Tesoro Silver Sabre UMAX Operator's Instruction Manual

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SILVERSABREµMAXOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL

CONGRATULATIONS!

YournewTesoroSilverSabreµMAXmetaldetectorispartofanewseriesofdetectorsdesignedtoprovideyouwith

manyhappyhoursofenjoymentinthemostrewardinghobbyIcanthinkof—treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinating

andexcitingexperiencesasyoustepintothepast—uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations,orasyoutakepleasurein

thegreatoutdoorswithfamilyandfriendssearchingforpreciousmetals.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,

andallofusatTesorowishyouthebestofsuccess.

YourTesoroµMAXdetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinawiderangeoftreasurehuntingsituations.Aswithany

othermetaldetector,familiaritywiththisinstrumentisprobablythelimitingfactorindetermininghowsuccessfulyoucanbe.I

recommendthatyoureadthismanualandfullyunderstandhowtooperatethisdetectorbeforeattemptingtouseitinthefield.

Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.

TheSilverSabreµMAXisaprecisionelectronicinstrumentthatwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatitrightandit

won’tletyoudown.

GoodHunting!JackGifford

INTRODUCTION

Tobesuccessfulintreasurehuntingwithadetectoryoumust:

Useahighperformancemetaldetectordesignedforthetypeoftreasurehuntingyouwillbedoing.

Learnhowtouseyourmetaldetectorproperly.

Searchwherethereisburiedtreasuretobefound.

Bepersistent.

TheSilverSabreMicroMAX(µMAX)wasdesignedforcoinhunting,competitionhuntingandallpurposeuse.Thismultifunctiondetectoris

verypowerful,yetveryeasytouse.Becauseitissensitivetoallmetals,itcanbeusedtofindavarietyofjewelry,relics,goldetc.Whenusingthis

detector,youwillalsofindunwanted"trash"metalsuchasnails,foil,pulltabs,etc.,justasyouwouldwithanyotherhighperformancedetector.

ThisOperatorInstructionManualisdesignedtohelpyoulearntooperatethedetectorproperlyformaximumperformanceinvarioussearch

conditions.CompleteinstructionsonhowtooperatetheSilverSabreµMAXarefoundinthetwomainsections:GettingStartedandOperating

Techniques.

Ifyouarenewtometaldetecting,wehighlyrecommendreadingandfollowingtheentireGettingStartedsectiontodevelopthe “ feel ”ofyour

detector.Then,studyandpracticetheOperatingTechniquessectiontogetthebestperformancefromyourdetector. 

Ifyouareanexperienceddetectoristandarefamiliarwiththeconceptsofmetaldetecting,youmaywanttogodirectlytotheOperating

Techniquessection.Whateveryourpriordetectingexperienceis,themoreskilledyoubecomeatoperatingthisdetector,themorerewardingyour

resultswillbe.

Ifyouarenewtotreasurehuntingwithmetaldetectors,keepinmindthatiftherearenovaluablemetalobjectsburiedwhereyouare

searching,itwon’tmatterhowgoodyourmetaldetectorisorhowskilledandpersistentyouare.Tolearnmoreaboutwheretosearchforvaluable

buriedmetals,checkwithyourdetectordealerorbooksellerformagazinesandbooksontreasurehunting.

GENERALDESCRIPTION

TheSilverSabreµMAXisoneofthefirstofitskind:anultralightweight,compactdetectorthatpacksthepowerandperformanceofafull

sized,heavierdetector.Bysimplifyingfeaturesandcomplicatedadjustmentsthatcausealossofperformancewhenusedimproperly,Tesorohas

createdaneasytooperate,grabandgodetectorthat'sperfectforhobby,sportandtravel.

TheSilverSabreµMAXisaTransmitterReceiver(TR)typedetectorthatoperatesintheVeryLowFrequency(VLF)portionoftheRadio

Frequency(RF)spectrum.ThedetectorusesonlythreecontrolknobsandonepushbuttontoprovidefullVLFcapabilities.

TheperformanceoftheSilverSabreµMAXwillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorist,whetherexperiencedorabeginner.The

SilverSabreµMaxusesthelatestSurfaceMountTechnologyandTesoro'sprovenMAXBoostCircuitrytocreateoneofthemostuniquePrinted

CircuitBoardsintheindustry.Thiscircuitboardhelpsprovidegreaterdepthandmoresensitivitytosmaller,lessconductivemetalobjectsor

“targets”suchasfinegoldjewelry.

TheSilverSabreµMAXhasfeaturesthatmakeitspowereasytouse.Thefactorypresetgroundrejectioncircuitryallows“turnonandgo”

operationinvirtuallyanygroundmineralization.*TheDiscriminateModeisSilentSearch,meaningthesearchcoilmustbemovingtodetecta

target.TheQuickCheckPinpointingmakesitsimpletoidentifytheexactlocationofthetarget. 

TheelectronicminiaturizationofSurfaceMountTechnologypermitsthecomplex,powerfulcircuitryoftheµ MAXdetectorstofitintoavery

smallspace.Theresultisadetectorthatissoincrediblylightthereisnoneedtobodymountthecontrolhousing.Thisexclusivedesignfeature

addstotheSilverSabreµMAX'seaseofuseandmakesthoselongersearchesmoreenjoyable.

TheSilverSabreµ MAXcomeswithan8 ”  roundconcentricsearchcoilforbestall  aroundperformancewithgooddepth.Avarietyofoptional

Tesorosearchcoilsarealsoavailableandwillenhancethedetector'sperformanceundervariousconditions. 

*Operationmaybemoredifficultinblacksandorcertainotherextremeconditionsthatposeproblemsformetaldetectors. 

