaccessories”aresimplyunnecessaryinaµMAXdetector.
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µMAXBandido
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.
ThepowerandfeaturesoftheTesoroµMAXBandidomakeitidealfortheserious
detectoristwhowantstopofthelineperformanceandversatilityinalightweight,lowcost
detector.Itisalsoanidealdetectorforabeginnerwhowantsamachinetheywillnever
outgrow.
WARRANTYSERVICE
YourTesorometaldetectoriscoveredbyaLimitedLifetimeWarranty,thetermsofwhich
arelistedbelow.Ifyourmetaldetectorshouldrequireservice,youmayreturnittotheTesoro
factoryattheaddressbelow.
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.
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. 
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.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
TesoroPart# Description
COIL4RC 4"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RC 7"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL8RCWB 8"roundconcentricweighted(opencenter,brown)
COIL10.5RC 10½"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RW 7"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
COIL11RW 11"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
OperatingFrequency 12kHz
SearchcoilType Round,opencenterconcentric
SearchcoilSize 8"diameter
CableLength Approx.3’
AudioFrequency Approx.300Hz
AudioOutput 1½”speakerandheadphonejack
HeadphoneCompatibility ¼”stereoplug
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 2.2lbs.
BatteryRequirement One9voltDC(alkaline)
BatteryLife(typical) 10to20hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OptimumHumidity 0to75%R.H.
OperatingModes
SilentSearchAllMetal
SilentSearchDiscriminate
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µMAXBANDIDOOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL
CONGRATULATIONS!
YournewTesoroµMAXBandidoMetalDetectorispartofanewseriesofdetectorsdesignedtoprovideyouwithmany
happyhoursofenjoymentinthemostrewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingand
excitingexperiencesasyoustepintothepast–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations–or,asyoutakepleasurein
thegreatoutdoorswithfamilyandfriendssearchingforpreciousmetals.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,
andallofusatTesorowishyouthebestofsuccess.
YourTesoroµMAXdetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinawiderangeoftreasurehuntingsituations.Aswithany
othermetaldetector,familiaritywiththisinstrumentisprobablythelimitingfactorindetermininghowsuccessfulyoucanbe.I
recommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullyhowtooperatethisdetectorbeforeattemptingtouseitinthefield.
Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.
TheµMAXBandidoisaprecisionelectronicinstrumentthatwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatitrightandit
won'tletyoudown.
GoodHunting!JackGifford
INTRODUCTION
Tobesuccessfulintreasurehuntingwithadetectoryoumust:
lUseahighperformancemetaldetectordesignedforthetypeoftreasurehuntingyouwillbedoing.
lLearnhowtouseyourmetaldetectorproperly.
lSearchwherethereisburiedtreasuretobefound.
lBepersistent.
TheµMAXBandidoisatrueallpurposedetector.Itwasdesignedfortopperformanceinthewidestrangeofdetectingusespossible.Itis
sensitivetosmallgoldparticles,itispowerfulenoughtorelicandcachehuntwith,itisplentyfastenoughforcompetitionhuntinganditisgreat
forcoinhunting.Yet,evenwithitsamazingpower,itisstilleasytouse.
ThisOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUALisdesignedtohelpyoulearntooperatethedetectorproperlyformaximumperformanceinvarious
searchconditions.CompleteinstructionsonhowtooperatetheµMAXBandidoarefoundinthetwomainsections:GETTINGSTARTEDand
OPERATINGTECHNIQUES.
Ifyouarenewtometaldetecting,wehighlyrecommendreadingandfollowingtheentireGETTINGSTARTEDsectiontodevelopthe"feel"
ofyourdetector.Then,studyandpracticetheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESsection–especiallyGroundBalancing–togetthebestperformance
fromyourdetector.
Ifyouarenewtotreasurehuntingwithmetaldetectors,keepinmindthatiftherearenovaluablemetalobjectsburiedwhereyouare
searching,itwon'tmatterhowgoodyourmetaldetectorisorhowskilledandpersistentyouare.Tolearnmoreaboutwheretosearchforvaluable
buriedmetalscheckwithyourmetaldetectordealerorbooksellerformagazinesandbooksontreasurehunting.
GENERALDESCRIPTION
TheµMAXBandidoisoneofthefirstofitskind:anultralightweight,compactdetectorthatpacksthepowerandperformanceofthebestfull
size,heavierdetectors.Byutilizingstateoftheartcircuitry,Tesorohascreatedanamazinglyversatileandpowerful,easytooperatedetectorthat's
perfectforalltypesofdetecting,andfortravel.
TheµMAXBandidoisaTransmitterReceiver(TR)typeofdetectorthatoperatesintheVeryLowFrequency(VLF)portionoftheRadio
Frequency(RF)spectrum.TheµMAXBandidousesonlythreecontrolknobsandtwotoggleswitchestoprovidefullVLFcapabilities. 
TheperformanceoftheµMAXBandidowillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorists,whetherexperiencedornovice.Atthecentre
oftheµMAXBandidoisaspecialHybridcircuitboarddevelopedfromSurfaceMountTechnologythatincorporatesTesoro'sprovenHighGain
SensitivityCircuitry.Thiscircuitboardhelpsprovidegreaterdepthsandmoresensitivitytosmaller,lessconductivemetalobjectsor"targets"such
asfinegoldjewelry.
TheµMAXBandidohasfeaturesthatmakeitspowereasytouse.Throughsimpleandfastoperatoradjusted"groundbalancing,"theground
rejectioncircuitrywillallowoperationineventhemostdifficultgroundmineralizationconditions.Twooperatingmodesandtwotuningmodes
addtotheversatilityofthedetector'soperation.TheDiscriminateModeisSilentSearch,meaningthesearchcoilmustbemovingtodetecta
target.TheAllMetalModeisnomotion,meaningthesearchcoilwilldetectatargetlocateddirectlyunderit,evenwhenthesearchcoilisnot
moving.AutoTune,theautomatictuningmode,isfastandretunesthedetectorinsecondsafterencounteringatarget.NormalTunegivesthe
operatortotalcontrolofretuningatthetouchofaswitch.
TheelectronicminiaturizationofSurfaceMountTechnologypermitsthecomplex,powerfulcircuitryoftheµMAXdetectorstofitintoavery
smallspace.Theresultisadetectorthatissoincrediblylightthereisnoneedtobodymountthecontrolhousing.Thisexclusivedesignfeature
addstotheµMAXBandido'seaseofuseandmakesthoselongersearchesmoreenjoyable. 
TheµMAXBandidocomeswithan8"roundconcentricsearchcoilforbestallaroundperformancewithgooddepth.Avarietyofoptional
Tesorosearchcoilsarealsoavailableandwillenhancethedetector'sperformanceundervariousconditions(seeOPTIONALACCESSORIES).
GETTINGSTARTEDUNPACKINGTHEBOX
YourµMAXBandidowasshippedwiththeseparts:
1UpperPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingupperpolestemwithhandlegrip,paddedarmbracketandcontrolhousing.
1LowerPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingmiddlepolestemwithknurlednut,lowerpolestem,andnylonpoletipcompletewithtwothickfriction
washers,mountingscrew,lockwasherandthumbnut.
18"round,concentricsearchcoilwith3'cable
19VoltAlkalineBattery
1Extrasetoftwothinfrictionwashers
1OperatorInstructionManual
1TesoroWarrantyCard
Ifanyoftheseitemsaremissing,contacttheTesoroAuthorizedDealerwhereyoupurchasedyourdetectorimmediately.
AssemblyoftheµMAXBandidoissimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.JustInstallthebattery,mountthesearchcoilonthelowerpole
assembly,connectthetwopoleassembliestogether,wraptheexcesscablearoundthepoleandplugthecableintothecontrolhousing.Finally,
adjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangleandyou'reready!
INSTALLTHEBATTERY
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformance.The
batteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutes,andthenperiodicallywhenusedforlongdurations.Formore
detailedinformationgotoPerformingtheAudioBatteryTestunderTUNINGYOURDETECTOR. 
Toinstallorreplacethebattery,firstmakesuretheSENSITIVITYcontrolissettoPOWOFFturnedcompletelycounterclockwisepastthe
"click".Removethebatterydoorfromthebackofthecontrolhousing.Dothisbypressingyourthumbfirmlyonthelouveredsquare atthebottom
ofthebatterydoorandslidingthebatterydoorupward(inthedirectionofthearrow)whilepushing.
Connectafreshsingle9voltalkalinebatterytothebatteryleadterminals.Makecertainthepolaritysnapstofitproperly.Apoorconnection
maycausethedetectortoacterraticallyorfailtooperatecompletely.
Placethebatteryintothebatterycompartmentwithoutpullingorstretchingthebatteryleadwires.Replacethebatterydoorbyslidingitinto
placemakingsuretheuppermountslotsareinlineandthelocktongueissnappedintoplace.
ASSEMBLINGYOURDETECTOR
1. Onthelowerpoleassembly,graspthepoletipfirmlyinonehand.Withtheotherhand,fullydepressthetwospringbuttonsonthe
oppositeendoftheassembly.
2. Pullthemiddlestemoutfarenoughforthespringbuttonstoclickintothefirstsetoftheadjustmentholeslockingtheassemblyinto
placeagain.
3. Removethemountingscrewandthumbnutfromtheblacknylonpoletip.
4. Insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsandthesearchcoilandaligntheholesofthepoletipandwasherswiththoseofthe
mountingears.
Note:thepoletipshouldfitverysnuglyintothemountingears,however,itmaybenecessarytousethethinfrictionwashersinstead.
5. Insertthemountingscrewthroughtheholesinthemountingearsandpoletipenteringfromthesideoppositethecableconnection.
6. Installthethumbnutonthemountingscrewandtightenbyhand.
Note:Donotovertightenthethumbnut.Itshouldbesnug,butnottoodifficulttoloosenup. 
7. Ontheupperpoleassembly,depressthetwospringbuttonsandslidetheupperassemblyintothelowerpoleassemblyuntilthespring
buttonsclickintotheholeslockingthetwoassembliesintoplace.Tightentheknurlednuttosecurethetwoassembliestogether.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto “see”thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
8. Wrapthecablearoundthepoleleavingenoughslacknearthesearchcoiltopermitsearchcoiladjustment.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto"see"thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
9. Plugthemalecableendintothefemaleconnectoronthecontrolhousingandtightenthecablethumbnut.Youarefinished! 
Note:Youwillwanttoadjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangletoyourpreference.
ADJUSTINGTHEPOLE&SEARCHCOIL
Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedsothatthedetectordoesnotbecomeuncomfortableortiringafter
longperiodsofuse.Thedetectorgripshouldrestinyourhandwithyourarmrelaxed,yourelbowstraightbut
notlocked,withthepoleextendingoutinfrontofyouattheapproximateangleshowninthephoto. 
Youshouldbeabletoswingthedetectorbackandforthinfrontofyou—usingrelaxedshoulder
movement—whilekeepingthesearchcoilasclosetothegroundaspossible.Thisswingingmovementisoften
calleda“sweep.”
Thesearchcoilshouldnottouchthegroundduringyoursweep.Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedto
allowthiswithouthavingtoliftthedetectorwithyourelboworshoulder.Thesearchcoilshouldrestaboutone
inchabovethegroundwhileyouarestandingerect.Theangleofthesearchcoilshouldallowthebottomto
beparalleltotheground.
Thepolelengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthepoleuntil
thespringbuttonsclickintothesetofholesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablepolelength.
Toadjustthesearchcoilangle,simplyloosenthesearchcoilthumbnutslightlyandmovethesearchcoil
intothedesiredposition.Tightenthesearchcoilthumbnutbyhandsothatthesearchcoilwillholdinplace.
QUICKSTARTSELFGUIDEDTUTORIAL
TheQuickStartisdesignedtohelpyouuseyournewµMAXBandidometaldetectorrightaway,evenif
youhaveneverusedametaldetectorbefore.Justfolloweacheasystepcarefullyandyou'llquicklyseehowthebasicdetectorfunctionswork.
You'llalsobeintroducedtosomeimportantconceptsontheway.
Here'swhatyouwillneed:
1. YourfullyassembledµMAXBandidometaldetector
2. Threenewercoins:apenny*,anickelandaquarter
3. Anonmetaltableorcountersurface
4. Approximately20minutestocompletetheQuickStart
*mustbe1984ornewermadeofzinc
Here’swhatyouwilldo:
1. PerformanAudioBatteryTest
2. AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
3. PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
4. PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
PreparefortheQuickstart
PlaceyourassembledµMAXBandidoonthenonmetalsurface.Makesuretherearenometalobjectsnearthecoil.Removeanyjewelryfrom
yourhandsandwrists.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVTYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoNORM
lMODEswithsettoDISC
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange:
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop.
TheGROUNDcontrolshouldbeleftatthissettingfortheentireQuickStart. 
Step1PerformanAudioBatteryTest
lTurntheSENSIIVITYcontrolfromPOWOFFto1
Youwillhearthebatterytesttoneforafewsecondsasthebatteryisautomaticallytested.Whenthetonestopsthedetectorisonthecontrols
arereadyforadjusting.
FunctionDemonstrated:Howthebatterytesttonewilltellyouthebatteryisworkingeachtimethedetectoristurnedon. 
NOTE:YoushouldalwaysperformtheAudioBatteryTestwithModeSwitchsettoDISC. 
Step2AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
nTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolfrom1to8
Thisisagoodsettingtobeginwitheachtimeyouuseyourdetector.LeavethecontrolatthissettingfortherestoftheQuickStart.
FunctionDemonstrated:WheretosettheSENSITIVITYcontrolforbasicoperation. 
Step3PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
IdentifytheThresholdSound
IdentifyTargetResponse
RetunetheThreshold
lFliptheMODEswitchtoALLMETAL
Listentothecontinuous,fairlyeventone.Thisiscalledthe"thresholdsound".Youwillhearthethresholdsoundonlywhenoperatingthe
detectorinAllMetalMode.
Holdthequarterinyourfingertipsandmovethequarterfromsidetosideabout12inchesfromthefrontofthesearchcoil. 
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitfromsidetoside  untilyouhearthethresholdsound
increase.Thisincreaseinvolumeiscalledthe"targetresponsesound". 
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoldstillandthenmovingitslightly.Trypassingitinfrontoftheedgeofthesearchcoilandthenunder
thecenter.Noticethedifferencesinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange.
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary,sometimessubtly.
Yourdetectorwillrespondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalwhentheobjectisinthesearchcoil'ssensitivityareaor"range".Operatingyour
detectorinthiswayiscalleda"nomotionAllMetalModewithNormalTune".
Retuningthethreshold
Holdthequarterstillabout2to4inchesfromthesearchcoil,inlinewiththesearchcoilcenter.Listentothetargetresponsesoundfor1or2
seconds.Donotmovethequarter!
lFliptheMODEswitchtoRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticethatthetargetresponsesoundwilldecreasetotheregularlevelofthethresholdsound.Now,slowlymovethequarterfromsidetoside,
goingpasttheedgeofthesearchcoil.Noticetheregularthresholdsoundisgoneandthetargetresponsesoundisnowa"beep"thatoccurswhen
thetargetpassesinfrontofthesearchcoilcenter.Thistechniqueisusedto"pinpoint"theexactlocationofanobject. 
Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoil.
lFliptheMODEswitchtoeRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticetheregularthresholdreturns.Movethequarterclosetothesearchcoilandnoticetheloudcontinuoustargetresponsesoundhas
returned.Takethequarterawayagain.
lFliptheTUNEswitchtoAUTO
Holdthequarterstillnearthesearchcoilforafewsecondandnoticethedetectorautomaticallyretunesitself.Then,trymovingthecoinfrom
sidetosideandnoticethetargetresponsesoundisa"beep".Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoilforafewsecondsandtryitagain.Now,try
thistestwiththedifferentcoinsusingbothtuningmethodsandlistforthedifferencesinthesounds. 
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)HowtheAllMetalModetargetresponsesoundwillvarydependingonthevariousfactorssuchaswhattypeof
metaltargetsareburiedintheground,howdeeptheyare,howfastyoumoveyoursearchcoilandsoon.2)Howthedetector'sthresholdcanreturn
manuallyinNormalTuneorautomaticallyinAutoTuneandhowthiseffectsthetargetresponsesound.
Step4PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
IdentifytheTargetResponse
UseDiscrimination
lFliptheMODEswitchtoDISC
lLeavetheDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
NOTE:InDiscriminateMode,youwillnothearthecontinuousthresholdsoundoftheAllMetalMode,soreturningisnotneeded.
Holdthequarterinyourhandandmovethequarterbackandforthabout12inchesinfrontofthesearchcoilbottom.
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitbackandforthuntilyouheara"beep".Thisbeepthetarget
responsesound.
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoinstillthenmovingitslightly.Noticethedifferenceinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange. 
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary.Yourdetectorcan
respondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalifthereismovementbetweentheobjectandthedetector.Operatingyourdetectorinthiswayis
calleda"SilentSearch".
lTurntheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMINtoMAX
Passthequarterbackandforthinfrontofandclosetothesearchcoilbottom.Noticethesoundasthecoinnearsthecenterofthesearchcoil.
Now,trythiswiththenickelandthenthezincpenny.Noticethereisnosoundwiththesetwocoins.Theabilityofametaldetectortoignore
certaintypesofmetalthatitencountersiscalled"discrimination".Usingyourdetectorinthiswayiscalleda"SilentSearchDiscriminateMode". 
Controlsettingstoignoremostzincandnickelobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVELMAX
lMovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMAXto7
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthecoil.Noticethequarterandthezincpennynowcauseatargetresponsesound. 
Controlsettingstoignoremostnickelcanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL7
lNowmovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfrom7to4
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthesearchcoil.Noticeallthreecoinsnowcauseatargetresponsesound.
ControlsettingstoincludenewerUScoinswhileexcludingmostironobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL4
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)ThemotionbasedoperationandtargetresponsesoundofSilentSearchDiscriminateMode.2)Howthe
DiscriminateModecanbeusedtohelpdeterminethetypesofmetalatargetmaybe.ByadjustingtheDISCLEVELcontrolyoucanselectwhat
metalsyourdetectorwillignore.
Conclusion
Welldone!YouhavefinishedtheQuickStartGuideandhaveoperatedmanyofthebasicdetectingfeaturesofthe µMAXBandido.Youhave
alsobeenintroducedtotheideasof:1)"targetresponsesound",2)"thresholdsound",3)"returningthethreshold",4)"targetdiscrimination"and5)
"targetpinpointing".
Nowyouarealmostreadytobeginthejourneyintotheartofmetaldetectingbyactuallyusingyourdetectortofindburiedmetal.Butfirsta
wordaboutairtests.
TheairtestsintheQuickStartareoflimitedvalue.Metaldetectorsperformdifferentlyinairteststhanwheninactualuse"inthefield".Tesoro
detectorsarespecificallydesignedtodeliverthebestperformanceinthefield.
TheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESandTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionswillgiveyoumoredetailedinformationonhowtosetyour
detector'scontrols,especiallyselectingatuningmodeandusingdiscrimination,forthebestresults. 
BeforeyouuseyourµMAXBandidointhefieldyouneedtolearnhowtooperateonemorefeatures:theGROUNDcontrol.Usingthe
GROUNDcontroltoproperly"GroundBalance"yourµMAXBandidowillallowyoutotapintoitsfullpowerandperformancecapabilitiesandis
perhapsthemostimportantfeaturetomaster.TheGroundBalancesectionwillexplainstepbystephowtousethisfeature.
Finally,theonlywayyoucanbecometrulyproficientatusingyourdetectortofindburiedtreasureistouseitinthefieldandlearnfrom
experience!However,westronglysuggestthatyoureadthisentiremanualtobecomeproficientwithallofthefeaturesasyoucontinuetouseyour
detector.
Youhavethefinesttoolavailable,nowallyouneedistheskillthatcomesfromexperience.
TOTURNYOURDETECTOROFF:
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTOPOWOFF
Counterclockwisepastthe"click".
TOTURNYOURDETECTORON:
lMAKESURETHEMODESWITCHISSETTODISC
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTO1
Clockwisepastthe"click".
OPERATINGTECHNIQUESCONTROLS
TheµMAXBandidohasonlyfivecontrols,allmountedonthefrontpanelofthehousingforfingertipadjustment.Howthesecontrolsshould
besetforpeakperformancewilldependonthetypeofmetalyouaresearchingfor,searchsiteconditions,mineralcontentofthesoilandsoforth.
UsetheinformationinthissectionandtheTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionasabasisforsettingthecontrolsonyourdetector.Usingyour
detectorinthefieldwillallowyoutolearnthedetector'sresponsestovariousconditionsandwillguideyouinfinetuningthedetector'soperating
controls.
