Something I wrote a long time ago in an effort to help a new Compadre owner and seemed to help others get an initial grasp on this new world you have entered.
Many other great tips in this thread from others, also.
http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=77822
Ahhh...learning the Tesoro language.
Like learning any new foreign language it can sound strange at first but as you hear and learn the words and start to make comparative connections in your head of targets sounds and behavior it becomes easier and easier as time goes on until one day you find it has become second nature.
The cool thing is for me the whole process was great fun along the whole way and I found a lot of great treasure as I tread along that path as each of those many hours passed.
It is true that none of really know what we are swinging over until you actually dig it but after hearing similar sounds on single targets over and over and notice certain behavior that repeats you gain confidence in your skills as they grow.
Many of us do this in many different ways, there really is no wrong way to do this hobby and each hunter finds his own path along the journey.
Some just set these things and dig everything that beeps...I did this at first and it is still the best way to learn to make those connections at first.
Some still prefer to do it this same way even after many years.
Others, like myself, prefer to avoid digging everything so we look for ways to avoid digging it all but still want to find the most treasure we can without letting those "what if" feelings bother us so bad the hobby becomes frustrating and less fun.
I am at the complete other end of the scale from the dig everything guys, digging too much trash was becoming a problem for me as the years went on so I continued to learn my tools and looked for ways to optimise my time and digging efforts to dig the least amount of trash possible but still find the most treasure while keeping those what if feelings at bay.
How to do this.
We have many different techniques and methods at our disposal.
First that one tone, there are so many different facets to that single tone and we Tesoroheads know this well...after some hours of experience listening.
I use both kinds of machines, those with screens and my Tesoros and I get great pleasure from both but in different ways...I wouldn't enjoy this hobby if I didn't have the options to use both kinds.
What I learn using one has helped me get better using the other more than you might believe.
"Just" beep and dig machines is so far away from reality it isn't funny but don't even try to explain this to those that don't understand this stuff because it will do you no good.
Curiously that kind of opinion is usually expressed by those that never held something like these in their hands or did try them for a short time but never came close to putting in any time or effort to actually understand them.
Think about it, if these things with their throwback technology is so lacking in ability compared to the modern whiz-bang tool we have now why is Tesoro still even around and why do so many hunters still own and use and continue to purchase them?
And notice we are a very loyal and rabid bunch and continue to be to this day no matter how many make fun of us.
You will read posts from owners that mention many of the same key words pertaining to that single "beep", scratchy, solid, clear and much more over and over...these are part of that language and you will come to understand and differentiate as you gain experience.
Then there is coil manipulation...we can move the coil around and over targets, rimming, raising that coil and all kinds of ways that can tell us much about target information that can help us make some pretty accurate educated guesses and better digging decisions.
The disc knob "thumbing" technique is another that is the most important to me as I do hate to waste time digging tons of trash.
I do this on every target I swing over and have for years, many do it only this way as I do and we do it over every target.
Do it this way long enough and you will become very fast and efficient at it.
We keep the disc low to get the best, loudest and most solid signal we can and thumb that knob up to not only the fade out point to figure out what targets might be as Tesoro says to do in every one of their manuals but continue past to silence and then back down while swinging over targets and listen closely to how targets "come in" instead.
More about this in this thread...
http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=149441
For the life of me we can't figure out why Tesoro never has mentioned this in any of their literature but we that have compared both ways can guarantee that this up then back down method is way more accurate....way more.
So much information can be gleaned from listening to exactly how targets come in doing it this way you might not believe me at your early stage but it is true.
I have found so much treasure this way while digging a relatively small amount of trash for years now...it is a more higher percentage way of doing it and sure, I could miss something good along the way, but my track record is surprisingly good and just the way I prefer to do it...the only way I prefer to do it nowadays.
Keep in mind the only way it is possible for me to be so successful at this technique is after putting in many, many hours learning my tools as well as I could, (which is still an ongoing process), and by digging car loads of trash along the way as I got better at it.
No pain, no gain but over time I dug less and less trash as time went on while still finding more and more great treasure.
So there are many facets to the essence of this Tesoro language, the sounds, the coil movements, the knob manipulations...use a few, use them all but make an effort to learn them and then use what you learn the best way you know how and whatever way makes best sense to you.
Be patient and it does take time to get good at any of them but what in this life doesn't?
It is not a hassle but a labor of love to learn to be proficient with these deceptively simple tools and each new thing you learn builds upon itself until before you know it you have a pretty good grasp of that language.
As I mentioned we all dig our fair share of treasure along the way even during the learning process and it usually doesn't take all that long to get pretty decent at it.
Mastering this language, who knows, I am into this 8 years now and I haven't yet and maybe never will, totally, but a little understanding in the Tesoro world goes a long way.
A very long way...just ask any of us Tesoro guys.
Just keep at it, you will see.