5 mile
Forum Supporter
Sounds like a fun family time!! Good luck and keep us posted!!
Church of the Mojave
- Thread starter Sven
- Start date
Sven
Elite Member
I am officially joining the Church, going to see if the Mojave makes me a believer. In 10 days, we'll see...............
How something so simple can be so good.
How something so simple can be so good.nevets2968
Full Member
I decided to see what the hype about Mojave's & Tesoro's in general is all about.
My unit will be here on Monday (WITH a neat looking black tesoro ball cap.)
I also ordered a set of Koss QZ-99's.
My unit will be here on Monday (WITH a neat looking black tesoro ball cap.)
I also ordered a set of Koss QZ-99's.
DIGGER27
In Memory Of
Well I am joining this church too.
Did some wheeling and dealing this morning and I am going to end up with a new Nel coil for my F70 and a Mojave...eventually.
In a couple of weeks when the dealer can get more of them but I am in no hurry.
I have read about how it works in problem soils in Colorado, the Northwest and others but now we will see how it does in MY devil dirt.
This stuff, plus the extra iron problems, has made some brands just cry.
My Compadre works decent enough here, if this one works even a little bit better I will be happy.
If it works a lot better I will be thrilled.
Stay tuned....
Did some wheeling and dealing this morning and I am going to end up with a new Nel coil for my F70 and a Mojave...eventually.
In a couple of weeks when the dealer can get more of them but I am in no hurry.
I have read about how it works in problem soils in Colorado, the Northwest and others but now we will see how it does in MY devil dirt.
This stuff, plus the extra iron problems, has made some brands just cry.
My Compadre works decent enough here, if this one works even a little bit better I will be happy.
If it works a lot better I will be thrilled.
Stay tuned....
I am going to be glued to your comments like a bug drawn to light.
I just can't pull the trigger on a Mojave. At least half a dozen times, I've almost bought one and then backed out at the last nanosecond. If I didn't have a Compadre, silver sabre II and Deleon, I would have already bought the Mojave. It just seems a little redundant to buy the Mojave. Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned against the church of Mojave....
DIGGER27
In Memory Of
I am going to be glued to your comments like a bug drawn to light.
I just can't pull the trigger on a Mojave. At least half a dozen times, I've almost bought one and then backed out at the last nanosecond. If I didn't have a Compadre, silver sabre II and Deleon, I would have already bought the Mojave. It just seems a little redundant to buy the Mojave. Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned against the church of Mojave....
I will let you know what's what when I get mine.
I didn't really need one either, or anything else right now for that matter, but a trade situation with a dealer became available and after thinking about it and looking at all products I went with a new coil for my F70 which might or might not help me out here a bit and something I just kinda wanted to try without putting any or much money in it.
Out of all detectors out there the Mojave popped in my mind first thing.
More of a keep it around for fun thing instead of an everyday tool but who knows, that could change if it lights up my old spots.
I don't pull out the Compadre much, this one might not get out a ton either, but if I can wrap my simple brain around dealing with one more knob than my Compadre....and a switch, like I said, who knows.
NCtoad
Forum Supporter
Digger, what NEL coil did you get for the F70? And congrats on the Mojave! I'm looking forward to your opinions on it.
DIGGER27
In Memory Of
Sharpshooter...it was either that or the Snake.
My soil is iron oxide rich and red in a lot of places, even in areas of better black dirt that might be shallow for a few inches then red clay underneath.
In areas of just deep black soil it still seems to be mineralized way too much...I would GB with a Fisher out west at 45-55, here I rarely see anything less than mid 60's most places and often up into the 70's to low 80's...even in black dirt.
Then there is the iron, here in the city many areas have tons everywhere, in most public sites there were homes or whole neighborhoods knocked down and iron slag from the steel and iron industry seems to have been mixed into most of the fill dirt that was spread all over the city as this town grew from the 1880's on up.
For those of you that think you hunt in trashy sites because you get trash or iron signals every foot or so, and I recently read one new hunter that complained about the horrible problem of getting 4 trash or iron signals on one sweep of the coil...watch this vid that shows what I deal with and you can see why I laugh at these poor souls...
Not so bad in the suburbs and further out, still bad mineralized dirt but the iron problem is...manageable.
I hunt all over but I live in the city so these older parks close to me with these challenging conditions are my prime hunting locations.
The good thing is all this masking dirt and iron hides things so well that much has been missed over the years that is fairly shallow.