SENSITIVITYON/OFFSensitivityControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasthreefunctions:
lTurnsthedetectorONandOFF
lActivatestheautomaticAudioBatteryTest
lAdjuststheSensitivityLevel
NOTE:Thedetectorshouldalwaysbeturnedoffwhennotinuse. 
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwisepasttheinitial"click"turnsthedetectoronandactivestheautomaticAudioBatteryTestcircuit.This
testwillgiveyouasound,usuallylastingseveralseconds,thatindicatesthebattery'scondition.WhentheAudioBatteryTestisover,thedetector ’s
SensitivityLevelcanbeadjusted.
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector'sSensitivityLevel.Thelevelfrom1upto10isthenormalrange.Thisrange
correspondswiththenormalSensitivityonstandarddetector's.TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobpast10intotheorangeareaputstheSensitivity
intotheMAXBoostrangefoundonlytheµMAXdetectors.
NOTE:ItisbesttoturnthedetectoroninDiscriminateMode.SincetheDiscriminateModeisasilentmodewithnocontinuousthreshold
sound,itwillbeobviouswhentheAudioBatteryTestiscomplete.
IfyouturnthedetectoroninAllMetalModetheAudioBatteryTestsoundwillbeimmediatelyfollowedbythethresholdsound.Thismay
makeitdifficulttohearthebatterytestendanddiscernthebatterycondition.
Also,theSensitivityLevelisbestsetwhileintheDiscriminateMode.AftertheAudioBatterTestisoverandtheSensitivityLevelisproperly
set,youmaychangetheoperatingmodetoAllMetalwithoutdifficulty.
DISTLEVELDiscriminationLevelControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheDiscriminationLevel.
OncethedetectorisintheDiscriminateMode,theDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sDiscriminationLevel.TurningtheDISC
LEVELknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector ’sDiscriminationLevelandviceversa.
NOTE:WhenthedetectorisoperatingintheAllMetalModetheDISCLEVELcontrolisnotused. 
TUNETuningModeSelectionSwitch
Thistoggleswitchhasonefunction:
lSetstheTuningMode:NormalorAuto
Thistogglehastopositions:TotherightlabeledAUTOitlocksinplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoAutomatic.Totheleft 
labeledNORMthelockstheplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoNormal.NOTE:ThetuningModeisusedonlywhenoperatingintheAll
MetalMode.
MODEModeSelection/RetuneSwitch
Thecombinationtoggleswitchhastwofunctions.
lSetstheoperatingmode:AllMetalorDiscriminate
lRetunesthethresholdinAllMetalMode.
Thistogglehasthreepositions:TotherightlabeledDISCitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoDiscriminate.Tothecenter
labeledALLMETitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoAllMetal.TotheleftlabeledRETUNEitspringreturnstothecenter
positionandretunesthedetector’sthresholdwhileremaininginAllMetalMode.So,thiscomboswitchfunctionsasaRetuneSwitchbypressing
theswitchcompletelytotheleftandreleasingitsoitspringsbacktothecenterposition.
NOTE:Manualretuning(MODE/RETUNE)isusedonlywhenoperatingintheAllMetalModewithTuningsettoNormal(TUNE/NORM). 
GROUNDGroundBalanceControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheGroundBalance
ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalModesamplingsothattheµMAXBandidoignoresthenormalgroundmineralization.Makingthis
adjustmentisoftencalled"GroundBalancing".Theknobwillturncontinuallyineitherdirection,althoughitseffectuserangeisonly3 ¾turns.
Onceyouhaveturnedtheknobtotheendofitsuserangeineitherdirection,youshouldnoticeaslightincreasein"drag"astheknobisturned.
Whenyoufeelthe"drag"youmayimmediatelyreversedirectiontoentertheeffectiveuserangeofthenext3 ¾turns.
NOTE:TheGROUNDcontroldoesaffectbothoperatingmodesbyshouldbeadjustedinAllMetalMode.
TUNINGYOURDETECTOR
Everydetectormustbeproperlytunedinordertoperformatitspeakandprovidemaximumdepth.Infact,themorepowerfuladetectoris,the
morecriticalthetuningbecomes.Lesspowerfuldetectorsaremoretolerantofimpropertuning,butarealsonotcapableofthedepthofaproperly
tunedhighpowerdetectorsuchastheµMAXBandido.ToachievepeakperformancefromyourµMAXBandido,besuretoproperlyadjustthe
GROUNDcontrolintheAllMetalMode.Thesettingsofthiscontrolwillalsoaffectthedetector ’sperformanceinDiscriminateMode,somakesure
toadjustitproperlyfirst,evenifyouwillnotbehuntinginAllMetalMode.Remember:impropertuningwillreduceperformanceandcanalso
cause"false"anderroneous"ghostingsignals".
TuningyourµMAXBandidocanbedonein5simplesteps:
1. GroundBalancingthedetectorusingtheGROUNDcontrol.
2. SettingtheoperatingmodeusingtheMODEswitch.
3. SettingthetuningmodeusingtheTUNEswitch.
4. SettingtheSensitivitylevelusingtheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
5. SettingtheDiscriminationlevelusingtheDISCLEVELcontrol.
NOTE:GroundBalancingshouldbedonewhileinAllMetalModeandAutoTuneMode.SettingtheDiscriminationLevelandtheSensitivity
LevelshouldbedonewhileoperatinginDiscriminateMode.
GroundBalancing
GroundBalancingisnotadifficultprocedure,butitiscriticalifyoudesiremaximumdepthandstability.Itisespeciallyimportantifyouplan
togoldnuggethuntformatchheadsizedorsmallernuggetsinahighlymineralizedground.
NOTE:Nomatterwhereyouwillbesearching,orwhetheryouwillbeoperatingintheAllMetalModeorDiscriminateMode,makesurethe
detectorisproperlyGroundBalancedintheAllMetalModewithAutoTuneModefirst.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVITYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoAUTO
lMODEswitchsettoALLMETAL
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop
Next:
lTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolsetto10
Wait3to4secondsuntiltheAudioBatterytestiscomplete.
Raisethesearchcoilto6to8inchesabovetheground,levelandparalleltotheground.Whilelisteningtothethresholdsound,lowerthe
searchcoilquicklytothegroundlevelandlistentowhatthethresholdsounddoes.
Oneofthreethingswillhappentothesound:1)thesoundwillincrease,2)thesoundwillgosilent,or3)thesoundwillremainthesame.
WhichoneofthesehappenswilldeterminewhatyouneedtodotoproperlyGroundBalanceyourdetectorfortheareayouareat. 
1)Ifthethresholdsoundgetslouderwhenyoulowerthesearchcoil,itmeanstheGROUNDknobneedstogotheleft.
2)Ifthedetectorgoessilentandyoulosethethresholdsoundmomentarily,thenyouwillneedtoturntheGROUNDknobtotheright. 
3)Ifthereisnochangeinthethresholdsoundasyoulowerthesearchcoiltotheground,thenyoujusthappentoalreadyhavetheproper
groundbalanceandcanproceedtohunt.
StartoutusingslightturnsoftheGROUNDknob,thedistanceofthemovementbeingequivalenttoaboutonehouronaclockface.The
entireeffectiveareaofthiscontrolis3¾turnsfromminimumtomaximum,soifyoustartGroundBalancinginthemiddleoftheeffectiverangeit
willonlytakeabouttwocompleteturnsineitherdirectiontobeatoneendoftheeffectiverange.
NOTE:TherearethreeimportantthingstorememberwhenGroundBalancingwiththismethod. 
First,youareintheAutoTunemodeandonceyouhesitateatgroundlevelforasecondortwo,thedetectorwillretunethethreshold
automatically.Therefore,whenyoulowerthesearchcoiltowardtheground,youareonlylisteningfortheinitialchangeinvolume. 
Second,makeyouareGroundBalancinginacleanareaandnotloweringthesearchcoildownoverapieceofmetal. 
Third,whenyouraisethesearchcoilbesurethatyouDONOTtiltthesearchcoilatanangle.
Bycontinually"pumping"thesearchcoilfrom6to8inchesabovethegroundtogroundlevelandbackupintheairagainwhileturningthe
GROUNDknobintheappropriatedirection,youwillveryquicklyreachthepointwherethereistheabsoluteminimalchangeinthresholdsound
duringthepumping.Whenyouhavereachedthatpointyouare"GroundBalanced"andcanbeginsearchingthearea. 
NOTE:ChanginggroundmineralizationmaymakeoccasionalsmalladjustmentstotheGROUNDknobnecessarytomaintainpeak
performance.
Selectingtheproperoperatingmode
TheµMAXBandidoofferstwooperatingmodes,AllMetalModeandDiscriminateMode. 
TheDiscriminateModeis"SilentSearch"operatingmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillmakenosounduntilitencountersametaltarget.
Thismoderequiresthatthesearchcoilbemovingslightlyfortargetdetection.
TheAllMetalMode,however,isa"nomotion"operationmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillemitacontinuous"thresholdsound"untilit
encountersametaltargetatwhichtimethesoundwillnoticeablyincrease.Thismodedoesnotrequiremotionsothesearchcoilcanbeheldstill
fortargetdetectionifneeded.
TheAllMetalMode,asthenameimplies,willdetectalltypesofmetaltargets.Whenoperatinginthismodeyouwillfindunwanted"trash"
metalobjectssuchasnails,foil,pulltabs,etc.,justasyouwouldwithanyhighperformancedetector.TheAllMetalModeispreferredforhunting
relics,artifactsandotherobjectsthataremadeofnon preciousmetalsespeciallyiron.Thismodeisalsogoodforbeachhuntingwherethesand
allowseasydiggingandtimewastedondigginguptrashmetalobjectsisnotamajorconcern. 
TheAllMetalModemustbeusedforgoldnuggethunting,sincetheresponsetosmallgolditemsissoclosetoiron.Formostnuggethunting,
theAllMetalMode&AutoTuneModecombinationwillprovidethebestperformancealthoughsomespecialattentionforhotrocksmaybe
necessary(seeSelectinghepropertuningmode).
TheDiscriminateModewillallowyoutocontrolthedetector'sresponsetomostofthecommontrashmetalobjectsfoundinschoolyards,
parks,andbeaches.Discriminatemodeisgenerallyusedfor"coinshooting"suchareaswhereyouprefertoavoidwastingtimediggingup
commontrashmetal.TheDiscriminationLevelyouselectwilldeterminewhattypesofmetalyourdetectorwillignore.
Inmanyothermetaldetectors,theAllMetalModeoffersgreaterdepthupto30%overtheDiscriminationMode.Notsowiththe µMAX
detectors.ThenewµMAXcircuitrywithMAXBoostovercomesthiscommonproblemanddeliverssuperiorsensitivityandbetterdepthinboth
operatingmodes.
Selectingthepropertuningmode
TheAutoTuneMode(TUNEAUTO)ontheµMAXBandidoisafastautomatictuningthattakesjust2to3secondstoautomaticallyadjust
itself.TheAutoTunequicklyretunesthedetectortoitsestablishedthresholdfollowingatargetresponse.
AutoTuneModealsokeepsthedetector'ssignalfromdrifting.ThistuningmodeoffersmaximumstabilitywhilesearchinginAllMetalMode
andisrecommendforgoldnuggethunting.
TheNormalTuningMode(TUNENORM)willholdatarget'ssignalwithoutretuningforaslongasthesearchcoilisheldstationarydirectly
overthetarget.Somedriftmayoccurinthismode,butisquicklyremediedbymanuallyretuningusingtheMODEswitch(MODE RETUNE).For
precisepinpointing,identifyingtargetsize,linetracingandoresamplinginAllMetalMode,usetheNormalTuneMode. 
Fastautomatictuningcancausean"overshootsignal"on"hotrocks"thatis,amomentarysilenceasthesearchcoilsweepsoveranextremely
mineralizedrock,followedbyaloud"boing"soundwhenthesearchcoilpassesclearofit.Thissoundissodifferentfromagoodtargetresponse
sound,thatitiseasilyrecognized.(Theonlyproblemwithjustignoringthesesoundsovershootsignalsisthatasmallgoldnuggetmaybehiding
beneaththehotrock).Also,theAutoTuningModewillcausea“nulling”ofthethresholdsoundwhenthesearchcoilsweepsoveraverystrong
metaltarget.
SettingtheSensitivityLevel
Inlightlytomoderatelymineralizedground,youcanusuallysettheSENSITIVITYcontrolashighas8to10(normalmaximumsetting).Inthe
rightconditionsyoucanmovetheSENSITIVITYintotheMAXBoostareaforincreaseddepth.
ToadjusttheSensitivityLeveltoyoursearchconditions,firstsettheoperatingmodetoDISCandturntheSENSITIVITYcontrolclockwiseas
faraspossibleuntilthedetectorjustbeginsto"chirp"intermittently.Ifthechirpingistoofrequent,simplyturnthecontrolcounterclockwisejust
enoughtocausethechirpingtosubside.Onceset,thiscontrolshouldnotrequirereadjustingunlesssiteconditionschange. 
Occasionallyyoumayneedtoreducethesettingtoeliminate"falsesignals"causedbydifficultconditions.Someofthemanythingsthatcan
causetheresponseofthedetectortobecomeerraticduringregularuseareverylargetargets,highlymineralizedgroundontrashysites,intense
groundmineralizationchanges,CBradios,radioandTVbroadcastingantennas,andnearbysourcesofelectricalinterference.
Thesefalsesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsthatarenotrepeatableandtherefore,caneasilybedistinguishedfromagoodtarget
responsesound.Theycanbedistracting,though,andreducingtheSensitivitylevelwillhelpreducethesesignalswithanaccompanyinglossof
targetsensitivity.
ExtremeconditionssuchassaltwetsandmayrequireyoutoloweryourSensitivitysettingintothe2to5range.Overall,youshouldalwaysset
theSensitivitycontrolashighaspossible,whilestillgettingsmoothoperation. 
NOTE:ThenomotionAllMetalModeoftheµMAXBandidoisnotaffectedbytheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
SettingtheSensitivityLevelinMAXBoost
TheMAXBoostfeatureisahighgainboostoverandabovethenormalmaximumof10andindicatedbytheorangeareaonthe
SENSITIVITYcontrol.UsingMAXBoostwillcausenoharmtoyourdetectorbut,incertainconditionsitcanresultintheannoyingchirpingsounds
thatmaymakeitdifficulttohearagoodtargetresponsesound. 
InidealconditionsMAXBoostcanaddinchesofdepthtoyoursearchwithnochirping.Indifficultconditionstheextradepthwillstillbethere
butheavychirpingmaymakethefeaturetodifficulttouse.YoumustdeterminewhenandhowmuchoftheMAXboostfeaturetouseforyour
searchsiteconditions.
SettingtheDiscriminationLevel
TheDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedtrashmetalwhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode.Atthe
lowestsetting(MIN),thedetectorwillignoremostironobjects,butwillstillrespondtolightfoil,bottlecaps,pulltabsandmostothermetalobjects.
AstheDiscriminationLevelisincreased,moreofthesetrashmetalobjectsareignoredandgivenotargetresponsesoundwheninsidethe
searchcoil’srange.
TheDISCLEVELshouldbesettoyourdesired"rejectionlevel"fortheparticularareayouaresearching.Werecommendstartingatalow
settingifyouareunsureofhowmuchtrashisinthearea.Adjustthelevelhigherifyoufindyourselfdiggingmoretrashthenyoulike.Remember
thatwithanymetaldetector,youwilllosetargetresponsetosmallgoldringsandnickelswhendiscriminationissetatthepulltabrejectionlevel.
So,diggingsometrashwillincreaseyournumberofgoodfinds.
Thebelowdiagram"DISCLEVELDiscriminationLevelSettings"showsthesettingswheremanyofthecommonmetalobjectsareignored
byatypicaldetector.Eachdetectorcanvaryalittleduetomanufacturingtolerance soyoushouldexperimentwithyourdetectorandbecome
familiarwithitsrejectionlevelsforthesetrashmetalobjects.
Earliermotiondetectorsthatoperatedwithacontinuous"threshold"soundwouldgivetheuseradefiniteindicationoftrashmetalbyeither
"nulling"completely(nosoundmadetemporarily)orbygeneratingshort,choppysounds.SincetheµMAXBandido'sDiscriminateModeisSilent
Searchandoperateswithoutthresholdsound,thereisnonullingtoindicatethattheareaisextremelytrashy. 
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateModewerecommendthatyouperiodicallyswitchtoAllMetalModeandchecktheareayouare
searchingtogetanideaofhowmuchtrashisreallythere.Inextremelytrashyareasitmaybedesirabletoswitchtoasmallersearchcoil,even
thoughdoingsomaycausealossofdepth.Thesmallercoilwillallowyouabetterchanceoffindingcoinsbetweentheclosepiecesoftrash.

PerformingtheAudioBatteryTest
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformancefromit.
Thebatteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutesandthenperiodicallyifyouareusingitforlongperiods.
ToactivatetheAudioBatteryTest,simplyturnthedetectoroffmomentarilyandthenbackonagain.Ifthebatteryisfresh,thedetectorshould
emitacontinuousandloud"Beep"soundthatlastsforabout4or5seconds,andthenslowlyfadesintosilence.Asthebatteryages,thissoundis
lessintenseandfadesoutmorequickly.Whenyouhearonlyabrief"buzz"ornosoundatall,replacethebatterywithafreshone. 
Ifyouprefer,arechargeableNickelCadmium(NiCad)batterycanbesubstituteforthestandard9voltalkalinebattery.Individual9voltsize
NiCadcells,aswellasthechargersforthem,arereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores.Theyareinstalledintoyourdetectorinthe
samemannerasnonrechargeablebatteries.TheBatteryTestsoundonaNi Cadwillbeweakerthananalkalineinthebeginning,butwillnot
weakenasmuchwithuse.
ControllingAudioVolume
ThespeakerintheµMAXdoesnothaveavolumecontrol.Thevolumeshouldbesufficienttoaccuratelyhearthetargetresponsesoundin
mostenvironments.Ifmoreorlessvolumeisrequiredinyourparticularsituationwerecommendusingasetofgoodqualityheadphoneswitha
builtinvolumecontrol.
FIELDUSE
HandlingYourDetector
Thedetectorshouldbeheldinapositionthatiscomfortableforyouasshowninthe"AdjustingthePole&Searchcoil"sectionin"Getting
Started."Swingthedetectorfromsidetosideinaboutathreefootarc,overlappingsucceedingstrokeswell.Thismotioniscalleda “sweep.”The
µMAXBandidowasdesignedtogetmaximumdepthwithoutthefranticpacerequiredofearliermotiondetectors,sogoatapacethatis
comfortableforyou.Infact,tryingtohunttoofastmayevencausealossofdepthinheavilymineralizedlocations. 
Regardlessofwhichmodeyouareusing,trytokeepyoursearchcoilheightconstantandclosetotheground.Mostpeopletendtoraisethe
coilattheendofasweep—muchlikeapendulum—especiallyifinahurry.Trytoavoidthis,asanyincreaseinheightfromthegroundwillcause
acorrespondinglossofdepth.
Inareaswithwellkeptlawns,theeasiestwaytomaintainaconstantsearchcoilheightistoallowthecoiltorestonthegrassasyousweep
fromsidetoside.Inroughandrockyareas,itisbestnotto“scrub”thecoilontheground,astherockswillactlikeabrasivesandwearawaythecoil
bottom(anoptionalcoilscuffcoverwillprotectagainstthis).Sweepthecoilasclosetothegroundaspossiblewithouttouching.Hittingtheground
orrocksmaycauseafalsesignalmuchlikeadesiredtargetwould.Sweepingthecoiltoohighabovethegroundresultsinalossofdepth.
PlantingaTestGarden
Tobetterlearnhowyourdetectorwillperforminthefield,itwouldbehelpfultoburysomecoinsandtrashmetaljunkitemsinanareathat
youknowisclearofothermetalobjects,andthentrytheµMAXBandidoinitstwodifferentoperatingmodes.ChecktheareainAllMetalMode
firsttobesureitsclearoftrashthenburythetargetsatleast1footapart,andfrom2to4inchesdeeptostart.Makeamapoftheareatobesure
youknowwhateachtargetisandhowdeepitis.Practiceonthesetargetstofamiliarizeyourselfwithyourdetector’stargetresponse.Thiswillalso
helpyoulearnthepropersweepspeedforbestoperation.Thistypeofpracticeareaisoftencalleda“testgarden”or“testbed”andisoneofbest
toolstohelpyoudevelopyourmetaldetectingskills.