GETTINGSTARTEDUNPACKINGTHEBOX

YourSilverSabreµ MAXwasshippedwiththeseparts: 

1UpperPoleAssembly

Fullyassembled,includingupperpolestemwithhandlegrip,paddedarmbracketandcontrolhousing.

1MiddlePoleAssemblyWithPoleLock

1LowerPoleAssembly

Fullyassembled,includingmiddlepolestemwithknurlednut,lowerpolestem,andnylonpoletipcompletewithtwothickfriction

washers,mountingscrew,lockwasherandthumbnut.

18"round,concentricsearchcoilwith3'cable

19VoltAlkalineBattery

1OperatorInstructionManual

1TesoroWarrantyCard

Ifanyoftheseitemsaremissing,contacttheTesoroAuthorizedDealerwhereyoupurchasedyourdetectorimmediately.



Assemblyoftheµ MAXSidewinderissimpleandrequiresnospecialtools.JustInstallthebattery,mountthesearchcoilonthelowerpole

assembly,connectthetwopoleassembliestogether,wraptheexcesscablearoundthepoleandplugthecableintothecontrolhousing.Finally,

adjustthepolelengthandsearchcoilangleandyou'reready!

INSTALLINGTHEBATTERY

YourSilverSabreµMAXisequippedwithanautomaticbatterytestcircuitsothatyoucanalwaysbesureyouaregettingtopperformance.

Thebatteryshouldbecheckedafterthedetectorhasbeenonforabout10minutes,andthenperiodicallywhenusedforlongdurations.



Toinstallorreplacethebattery,firstmakesuretheSENSITIVITYcontrolissettoPOWEROFF— turnedcompletelycounterclockwisepastthe

“click. ”  Removethebatterydoorfromthebackofthecontrolhousing.Dothisbypressingyourthumbfirmlyonthelouveredsquare— atthebottom

ofthebatterydoor— andslidingthebatterydoorupward(inthedirectionofthearrow)whilepushing.

Checkthepolarityonthebatteryandonthediagraminsidethebatterycompartment.Makesurethattheymatchandsimplydropafresh9

voltalkalinebatteryintothecompartment.

Replacethebatterydoorbyslidingitintoplacemakingsuretheuppermountslotsareinlineandthelocktongueissnappedinplace. 

ASSEMBLINGYOURDETECTOR

1. Onthelowerpoleassembly,removethemountingscrewandthumbnutfromtheblacknylonpoletip.

2. 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.Note:Thepoletipshouldfitverysnuglyintothemountingears.



3. Insertthemountingscrewthroughtheholesinthemountingearsandpoletip— enteringfromthesideoppositethecableconnection. 

4. Installthethumbnutonthemountingscrewandtightenbyhand.

Note:Donotovertightenthethumbnut.Itshouldbesnug,butnottoodifficulttoloosenup.



5. Onthemiddlepoleassembly,depressthetwospringbuttonsandslidethemiddlepoleassemblyintotheupperpoleassemblyuntilthe

springbuttonsclickintotheholes—lockingthetwoassembliesintoplace.Tightenthepolelocktosecurethetwoassembliestogether.



6. Slidelowerpoleintomiddlepoleuntilspringbuttonsclickintothefirstsetofadjustmentholes.Turnpolelocktotighten— lockingthe

assemblyintoplace.

7. Wrapthecablearoundthepoleleavingenoughslacknearthesearchcoiltopermitsearchcoiladjustment.Note:Donotallowthecable

tofloplooselyoverthesearchcoil.Sincethedetectorissensitiveenoughto“ see”thetinywiresinthecable,afloppycablecancausefalse

signalsasthesearchcoilsensesthemovingwires.

8. Plugthemalecableendintothefemaleconnectoronthecontrolhousingandtightenthecablethumbnut.Youarefinished! 

Note:Youwillwanttoadjustthepolelengthandthesearchcoilangletoyourpreference.



9. Plugthemalecableendintothefemaleconnectoronthecontrolhousingandtightenthecablethumbnut.Youarefinished! 



ADJUSTINGTHEPOLE&SEARCHCOIL

Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedsothatthedetectordoesnotbecomeuncomfortableortiringafter

longperiodsofuse.Thedetectorgripshouldrestinyourhandwithyourarmrelaxed,yourelbowstraightbut

notlocked,withthepoleextendingoutinfrontofyouattheapproximateangleshowninthephoto. 

Youshouldbeabletoswingthedetectorbackandforthinfrontofyou— usingrelaxed shoulder

movement— whilekeepingthesearchcoilasclosetothegroundaspossible.Thisswingingmovementisoften

calleda“ sweep. ”  

Thesearchcoilshouldnottouchthegroundduringyoursweep.Thepolelengthshouldbeadjustedto

allowthiswithouthavingtoliftthedetectorwithyourelboworshoulder.Thesearchcoilshouldrestaboutone

inchabovethegroundwhileyouarestandingerect.Theangleofthesearchcoilshouldallowthebottomto

beparalleltotheground.

Thepolelengthisadjustedbydepressingthespringbuttonsandextendingorshorteningthepoleuntil

thespringbuttonsclickintothesetofholesthatgiveyouthemostcomfortablepolelength.

Toadjustthesearchcoilangle,simplyloosenthesearchcoilthumbnutslightlyandmovethesearchcoil

intothedesiredposition.Tightenthesearchcoilthumbnutbyhandsothatthesearchcoilwillholdinplace.

QUICKSTARTSELFGUIDEDTUTORIAL

TheQuickStartisdesignedtohelpyouuseyournewSilverSabreµ MAXmetaldetectorrightaway,even

ifyouhaveneverusedadetectorbefore.Justfolloweacheasystepcarefullyandyou ’llquicklyseehowthebasicdetectorfunctionswork.You’ ll

alsobeintroducedtosomeimportantconceptsontheway. 

