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Cortés
The Cortés represents the best combination of
current and new technologies that Tesoro has to
offer. When Jack Gifford and Vince Gifford set out
to create a new target ID machine they each brought
with them different experience. Jack has over
twenty-five years experience designing some of the
best analog detectors that have been on the market.
Vince brought with him a decade of computer systems
experience. Together, they have been creating new
technology that gives our detectors superior
performance and keeps them easy to use. Various
parts of this technology have been finding it's way
into Tesoro detectors since the introduction of the
Golden µMax. The new Cortés represents all phases of
our new microprocessor technology combined with our
tried and true analog circuits to create a detector
that has all of the high end features our customers
have asked for with user friendly Tesoro controls.
The first thing that you will notice is the control
box and battery holder configuration. The µMax
housing was just not big enough to hold the new
circuit board so we moved the batteries down under
the arm bracket and increased the size of the box
slightly. This allows us to use a 12 volt system to
work with the demands of the target ID circuitry. It
also gave us the ability to put a 2¼" speaker on the
Cortés. This will give better and louder target
signals in the field.
The Cortés' 2x16 character LCD display will catch
your eye as well. This area is the information
center of the detector. The top row is an
alpha/numeric display that gives a broad indication
of your possible target. One of five different
categories are displayed. Also if the target is
overdriving the circuits, the display will tell you
to lift the coil for a more accurate reading. The
alpha/numeric and bar graph section of the display
will remain blank until the coil passes over a
target. After the detectorist has decided to dig or
ignore the target the display will clear itself
after six seconds of not receiving a signal. The
display works in all modes, regardless of the
discrimination setting. By clearing the display
after six seconds the user is able to tell if has
passed over a new target that may have been
discriminated out. The detector may not produce an
audio signal, but the display will show a target
reading. The detectorist then has the choice to
either go back and check the target or ignore it.
The bottom half of the display contains the real
nuts and bolts information that will help you to
work the Cortés to its fullest extent. The far right
hand part of the display is a battery level
indicator. This gives an accurate measure of your
current battery level. On the far left-hand side is
the probable depth indicator. The Cortés uses the
phase shift of the target to determine the probable
target and then looks at the amplitude of the signal
to determine the depth. For example: a nickel and a
quarter are in the ground and the quarter is deeper
than the nickel; if we just went off of amplitude
change, the detector may read the two targets as
being the same depth. However, the Cortés would show
the quarter as being deeper because its phase shift
response is different than that of the nickel.
In the center of the lower display is a nine segment
bar graph display. The different segments represent
the following possible targets: iron; foil: nickel;
round tab; square tab; zinc penny; copper penny and
dime; quarter; half and dollar. The graph shows what
the coil saw during the entire sweep of the coil.
The targets metal composition and orientation in the
ground can cause "smearing" or possible indication
in more than one graph segment. For example: pull
tabs usually will not respond in a single segment
but give signals in two or three segments. To help
the detectorist decide on the target, we have also
included an ID Number display next to the bar graph.
The ID Number takes the largest part of the signal
and converts it to a two digit number. When Vince
put together the scale for the ID Number, he decided
to put the most resolution in the middle range of
targets. This is the area where nickels, pull tabs
and gold rings lie. We know that iron will always be
on the low end of the scale and silver coins and
jewelry will always be on the high end. So iron
targets will always give a reading of 0 and silver
will always give a reading of 95. The Cortés now
gives you the ability to decide what you want to
dig. One of the hardest parts of designing detectors
is the fact that pull tabs can vary from place to
place. But a hunter working in the same area can use
the ID Number to learn the characteristics of the
local pull tabs and effectively ignore them.
For those detectorists that prefer a notch filter
discrimination, we have also added a simple flip
switch to activate either a narrow or wide notch
window. When the display is blanked, two "N"s or
three "W"s will appear on the screen. The N will
indicate a narrow notch window and will be in the
round tab and square tab portion of the graph
segments. The wide notch window will cause a W to be
in the round tab, square tab and zinc penny
segments. These indications are an easy way to check
what part of the scale is being notched out. The
notch indicators will only show when there is no
target under the coil. When there is a target
signal, no matter if the target has been
discriminated or not, the display will show the
information of the target.
The Sum mode is another feature to help identify
targets. While the detector is in either the
Discriminate or All Metal mode, the display shows
the target information from the entire sweep of the
coil. Each time the coil passes over the target the
microprocessor generates a new target ID reading.
While this is nice for general searching, it can be
confusing while pinpointing. This is where the Sum
mode becomes useful. Pushing the spring-loaded
switch into the Sum mode causes the detector to
start a multi-tone ID and averages all of the coil
passes over the target. The tone ID has nine
different tones and relates directly to the bar
graph segments. The higher up on the graph the
target is, the higher the pitch of the audio signal.
Averaging the coil passes over the target gives the
detectorist the ability to get rid of most of the
signal noise that prevents making an accurate target
identification. Here's how it works: when the
detectorist gets a target signal that he wishes to
check out, he pushes and holds the Mode switch in
the Sum position. Shortening his coil sweep to only
a two or four inch sweep he passes the coil over the
target three to seven times. The short multiple
sweeps give the microprocessor the chance to sum the
passes and average them. During the sweeps the audio
ID will start at the lowest signal and will get
progressively higher in pitch until there is no more
change. When this happens the detector is giving the
most accurate ID possible. Then the user can decide
if he wants to dig or ignore the target.
All of these new features are complimented by
Tesoro's easy to use controls. No touch pads or
scroll through menus. Set the detector how you like
it by adjusting the knobs on the front of the
machine. The Cortés features an On/Off Sensitivity
knob; a Discriminate Level knob; a Manual Ground
Balance knob; a Mode Switch with All Metal,
Discriminate and Sum mode settings; a Notch Width
switch with Off, Narrow and Wide settings and a
Light switch to control the LCD backlight with a
High, Low, and Off positions.
The Cortés fits into a package that weighs just less
than three pounds (including the batteries!) and is
covered under Tesoro's Lifetime Warranty. The Tesoro
Cortés makes target ID easy and fun. Contact your
local dealer or the factory for more information.
SPECIFICATIONS
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Operating Frequency
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10
kHz |
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Searchcoil Type
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Concentric |
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Searchcoil Size
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9 x 8 |
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Cable
Length
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Approx. 3’ |
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Audio
Frequency Target ID Tones
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Approx. 350 to 800 Hz |
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Audio
Frequency All Metal VCO
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Approx. 350 to 950 Hz |
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Audio
Output
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2 ¼”
speaker and headphone jack |
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Headphone Compatibility
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¼”
stereo plug |
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Weight (may vary slightly)
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2.98
lbs. |
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Battery Requirement
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Eight
AA (alkaline) |
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Battery Life (typical)
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10 to
20 hours |
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Optimum Temperature Range
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30°
to 100° F |
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Optimum Humidity
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0 to
75% R.H. |
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Operating Modes
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No
Motion All Metal |
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Silent Search Discriminate |
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Sum |
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Notch
Narrow/Wide |
LIFETIME WARRANTY
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