Tesoro PIranha Assembly instructions

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PIranhaOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL
CONGRATULATIONS!
YournewTESOROMetalDetectorwasdesignedtoprovideyouwithmanyhappyhoursofenjoymentinthemost
rewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingandexcitingexperiencesasyoustepintothe
past–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,andwewishyouthe
bestofsuccess.
YourTESOROMetalDetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinanyconceivabletreasurehuntingsituation.Aswith
anydetector,operatingskillandfamiliaritywiththisinstrumentareprobablythelimitingfactorsindetermininghowsuccessful
youwillbe.Werecommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullybeforeattemptingtousetheinstrumentinthe
field.Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.
TheTESOROMetalDetectorisaprecisionelectronicinstrument,whichwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatit
rightanditwon'tletyoudown.
GoodHunting!JackGifford
GENERALDESCRIPTION
ThePIranhaishighperformancemetaldetectorwhichutilizesstateoftheartPulseInductiontechnologyanda
revolutionarynewkindofPrintedSpiralsearchcoil.ThePIranhawillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorist,
whethertheyareexperiencedornot,byincorporatingsimplicityandconvertibilitytogether.Don'tbefooledbyitssimplicity,
thePIranhaiscapableofdeliveringpeakperformancebyeliminatingtroublesomeadjustmentsandcomplicatedfeatures
creatinganextremelysimpletooperatinglightweightdetector.ThePIranhaisthefirstofitskind.Notonlydoesitoffera
totallynewconceptinsearchcoildesignmakingitmoreresponsivetofinegoldcoins,jewelry,andnuggets,butitisalsothe
firsttoofferinterchangeablesearchcoilsinavarietyofsizes.ThePIranhaispackagedinanallnewwaterproofhousing,
makingitidealforwetweatheruse,beachhunting,ordivinginfreshorsaltwater.Itisconvertibletobody/beltmountand
requiresnospecialtools.
AsaPulseInductioninstrumentthePIranhawillprovidemineralfreeoperationinvirtuallyallgroundmineralorsaltwater
environments.EquippedwithautotuningthePIranhaisamotionbasedAllMetaldetector.Thoughthesearchcoilmustbe
movingwhenpinpointing,duetotheautotuning,theamountofmotionissoslightthatpinpointiseasilyaccomplished.
Designedasaturnonandgoallpurposedetector,thePIranharequiresnospecialgroundadjustmentsorcomplicated
setup.Avarietyofoptionalsearchcoilsprovidestheoperatorgreaterversatilityandawiderrangeofsiteselection.Aguideto
selectingtheproperoptionalcoilisincludedinthesectionforFieldUse.
Besuretofilloutandmailyourwarrantyregistrationcardtovalidateyourwarranty.
ASSEMBLY
AssemblyofthePIranhaisverysimple,andrequiresnospecialtools.Infact,theonlyassemblynecessaryistomount
thesearchcoiltotheendofthelowerstemandconnectthelowerstemandtheupperpoletogether.
1. Takethelowerstem(theonewiththeblackisolatorpoletip),andremovethescrewandnut.Puttwoofthefriction
washesintotherecessedslotsprovidedonthepoletip(wherethescrewfitsthrough).Twosizesoffrictionwashersare
supplied,onethicksetandonethinset.Usingthewashersthatfitbest,insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsof
thesearchcoilandaligntheholesofthepoletipandwasherswiththoseofthemountingears.Thepoletipshouldfit
snugly.
2. Insertthecoilmountingscrewthroughtheearsofthesearchcoilandpoletip,ifthecableisinthewayreversethe
directionofthescrewandinsertitfromtheotherside.
3. Installthethumbnutonthescrewandtightenbyhand.
4. Depressthetwobuttonsontheupperendofthelowerstem,andslideitintotheupperpolesection.Pushthelower
stemupsothatthebuttonsclickintothethirdsetofholesfromtheendoftheupperpole.
5. Wrapthesearchcoilcablearoundthepolemakingsureitissnugtothepole,leavingjustenoughslacknearthe
searchcoiltopermitcoiladjustment.Thenconnectthesearchcoilconnectorintothematchingconnectorfoundatthe
backofthecontrolbox.Tightenitbyhand.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.ThePIranhaissensitiveenoughtoseethetinywiresin
thecablecreatingfalsesignalscausedbythemovingwires.
CONVERSION
Obviously,convertingthePIranhafrompolemounttobody/beltmountissimplyamatterofremovingthecontrolboxfrom
theupperpoleandunwindingthecable.Toremovethecontrolboxfromthepole,depressthefourspringbuttonsthatholdthe
mountingbracketandcontrolboxtothepole,andleft.Itiseasiesttoreleaseonesetofspringbuttonsatatime.Unwindthe
searchcoilcablefromthepolesandfastenittothelowerstemwithavelcrofastener,justabovetheblackisolatortip,then
fastenthecabletotheupperpolewiththeothervelcrofastener,justbelowthefoamhandgrip.
ConvertingthePIranhabackfrombody/beltmounttopolemountissimplyamatterofreversingtheaboveprocedure.
ADJUSTMENT
Thesearchcoilangleandstemlengthshouldbeadjustedsothattheunitdoesnotbecomeuncomfortableortiringtohold
afterlongperiodsofuse.Thedetectorshouldrestinyourhandwitharmrelaxedallowingittoswingbackandforthwithout
havingtoliftwiththeelboworshoulder,whilekeepingthesearchcoilascloseaspossibletothegroundwithouttouching.The
polelengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthelowerstem,tilltheyclickintothe
holesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablesetting.Thesearchcoilshouldbeaboutoneinchabovethegroundwhilestanding
erect.Adjusttheangleofthesearchcoil,sothatthecoilisparalleltotheground.
SPECIFICATIONS
TESOROElectronics,Inc.,reservestherighttomodifyorimprovethedesignwithoutfurthernotice.
CONTROLS
ThePIranhahasbeenspeciallyautomatedsothatonlytwocontrolsareneededtomakeadjustments,onemountedon
thefrontpanelofthedetectorandtheotherismountedinsidethecontrolhousing.
1. ON/OFFBATTERYTESTTHRESHOLDCONTROL.Thiscontrolisusedtoperformseveralfunctions:Itturnsthe
instrument'spoweronandoff.Turningtheknobcompletelycounterclockwiseuntilitclicksdisconnectsthebatteriesfrom
thecircuit,shuttingtheinstrumentoff.Whentheknobisfirstturnedon(clockwise),thedetectorwillautomaticallytest
itsbatteries,andgiveyouavisibleindicationoftheirconnection.FreshbatterieswillcauseagreenLEDtoilluminatefor
about3to5seconds.Asthebatteriesageandbecomeweaker,theilluminationwillbeweakerand,anddecaymore
quickly.WhentheresponseisnoglowfromtheLEDitistimefornewbatteries.Itisrecommendedtoalwaysuse
alkalinebatteries.TheThresholdfunctionofthiscontrolTUNESthedetectortoThreshold.Thisadjustmentwillbe
explainedfurtherintheTUNINGsectionofthemanual.
2. SIGNALINDICATORLIGHT.Aredlightidentifiedonthefrontcontrolpanelas"SIGNAL"willilluminateeachtime
thesearchcoilispassedoverametallicobjectindicatingthepresenceofatarget.Itisimportanttomakesureyoudonot
havetheThresholdsetsosensitivethatthedetectorrespondstogroundvariations,hotrocks,otherground
mineralization,orelectricalinterferencesastheSIGNALlightwillilluminateevenwhenthedetectorproducesafalse
signalcausedbythese.
3. BATTERYTESTLAMP.ThePIranhafeaturesanautomaticbatterycheckthatoccurseachtimethedetectoris
turnedon.Afreshsetofgoodbatteriesshouldilluminatethelampfor3to5seconds.Asthebatteriesagethelightwill
becomedimmeranditsdurationofilluminationwillshorten.Ifonlyashort,quickflashoccursornolightispresentitis
timetoreplacethebatteries.ThePIranharequires8AAsizealkalinebatteries.
4. VOLUMECONTROL.ThePIranhaisequippedwithasetofstereopiezoheadphonesthatarehardwiredtothe
instrumentforwaterproofpurposes.Becausetheinstrumentwillbeoperatedindifferentenvironmentswheretheambient
noiselevelvaries,suchas:nearthecrashingsurfatoceanbeaches,wearingheadgearorlisteningoveraregulatorwhen
scubadiving,ordetectingnearaserenelakecreatestheneedforavariablevolumecontrol.Thevolumecontrolforthe
headphonesisfoundinsidethecontrolhousing.Toaccessthiscontrolsimplyunlatchthedrawboltsholdingthecontrol
panelsecuretothehousing.Alwaysmakesurethecontrolboxisdrybeforeopening.Thevolumecontrolisfoundonthe
left,theoppositesidefromthebatterycompartment.Youwillnoticeasmallshaftusedtoadjustthevolumelevel.
TUNING
SincethemosttroublesomeadjustmentsofstandarddetectorshavebeenautomatedinthePIranha,orarenot
necessarywithPulseInduction,thetuningprocedureforthisdetectorissimplyamatterofsettingthedesiredThresholdtone
andheadphonevolume.
PulseInductiondoesnotrequirespecialadjustmentsinordertoignoretheeffectsofwetsaltorgroundmineralization.
However,propertuningisessential.TotunethePIranha,theThresholdcontrolshouldbeadjustedsothatthereisabarely
audibletone.Ifthetoneissettooloworsilent,someofthedeeperorweakertargetsmaynotbeheard.Ifthetoneissettoo
loud,somedeeperorweakertargetsmaynotbeheardduetoaudiomasking.SettingtheThresholdforsilentoperationwill
causesomelossofdepth,butmaybenecessaryinextremeconditionsinordertoachievesmoothoperation.Asilent
Thresholdmaybenecessaryinsomeareaswheregoldnuggethuntinginordertomaintainastableoperationoverhotrocks.
Sincedepthmaybescarified,thePIranhashouldonlybeusedasanuggethunterwhennotothersystemisabletobe
operatedatthesite.
YoushouldnothearachangeintheThresholdtonewhenloweringthesearchcoiltowardtheground.Ifachangeoccurs,
oryouobtainanaudioincreasewhenloweringthesearchcoilintosaltwater,simplyholdthecoilstillforamomentallowing
theautotuningtimetoretunetheinstrumentbacktoThreshold.Donotletthesearchcoilraiseattheendofyoursweepas
thismaycausesomefalsesignals.Alwaysholdthecoilparallelwiththeground.
PulseInductionwillallowsignalfilteringoncethedesiredsignalisrecoveredfromthepulse.However,forproper
operation,thepulsegenerator,searchcoilandinputamplifiermustbeofverywidebandwidth.Thismakesthedetector
susceptibletopickingupanysourcesofelectricalinterference,suchas60cyclepowertransmissionnoise.Anabsolutely
smoothThresholdmaynotbepossibleinmylocations,andsomerumbleormotorboatingmaybepresentwhenthe
Thresholdisadjustedtotheproperpoint.ThisisinherentinthedesignofaPulseunit.AdjustingtheThresholdeitherlouder
orquieteristheonlywaytocontrolthisproblem.
FIELDUSE
Thedetectorshouldbeheldinapositionthatiscomfortableforyou.Swingthedetectorfromsidetosideinaboutathree
footarc,overlappingsucceedingstrokeswell.Thismotioniscalleda“sweep.”Goatapacethatiscomfortableforyou.In
fact,tryingtohunttoofastinDiscriminatemayevencausealossofdepthinheavilymineralizedlocations.
Itwouldbehelpfultoburysomecoinsandtrashmetaljunkitemsinanareathatyouknowisclearofothermetal
objects,andthentrytheunitinitsvariousmodes.ChecktheareainAllMetalModefirsttobesureitsclearoftrashthen
burythetargetsatleastafootapart,andfrom2to6inchesdeeptostart.Makeamapofthetestbedtobesureyouknow
whateachtargetisandhowdeepitis.Practiceonthesetargetstofamiliarizeyourselfwithyourdetector’stargetresponse.
Thiswillalsohelpyoulearnthepropersweepratetohelpinsureagainstlosttargets.
Trytokeepyoursearchcoilheightconstantandclosetotheground.Toooftenpeopletendtoraisethecoilattheendof
asweep,muchlikeapendulum,especiallyiftheyarehurrying.Trytoavoidthis,asanyincreaseinheightwillcausea
correspondinglossofdepth.Inareaswithwellkeptlawns,theeasiestwaytomaintainaconstantsearchcoilheightisto
allowthecoiltorestonthegrassasyousweepfromsidetoside.Inroughandrockyareasitisbestnotto“scrub”thecoilon
theground,astherockswillactlikeabrasives,andwearawaythecoilbottom(anoptionalcoilscuffcoverwillprotectagainst
this.)Sweepthecoilasclosetothegroundaspossiblewithouttouching.Avoidhittingthegroundorrockswiththecoilas
thismaycausefalsesignalsthatsoundmuchlikeadesiredtargetwould.Thehigheryouholdandsweepthecoilabovethe
groundthelessdepthyou'llbeabletoobtain.
Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,DIGIT.Ifyoudon’tdiganyjunkatall,youaresurelypassingupa
lotofgoodfindsaswell.
OncethedetectorhasbeentunedtheautotuningwillmaintaintheThresholdatthatlevel.Duetotheautotuningthe
searchcoilmustbemovingwhilesearchingorpinpointing.Ifyoustopthesearchcoiloverametallicobjectortargetthe
detectorwilltuneitoutandreturntheinstrumenttotheestablishedThreshold.Ifyoumovethesearchcoilslightlyoffthetarget
tooneside,andholdittheremomentarily,andthenmoveitbackoverthetargetonceagain,thedetectorwillautomatically
retunetorespondtothetarget.
SELECTINGTHERIGHTSEARCHCOIL
Selectingtherightsearchcoilforthetypeofdetectingyou'redoingwilladdgreatlytoyoursuccess.ThePIranhacome
withastandard8"PrintedSpiralcoilwhichisanewandrevolutionarydesigndevelopedbyTesorospecificallyforthePIranha.