Dr. Detroit, PanHeadDan and I have all found some great bucket list items no more than 2-3" deep in this mess.
As far as depth in the bad stuff I have rarely heard of anyone digging targets much deeper than 5" even in virgin private lawns...like there is a curtain at that level that we just can't penetrate.
I have come to the realization that we can get deeper, it's just that the signals become unrecognizable using normal target behavior patterns in the worst of this devil dirt.
Using my F70 and factory coils I have succeeded in breaking that code, somewhat, and have so far been able to reach into the 6 to 8 inch depth level, noticed some good target indicators and have found some great things...and that took a lot of work and effort.
I had to learn a whole new language and set of target behaviors to do it, but I have found there is a level of deeper targets here in the bad stuff that nobody ever suspected was there.
That is why I decided I'm getting these new tools, if there ever was a more perfect testbed that can show exactly what they can do this is the place.
Craig says that the Nels seem to work pretty good on most detector brands but for some reason they seem especially efficient on the Tek and Fisher units, something about the shape of the coils or who knows what else.
If this new coil can just get a little deeper than my others, unmask good targets just a little bit easier or better well, that would be something.
Then there is the Mojave...
My Compadre has done pretty well here, my Vaq too, I have unmasked some pretty hidden things with those also but not to the extent of that F70 and not at the deepest levels I could reach with my Fisher so I am curious.
Can the Mojave with that different coil, enhanced abilities and the high-low mineralization switch make a difference vs. the Compadre or even my Vaq?
Will the hyper sensitivity of the Compadre still be there and can it's described steroid enhanced abilities make any difference at all in this kind of dirt compared to my other Tesoros...and exactly how deep can it get and can I break that 5" barrier with this one also?
I have resigned myself to the fact that the Compadre has its limits here but still have done well despite its depth limitations, it's unmasking power is really great even here within its range.
Using the Vaq for hundreds of hours and several coils in the great soil out west the penetrating power and everything else is awesome but here...not so much in the bad stuff or I just haven't figured out deep target indicators, if they are there, to my satisfaction.
At the very least the way I am now using the Vaq, as much as it has found and as much fun as I still have using it over the years, I tend to dig a little more trash than I prefer nowadays in this garbage filled environment compared to my Fisher so I don't pull it out much anymore and my learning curve with it has come to a halt...and it will be traded.
My first, best, real detector and I will be sad to see it go but it more than paid for itself over time so I would rather see it actually being used in better conditions in another state where it's awesome abilities can be put to good use than sit in a closet gathering dust.
The Mojave will take its place and it will be fun learning that one at the very least.
If I am lucky it might just work very well in my strange environment and surprise me, wouldn't that be fantastic if it did?
Like I said, this place will test it and it's limits like no other I have read about so far, there are some bad conditions I have read about that it seems to work surprisingly well but none that I know of that are exactly like mine with this same combination of unique challenges.
You know I will put it though its paces and you know I will write up some long detailed posts about what I think of it as I do.
Let's just hope I am as surprised and thrilled with the thing as so many others seem to be.
More to come I am sure.
Txdirtfisher
Forum Supporter
Mohave
Love mine just need more time with it Loves nichols
Love mine just need more time with it Loves nichols
Sven
Elite Member
Test Driving the Mojave
Today was my first hunt with the all new Tesoro Mojave. Finally Tesoro is starting to give us a black color scheme for their detectors. Much better than the usual cowboy brown dirt colors.
Had to satisfy my curiosity regarding the Mojave, all the forums are alive with all sorts of wild reports about its performance. In my previous post after bench testing and my box-o-dirt testing, I came away being unimpressed. To me it seemed more or less just another regular Tesoro model with different colors and features. If your used to a higher end detector with bells and whistles, target ID etc., you probably won't be impressed either. I had to step back away from comparing to my other detectors such as those bells and whistle models. Realized this Mojave was meant to be more or less an entry level detector with two main control functions, sensitivity and discrimination. Then base my findings in that regard, do a real world hunt.
Started out late today about 2PM, had about 3 hours to hunt, wife said we have dinner plans with her folks. Did give me enough time to dig like a mad man, towards the end, started to feel a slight pain in my lower back. Sucks to get older..... Ended up going to a big schoolyard that usually has some neighborhood activity within the park portion. Hunted there many times. With all the rain we had, in many areas the water table was just an inch below the surface. My feet and knees were getting wet, pretty sloppy digging. Moved off to some higher ground that was nice to dig in.
