Tarsacci MDT 8000 detector - Usage Notes

[TallTom]

As requested, I'm creating a new thread for the Tarsacci MDT 8000, using many posts from the old forum.

Several years ago, I extracted what I thought was "the meat" of these old posts, and created two "Usage Notes" pdf files.

Part 1 is 18 pages, covering posts from 10/2018 to 12/2019.
Part 2 is 19 pages, covering posts from 1/2020 to early 7/2020.
I was going to make a third part to cover more recent posts, but never got around to it. Too late now, I guess.

I don't see that this new forum software has an option to insert a pdf file, and when I tried to insert Part 1 using copy and paste, all the formatting was lost, making all the jumbled text pretty unreadable. So I deleted that attempt.

I will now have to search for other ways to post these two files. Any ideas, anyone?

[TallTom]

Let's see if I can post a link to Part 1 on Steve Herschbach's Detector Prospector forum.

https://www.detectorprospector.com/appl ... 643e08aa2e


And here's Part 2.

https://www.detectorprospector.com/appl ... 9a610802be

[okara gold]

Hello TallTom, I had no problem opening the usage notes on the Tarsacci. Thanks!

[JCR]

Thank you for making this readily available again. I keep a printed copy in my Tarsacci notebook.

[TallTom]

Thanks, guys!
Glad to hear that the links are working for you.

Now if anyone has any new tips and tricks about using the Tarsacci MDT 8000 OR new Tarsacci stuff that (eventually?) is released, feel free to add them to this thread.

--Tom

[TallTom]

I have decided to post a few excerpts from the two Tarsacci MDT 8000 Usage Notes pdf files.

Maybe they will provide some ideas to those who have not downloaded the full files, or who haven't begun to read them yet.

The following is from pages 3-4 of Usage Notes Part 2:
(Notes are from NASA-Tom unless otherwise identified.)

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[From NASA-Tom on February 6, 2020:]
If you are in really bad dirt...…. start slow/mildly with the MDT. Maybe 6Khz, Sens 5, Thresh -2...…… then
Grnd Balance the unit. Then...… when you find a few really deep targets...… switch Black Sand "on" and "off"...
… and see which setting helps with greater depth and ID. Holler at us ...if you need any help.


[From cdv (Cliff) on February 6, 2020:]
One thing I noticed on the MDT yesterday after I planted a 2 gram gold ring at 12-13" deep. (Settings: 9 Sense, 0
Threshold, 12KHz), I could clearly hear the ring in All Metal but the ID numbers bounced around, for the most
part all positive, that for me would be a clear indication of a target I would take a scoop off of to investigate
further, however, I decided to try Mixed Mode and found that the machine clearly gave a good tone (mid tone)
clearly on each swing. That kind of tonal indication would make that deep small ring a target I would surely dig.
Wet sand hunting on the iffy targets I almost never switched to Disc or Mixed modes to verify targets, I would
depend on the ID numbers. Now, knowing what I saw/heard yesterday will make me switch more often to check
targets, something I regularly do in the water but rarely on the wet.


[From NASA-Tom on February 11, 2020:]
One of the neat things about the MDT is...…… it is a fairly easy unit to learn/use. MUCH simpler than units that
have pages of menu's..... and pages-and-pages of sub-menu's. The only thing that may (falsely) appear to be
"difficult to learn" about the MDT is: "Black Sand" and "Salt Balance". The bottom line is.... Black Sand is either
"on" or "off". It's that simple. You can find a deep target...… and see if Black Sand "on" or "off" helps
performance. Then there's Salt Balance. For inland dirt hunters...…. you have the option to invoke Salt Balance...
… then perform a very standard balance procedure..... that is identical to exactly how you would Ground Balance
many different flavors of detectors. Then test it over a deep target...….. to see if it helps performance even further.
Remember: Salt Balance, Black Sand and Ground Balance are separated out into individual functions...….. so you
have full control...…. and can gain even further performance...... above what a detector would do ….if they were
all consolidated/clumped together.


[February 19, 2020:]
For those detecting in the wet-salt (that now have some experience)...……… try running your Tarsacci in 9Khz,
All Metal...…. and with Sens on '9' and Thresh on '0'. Give it a try!
(Some of you are already at Sens '9' and Thresh '0').


[February 19, 2020:]
Paul...…. that is REALLY good data...…. especially for inland application(s). Yes...….. when mineralization starts
to get bad...… the Tarsacci is...…. by far...…. the preferred choice...…… regardless of inland dirt/-or-/wet-salt
beach hunting. What really means a lot to Dimitar & I is..... you are doing this (bad mineralization) with 18Khz.
Wow! ------ Very good data.

It's crazy. I 'push' folks into the Equinox..... if they are in medium-low mineralization. I 'push' folks into the
Tarsacci…… if they are in medium (or higher) mineralization. The most severest of mineralization (ie: Culpeper
dirt)……. I then 'push' the GPX series. New Zealand iron dirt...… I 'push' the Tarsacci again.

Brian...….. the Tarsacci MDT-8000 IS a inland/dirt unit! I keep making the mistake of biasing its intended
purpose/usage...as a wet-salt unit. It is; yet, it is more of a general purpose unit...….. to strongly include: inland
dirt hunting. Relics and coins.

================

[NASA-Tom]

It is ALWAYS interesting to me....... to see/learn WHAT is important to other folks!