Here’ swhatyouwillneed: 

1. YourfullyassembledSilverSabreµMAXmetaldetector

2. Threenewercoins:apenny,anickelandaquarter

3. Anon metaltableorcountersurface

4. Approximately20minutestocompletetheQuickStart

Here’ swhatyouwilldo: 

1. PerformanAudioBatteryTest

2. AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol

3. PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode

PreparefortheQuickStart

PlaceyourassembledSilverSabreµMAXonthenonmetalsurface.Makesuretherearenometalobjectsnearthecoil.Removeanyjewelry

fromyourhandsandwrists.

Startwiththesecontrolsettings:

DISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN.

SENSITIVITYcontrolsettoPOWEROFF.

THRESHOLDat12:00.



Step1PerformanAudioBatteryTest

TTurntheSENSITIVITYcontrolfromPOWEROFFto1

Youwillhearthebatterytesttoneforafewsecondsasthebatteryisautomaticallytested.Whenthetonestops,thedetectorisonandthe

controlsarereadyforadjusting.

FunctionDemonstrated:Howthebatterytesttonewilltellyouthebatteryisworkingeachtimethedetectoristurnedon. 

Step2AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol

Step2AdjusttheSENSITIVITYcontrol

Thisisagoodsettingtobeginwitheachtimeyouuseyourdetector.LeavethecontrolatthissettingfortherestoftheQuickStart.

FunctionDemonstrated:WheretosettheSENSITIVITYcontrolforbasicdetectoroperation. 

Step3PerformanairtestinDiscriminateMode

IdentifytheTargetResponse

UseDiscrimination

OperatetheQuickCheckPinpointfeature

LeavetheDISCLEVELcontrolsettoMIN.

LeavetheSENSITIVITYcontrolsetto8.

THRESHOLDat12:00.

DonotpressPINPOINT.

Holdthequarterinyourhandandmovethequarterbackandforthabout12inchesinfrontofthesearchcoilbottom.

Graduallymovethequarterclosertothesearchcoil— asyoucontinuetomoveitbackandforth —untilyouheara “beep. ”  Thisbeepisthe

targetresponsesound.

Continuetomovethecointotestthetargetresponsesound.Asyoudothis,tryvaryingthedistanceorangleofthecoin.Tryvaryingthe

speedyoumovethecoin.Tryholdingthecoinstillthenmovingitslightly.Noticethedifferencesinthetargetresponsesoundwitheachchange.

Repeatthetestwitheachcoin.Noticethatthedetectorrespondstoeachcoinalthoughthetargetresponsesoundmayvary.Yourdetectorcan

respondtoobjectsmadeofanykindofmetalifthereismovementbetweentheobjectandthedetector.Operatingyourdetectorinthiswayis

calleda“ SilentSearch. ”  

TurntheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMINtoMAX

Passthequarterbackandforthinfrontofandclosetothesearchcoilbottom.Noticethesoundasthecoinnearsthecenterofthesearchcoil.

Now,trythiswiththenickelandthenthepenny.Noticethereisnosoundwiththesetwocoins.Theabilityofametaldetectortoignorecertain

typesofmetaliscalled“ discrimination. ”  Usingyourdetectorinthiswayiscalleda “ SilentSearchDiscriminateMode. ”  

Controlsettingstoignoremostzincandnickelobjectscanbe: 

DISCLEVELMAX

SENSITIVITYany

THRESHOLDat12:00

DonotpressPINPOINT

NowmovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfromMAXto7

NowmovetheDISCLEVELcontrolfrom7to4

Passeachofthethreecoinsinfrontofthecoil.Noticethequarterandthepennynowcauseatargetresponsesound.

Controlsettingstoignoremostnickelobjectscanbe:

DISCLEVEL4

SENSITIVITYany

THRESHOLDat12:00

DonotpressPINPOINT

QuickCheckPinpointing

DISCLEVEL4

SENSITIVITYany

THRESHOLDat12:00

DonotpressPINPOINT,yet

Movethenickelslightlyfromsidetosideinfrontofthesearchcoiltocreateatargetresponsesound.Now,holdthenickelstillatthe

approximatespotwherethetargetresponsesoundoccurs.

Now,pressandholdPINPOINT

Noticetheimmediatethresholdsound.Adjustthethresholdsoundbyturningthe"thresholdcontrol"untilaslightsteadyhumisheard.Once

thethresholdisset,itshouldnotrequirefrequentresetting.Movethenickelslightlyandslowlyfromsidetosideandthenholditstillwherethe

targetresponsesoundisgreatest.

ReleasePINPOINT

Noticethethresholdsounddisappears.Movethenickelslightlyfromsidetosideagainandlistentothetargetresponsesound.Comparingthe

targetresponsesoundsmadeinDiscriminateandPinpointModecanhelptoaccuratelylocateatarget. 

FunctionsDemonstrated:1)Themotion basedoperationandtargetresponsesoundofSilentSearchDiscriminateMode.2)Howthe

DiscriminateModecanbeusedtohelpdeterminethetypesofmetalatargetmaybe.ByadjustingtheDISCLEVELcontrolyoucanselectwhat

metalsyourdetectorwillignore.3)HowtheQuickCheckPinpointingfeaturecanbeusedtomoreaccuratelydeterminetheexactlocationofa

targetbyquicklycomparingthedifferenttargetresponsesoundsoftheDiscriminateandPinpointMode. 

Conclusion

Welldone!YouhavefinishedtheQuickStartGuideandhaveoperatedthebasicdetectingfeaturesoftheSilverSabreµ MAXandhavebeen

introducedtotheideasof:1)targetresponsesound,2)thresholdsound,3)tuningthethreshold,4)targetdiscrimination,and5)targetpinpointing. 