ThisisanexcellentoverallcoilsincemostpeoplewhooperatePIinstrumentsareusuallysearchinglargesandybeachareas
wheretargetsareeasytodigandthereisusuallynotanoverabundanceoftrash.Thiscoilwilldetectverytinytargetsforits
sizeandprovidesexcellenttargetseparationwhilegivingmoregroundcoverage.However,itisnotalwaystherightcoilforthe
job.ThereforeTesorohasmadeitpossibletointerchangecoils,andhasdevelopedavarietyofitsuniquePrintedSpiral
searchcoilinaselectionofsizes.
Inadditiontothestandard8"opencentersearchcoil,twooptionalcoilsizesareavailableforthePIranha.The101/2"
opencentercoilisdesignedforareaswherediggingiseasier,andwherejunktargetsmaynotbetoonumerous.The7inch
coilwillbeparticularlyusefulwhensearchingforsmallertargets,suchasgoldnuggets.
PINPOINTING
Movethecoilslowlyacrossthetargetfromsidetosideandthenfromfronttobackat90degreeangles.Raisethecoil
slightly,slowthesweepspeed,andshortenthesweeptonarrowdetectionareaenoughthatit'seasytotellwherethecoil
centerisattheinstantofthesoundasyoucrisscrossthetarget.
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,crisscrossingthetargetuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Slowdown
thesweeprateandshortenthesweepsuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Againthetargetwillbedirectlybelow
thecoilcenterattheinstantofresponse.Caution:thismethodwillrequiresomepracticeaswellinordertogetusedtonot
havingyoureyesfollowthesearchcoil.Typicallyitiseasytomissthespotbyafractioncausingyoutodigalargeholein
ordertofindthetargetisofftoonesidefromwhereyoustarted.
BATTERYREPLACEMENT
ThePIranhaisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtop
performancefromit.Thebatteriesshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutes,andthen
periodicallyasyouareusingitforlongperiods.Toactivatethebattertestcircuit,simplyturnthedetectoroffmomentarilyand
thenbackon.Totest,followtheproceduredescribedinthecontrolsectionofthismanual.Whentestingthebatteries,be
surethattheModeSwitchisintheDiscposition,sothattheAllMetalthresholdsignaldoesn'taddtothebattery
testsignal.Thedetectorshouldbeeploudlyforabout4or5seconds,withthesoundslowlyfadingintosilence,ifthe
batteriesarefresh.Asthebatteriesage,thissoundlessintense,andfadesoutquicker.Whenyoujusthearabriefbuzz,or
notaudioatall,replacethebatteries.
Toreplacethebatteries,pullthelargeknobonthebatterydoorontherearoftheunit.Theentiredoorwillpopout.
Removethebatteriesfromthedetector.Replacethenew9voltbatteriesintothesnaps,observingthepolarityindicators.
Slidethebatteriesbackintothedetector,makingsurethatthebatteryclipleadisconnected.Installthebatterydoorflange
intothetopofthecutoutinthechassis,makingsurethattheplungerisstillpulledout.Thenpushtheplungersbackinto
lockthedoorinplace.
Shouldyoudesiretodoso,rechargeableNickelCadmiumbatteriescanbesubstitutedforstandard9voltcells.Individual
9voltsizecellsarereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores,aswellasthechargersforthem,andtheycanbe
insertedintothestandardholderusedinyourPIranha.Theinitialbatterycheckreadingwillbeslightlylower,butwillnotdrop
asmuchwithuse,untilthebatteriesarecompletelydischarged.
DETECTORPROTECTIONCHECKLIST
Congratulations,youhavejustpurchasedanewmetaldetector,andwewishtothankyouforchoosingTesoro.
Somanypeoplearedisappointedwhentheirnew"stateoftheart"detectorbecauselessandlessexcitingtouse,and
doesn'tseemtogoasdeepanymore.Thereissomethingthatyoucandotokeepyournewdetectorworkingasgoodas
whenitwasnew.
Themostimportantthingistosimplytorememberthatyourdetectorisanelectronicinstrument,andtotreatitassuch.
Youwouldn'texpectyourTVsettooperateproperlyifyoustoreditinthetrunkofyourcar,wouldyou?
Wehavegeneratedthefollowinglisttohelpyoutakecareofyourdetectorandtohelpensurethatyoudonotvoidits
warranty.Ifyouwillfollowitsguidelines,youwillfindyourdetectorwillnotletyoudown.
lOperateyourdetectorexactlyasrecommendedinthisinstructionmanual.
lDonotattempttomodifyorrepairthedetector'selectronics;caution:openingofcontrolhousingmayvoidyour
warranty.
lCableishardwiredintosearchcoil,donotattemptremovalofthespringretaineronthesearchcoilhousing.
lUseonlyhighqualitycarbonzinc,alkaline,ornicadbatteries.Neversubstituteadifferentvoltage.Brandshouldnot
bemixed.Donotattempttomodifythepowersupplysystem.
lNeverspraylubricantssuchasWD40oranytypeofcleaners,sealantsorotherchemicalpreparationonorintothe
detector.
lAvoidbangingthesearchcoilagainstrocksorfoundationwalls.
lRemoveandcleanoutscuffcoversperiodicallytoavoidbuildupofmineralizeddirtparticleswhichwillaffect
performance.
lAftereachuse,cleanthedetectorwithasoftclothtoremovedust,moisture,andothercontaminants.
lDonottransportorstoreyourdetectorinthetrunkofyourcar.
lIfyourdetectorhasaprotectivespringatthecoilcableconnector,besurethatthespringdoesnotworkitsway
insidetheplug,causingashort.(OnTesorodetectors,thespringshouldextendapproximately5/8thfromthebaseofthe
connector.)
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.
lProtectyourdetectorfromdust,moisture,andextremetemperaturesduringstorage.Avoidstoringitinplacessuch
asattics,basements,orgarages.Whenshipping,usetheoriginalfactorycartonorsimilarheavydutycontainer;aone
inchminimumclearanceofpaddingaroundthedetectormustbeprovidedwhenshipping.
lTreatyourdetectorasyouwouldanysensitiveelectronicinstrument.Thoughruggedlyconstructedanddesignedto
withstandthedemandsofnormaltreasurehuntingapplications,itisnotintendedtobeimproperlyoperatedorabused.
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PIranhaowneroroperator,orinamannerotherwisedescribedinthisdocumentation.
©19951996TesoroElectronicsIncorporated.Allrightsreserved.PrintedintheUnitedStates.
WARRANTYSERVICE
YourTesorometaldetectoriscoveredbyaLimitedLifetimeWarranty,the
termsofwhicharelistedbelow.Ifyourmetaldetectorshouldrequireservice,you
mayreturnittotheTesorofactory,ortoneofthefactoryauthorizedservice
centers.Contactthefactoryforthenameandaddressofthenearestservice
center.
Ifyouhaveanyquestions,don'thesitatetocontactthefactory.
WATAERPROOFMETALDETECTORWARRANTY
Thiswarrantygivesyouspecificlegalrights,andyoumayhaveotherrights
whichvaryfromstatetostate.
Thisinstrumentiswarrantedtobefreeofdefectsinmaterialandworkmanship
aslongasitisownedbytheoriginalconsumerpurchaser.Thiswarrantyisnot
transferable,andisvalidonlyifthewarrantyregistrationcardhasbeencompleted
andmailedwithin10daysofpurchase.
Duringthefirsttwoyears,TESOROwill,atitsoption,repairorreplaceany
instrumentcoveredbythiswarranty,withoutcharge,exceptfortransportation
charges,atitsfactoryinPrescott,Arizona,oratoneofitsauthorizedrepair
centers.Aftertwoyearsfromdateofpurchase,TESOROwillreplacedefective
partsatnochargeexceptanominallaborchangeandtransportationcharges.
Thiswarrantyexcludesbatteries,damagecausedbyleakybatteries,cable
breakageduetoflexingonbodymountunits,andwearofthesearchcoilhousing.
Alsoexcludedareinstrumentswhichhavebeenabused,altered,orrepairedbyan
unauthorizedparty.
Ifwarrantserviceshouldbenecessary,contactthefactoryfornearestrepair
center.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
OperatingFrequency 900kHz
SearchcoilType PrintedSpiral
SearchcoilSize 8"Diameter
CableLength Approx.3’
AudioFrequency Approx.900Hz
AudioOutput StereoPiezoHeadphones
Weight(mayvaryslightly) lessthan4.5lbs
BatteryRequirement (8)AADC(alkaline)
BatteryLife(typical) 10to20hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OperatingModes
Motion(autotune)
AllMetal
MaximumDepthRating 200ft.
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PIranhaOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL
CONGRATULATIONS!
YournewTESOROMetalDetectorwasdesignedtoprovideyouwithmanyhappyhoursofenjoymentinthemost
rewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingandexcitingexperiencesasyoustepintothe
past–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,andwewishyouthe
bestofsuccess.
YourTESOROMetalDetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinanyconceivabletreasurehuntingsituation.Aswith
anydetector,operatingskillandfamiliaritywiththisinstrumentareprobablythelimitingfactorsindetermininghowsuccessful
youwillbe.Werecommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullybeforeattemptingtousetheinstrumentinthe
field.Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.
TheTESOROMetalDetectorisaprecisionelectronicinstrument,whichwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatit
rightanditwon'tletyoudown.
GoodHunting!JackGifford
GENERALDESCRIPTION
ThePIranhaishighperformancemetaldetectorwhichutilizesstateoftheartPulseInductiontechnologyanda
revolutionarynewkindofPrintedSpiralsearchcoil.ThePIranhawillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorist,
whethertheyareexperiencedornot,byincorporatingsimplicityandconvertibilitytogether.Don'tbefooledbyitssimplicity,
thePIranhaiscapableofdeliveringpeakperformancebyeliminatingtroublesomeadjustmentsandcomplicatedfeatures
creatinganextremelysimpletooperatinglightweightdetector.ThePIranhaisthefirstofitskind.Notonlydoesitoffera
totallynewconceptinsearchcoildesignmakingitmoreresponsivetofinegoldcoins,jewelry,andnuggets,butitisalsothe
firsttoofferinterchangeablesearchcoilsinavarietyofsizes.ThePIranhaispackagedinanallnewwaterproofhousing,
makingitidealforwetweatheruse,beachhunting,ordivinginfreshorsaltwater.Itisconvertibletobody/beltmountand
requiresnospecialtools.
AsaPulseInductioninstrumentthePIranhawillprovidemineralfreeoperationinvirtuallyallgroundmineralorsaltwater
environments.EquippedwithautotuningthePIranhaisamotionbasedAllMetaldetector.Thoughthesearchcoilmustbe
movingwhenpinpointing,duetotheautotuning,theamountofmotionissoslightthatpinpointiseasilyaccomplished.
Designedasaturnonandgoallpurposedetector,thePIranharequiresnospecialgroundadjustmentsorcomplicated
setup.Avarietyofoptionalsearchcoilsprovidestheoperatorgreaterversatilityandawiderrangeofsiteselection.Aguideto
selectingtheproperoptionalcoilisincludedinthesectionforFieldUse.
Besuretofilloutandmailyourwarrantyregistrationcardtovalidateyourwarranty.
ASSEMBLY
AssemblyofthePIranhaisverysimple,andrequiresnospecialtools.Infact,theonlyassemblynecessaryistomount
thesearchcoiltotheendofthelowerstemandconnectthelowerstemandtheupperpoletogether.
1. Takethelowerstem(theonewiththeblackisolatorpoletip),andremovethescrewandnut.Puttwoofthefriction
washesintotherecessedslotsprovidedonthepoletip(wherethescrewfitsthrough).Twosizesoffrictionwashersare
supplied,onethicksetandonethinset.Usingthewashersthatfitbest,insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsof
thesearchcoilandaligntheholesofthepoletipandwasherswiththoseofthemountingears.Thepoletipshouldfit
snugly.
2. Insertthecoilmountingscrewthroughtheearsofthesearchcoilandpoletip,ifthecableisinthewayreversethe
directionofthescrewandinsertitfromtheotherside.
3. Installthethumbnutonthescrewandtightenbyhand.
4. Depressthetwobuttonsontheupperendofthelowerstem,andslideitintotheupperpolesection.Pushthelower
stemupsothatthebuttonsclickintothethirdsetofholesfromtheendoftheupperpole.
5. Wrapthesearchcoilcablearoundthepolemakingsureitissnugtothepole,leavingjustenoughslacknearthe
searchcoiltopermitcoiladjustment.Thenconnectthesearchcoilconnectorintothematchingconnectorfoundatthe
backofthecontrolbox.Tightenitbyhand.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.ThePIranhaissensitiveenoughtoseethetinywiresin
thecablecreatingfalsesignalscausedbythemovingwires.
CONVERSION
Obviously,convertingthePIranhafrompolemounttobody/beltmountissimplyamatterofremovingthecontrolboxfrom
theupperpoleandunwindingthecable.Toremovethecontrolboxfromthepole,depressthefourspringbuttonsthatholdthe
mountingbracketandcontrolboxtothepole,andleft.Itiseasiesttoreleaseonesetofspringbuttonsatatime.Unwindthe
searchcoilcablefromthepolesandfastenittothelowerstemwithavelcrofastener,justabovetheblackisolatortip,then
fastenthecabletotheupperpolewiththeothervelcrofastener,justbelowthefoamhandgrip.
ConvertingthePIranhabackfrombody/beltmounttopolemountissimplyamatterofreversingtheaboveprocedure.
ADJUSTMENT
Thesearchcoilangleandstemlengthshouldbeadjustedsothattheunitdoesnotbecomeuncomfortableortiringtohold
afterlongperiodsofuse.Thedetectorshouldrestinyourhandwitharmrelaxedallowingittoswingbackandforthwithout
havingtoliftwiththeelboworshoulder,whilekeepingthesearchcoilascloseaspossibletothegroundwithouttouching.The
polelengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthelowerstem,tilltheyclickintothe
holesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablesetting.Thesearchcoilshouldbeaboutoneinchabovethegroundwhilestanding
erect.Adjusttheangleofthesearchcoil,sothatthecoilisparalleltotheground.
SPECIFICATIONS
TESOROElectronics,Inc.,reservestherighttomodifyorimprovethedesignwithoutfurthernotice.