RecognizingFalseSignalsinDiscriminateMode
WhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode,some“falsesignals”maybecausedby1)heavyconcentrationsoftrashmetalobjects,2)verylarge
trashmetalobjects,or3)electricalinterference.Thesesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsandsounddifferentthan “goodsignals”(good
targetresponsesounds).
Attheendofyoursweep,asyouthereversethecoildirection,thedetectorismostsusceptibletotrashinducednoise.Therearetwowaysto
tellwhetherthesesoundsaregooddeepsignalsortrash“noise.”Thefirstisbyrepeatability.Trashinducednoiseswillnotberegularasyousweep
thecoiloverthesuspectedtargetseveraltimes,whereasagoodtargetresponsewillberepeatable.ThesecondmethodistoswitchtoAllMetal
Modeandcheckthetargetresponsesound.Iftheresponseisweak,itmaywellbeadeep,goodtarget;butiftheresponseisverystrong,itis
probablytrash.Notethatacoinclosetothesurfacecangiveadoublebeepsound,butitisregularandrepeatable.Raisingthecoilaninchortwo
willrestorethesinglebeeponsurfacetargets.
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateMode,itisbestnottouseahigherDISCLEVELsettingthannecessary.Nickelsandmostsmallerringsare
rejectedwhentheDISCLEVELissettorejectpulltabsonanymetaldetectorthatisaTRDiscriminatorliketheµMAXBandido.Ifyoudon’tdig
anyjunkatall,youaresurelypassingupalotofgoodfindsaswell.SettheDISCLEVELonlyhighenoughtosuittheconditionswhereyouare
searching.Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,digit.
PinpointingaTarget
Whenpinpointingatarget,theAllMetalMode/NormalTuningModecanofferadvantagesoverDiscriminateMode,suchasnofalsesignals
andnoneedtomovethesearchcoiltogetatargetresponse.
AgoodmethodforpinpointinginAllMetalmodeis“Xing”thetargetwiththesearchcoil.Rememberthatthetargetsresponsesoundisalways
greatestwhenthetargetisdirectlyunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.To “X”atarget,sweepthesearchcoiloverthetargetfromsidetosideand
themfromfronttobackuntilyoucanidentifythecenteroftheX:thespotonthegroundwherethetargetresponsesoundisthegreatest.Holdyour
searchcoilstationaryoverthecenteroftheXandhittheRETUNEswitch.NowrepeattheX ing;thistimewatchingfortheexactspot—underthe
coilcenter—wherethedetectorbeeps.Thatspotiswherethetargetislocated. 
PinpointingatargetinDiscriminateModeisprobablybestdoneby“Xing”aswell.Rememberthatthedetectorwillbeepjustasthetarget
passesunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.SlowingthesweepspeeddownwillhelpyoupickoutthecenteroftheXbecausethetargetresponseis
reducedatveryslowspeedsmakingiteasiertocorrelatethesoundwiththecoilcenter. 
Anothereasymethodistosweepthecoilfromsidetosideacrossthetargetinveryshortsweeps,asyouslowlymoveforwardandbackward
acrossthetarget.Slowdownthesweeprateandshortenthesweepsuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Thetargetwillbedirectly
belowthecoilcenteratthisresponsetime.
AnothermethodofpinpointinginDiscriminateModeistoquicklychangetoAllMetalModetocheckthetargetresponse.RememberthatAll
MetalModeisnotsusceptibletothefalsesignalsofDiscriminateModeandcansometimesgiveaclearerandmoreconsistentresponsetodifficult
targetssuchasadimeburiednexttoapulltab.ByswitchingbackandforthbetweenmodesandcomparingthetargetresponsesoundinAllMetal
tothetargetresponsesoundinDiscriminateyoucanoftenbetteridentifythelikelylocationofthetarget.
Finally,raisingthesearchcoilduringpinpointingcanalsohelpbynarrowingtheresponsetothetarget.Practicepinpointingoften,andyou
willsoonbecomemoreaccurateandfaster.
RecoveringaTarget
Ifthetargetisshallowandthesoilissoft,youmaybeableto“probe”andfindtheexactlocationofthetargetbeforeyoudigit.Sincefilling
allholesafteryourecoverthetargetissoimportant,diggingasmallpreciseholeisbest.Ifthetargetisdeep,youmayneedtodigalargerhole.
Asyoudig,occasionallychecktheholewithyourdetectortoseeifyouhavemovedtheobject,canprobeit,orhavealreadydugit.Besuretofill
allholesafteryourecoverthetarget.Twomethodsareshownonthenexttwopagesthatworkmosteverywhere.
Besuretoprotectyourhobbybyleavingthesitecleanerthanyoufounditandwithallholesfilled!
RECOMMENDEDRECOVERYMETHODS
GENERALINFORMATIONCAREANDUSE
BasicCare
TheµMAXBandidoisasturdyinstrumentbutitisnotdesignedtowithstandabuse.IncaringforyourµMAXBandidothereareseveral
important“DONOTs”toremember.DONOTuseittopryrockslooseortobeatbushesoutoftheway.DONOTdropthemachineintowater.DO
NOTuseitunprotectedintherain.DONOTleaveitexposedatnightwheredewcouldformonit.DONOTstoreitinplacesthatcouldget
extremelyhot(nexttoawoodstove,inanattic).DONOTleaveitinthetrunkofacarorinthebackofahatchbackstylecarwherehigh
temperaturescouldbuildup.DONOTstoreitwiththebatteryinstalledasbatteriesmayleak.DONOTspraylubricantssuchasWD40,oranytype
ofcleaners,solvents,sealantsorotherchemicalsintoorontotheelectronicparts,switchesorcontrols.Andfinally:DONOTattempttomodifyor
repairthedetector’selectronicsasthiswillvoidyourdetector'swarranty. 
THEWARRANTYDOESNOTCOVERDAMAGERESULTINGFROMANACCIDENT,NEGLECTORABUSE.
ProtectingYourInvestment
Somanydetectoristsaredisappointedwhentheirnewdetectorslowlybecomeslessandlessresponsiveandseemstohavelostsomeofits
originalperformance.Youcanhelpavoidthisfromhappeningtoyourdetectorbyfollowingthesebasiccareandprotectionguidelines.
lOperateyourdetectorexactlyasrecommendedinthisOperatorInstructionManual.
lUseonlyhighqualityalkalinebatteriesofthecorrectvoltage.Neversubstituteadifferentvoltage.WhenusingaNi Cadbattery,always
useaseparateconvertiblepackwiththepropervoltageoutputforthedetector ’sdesign.
lRemovethebatteryfromthedetectoraftereachuse.Thiswillpreventdamagetothedetectorifthebatteryleaks.
lThesearchcoilcableishardwiredtothesearchcoilandprotectedbyastrainrelief.Inspectthestrainrelieffrequentlytomakesureitis
firmlyattachedandintact.
lKeepcablesproperlywoundaroundthepolestemsandprotectthemduringuse.Floppy,pinched,orcablesthatbecomesnagged
duringusemayshort,causingerraticnoisesorunnecessaryreplacementofthesearchcoil.
lSweepthesearchcoilcarefully,especiallywhenusingaroundrocksandbuildingfoundations.Avoidhittingthesearchcoilagainsthard,
solidobjectsandsurfaces.
lKeepyoursearchcoilslightlyoffofthegroundduringthesweep,especiallywhenusingingravelorhard,rockydirt.
lAlwaysuseaproperlydesignedprotectivescuffcoveronthesearchcoil.(See"OptionalAccessories"inthenextsection.) 
lRemoveandcleanoutscuffcoversperiodicallytoavoidbuildupofmineralizeddirtparticleswhichwillaffectperformance.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofandcanbesubmergedineitherfreshorsaltwater.Afterthesearchcoilisusedinsaltwater,rinseitandthe
lowerstemassemblywellwithfreshwatertopreventcorrosionofthemetalparts.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofbuttheelectronicsarenot,soalwayspreventanymoistureorwaterfromenteringthecontrolhousingand
neverallowthecableconnectorstobecomesubmergedinwater.
lIfworkinginornearwater,orifthereisapossibilityofrain,useaprotectiveweatherresistantpouchorplasticbagtocoverthecontrol
housing.Makesureitcan"breathe"inordertoensureagainstcondensationbuildupinside.
lAftereachuse,cleanthedetectorwithasoftclothtoremovedust,moisture,orothercontaminants.
lWhentransportingthedetectorinacarduringhotweather,storeitonthefloorofthepassengercompartmentifpossible.Usingacarry
baggivesadditionalprotection.Inanycase,neverallowthedetectortorollaroundunprotectedinthetrunkorbackofapickuptruck.
lProtectyourdetectorfromdust,moisture,andextremetemperaturesduringstorage.
lWhenshipping,usetheoriginalfactorycartonorsimilarheavydutycontainerandprovideaminimumoneinchofpaddingaroundall
parts.
lTreatyourdetectorasyouwouldanysensitiveelectronicinstrument.Thoughruggedlyconstructedanddesignedtowithstandthe
demandsofnormaltreasurehunting,propercareisessential.
OPTIONALACCESSORIES
TesoroMetalDetectorsandgenuineTesoroAccessoriesaresoldonlythroughindependentTesoroAuthorizedDealers,whoarealmostalways
metaldetectoriststhemselves.TheycanansweryourquestionsaboutyourTesorodetector,whataccessoriesmaybehelpfulandaboutmetal
detectingingeneral.
SeeyourTesoroAuthorizedDealerformoreinformationandpricesonoptionalaccessories.
ScuffCovers
Wehighlyrecommendusingascuffcovertoprotectyoursearchcoilatalltimes.Thescuffcoverforthe µMAXBandidofittedwiththe8"
searchcoilisTesoroPart#SCUFF8RB.
Searchcoils
The8"concentricsearchcoilprovidedwiththeµMAXBandidoisdesignedforbestallaroundperformance.Optionalsearchcoilsmayaddto
yourdetector'sperformance.
Smallersearchcoilsgivebetter“targetseparation”thatis,moredistincttargetresponseformetalobjectsburiedcloselytogetherwhichis
veryusefulwhenhuntingtrashysites.Verysmallsearchcoilscandeliverthebestresponseanddepthtosmalltargetssuchasfinegoldchainswith
somesacrificeindepthonlargerobjects.Largersearchcoilsgiveawidersweep,coveringmoreground,greaterdepthespeciallyonlargerobjects;
however,theymaynotdetectsomeverysmallobjectsuchashalfdimesandwillhavedifficultyinverytrashyareas. 
Widescansearchcoilsignoregroundmineralizationbetterthanconcentricsearchcoilsandmayofferimprovedperformanceinextreme
groundconditions.
Selectingtherightoptionalsearchcoildependsonfactorssuchaswhatyouaresearchingforandsearchsiteconditions.Noonesearchcoilis
betterthanalltherest.SeveraloptionalinterchangeablesearchcoilsareavailablefortheµMAX.Theyarealleasytomountandrequireno
specialtools.SeethenextpageforalistofthesesearchcoilswiththeTesoropart#anddescription.
TesoroSearchcoils
OptionalscuffcoversarealsoavailableforanyTesorosearchcoil. 
Headphones
Mostmetaldetectoristsprefertouseheadphonesinsteadofthedetector'sbuiltinspeaker.Headphoneshelpblockoutbackgroundnoise(such
aswind)andmakeiteasiertohearfaintsignals.Headphoneswithabuiltinvolumecontrolwillallowyoutoadjustthesoundvolumetoyour
preference.
SPECIFICATIONS
µMAXBANDIDOFEATURES
lHighGainSensitivityCircuitry—designedspecificallytodelivergreaterdepth,sensitivityandstability. 
lMAXBoostFeature—extrapowerofsuperhighgaincanaddinchestodiscriminationsearchdepthinidealconditions.
lHighsensitivitySearchcoil—a8inchopencenterconcentricforbroadsweep,goodpinpointinganddeepgroundpenetration.
lUltralightWeight—searchlongerwithoutfatigue.
l3pieceKnockdownPole—compactforstorageandtravel.
lTurnonandgomakesstoringandtravelingconvenient.
lTwoOperatingModes—motionbasedAllMetalandDiscriminate.
lEasytoOperatejusttwosimplecontrolsatyourfingertips.
lEconomicalUse—upto20hoursplusonasinglebattery.
lTesoroLifetimeWarranty—ourpledgeofqualitytoyou.
Whatitdoesn'thave.
Abig,heavy,highpoweredspeaker.Loud,heavyspeakersarepopularwithmanymanufacturers.The"fuller"soundtheyproducegivesthe
illusionofgreatersensitivitytosmallanddeeptargets—agreatshowroomsalestool!Mostseriousdetectorists,however,huntwithheadphonesand
aµMAXwilldrivestandardheadphoneswell.Ifyouchoosenottouseheadphones,theµMAXspeakerwillbeloudenoughformostenvironments.
Itwillallowyoutohearthesmallanddeeptargetsfoundbythe µMAX'shighpowercircuitry—withoutexcessivebatterydrain.
Ahipmount,armstraporbatteryrechargingsystem.Thesekindsof"builtinaccessories”aresimplyunnecessaryinaµMAXdetector.
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µMAXBandido
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.
ThepowerandfeaturesoftheTesoroµMAXBandidomakeitidealfortheserious
detectoristwhowantstopofthelineperformanceandversatilityinalightweight,lowcost
detector.Itisalsoanidealdetectorforabeginnerwhowantsamachinetheywillnever
outgrow.
WARRANTYSERVICE
YourTesorometaldetectoriscoveredbyaLimitedLifetimeWarranty,thetermsofwhich
arelistedbelow.Ifyourmetaldetectorshouldrequireservice,youmayreturnittotheTesoro
factoryattheaddressbelow.
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.
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. 
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.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
TesoroPart# Description
COIL4RC 4"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RC 7"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL8RCWB 8"roundconcentricweighted(opencenter,brown)
COIL10.5RC 10½"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RW 7"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
COIL11RW 11"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
OperatingFrequency 12kHz
SearchcoilType Round,opencenterconcentric
SearchcoilSize 8"diameter
CableLength Approx.3’
AudioFrequency Approx.300Hz
AudioOutput 1½”speakerandheadphonejack
HeadphoneCompatibility ¼”stereoplug
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 2.2lbs.
BatteryRequirement One9voltDC(alkaline)
BatteryLife(typical) 10to20hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OptimumHumidity 0to75%R.H.
OperatingModes
SilentSearchAllMetal
SilentSearchDiscriminate
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µMAXBANDIDOOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL
CONGRATULATIONS!
YournewTesoroµMAXBandidoMetalDetectorispartofanewseriesofdetectorsdesignedtoprovideyouwithmany
happyhoursofenjoymentinthemostrewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingand
excitingexperiencesasyoustepintothepast–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations–or,asyoutakepleasurein
thegreatoutdoorswithfamilyandfriendssearchingforpreciousmetals.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,
andallofusatTesorowishyouthebestofsuccess.
YourTesoroµMAXdetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinawiderangeoftreasurehuntingsituations.Aswithany
othermetaldetector,familiaritywiththisinstrumentisprobablythelimitingfactorindetermininghowsuccessfulyoucanbe.I
recommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullyhowtooperatethisdetectorbeforeattemptingtouseitinthefield.
Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.
TheµMAXBandidoisaprecisionelectronicinstrumentthatwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatitrightandit
won'tletyoudown.
GoodHunting!JackGifford
INTRODUCTION
Tobesuccessfulintreasurehuntingwithadetectoryoumust:
lUseahighperformancemetaldetectordesignedforthetypeoftreasurehuntingyouwillbedoing.
lLearnhowtouseyourmetaldetectorproperly.
lSearchwherethereisburiedtreasuretobefound.
lBepersistent.
TheµMAXBandidoisatrueallpurposedetector.Itwasdesignedfortopperformanceinthewidestrangeofdetectingusespossible.Itis
sensitivetosmallgoldparticles,itispowerfulenoughtorelicandcachehuntwith,itisplentyfastenoughforcompetitionhuntinganditisgreat
forcoinhunting.Yet,evenwithitsamazingpower,itisstilleasytouse.
ThisOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUALisdesignedtohelpyoulearntooperatethedetectorproperlyformaximumperformanceinvarious
searchconditions.CompleteinstructionsonhowtooperatetheµMAXBandidoarefoundinthetwomainsections:GETTINGSTARTEDand
OPERATINGTECHNIQUES.
Ifyouarenewtometaldetecting,wehighlyrecommendreadingandfollowingtheentireGETTINGSTARTEDsectiontodevelopthe"feel"
ofyourdetector.Then,studyandpracticetheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESsection–especiallyGroundBalancing–togetthebestperformance
fromyourdetector.
Ifyouarenewtotreasurehuntingwithmetaldetectors,keepinmindthatiftherearenovaluablemetalobjectsburiedwhereyouare
searching,itwon'tmatterhowgoodyourmetaldetectorisorhowskilledandpersistentyouare.Tolearnmoreaboutwheretosearchforvaluable
buriedmetalscheckwithyourmetaldetectordealerorbooksellerformagazinesandbooksontreasurehunting.
GENERALDESCRIPTION
TheµMAXBandidoisoneofthefirstofitskind:anultralightweight,compactdetectorthatpacksthepowerandperformanceofthebestfull
size,heavierdetectors.Byutilizingstateoftheartcircuitry,Tesorohascreatedanamazinglyversatileandpowerful,easytooperatedetectorthat's
perfectforalltypesofdetecting,andfortravel.
TheµMAXBandidoisaTransmitterReceiver(TR)typeofdetectorthatoperatesintheVeryLowFrequency(VLF)portionoftheRadio
Frequency(RF)spectrum.TheµMAXBandidousesonlythreecontrolknobsandtwotoggleswitchestoprovidefullVLFcapabilities. 
TheperformanceoftheµMAXBandidowillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorists,whetherexperiencedornovice.Atthecentre
oftheµMAXBandidoisaspecialHybridcircuitboarddevelopedfromSurfaceMountTechnologythatincorporatesTesoro'sprovenHighGain
SensitivityCircuitry.Thiscircuitboardhelpsprovidegreaterdepthsandmoresensitivitytosmaller,lessconductivemetalobjectsor"targets"such
asfinegoldjewelry.
TheµMAXBandidohasfeaturesthatmakeitspowereasytouse.Throughsimpleandfastoperatoradjusted"groundbalancing,"theground
rejectioncircuitrywillallowoperationineventhemostdifficultgroundmineralizationconditions.Twooperatingmodesandtwotuningmodes
addtotheversatilityofthedetector'soperation.TheDiscriminateModeisSilentSearch,meaningthesearchcoilmustbemovingtodetecta
target.TheAllMetalModeisnomotion,meaningthesearchcoilwilldetectatargetlocateddirectlyunderit,evenwhenthesearchcoilisnot
moving.AutoTune,theautomatictuningmode,isfastandretunesthedetectorinsecondsafterencounteringatarget.NormalTunegivesthe
operatortotalcontrolofretuningatthetouchofaswitch.
TheelectronicminiaturizationofSurfaceMountTechnologypermitsthecomplex,powerfulcircuitryoftheµMAXdetectorstofitintoavery
smallspace.Theresultisadetectorthatissoincrediblylightthereisnoneedtobodymountthecontrolhousing.Thisexclusivedesignfeature
addstotheµMAXBandido'seaseofuseandmakesthoselongersearchesmoreenjoyable. 
TheµMAXBandidocomeswithan8"roundconcentricsearchcoilforbestallaroundperformancewithgooddepth.Avarietyofoptional
Tesorosearchcoilsarealsoavailableandwillenhancethedetector'sperformanceundervariousconditions(seeOPTIONALACCESSORIES).
GETTINGSTARTEDUNPACKINGTHEBOX
YourµMAXBandidowasshippedwiththeseparts:
1UpperPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingupperpolestemwithhandlegrip,paddedarmbracketandcontrolhousing.
1LowerPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingmiddlepolestemwithknurlednut,lowerpolestem,andnylonpoletipcompletewithtwothickfriction
washers,mountingscrew,lockwasherandthumbnut.
18"round,concentricsearchcoilwith3'cable
19VoltAlkalineBattery
1Extrasetoftwothinfrictionwashers
1OperatorInstructionManual
1TesoroWarrantyCard
Ifanyoftheseitemsaremissing,contacttheTesoroAuthorizedDealerwhereyoupurchasedyourdetectorimmediately.
AssemblyoftheµMAXBandidoissimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.JustInstallthebattery,mountthesearchcoilonthelowerpole
assembly,connectthetwopoleassembliestogether,wraptheexcesscablearoundthepoleandplugthecableintothecontrolhousing.Finally,
adjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangleandyou'reready!