Nowyouarereadytobeginthejourneyintotheartofmetaldetectingbyactuallyusingyourdetectortofindburiedmetal.Butfirstaword

aboutairtests.

TheairtestsintheQuickStartareoflimitedvalue.Metaldetectorsperformdifferentlyinairteststhanwheninactualuse “ inthefield. ”  Tesoro

detectorsarespecificallydesignedtodeliverthebestperformanceinthefield.TheCONTROLSandTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionswillgive

youmoredetailedinformationonhowtosetyourdetector’scontrolsforthebestresults,especiallywhenpinpointingandusingdiscrimination.

Theonlywayyoucanbecometrulyproficientatusingyourdetectortofindburiedtreasureistouseitinthefieldandlearnfromexperience!

However,westronglysuggestthatyoureadthisentiremanualtobecomefamiliarwiththefeaturesasyoucontinuetouseyourdetector. 

Youhavethefinesttoolavailable,nowallyouneedistheskillthatcomesfromexperience.

TOTURNYOURDETECTOROFF:

TURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTOPOWEROFF

TOTURNYOURDETECTORON:

TURNTHESENSITIVITYCONTROLTOMIN

OPERATINGTECHNIQUESCONTROLS

TheSilverSabreµ MAXhasonlyfourcontrols,allmountedonthefrontpanelofthehousingforfingertipadjustment.Howthesecontrols

shouldbesetforpeakperformancewilldependonthetypeofmetalyouaresearchingfor,searchsiteconditions,andsoforth.Usetheinformation

inthissectionandtheTUNINGYOURDETECTORsectionasabasisforsettingthecontrolsonyourdetector.Usingyourdetectorinthefieldwill

allowyoutolearnthedetector’ sresponsestovariousconditionsandwillguideyouinfinetuningthedetector ’ soperatingcontrols. 



SENSITIVITYControl

SensitivityControl 

Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasthreefunctions:

TurnsthedetectorONandOFF

ActivatestheautomaticAudioBatteryTest

Adjuststhedetector'sSensitivityLevel

TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobcounterclockwisecompletelyuntilit“ clicks ”  intothePOWEROFFpositionturnsthedetectoroffby

disconnectingthebatteryfromthecircuit.

NOTE:Thedetectorshouldalwaysbeturnedoffwhennotinuse.

TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwisepasttheinitial“click ”  turnsthedetectoronandactivatestheautomaticAudioBatteryTestcircuit.

Thistestwillgiveyouasound,usuallylastingseveralseconds,thatindicatesthebattery’ scondition.WhentheAudioBatteryTestisover,the

detector’ sSensitivityLevelcanbeadjusted. 

TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector’sSensitivityLevel.Thelevelfrom1upto10isthenormalrange.Thisrange

correspondswiththenormalSensitivityonstandarddetectors.TurningtheSENSITIVITYknobpast10andintotheorangeareaputsthe

SensitivityintotheMAXBoostrangefoundonlyonTesoro'sµMAXdetectors.

DISCLEVEL

DiscriminationLevelControl 

Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:

Adjuststhedetector'sDiscriminationLevel.

WhilethedetectorisintheDiscriminateMode,theDISCLEVELcontrolisusedtoadjustthedetector’ sDiscriminationLevel.Turningthe

DISCLEVELknobclockwiseincreasesthedetector’ sDiscriminationLevelandviceversa.

THRESHOLD

ThresholdLevelControl 

Thisrotaryswitchcontrolhasonefunction:

AdjuststheThresholdControl

TheTHRESHOLDcontrolisusedtoadjusttheaudiolevelofthedetector'sthresholdupordowntoitsdesiredlevel.Normalsettingwouldbe

abarelyaudiblehum.Thisisnotavolumecontrolforthedetectoritself.Althoughthiscontrolisplacedonthefrontpanelforconvenience,once

itissettothedesiredthresholdtone,itwillnotrequirefrequentresetting. 

PINPOINT

QuickCheckPinpointingPushbutton 

Thispushbuttoncontrolhastwofunctions: 

PlacesthedetectorinPinpointMetalMode

AdjuststheThresholdsound

WhenthedetectorisintheDiscriminateMode,thePINPOINTpush buttonisusedtomomentarilychangetheoperatingmodeforimproved

pinpointing.Pressingthepush buttonplacesthedetectorinPinpointMode.ThedetectorremainsinPinpointaslongasthepush  buttonisheld

down.Releasingthepush buttonreturnsthedetectortoDiscriminateMode.Pinpointpush buttonmustbeheldtoadjustthreshold.

ControllingAudioVolume

ThespeakerintheµMAXdoesnothaveavolumecontrol.Thevolumeshouldbesufficienttoaccuratelyhearthetargetresponsesoundin

mostenvironments.Ifmoreorlessvolumeisrequiredinyourparticularsituation,werecommendusingasetofgoodqualityheadphoneswitha

built involumecontrol. 

TUNINGYOURDETECTOR

Thedetectorshouldbeheldinapositionthatiscomfortableforyouasshowninthe"AdjustingthePole&Searchcoil"sectioninGetting

Started.Swingthedetectorfromsidetosideinaboutathreefootarc,overlappingsucceedingstrokeswell.Thismotioniscalleda “ sweep. ”  The

SilverSabreµMAXwasdesignedtogetmaximumdepthwithoutthefranticpacerequiredofearliermotiondetectors,sogoatapacethatis

comfortableforyou.Infact,tryingtohunttoofastmayevencausealossofdepthinheavilymineralizedlocations. 

Regardlessofwhichmodeyouareusing,trytokeepyoursearchcoilheightconstantandclosetotheground.Mostpeopletendtoraisethe

coilattheendofasweep— muchlikeapendulum — especiallyiftheyarehurrying.Trytoavoidthis,asanyincreaseinheightfromthegroundwill

causeacorrespondinglossofdepth.