CONTROLS
ThePIranhahasbeenspeciallyautomatedsothatonlytwocontrolsareneededtomakeadjustments,onemountedon
thefrontpanelofthedetectorandtheotherismountedinsidethecontrolhousing.
1. ON/OFFBATTERYTESTTHRESHOLDCONTROL.Thiscontrolisusedtoperformseveralfunctions:Itturnsthe
instrument'spoweronandoff.Turningtheknobcompletelycounterclockwiseuntilitclicksdisconnectsthebatteriesfrom
thecircuit,shuttingtheinstrumentoff.Whentheknobisfirstturnedon(clockwise),thedetectorwillautomaticallytest
itsbatteries,andgiveyouavisibleindicationoftheirconnection.FreshbatterieswillcauseagreenLEDtoilluminatefor
about3to5seconds.Asthebatteriesageandbecomeweaker,theilluminationwillbeweakerand,anddecaymore
quickly.WhentheresponseisnoglowfromtheLEDitistimefornewbatteries.Itisrecommendedtoalwaysuse
alkalinebatteries.TheThresholdfunctionofthiscontrolTUNESthedetectortoThreshold.Thisadjustmentwillbe
explainedfurtherintheTUNINGsectionofthemanual.
2. SIGNALINDICATORLIGHT.Aredlightidentifiedonthefrontcontrolpanelas"SIGNAL"willilluminateeachtime
thesearchcoilispassedoverametallicobjectindicatingthepresenceofatarget.Itisimportanttomakesureyoudonot
havetheThresholdsetsosensitivethatthedetectorrespondstogroundvariations,hotrocks,otherground
mineralization,orelectricalinterferencesastheSIGNALlightwillilluminateevenwhenthedetectorproducesafalse
signalcausedbythese.
3. BATTERYTESTLAMP.ThePIranhafeaturesanautomaticbatterycheckthatoccurseachtimethedetectoris
turnedon.Afreshsetofgoodbatteriesshouldilluminatethelampfor3to5seconds.Asthebatteriesagethelightwill
becomedimmeranditsdurationofilluminationwillshorten.Ifonlyashort,quickflashoccursornolightispresentitis
timetoreplacethebatteries.ThePIranharequires8AAsizealkalinebatteries.
4. VOLUMECONTROL.ThePIranhaisequippedwithasetofstereopiezoheadphonesthatarehard wiredtothe
instrumentforwaterproofpurposes.Becausetheinstrumentwillbeoperatedindifferentenvironmentswheretheambient
noiselevelvaries,suchas:nearthecrashingsurfatoceanbeaches,wearingheadgearorlisteningoveraregulatorwhen
scubadiving,ordetectingnearaserenelakecreatestheneedforavariablevolumecontrol.Thevolumecontrolforthe
headphonesisfoundinsidethecontrolhousing.Toaccessthiscontrolsimplyunlatchthedrawboltsholdingthecontrol
panelsecuretothehousing.Alwaysmakesurethecontrolboxisdrybeforeopening.Thevolumecontrolisfoundonthe
left,theoppositesidefromthebatterycompartment.Youwillnoticeasmallshaftusedtoadjustthevolumelevel.
TUNING
SincethemosttroublesomeadjustmentsofstandarddetectorshavebeenautomatedinthePIranha,orarenot
necessarywithPulseInduction,thetuningprocedureforthisdetectorissimplyamatterofsettingthedesiredThresholdtone
andheadphonevolume.
PulseInductiondoesnotrequirespecialadjustmentsinordertoignoretheeffectsofwetsaltorgroundmineralization.
However,propertuningisessential.TotunethePIranha,theThresholdcontrolshouldbeadjustedsothatthereisabarely
audibletone.Ifthetoneissettooloworsilent,someofthedeeperorweakertargetsmaynotbeheard.Ifthetoneissettoo
loud,somedeeperorweakertargetsmaynotbeheardduetoaudiomasking.SettingtheThresholdforsilentoperationwill
causesomelossofdepth,butmaybenecessaryinextremeconditionsinordertoachievesmoothoperation.Asilent
Thresholdmaybenecessaryinsomeareaswheregoldnuggethuntinginordertomaintainastableoperationoverhotrocks.
Sincedepthmaybescarified,thePIranhashouldonlybeusedasanuggethunterwhennotothersystemisabletobe
operatedatthesite.
YoushouldnothearachangeintheThresholdtonewhenloweringthesearchcoiltowardtheground.Ifachangeoccurs,
oryouobtainanaudioincreasewhenloweringthesearchcoilintosaltwater,simplyholdthecoilstillforamomentallowing
theautotuningtimetoretunetheinstrumentbacktoThreshold.Donotletthesearchcoilraiseattheendofyoursweepas
thismaycausesomefalsesignals.Alwaysholdthecoilparallelwiththeground.
PulseInductionwillallowsignalfilteringoncethedesiredsignalisrecoveredfromthepulse.However,forproper
operation,thepulsegenerator,searchcoilandinputamplifiermustbeofverywidebandwidth.Thismakesthedetector
susceptibletopickingupanysourcesofelectricalinterference,suchas60cyclepowertransmissionnoise.Anabsolutely
smoothThresholdmaynotbepossibleinmylocations,andsomerumbleormotorboatingmaybepresentwhenthe
Thresholdisadjustedtotheproperpoint.ThisisinherentinthedesignofaPulseunit.AdjustingtheThresholdeitherlouder
orquieteristheonlywaytocontrolthisproblem.
FIELDUSE
Thedetectorshouldbeheldinapositionthatiscomfortableforyou.Swingthedetectorfromsidetosideinaboutathree
footarc,overlappingsucceedingstrokeswell.Thismotioniscalleda“sweep.”Goatapacethatiscomfortableforyou.In
fact,tryingtohunttoofastinDiscriminatemayevencausealossofdepthinheavilymineralizedlocations.
Itwouldbehelpfultoburysomecoinsandtrashmetaljunkitemsinanareathatyouknowisclearofothermetal
objects,andthentrytheunitinitsvariousmodes.ChecktheareainAllMetalModefirsttobesureitsclearoftrashthen
burythetargetsatleastafootapart,andfrom2to6inchesdeeptostart.Makeamapofthetestbedtobesureyouknow
whateachtargetisandhowdeepitis.Practiceonthesetargetstofamiliarizeyourselfwithyourdetector’stargetresponse.
Thiswillalsohelpyoulearnthepropersweepratetohelpinsureagainstlosttargets.
Trytokeepyoursearchcoilheightconstantandclosetotheground.Toooftenpeopletendtoraisethecoilattheendof
asweep,muchlikeapendulum,especiallyiftheyarehurrying.Trytoavoidthis,asanyincreaseinheightwillcausea
correspondinglossofdepth.Inareaswithwellkeptlawns,theeasiestwaytomaintainaconstantsearchcoilheightisto
allowthecoiltorestonthegrassasyousweepfromsidetoside.Inroughandrockyareasitisbestnotto“scrub”thecoilon
theground,astherockswillactlikeabrasives,andwearawaythecoilbottom(anoptionalcoilscuffcoverwillprotectagainst
this.)Sweepthecoilasclosetothegroundaspossiblewithouttouching.Avoidhittingthegroundorrockswiththecoilas
thismaycausefalsesignalsthatsoundmuchlikeadesiredtargetwould.Thehigheryouholdandsweepthecoilabovethe
groundthelessdepthyou'llbeabletoobtain.
Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,DIGIT.Ifyoudon’tdiganyjunkatall,youaresurelypassingupa
lotofgoodfindsaswell.
OncethedetectorhasbeentunedtheautotuningwillmaintaintheThresholdatthatlevel.Duetotheautotuningthe
searchcoilmustbemovingwhilesearchingorpinpointing.Ifyoustopthesearchcoiloverametallicobjectortargetthe
detectorwilltuneitoutandreturntheinstrumenttotheestablishedThreshold.Ifyoumovethesearchcoilslightlyoffthetarget
tooneside,andholdittheremomentarily,andthenmoveitbackoverthetargetonceagain,thedetectorwillautomatically
retunetorespondtothetarget.
SELECTINGTHERIGHTSEARCHCOIL
Selectingtherightsearchcoilforthetypeofdetectingyou'redoingwilladdgreatlytoyoursuccess.ThePIranhacome
withastandard8"PrintedSpiralcoilwhichisanewandrevolutionarydesigndevelopedbyTesorospecificallyforthePIranha.
ThisisanexcellentoverallcoilsincemostpeoplewhooperatePIinstrumentsareusuallysearchinglargesandybeachareas
wheretargetsareeasytodigandthereisusuallynotanoverabundanceoftrash.Thiscoilwilldetectverytinytargetsforits
sizeandprovidesexcellenttargetseparationwhilegivingmoregroundcoverage.However,itisnotalwaystherightcoilforthe
job.ThereforeTesorohasmadeitpossibletointerchangecoils,andhasdevelopedavarietyofitsuniquePrintedSpiral
searchcoilinaselectionofsizes.
Inadditiontothestandard8"opencentersearchcoil,twooptionalcoilsizesareavailableforthePIranha.The101/2"
opencentercoilisdesignedforareaswherediggingiseasier,andwherejunktargetsmaynotbetoonumerous.The7inch
coilwillbeparticularlyusefulwhensearchingforsmallertargets,suchasgoldnuggets.
PINPOINTING
Movethecoilslowlyacrossthetargetfromsidetosideandthenfromfronttobackat90degreeangles.Raisethecoil
slightly,slowthesweepspeed,andshortenthesweeptonarrowdetectionareaenoughthatit'seasytotellwherethecoil
centerisattheinstantofthesoundasyoucrisscrossthetarget.
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,crisscrossingthetargetuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Slowdown
thesweeprateandshortenthesweepsuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Againthetargetwillbedirectlybelow
thecoilcenterattheinstantofresponse.Caution:thismethodwillrequiresomepracticeaswellinordertogetusedtonot
havingyoureyesfollowthesearchcoil.Typicallyitiseasytomissthespotbyafractioncausingyoutodigalargeholein
ordertofindthetargetisofftoonesidefromwhereyoustarted.
BATTERYREPLACEMENT
ThePIranhaisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtop
performancefromit.Thebatteriesshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutes,andthen
periodicallyasyouareusingitforlongperiods.Toactivatethebattertestcircuit,simplyturnthedetectoroffmomentarilyand
thenbackon.Totest,followtheproceduredescribedinthecontrolsectionofthismanual.Whentestingthebatteries,be
surethattheModeSwitchisintheDiscposition,sothattheAllMetalthresholdsignaldoesn'taddtothebattery
testsignal.Thedetectorshouldbeeploudlyforabout4or5seconds,withthesoundslowlyfadingintosilence,ifthe
batteriesarefresh.Asthebatteriesage,thissoundlessintense,andfadesoutquicker.Whenyoujusthearabriefbuzz,or
notaudioatall,replacethebatteries.
Toreplacethebatteries,pullthelargeknobonthebatterydoorontherearoftheunit.Theentiredoorwillpopout.
Removethebatteriesfromthedetector.Replacethenew9voltbatteriesintothesnaps,observingthepolarityindicators.
Slidethebatteriesbackintothedetector,makingsurethatthebatteryclipleadisconnected.Installthebatterydoorflange
intothetopofthecutoutinthechassis,makingsurethattheplungerisstillpulledout.Thenpushtheplungersbackinto
lockthedoorinplace.
Shouldyoudesiretodoso,rechargeableNickelCadmiumbatteriescanbesubstitutedforstandard9voltcells.Individual
9voltsizecellsarereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores,aswellasthechargersforthem,andtheycanbe
insertedintothestandardholderusedinyourPIranha.Theinitialbatterycheckreadingwillbeslightlylower,butwillnotdrop
asmuchwithuse,untilthebatteriesarecompletelydischarged.
DETECTORPROTECTIONCHECKLIST
Congratulations,youhavejustpurchasedanewmetaldetector,andwewishtothankyouforchoosingTesoro.
Somanypeoplearedisappointedwhentheirnew"stateoftheart"detectorbecauselessandlessexcitingtouse,and
doesn'tseemtogoasdeepanymore.Thereissomethingthatyoucandotokeepyournewdetectorworkingasgoodas
whenitwasnew.
Themostimportantthingistosimplytorememberthatyourdetectorisanelectronicinstrument,andtotreatitassuch.
Youwouldn'texpectyourTVsettooperateproperlyifyoustoreditinthetrunkofyourcar,wouldyou?
Wehavegeneratedthefollowinglisttohelpyoutakecareofyourdetectorandtohelpensurethatyoudonotvoidits
warranty.Ifyouwillfollowitsguidelines,youwillfindyourdetectorwillnotletyoudown.
lOperateyourdetectorexactlyasrecommendedinthisinstructionmanual.
lDonotattempttomodifyorrepairthedetector'selectronics;caution:openingofcontrolhousingmayvoidyour
warranty.
lCableishardwiredintosearchcoil,donotattemptremovalofthespringretaineronthesearchcoilhousing.
lUseonlyhighqualitycarbonzinc,alkaline,ornicadbatteries.Neversubstituteadifferentvoltage.Brandshouldnot
bemixed.Donotattempttomodifythepowersupplysystem.
lNeverspraylubricantssuchasWD40oranytypeofcleaners,sealantsorotherchemicalpreparationonorintothe
detector.
lAvoidbangingthesearchcoilagainstrocksorfoundationwalls.
lRemoveandcleanoutscuffcoversperiodicallytoavoidbuildupofmineralizeddirtparticleswhichwillaffect
performance.
lAftereachuse,cleanthedetectorwithasoftclothtoremovedust,moisture,andothercontaminants.
lDonottransportorstoreyourdetectorinthetrunkofyourcar.
lIfyourdetectorhasaprotectivespringatthecoilcableconnector,besurethatthespringdoesnotworkitsway
insidetheplug,causingashort.(OnTesorodetectors,thespringshouldextendapproximately5/8thfromthebaseofthe
connector.)