INSTALLTHEBATTERY
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformance.The
batteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutes,andthenperiodicallywhenusedforlongdurations.Formore
detailedinformationgotoPerformingtheAudioBatteryTestunderTUNINGYOURDETECTOR. 
Toinstallorreplacethebattery,firstmakesuretheSENSITIVITYcontrolissettoPOWOFFturnedcompletelycounterclockwisepastthe
"click".Removethebatterydoorfromthebackofthecontrolhousing.Dothisbypressingyourthumbfirmlyonthelouveredsquare atthebottom
ofthebatterydoorandslidingthebatterydoorupward(inthedirectionofthearrow)whilepushing.
Connectafreshsingle9voltalkalinebatterytothebatteryleadterminals.Makecertainthepolaritysnapstofitproperly.Apoorconnection
maycausethedetectortoacterraticallyorfailtooperatecompletely.
Placethebatteryintothebatterycompartmentwithoutpullingorstretchingthebatteryleadwires.Replacethebatterydoorbyslidingitinto
placemakingsuretheuppermountslotsareinlineandthelocktongueissnappedintoplace.
ASSEMBLINGYOURDETECTOR
1. Onthelowerpoleassembly,graspthepoletipfirmlyinonehand.Withtheotherhand,fullydepressthetwospringbuttonsonthe
oppositeendoftheassembly.
2. Pullthemiddlestemoutfarenoughforthespringbuttonstoclickintothefirstsetoftheadjustmentholeslockingtheassemblyinto
placeagain.
3. Removethemountingscrewandthumbnutfromtheblacknylonpoletip.
4. Insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsandthesearchcoilandaligntheholesofthepoletipandwasherswiththoseofthe
mountingears.
Note:thepoletipshouldfitverysnuglyintothemountingears,however,itmaybenecessarytousethethinfrictionwashersinstead.
5. Insertthemountingscrewthroughtheholesinthemountingearsandpoletipenteringfromthesideoppositethecableconnection.
6. Installthethumbnutonthemountingscrewandtightenbyhand.
Note:Donotovertightenthethumbnut.Itshouldbesnug,butnottoodifficulttoloosenup. 
7. Ontheupperpoleassembly,depressthetwospringbuttonsandslidetheupperassemblyintothelowerpoleassemblyuntilthespring
buttonsclickintotheholeslockingthetwoassembliesintoplace.Tightentheknurlednuttosecurethetwoassembliestogether.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto “see”thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
8. Wrapthecablearoundthepoleleavingenoughslacknearthesearchcoiltopermitsearchcoiladjustment.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto"see"thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
9. Plugthemalecableendintothefemaleconnectoronthecontrolhousingandtightenthecablethumbnut.Youarefinished! 
Note:Youwillwanttoadjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangletoyourpreference.
ADJUSTINGTHEPOLE&SEARCHCOIL
Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedsothatthedetectordoesnotbecomeuncomfortableortiringafter
longperiodsofuse.Thedetectorgripshouldrestinyourhandwithyourarmrelaxed,yourelbowstraightbut
notlocked,withthepoleextendingoutinfrontofyouattheapproximateangleshowninthephoto. 
Youshouldbeabletoswingthedetectorbackandforthinfrontofyou—usingrelaxedshoulder
movement—whilekeepingthesearchcoilasclosetothegroundaspossible.Thisswingingmovementisoften
calleda“sweep.”
Thesearchcoilshouldnottouchthegroundduringyoursweep.Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedto
allowthiswithouthavingtoliftthedetectorwithyourelboworshoulder.Thesearchcoilshouldrestaboutone
inchabovethegroundwhileyouarestandingerect.Theangleofthesearchcoilshouldallowthebottomto
beparalleltotheground.
Thepolelengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthepoleuntil
thespringbuttonsclickintothesetofholesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablepolelength.
Toadjustthesearchcoilangle,simplyloosenthesearchcoilthumbnutslightlyandmovethesearchcoil
intothedesiredposition.Tightenthesearchcoilthumbnutbyhandsothatthesearchcoilwillholdinplace.
QUICKSTARTSELFGUIDEDTUTORIAL
TheQuickStartisdesignedtohelpyouuseyournewµMAXBandidometaldetectorrightaway,evenif
youhaveneverusedametaldetectorbefore.Justfolloweacheasystepcarefullyandyou'llquicklyseehowthebasicdetectorfunctionswork.
You'llalsobeintroducedtosomeimportantconceptsontheway.
Here'swhatyouwillneed:
1. YourfullyassembledµMAXBandidometaldetector
2. Threenewercoins:apenny*,anickelandaquarter
3. Anonmetaltableorcountersurface
4. Approximately20minutestocompletetheQuickStart
*mustbe1984ornewermadeofzinc
Here’swhatyouwilldo:
1. PerformanAudioBatteryTest
2. AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
3. PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
4. PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
PreparefortheQuickstart
PlaceyourassembledµMAXBandidoonthenonmetalsurface.Makesuretherearenometalobjectsnearthecoil.Removeanyjewelryfrom
yourhandsandwrists.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVTYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoNORM
lMODEswithsettoDISC
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange:
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop.
TheGROUNDcontrolshouldbeleftatthissettingfortheentireQuickStart. 
Step1PerformanAudioBatteryTest
lTurntheSENSIIVITYcontrolfromPOWOFFto1
Youwillhearthebatterytesttoneforafewsecondsasthebatteryisautomaticallytested.Whenthetonestopsthedetectorisonthecontrols
arereadyforadjusting.
FunctionDemonstrated:Howthebatterytesttonewilltellyouthebatteryisworkingeachtimethedetectoristurnedon. 
NOTE:YoushouldalwaysperformtheAudioBatteryTestwithModeSwitchsettoDISC. 
Step2AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
nTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolfrom1to8
Thisisagoodsettingtobeginwitheachtimeyouuseyourdetector.LeavethecontrolatthissettingfortherestoftheQuickStart.
FunctionDemonstrated:WheretosettheSENSITIVITYcontrolforbasicoperation. 
Step3PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
IdentifytheThresholdSound
IdentifyTargetResponse
RetunetheThreshold
lFliptheMODEswitchtoALLMETAL
Listentothecontinuous,fairlyeventone.Thisiscalledthe"thresholdsound".Youwillhearthethresholdsoundonlywhenoperatingthe
detectorinAllMetalMode.
Holdthequarterinyourfingertipsandmovethequarterfromsidetosideabout12inchesfromthefrontofthesearchcoil. 
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitfromsidetoside  untilyouhearthethresholdsound
increase.Thisincreaseinvolumeiscalledthe"targetresponsesound". 
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoldstillandthenmovingitslightly.Trypassingitinfrontoftheedgeofthesearchcoilandthenunder
thecenter.Noticethedifferencesinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange.
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary,sometimessubtly.
Yourdetectorwillrespondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalwhentheobjectisinthesearchcoil'ssensitivityareaor"range".Operatingyour
detectorinthiswayiscalleda"nomotionAllMetalModewithNormalTune".
Retuningthethreshold
Holdthequarterstillabout2to4inchesfromthesearchcoil,inlinewiththesearchcoilcenter.Listentothetargetresponsesoundfor1or2
seconds.Donotmovethequarter!
lFliptheMODEswitchtoRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticethatthetargetresponsesoundwilldecreasetotheregularlevelofthethresholdsound.Now,slowlymovethequarterfromsidetoside,
goingpasttheedgeofthesearchcoil.Noticetheregularthresholdsoundisgoneandthetargetresponsesoundisnowa"beep"thatoccurswhen
thetargetpassesinfrontofthesearchcoilcenter.Thistechniqueisusedto"pinpoint"theexactlocationofanobject. 
Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoil.
lFliptheMODEswitchtoeRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticetheregularthresholdreturns.Movethequarterclosetothesearchcoilandnoticetheloudcontinuoustargetresponsesoundhas
returned.Takethequarterawayagain.
lFliptheTUNEswitchtoAUTO
Holdthequarterstillnearthesearchcoilforafewsecondandnoticethedetectorautomaticallyretunesitself.Then,trymovingthecoinfrom
sidetosideandnoticethetargetresponsesoundisa"beep".Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoilforafewsecondsandtryitagain.Now,try
thistestwiththedifferentcoinsusingbothtuningmethodsandlistforthedifferencesinthesounds. 
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)HowtheAllMetalModetargetresponsesoundwillvarydependingonthevariousfactorssuchaswhattypeof
metaltargetsareburiedintheground,howdeeptheyare,howfastyoumoveyoursearchcoilandsoon.2)Howthedetector'sthresholdcanreturn
manuallyinNormalTuneorautomaticallyinAutoTuneandhowthiseffectsthetargetresponsesound.
Step4PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
IdentifytheTargetResponse
UseDiscrimination
lFliptheMODEswitchtoDISC
lLeavetheDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
NOTE:InDiscriminateMode,youwillnothearthecontinuousthresholdsoundoftheAllMetalMode,soreturningisnotneeded.
Holdthequarterinyourhandandmovethequarterbackandforthabout12inchesinfrontofthesearchcoilbottom.
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitbackandforthuntilyouheara"beep".Thisbeepthetarget
responsesound.
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoinstillthenmovingitslightly.Noticethedifferenceinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange. 
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary.Yourdetectorcan
respondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalifthereismovementbetweentheobjectandthedetector.Operatingyourdetectorinthiswayis
calleda"SilentSearch".
lTurntheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMINtoMAX
Passthequarterbackandforthinfrontofandclosetothesearchcoilbottom.Noticethesoundasthecoinnearsthecenterofthesearchcoil.
Now,trythiswiththenickelandthenthezincpenny.Noticethereisnosoundwiththesetwocoins.Theabilityofametaldetectortoignore
certaintypesofmetalthatitencountersiscalled"discrimination".Usingyourdetectorinthiswayiscalleda"SilentSearchDiscriminateMode". 
Controlsettingstoignoremostzincandnickelobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVELMAX
lMovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMAXto7
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthecoil.Noticethequarterandthezincpennynowcauseatargetresponsesound. 
Controlsettingstoignoremostnickelcanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL7
lNowmovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfrom7to4
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthesearchcoil.Noticeallthreecoinsnowcauseatargetresponsesound.
ControlsettingstoincludenewerUScoinswhileexcludingmostironobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL4
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)ThemotionbasedoperationandtargetresponsesoundofSilentSearchDiscriminateMode.2)Howthe
DiscriminateModecanbeusedtohelpdeterminethetypesofmetalatargetmaybe.ByadjustingtheDISCLEVELcontrolyoucanselectwhat
metalsyourdetectorwillignore.
Conclusion
Welldone!YouhavefinishedtheQuickStartGuideandhaveoperatedmanyofthebasicdetectingfeaturesofthe µMAXBandido.Youhave
alsobeenintroducedtotheideasof:1)"targetresponsesound",2)"thresholdsound",3)"returningthethreshold",4)"targetdiscrimination"and5)
"targetpinpointing".
Nowyouarealmostreadytobeginthejourneyintotheartofmetaldetectingbyactuallyusingyourdetectortofindburiedmetal.Butfirsta
wordaboutairtests.
TheairtestsintheQuickStartareoflimitedvalue.Metaldetectorsperformdifferentlyinairteststhanwheninactualuse"inthefield".Tesoro
detectorsarespecificallydesignedtodeliverthebestperformanceinthefield.
TheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESandTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionswillgiveyoumoredetailedinformationonhowtosetyour
detector'scontrols,especiallyselectingatuningmodeandusingdiscrimination,forthebestresults. 
BeforeyouuseyourµMAXBandidointhefieldyouneedtolearnhowtooperateonemorefeatures:theGROUNDcontrol.Usingthe
GROUNDcontroltoproperly"GroundBalance"yourµMAXBandidowillallowyoutotapintoitsfullpowerandperformancecapabilitiesandis
perhapsthemostimportantfeaturetomaster.TheGroundBalancesectionwillexplainstepbystephowtousethisfeature.
Finally,theonlywayyoucanbecometrulyproficientatusingyourdetectortofindburiedtreasureistouseitinthefieldandlearnfrom
experience!However,westronglysuggestthatyoureadthisentiremanualtobecomeproficientwithallofthefeaturesasyoucontinuetouseyour
detector.
Youhavethefinesttoolavailable,nowallyouneedistheskillthatcomesfromexperience.
TOTURNYOURDETECTOROFF:
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTOPOWOFF
Counterclockwisepastthe"click".
TOTURNYOURDETECTORON:
lMAKESURETHEMODESWITCHISSETTODISC
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTO1
Clockwisepastthe"click".
OPERATINGTECHNIQUESCONTROLS
TheµMAXBandidohasonlyfivecontrols,allmountedonthefrontpanelofthehousingforfingertipadjustment.Howthesecontrolsshould
besetforpeakperformancewilldependonthetypeofmetalyouaresearchingfor,searchsiteconditions,mineralcontentofthesoilandsoforth.
UsetheinformationinthissectionandtheTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionasabasisforsettingthecontrolsonyourdetector.Usingyour
detectorinthefieldwillallowyoutolearnthedetector'sresponsestovariousconditionsandwillguideyouinfinetuningthedetector'soperating
controls.
SENSITIVITYON/OFFSensitivityControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasthreefunctions:
lTurnsthedetectorONandOFF
lActivatestheautomaticAudioBatteryTest
lAdjuststheSensitivityLevel
NOTE:Thedetectorshouldalwaysbeturnedoffwhennotinuse. 
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwisepasttheinitial"click"turnsthedetectoronandactivestheautomaticAudioBatteryTestcircuit.This
testwillgiveyouasound,usuallylastingseveralseconds,thatindicatesthebattery'scondition.WhentheAudioBatteryTestisover,thedetector ’s
SensitivityLevelcanbeadjusted.
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector'sSensitivityLevel.Thelevelfrom1upto10isthenormalrange.Thisrange
correspondswiththenormalSensitivityonstandarddetector's.TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobpast10intotheorangeareaputstheSensitivity
intotheMAXBoostrangefoundonlytheµMAXdetectors.
NOTE:ItisbesttoturnthedetectoroninDiscriminateMode.SincetheDiscriminateModeisasilentmodewithnocontinuousthreshold
sound,itwillbeobviouswhentheAudioBatteryTestiscomplete.
IfyouturnthedetectoroninAllMetalModetheAudioBatteryTestsoundwillbeimmediatelyfollowedbythethresholdsound.Thismay
makeitdifficulttohearthebatterytestendanddiscernthebatterycondition.
Also,theSensitivityLevelisbestsetwhileintheDiscriminateMode.AftertheAudioBatterTestisoverandtheSensitivityLevelisproperly
set,youmaychangetheoperatingmodetoAllMetalwithoutdifficulty.
DISTLEVELDiscriminationLevelControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheDiscriminationLevel.
OncethedetectorisintheDiscriminateMode,theDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sDiscriminationLevel.TurningtheDISC
LEVELknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector ’sDiscriminationLevelandviceversa.
NOTE:WhenthedetectorisoperatingintheAllMetalModetheDISCLEVELcontrolisnotused. 
TUNETuningModeSelectionSwitch
Thistoggleswitchhasonefunction:
lSetstheTuningMode:NormalorAuto
Thistogglehastopositions:TotherightlabeledAUTOitlocksinplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoAutomatic.Totheleft 
labeledNORMthelockstheplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoNormal.NOTE:ThetuningModeisusedonlywhenoperatingintheAll
MetalMode.
MODEModeSelection/RetuneSwitch
Thecombinationtoggleswitchhastwofunctions.
lSetstheoperatingmode:AllMetalorDiscriminate
lRetunesthethresholdinAllMetalMode.
Thistogglehasthreepositions:TotherightlabeledDISCitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoDiscriminate.Tothecenter
labeledALLMETitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoAllMetal.TotheleftlabeledRETUNEitspringreturnstothecenter
positionandretunesthedetector’sthresholdwhileremaininginAllMetalMode.So,thiscomboswitchfunctionsasaRetuneSwitchbypressing
theswitchcompletelytotheleftandreleasingitsoitspringsbacktothecenterposition.
NOTE:Manualretuning(MODE/RETUNE)isusedonlywhenoperatingintheAllMetalModewithTuningsettoNormal(TUNE/NORM). 
GROUNDGroundBalanceControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheGroundBalance
ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalModesamplingsothattheµMAXBandidoignoresthenormalgroundmineralization.Makingthis
adjustmentisoftencalled"GroundBalancing".Theknobwillturncontinuallyineitherdirection,althoughitseffectuserangeisonly3 ¾turns.
Onceyouhaveturnedtheknobtotheendofitsuserangeineitherdirection,youshouldnoticeaslightincreasein"drag"astheknobisturned.
Whenyoufeelthe"drag"youmayimmediatelyreversedirectiontoentertheeffectiveuserangeofthenext3 ¾turns.
NOTE:TheGROUNDcontroldoesaffectbothoperatingmodesbyshouldbeadjustedinAllMetalMode.
TUNINGYOURDETECTOR
Everydetectormustbeproperlytunedinordertoperformatitspeakandprovidemaximumdepth.Infact,themorepowerfuladetectoris,the
morecriticalthetuningbecomes.Lesspowerfuldetectorsaremoretolerantofimpropertuning,butarealsonotcapableofthedepthofaproperly
tunedhighpowerdetectorsuchastheµMAXBandido.ToachievepeakperformancefromyourµMAXBandido,besuretoproperlyadjustthe
GROUNDcontrolintheAllMetalMode.Thesettingsofthiscontrolwillalsoaffectthedetector ’sperformanceinDiscriminateMode,somakesure
toadjustitproperlyfirst,evenifyouwillnotbehuntinginAllMetalMode.Remember:impropertuningwillreduceperformanceandcanalso
cause"false"anderroneous"ghostingsignals".
TuningyourµMAXBandidocanbedonein5simplesteps:
1. GroundBalancingthedetectorusingtheGROUNDcontrol.
2. SettingtheoperatingmodeusingtheMODEswitch.
3. SettingthetuningmodeusingtheTUNEswitch.
4. SettingtheSensitivitylevelusingtheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
5. SettingtheDiscriminationlevelusingtheDISCLEVELcontrol.
NOTE:GroundBalancingshouldbedonewhileinAllMetalModeandAutoTuneMode.SettingtheDiscriminationLevelandtheSensitivity
LevelshouldbedonewhileoperatinginDiscriminateMode.
GroundBalancing
GroundBalancingisnotadifficultprocedure,butitiscriticalifyoudesiremaximumdepthandstability.Itisespeciallyimportantifyouplan
togoldnuggethuntformatchheadsizedorsmallernuggetsinahighlymineralizedground.
NOTE:Nomatterwhereyouwillbesearching,orwhetheryouwillbeoperatingintheAllMetalModeorDiscriminateMode,makesurethe
detectorisproperlyGroundBalancedintheAllMetalModewithAutoTuneModefirst.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVITYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoAUTO
lMODEswitchsettoALLMETAL
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop
Next:
lTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolsetto10
Wait3to4secondsuntiltheAudioBatterytestiscomplete.
Raisethesearchcoilto6to8inchesabovetheground,levelandparalleltotheground.Whilelisteningtothethresholdsound,lowerthe
searchcoilquicklytothegroundlevelandlistentowhatthethresholdsounddoes.
Oneofthreethingswillhappentothesound:1)thesoundwillincrease,2)thesoundwillgosilent,or3)thesoundwillremainthesame.
WhichoneofthesehappenswilldeterminewhatyouneedtodotoproperlyGroundBalanceyourdetectorfortheareayouareat. 
1)Ifthethresholdsoundgetslouderwhenyoulowerthesearchcoil,itmeanstheGROUNDknobneedstogotheleft.
2)Ifthedetectorgoessilentandyoulosethethresholdsoundmomentarily,thenyouwillneedtoturntheGROUNDknobtotheright. 
3)Ifthereisnochangeinthethresholdsoundasyoulowerthesearchcoiltotheground,thenyoujusthappentoalreadyhavetheproper
groundbalanceandcanproceedtohunt.
StartoutusingslightturnsoftheGROUNDknob,thedistanceofthemovementbeingequivalenttoaboutonehouronaclockface.The
entireeffectiveareaofthiscontrolis3¾turnsfromminimumtomaximum,soifyoustartGroundBalancinginthemiddleoftheeffectiverangeit
willonlytakeabouttwocompleteturnsineitherdirectiontobeatoneendoftheeffectiverange.
NOTE:TherearethreeimportantthingstorememberwhenGroundBalancingwiththismethod. 
First,youareintheAutoTunemodeandonceyouhesitateatgroundlevelforasecondortwo,thedetectorwillretunethethreshold
automatically.Therefore,whenyoulowerthesearchcoiltowardtheground,youareonlylisteningfortheinitialchangeinvolume. 