Inareaswithwellkeptlawns,theeasiestwaytomaintainaconstantsearchcoilheightistoallowthecoiltorestonthegrassasyousweep

fromsidetoside.Inroughandrockyareas,itisbestnotto“ scrub ”  thecoilontheground,astherockswillactlikeabrasives,andwearawaythecoil

bottom(anoptionalcoilscuffcoverwillprotectagainstthis).Sweepthecoilasclosetothegroundaspossiblewithouttouching.Hittingtheground

orrocksmaycauseafalsesignalmuchlikeadesiredtargetwould.Sweepingthecoiltoohighabovethegroundresultsinalossofdepth.

PlantingaTestGarden

Tobetterlearnhowyourdetectorwillperforminthefield,itwouldbehelpfultoburysomecoinsandtrashmetaljunkitemsinanareathat

youknowisclearofothermetalobjects.ChecktheareawithDiscsetatzerotobesureit'sclearoftrash.Thenburythetargetsatleast1footapart,

andfrom2to4inchesdeeptostart.Makeamapoftheareatobesureyouknowwhateachtargetisandhowdeepitis.Practiceonthesetargets

tofamiliarizeyourselfwithyourdetector’ stargetresponse.Thiswillalsohelpyoulearnthepropersweepspeedforbestoperation.Thistypeof

practiceareaisoftencalleda“ testgarden ”  or “ testbed”andisoneofbesttoolstohelpyoudevelopyourmetaldetectingskills.

RecognizingfalsesignalsinDiscriminateMode

WhenoperatingintheDiscriminateMode,some“ falsesignals ”maybecausedby1)heavyconcentrationsoftrashmetalobjects,2)verylarge

trashmetalobjects,or3)electricalinterference.Thesesignalsaregenerallyshort,choppysoundsandsounddifferentthan “goodsignals ”  ( good

targetresponsesounds).

Attheendofyoursweep,asyoureversethecoildirection,thedetectorismostsusceptibletotrashinducednoise.Therearetwowaystotell

whetherthesesoundsaregooddeepsignalsortrash“ noise.”Thefirstisbyrepeatability.Trashinducednoiseswillnotberegularasyousweepthe

coiloverthesuspectedtargetseveraltimes,whereasagoodtargetresponsewillberepeatable.ThesecondmethodistoswitchtoPinpointMode

andcheckthetargetresponsesound.Iftheresponseisweak,itmaywellbeadeep,goodtarget.Butiftheresponseisverystrong,itisprobably

trash.Notethatacoinclosetothesurfacecangiveadoublebeepsound,butitisregularandrepeatable.Raisingthecoilaninchortwowill

restorethesinglebeeponsurfacetargets.

WhensearchingintheDiscriminateMode,itisbestnottouseahigherDISCLEVELsettingthannecessary.Nickelsandmostsmallerringsare

rejectedwhentheDISCLEVELissettorejectpulltabsonanymetaldetectorthatisaTRDiscriminatorliketheSilverSabreµMAX.Ifyoudon’t

diganyjunkatall,youaresurelypassingupalotofgoodfindsaswell.SettheDISCLEVELonlyhighenoughtosuittheconditionswhereyou

aresearching.Ifthereisanydoubtwhetheratargetisgoodornot,digit.

Pinpointingatarget

PinpointingatargetinDiscriminateModeisprobablybestdoneby“X ing ”  aswell.Rememberthatthedetectorwillbeepjustasthetarget

passesunderthecenterofthesearchcoil.SlowingthesweepspeeddownwillhelpyoupickoutthecenteroftheXbecausethetargetresponseis

reducedatveryslowspeedsmakingiteasiertocorrelatethesoundwiththecoilcenter. 

Anothereasymethodistosweepthecoilfromsidetosideacrossthetargetinveryshortsweepsasyouslowlymoveforwardandbackward

acrossthetarget.Slowdownthesweeprateandshortenthesweepsuntilyoujustbarelygetaresponseatonespot.Thetargetwillbedirectly

belowthecoilcenteratthisresponsetime.

AnothermethodofpinpointinginDiscriminateModeistoquicklychangetoPinpointModetocheckthetargetresponse.Rememberthat

PinpointModeisnotsusceptibletothefalsesignalsofDiscriminateModeandcansometimesgiveaclearerandmoreconsistentresponseto

difficulttargetssuchasadimeburiednexttoapulltab.Byswitchingbackandforthbetweenmodesandcomparingthetargetresponsesoundin

PinpointtothetargetresponsesoundinDiscriminate,youcanoftenbetteridentifythelikelylocationofthetarget.TheQuickCheckPINPOINT

push buttonallowsyoutodothiseasilyandwithoutlookingawayfromthegroundatyourcontrols. 

Finally,raisingthesearchcoilduringpinpointingcanalsohelpbynarrowingtheresponsetothetarget.Practicepinpointingoften,andyou

willsoonbecomemoreaccurateandfaster.

Recoveringatarget

Ifthetargetisshallowandthesoilissoft,youmaybeableto“ probe ” andfindtheexactlocationofthetargetbeforeyoudigit.Sincefilling

allholesafteryourecoverthetargetissoimportant,diggingasmallpreciseholeisbest.Ifthetargetisdeep,youmayneedtodigalargerhole.

Asyoudig,occasionallychecktheholewithyourdetectortoseeifyouhavemovedtheobject,canprobeitorhavealreadydugit.Besuretofill

allholesafteryourecoverthetarget.Twomethodsareshowninthenexttwosectionsthatworkmosteverywhere.Besuretoprotectyourhobbyby

leavingthesitecleanerthanyoufounditandwithallholesfilled!