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.
lProtectyourdetectorfromdust,moisture,andextremetemperaturesduringstorage.Avoidstoringitinplacessuch
asattics,basements,orgarages.Whenshipping,usetheoriginalfactorycartonorsimilarheavydutycontainer;aone
inchminimumclearanceofpaddingaroundthedetectormustbeprovidedwhenshipping.
lTreatyourdetectorasyouwouldanysensitiveelectronicinstrument.Thoughruggedlyconstructedanddesignedto
withstandthedemandsofnormaltreasurehuntingapplications,itisnotintendedtobeimproperlyoperatedorabused.
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PIranhaowneroroperator,orinamannerotherwisedescribedinthisdocumentation.
©1995 1996TesoroElectronicsIncorporated.Allrightsreserved.PrintedintheUnitedStates.
WARRANTYSERVICE
YourTesorometaldetectoriscoveredbyaLimitedLifetimeWarranty,the
termsofwhicharelistedbelow.Ifyourmetaldetectorshouldrequireservice,you
mayreturnittotheTesorofactory,ortoneofthefactoryauthorizedservice
centers.Contactthefactoryforthenameandaddressofthenearestservice
center.
Ifyouhaveanyquestions,don'thesitatetocontactthefactory.
WATAERPROOFMETALDETECTORWARRANTY
Thiswarrantygivesyouspecificlegalrights,andyoumayhaveotherrights
whichvaryfromstatetostate.
Thisinstrumentiswarrantedtobefreeofdefectsinmaterialandworkmanship
aslongasitisownedbytheoriginalconsumerpurchaser.Thiswarrantyisnot
transferable,andisvalidonlyifthewarrantyregistrationcardhasbeencompleted
andmailedwithin10daysofpurchase.
Duringthefirsttwoyears,TESOROwill,atitsoption,repairorreplaceany
instrumentcoveredbythiswarranty,withoutcharge,exceptfortransportation
charges,atitsfactoryinPrescott,Arizona,oratoneofitsauthorizedrepair
centers.Aftertwoyearsfromdateofpurchase,TESOROwillreplacedefective
partsatnochargeexceptanominallaborchangeandtransportationcharges.
Thiswarrantyexcludesbatteries,damagecausedbyleakybatteries,cable
breakageduetoflexingonbodymountunits,andwearofthesearchcoilhousing.
Alsoexcludedareinstrumentswhichhavebeenabused,altered,orrepairedbyan
unauthorizedparty.
Ifwarrantserviceshouldbenecessary,contactthefactoryfornearestrepair
center.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
OperatingFrequency 900kHz
SearchcoilType PrintedSpiral
SearchcoilSize 8"Diameter
CableLength Approx.3’
AudioFrequency Approx.900Hz
AudioOutput StereoPiezoHeadphones
Weight(mayvaryslightly) lessthan4.5lbs
BatteryRequirement (8)AADC(alkaline)
BatteryLife(typical) 10to20hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OperatingModes
Motion(autotune)
AllMetal
MaximumDepthRating 200ft.
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PIranhaOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL
CONGRATULATIONS!
YournewTESOROMetalDetectorwasdesignedtoprovideyouwithmanyhappyhoursofenjoymentinthemost
rewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingandexcitingexperiencesasyoustepintothe
past–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,andwewishyouthe
bestofsuccess.
YourTESOROMetalDetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinanyconceivabletreasurehuntingsituation.Aswith
anydetector,operatingskillandfamiliaritywiththisinstrumentareprobablythelimitingfactorsindetermininghowsuccessful
youwillbe.Werecommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullybeforeattemptingtousetheinstrumentinthe
field.Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.
TheTESOROMetalDetectorisaprecisionelectronicinstrument,whichwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatit
rightanditwon'tletyoudown.
GoodHunting!JackGifford
GENERALDESCRIPTION
ThePIranhaishighperformancemetaldetectorwhichutilizesstateoftheartPulseInductiontechnologyanda
revolutionarynewkindofPrintedSpiralsearchcoil.ThePIranhawillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorist,
whethertheyareexperiencedornot,byincorporatingsimplicityandconvertibilitytogether.Don'tbefooledbyitssimplicity,
thePIranhaiscapableofdeliveringpeakperformancebyeliminatingtroublesomeadjustmentsandcomplicatedfeatures
creatinganextremelysimpletooperatinglightweightdetector.ThePIranhaisthefirstofitskind.Notonlydoesitoffera
totallynewconceptinsearchcoildesignmakingitmoreresponsivetofinegoldcoins,jewelry,andnuggets,butitisalsothe
firsttoofferinterchangeablesearchcoilsinavarietyofsizes.ThePIranhaispackagedinanallnewwaterproofhousing,
makingitidealforwetweatheruse,beachhunting,ordivinginfreshorsaltwater.Itisconvertibletobody/beltmountand
requiresnospecialtools.
AsaPulseInductioninstrumentthePIranhawillprovidemineralfreeoperationinvirtuallyallgroundmineralorsaltwater
environments.EquippedwithautotuningthePIranhaisamotionbasedAllMetaldetector.Thoughthesearchcoilmustbe
movingwhenpinpointing,duetotheautotuning,theamountofmotionissoslightthatpinpointiseasilyaccomplished.
Designedasaturnonandgoallpurposedetector,thePIranharequiresnospecialgroundadjustmentsorcomplicated
setup.Avarietyofoptionalsearchcoilsprovidestheoperatorgreaterversatilityandawiderrangeofsiteselection.Aguideto
selectingtheproperoptionalcoilisincludedinthesectionforFieldUse.
Besuretofilloutandmailyourwarrantyregistrationcardtovalidateyourwarranty.
ASSEMBLY
AssemblyofthePIranhaisverysimple,andrequiresnospecialtools.Infact,theonlyassemblynecessaryistomount
thesearchcoiltotheendofthelowerstemandconnectthelowerstemandtheupperpoletogether.
1. Takethelowerstem(theonewiththeblackisolatorpoletip),andremovethescrewandnut.Puttwoofthefriction
washesintotherecessedslotsprovidedonthepoletip(wherethescrewfitsthrough).Twosizesoffrictionwashersare
supplied,onethicksetandonethinset.Usingthewashersthatfitbest,insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsof
thesearchcoilandaligntheholesofthepoletipandwasherswiththoseofthemountingears.Thepoletipshouldfit
snugly.
2. Insertthecoilmountingscrewthroughtheearsofthesearchcoilandpoletip,ifthecableisinthewayreversethe
directionofthescrewandinsertitfromtheotherside.
3. Installthethumbnutonthescrewandtightenbyhand.
4. Depressthetwobuttonsontheupperendofthelowerstem,andslideitintotheupperpolesection.Pushthelower
stemupsothatthebuttonsclickintothethirdsetofholesfromtheendoftheupperpole.
5. Wrapthesearchcoilcablearoundthepolemakingsureitissnugtothepole,leavingjustenoughslacknearthe
searchcoiltopermitcoiladjustment.Thenconnectthesearchcoilconnectorintothematchingconnectorfoundatthe
backofthecontrolbox.Tightenitbyhand.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.ThePIranhaissensitiveenoughtoseethetinywiresin
thecablecreatingfalsesignalscausedbythemovingwires.
CONVERSION
Obviously,convertingthePIranhafrompolemounttobody/beltmountissimplyamatterofremovingthecontrolboxfrom
theupperpoleandunwindingthecable.Toremovethecontrolboxfromthepole,depressthefourspringbuttonsthatholdthe
mountingbracketandcontrolboxtothepole,andleft.Itiseasiesttoreleaseonesetofspringbuttonsatatime.Unwindthe
searchcoilcablefromthepolesandfastenittothelowerstemwithavelcrofastener,justabovetheblackisolatortip,then
fastenthecabletotheupperpolewiththeothervelcrofastener,justbelowthefoamhandgrip.
ConvertingthePIranhabackfrombody/beltmounttopolemountissimplyamatterofreversingtheaboveprocedure.
ADJUSTMENT
Thesearchcoilangleandstemlengthshouldbeadjustedsothattheunitdoesnotbecomeuncomfortableortiringtohold
afterlongperiodsofuse.Thedetectorshouldrestinyourhandwitharmrelaxedallowingittoswingbackandforthwithout
havingtoliftwiththeelboworshoulder,whilekeepingthesearchcoilascloseaspossibletothegroundwithouttouching.The
polelengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthelowerstem,tilltheyclickintothe
holesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablesetting.Thesearchcoilshouldbeaboutoneinchabovethegroundwhilestanding
erect.Adjusttheangleofthesearchcoil,sothatthecoilisparalleltotheground.
SPECIFICATIONS
TESOROElectronics,Inc.,reservestherighttomodifyorimprovethedesignwithoutfurthernotice.
CONTROLS
ThePIranhahasbeenspeciallyautomatedsothatonlytwocontrolsareneededtomakeadjustments,onemountedon
thefrontpanelofthedetectorandtheotherismountedinsidethecontrolhousing.
1. ON/OFFBATTERYTESTTHRESHOLDCONTROL.Thiscontrolisusedtoperformseveralfunctions:Itturnsthe
instrument'spoweronandoff.Turningtheknobcompletelycounterclockwiseuntilitclicksdisconnectsthebatteriesfrom
thecircuit,shuttingtheinstrumentoff.Whentheknobisfirstturnedon(clockwise),thedetectorwillautomaticallytest
itsbatteries,andgiveyouavisibleindicationoftheirconnection.FreshbatterieswillcauseagreenLEDtoilluminatefor
about3to5seconds.Asthebatteriesageandbecomeweaker,theilluminationwillbeweakerand,anddecaymore
quickly.WhentheresponseisnoglowfromtheLEDitistimefornewbatteries.Itisrecommendedtoalwaysuse
alkalinebatteries.TheThresholdfunctionofthiscontrolTUNESthedetectortoThreshold.Thisadjustmentwillbe
explainedfurtherintheTUNINGsectionofthemanual.
2. SIGNALINDICATORLIGHT.Aredlightidentifiedonthefrontcontrolpanelas"SIGNAL"willilluminateeachtime
thesearchcoilispassedoverametallicobjectindicatingthepresenceofatarget.Itisimportanttomakesureyoudonot
havetheThresholdsetsosensitivethatthedetectorrespondstogroundvariations,hotrocks,otherground
mineralization,orelectricalinterferencesastheSIGNALlightwillilluminateevenwhenthedetectorproducesafalse
signalcausedbythese.
3. BATTERYTESTLAMP.ThePIranhafeaturesanautomaticbatterycheckthatoccurseachtimethedetectoris
turnedon.Afreshsetofgoodbatteriesshouldilluminatethelampfor3to5seconds.Asthebatteriesagethelightwill
becomedimmeranditsdurationofilluminationwillshorten.Ifonlyashort,quickflashoccursornolightispresentitis
timetoreplacethebatteries.ThePIranharequires8AAsizealkalinebatteries.
4. VOLUMECONTROL.ThePIranhaisequippedwithasetofstereopiezoheadphonesthatarehard wiredtothe
instrumentforwaterproofpurposes.Becausetheinstrumentwillbeoperatedindifferentenvironmentswheretheambient
noiselevelvaries,suchas:nearthecrashingsurfatoceanbeaches,wearingheadgearorlisteningoveraregulatorwhen
scubadiving,ordetectingnearaserenelakecreatestheneedforavariablevolumecontrol.Thevolumecontrolforthe
headphonesisfoundinsidethecontrolhousing.Toaccessthiscontrolsimplyunlatchthedrawboltsholdingthecontrol
panelsecuretothehousing.Alwaysmakesurethecontrolboxisdrybeforeopening.Thevolumecontrolisfoundonthe
left,theoppositesidefromthebatterycompartment.Youwillnoticeasmallshaftusedtoadjustthevolumelevel.
TUNING
SincethemosttroublesomeadjustmentsofstandarddetectorshavebeenautomatedinthePIranha,orarenot
necessarywithPulseInduction,thetuningprocedureforthisdetectorissimplyamatterofsettingthedesiredThresholdtone
andheadphonevolume.
PulseInductiondoesnotrequirespecialadjustmentsinordertoignoretheeffectsofwetsaltorgroundmineralization.
However,propertuningisessential.TotunethePIranha,theThresholdcontrolshouldbeadjustedsothatthereisabarely
audibletone.Ifthetoneissettooloworsilent,someofthedeeperorweakertargetsmaynotbeheard.Ifthetoneissettoo
loud,somedeeperorweakertargetsmaynotbeheardduetoaudiomasking.SettingtheThresholdforsilentoperationwill
causesomelossofdepth,butmaybenecessaryinextremeconditionsinordertoachievesmoothoperation.Asilent
Thresholdmaybenecessaryinsomeareaswheregoldnuggethuntinginordertomaintainastableoperationoverhotrocks.
Sincedepthmaybescarified,thePIranhashouldonlybeusedasanuggethunterwhennotothersystemisabletobe
operatedatthesite.
YoushouldnothearachangeintheThresholdtonewhenloweringthesearchcoiltowardtheground.Ifachangeoccurs,
oryouobtainanaudioincreasewhenloweringthesearchcoilintosaltwater,simplyholdthecoilstillforamomentallowing
theautotuningtimetoretunetheinstrumentbacktoThreshold.Donotletthesearchcoilraiseattheendofyoursweepas
thismaycausesomefalsesignals.Alwaysholdthecoilparallelwiththeground.
PulseInductionwillallowsignalfilteringoncethedesiredsignalisrecoveredfromthepulse.However,forproper
operation,thepulsegenerator,searchcoilandinputamplifiermustbeofverywidebandwidth.Thismakesthedetector
susceptibletopickingupanysourcesofelectricalinterference,suchas60cyclepowertransmissionnoise.Anabsolutely
smoothThresholdmaynotbepossibleinmylocations,andsomerumbleormotorboatingmaybepresentwhenthe
Thresholdisadjustedtotheproperpoint.ThisisinherentinthedesignofaPulseunit.AdjustingtheThresholdeitherlouder
orquieteristheonlywaytocontrolthisproblem.
FIELDUSE
Thedetectorshouldbeheldinapositionthatiscomfortableforyou.Swingthedetectorfromsidetosideinaboutathree
footarc,overlappingsucceedingstrokeswell.Thismotioniscalleda“sweep.”Goatapacethatiscomfortableforyou.In
fact,tryingtohunttoofastinDiscriminatemayevencausealossofdepthinheavilymineralizedlocations.