Second,makeyouareGroundBalancinginacleanareaandnotloweringthesearchcoildownoverapieceofmetal. 
Third,whenyouraisethesearchcoilbesurethatyouDONOTtiltthesearchcoilatanangle.
Bycontinually"pumping"thesearchcoilfrom6to8inchesabovethegroundtogroundlevelandbackupintheairagainwhileturningthe
GROUNDknobintheappropriatedirection,youwillveryquicklyreachthepointwherethereistheabsoluteminimalchangeinthresholdsound
duringthepumping.Whenyouhavereachedthatpointyouare"GroundBalanced"andcanbeginsearchingthearea. 
NOTE:ChanginggroundmineralizationmaymakeoccasionalsmalladjustmentstotheGROUNDknobnecessarytomaintainpeak
performance.
Selectingtheproperoperatingmode
TheµMAXBandidoofferstwooperatingmodes,AllMetalModeandDiscriminateMode. 
TheDiscriminateModeis"SilentSearch"operatingmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillmakenosounduntilitencountersametaltarget.
Thismoderequiresthatthesearchcoilbemovingslightlyfortargetdetection.
TheAllMetalMode,however,isa"nomotion"operationmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillemitacontinuous"thresholdsound"untilit
encountersametaltargetatwhichtimethesoundwillnoticeablyincrease.Thismodedoesnotrequiremotionsothesearchcoilcanbeheldstill
fortargetdetectionifneeded.
TheAllMetalMode,asthenameimplies,willdetectalltypesofmetaltargets.Whenoperatinginthismodeyouwillfindunwanted"trash"
metalobjectssuchasnails,foil,pulltabs,etc.,justasyouwouldwithanyhighperformancedetector.TheAllMetalModeispreferredforhunting
relics,artifactsandotherobjectsthataremadeofnon preciousmetalsespeciallyiron.Thismodeisalsogoodforbeachhuntingwherethesand
allowseasydiggingandtimewastedondigginguptrashmetalobjectsisnotamajorconcern. 
TheAllMetalModemustbeusedforgoldnuggethunting,sincetheresponsetosmallgolditemsissoclosetoiron.Formostnuggethunting,
theAllMetalMode&AutoTuneModecombinationwillprovidethebestperformancealthoughsomespecialattentionforhotrocksmaybe
necessary(seeSelectinghepropertuningmode).
TheDiscriminateModewillallowyoutocontrolthedetector'sresponsetomostofthecommontrashmetalobjectsfoundinschoolyards,
parks,andbeaches.Discriminatemodeisgenerallyusedfor"coinshooting"suchareaswhereyouprefertoavoidwastingtimediggingup
commontrashmetal.TheDiscriminationLevelyouselectwilldeterminewhattypesofmetalyourdetectorwillignore.
Inmanyothermetaldetectors,theAllMetalModeoffersgreaterdepthupto30%overtheDiscriminationMode.Notsowiththe µMAX
detectors.ThenewµMAXcircuitrywithMAXBoostovercomesthiscommonproblemanddeliverssuperiorsensitivityandbetterdepthinboth
operatingmodes.
Selectingthepropertuningmode
TheAutoTuneMode(TUNEAUTO)ontheµMAXBandidoisafastautomatictuningthattakesjust2to3secondstoautomaticallyadjust
itself.TheAutoTunequicklyretunesthedetectortoitsestablishedthresholdfollowingatargetresponse.
AutoTuneModealsokeepsthedetector'ssignalfromdrifting.ThistuningmodeoffersmaximumstabilitywhilesearchinginAllMetalMode
andisrecommendforgoldnuggethunting.
TheNormalTuningMode(TUNENORM)willholdatarget'ssignalwithoutretuningforaslongasthesearchcoilisheldstationarydirectly
overthetarget.Somedriftmayoccurinthismode,butisquicklyremediedbymanuallyretuningusingtheMODEswitch(MODE RETUNE).For
precisepinpointing,identifyingtargetsize,linetracingandoresamplinginAllMetalMode,usetheNormalTuneMode. 
Fastautomatictuningcancausean"overshootsignal"on"hotrocks"thatis,amomentarysilenceasthesearchcoilsweepsoveranextremely
mineralizedrock,followedbyaloud"boing"soundwhenthesearchcoilpassesclearofit.Thissoundissodifferentfromagoodtargetresponse
sound,thatitiseasilyrecognized.(Theonlyproblemwithjustignoringthesesoundsovershootsignalsisthatasmallgoldnuggetmaybehiding
beneaththehotrock).Also,theAutoTuningModewillcausea“nulling”ofthethresholdsoundwhenthesearchcoilsweepsoveraverystrong
metaltarget.
SettingtheSensitivityLevel
Inlightlytomoderatelymineralizedground,youcanusuallysettheSENSITIVITYcontrolashighas8to10(normalmaximumsetting).Inthe
rightconditionsyoucanmovetheSENSITIVITYintotheMAXBoostareaforincreaseddepth.
ToadjusttheSensitivityLeveltoyoursearchconditions,firstsettheoperatingmodetoDISCandturntheSENSITIVITYcontrolclockwiseas
faraspossibleuntilthedetectorjustbeginsto"chirp"intermittently.Ifthechirpingistoofrequent,simplyturnthecontrolcounterclockwisejust
enoughtocausethechirpingtosubside.Onceset,thiscontrolshouldnotrequirereadjustingunlesssiteconditionschange. 
Occasionallyyoumayneedtoreducethesettingtoeliminate"falsesignals"causedbydifficultconditions.Someofthemanythingsthatcan
causetheresponseofthedetectortobecomeerraticduringregularuseareverylargetargets,highlymineralizedgroundontrashysites,intense
groundmineralizationchanges,CBradios,radioandTVbroadcastingantennas,andnearbysourcesofelectricalinterference.
Thesefalsesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsthatarenotrepeatableandtherefore,caneasilybedistinguishedfromagoodtarget
responsesound.Theycanbedistracting,though,andreducingtheSensitivitylevelwillhelpreducethesesignalswithanaccompanyinglossof
targetsensitivity.
ExtremeconditionssuchassaltwetsandmayrequireyoutoloweryourSensitivitysettingintothe2to5range.Overall,youshouldalwaysset
theSensitivitycontrolashighaspossible,whilestillgettingsmoothoperation. 
NOTE:ThenomotionAllMetalModeoftheµMAXBandidoisnotaffectedbytheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
SettingtheSensitivityLevelinMAXBoost
TheMAXBoostfeatureisahighgainboostoverandabovethenormalmaximumof10andindicatedbytheorangeareaonthe
SENSITIVITYcontrol.UsingMAXBoostwillcausenoharmtoyourdetectorbut,incertainconditionsitcanresultintheannoyingchirpingsounds
thatmaymakeitdifficulttohearagoodtargetresponsesound. 
InidealconditionsMAXBoostcanaddinchesofdepthtoyoursearchwithnochirping.Indifficultconditionstheextradepthwillstillbethere
butheavychirpingmaymakethefeaturetodifficulttouse.YoumustdeterminewhenandhowmuchoftheMAXboostfeaturetouseforyour
searchsiteconditions.
SettingtheDiscriminationLevel
TheDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedtrashmetalwhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode.Atthe
lowestsetting(MIN),thedetectorwillignoremostironobjects,butwillstillrespondtolightfoil,bottlecaps,pulltabsandmostothermetalobjects.
AstheDiscriminationLevelisincreased,moreofthesetrashmetalobjectsareignoredandgivenotargetresponsesoundwheninsidethe
searchcoil’srange.
TheDISCLEVELshouldbesettoyourdesired"rejectionlevel"fortheparticularareayouaresearching.Werecommendstartingatalow
settingifyouareunsureofhowmuchtrashisinthearea.Adjustthelevelhigherifyoufindyourselfdiggingmoretrashthenyoulike.Remember
thatwithanymetaldetector,youwilllosetargetresponsetosmallgoldringsandnickelswhendiscriminationissetatthepulltabrejectionlevel.
So,diggingsometrashwillincreaseyournumberofgoodfinds.
Thebelowdiagram"DISCLEVELDiscriminationLevelSettings"showsthesettingswheremanyofthecommonmetalobjectsareignored
byatypicaldetector.Eachdetectorcanvaryalittleduetomanufacturingtolerance soyoushouldexperimentwithyourdetectorandbecome
familiarwithitsrejectionlevelsforthesetrashmetalobjects.
Earliermotiondetectorsthatoperatedwithacontinuous"threshold"soundwouldgivetheuseradefiniteindicationoftrashmetalbyeither
"nulling"completely(nosoundmadetemporarily)orbygeneratingshort,choppysounds.SincetheµMAXBandido'sDiscriminateModeisSilent
Searchandoperateswithoutthresholdsound,thereisnonullingtoindicatethattheareaisextremelytrashy. 
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateModewerecommendthatyouperiodicallyswitchtoAllMetalModeandchecktheareayouare
searchingtogetanideaofhowmuchtrashisreallythere.Inextremelytrashyareasitmaybedesirabletoswitchtoasmallersearchcoil,even
thoughdoingsomaycausealossofdepth.Thesmallercoilwillallowyouabetterchanceoffindingcoinsbetweentheclosepiecesoftrash.

PerformingtheAudioBatteryTest
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformancefromit.
Thebatteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutesandthenperiodicallyifyouareusingitforlongperiods.
ToactivatetheAudioBatteryTest,simplyturnthedetectoroffmomentarilyandthenbackonagain.Ifthebatteryisfresh,thedetectorshould
emitacontinuousandloud"Beep"soundthatlastsforabout4or5seconds,andthenslowlyfadesintosilence.Asthebatteryages,thissoundis
lessintenseandfadesoutmorequickly.Whenyouhearonlyabrief"buzz"ornosoundatall,replacethebatterywithafreshone. 
Ifyouprefer,arechargeableNickelCadmium(NiCad)batterycanbesubstituteforthestandard9voltalkalinebattery.Individual9voltsize
NiCadcells,aswellasthechargersforthem,arereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores.Theyareinstalledintoyourdetectorinthe
samemannerasnonrechargeablebatteries.TheBatteryTestsoundonaNi Cadwillbeweakerthananalkalineinthebeginning,butwillnot
weakenasmuchwithuse.
ControllingAudioVolume
ThespeakerintheµMAXdoesnothaveavolumecontrol.Thevolumeshouldbesufficienttoaccuratelyhearthetargetresponsesoundin
mostenvironments.Ifmoreorlessvolumeisrequiredinyourparticularsituationwerecommendusingasetofgoodqualityheadphoneswitha
builtinvolumecontrol.
FIELDUSE
HandlingYourDetector
Thedetectorshouldbeheldinapositionthatiscomfortableforyouasshowninthe"AdjustingthePole&Searchcoil"sectionin"Getting
Started."Swingthedetectorfromsidetosideinaboutathreefootarc,overlappingsucceedingstrokeswell.Thismotioniscalleda “sweep.”The
µMAXBandidowasdesignedtogetmaximumdepthwithoutthefranticpacerequiredofearliermotiondetectors,sogoatapacethatis
comfortableforyou.Infact,tryingtohunttoofastmayevencausealossofdepthinheavilymineralizedlocations. 
Regardlessofwhichmodeyouareusing,trytokeepyoursearchcoilheightconstantandclosetotheground.Mostpeopletendtoraisethe
coilattheendofasweep—muchlikeapendulum—especiallyifinahurry.Trytoavoidthis,asanyincreaseinheightfromthegroundwillcause
acorrespondinglossofdepth.
Inareaswithwellkeptlawns,theeasiestwaytomaintainaconstantsearchcoilheightistoallowthecoiltorestonthegrassasyousweep
fromsidetoside.Inroughandrockyareas,itisbestnotto“scrub”thecoilontheground,astherockswillactlikeabrasivesandwearawaythecoil
bottom(anoptionalcoilscuffcoverwillprotectagainstthis).Sweepthecoilasclosetothegroundaspossiblewithouttouching.Hittingtheground
orrocksmaycauseafalsesignalmuchlikeadesiredtargetwould.Sweepingthecoiltoohighabovethegroundresultsinalossofdepth.
PlantingaTestGarden
Tobetterlearnhowyourdetectorwillperforminthefield,itwouldbehelpfultoburysomecoinsandtrashmetaljunkitemsinanareathat
youknowisclearofothermetalobjects,andthentrytheµMAXBandidoinitstwodifferentoperatingmodes.ChecktheareainAllMetalMode
firsttobesureitsclearoftrashthenburythetargetsatleast1footapart,andfrom2to4inchesdeeptostart.Makeamapoftheareatobesure
youknowwhateachtargetisandhowdeepitis.Practiceonthesetargetstofamiliarizeyourselfwithyourdetector’stargetresponse.Thiswillalso
helpyoulearnthepropersweepspeedforbestoperation.Thistypeofpracticeareaisoftencalleda“testgarden”or“testbed”andisoneofbest
toolstohelpyoudevelopyourmetaldetectingskills.
RecognizingFalseSignalsinDiscriminateMode
WhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode,some“falsesignals”maybecausedby1)heavyconcentrationsoftrashmetalobjects,2)verylarge
trashmetalobjects,or3)electricalinterference.Thesesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsandsounddifferentthan “goodsignals”(good
targetresponsesounds).
Attheendofyoursweep,asyouthereversethecoildirection,thedetectorismostsusceptibletotrashinducednoise.Therearetwowaysto
tellwhetherthesesoundsaregooddeepsignalsortrash“noise.”Thefirstisbyrepeatability.Trashinducednoiseswillnotberegularasyousweep
thecoiloverthesuspectedtargetseveraltimes,whereasagoodtargetresponsewillberepeatable.ThesecondmethodistoswitchtoAllMetal
Modeandcheckthetargetresponsesound.Iftheresponseisweak,itmaywellbeadeep,goodtarget;butiftheresponseisverystrong,itis
probablytrash.Notethatacoinclosetothesurfacecangiveadoublebeepsound,butitisregularandrepeatable.Raisingthecoilaninchortwo
willrestorethesinglebeeponsurfacetargets.
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateMode,itisbestnottouseahigherDISCLEVELsettingthannecessary.Nickelsandmostsmallerringsare
rejectedwhentheDISCLEVELissettorejectpulltabsonanymetaldetectorthatisaTRDiscriminatorliketheµMAXBandido.Ifyoudon’tdig
anyjunkatall,youaresurelypassingupalotofgoodfindsaswell.SettheDISCLEVELonlyhighenoughtosuittheconditionswhereyouare
searching.Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,digit.
PinpointingaTarget
Whenpinpointingatarget,theAllMetalMode/NormalTuningModecanofferadvantagesoverDiscriminateMode,suchasnofalsesignals
andnoneedtomovethesearchcoiltogetatargetresponse.
AgoodmethodforpinpointinginAllMetalmodeis“Xing”thetargetwiththesearchcoil.Rememberthatthetargetsresponsesoundisalways
greatestwhenthetargetisdirectlyunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.To “X”atarget,sweepthesearchcoiloverthetargetfromsidetosideand
themfromfronttobackuntilyoucanidentifythecenteroftheX:thespotonthegroundwherethetargetresponsesoundisthegreatest.Holdyour
searchcoilstationaryoverthecenteroftheXandhittheRETUNEswitch.NowrepeattheX ing;thistimewatchingfortheexactspot—underthe
coilcenter—wherethedetectorbeeps.Thatspotiswherethetargetislocated. 
PinpointingatargetinDiscriminateModeisprobablybestdoneby“Xing”aswell.Rememberthatthedetectorwillbeepjustasthetarget
passesunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.SlowingthesweepspeeddownwillhelpyoupickoutthecenteroftheXbecausethetargetresponseis
reducedatveryslowspeedsmakingiteasiertocorrelatethesoundwiththecoilcenter. 
Anothereasymethodistosweepthecoilfromsidetosideacrossthetargetinveryshortsweeps,asyouslowlymoveforwardandbackward
acrossthetarget.Slowdownthesweeprateandshortenthesweepsuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Thetargetwillbedirectly
belowthecoilcenteratthisresponsetime.
AnothermethodofpinpointinginDiscriminateModeistoquicklychangetoAllMetalModetocheckthetargetresponse.RememberthatAll
MetalModeisnotsusceptibletothefalsesignalsofDiscriminateModeandcansometimesgiveaclearerandmoreconsistentresponsetodifficult
targetssuchasadimeburiednexttoapulltab.ByswitchingbackandforthbetweenmodesandcomparingthetargetresponsesoundinAllMetal
tothetargetresponsesoundinDiscriminateyoucanoftenbetteridentifythelikelylocationofthetarget.
Finally,raisingthesearchcoilduringpinpointingcanalsohelpbynarrowingtheresponsetothetarget.Practicepinpointingoften,andyou
willsoonbecomemoreaccurateandfaster.
RecoveringaTarget
Ifthetargetisshallowandthesoilissoft,youmaybeableto“probe”andfindtheexactlocationofthetargetbeforeyoudigit.Sincefilling
allholesafteryourecoverthetargetissoimportant,diggingasmallpreciseholeisbest.Ifthetargetisdeep,youmayneedtodigalargerhole.
Asyoudig,occasionallychecktheholewithyourdetectortoseeifyouhavemovedtheobject,canprobeit,orhavealreadydugit.Besuretofill
allholesafteryourecoverthetarget.Twomethodsareshownonthenexttwopagesthatworkmosteverywhere.
Besuretoprotectyourhobbybyleavingthesitecleanerthanyoufounditandwithallholesfilled!
RECOMMENDEDRECOVERYMETHODS
GENERALINFORMATIONCAREANDUSE
BasicCare
TheµMAXBandidoisasturdyinstrumentbutitisnotdesignedtowithstandabuse.IncaringforyourµMAXBandidothereareseveral
important“DONOTs”toremember.DONOTuseittopryrockslooseortobeatbushesoutoftheway.DONOTdropthemachineintowater.DO
NOTuseitunprotectedintherain.DONOTleaveitexposedatnightwheredewcouldformonit.DONOTstoreitinplacesthatcouldget
extremelyhot(nexttoawoodstove,inanattic).DONOTleaveitinthetrunkofacarorinthebackofahatchbackstylecarwherehigh
temperaturescouldbuildup.DONOTstoreitwiththebatteryinstalledasbatteriesmayleak.DONOTspraylubricantssuchasWD40,oranytype
ofcleaners,solvents,sealantsorotherchemicalsintoorontotheelectronicparts,switchesorcontrols.Andfinally:DONOTattempttomodifyor
repairthedetector’selectronicsasthiswillvoidyourdetector'swarranty. 
THEWARRANTYDOESNOTCOVERDAMAGERESULTINGFROMANACCIDENT,NEGLECTORABUSE.
ProtectingYourInvestment
Somanydetectoristsaredisappointedwhentheirnewdetectorslowlybecomeslessandlessresponsiveandseemstohavelostsomeofits
originalperformance.Youcanhelpavoidthisfromhappeningtoyourdetectorbyfollowingthesebasiccareandprotectionguidelines.
lOperateyourdetectorexactlyasrecommendedinthisOperatorInstructionManual.
lUseonlyhighqualityalkalinebatteriesofthecorrectvoltage.Neversubstituteadifferentvoltage.WhenusingaNi Cadbattery,always
useaseparateconvertiblepackwiththepropervoltageoutputforthedetector ’sdesign.
lRemovethebatteryfromthedetectoraftereachuse.Thiswillpreventdamagetothedetectorifthebatteryleaks.
lThesearchcoilcableishardwiredtothesearchcoilandprotectedbyastrainrelief.Inspectthestrainrelieffrequentlytomakesureitis
firmlyattachedandintact.
lKeepcablesproperlywoundaroundthepolestemsandprotectthemduringuse.Floppy,pinched,orcablesthatbecomesnagged
duringusemayshort,causingerraticnoisesorunnecessaryreplacementofthesearchcoil.
lSweepthesearchcoilcarefully,especiallywhenusingaroundrocksandbuildingfoundations.Avoidhittingthesearchcoilagainsthard,
solidobjectsandsurfaces.
lKeepyoursearchcoilslightlyoffofthegroundduringthesweep,especiallywhenusingingravelorhard,rockydirt.
lAlwaysuseaproperlydesignedprotectivescuffcoveronthesearchcoil.(See"OptionalAccessories"inthenextsection.) 
lRemoveandcleanoutscuffcoversperiodicallytoavoidbuildupofmineralizeddirtparticleswhichwillaffectperformance.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofandcanbesubmergedineitherfreshorsaltwater.Afterthesearchcoilisusedinsaltwater,rinseitandthe
lowerstemassemblywellwithfreshwatertopreventcorrosionofthemetalparts.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofbuttheelectronicsarenot,soalwayspreventanymoistureorwaterfromenteringthecontrolhousingand
neverallowthecableconnectorstobecomesubmergedinwater.
lIfworkinginornearwater,orifthereisapossibilityofrain,useaprotectiveweatherresistantpouchorplasticbagtocoverthecontrol
housing.Makesureitcan"breathe"inordertoensureagainstcondensationbuildupinside.
lAftereachuse,cleanthedetectorwithasoftclothtoremovedust,moisture,orothercontaminants.
lWhentransportingthedetectorinacarduringhotweather,storeitonthefloorofthepassengercompartmentifpossible.Usingacarry
baggivesadditionalprotection.Inanycase,neverallowthedetectortorollaroundunprotectedinthetrunkorbackofapickuptruck.
lProtectyourdetectorfromdust,moisture,andextremetemperaturesduringstorage.
lWhenshipping,usetheoriginalfactorycartonorsimilarheavydutycontainerandprovideaminimumoneinchofpaddingaroundall
parts.
lTreatyourdetectorasyouwouldanysensitiveelectronicinstrument.Thoughruggedlyconstructedanddesignedtowithstandthe
demandsofnormaltreasurehunting,propercareisessential.
