TM808 by Whites Electronics

The "TM808" is a type of metal detector designed by Whites Electronics as deep penetrating MD. According to the manufacturer, it can detect a large buried object several feet down from the ground.

As one of the treasure hunter who gained interest in recovering the hidden Japanese treasures in the Philippines, I decided to purchase White's TM808 due to its product feature as a deep penetrating metal detector. 

According to the product description, this tool can actually detect a compact car at 20 feet or 6 meters depth which sound pretty amazing.

Upon purchase, you need to assemble the detector which consists of the control box and the front & rear loop antenna. You have to refer to the instruction manual on how to properly put them together.

TM808 Control Box


The key in achieving a successful detection with the TM808 is being able to adjust the settings from the control box. 

It is really a quite sophisticated equipment that it requires a lot of constant practice before achieving good results.

Here are the following adjustable settings of the TM808 that must be perfectly tuned:

1. Threshold

The "Threshold" rotating knob serves two function. First, it acts as the power ON and OFF of the equipment. And second, it is the volume control.

When powering the equipment ON, the control box will first perform a "battery check"

On the battery indicator, the arrow should stay on the yellow highlighted area for a few seconds before it goes back to the starting position (left side). 

If it happens that the arrow didn't reach the yellow highlighted area then it means that the battery needs to be replaced.

As for volume, it is important that you have to set it at its slightest audible sound.

2. Signal Balance

For beginners, it's best to set the signal balance at the normal range. This setting is actually intended to minimize interferences that is being picked up by the detector. 

Some of these interferences includes extreme ground mineral contents, electrical sources, radio signal, mobile phones and etc...

If interferences are causing the detector some problem, the signal balance knob must be adjusted towards the (-) negative side. 

On the other hand, if there are less interferences then set it towards the (+) positive side.

3. Ground Balance

Just like the signal balance above, it's best to set the setting of the ground balance at the normal range especially for beginners.

You should only set the setting towards the (+) positive side on a mineralized ground. On less mineralized ground, you can set it towards the (-) negative side to improve sensitivity.

4. Automatic Threshold

The automatic threshold is in the form of a toggle switch. Toggle it up to enable "Auto" while toggle it down for "No Auto".

Complete beginners are best advised to use the Auto mode because the equipment automatically does the adjustment of its threshold hum. 

Setting it to No Auto mode requires skill because you have to press the reset button manually which is located at the end of the handle in order to reset the threshold hum. 

And, the proper way to do it is to press it for at least 3 to 5 minutes before release.

Pros and Cons of TM808 Metal Detector


It was on 2010 when I purchased my TM808 metal detector. That means, I've already been using it for 5 years. And through those years, I have some pros and cons that I've observed on this equipment.

Pros

Based on my own actual experience, TM808 is best used on beaches and on areas with low mineralized ground. 

I was actually able to detect several large pieces of metal scraps buried at around 3 to 6 feet on these kind of areas.

Another positive aspect that I like most about TM808 is that, the battery could last for several days of constant usage.

Cons

TM808 tends to become unstable when used on a ground with high mineralized contents. No matter how I hardly adjust the ground balance, I still couldn't achieve stability.

Another negative aspect of the TM808 is that, it's not user-friendly which means that it's not for beginners. 

It has a very sophisticated settings that most of my fellow treasure hunters who borrowed it find it quite hard to adjust.

And lastly, it is not a cheap metal detector.
Moreover, the TM808 metal detector could prove a useful tool in detecting deep buried objects if used on the right place and its settings are correctly adjusted.

1 comment:

  1. I find it really hard to setup the setting of my TM808 MD. Perhaps, I need more practice because this is actually my first MD that I own.

    ReplyDelete