Itwouldbehelpfultoburysomecoinsandtrashmetaljunkitemsinanareathatyouknowisclearofothermetal
objects,andthentrytheunitinitsvariousmodes.ChecktheareainAllMetalModefirsttobesureitsclearoftrashthen
burythetargetsatleastafootapart,andfrom2to6inchesdeeptostart.Makeamapofthetestbedtobesureyouknow
whateachtargetisandhowdeepitis.Practiceonthesetargetstofamiliarizeyourselfwithyourdetector’stargetresponse.
Thiswillalsohelpyoulearnthepropersweepratetohelpinsureagainstlosttargets.
Trytokeepyoursearchcoilheightconstantandclosetotheground.Toooftenpeopletendtoraisethecoilattheendof
asweep,muchlikeapendulum,especiallyiftheyarehurrying.Trytoavoidthis,asanyincreaseinheightwillcausea
correspondinglossofdepth.Inareaswithwellkeptlawns,theeasiestwaytomaintainaconstantsearchcoilheightisto
allowthecoiltorestonthegrassasyousweepfromsidetoside.Inroughandrockyareasitisbestnotto“scrub”thecoilon
theground,astherockswillactlikeabrasives,andwearawaythecoilbottom(anoptionalcoilscuffcoverwillprotectagainst
this.)Sweepthecoilasclosetothegroundaspossiblewithouttouching.Avoidhittingthegroundorrockswiththecoilas
thismaycausefalsesignalsthatsoundmuchlikeadesiredtargetwould.Thehigheryouholdandsweepthecoilabovethe
groundthelessdepthyou'llbeabletoobtain.
Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,DIGIT.Ifyoudon’tdiganyjunkatall,youaresurelypassingupa
lotofgoodfindsaswell.
OncethedetectorhasbeentunedtheautotuningwillmaintaintheThresholdatthatlevel.Duetotheautotuningthe
searchcoilmustbemovingwhilesearchingorpinpointing.Ifyoustopthesearchcoiloverametallicobjectortargetthe
detectorwilltuneitoutandreturntheinstrumenttotheestablishedThreshold.Ifyoumovethesearchcoilslightlyoffthetarget
tooneside,andholdittheremomentarily,andthenmoveitbackoverthetargetonceagain,thedetectorwillautomatically
retunetorespondtothetarget.
SELECTINGTHERIGHTSEARCHCOIL
Selectingtherightsearchcoilforthetypeofdetectingyou'redoingwilladdgreatlytoyoursuccess.ThePIranhacome
withastandard8"PrintedSpiralcoilwhichisanewandrevolutionarydesigndevelopedbyTesorospecificallyforthePIranha.
ThisisanexcellentoverallcoilsincemostpeoplewhooperatePIinstrumentsareusuallysearchinglargesandybeachareas
wheretargetsareeasytodigandthereisusuallynotanoverabundanceoftrash.Thiscoilwilldetectverytinytargetsforits
sizeandprovidesexcellenttargetseparationwhilegivingmoregroundcoverage.However,itisnotalwaystherightcoilforthe
job.ThereforeTesorohasmadeitpossibletointerchangecoils,andhasdevelopedavarietyofitsuniquePrintedSpiral
searchcoilinaselectionofsizes.
Inadditiontothestandard8"opencentersearchcoil,twooptionalcoilsizesareavailableforthePIranha.The101/2"
opencentercoilisdesignedforareaswherediggingiseasier,andwherejunktargetsmaynotbetoonumerous.The7inch
coilwillbeparticularlyusefulwhensearchingforsmallertargets,suchasgoldnuggets.
PINPOINTING
Movethecoilslowlyacrossthetargetfromsidetosideandthenfromfronttobackat90degreeangles.Raisethecoil
slightly,slowthesweepspeed,andshortenthesweeptonarrowdetectionareaenoughthatit'seasytotellwherethecoil
centerisattheinstantofthesoundasyoucrisscrossthetarget.
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,crisscrossingthetargetuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Slowdown
thesweeprateandshortenthesweepsuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Againthetargetwillbedirectlybelow
thecoilcenterattheinstantofresponse.Caution:thismethodwillrequiresomepracticeaswellinordertogetusedtonot
havingyoureyesfollowthesearchcoil.Typicallyitiseasytomissthespotbyafractioncausingyoutodigalargeholein
ordertofindthetargetisofftoonesidefromwhereyoustarted.
BATTERYREPLACEMENT
ThePIranhaisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtop
performancefromit.Thebatteriesshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutes,andthen
periodicallyasyouareusingitforlongperiods.Toactivatethebattertestcircuit,simplyturnthedetectoroffmomentarilyand
thenbackon.Totest,followtheproceduredescribedinthecontrolsectionofthismanual.Whentestingthebatteries,be
surethattheModeSwitchisintheDiscposition,sothattheAllMetalthresholdsignaldoesn'taddtothebattery
testsignal.Thedetectorshouldbeeploudlyforabout4or5seconds,withthesoundslowlyfadingintosilence,ifthe
batteriesarefresh.Asthebatteriesage,thissoundlessintense,andfadesoutquicker.Whenyoujusthearabriefbuzz,or
notaudioatall,replacethebatteries.
Toreplacethebatteries,pullthelargeknobonthebatterydoorontherearoftheunit.Theentiredoorwillpopout.
Removethebatteriesfromthedetector.Replacethenew9voltbatteriesintothesnaps,observingthepolarityindicators.
Slidethebatteriesbackintothedetector,makingsurethatthebatteryclipleadisconnected.Installthebatterydoorflange
intothetopofthecutoutinthechassis,makingsurethattheplungerisstillpulledout.Thenpushtheplungersbackinto
lockthedoorinplace.
Shouldyoudesiretodoso,rechargeableNickelCadmiumbatteriescanbesubstitutedforstandard9voltcells.Individual
9voltsizecellsarereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores,aswellasthechargersforthem,andtheycanbe
insertedintothestandardholderusedinyourPIranha.Theinitialbatterycheckreadingwillbeslightlylower,butwillnotdrop
asmuchwithuse,untilthebatteriesarecompletelydischarged.
DETECTORPROTECTIONCHECKLIST
Congratulations,youhavejustpurchasedanewmetaldetector,andwewishtothankyouforchoosingTesoro.
Somanypeoplearedisappointedwhentheirnew"stateoftheart"detectorbecauselessandlessexcitingtouse,and
doesn'tseemtogoasdeepanymore.Thereissomethingthatyoucandotokeepyournewdetectorworkingasgoodas
whenitwasnew.
Themostimportantthingistosimplytorememberthatyourdetectorisanelectronicinstrument,andtotreatitassuch.
Youwouldn'texpectyourTVsettooperateproperlyifyoustoreditinthetrunkofyourcar,wouldyou?
Wehavegeneratedthefollowinglisttohelpyoutakecareofyourdetectorandtohelpensurethatyoudonotvoidits
warranty.Ifyouwillfollowitsguidelines,youwillfindyourdetectorwillnotletyoudown.
lOperateyourdetectorexactlyasrecommendedinthisinstructionmanual.
lDonotattempttomodifyorrepairthedetector'selectronics;caution:openingofcontrolhousingmayvoidyour
warranty.
lCableishardwiredintosearchcoil,donotattemptremovalofthespringretaineronthesearchcoilhousing.
lUseonlyhighqualitycarbonzinc,alkaline,ornicadbatteries.Neversubstituteadifferentvoltage.Brandshouldnot
bemixed.Donotattempttomodifythepowersupplysystem.
lNeverspraylubricantssuchasWD40oranytypeofcleaners,sealantsorotherchemicalpreparationonorintothe
detector.
lAvoidbangingthesearchcoilagainstrocksorfoundationwalls.
lRemoveandcleanoutscuffcoversperiodicallytoavoidbuildupofmineralizeddirtparticleswhichwillaffect
performance.
lAftereachuse,cleanthedetectorwithasoftclothtoremovedust,moisture,andothercontaminants.
lDonottransportorstoreyourdetectorinthetrunkofyourcar.
lIfyourdetectorhasaprotectivespringatthecoilcableconnector,besurethatthespringdoesnotworkitsway
insidetheplug,causingashort.(OnTesorodetectors,thespringshouldextendapproximately5/8thfromthebaseofthe
connector.)
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.
lProtectyourdetectorfromdust,moisture,andextremetemperaturesduringstorage.Avoidstoringitinplacessuch
asattics,basements,orgarages.Whenshipping,usetheoriginalfactorycartonorsimilarheavydutycontainer;aone
inchminimumclearanceofpaddingaroundthedetectormustbeprovidedwhenshipping.
lTreatyourdetectorasyouwouldanysensitiveelectronicinstrument.Thoughruggedlyconstructedanddesignedto
withstandthedemandsofnormaltreasurehuntingapplications,itisnotintendedtobeimproperlyoperatedorabused.
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PIranhaowneroroperator,orinamannerotherwisedescribedinthisdocumentation.
©1995 1996TesoroElectronicsIncorporated.Allrightsreserved.PrintedintheUnitedStates.
WARRANTYSERVICE
YourTesorometaldetectoriscoveredbyaLimitedLifetimeWarranty,the
termsofwhicharelistedbelow.Ifyourmetaldetectorshouldrequireservice,you
mayreturnittotheTesorofactory,ortoneofthefactoryauthorizedservice
centers.Contactthefactoryforthenameandaddressofthenearestservice
center.
Ifyouhaveanyquestions,don'thesitatetocontactthefactory.
WATAERPROOFMETALDETECTORWARRANTY
Thiswarrantygivesyouspecificlegalrights,andyoumayhaveotherrights
whichvaryfromstatetostate.
Thisinstrumentiswarrantedtobefreeofdefectsinmaterialandworkmanship
aslongasitisownedbytheoriginalconsumerpurchaser.Thiswarrantyisnot
transferable,andisvalidonlyifthewarrantyregistrationcardhasbeencompleted
andmailedwithin10daysofpurchase.
Duringthefirsttwoyears,TESOROwill,atitsoption,repairorreplaceany
instrumentcoveredbythiswarranty,withoutcharge,exceptfortransportation
charges,atitsfactoryinPrescott,Arizona,oratoneofitsauthorizedrepair
centers.Aftertwoyearsfromdateofpurchase,TESOROwillreplacedefective
partsatnochargeexceptanominallaborchangeandtransportationcharges.
Thiswarrantyexcludesbatteries,damagecausedbyleakybatteries,cable
breakageduetoflexingonbodymountunits,andwearofthesearchcoilhousing.
Alsoexcludedareinstrumentswhichhavebeenabused,altered,orrepairedbyan
unauthorizedparty.
Ifwarrantserviceshouldbenecessary,contactthefactoryfornearestrepair
center.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
OperatingFrequency 900kHz
SearchcoilType PrintedSpiral
SearchcoilSize 8"Diameter
CableLength Approx.3’
AudioFrequency Approx.900Hz
AudioOutput StereoPiezoHeadphones
Weight(mayvaryslightly) lessthan4.5lbs
BatteryRequirement (8)AADC(alkaline)
BatteryLife(typical) 10to20hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OperatingModes
Motion(autotune)
AllMetal
MaximumDepthRating 200ft.
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PIranhaOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL
CONGRATULATIONS!
YournewTESOROMetalDetectorwasdesignedtoprovideyouwithmanyhappyhoursofenjoymentinthemost
rewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingandexcitingexperiencesasyoustepintothe
past–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,andwewishyouthe
bestofsuccess.
YourTESOROMetalDetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinanyconceivabletreasurehuntingsituation.Aswith
anydetector,operatingskillandfamiliaritywiththisinstrumentareprobablythelimitingfactorsindetermininghowsuccessful
youwillbe.Werecommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullybeforeattemptingtousetheinstrumentinthe
field.Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.
TheTESOROMetalDetectorisaprecisionelectronicinstrument,whichwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatit
rightanditwon'tletyoudown.
GoodHunting!JackGifford
GENERALDESCRIPTION
ThePIranhaishighperformancemetaldetectorwhichutilizesstateoftheartPulseInductiontechnologyanda
revolutionarynewkindofPrintedSpiralsearchcoil.ThePIranhawillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorist,
whethertheyareexperiencedornot,byincorporatingsimplicityandconvertibilitytogether.Don'tbefooledbyitssimplicity,
thePIranhaiscapableofdeliveringpeakperformancebyeliminatingtroublesomeadjustmentsandcomplicatedfeatures
creatinganextremelysimpletooperatinglightweightdetector.ThePIranhaisthefirstofitskind.Notonlydoesitoffera
totallynewconceptinsearchcoildesignmakingitmoreresponsivetofinegoldcoins,jewelry,andnuggets,butitisalsothe
firsttoofferinterchangeablesearchcoilsinavarietyofsizes.ThePIranhaispackagedinanallnewwaterproofhousing,
makingitidealforwetweatheruse,beachhunting,ordivinginfreshorsaltwater.Itisconvertibletobody/beltmountand
requiresnospecialtools.
AsaPulseInductioninstrumentthePIranhawillprovidemineralfreeoperationinvirtuallyallgroundmineralorsaltwater
environments.EquippedwithautotuningthePIranhaisamotionbasedAllMetaldetector.Thoughthesearchcoilmustbe
movingwhenpinpointing,duetotheautotuning,theamountofmotionissoslightthatpinpointiseasilyaccomplished.
Designedasaturnonandgoallpurposedetector,thePIranharequiresnospecialgroundadjustmentsorcomplicated
setup.Avarietyofoptionalsearchcoilsprovidestheoperatorgreaterversatilityandawiderrangeofsiteselection.Aguideto
selectingtheproperoptionalcoilisincludedinthesectionforFieldUse.
Besuretofilloutandmailyourwarrantyregistrationcardtovalidateyourwarranty.
ASSEMBLY
AssemblyofthePIranhaisverysimple,andrequiresnospecialtools.Infact,theonlyassemblynecessaryistomount
thesearchcoiltotheendofthelowerstemandconnectthelowerstemandtheupperpoletogether.