RECOMMENDEDRECOVERYMETHODS

GENERALINFORMATIONCAREANDUSE

BasicCare

TheSilverSabreµ MAXisasturdyinstrument,butitisnotdesignedtowithstandabuse.IncaringforyourSilverSabre µMAXthereare

severalimportant“ DONOTs ”  toremember.DONOTuseittopryrockslooseortobeatbushesoutoftheway.DONOTdropthemachineinto

water.DONOTuseitunprotectedintherain.DONOTleaveitexposedatnightwheredewcouldformonit.DONOTstoreitinplacesthatcould

getextremelyhot(nexttoawoodstove,inanattic).DONOTleaveitinthetrunkofacarorinthebackofahatchback stylecarwherehigh

temperaturescouldbuildup.DONOTstoreitwiththebatteryinstalledasbatteriesmayleak.DONOTspraylubricantssuchasWD40,oranytype

ofcleaners,solvents,sealantsorotherchemicalsintoorontotheelectronicparts,switchesorcontrols.Andfinally,DONOTattempttomodifyor

repairthedetector’ selectronicsasthiswillvoidyourdetector'swarranty. 

THEWARRANTYDOESNOTCOVERDAMAGERESULTINGFROMACCIDENT,NEGLECTORABUSE.

Protectingyourinvestment

Oftendetectoristsaredisappointedwhentheirnewdetectorslowlybecomeslessandlessresponsiveandseemstohavelostsomeofits

originalpeakperformance.Youcanhelpavoidthisfromhappeningtoyourdetectorbyfollowingthesebasiccareandprotectionguidelines: 

OperateyourdetectorexactlyasrecommendedinthisOperatorInstructionManual.

Useonlyhigh qualityalkalinebatteriesofthecorrectvoltage.Neversubstituteadifferentvoltage.WhenusingaNi  Cadbattery,always

useaseparateconvertiblepackwiththepropervoltageoutputforthedetector ’ sdesign. 

Removethebatteryfromthedetectoraftereachuse.Thiswillpreventdamagetothedetectorifthebatteryleaks.

Thesearchcoilcableishardwiredtothesearchcoilandprotectedbyastrainrelief.Inspectthestrainrelieffrequentlytomakesureitis

firmlyattachedandintact.

Keep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.

Sweepthesearchcoilcarefully,especiallywhenusingaroundrocksandbuildingfoundations.Avoidhittingthesearchcoilagainsthard,

solidobjectsandsurfaces.

Keepyoursearchcoilslightlyoffofthegroundduringthesweep,especiallywhenusingingravelorhard,rockydirt.

Alwaysuseaproperlydesignedprotectivescuffcoveronthesearchcoil.(See"OptionalAccessories"inthenextsection.) 

Removeandcleanoutscuffcoversperiodicallytoavoidbuildupofmineralizeddirtparticleswhichwillaffectperformance.

Thesearchcoiliswaterproofandcanbesubmergedineitherfreshorsaltwater.Afterthesearchcoilisusedinsaltwater,rinseitandthe

lowerstemassemblywellwithfreshwatertopreventcorrosionofthemetalparts.

Thesearchcoiliswaterproofbuttheelectronicsarenot,soalwayspreventanymoistureorwaterfromenteringthecontrolhousingand

neverallowthecableconnectorstobecomesubmergedinwater.

Ifworkinginornearwater,orifthereisapossibilityofrain,useaprotectiveweatherresistantpouchorplasticbagtocoverthecontrol

housing.Makesureitcan"breathe"inordertoensureagainstcondensationbuildupinside.

Aftereachuse,cleanthedetectorwithasoftclothtoremovedust,moisture,orothercontaminants.

Whentransportingthedetectorinacarduringhotweather,storeitonthefloorofthepassengercompartmentifpossible.Usingacarry

baggivesadditionalprotection.Inanycase,neverallowthedetectortorollaroundunprotectedinthetrunkorbackofapickuptruck.

Protectyourdetectorfromdust,moisture,andextremetemperaturesduringstorage.

Whenshipping,usetheoriginalfactorycartonorsimilarheavy dutycontainerandprovideaminimumoneinchofpaddingaroundall

parts.

Treatyourdetectorasyouwouldanysensitiveelectronicinstrument.Thoughruggedlyconstructedanddesignedtowithstandthe

demandsofnormaltreasurehunting,propercareisessential.

OPTIONALACCESSORIES

TesorometaldetectorsandgenuineTesoroaccessoriesaresoldonlythroughindependentTesoroAuthorizedDealers,whoarealmostalways

metaldetectoriststhemselves.TheycanansweryourquestionsaboutyourTesorodetector,whataccessoriesmaybehelpfulandaboutmetal

detectingingeneral.

SeeyourTesoroAuthorizedDealerformoreinformationandpricesonoptionalaccessories.

ScuffCovers

Wehighlyrecommendusingascuffcovertoprotectyoursearchcoilatalltimes.ThescuffcoverfortheSilverSabreµMAXfittedwiththe8"

searchcoilisTesoroPart#SCUFF 8R  B. 

Searchcoils

The8"concentricsearchcoilprovidedwiththeSilverSabreµMAXisdesignedforbestall aroundperformance.Optionalsearchcoilsmayadd

toyourdetector'sperformance.

Smallersearchcoilsgivebetter“ targetseparation ” — thatis,moredistincttargetresponseformetalobjectsburiedcloselytogether— whichis

veryusefulwhenhuntingtrashysites.Verysmallsearchcoilscandeliverthebestresponseanddepthtosmalltargetssuchasfinegoldchainswith

somesacrificeindepthonlargerobjects.Largersearchcoilsgiveawidersweep,coveringmoreground,andprovidegreaterdepthespeciallyon

largerobjects;however,theymaynotdetectsomeverysmallobjectssuchashalfdimesandwillhavedifficultyinverytrashyareas. 