OPTIONALACCESSORIES
TesoroMetalDetectorsandgenuineTesoroAccessoriesaresoldonlythroughindependentTesoroAuthorizedDealers,whoarealmostalways
metaldetectoriststhemselves.TheycanansweryourquestionsaboutyourTesorodetector,whataccessoriesmaybehelpfulandaboutmetal
detectingingeneral.
SeeyourTesoroAuthorizedDealerformoreinformationandpricesonoptionalaccessories.
ScuffCovers
Wehighlyrecommendusingascuffcovertoprotectyoursearchcoilatalltimes.Thescuffcoverforthe µMAXBandidofittedwiththe8"
searchcoilisTesoroPart#SCUFF8RB.
Searchcoils
The8"concentricsearchcoilprovidedwiththeµMAXBandidoisdesignedforbestallaroundperformance.Optionalsearchcoilsmayaddto
yourdetector'sperformance.
Smallersearchcoilsgivebetter“targetseparation”thatis,moredistincttargetresponseformetalobjectsburiedcloselytogetherwhichis
veryusefulwhenhuntingtrashysites.Verysmallsearchcoilscandeliverthebestresponseanddepthtosmalltargetssuchasfinegoldchainswith
somesacrificeindepthonlargerobjects.Largersearchcoilsgiveawidersweep,coveringmoreground,greaterdepthespeciallyonlargerobjects;
however,theymaynotdetectsomeverysmallobjectsuchashalfdimesandwillhavedifficultyinverytrashyareas. 
Widescansearchcoilsignoregroundmineralizationbetterthanconcentricsearchcoilsandmayofferimprovedperformanceinextreme
groundconditions.
Selectingtherightoptionalsearchcoildependsonfactorssuchaswhatyouaresearchingforandsearchsiteconditions.Noonesearchcoilis
betterthanalltherest.SeveraloptionalinterchangeablesearchcoilsareavailablefortheµMAX.Theyarealleasytomountandrequireno
specialtools.SeethenextpageforalistofthesesearchcoilswiththeTesoropart#anddescription.
TesoroSearchcoils
OptionalscuffcoversarealsoavailableforanyTesorosearchcoil. 
Headphones
Mostmetaldetectoristsprefertouseheadphonesinsteadofthedetector'sbuiltinspeaker.Headphoneshelpblockoutbackgroundnoise(such
aswind)andmakeiteasiertohearfaintsignals.Headphoneswithabuiltinvolumecontrolwillallowyoutoadjustthesoundvolumetoyour
preference.
SPECIFICATIONS
µMAXBANDIDOFEATURES
lHighGainSensitivityCircuitry—designedspecificallytodelivergreaterdepth,sensitivityandstability. 
lMAXBoostFeature—extrapowerofsuperhighgaincanaddinchestodiscriminationsearchdepthinidealconditions.
lHighsensitivitySearchcoil—a8inchopencenterconcentricforbroadsweep,goodpinpointinganddeepgroundpenetration.
lUltralightWeight—searchlongerwithoutfatigue.
l3pieceKnockdownPole—compactforstorageandtravel.
lTurnonandgomakesstoringandtravelingconvenient.
lTwoOperatingModes—motionbasedAllMetalandDiscriminate.
lEasytoOperatejusttwosimplecontrolsatyourfingertips.
lEconomicalUse—upto20hoursplusonasinglebattery.
lTesoroLifetimeWarranty—ourpledgeofqualitytoyou.
Whatitdoesn'thave.
Abig,heavy,highpoweredspeaker.Loud,heavyspeakersarepopularwithmanymanufacturers.The"fuller"soundtheyproducegivesthe
illusionofgreatersensitivitytosmallanddeeptargets—agreatshowroomsalestool!Mostseriousdetectorists,however,huntwithheadphonesand
aµMAXwilldrivestandardheadphoneswell.Ifyouchoosenottouseheadphones,theµMAXspeakerwillbeloudenoughformostenvironments.
Itwillallowyoutohearthesmallanddeeptargetsfoundbythe µMAX'shighpowercircuitry—withoutexcessivebatterydrain.
Ahipmount,armstraporbatteryrechargingsystem.Thesekindsof"builtinaccessories”aresimplyunnecessaryinaµMAXdetector.
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µMAXBandido
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.
ThepowerandfeaturesoftheTesoroµMAXBandidomakeitidealfortheserious
detectoristwhowantstopofthelineperformanceandversatilityinalightweight,lowcost
detector.Itisalsoanidealdetectorforabeginnerwhowantsamachinetheywillnever
outgrow.
WARRANTYSERVICE
YourTesorometaldetectoriscoveredbyaLimitedLifetimeWarranty,thetermsofwhich
arelistedbelow.Ifyourmetaldetectorshouldrequireservice,youmayreturnittotheTesoro
factoryattheaddressbelow.
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.
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. 
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.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
TesoroPart# Description
COIL4RC 4"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RC 7"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL8RCWB 8"roundconcentricweighted(opencenter,brown)
COIL10.5RC 10½"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RW 7"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
COIL11RW 11"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
OperatingFrequency 12kHz
SearchcoilType Round,opencenterconcentric
SearchcoilSize 8"diameter
CableLength Approx.3’
AudioFrequency Approx.300Hz
AudioOutput 1½”speakerandheadphonejack
HeadphoneCompatibility ¼”stereoplug
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 2.2lbs.
BatteryRequirement One9voltDC(alkaline)
BatteryLife(typical) 10to20hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OptimumHumidity 0to75%R.H.
OperatingModes
SilentSearchAllMetal
SilentSearchDiscriminate
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µMAXBANDIDOOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL
CONGRATULATIONS!
YournewTesoroµMAXBandidoMetalDetectorispartofanewseriesofdetectorsdesignedtoprovideyouwithmany
happyhoursofenjoymentinthemostrewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingand
excitingexperiencesasyoustepintothepast–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations–or,asyoutakepleasurein
thegreatoutdoorswithfamilyandfriendssearchingforpreciousmetals.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,
andallofusatTesorowishyouthebestofsuccess.
YourTesoroµMAXdetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinawiderangeoftreasurehuntingsituations.Aswithany
othermetaldetector,familiaritywiththisinstrumentisprobablythelimitingfactorindetermininghowsuccessfulyoucanbe.I
recommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullyhowtooperatethisdetectorbeforeattemptingtouseitinthefield.
Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.
TheµMAXBandidoisaprecisionelectronicinstrumentthatwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatitrightandit
won'tletyoudown.
GoodHunting!JackGifford
INTRODUCTION
Tobesuccessfulintreasurehuntingwithadetectoryoumust:
lUseahighperformancemetaldetectordesignedforthetypeoftreasurehuntingyouwillbedoing.
lLearnhowtouseyourmetaldetectorproperly.
lSearchwherethereisburiedtreasuretobefound.
lBepersistent.
TheµMAXBandidoisatrueallpurposedetector.Itwasdesignedfortopperformanceinthewidestrangeofdetectingusespossible.Itis
sensitivetosmallgoldparticles,itispowerfulenoughtorelicandcachehuntwith,itisplentyfastenoughforcompetitionhuntinganditisgreat
forcoinhunting.Yet,evenwithitsamazingpower,itisstilleasytouse.
ThisOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUALisdesignedtohelpyoulearntooperatethedetectorproperlyformaximumperformanceinvarious
searchconditions.CompleteinstructionsonhowtooperatetheµMAXBandidoarefoundinthetwomainsections:GETTINGSTARTEDand
OPERATINGTECHNIQUES.
Ifyouarenewtometaldetecting,wehighlyrecommendreadingandfollowingtheentireGETTINGSTARTEDsectiontodevelopthe"feel"
ofyourdetector.Then,studyandpracticetheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESsection–especiallyGroundBalancing–togetthebestperformance
fromyourdetector.
Ifyouarenewtotreasurehuntingwithmetaldetectors,keepinmindthatiftherearenovaluablemetalobjectsburiedwhereyouare
searching,itwon'tmatterhowgoodyourmetaldetectorisorhowskilledandpersistentyouare.Tolearnmoreaboutwheretosearchforvaluable
buriedmetalscheckwithyourmetaldetectordealerorbooksellerformagazinesandbooksontreasurehunting.
GENERALDESCRIPTION
TheµMAXBandidoisoneofthefirstofitskind:anultralightweight,compactdetectorthatpacksthepowerandperformanceofthebestfull
size,heavierdetectors.Byutilizingstateoftheartcircuitry,Tesorohascreatedanamazinglyversatileandpowerful,easytooperatedetectorthat's
perfectforalltypesofdetecting,andfortravel.
TheµMAXBandidoisaTransmitterReceiver(TR)typeofdetectorthatoperatesintheVeryLowFrequency(VLF)portionoftheRadio
Frequency(RF)spectrum.TheµMAXBandidousesonlythreecontrolknobsandtwotoggleswitchestoprovidefullVLFcapabilities. 
TheperformanceoftheµMAXBandidowillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorists,whetherexperiencedornovice.Atthecentre
oftheµMAXBandidoisaspecialHybridcircuitboarddevelopedfromSurfaceMountTechnologythatincorporatesTesoro'sprovenHighGain
SensitivityCircuitry.Thiscircuitboardhelpsprovidegreaterdepthsandmoresensitivitytosmaller,lessconductivemetalobjectsor"targets"such
asfinegoldjewelry.
TheµMAXBandidohasfeaturesthatmakeitspowereasytouse.Throughsimpleandfastoperatoradjusted"groundbalancing,"theground
rejectioncircuitrywillallowoperationineventhemostdifficultgroundmineralizationconditions.Twooperatingmodesandtwotuningmodes
addtotheversatilityofthedetector'soperation.TheDiscriminateModeisSilentSearch,meaningthesearchcoilmustbemovingtodetecta
target.TheAllMetalModeisnomotion,meaningthesearchcoilwilldetectatargetlocateddirectlyunderit,evenwhenthesearchcoilisnot
moving.AutoTune,theautomatictuningmode,isfastandretunesthedetectorinsecondsafterencounteringatarget.NormalTunegivesthe
operatortotalcontrolofretuningatthetouchofaswitch.
TheelectronicminiaturizationofSurfaceMountTechnologypermitsthecomplex,powerfulcircuitryoftheµMAXdetectorstofitintoavery
smallspace.Theresultisadetectorthatissoincrediblylightthereisnoneedtobodymountthecontrolhousing.Thisexclusivedesignfeature
addstotheµMAXBandido'seaseofuseandmakesthoselongersearchesmoreenjoyable. 
TheµMAXBandidocomeswithan8"roundconcentricsearchcoilforbestallaroundperformancewithgooddepth.Avarietyofoptional
Tesorosearchcoilsarealsoavailableandwillenhancethedetector'sperformanceundervariousconditions(seeOPTIONALACCESSORIES).
GETTINGSTARTEDUNPACKINGTHEBOX
YourµMAXBandidowasshippedwiththeseparts:
1UpperPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingupperpolestemwithhandlegrip,paddedarmbracketandcontrolhousing.
1LowerPoleAssembly
Fullyassembled,includingmiddlepolestemwithknurlednut,lowerpolestem,andnylonpoletipcompletewithtwothickfriction
washers,mountingscrew,lockwasherandthumbnut.
18"round,concentricsearchcoilwith3'cable
19VoltAlkalineBattery
1Extrasetoftwothinfrictionwashers
1OperatorInstructionManual
1TesoroWarrantyCard
Ifanyoftheseitemsaremissing,contacttheTesoroAuthorizedDealerwhereyoupurchasedyourdetectorimmediately.
AssemblyoftheµMAXBandidoissimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.JustInstallthebattery,mountthesearchcoilonthelowerpole
assembly,connectthetwopoleassembliestogether,wraptheexcesscablearoundthepoleandplugthecableintothecontrolhousing.Finally,
adjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangleandyou'reready!
INSTALLTHEBATTERY
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformance.The
batteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutes,andthenperiodicallywhenusedforlongdurations.Formore
detailedinformationgotoPerformingtheAudioBatteryTestunderTUNINGYOURDETECTOR. 
Toinstallorreplacethebattery,firstmakesuretheSENSITIVITYcontrolissettoPOWOFFturnedcompletelycounterclockwisepastthe
"click".Removethebatterydoorfromthebackofthecontrolhousing.Dothisbypressingyourthumbfirmlyonthelouveredsquare atthebottom
ofthebatterydoorandslidingthebatterydoorupward(inthedirectionofthearrow)whilepushing.
Connectafreshsingle9voltalkalinebatterytothebatteryleadterminals.Makecertainthepolaritysnapstofitproperly.Apoorconnection
maycausethedetectortoacterraticallyorfailtooperatecompletely.
Placethebatteryintothebatterycompartmentwithoutpullingorstretchingthebatteryleadwires.Replacethebatterydoorbyslidingitinto
placemakingsuretheuppermountslotsareinlineandthelocktongueissnappedintoplace.
ASSEMBLINGYOURDETECTOR
1. Onthelowerpoleassembly,graspthepoletipfirmlyinonehand.Withtheotherhand,fullydepressthetwospringbuttonsonthe
oppositeendoftheassembly.
2. Pullthemiddlestemoutfarenoughforthespringbuttonstoclickintothefirstsetoftheadjustmentholeslockingtheassemblyinto
placeagain.
3. Removethemountingscrewandthumbnutfromtheblacknylonpoletip.
4. Insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsandthesearchcoilandaligntheholesofthepoletipandwasherswiththoseofthe
mountingears.
Note:thepoletipshouldfitverysnuglyintothemountingears,however,itmaybenecessarytousethethinfrictionwashersinstead.
5. Insertthemountingscrewthroughtheholesinthemountingearsandpoletipenteringfromthesideoppositethecableconnection.
6. Installthethumbnutonthemountingscrewandtightenbyhand.
Note:Donotovertightenthethumbnut.Itshouldbesnug,butnottoodifficulttoloosenup. 
7. Ontheupperpoleassembly,depressthetwospringbuttonsandslidetheupperassemblyintothelowerpoleassemblyuntilthespring
buttonsclickintotheholeslockingthetwoassembliesintoplace.Tightentheknurlednuttosecurethetwoassembliestogether.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto “see”thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
8. Wrapthecablearoundthepoleleavingenoughslacknearthesearchcoiltopermitsearchcoiladjustment.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto"see"thetinywiresinthe
cable,afloppycablecancausefalsesignalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires. 
9. Plugthemalecableendintothefemaleconnectoronthecontrolhousingandtightenthecablethumbnut.Youarefinished! 
Note:Youwillwanttoadjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangletoyourpreference.
ADJUSTINGTHEPOLE&SEARCHCOIL
Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedsothatthedetectordoesnotbecomeuncomfortableortiringafter
longperiodsofuse.Thedetectorgripshouldrestinyourhandwithyourarmrelaxed,yourelbowstraightbut
notlocked,withthepoleextendingoutinfrontofyouattheapproximateangleshowninthephoto. 
Youshouldbeabletoswingthedetectorbackandforthinfrontofyou—usingrelaxedshoulder
movement—whilekeepingthesearchcoilasclosetothegroundaspossible.Thisswingingmovementisoften
calleda“sweep.”
Thesearchcoilshouldnottouchthegroundduringyoursweep.Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedto
allowthiswithouthavingtoliftthedetectorwithyourelboworshoulder.Thesearchcoilshouldrestaboutone
inchabovethegroundwhileyouarestandingerect.Theangleofthesearchcoilshouldallowthebottomto
beparalleltotheground.
Thepolelengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthepoleuntil
thespringbuttonsclickintothesetofholesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablepolelength.
Toadjustthesearchcoilangle,simplyloosenthesearchcoilthumbnutslightlyandmovethesearchcoil
intothedesiredposition.Tightenthesearchcoilthumbnutbyhandsothatthesearchcoilwillholdinplace.
QUICKSTARTSELFGUIDEDTUTORIAL
TheQuickStartisdesignedtohelpyouuseyournewµMAXBandidometaldetectorrightaway,evenif
youhaveneverusedametaldetectorbefore.Justfolloweacheasystepcarefullyandyou'llquicklyseehowthebasicdetectorfunctionswork.
You'llalsobeintroducedtosomeimportantconceptsontheway.
Here'swhatyouwillneed:
1. YourfullyassembledµMAXBandidometaldetector
2. Threenewercoins:apenny*,anickelandaquarter
3. Anonmetaltableorcountersurface
4. Approximately20minutestocompletetheQuickStart
*mustbe1984ornewermadeofzinc
Here’swhatyouwilldo:
1. PerformanAudioBatteryTest
2. AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
3. PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
4. PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
PreparefortheQuickstart
PlaceyourassembledµMAXBandidoonthenonmetalsurface.Makesuretherearenometalobjectsnearthecoil.Removeanyjewelryfrom
yourhandsandwrists.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVTYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoNORM
lMODEswithsettoDISC
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange:
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop.
TheGROUNDcontrolshouldbeleftatthissettingfortheentireQuickStart. 
Step1PerformanAudioBatteryTest
lTurntheSENSIIVITYcontrolfromPOWOFFto1
Youwillhearthebatterytesttoneforafewsecondsasthebatteryisautomaticallytested.Whenthetonestopsthedetectorisonthecontrols
arereadyforadjusting.
FunctionDemonstrated:Howthebatterytesttonewilltellyouthebatteryisworkingeachtimethedetectoristurnedon. 
NOTE:YoushouldalwaysperformtheAudioBatteryTestwithModeSwitchsettoDISC. 
Step2AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol
nTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolfrom1to8
Thisisagoodsettingtobeginwitheachtimeyouuseyourdetector.LeavethecontrolatthissettingfortherestoftheQuickStart.
FunctionDemonstrated:WheretosettheSENSITIVITYcontrolforbasicoperation. 
Step3PerformanairtestinAllMetalMode
IdentifytheThresholdSound
IdentifyTargetResponse
RetunetheThreshold
lFliptheMODEswitchtoALLMETAL
Listentothecontinuous,fairlyeventone.Thisiscalledthe"thresholdsound".Youwillhearthethresholdsoundonlywhenoperatingthe
detectorinAllMetalMode.
Holdthequarterinyourfingertipsandmovethequarterfromsidetosideabout12inchesfromthefrontofthesearchcoil. 
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitfromsidetoside  untilyouhearthethresholdsound
increase.Thisincreaseinvolumeiscalledthe"targetresponsesound". 
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoldstillandthenmovingitslightly.Trypassingitinfrontoftheedgeofthesearchcoilandthenunder
thecenter.Noticethedifferencesinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange.
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary,sometimessubtly.
Yourdetectorwillrespondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalwhentheobjectisinthesearchcoil'ssensitivityareaor"range".Operatingyour
detectorinthiswayiscalleda"nomotionAllMetalModewithNormalTune".
Retuningthethreshold
Holdthequarterstillabout2to4inchesfromthesearchcoil,inlinewiththesearchcoilcenter.Listentothetargetresponsesoundfor1or2
seconds.Donotmovethequarter!
lFliptheMODEswitchtoRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticethatthetargetresponsesoundwilldecreasetotheregularlevelofthethresholdsound.Now,slowlymovethequarterfromsidetoside,
goingpasttheedgeofthesearchcoil.Noticetheregularthresholdsoundisgoneandthetargetresponsesoundisnowa"beep"thatoccurswhen
thetargetpassesinfrontofthesearchcoilcenter.Thistechniqueisusedto"pinpoint"theexactlocationofanobject. 
Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoil.
lFliptheMODEswitchtoeRETUNEandreleaseit
Noticetheregularthresholdreturns.Movethequarterclosetothesearchcoilandnoticetheloudcontinuoustargetresponsesoundhas
returned.Takethequarterawayagain.
lFliptheTUNEswitchtoAUTO
Holdthequarterstillnearthesearchcoilforafewsecondandnoticethedetectorautomaticallyretunesitself.Then,trymovingthecoinfrom
sidetosideandnoticethetargetresponsesoundisa"beep".Takethequarterawayfromthesearchcoilforafewsecondsandtryitagain.Now,try
thistestwiththedifferentcoinsusingbothtuningmethodsandlistforthedifferencesinthesounds. 
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)HowtheAllMetalModetargetresponsesoundwillvarydependingonthevariousfactorssuchaswhattypeof
metaltargetsareburiedintheground,howdeeptheyare,howfastyoumoveyoursearchcoilandsoon.2)Howthedetector'sthresholdcanreturn
manuallyinNormalTuneorautomaticallyinAutoTuneandhowthiseffectsthetargetresponsesound.
Step4PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode
IdentifytheTargetResponse
UseDiscrimination
lFliptheMODEswitchtoDISC
lLeavetheDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
NOTE:InDiscriminateMode,youwillnothearthecontinuousthresholdsoundoftheAllMetalMode,soreturningisnotneeded.
Holdthequarterinyourhandandmovethequarterbackandforthabout12inchesinfrontofthesearchcoilbottom.
Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoilasyoucontinuetomoveitbackandforthuntilyouheara"beep".Thisbeepthetarget
responsesound.
Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe
speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoinstillthenmovingitslightly.Noticethedifferenceinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange. 
Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary.Yourdetectorcan
respondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalifthereismovementbetweentheobjectandthedetector.Operatingyourdetectorinthiswayis
calleda"SilentSearch".
lTurntheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMINtoMAX
Passthequarterbackandforthinfrontofandclosetothesearchcoilbottom.Noticethesoundasthecoinnearsthecenterofthesearchcoil.
Now,trythiswiththenickelandthenthezincpenny.Noticethereisnosoundwiththesetwocoins.Theabilityofametaldetectortoignore
certaintypesofmetalthatitencountersiscalled"discrimination".Usingyourdetectorinthiswayiscalleda"SilentSearchDiscriminateMode". 
Controlsettingstoignoremostzincandnickelobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVELMAX
lMovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMAXto7
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthecoil.Noticethequarterandthezincpennynowcauseatargetresponsesound. 
Controlsettingstoignoremostnickelcanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL7
lNowmovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfrom7to4
Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthesearchcoil.Noticeallthreecoinsnowcauseatargetresponsesound.
ControlsettingstoincludenewerUScoinswhileexcludingmostironobjectscanbe:
lMODEswitchDISC
lDISCLEVEL4
FunctionsDemonstrated:1)ThemotionbasedoperationandtargetresponsesoundofSilentSearchDiscriminateMode.2)Howthe
DiscriminateModecanbeusedtohelpdeterminethetypesofmetalatargetmaybe.ByadjustingtheDISCLEVELcontrolyoucanselectwhat
metalsyourdetectorwillignore.
Conclusion
Welldone!YouhavefinishedtheQuickStartGuideandhaveoperatedmanyofthebasicdetectingfeaturesofthe µMAXBandido.Youhave
alsobeenintroducedtotheideasof:1)"targetresponsesound",2)"thresholdsound",3)"returningthethreshold",4)"targetdiscrimination"and5)
"targetpinpointing".
Nowyouarealmostreadytobeginthejourneyintotheartofmetaldetectingbyactuallyusingyourdetectortofindburiedmetal.Butfirsta
wordaboutairtests.
TheairtestsintheQuickStartareoflimitedvalue.Metaldetectorsperformdifferentlyinairteststhanwheninactualuse"inthefield".Tesoro
detectorsarespecificallydesignedtodeliverthebestperformanceinthefield.
TheOPERATINGTECHNIQUESandTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionswillgiveyoumoredetailedinformationonhowtosetyour
detector'scontrols,especiallyselectingatuningmodeandusingdiscrimination,forthebestresults. 
BeforeyouuseyourµMAXBandidointhefieldyouneedtolearnhowtooperateonemorefeatures:theGROUNDcontrol.Usingthe
GROUNDcontroltoproperly"GroundBalance"yourµMAXBandidowillallowyoutotapintoitsfullpowerandperformancecapabilitiesandis
perhapsthemostimportantfeaturetomaster.TheGroundBalancesectionwillexplainstepbystephowtousethisfeature.
Finally,theonlywayyoucanbecometrulyproficientatusingyourdetectortofindburiedtreasureistouseitinthefieldandlearnfrom
experience!However,westronglysuggestthatyoureadthisentiremanualtobecomeproficientwithallofthefeaturesasyoucontinuetouseyour
detector.
Youhavethefinesttoolavailable,nowallyouneedistheskillthatcomesfromexperience.
TOTURNYOURDETECTOROFF:
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTOPOWOFF
Counterclockwisepastthe"click".
TOTURNYOURDETECTORON:
lMAKESURETHEMODESWITCHISSETTODISC
lTURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTO1
Clockwisepastthe"click".
OPERATINGTECHNIQUESCONTROLS
TheµMAXBandidohasonlyfivecontrols,allmountedonthefrontpanelofthehousingforfingertipadjustment.Howthesecontrolsshould
besetforpeakperformancewilldependonthetypeofmetalyouaresearchingfor,searchsiteconditions,mineralcontentofthesoilandsoforth.
UsetheinformationinthissectionandtheTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionasabasisforsettingthecontrolsonyourdetector.Usingyour
detectorinthefieldwillallowyoutolearnthedetector'sresponsestovariousconditionsandwillguideyouinfinetuningthedetector'soperating
controls.
SENSITIVITYON/OFFSensitivityControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasthreefunctions:
lTurnsthedetectorONandOFF
lActivatestheautomaticAudioBatteryTest
lAdjuststheSensitivityLevel
NOTE:Thedetectorshouldalwaysbeturnedoffwhennotinuse. 
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwisepasttheinitial"click"turnsthedetectoronandactivestheautomaticAudioBatteryTestcircuit.This
testwillgiveyouasound,usuallylastingseveralseconds,thatindicatesthebattery'scondition.WhentheAudioBatteryTestisover,thedetector ’s
SensitivityLevelcanbeadjusted.
TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector'sSensitivityLevel.Thelevelfrom1upto10isthenormalrange.Thisrange
correspondswiththenormalSensitivityonstandarddetector's.TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobpast10intotheorangeareaputstheSensitivity
intotheMAXBoostrangefoundonlytheµMAXdetectors.
NOTE:ItisbesttoturnthedetectoroninDiscriminateMode.SincetheDiscriminateModeisasilentmodewithnocontinuousthreshold
sound,itwillbeobviouswhentheAudioBatteryTestiscomplete.
IfyouturnthedetectoroninAllMetalModetheAudioBatteryTestsoundwillbeimmediatelyfollowedbythethresholdsound.Thismay
makeitdifficulttohearthebatterytestendanddiscernthebatterycondition.
Also,theSensitivityLevelisbestsetwhileintheDiscriminateMode.AftertheAudioBatterTestisoverandtheSensitivityLevelisproperly
set,youmaychangetheoperatingmodetoAllMetalwithoutdifficulty.
DISTLEVELDiscriminationLevelControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheDiscriminationLevel.
OncethedetectorisintheDiscriminateMode,theDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sDiscriminationLevel.TurningtheDISC
LEVELknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector ’sDiscriminationLevelandviceversa.
NOTE:WhenthedetectorisoperatingintheAllMetalModetheDISCLEVELcontrolisnotused. 
TUNETuningModeSelectionSwitch
Thistoggleswitchhasonefunction:
lSetstheTuningMode:NormalorAuto
Thistogglehastopositions:TotherightlabeledAUTOitlocksinplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoAutomatic.Totheleft 
labeledNORMthelockstheplaceandsetsthethresholdtunemethodtoNormal.NOTE:ThetuningModeisusedonlywhenoperatingintheAll
MetalMode.
MODEModeSelection/RetuneSwitch
Thecombinationtoggleswitchhastwofunctions.
lSetstheoperatingmode:AllMetalorDiscriminate
lRetunesthethresholdinAllMetalMode.
Thistogglehasthreepositions:TotherightlabeledDISCitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoDiscriminate.Tothecenter
labeledALLMETitlocksinplaceandsetstheoperatingmodetoAllMetal.TotheleftlabeledRETUNEitspringreturnstothecenter
positionandretunesthedetector’sthresholdwhileremaininginAllMetalMode.So,thiscomboswitchfunctionsasaRetuneSwitchbypressing
theswitchcompletelytotheleftandreleasingitsoitspringsbacktothecenterposition.
NOTE:Manualretuning(MODE/RETUNE)isusedonlywhenoperatingintheAllMetalModewithTuningsettoNormal(TUNE/NORM). 
GROUNDGroundBalanceControl
Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:
lAdjuststheGroundBalance
ThiscontroladjuststheAllMetalModesamplingsothattheµMAXBandidoignoresthenormalgroundmineralization.Makingthis
adjustmentisoftencalled"GroundBalancing".Theknobwillturncontinuallyineitherdirection,althoughitseffectuserangeisonly3 ¾turns.
Onceyouhaveturnedtheknobtotheendofitsuserangeineitherdirection,youshouldnoticeaslightincreasein"drag"astheknobisturned.
Whenyoufeelthe"drag"youmayimmediatelyreversedirectiontoentertheeffectiveuserangeofthenext3 ¾turns.
NOTE:TheGROUNDcontroldoesaffectbothoperatingmodesbyshouldbeadjustedinAllMetalMode.
TUNINGYOURDETECTOR
Everydetectormustbeproperlytunedinordertoperformatitspeakandprovidemaximumdepth.Infact,themorepowerfuladetectoris,the
morecriticalthetuningbecomes.Lesspowerfuldetectorsaremoretolerantofimpropertuning,butarealsonotcapableofthedepthofaproperly
tunedhighpowerdetectorsuchastheµMAXBandido.ToachievepeakperformancefromyourµMAXBandido,besuretoproperlyadjustthe
GROUNDcontrolintheAllMetalMode.Thesettingsofthiscontrolwillalsoaffectthedetector ’sperformanceinDiscriminateMode,somakesure
toadjustitproperlyfirst,evenifyouwillnotbehuntinginAllMetalMode.Remember:impropertuningwillreduceperformanceandcanalso
cause"false"anderroneous"ghostingsignals".
TuningyourµMAXBandidocanbedonein5simplesteps:
1. GroundBalancingthedetectorusingtheGROUNDcontrol.
2. SettingtheoperatingmodeusingtheMODEswitch.
3. SettingthetuningmodeusingtheTUNEswitch.
4. SettingtheSensitivitylevelusingtheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
5. SettingtheDiscriminationlevelusingtheDISCLEVELcontrol.
NOTE:GroundBalancingshouldbedonewhileinAllMetalModeandAutoTuneMode.SettingtheDiscriminationLevelandtheSensitivity
LevelshouldbedonewhileoperatinginDiscriminateMode.
GroundBalancing
GroundBalancingisnotadifficultprocedure,butitiscriticalifyoudesiremaximumdepthandstability.Itisespeciallyimportantifyouplan
togoldnuggethuntformatchheadsizedorsmallernuggetsinahighlymineralizedground.
NOTE:Nomatterwhereyouwillbesearching,orwhetheryouwillbeoperatingintheAllMetalModeorDiscriminateMode,makesurethe
detectorisproperlyGroundBalancedintheAllMetalModewithAutoTuneModefirst.
Startwiththesecontrolsettings:
lDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN
lSENSITIVITYcontrolsettoPOWOFF
lTUNEswitchsettoAUTO
lMODEswitchsettoALLMETAL
lGROUNDcontrolsettothemiddleofitsrange
turnit5completeturnscounterclockwisethen,
turnit2completeturnsclockwiseandstop
Next:
lTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolsetto10
Wait3to4secondsuntiltheAudioBatterytestiscomplete.
Raisethesearchcoilto6to8inchesabovetheground,levelandparalleltotheground.Whilelisteningtothethresholdsound,lowerthe
searchcoilquicklytothegroundlevelandlistentowhatthethresholdsounddoes.
Oneofthreethingswillhappentothesound:1)thesoundwillincrease,2)thesoundwillgosilent,or3)thesoundwillremainthesame.
WhichoneofthesehappenswilldeterminewhatyouneedtodotoproperlyGroundBalanceyourdetectorfortheareayouareat. 
1)Ifthethresholdsoundgetslouderwhenyoulowerthesearchcoil,itmeanstheGROUNDknobneedstogotheleft.
2)Ifthedetectorgoessilentandyoulosethethresholdsoundmomentarily,thenyouwillneedtoturntheGROUNDknobtotheright. 
3)Ifthereisnochangeinthethresholdsoundasyoulowerthesearchcoiltotheground,thenyoujusthappentoalreadyhavetheproper
groundbalanceandcanproceedtohunt.
StartoutusingslightturnsoftheGROUNDknob,thedistanceofthemovementbeingequivalenttoaboutonehouronaclockface.The
entireeffectiveareaofthiscontrolis3¾turnsfromminimumtomaximum,soifyoustartGroundBalancinginthemiddleoftheeffectiverangeit
willonlytakeabouttwocompleteturnsineitherdirectiontobeatoneendoftheeffectiverange.
NOTE:TherearethreeimportantthingstorememberwhenGroundBalancingwiththismethod. 
First,youareintheAutoTunemodeandonceyouhesitateatgroundlevelforasecondortwo,thedetectorwillretunethethreshold
automatically.Therefore,whenyoulowerthesearchcoiltowardtheground,youareonlylisteningfortheinitialchangeinvolume. 
Second,makeyouareGroundBalancinginacleanareaandnotloweringthesearchcoildownoverapieceofmetal. 
Third,whenyouraisethesearchcoilbesurethatyouDONOTtiltthesearchcoilatanangle.
Bycontinually"pumping"thesearchcoilfrom6to8inchesabovethegroundtogroundlevelandbackupintheairagainwhileturningthe
GROUNDknobintheappropriatedirection,youwillveryquicklyreachthepointwherethereistheabsoluteminimalchangeinthresholdsound
duringthepumping.Whenyouhavereachedthatpointyouare"GroundBalanced"andcanbeginsearchingthearea. 
NOTE:ChanginggroundmineralizationmaymakeoccasionalsmalladjustmentstotheGROUNDknobnecessarytomaintainpeak
performance.
Selectingtheproperoperatingmode
TheµMAXBandidoofferstwooperatingmodes,AllMetalModeandDiscriminateMode. 
TheDiscriminateModeis"SilentSearch"operatingmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillmakenosounduntilitencountersametaltarget.
Thismoderequiresthatthesearchcoilbemovingslightlyfortargetdetection.
TheAllMetalMode,however,isa"nomotion"operationmode.Thismeansthatthedetectorwillemitacontinuous"thresholdsound"untilit
encountersametaltargetatwhichtimethesoundwillnoticeablyincrease.Thismodedoesnotrequiremotionsothesearchcoilcanbeheldstill
fortargetdetectionifneeded.
TheAllMetalMode,asthenameimplies,willdetectalltypesofmetaltargets.Whenoperatinginthismodeyouwillfindunwanted"trash"
metalobjectssuchasnails,foil,pulltabs,etc.,justasyouwouldwithanyhighperformancedetector.TheAllMetalModeispreferredforhunting
relics,artifactsandotherobjectsthataremadeofnon preciousmetalsespeciallyiron.Thismodeisalsogoodforbeachhuntingwherethesand
allowseasydiggingandtimewastedondigginguptrashmetalobjectsisnotamajorconcern. 
TheAllMetalModemustbeusedforgoldnuggethunting,sincetheresponsetosmallgolditemsissoclosetoiron.Formostnuggethunting,
theAllMetalMode&AutoTuneModecombinationwillprovidethebestperformancealthoughsomespecialattentionforhotrocksmaybe
necessary(seeSelectinghepropertuningmode).
TheDiscriminateModewillallowyoutocontrolthedetector'sresponsetomostofthecommontrashmetalobjectsfoundinschoolyards,
parks,andbeaches.Discriminatemodeisgenerallyusedfor"coinshooting"suchareaswhereyouprefertoavoidwastingtimediggingup
commontrashmetal.TheDiscriminationLevelyouselectwilldeterminewhattypesofmetalyourdetectorwillignore.
Inmanyothermetaldetectors,theAllMetalModeoffersgreaterdepthupto30%overtheDiscriminationMode.Notsowiththe µMAX
detectors.ThenewµMAXcircuitrywithMAXBoostovercomesthiscommonproblemanddeliverssuperiorsensitivityandbetterdepthinboth
operatingmodes.
Selectingthepropertuningmode
TheAutoTuneMode(TUNEAUTO)ontheµMAXBandidoisafastautomatictuningthattakesjust2to3secondstoautomaticallyadjust
itself.TheAutoTunequicklyretunesthedetectortoitsestablishedthresholdfollowingatargetresponse.
AutoTuneModealsokeepsthedetector'ssignalfromdrifting.ThistuningmodeoffersmaximumstabilitywhilesearchinginAllMetalMode
andisrecommendforgoldnuggethunting.
TheNormalTuningMode(TUNENORM)willholdatarget'ssignalwithoutretuningforaslongasthesearchcoilisheldstationarydirectly
overthetarget.Somedriftmayoccurinthismode,butisquicklyremediedbymanuallyretuningusingtheMODEswitch(MODE RETUNE).For
precisepinpointing,identifyingtargetsize,linetracingandoresamplinginAllMetalMode,usetheNormalTuneMode. 
Fastautomatictuningcancausean"overshootsignal"on"hotrocks"thatis,amomentarysilenceasthesearchcoilsweepsoveranextremely
mineralizedrock,followedbyaloud"boing"soundwhenthesearchcoilpassesclearofit.Thissoundissodifferentfromagoodtargetresponse
sound,thatitiseasilyrecognized.(Theonlyproblemwithjustignoringthesesoundsovershootsignalsisthatasmallgoldnuggetmaybehiding
beneaththehotrock).Also,theAutoTuningModewillcausea“nulling”ofthethresholdsoundwhenthesearchcoilsweepsoveraverystrong
metaltarget.
SettingtheSensitivityLevel
Inlightlytomoderatelymineralizedground,youcanusuallysettheSENSITIVITYcontrolashighas8to10(normalmaximumsetting).Inthe
rightconditionsyoucanmovetheSENSITIVITYintotheMAXBoostareaforincreaseddepth.
ToadjusttheSensitivityLeveltoyoursearchconditions,firstsettheoperatingmodetoDISCandturntheSENSITIVITYcontrolclockwiseas
faraspossibleuntilthedetectorjustbeginsto"chirp"intermittently.Ifthechirpingistoofrequent,simplyturnthecontrolcounterclockwisejust
enoughtocausethechirpingtosubside.Onceset,thiscontrolshouldnotrequirereadjustingunlesssiteconditionschange. 
Occasionallyyoumayneedtoreducethesettingtoeliminate"falsesignals"causedbydifficultconditions.Someofthemanythingsthatcan
causetheresponseofthedetectortobecomeerraticduringregularuseareverylargetargets,highlymineralizedgroundontrashysites,intense
groundmineralizationchanges,CBradios,radioandTVbroadcastingantennas,andnearbysourcesofelectricalinterference.
Thesefalsesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsthatarenotrepeatableandtherefore,caneasilybedistinguishedfromagoodtarget
responsesound.Theycanbedistracting,though,andreducingtheSensitivitylevelwillhelpreducethesesignalswithanaccompanyinglossof
targetsensitivity.
ExtremeconditionssuchassaltwetsandmayrequireyoutoloweryourSensitivitysettingintothe2to5range.Overall,youshouldalwaysset
theSensitivitycontrolashighaspossible,whilestillgettingsmoothoperation. 
NOTE:ThenomotionAllMetalModeoftheµMAXBandidoisnotaffectedbytheSENSITIVITYcontrol.
SettingtheSensitivityLevelinMAXBoost
TheMAXBoostfeatureisahighgainboostoverandabovethenormalmaximumof10andindicatedbytheorangeareaonthe
SENSITIVITYcontrol.UsingMAXBoostwillcausenoharmtoyourdetectorbut,incertainconditionsitcanresultintheannoyingchirpingsounds
thatmaymakeitdifficulttohearagoodtargetresponsesound. 