1. Takethelowerstem(theonewiththeblackisolatorpoletip),andremovethescrewandnut.Puttwoofthefriction
washesintotherecessedslotsprovidedonthepoletip(wherethescrewfitsthrough).Twosizesoffrictionwashersare
supplied,onethicksetandonethinset.Usingthewashersthatfitbest,insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsof
thesearchcoilandaligntheholesofthepoletipandwasherswiththoseofthemountingears.Thepoletipshouldfit
snugly.
2. Insertthecoilmountingscrewthroughtheearsofthesearchcoilandpoletip,ifthecableisinthewayreversethe
directionofthescrewandinsertitfromtheotherside.
3. Installthethumbnutonthescrewandtightenbyhand.
4. Depressthetwobuttonsontheupperendofthelowerstem,andslideitintotheupperpolesection.Pushthelower
stemupsothatthebuttonsclickintothethirdsetofholesfromtheendoftheupperpole.
5. Wrapthesearchcoilcablearoundthepolemakingsureitissnugtothepole,leavingjustenoughslacknearthe
searchcoiltopermitcoiladjustment.Thenconnectthesearchcoilconnectorintothematchingconnectorfoundatthe
backofthecontrolbox.Tightenitbyhand.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.ThePIranhaissensitiveenoughtoseethetinywiresin
thecablecreatingfalsesignalscausedbythemovingwires.
CONVERSION
Obviously,convertingthePIranhafrompolemounttobody/beltmountissimplyamatterofremovingthecontrolboxfrom
theupperpoleandunwindingthecable.Toremovethecontrolboxfromthepole,depressthefourspringbuttonsthatholdthe
mountingbracketandcontrolboxtothepole,andleft.Itiseasiesttoreleaseonesetofspringbuttonsatatime.Unwindthe
searchcoilcablefromthepolesandfastenittothelowerstemwithavelcrofastener,justabovetheblackisolatortip,then
fastenthecabletotheupperpolewiththeothervelcrofastener,justbelowthefoamhandgrip.
ConvertingthePIranhabackfrombody/beltmounttopolemountissimplyamatterofreversingtheaboveprocedure.
ADJUSTMENT
Thesearchcoilangleandstemlengthshouldbeadjustedsothattheunitdoesnotbecomeuncomfortableortiringtohold
afterlongperiodsofuse.Thedetectorshouldrestinyourhandwitharmrelaxedallowingittoswingbackandforthwithout
havingtoliftwiththeelboworshoulder,whilekeepingthesearchcoilascloseaspossibletothegroundwithouttouching.The
polelengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthelowerstem,tilltheyclickintothe
holesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablesetting.Thesearchcoilshouldbeaboutoneinchabovethegroundwhilestanding
erect.Adjusttheangleofthesearchcoil,sothatthecoilisparalleltotheground.
SPECIFICATIONS
TESOROElectronics,Inc.,reservestherighttomodifyorimprovethedesignwithoutfurthernotice.
CONTROLS
ThePIranhahasbeenspeciallyautomatedsothatonlytwocontrolsareneededtomakeadjustments,onemountedon
thefrontpanelofthedetectorandtheotherismountedinsidethecontrolhousing.
1. ON/OFFBATTERYTESTTHRESHOLDCONTROL.Thiscontrolisusedtoperformseveralfunctions:Itturnsthe
instrument'spoweronandoff.Turningtheknobcompletelycounterclockwiseuntilitclicksdisconnectsthebatteriesfrom
thecircuit,shuttingtheinstrumentoff.Whentheknobisfirstturnedon(clockwise),thedetectorwillautomaticallytest
itsbatteries,andgiveyouavisibleindicationoftheirconnection.FreshbatterieswillcauseagreenLEDtoilluminatefor
about3to5seconds.Asthebatteriesageandbecomeweaker,theilluminationwillbeweakerand,anddecaymore
quickly.WhentheresponseisnoglowfromtheLEDitistimefornewbatteries.Itisrecommendedtoalwaysuse
alkalinebatteries.TheThresholdfunctionofthiscontrolTUNESthedetectortoThreshold.Thisadjustmentwillbe
explainedfurtherintheTUNINGsectionofthemanual.
2. SIGNALINDICATORLIGHT.Aredlightidentifiedonthefrontcontrolpanelas"SIGNAL"willilluminateeachtime
thesearchcoilispassedoverametallicobjectindicatingthepresenceofatarget.Itisimportanttomakesureyoudonot
havetheThresholdsetsosensitivethatthedetectorrespondstogroundvariations,hotrocks,otherground
mineralization,orelectricalinterferencesastheSIGNALlightwillilluminateevenwhenthedetectorproducesafalse
signalcausedbythese.
3. BATTERYTESTLAMP.ThePIranhafeaturesanautomaticbatterycheckthatoccurseachtimethedetectoris
turnedon.Afreshsetofgoodbatteriesshouldilluminatethelampfor3to5seconds.Asthebatteriesagethelightwill
becomedimmeranditsdurationofilluminationwillshorten.Ifonlyashort,quickflashoccursornolightispresentitis
timetoreplacethebatteries.ThePIranharequires8AAsizealkalinebatteries.
4. VOLUMECONTROL.ThePIranhaisequippedwithasetofstereopiezoheadphonesthatarehard wiredtothe
instrumentforwaterproofpurposes.Becausetheinstrumentwillbeoperatedindifferentenvironmentswheretheambient
noiselevelvaries,suchas:nearthecrashingsurfatoceanbeaches,wearingheadgearorlisteningoveraregulatorwhen
scubadiving,ordetectingnearaserenelakecreatestheneedforavariablevolumecontrol.Thevolumecontrolforthe
headphonesisfoundinsidethecontrolhousing.Toaccessthiscontrolsimplyunlatchthedrawboltsholdingthecontrol
panelsecuretothehousing.Alwaysmakesurethecontrolboxisdrybeforeopening.Thevolumecontrolisfoundonthe
left,theoppositesidefromthebatterycompartment.Youwillnoticeasmallshaftusedtoadjustthevolumelevel.
TUNING
SincethemosttroublesomeadjustmentsofstandarddetectorshavebeenautomatedinthePIranha,orarenot
necessarywithPulseInduction,thetuningprocedureforthisdetectorissimplyamatterofsettingthedesiredThresholdtone
andheadphonevolume.
PulseInductiondoesnotrequirespecialadjustmentsinordertoignoretheeffectsofwetsaltorgroundmineralization.
However,propertuningisessential.TotunethePIranha,theThresholdcontrolshouldbeadjustedsothatthereisabarely
audibletone.Ifthetoneissettooloworsilent,someofthedeeperorweakertargetsmaynotbeheard.Ifthetoneissettoo
loud,somedeeperorweakertargetsmaynotbeheardduetoaudiomasking.SettingtheThresholdforsilentoperationwill
causesomelossofdepth,butmaybenecessaryinextremeconditionsinordertoachievesmoothoperation.Asilent
Thresholdmaybenecessaryinsomeareaswheregoldnuggethuntinginordertomaintainastableoperationoverhotrocks.
Sincedepthmaybescarified,thePIranhashouldonlybeusedasanuggethunterwhennotothersystemisabletobe
operatedatthesite.
YoushouldnothearachangeintheThresholdtonewhenloweringthesearchcoiltowardtheground.Ifachangeoccurs,
oryouobtainanaudioincreasewhenloweringthesearchcoilintosaltwater,simplyholdthecoilstillforamomentallowing
theautotuningtimetoretunetheinstrumentbacktoThreshold.Donotletthesearchcoilraiseattheendofyoursweepas
thismaycausesomefalsesignals.Alwaysholdthecoilparallelwiththeground.
PulseInductionwillallowsignalfilteringoncethedesiredsignalisrecoveredfromthepulse.However,forproper
operation,thepulsegenerator,searchcoilandinputamplifiermustbeofverywidebandwidth.Thismakesthedetector
susceptibletopickingupanysourcesofelectricalinterference,suchas60cyclepowertransmissionnoise.Anabsolutely
smoothThresholdmaynotbepossibleinmylocations,andsomerumbleormotorboatingmaybepresentwhenthe
Thresholdisadjustedtotheproperpoint.ThisisinherentinthedesignofaPulseunit.AdjustingtheThresholdeitherlouder
orquieteristheonlywaytocontrolthisproblem.
FIELDUSE
Thedetectorshouldbeheldinapositionthatiscomfortableforyou.Swingthedetectorfromsidetosideinaboutathree
footarc,overlappingsucceedingstrokeswell.Thismotioniscalleda“sweep.”Goatapacethatiscomfortableforyou.In
fact,tryingtohunttoofastinDiscriminatemayevencausealossofdepthinheavilymineralizedlocations.
Itwouldbehelpfultoburysomecoinsandtrashmetaljunkitemsinanareathatyouknowisclearofothermetal
objects,andthentrytheunitinitsvariousmodes.ChecktheareainAllMetalModefirsttobesureitsclearoftrashthen
burythetargetsatleastafootapart,andfrom2to6inchesdeeptostart.Makeamapofthetestbedtobesureyouknow
whateachtargetisandhowdeepitis.Practiceonthesetargetstofamiliarizeyourselfwithyourdetector’stargetresponse.
Thiswillalsohelpyoulearnthepropersweepratetohelpinsureagainstlosttargets.
Trytokeepyoursearchcoilheightconstantandclosetotheground.Toooftenpeopletendtoraisethecoilattheendof
asweep,muchlikeapendulum,especiallyiftheyarehurrying.Trytoavoidthis,asanyincreaseinheightwillcausea
correspondinglossofdepth.Inareaswithwellkeptlawns,theeasiestwaytomaintainaconstantsearchcoilheightisto
allowthecoiltorestonthegrassasyousweepfromsidetoside.Inroughandrockyareasitisbestnotto“scrub”thecoilon
theground,astherockswillactlikeabrasives,andwearawaythecoilbottom(anoptionalcoilscuffcoverwillprotectagainst
this.)Sweepthecoilasclosetothegroundaspossiblewithouttouching.Avoidhittingthegroundorrockswiththecoilas
thismaycausefalsesignalsthatsoundmuchlikeadesiredtargetwould.Thehigheryouholdandsweepthecoilabovethe
groundthelessdepthyou'llbeabletoobtain.
Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,DIGIT.Ifyoudon’tdiganyjunkatall,youaresurelypassingupa
lotofgoodfindsaswell.
OncethedetectorhasbeentunedtheautotuningwillmaintaintheThresholdatthatlevel.Duetotheautotuningthe
searchcoilmustbemovingwhilesearchingorpinpointing.Ifyoustopthesearchcoiloverametallicobjectortargetthe
detectorwilltuneitoutandreturntheinstrumenttotheestablishedThreshold.Ifyoumovethesearchcoilslightlyoffthetarget
tooneside,andholdittheremomentarily,andthenmoveitbackoverthetargetonceagain,thedetectorwillautomatically
retunetorespondtothetarget.
SELECTINGTHERIGHTSEARCHCOIL
Selectingtherightsearchcoilforthetypeofdetectingyou'redoingwilladdgreatlytoyoursuccess.ThePIranhacome
withastandard8"PrintedSpiralcoilwhichisanewandrevolutionarydesigndevelopedbyTesorospecificallyforthePIranha.
ThisisanexcellentoverallcoilsincemostpeoplewhooperatePIinstrumentsareusuallysearchinglargesandybeachareas
wheretargetsareeasytodigandthereisusuallynotanoverabundanceoftrash.Thiscoilwilldetectverytinytargetsforits
sizeandprovidesexcellenttargetseparationwhilegivingmoregroundcoverage.However,itisnotalwaystherightcoilforthe
job.ThereforeTesorohasmadeitpossibletointerchangecoils,andhasdevelopedavarietyofitsuniquePrintedSpiral
searchcoilinaselectionofsizes.
Inadditiontothestandard8"opencentersearchcoil,twooptionalcoilsizesareavailableforthePIranha.The101/2"
opencentercoilisdesignedforareaswherediggingiseasier,andwherejunktargetsmaynotbetoonumerous.The7inch
coilwillbeparticularlyusefulwhensearchingforsmallertargets,suchasgoldnuggets.
PINPOINTING
Movethecoilslowlyacrossthetargetfromsidetosideandthenfromfronttobackat90degreeangles.Raisethecoil
slightly,slowthesweepspeed,andshortenthesweeptonarrowdetectionareaenoughthatit'seasytotellwherethecoil
centerisattheinstantofthesoundasyoucrisscrossthetarget.
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,crisscrossingthetargetuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Slowdown
thesweeprateandshortenthesweepsuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Againthetargetwillbedirectlybelow
thecoilcenterattheinstantofresponse.Caution:thismethodwillrequiresomepracticeaswellinordertogetusedtonot
havingyoureyesfollowthesearchcoil.Typicallyitiseasytomissthespotbyafractioncausingyoutodigalargeholein
ordertofindthetargetisofftoonesidefromwhereyoustarted.
BATTERYREPLACEMENT
ThePIranhaisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtop
performancefromit.Thebatteriesshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutes,andthen
periodicallyasyouareusingitforlongperiods.Toactivatethebattertestcircuit,simplyturnthedetectoroffmomentarilyand
thenbackon.Totest,followtheproceduredescribedinthecontrolsectionofthismanual.Whentestingthebatteries,be
surethattheModeSwitchisintheDiscposition,sothattheAllMetalthresholdsignaldoesn'taddtothebattery
testsignal.Thedetectorshouldbeeploudlyforabout4or5seconds,withthesoundslowlyfadingintosilence,ifthe
batteriesarefresh.Asthebatteriesage,thissoundlessintense,andfadesoutquicker.Whenyoujusthearabriefbuzz,or
notaudioatall,replacethebatteries.
Toreplacethebatteries,pullthelargeknobonthebatterydoorontherearoftheunit.Theentiredoorwillpopout.
Removethebatteriesfromthedetector.Replacethenew9voltbatteriesintothesnaps,observingthepolarityindicators.
Slidethebatteriesbackintothedetector,makingsurethatthebatteryclipleadisconnected.Installthebatterydoorflange
intothetopofthecutoutinthechassis,makingsurethattheplungerisstillpulledout.Thenpushtheplungersbackinto
lockthedoorinplace.