Widescansearchcoilsignoregroundmineralizationbetterthanconcentricsearchcoilsandmayofferimprovedperformanceinextreme

groundconditions.

Selectingtherightoptionalsearchcoildependsonfactorssuchaswhatyouaresearchingforandsearchsiteconditions.Noonesearchcoilis

betterthanalltherest.SeveraloptionalinterchangeablesearchcoilsareavailablefortheSilverSabre µ MAX.Theyarealleasytomountand

requirenospecialtools.SeethefollowinglistofthesesearchcoilswiththeTesoropart#anddescription.

TesoroSearchcoils

OptionalscuffcoversarealsoavailableforanyTesorosearchcoil. 

Headphones

Mostmetaldetectoristsprefertouseheadphonesinsteadofthedetector'sbuilt inspeaker.Headphoneshelpblockoutbackgroundnoise(such

aswind)andmakeiteasiertohearfaintsignals.Headphoneswithabuiltinvolumecontrolwillallowyoutoadjustthesoundvolumetoyour

preference.

Specifications

METALDETECTORIST'SCODEOFETHICS

1. Alwayscheckfederal,state,countyandlocallawsbeforesearching.Itisyourresponsibilityto“ knowthelaw. ”  

2. Abidebyalllaws,ordinancesorregulationsthatmaygovernyoursearchandtheareayouwillbein.

3. Nevertrespass.Alwaysobtainpermissionpriortoenteringprivateproperty,mineralclaims,orunderwatersalvageleases.

4. Donotdamage,deface,destroy,orvandalizeanyproperty,includingghosttownsanddesertedstructures,andnevertamperwithany

equipmentatthesite.

5. Neverlitter.Alwayspackoutwhatyoutakeinandremovealltrashduginyoursearch.

6. Fillallholes,regardlesshowremotethelocation.Neverdiginawaythatwilldamage,bedamagingto,orkillanyvegetation. 

7. Donotbuildfires,campatorparkinnon designatedorrestrictedareas.

8. Leaveallgatesandotheraccessestolandasfound.

9. Nevercontaminatewells,creeks,oranyotherwatersupplies.

10. Becourteous,considerate,andthoughtfulatalltimes.

11. Reportthediscoveryofanyitemsofhistoricsignificancetothelocalhistoricalsocietyorproperauthorities.

12. Upholdallfinders,searchandsalvageagreements.

13. Promoteresponsiblehistoricalresearchandartifactrecoveryandthesharingofknowledgewithothers.

SILVERSABREµMAXFEATURES

HighGainSensitivityCircuitry—designedspecificallytodelivergreaterdepth,sensitivityandstability. 

MAXBoostFeature— extrapowerofsuperhighgaincanaddinchestodiscriminationsearchdepth. 

High sensitivitySearchcoil — an8inchopencenterconcentricforbroadsweep,goodpinpointinganddeepgroundpenetration. 

Ultra lightWeight — searchlongerwithoutfatigue. 

3pieceKnockdownPole— compactforstorageandtravel. 

Turn on  and  go — factorypresetfor"mineralfree"operation. 

TwoOperatingModes— PinpointandDiscriminate. 

QuickCheckPINPOINT— simplepush  buttonpinpointing. 

EasytoOperate— inDiscriminateMode. 

EconomicaltoUse— upto20hoursplusonasinglebattery. 

TesoroLifetimeWarranty— ourpledgeofqualitytoyou. 

Whatitdoesn'thave

Abig,heavy,high poweredspeaker.Loud,heavyspeakersarepopularwithmanymanufacturers.The"fuller"soundtheyproducegivesthe

illusionofgreatersensitivitytosmallanddeeptargets— agreatshowroomsalestool!Mostseriousdetectoristshuntwithheadphonesanda µMAX

willworkwellwithstandardheadphones.Ifyouchoosenottouseheadphones,theµ MAXspeakerwillbeloudenoughformostenvironments.It

willallowyoutohearthesmallanddeeptargetsfoundbytheµ MAX'shighpowercircuitry—withoutexcessivebatterydrain.

Ahipmount,armstraporbatteryrechargingsystem.Thesekindsof"built inaccessories”aresimplyunnecessaryinaµ MAXdetector. 

ThepowerandfeaturesoftheTesoroSilverSabreµ MAXmakeitanidealdetectorforabeginnerwhowantsamachinetheywillnever

outgrow.Itisalsoidealfortheseriousdetectoristwhowantspower,performance,simplicity,andversatilityinasinglelightweightdetector.

Underthecopyrightlawsthisdocumentationmaynotbecopied,photocopied,reproduced,translatedorreducedtoanyelectronicormachine 

readableform,inwholeorinpart,withoutthepriorwrittenconsentofTesoroElectronicsIncorporated,exceptinthemannerdescribedinthis

documentation.

©2001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attheaddressbelow.

LIMITEDLIFETIMEWARRANTY

Thiswarrantygivesyouspecificlegalrights,andyoumayhaveotherrightswhichvaryfrom

statetostate.

Thisinstrumentiswarrantedtobefreeofdefectsinmaterialandworkmanshipaslongasit

isownedbytheoriginalconsumerpurchaser.Thiswarrantyisnottransferableandisvalidonly

ifthewarrantyregistrationcardhasbeencompletedandmailedwithin10daysofpurchase.

TESOROwill,atitsoption,repairorreplaceanyinstrumentcoveredbythiswarranty,

withoutcharge,exceptfortransportationcharges,atitsfactoryinPrescott,Arizona. 

Thiswarrantyexcludesbatteries,damagecausedbyleakybatteries,cablebreakagedueto

flexingonbodymountunits,andwearofthesearchcoilhousing.Alsoexcludedareinstruments

whichhavebeenabused,altered,orrepairedbyanunauthorizedparty.