Right off will let you know I had the Deteknix wireless headphones hooked into the Mojave. Had wired ones in the car in case....
The controls were set, sensitivity, varied between 5 and full. Disc was set at midway beween foil and lowest iron setting so I could find any Canadian clad on edge, which Tesoros are good at.
To help identify a target, I used the thumbing technique, raising the disc control to see where the target was disc'd out. Never used this technique before, with the control position where it is, it just seems natural to do.
Away I went swinging the coil back and forth across the schoolyard meandering about like a lost person. Dug just about every signal to get an idea what the Mojave was telling me. For the most part, was able to determine coins would give a nice solid tight target audio signal. Found about 5 coins that were right on edge, that's what I like. One thing that drove me nuts was the inability to pinpoint very well like you normally can with a concentric coil, this mostly happens went you located some other target than a coin. What happens is lag, you pass the coil over the target, you know where it is, pass the coil over again, it may see it or maybe see it with an audio report after you pass by it. Very similar to wireless headphones having lag. I bet this is similar to those who use a Garrett Ace 250. Wanted to say, it was headphone wireless lag. The Deteknix never had any lag on any other detector in my arsenal. Switching to the wired headphones confirmed it was the wireless with lag. Switched back to the wireless to be cable free. Bet this lag thing is also similar to the Minelab Quattro that folks disliked and complained about. The Mojave is a motion detector, it retunes a surface target faster than a target that is deeper, found I had to play with the sweep speed to get a good pinpoint. Would have been nice to have a non-motion pinpoint button, pinpointing would have been very precise. Kept looking for the pinpoint button, just wasn't there. That's my biggest gripe... using a concentric coil, then would want the precision pinpointing for which they are known for. It's totally possible the filters they use to keep this detector almost dead silent (sometimes didn't even think it was turned on), motioned based detector might be the cause. Don't know.
The Mojave did very well on Canadian clad coins, deepest coin was about 5" on edge, a penny. The dimes were iffy, you sensed they were something worth digging. Like some others said, it does like US nickels, likes the older and newer Canuck ones as well. The $1 and $2 coins, you just really disc out thumbing the disc control. If they were there, you got them.
Towards the end of my hunt, sort of noticed the Mojave is not a Compadre, not a Silver but something in between those two with something from the Cibola ( in disc mode) mixed in. Just can't put my finger on it. Allan Cannon at Tesoro said it was different.
Do I like the Mojave, yes and no. For $251US street price, only two basic control functions, it does make for a good general purpose clad hunter. Haven't found any gold or silver jewelry, can't comment on that aspect. Do I have the urgency to sell off the Mojave after using it a short time, like many? Nope. Going to hang on to it, think it has potential once you learn the single tone language. Have to put more time on it. It was peacefully quiet in operation, which did make it fun learning how to use it.
Today was my first hunt with the all new Tesoro Mojave. Finally Tesoro is starting to give us a black color scheme for their detectors. Much better than the usual cowboy brown dirt colors.
Had to satisfy my curiosity regarding the Mojave, all the forums are alive with all sorts of wild reports about its performance. In my previous post after bench testing and my box-o-dirt testing, I came away being unimpressed. To me it seemed more or less just another regular Tesoro model with different colors and features. If your used to a higher end detector with bells and whistles, target ID etc., you probably won't be impressed either. I had to step back away from comparing to my other detectors such as those bells and whistle models. Realized this Mojave was meant to be more or less an entry level detector with two main control functions, sensitivity and discrimination. Then base my findings in that regard, do a real world hunt.
Started out late today about 2PM, had about 3 hours to hunt, wife said we have dinner plans with her folks. Did give me enough time to dig like a mad man, towards the end, started to feel a slight pain in my lower back. Sucks to get older..... Ended up going to a big schoolyard that usually has some neighborhood activity within the park portion. Hunted there many times. With all the rain we had, in many areas the water table was just an inch below the surface. My feet and knees were getting wet, pretty sloppy digging. Moved off to some higher ground that was nice to dig in.
Right off will let you know I had the Deteknix wireless headphones hooked into the Mojave. Had wired ones in the car in case....
The controls were set, sensitivity, varied between 5 and full. Disc was set at midway beween foil and lowest iron setting so I could find any Canadian clad on edge, which Tesoros are good at.