Shouldyoudesiretodoso,rechargeableNickelCadmiumbatteriescanbesubstitutedforstandard9voltcells.Individual
9voltsizecellsarereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores,aswellasthechargersforthem,andtheycanbe
insertedintothestandardholderusedinyourPIranha.Theinitialbatterycheckreadingwillbeslightlylower,butwillnotdrop
asmuchwithuse,untilthebatteriesarecompletelydischarged.
DETECTORPROTECTIONCHECKLIST
Congratulations,youhavejustpurchasedanewmetaldetector,andwewishtothankyouforchoosingTesoro.
Somanypeoplearedisappointedwhentheirnew"stateoftheart"detectorbecauselessandlessexcitingtouse,and
doesn'tseemtogoasdeepanymore.Thereissomethingthatyoucandotokeepyournewdetectorworkingasgoodas
whenitwasnew.
Themostimportantthingistosimplytorememberthatyourdetectorisanelectronicinstrument,andtotreatitassuch.
Youwouldn'texpectyourTVsettooperateproperlyifyoustoreditinthetrunkofyourcar,wouldyou?
Wehavegeneratedthefollowinglisttohelpyoutakecareofyourdetectorandtohelpensurethatyoudonotvoidits
warranty.Ifyouwillfollowitsguidelines,youwillfindyourdetectorwillnotletyoudown.
lOperateyourdetectorexactlyasrecommendedinthisinstructionmanual.
lDonotattempttomodifyorrepairthedetector'selectronics;caution:openingofcontrolhousingmayvoidyour
warranty.
lCableishardwiredintosearchcoil,donotattemptremovalofthespringretaineronthesearchcoilhousing.
lUseonlyhighqualitycarbonzinc,alkaline,ornicadbatteries.Neversubstituteadifferentvoltage.Brandshouldnot
bemixed.Donotattempttomodifythepowersupplysystem.
lNeverspraylubricantssuchasWD40oranytypeofcleaners,sealantsorotherchemicalpreparationonorintothe
detector.
lAvoidbangingthesearchcoilagainstrocksorfoundationwalls.
lRemoveandcleanoutscuffcoversperiodicallytoavoidbuildupofmineralizeddirtparticleswhichwillaffect
performance.
lAftereachuse,cleanthedetectorwithasoftclothtoremovedust,moisture,andothercontaminants.
lDonottransportorstoreyourdetectorinthetrunkofyourcar.
lIfyourdetectorhasaprotectivespringatthecoilcableconnector,besurethatthespringdoesnotworkitsway
insidetheplug,causingashort.(OnTesorodetectors,thespringshouldextendapproximately5/8thfromthebaseofthe
connector.)
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.
lProtectyourdetectorfromdust,moisture,andextremetemperaturesduringstorage.Avoidstoringitinplacessuch
asattics,basements,orgarages.Whenshipping,usetheoriginalfactorycartonorsimilarheavydutycontainer;aone
inchminimumclearanceofpaddingaroundthedetectormustbeprovidedwhenshipping.
lTreatyourdetectorasyouwouldanysensitiveelectronicinstrument.Thoughruggedlyconstructedanddesignedto
withstandthedemandsofnormaltreasurehuntingapplications,itisnotintendedtobeimproperlyoperatedorabused.
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PIranhaowneroroperator,orinamannerotherwisedescribedinthisdocumentation.
©1995 1996TesoroElectronicsIncorporated.Allrightsreserved.PrintedintheUnitedStates.
WARRANTYSERVICE
YourTesorometaldetectoriscoveredbyaLimitedLifetimeWarranty,the
termsofwhicharelistedbelow.Ifyourmetaldetectorshouldrequireservice,you
mayreturnittotheTesorofactory,ortoneofthefactoryauthorizedservice
centers.Contactthefactoryforthenameandaddressofthenearestservice
center.
Ifyouhaveanyquestions,don'thesitatetocontactthefactory.
WATAERPROOFMETALDETECTORWARRANTY
Thiswarrantygivesyouspecificlegalrights,andyoumayhaveotherrights
whichvaryfromstatetostate.
Thisinstrumentiswarrantedtobefreeofdefectsinmaterialandworkmanship
aslongasitisownedbytheoriginalconsumerpurchaser.Thiswarrantyisnot
transferable,andisvalidonlyifthewarrantyregistrationcardhasbeencompleted
andmailedwithin10daysofpurchase.
Duringthefirsttwoyears,TESOROwill,atitsoption,repairorreplaceany
instrumentcoveredbythiswarranty,withoutcharge,exceptfortransportation
charges,atitsfactoryinPrescott,Arizona,oratoneofitsauthorizedrepair
centers.Aftertwoyearsfromdateofpurchase,TESOROwillreplacedefective
partsatnochargeexceptanominallaborchangeandtransportationcharges.
Thiswarrantyexcludesbatteries,damagecausedbyleakybatteries,cable
breakageduetoflexingonbodymountunits,andwearofthesearchcoilhousing.
Alsoexcludedareinstrumentswhichhavebeenabused,altered,orrepairedbyan
unauthorizedparty.
Ifwarrantserviceshouldbenecessary,contactthefactoryfornearestrepair
center.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
OperatingFrequency 900kHz
SearchcoilType PrintedSpiral
SearchcoilSize 8"Diameter
CableLength Approx.3’
AudioFrequency Approx.900Hz
AudioOutput StereoPiezoHeadphones
Weight(mayvaryslightly) lessthan4.5lbs
BatteryRequirement (8)AADC(alkaline)
BatteryLife(typical) 10to20hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OperatingModes
Motion(autotune)
AllMetal
MaximumDepthRating 200ft.
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PIranhaOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL
CONGRATULATIONS!
YournewTESOROMetalDetectorwasdesignedtoprovideyouwithmanyhappyhoursofenjoymentinthemost
rewardinghobbyIcanthinkof–treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinatingandexcitingexperiencesasyoustepintothe
past–uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,andwewishyouthe
bestofsuccess.
YourTESOROMetalDetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinanyconceivabletreasurehuntingsituation.Aswith
anydetector,operatingskillandfamiliaritywiththisinstrumentareprobablythelimitingfactorsindetermininghowsuccessful
youwillbe.Werecommendthatyoureadthismanualandunderstandfullybeforeattemptingtousetheinstrumentinthe
field.Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.
TheTESOROMetalDetectorisaprecisionelectronicinstrument,whichwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatit
rightanditwon'tletyoudown.
GoodHunting!JackGifford
GENERALDESCRIPTION
ThePIranhaishighperformancemetaldetectorwhichutilizesstateoftheartPulseInductiontechnologyanda
revolutionarynewkindofPrintedSpiralsearchcoil.ThePIranhawillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorist,
whethertheyareexperiencedornot,byincorporatingsimplicityandconvertibilitytogether.Don'tbefooledbyitssimplicity,
thePIranhaiscapableofdeliveringpeakperformancebyeliminatingtroublesomeadjustmentsandcomplicatedfeatures
creatinganextremelysimpletooperatinglightweightdetector.ThePIranhaisthefirstofitskind.Notonlydoesitoffera
totallynewconceptinsearchcoildesignmakingitmoreresponsivetofinegoldcoins,jewelry,andnuggets,butitisalsothe
firsttoofferinterchangeablesearchcoilsinavarietyofsizes.ThePIranhaispackagedinanallnewwaterproofhousing,
makingitidealforwetweatheruse,beachhunting,ordivinginfreshorsaltwater.Itisconvertibletobody/beltmountand
requiresnospecialtools.
AsaPulseInductioninstrumentthePIranhawillprovidemineralfreeoperationinvirtuallyallgroundmineralorsaltwater
environments.EquippedwithautotuningthePIranhaisamotionbasedAllMetaldetector.Thoughthesearchcoilmustbe
movingwhenpinpointing,duetotheautotuning,theamountofmotionissoslightthatpinpointiseasilyaccomplished.
Designedasaturnonandgoallpurposedetector,thePIranharequiresnospecialgroundadjustmentsorcomplicated
setup.Avarietyofoptionalsearchcoilsprovidestheoperatorgreaterversatilityandawiderrangeofsiteselection.Aguideto
selectingtheproperoptionalcoilisincludedinthesectionforFieldUse.
Besuretofilloutandmailyourwarrantyregistrationcardtovalidateyourwarranty.
ASSEMBLY
AssemblyofthePIranhaisverysimple,andrequiresnospecialtools.Infact,theonlyassemblynecessaryistomount
thesearchcoiltotheendofthelowerstemandconnectthelowerstemandtheupperpoletogether.
1. Takethelowerstem(theonewiththeblackisolatorpoletip),andremovethescrewandnut.Puttwoofthefriction
washesintotherecessedslotsprovidedonthepoletip(wherethescrewfitsthrough).Twosizesoffrictionwashersare
supplied,onethicksetandonethinset.Usingthewashersthatfitbest,insertthepoletipbetweenthemountingearsof
thesearchcoilandaligntheholesofthepoletipandwasherswiththoseofthemountingears.Thepoletipshouldfit
snugly.
2. Insertthecoilmountingscrewthroughtheearsofthesearchcoilandpoletip,ifthecableisinthewayreversethe
directionofthescrewandinsertitfromtheotherside.
3. Installthethumbnutonthescrewandtightenbyhand.
4. Depressthetwobuttonsontheupperendofthelowerstem,andslideitintotheupperpolesection.Pushthelower
stemupsothatthebuttonsclickintothethirdsetofholesfromtheendoftheupperpole.
5. Wrapthesearchcoilcablearoundthepolemakingsureitissnugtothepole,leavingjustenoughslacknearthe
searchcoiltopermitcoiladjustment.Thenconnectthesearchcoilconnectorintothematchingconnectorfoundatthe
backofthecontrolbox.Tightenitbyhand.
Note:Donotallowthecabletofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.ThePIranhaissensitiveenoughtoseethetinywiresin
thecablecreatingfalsesignalscausedbythemovingwires.
CONVERSION
Obviously,convertingthePIranhafrompolemounttobody/beltmountissimplyamatterofremovingthecontrolboxfrom
theupperpoleandunwindingthecable.Toremovethecontrolboxfromthepole,depressthefourspringbuttonsthatholdthe
mountingbracketandcontrolboxtothepole,andleft.Itiseasiesttoreleaseonesetofspringbuttonsatatime.Unwindthe
searchcoilcablefromthepolesandfastenittothelowerstemwithavelcrofastener,justabovetheblackisolatortip,then
fastenthecabletotheupperpolewiththeothervelcrofastener,justbelowthefoamhandgrip.
ConvertingthePIranhabackfrombody/beltmounttopolemountissimplyamatterofreversingtheaboveprocedure.
ADJUSTMENT
Thesearchcoilangleandstemlengthshouldbeadjustedsothattheunitdoesnotbecomeuncomfortableortiringtohold
afterlongperiodsofuse.Thedetectorshouldrestinyourhandwitharmrelaxedallowingittoswingbackandforthwithout
havingtoliftwiththeelboworshoulder,whilekeepingthesearchcoilascloseaspossibletothegroundwithouttouching.The
polelengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthelowerstem,tilltheyclickintothe
holesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablesetting.Thesearchcoilshouldbeaboutoneinchabovethegroundwhilestanding
erect.Adjusttheangleofthesearchcoil,sothatthecoilisparalleltotheground.
SPECIFICATIONS
TESOROElectronics,Inc.,reservestherighttomodifyorimprovethedesignwithoutfurthernotice.
CONTROLS
ThePIranhahasbeenspeciallyautomatedsothatonlytwocontrolsareneededtomakeadjustments,onemountedon
thefrontpanelofthedetectorandtheotherismountedinsidethecontrolhousing.
1. ON/OFFBATTERYTESTTHRESHOLDCONTROL.Thiscontrolisusedtoperformseveralfunctions:Itturnsthe
instrument'spoweronandoff.Turningtheknobcompletelycounterclockwiseuntilitclicksdisconnectsthebatteriesfrom
thecircuit,shuttingtheinstrumentoff.Whentheknobisfirstturnedon(clockwise),thedetectorwillautomaticallytest
itsbatteries,andgiveyouavisibleindicationoftheirconnection.FreshbatterieswillcauseagreenLEDtoilluminatefor
about3to5seconds.Asthebatteriesageandbecomeweaker,theilluminationwillbeweakerand,anddecaymore
quickly.WhentheresponseisnoglowfromtheLEDitistimefornewbatteries.Itisrecommendedtoalwaysuse
alkalinebatteries.TheThresholdfunctionofthiscontrolTUNESthedetectortoThreshold.Thisadjustmentwillbe
explainedfurtherintheTUNINGsectionofthemanual.
2. SIGNALINDICATORLIGHT.Aredlightidentifiedonthefrontcontrolpanelas"SIGNAL"willilluminateeachtime
thesearchcoilispassedoverametallicobjectindicatingthepresenceofatarget.Itisimportanttomakesureyoudonot
havetheThresholdsetsosensitivethatthedetectorrespondstogroundvariations,hotrocks,otherground
mineralization,orelectricalinterferencesastheSIGNALlightwillilluminateevenwhenthedetectorproducesafalse
signalcausedbythese.
3. BATTERYTESTLAMP.ThePIranhafeaturesanautomaticbatterycheckthatoccurseachtimethedetectoris
turnedon.Afreshsetofgoodbatteriesshouldilluminatethelampfor3to5seconds.Asthebatteriesagethelightwill
becomedimmeranditsdurationofilluminationwillshorten.Ifonlyashort,quickflashoccursornolightispresentitis
timetoreplacethebatteries.ThePIranharequires8AAsizealkalinebatteries.
4. VOLUMECONTROL.ThePIranhaisequippedwithasetofstereopiezoheadphonesthatarehard wiredtothe
instrumentforwaterproofpurposes.Becausetheinstrumentwillbeoperatedindifferentenvironmentswheretheambient
noiselevelvaries,suchas:nearthecrashingsurfatoceanbeaches,wearingheadgearorlisteningoveraregulatorwhen
scubadiving,ordetectingnearaserenelakecreatestheneedforavariablevolumecontrol.Thevolumecontrolforthe
headphonesisfoundinsidethecontrolhousing.Toaccessthiscontrolsimplyunlatchthedrawboltsholdingthecontrol
panelsecuretothehousing.Alwaysmakesurethecontrolboxisdrybeforeopening.Thevolumecontrolisfoundonthe
left,theoppositesidefromthebatterycompartment.Youwillnoticeasmallshaftusedtoadjustthevolumelevel.