InidealconditionsMAXBoostcanaddinchesofdepthtoyoursearchwithnochirping.Indifficultconditionstheextradepthwillstillbethere
butheavychirpingmaymakethefeaturetodifficulttouse.YoumustdeterminewhenandhowmuchoftheMAXboostfeaturetouseforyour
searchsiteconditions.
SettingtheDiscriminationLevel
TheDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector'sresponsetounwantedtrashmetalwhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode.Atthe
lowestsetting(MIN),thedetectorwillignoremostironobjects,butwillstillrespondtolightfoil,bottlecaps,pulltabsandmostothermetalobjects.
AstheDiscriminationLevelisincreased,moreofthesetrashmetalobjectsareignoredandgivenotargetresponsesoundwheninsidethe
searchcoil’srange.
TheDISCLEVELshouldbesettoyourdesired"rejectionlevel"fortheparticularareayouaresearching.Werecommendstartingatalow
settingifyouareunsureofhowmuchtrashisinthearea.Adjustthelevelhigherifyoufindyourselfdiggingmoretrashthenyoulike.Remember
thatwithanymetaldetector,youwilllosetargetresponsetosmallgoldringsandnickelswhendiscriminationissetatthepulltabrejectionlevel.
So,diggingsometrashwillincreaseyournumberofgoodfinds.
Thebelowdiagram"DISCLEVELDiscriminationLevelSettings"showsthesettingswheremanyofthecommonmetalobjectsareignored
byatypicaldetector.Eachdetectorcanvaryalittleduetomanufacturingtolerance soyoushouldexperimentwithyourdetectorandbecome
familiarwithitsrejectionlevelsforthesetrashmetalobjects.
Earliermotiondetectorsthatoperatedwithacontinuous"threshold"soundwouldgivetheuseradefiniteindicationoftrashmetalbyeither
"nulling"completely(nosoundmadetemporarily)orbygeneratingshort,choppysounds.SincetheµMAXBandido'sDiscriminateModeisSilent
Searchandoperateswithoutthresholdsound,thereisnonullingtoindicatethattheareaisextremelytrashy. 
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateModewerecommendthatyouperiodicallyswitchtoAllMetalModeandchecktheareayouare
searchingtogetanideaofhowmuchtrashisreallythere.Inextremelytrashyareasitmaybedesirabletoswitchtoasmallersearchcoil,even
thoughdoingsomaycausealossofdepth.Thesmallercoilwillallowyouabetterchanceoffindingcoinsbetweentheclosepiecesoftrash.

PerformingtheAudioBatteryTest
YourµMAXBandidoisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformancefromit.
Thebatteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutesandthenperiodicallyifyouareusingitforlongperiods.
ToactivatetheAudioBatteryTest,simplyturnthedetectoroffmomentarilyandthenbackonagain.Ifthebatteryisfresh,thedetectorshould
emitacontinuousandloud"Beep"soundthatlastsforabout4or5seconds,andthenslowlyfadesintosilence.Asthebatteryages,thissoundis
lessintenseandfadesoutmorequickly.Whenyouhearonlyabrief"buzz"ornosoundatall,replacethebatterywithafreshone. 
Ifyouprefer,arechargeableNickelCadmium(NiCad)batterycanbesubstituteforthestandard9voltalkalinebattery.Individual9voltsize
NiCadcells,aswellasthechargersforthem,arereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores.Theyareinstalledintoyourdetectorinthe
samemannerasnonrechargeablebatteries.TheBatteryTestsoundonaNi Cadwillbeweakerthananalkalineinthebeginning,butwillnot
weakenasmuchwithuse.
ControllingAudioVolume
ThespeakerintheµMAXdoesnothaveavolumecontrol.Thevolumeshouldbesufficienttoaccuratelyhearthetargetresponsesoundin
mostenvironments.Ifmoreorlessvolumeisrequiredinyourparticularsituationwerecommendusingasetofgoodqualityheadphoneswitha
builtinvolumecontrol.
FIELDUSE
HandlingYourDetector
Thedetectorshouldbeheldinapositionthatiscomfortableforyouasshowninthe"AdjustingthePole&Searchcoil"sectionin"Getting
Started."Swingthedetectorfromsidetosideinaboutathreefootarc,overlappingsucceedingstrokeswell.Thismotioniscalleda “sweep.”The
µMAXBandidowasdesignedtogetmaximumdepthwithoutthefranticpacerequiredofearliermotiondetectors,sogoatapacethatis
comfortableforyou.Infact,tryingtohunttoofastmayevencausealossofdepthinheavilymineralizedlocations. 
Regardlessofwhichmodeyouareusing,trytokeepyoursearchcoilheightconstantandclosetotheground.Mostpeopletendtoraisethe
coilattheendofasweep—muchlikeapendulum—especiallyifinahurry.Trytoavoidthis,asanyincreaseinheightfromthegroundwillcause
acorrespondinglossofdepth.
Inareaswithwellkeptlawns,theeasiestwaytomaintainaconstantsearchcoilheightistoallowthecoiltorestonthegrassasyousweep
fromsidetoside.Inroughandrockyareas,itisbestnotto“scrub”thecoilontheground,astherockswillactlikeabrasivesandwearawaythecoil
bottom(anoptionalcoilscuffcoverwillprotectagainstthis).Sweepthecoilasclosetothegroundaspossiblewithouttouching.Hittingtheground
orrocksmaycauseafalsesignalmuchlikeadesiredtargetwould.Sweepingthecoiltoohighabovethegroundresultsinalossofdepth.
PlantingaTestGarden
Tobetterlearnhowyourdetectorwillperforminthefield,itwouldbehelpfultoburysomecoinsandtrashmetaljunkitemsinanareathat
youknowisclearofothermetalobjects,andthentrytheµMAXBandidoinitstwodifferentoperatingmodes.ChecktheareainAllMetalMode
firsttobesureitsclearoftrashthenburythetargetsatleast1footapart,andfrom2to4inchesdeeptostart.Makeamapoftheareatobesure
youknowwhateachtargetisandhowdeepitis.Practiceonthesetargetstofamiliarizeyourselfwithyourdetector’stargetresponse.Thiswillalso
helpyoulearnthepropersweepspeedforbestoperation.Thistypeofpracticeareaisoftencalleda“testgarden”or“testbed”andisoneofbest
toolstohelpyoudevelopyourmetaldetectingskills.
RecognizingFalseSignalsinDiscriminateMode
WhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode,some“falsesignals”maybecausedby1)heavyconcentrationsoftrashmetalobjects,2)verylarge
trashmetalobjects,or3)electricalinterference.Thesesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsandsounddifferentthan “goodsignals”(good
targetresponsesounds).
Attheendofyoursweep,asyouthereversethecoildirection,thedetectorismostsusceptibletotrashinducednoise.Therearetwowaysto
tellwhetherthesesoundsaregooddeepsignalsortrash“noise.”Thefirstisbyrepeatability.Trashinducednoiseswillnotberegularasyousweep
thecoiloverthesuspectedtargetseveraltimes,whereasagoodtargetresponsewillberepeatable.ThesecondmethodistoswitchtoAllMetal
Modeandcheckthetargetresponsesound.Iftheresponseisweak,itmaywellbeadeep,goodtarget;butiftheresponseisverystrong,itis
probablytrash.Notethatacoinclosetothesurfacecangiveadoublebeepsound,butitisregularandrepeatable.Raisingthecoilaninchortwo
willrestorethesinglebeeponsurfacetargets.
WhensearchingintheDiscriminateMode,itisbestnottouseahigherDISCLEVELsettingthannecessary.Nickelsandmostsmallerringsare
rejectedwhentheDISCLEVELissettorejectpulltabsonanymetaldetectorthatisaTRDiscriminatorliketheµMAXBandido.Ifyoudon’tdig
anyjunkatall,youaresurelypassingupalotofgoodfindsaswell.SettheDISCLEVELonlyhighenoughtosuittheconditionswhereyouare
searching.Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,digit.
PinpointingaTarget
Whenpinpointingatarget,theAllMetalMode/NormalTuningModecanofferadvantagesoverDiscriminateMode,suchasnofalsesignals
andnoneedtomovethesearchcoiltogetatargetresponse.
AgoodmethodforpinpointinginAllMetalmodeis“Xing”thetargetwiththesearchcoil.Rememberthatthetargetsresponsesoundisalways
greatestwhenthetargetisdirectlyunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.To “X”atarget,sweepthesearchcoiloverthetargetfromsidetosideand
themfromfronttobackuntilyoucanidentifythecenteroftheX:thespotonthegroundwherethetargetresponsesoundisthegreatest.Holdyour
searchcoilstationaryoverthecenteroftheXandhittheRETUNEswitch.NowrepeattheX ing;thistimewatchingfortheexactspot—underthe
coilcenter—wherethedetectorbeeps.Thatspotiswherethetargetislocated. 
PinpointingatargetinDiscriminateModeisprobablybestdoneby“Xing”aswell.Rememberthatthedetectorwillbeepjustasthetarget
passesunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.SlowingthesweepspeeddownwillhelpyoupickoutthecenteroftheXbecausethetargetresponseis
reducedatveryslowspeedsmakingiteasiertocorrelatethesoundwiththecoilcenter. 
Anothereasymethodistosweepthecoilfromsidetosideacrossthetargetinveryshortsweeps,asyouslowlymoveforwardandbackward
acrossthetarget.Slowdownthesweeprateandshortenthesweepsuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Thetargetwillbedirectly
belowthecoilcenteratthisresponsetime.
AnothermethodofpinpointinginDiscriminateModeistoquicklychangetoAllMetalModetocheckthetargetresponse.RememberthatAll
MetalModeisnotsusceptibletothefalsesignalsofDiscriminateModeandcansometimesgiveaclearerandmoreconsistentresponsetodifficult
targetssuchasadimeburiednexttoapulltab.ByswitchingbackandforthbetweenmodesandcomparingthetargetresponsesoundinAllMetal
tothetargetresponsesoundinDiscriminateyoucanoftenbetteridentifythelikelylocationofthetarget.
Finally,raisingthesearchcoilduringpinpointingcanalsohelpbynarrowingtheresponsetothetarget.Practicepinpointingoften,andyou
willsoonbecomemoreaccurateandfaster.
RecoveringaTarget
Ifthetargetisshallowandthesoilissoft,youmaybeableto“probe”andfindtheexactlocationofthetargetbeforeyoudigit.Sincefilling
allholesafteryourecoverthetargetissoimportant,diggingasmallpreciseholeisbest.Ifthetargetisdeep,youmayneedtodigalargerhole.
Asyoudig,occasionallychecktheholewithyourdetectortoseeifyouhavemovedtheobject,canprobeit,orhavealreadydugit.Besuretofill
allholesafteryourecoverthetarget.Twomethodsareshownonthenexttwopagesthatworkmosteverywhere.
Besuretoprotectyourhobbybyleavingthesitecleanerthanyoufounditandwithallholesfilled!
RECOMMENDEDRECOVERYMETHODS
GENERALINFORMATIONCAREANDUSE
BasicCare
TheµMAXBandidoisasturdyinstrumentbutitisnotdesignedtowithstandabuse.IncaringforyourµMAXBandidothereareseveral
important“DONOTs”toremember.DONOTuseittopryrockslooseortobeatbushesoutoftheway.DONOTdropthemachineintowater.DO
NOTuseitunprotectedintherain.DONOTleaveitexposedatnightwheredewcouldformonit.DONOTstoreitinplacesthatcouldget
extremelyhot(nexttoawoodstove,inanattic).DONOTleaveitinthetrunkofacarorinthebackofahatchbackstylecarwherehigh
temperaturescouldbuildup.DONOTstoreitwiththebatteryinstalledasbatteriesmayleak.DONOTspraylubricantssuchasWD40,oranytype
ofcleaners,solvents,sealantsorotherchemicalsintoorontotheelectronicparts,switchesorcontrols.Andfinally:DONOTattempttomodifyor
repairthedetector’selectronicsasthiswillvoidyourdetector'swarranty. 
THEWARRANTYDOESNOTCOVERDAMAGERESULTINGFROMANACCIDENT,NEGLECTORABUSE.
ProtectingYourInvestment
Somanydetectoristsaredisappointedwhentheirnewdetectorslowlybecomeslessandlessresponsiveandseemstohavelostsomeofits
originalperformance.Youcanhelpavoidthisfromhappeningtoyourdetectorbyfollowingthesebasiccareandprotectionguidelines.
lOperateyourdetectorexactlyasrecommendedinthisOperatorInstructionManual.
lUseonlyhighqualityalkalinebatteriesofthecorrectvoltage.Neversubstituteadifferentvoltage.WhenusingaNi Cadbattery,always
useaseparateconvertiblepackwiththepropervoltageoutputforthedetector ’sdesign.
lRemovethebatteryfromthedetectoraftereachuse.Thiswillpreventdamagetothedetectorifthebatteryleaks.
lThesearchcoilcableishardwiredtothesearchcoilandprotectedbyastrainrelief.Inspectthestrainrelieffrequentlytomakesureitis
firmlyattachedandintact.
lKeepcablesproperlywoundaroundthepolestemsandprotectthemduringuse.Floppy,pinched,orcablesthatbecomesnagged
duringusemayshort,causingerraticnoisesorunnecessaryreplacementofthesearchcoil.
lSweepthesearchcoilcarefully,especiallywhenusingaroundrocksandbuildingfoundations.Avoidhittingthesearchcoilagainsthard,
solidobjectsandsurfaces.
lKeepyoursearchcoilslightlyoffofthegroundduringthesweep,especiallywhenusingingravelorhard,rockydirt.
lAlwaysuseaproperlydesignedprotectivescuffcoveronthesearchcoil.(See"OptionalAccessories"inthenextsection.) 
lRemoveandcleanoutscuffcoversperiodicallytoavoidbuildupofmineralizeddirtparticleswhichwillaffectperformance.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofandcanbesubmergedineitherfreshorsaltwater.Afterthesearchcoilisusedinsaltwater,rinseitandthe
lowerstemassemblywellwithfreshwatertopreventcorrosionofthemetalparts.
lThesearchcoiliswaterproofbuttheelectronicsarenot,soalwayspreventanymoistureorwaterfromenteringthecontrolhousingand
neverallowthecableconnectorstobecomesubmergedinwater.
lIfworkinginornearwater,orifthereisapossibilityofrain,useaprotectiveweatherresistantpouchorplasticbagtocoverthecontrol
housing.Makesureitcan"breathe"inordertoensureagainstcondensationbuildupinside.
lAftereachuse,cleanthedetectorwithasoftclothtoremovedust,moisture,orothercontaminants.
lWhentransportingthedetectorinacarduringhotweather,storeitonthefloorofthepassengercompartmentifpossible.Usingacarry
baggivesadditionalprotection.Inanycase,neverallowthedetectortorollaroundunprotectedinthetrunkorbackofapickuptruck.
lProtectyourdetectorfromdust,moisture,andextremetemperaturesduringstorage.
lWhenshipping,usetheoriginalfactorycartonorsimilarheavydutycontainerandprovideaminimumoneinchofpaddingaroundall
parts.
lTreatyourdetectorasyouwouldanysensitiveelectronicinstrument.Thoughruggedlyconstructedanddesignedtowithstandthe
demandsofnormaltreasurehunting,propercareisessential.
OPTIONALACCESSORIES
TesoroMetalDetectorsandgenuineTesoroAccessoriesaresoldonlythroughindependentTesoroAuthorizedDealers,whoarealmostalways
metaldetectoriststhemselves.TheycanansweryourquestionsaboutyourTesorodetector,whataccessoriesmaybehelpfulandaboutmetal
detectingingeneral.
SeeyourTesoroAuthorizedDealerformoreinformationandpricesonoptionalaccessories.
ScuffCovers
Wehighlyrecommendusingascuffcovertoprotectyoursearchcoilatalltimes.Thescuffcoverforthe µMAXBandidofittedwiththe8"
searchcoilisTesoroPart#SCUFF8RB.
Searchcoils
The8"concentricsearchcoilprovidedwiththeµMAXBandidoisdesignedforbestallaroundperformance.Optionalsearchcoilsmayaddto
yourdetector'sperformance.
Smallersearchcoilsgivebetter“targetseparation”thatis,moredistincttargetresponseformetalobjectsburiedcloselytogetherwhichis
veryusefulwhenhuntingtrashysites.Verysmallsearchcoilscandeliverthebestresponseanddepthtosmalltargetssuchasfinegoldchainswith
somesacrificeindepthonlargerobjects.Largersearchcoilsgiveawidersweep,coveringmoreground,greaterdepthespeciallyonlargerobjects;
however,theymaynotdetectsomeverysmallobjectsuchashalfdimesandwillhavedifficultyinverytrashyareas. 
Widescansearchcoilsignoregroundmineralizationbetterthanconcentricsearchcoilsandmayofferimprovedperformanceinextreme
groundconditions.
Selectingtherightoptionalsearchcoildependsonfactorssuchaswhatyouaresearchingforandsearchsiteconditions.Noonesearchcoilis
betterthanalltherest.SeveraloptionalinterchangeablesearchcoilsareavailablefortheµMAX.Theyarealleasytomountandrequireno
specialtools.SeethenextpageforalistofthesesearchcoilswiththeTesoropart#anddescription.
TesoroSearchcoils
OptionalscuffcoversarealsoavailableforanyTesorosearchcoil. 
Headphones
Mostmetaldetectoristsprefertouseheadphonesinsteadofthedetector'sbuiltinspeaker.Headphoneshelpblockoutbackgroundnoise(such
aswind)andmakeiteasiertohearfaintsignals.Headphoneswithabuiltinvolumecontrolwillallowyoutoadjustthesoundvolumetoyour
preference.
SPECIFICATIONS
µMAXBANDIDOFEATURES
lHighGainSensitivityCircuitry—designedspecificallytodelivergreaterdepth,sensitivityandstability. 
lMAXBoostFeature—extrapowerofsuperhighgaincanaddinchestodiscriminationsearchdepthinidealconditions.
lHighsensitivitySearchcoil—a8inchopencenterconcentricforbroadsweep,goodpinpointinganddeepgroundpenetration.
lUltralightWeight—searchlongerwithoutfatigue.
l3pieceKnockdownPole—compactforstorageandtravel.
lTurnonandgomakesstoringandtravelingconvenient.
lTwoOperatingModes—motionbasedAllMetalandDiscriminate.
lEasytoOperatejusttwosimplecontrolsatyourfingertips.
lEconomicalUse—upto20hoursplusonasinglebattery.
lTesoroLifetimeWarranty—ourpledgeofqualitytoyou.
Whatitdoesn'thave.
Abig,heavy,highpoweredspeaker.Loud,heavyspeakersarepopularwithmanymanufacturers.The"fuller"soundtheyproducegivesthe
illusionofgreatersensitivitytosmallanddeeptargets—agreatshowroomsalestool!Mostseriousdetectorists,however,huntwithheadphonesand
aµMAXwilldrivestandardheadphoneswell.Ifyouchoosenottouseheadphones,theµMAXspeakerwillbeloudenoughformostenvironments.
Itwillallowyoutohearthesmallanddeeptargetsfoundbythe µMAX'shighpowercircuitry—withoutexcessivebatterydrain.
Ahipmount,armstraporbatteryrechargingsystem.Thesekindsof"builtinaccessories”aresimplyunnecessaryinaµMAXdetector.
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µMAXBandido
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.
ThepowerandfeaturesoftheTesoroµMAXBandidomakeitidealfortheserious
detectoristwhowantstopofthelineperformanceandversatilityinalightweight,lowcost
detector.Itisalsoanidealdetectorforabeginnerwhowantsamachinetheywillnever
outgrow.
WARRANTYSERVICE
YourTesorometaldetectoriscoveredbyaLimitedLifetimeWarranty,thetermsofwhich
arelistedbelow.Ifyourmetaldetectorshouldrequireservice,youmayreturnittotheTesoro
factoryattheaddressbelow.
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.
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. 
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.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
TesoroPart# Description
COIL4RC 4"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RC 7"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL8RCWB 8"roundconcentricweighted(opencenter,brown)
COIL10.5RC 10½"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)
COIL7RW 7"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
COIL11RW 11"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)
OperatingFrequency 12kHz
SearchcoilType Round,opencenterconcentric
SearchcoilSize 8"diameter
CableLength Approx.3’
AudioFrequency Approx.300Hz
AudioOutput 1½”speakerandheadphonejack
HeadphoneCompatibility ¼”stereoplug
Weight(mayvaryslightly) 2.2lbs.
BatteryRequirement One9voltDC(alkaline)
BatteryLife(typical) 10to20hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OptimumHumidity 0to75%R.H.
OperatingModes
SilentSearchAllMetal
SilentSearchDiscriminate
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