To help identify a target, I used the thumbing technique, raising the disc control to see where the target was disc'd out. Never used this technique before, with the control position where it is, it just seems natural to do.
Away I went swinging the coil back and forth across the schoolyard meandering about like a lost person. Dug just about every signal to get an idea what the Mojave was telling me. For the most part, was able to determine coins would give a nice solid tight target audio signal. Found about 5 coins that were right on edge, that's what I like. One thing that drove me nuts was the inability to pinpoint very well like you normally can with a concentric coil, this mostly happens went you located some other target than a coin. What happens is lag, you pass the coil over the target, you know where it is, pass the coil over again, it may see it or maybe see it with an audio report after you pass by it. Very similar to wireless headphones having lag. I bet this is similar to those who use a Garrett Ace 250. Wanted to say, it was headphone wireless lag. The Deteknix never had any lag on any other detector in my arsenal. Switching to the wired headphones confirmed it was the wireless with lag. Switched back to the wireless to be cable free. Bet this lag thing is also similar to the Minelab Quattro that folks disliked and complained about. The Mojave is a motion detector, it retunes a surface target faster than a target that is deeper, found I had to play with the sweep speed to get a good pinpoint. Would have been nice to have a non-motion pinpoint button, pinpointing would have been very precise. Kept looking for the pinpoint button, just wasn't there. That's my biggest gripe... using a concentric coil, then would want the precision pinpointing for which they are known for. It's totally possible the filters they use to keep this detector almost dead silent (sometimes didn't even think it was turned on), motioned based detector might be the cause. Don't know.
The Mojave did very well on Canadian clad coins, deepest coin was about 5" on edge, a penny. The dimes were iffy, you sensed they were something worth digging. Like some others said, it does like US nickels, likes the older and newer Canuck ones as well. The $1 and $2 coins, you just really disc out thumbing the disc control. If they were there, you got them.
Towards the end of my hunt, sort of noticed the Mojave is not a Compadre, not a Silver but something in between those two with something from the Cibola ( in disc mode) mixed in. Just can't put my finger on it. Allan Cannon at Tesoro said it was different.
Do I like the Mojave, yes and no. For $251US street price, only two basic control functions, it does make for a good general purpose clad hunter. Haven't found any gold or silver jewelry, can't comment on that aspect. Do I have the urgency to sell off the Mojave after using it a short time, like many? Nope. Going to hang on to it, think it has potential once you learn the single tone language. Have to put more time on it. It was peacefully quiet in operation, which did make it fun learning how to use it.
Attachments
sllingshot47
Elite Member
Sounds like they have placed some sort of audio enhancement/noise filter in the circuitry- similar to the Cibola.
The Cibola is different from the Vaquero in that way?
What I know about them is they have at least one different make of chip and according to Keith Southern, the Vaquero seems to like "round shaped objects" more than the Cibola.
sllingshot47
Elite Member
What I meant is the Compadre sometimes finds coins in iron laden areas that others miss because the circuitry isn't overburdened with audio enhancement and noise filtering circuitry.
TabZilla
Forum Supporter
Just picked up a 4" coil to try on the Mojave.
I have a couple targets in my test garden that are a mixture of nails, various pull tabs ,and a clad coin. With my 5.75compadre and the stock Mojave you can disc out the nails and hit the tabs and coin separately, but once the disc is past pull tab it's hard for either to hit the coins well. The little 4" nails them.
Also seems to do well on the targets I have along the driveway edge with the exposed wire and rebar.
Will be slow going but I have a couple trash laden spots to try and snipe some old coins from.
Hopefully it pans out.
Noah
I have a couple targets in my test garden that are a mixture of nails, various pull tabs ,and a clad coin. With my 5.75compadre and the stock Mojave you can disc out the nails and hit the tabs and coin separately, but once the disc is past pull tab it's hard for either to hit the coins well. The little 4" nails them.
Also seems to do well on the targets I have along the driveway edge with the exposed wire and rebar.
Will be slow going but I have a couple trash laden spots to try and snipe some old coins from.
Hopefully it pans out.
Noah
TabZilla
Forum Supporter
I spaced on taking photos when I buried them.them.
N. Tab. N
A. Dime. A
I. Tab. I
L. L
N. Tab. N
A. Dime. A
I. Tab. I
L. L
That one is about the size of a raquetball and the other has a quarter and is a little bit bigger. Assorted tabs and rusty nails that I previously dug. 3-4" deep coins with tha hails and tabs a bit shallower.