TesoroElectronics,Inc.715WhiteSparRoadPrescott,AZ,USA8630319287712646

COIL 4RC 4"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)

COIL 7RC 7"roundconcentric(closedcenter,white)

COIL 8RCW  B 8"roundconcentricweighted(opencenter,brown)

COIL 10.5RC 101/2"roundconcentric(opencenter,white)

COIL 7RW 7"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)

COIL 8.5RW 81/2"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)

COIL 9x8 9x8"concentric(spoked,white)

COIL 11RW 11"roundwidescan(closedcenter,white)

COIL 12x10 12x10"concentric(spoked,white)

OperatingFrequency 10kHz

SearchcoilType Round,opencenterconcentric

SearchcoilSize 8"diameter

CableLength Approx.3’

AudioFrequency Approx.630Hz

AudioOutput 1½ ”  speakerandheadphonejack

HeadphoneCompatibility ¼”  stereoplug

Weight(mayvaryslightly) 2.2lbs.

BatteryRequirement One9voltDC(alkaline)

BatteryLife(typical) 10to20hours

OptimumTemperatureRange 30°to100° F

OptimumHumidity 0to75%R.H.

OperatingModes

QuickCheckPinpoint

SilentSearchDiscriminate



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SILVERSABREµMAXOPERATORINSTRUCTIONMANUAL

CONGRATULATIONS!

YournewTesoroSilverSabreµMAXmetaldetectorispartofanewseriesofdetectorsdesignedtoprovideyouwith

manyhappyhoursofenjoymentinthemostrewardinghobbyIcanthinkof—treasurehunting.Aheadofyouliefascinating

andexcitingexperiencesasyoustepintothepast—uncoveringartifactslostbypastgenerations,orasyoutakepleasurein

thegreatoutdoorswithfamilyandfriendssearchingforpreciousmetals.Iwishwecouldsharetheseexperienceswithyou,

andallofusatTesorowishyouthebestofsuccess.

YourTesoroµMAXdetectoriscapableofmeetingyourneedsinawiderangeoftreasurehuntingsituations.Aswithany

othermetaldetector,familiaritywiththisinstrumentisprobablythelimitingfactorindetermininghowsuccessfulyoucanbe.I

recommendthatyoureadthismanualandfullyunderstandhowtooperatethisdetectorbeforeattemptingtouseitinthefield.

Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwithyourdetectorthroughpractice,yourrateofsuccesswillincreasedramatically.

TheSilverSabreµMAXisaprecisionelectronicinstrumentthatwilllastforyearsifproperlycaredfor.Treatitrightandit

won’tletyoudown.

GoodHunting!JackGifford

INTRODUCTION

Tobesuccessfulintreasurehuntingwithadetectoryoumust:

Useahighperformancemetaldetectordesignedforthetypeoftreasurehuntingyouwillbedoing.

Learnhowtouseyourmetaldetectorproperly.

Searchwherethereisburiedtreasuretobefound.

Bepersistent.

TheSilverSabreMicroMAX(µ MAX)wasdesignedforcoinhunting,competitionhuntingandall  purposeuse.Thismultifunctiondetectoris

ThisOperatorInstructionManualisdesignedtohelpyoulearntooperatethedetectorproperlyformaximumperformanceinvarioussearch

conditions.CompleteinstructionsonhowtooperatetheSilverSabreµMAXarefoundinthetwomainsections:GettingStartedandOperating

Techniques.

Ifyouarenewtometaldetecting,wehighlyrecommendreadingandfollowingtheentireGettingStartedsectiontodevelopthe “ feel ”ofyour

detector.Then,studyandpracticetheOperatingTechniquessectiontogetthebestperformancefromyourdetector. 

Ifyouareanexperienceddetectoristandarefamiliarwiththeconceptsofmetaldetecting,youmaywanttogodirectlytotheOperating

Techniquessection.Whateveryourpriordetectingexperienceis,themoreskilledyoubecomeatoperatingthisdetector,themorerewardingyour

resultswillbe.

Ifyouarenewtotreasurehuntingwithmetaldetectors,keepinmindthatiftherearenovaluablemetalobjectsburiedwhereyouare

buriedmetals,checkwithyourdetectordealerorbooksellerformagazinesandbooksontreasurehunting.

GENERALDESCRIPTION

TheSilverSabreµ MAXisoneofthefirstofitskind:anultra lightweight,compactdetectorthatpacksthepowerandperformanceofafull 

sized,heavierdetector.Bysimplifyingfeaturesandcomplicatedadjustmentsthatcausealossofperformancewhenusedimproperly,Tesorohas

createdaneasytooperate,grab and  godetectorthat'sperfectforhobby,sportandtravel.

TheSilverSabreµ MAXisaTransmitter  Receiver(TR)typedetectorthatoperatesintheVeryLowFrequency(VLF)portionoftheRadio

Frequency(RF)spectrum.Thedetectorusesonlythreecontrolknobsandonepush buttontoprovidefullVLFcapabilities. 

TheperformanceoftheSilverSabreµ MAXwillsatisfytherequirementsoftheseriousdetectorist,whetherexperiencedorabeginner.The

SilverSabreµ MaxusesthelatestSurfaceMountTechnologyandTesoro'sprovenMAXBoostCircuitrytocreateoneofthemostuniquePrinted

CircuitBoardsintheindustry.Thiscircuitboardhelpsprovidegreaterdepthandmoresensitivitytosmaller,lessconductivemetalobjectsor

“targets ”  suchasfinegoldjewelry. 

TheSilverSabreµ MAXhasfeaturesthatmakeitspowereasytouse.Thefactorypresetgroundrejectioncircuitryallows “ turn  on  andgo”