TUNING
SincethemosttroublesomeadjustmentsofstandarddetectorshavebeenautomatedinthePIranha,orarenot
necessarywithPulseInduction,thetuningprocedureforthisdetectorissimplyamatterofsettingthedesiredThresholdtone
andheadphonevolume.
PulseInductiondoesnotrequirespecialadjustmentsinordertoignoretheeffectsofwetsaltorgroundmineralization.
However,propertuningisessential.TotunethePIranha,theThresholdcontrolshouldbeadjustedsothatthereisabarely
audibletone.Ifthetoneissettooloworsilent,someofthedeeperorweakertargetsmaynotbeheard.Ifthetoneissettoo
loud,somedeeperorweakertargetsmaynotbeheardduetoaudiomasking.SettingtheThresholdforsilentoperationwill
causesomelossofdepth,butmaybenecessaryinextremeconditionsinordertoachievesmoothoperation.Asilent
Thresholdmaybenecessaryinsomeareaswheregoldnuggethuntinginordertomaintainastableoperationoverhotrocks.
Sincedepthmaybescarified,thePIranhashouldonlybeusedasanuggethunterwhennotothersystemisabletobe
operatedatthesite.
YoushouldnothearachangeintheThresholdtonewhenloweringthesearchcoiltowardtheground.Ifachangeoccurs,
oryouobtainanaudioincreasewhenloweringthesearchcoilintosaltwater,simplyholdthecoilstillforamomentallowing
theautotuningtimetoretunetheinstrumentbacktoThreshold.Donotletthesearchcoilraiseattheendofyoursweepas
thismaycausesomefalsesignals.Alwaysholdthecoilparallelwiththeground.
PulseInductionwillallowsignalfilteringoncethedesiredsignalisrecoveredfromthepulse.However,forproper
operation,thepulsegenerator,searchcoilandinputamplifiermustbeofverywidebandwidth.Thismakesthedetector
susceptibletopickingupanysourcesofelectricalinterference,suchas60cyclepowertransmissionnoise.Anabsolutely
smoothThresholdmaynotbepossibleinmylocations,andsomerumbleormotorboatingmaybepresentwhenthe
Thresholdisadjustedtotheproperpoint.ThisisinherentinthedesignofaPulseunit.AdjustingtheThresholdeitherlouder
orquieteristheonlywaytocontrolthisproblem.
FIELDUSE
Thedetectorshouldbeheldinapositionthatiscomfortableforyou.Swingthedetectorfromsidetosideinaboutathree
footarc,overlappingsucceedingstrokeswell.Thismotioniscalleda“sweep.”Goatapacethatiscomfortableforyou.In
fact,tryingtohunttoofastinDiscriminatemayevencausealossofdepthinheavilymineralizedlocations.
Itwouldbehelpfultoburysomecoinsandtrashmetaljunkitemsinanareathatyouknowisclearofothermetal
objects,andthentrytheunitinitsvariousmodes.ChecktheareainAllMetalModefirsttobesureitsclearoftrashthen
burythetargetsatleastafootapart,andfrom2to6inchesdeeptostart.Makeamapofthetestbedtobesureyouknow
whateachtargetisandhowdeepitis.Practiceonthesetargetstofamiliarizeyourselfwithyourdetector’stargetresponse.
Thiswillalsohelpyoulearnthepropersweepratetohelpinsureagainstlosttargets.
Trytokeepyoursearchcoilheightconstantandclosetotheground.Toooftenpeopletendtoraisethecoilattheendof
asweep,muchlikeapendulum,especiallyiftheyarehurrying.Trytoavoidthis,asanyincreaseinheightwillcausea
correspondinglossofdepth.Inareaswithwellkeptlawns,theeasiestwaytomaintainaconstantsearchcoilheightisto
allowthecoiltorestonthegrassasyousweepfromsidetoside.Inroughandrockyareasitisbestnotto“scrub”thecoilon
theground,astherockswillactlikeabrasives,andwearawaythecoilbottom(anoptionalcoilscuffcoverwillprotectagainst
this.)Sweepthecoilasclosetothegroundaspossiblewithouttouching.Avoidhittingthegroundorrockswiththecoilas
thismaycausefalsesignalsthatsoundmuchlikeadesiredtargetwould.Thehigheryouholdandsweepthecoilabovethe
groundthelessdepthyou'llbeabletoobtain.
Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,DIGIT.Ifyoudon’tdiganyjunkatall,youaresurelypassingupa
lotofgoodfindsaswell.
OncethedetectorhasbeentunedtheautotuningwillmaintaintheThresholdatthatlevel.Duetotheautotuningthe
searchcoilmustbemovingwhilesearchingorpinpointing.Ifyoustopthesearchcoiloverametallicobjectortargetthe
detectorwilltuneitoutandreturntheinstrumenttotheestablishedThreshold.Ifyoumovethesearchcoilslightlyoffthetarget
tooneside,andholdittheremomentarily,andthenmoveitbackoverthetargetonceagain,thedetectorwillautomatically
retunetorespondtothetarget.
SELECTINGTHERIGHTSEARCHCOIL
Selectingtherightsearchcoilforthetypeofdetectingyou'redoingwilladdgreatlytoyoursuccess.ThePIranhacome
withastandard8"PrintedSpiralcoilwhichisanewandrevolutionarydesigndevelopedbyTesorospecificallyforthePIranha.
ThisisanexcellentoverallcoilsincemostpeoplewhooperatePIinstrumentsareusuallysearchinglargesandybeachareas
wheretargetsareeasytodigandthereisusuallynotanoverabundanceoftrash.Thiscoilwilldetectverytinytargetsforits
sizeandprovidesexcellenttargetseparationwhilegivingmoregroundcoverage.However,itisnotalwaystherightcoilforthe
job.ThereforeTesorohasmadeitpossibletointerchangecoils,andhasdevelopedavarietyofitsuniquePrintedSpiral
searchcoilinaselectionofsizes.
Inadditiontothestandard8"opencentersearchcoil,twooptionalcoilsizesareavailableforthePIranha.The101/2"
opencentercoilisdesignedforareaswherediggingiseasier,andwherejunktargetsmaynotbetoonumerous.The7inch
coilwillbeparticularlyusefulwhensearchingforsmallertargets,suchasgoldnuggets.
PINPOINTING
Movethecoilslowlyacrossthetargetfromsidetosideandthenfromfronttobackat90degreeangles.Raisethecoil
slightly,slowthesweepspeed,andshortenthesweeptonarrowdetectionareaenoughthatit'seasytotellwherethecoil
centerisattheinstantofthesoundasyoucrisscrossthetarget.
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,crisscrossingthetargetuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Slowdown
thesweeprateandshortenthesweepsuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Againthetargetwillbedirectlybelow
thecoilcenterattheinstantofresponse.Caution:thismethodwillrequiresomepracticeaswellinordertogetusedtonot
havingyoureyesfollowthesearchcoil.Typicallyitiseasytomissthespotbyafractioncausingyoutodigalargeholein
ordertofindthetargetisofftoonesidefromwhereyoustarted.
BATTERYREPLACEMENT
ThePIranhaisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtop
performancefromit.Thebatteriesshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutes,andthen
periodicallyasyouareusingitforlongperiods.Toactivatethebattertestcircuit,simplyturnthedetectoroffmomentarilyand
thenbackon.Totest,followtheproceduredescribedinthecontrolsectionofthismanual.Whentestingthebatteries,be
surethattheModeSwitchisintheDiscposition,sothattheAllMetalthresholdsignaldoesn'taddtothebattery
testsignal.Thedetectorshouldbeeploudlyforabout4or5seconds,withthesoundslowlyfadingintosilence,ifthe
batteriesarefresh.Asthebatteriesage,thissoundlessintense,andfadesoutquicker.Whenyoujusthearabriefbuzz,or
notaudioatall,replacethebatteries.
Toreplacethebatteries,pullthelargeknobonthebatterydoorontherearoftheunit.Theentiredoorwillpopout.
Removethebatteriesfromthedetector.Replacethenew9voltbatteriesintothesnaps,observingthepolarityindicators.
Slidethebatteriesbackintothedetector,makingsurethatthebatteryclipleadisconnected.Installthebatterydoorflange
intothetopofthecutoutinthechassis,makingsurethattheplungerisstillpulledout.Thenpushtheplungersbackinto
lockthedoorinplace.
Shouldyoudesiretodoso,rechargeableNickelCadmiumbatteriescanbesubstitutedforstandard9voltcells.Individual
9voltsizecellsarereadilyavailableatmostelectronicsupplystores,aswellasthechargersforthem,andtheycanbe
insertedintothestandardholderusedinyourPIranha.Theinitialbatterycheckreadingwillbeslightlylower,butwillnotdrop
asmuchwithuse,untilthebatteriesarecompletelydischarged.
DETECTORPROTECTIONCHECKLIST
Congratulations,youhavejustpurchasedanewmetaldetector,andwewishtothankyouforchoosingTesoro.
Somanypeoplearedisappointedwhentheirnew"stateoftheart"detectorbecauselessandlessexcitingtouse,and
doesn'tseemtogoasdeepanymore.Thereissomethingthatyoucandotokeepyournewdetectorworkingasgoodas
whenitwasnew.
Themostimportantthingistosimplytorememberthatyourdetectorisanelectronicinstrument,andtotreatitassuch.
Youwouldn'texpectyourTVsettooperateproperlyifyoustoreditinthetrunkofyourcar,wouldyou?
Wehavegeneratedthefollowinglisttohelpyoutakecareofyourdetectorandtohelpensurethatyoudonotvoidits
warranty.Ifyouwillfollowitsguidelines,youwillfindyourdetectorwillnotletyoudown.
lOperateyourdetectorexactlyasrecommendedinthisinstructionmanual.
lDonotattempttomodifyorrepairthedetector'selectronics;caution:openingofcontrolhousingmayvoidyour
warranty.
lCableishardwiredintosearchcoil,donotattemptremovalofthespringretaineronthesearchcoilhousing.
lUseonlyhighqualitycarbonzinc,alkaline,ornicadbatteries.Neversubstituteadifferentvoltage.Brandshouldnot
bemixed.Donotattempttomodifythepowersupplysystem.
lNeverspraylubricantssuchasWD40oranytypeofcleaners,sealantsorotherchemicalpreparationonorintothe
detector.
lAvoidbangingthesearchcoilagainstrocksorfoundationwalls.
lRemoveandcleanoutscuffcoversperiodicallytoavoidbuildupofmineralizeddirtparticleswhichwillaffect
performance.
lAftereachuse,cleanthedetectorwithasoftclothtoremovedust,moisture,andothercontaminants.
lDonottransportorstoreyourdetectorinthetrunkofyourcar.
lIfyourdetectorhasaprotectivespringatthecoilcableconnector,besurethatthespringdoesnotworkitsway
insidetheplug,causingashort.(OnTesorodetectors,thespringshouldextendapproximately5/8thfromthebaseofthe
connector.)
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.
lProtectyourdetectorfromdust,moisture,andextremetemperaturesduringstorage.Avoidstoringitinplacessuch
asattics,basements,orgarages.Whenshipping,usetheoriginalfactorycartonorsimilarheavydutycontainer;aone
inchminimumclearanceofpaddingaroundthedetectormustbeprovidedwhenshipping.
lTreatyourdetectorasyouwouldanysensitiveelectronicinstrument.Thoughruggedlyconstructedanddesignedto
withstandthedemandsofnormaltreasurehuntingapplications,itisnotintendedtobeimproperlyoperatedorabused.
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PIranhaowneroroperator,orinamannerotherwisedescribedinthisdocumentation.
©1995 1996TesoroElectronicsIncorporated.Allrightsreserved.PrintedintheUnitedStates.
WARRANTYSERVICE
YourTesorometaldetectoriscoveredbyaLimitedLifetimeWarranty,the
termsofwhicharelistedbelow.Ifyourmetaldetectorshouldrequireservice,you
mayreturnittotheTesorofactory,ortoneofthefactoryauthorizedservice
centers.Contactthefactoryforthenameandaddressofthenearestservice
center.
Ifyouhaveanyquestions,don'thesitatetocontactthefactory.
WATAERPROOFMETALDETECTORWARRANTY
Thiswarrantygivesyouspecificlegalrights,andyoumayhaveotherrights
whichvaryfromstatetostate.
Thisinstrumentiswarrantedtobefreeofdefectsinmaterialandworkmanship
aslongasitisownedbytheoriginalconsumerpurchaser.Thiswarrantyisnot
transferable,andisvalidonlyifthewarrantyregistrationcardhasbeencompleted
andmailedwithin10daysofpurchase.
Duringthefirsttwoyears,TESOROwill,atitsoption,repairorreplaceany
instrumentcoveredbythiswarranty,withoutcharge,exceptfortransportation
charges,atitsfactoryinPrescott,Arizona,oratoneofitsauthorizedrepair
centers.Aftertwoyearsfromdateofpurchase,TESOROwillreplacedefective
partsatnochargeexceptanominallaborchangeandtransportationcharges.
Thiswarrantyexcludesbatteries,damagecausedbyleakybatteries,cable
breakageduetoflexingonbodymountunits,andwearofthesearchcoilhousing.
Alsoexcludedareinstrumentswhichhavebeenabused,altered,orrepairedbyan
unauthorizedparty.
Ifwarrantserviceshouldbenecessary,contactthefactoryfornearestrepair
center.
TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646
OperatingFrequency 900kHz
SearchcoilType PrintedSpiral
SearchcoilSize 8"Diameter
CableLength Approx.3’
AudioFrequency Approx.900Hz
AudioOutput StereoPiezoHeadphones
Weight(mayvaryslightly) lessthan4.5lbs
BatteryRequirement (8)AADC(alkaline)
BatteryLife(typical) 10to20hours
OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100°F
OperatingModes
Motion(autotune)
AllMetal
MaximumDepthRating 200ft.
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