How to use the Nokta Simplex Ultra, BT and Lite metal detector by Elmary part 1

The new Simplex series has been with us for a few weeks now and since there are a lot of questions about the setup, this timeWe'll focus purely on practical settings for different environments and for searching different types of targets.

The older Simplex series was popular and it looks like the new series will be even more popular. As this is a detector designed primarily for beginners, but also has a wide range of settings, there are a few basic things to keep in mind to not only get the most out of the detector, but also to avoid missing out on finds by making the wrong settings.

Working modes

The number of working modes varies depending on which model of the new Simplex you own. For simplicity, to avoid having to keep describing each model in the text, I will describe them all.

Field: This mode is optimized for a small number of targets, with more emphasis on range and less on separation.

From the picture and the name, it would seem to be a field mode. But this is rather true only for Western Europe, where fields are "mess" free. Here in our country, where the waste fields are full, we need to use the forest mode on the field and the field mode on the forest.

Forest/Park: This mode is designed for searching in locations with large amounts of waste and the separation properties of the detector are more strongly considered.

Thus, in our conditions, it is a good mode to use in fields with more waste and targets, city parks, etc. In the Ultra version, the recovery speed can be set in 5 steps, so you can say that you have 5 different Field/Park modes with different speeds.

Forest/Park2: In the Simplex BT version there are two Forest modes. They differ in speed and range.

Forest/Park 1 is slightly deeper, but also has a lower recovery rate than 2. So you can use the modes so that 1 is for fields with less waste and 2 is for the more cluttered ones.

Beach: The detector is optimized to search in high salinity (salt water).

In our conditions, where we do not have the option to walk saltwater, this mode is not used. Both Field and Forest/Park mode can be used for searching in "fresh" water. If you use the Beach mode in fresh water, you would be unnecessarily robbing yourself of range, which is significantly lower in this mode due to the filters. Thus, you will probably use this mode mainly on summer holidays by the sea.

All Metal: This mode is designed for locations with a minimal amount of targets and generally for spotting, when you are trying to "collect" all the targets.

In most cases the mode will be used for tracking. This mode uses only one tone, and also differs in that a threshold tone (a grumbling background sound) is constantly audible. The threshold tone should always be set so that it is easily audible, but on the other hand does not overpower the weakest targets.

Multi-tone modes on Simplex ULTRA: Two more multitone modes (4-tone and multitone) are additionally available with the Simplex ULTRA. Both are designed for searchers who prefer higher levels of audio discrimination, where even without looking at the LCD detector they can guess what the object is by the audio.

The modes will be especially appreciated by searchers who like a richer audio response from the detector and appreciate a more accurate assessment from the detector's audio response alone.

So we've gotten through the modes and now we can get into the actual setup.

Clear field

Probably the best way to start is always in a location with fewer targets. So that if you are starting out, you have a chance to evaluate each target in peace. The mixture of sounds in a waste infested location is hell for a beginner and not only does it mean you don't learn anything at the start, but on the contrary you are then on the fast track to poisoning the whole hobby. The absolute classic is to start in the garden of an older family home, which is full of handcuffs, melted stove waste, etc. This is often hell even for an experienced searcher. After a while, the beginner is tempted to throw the detector away in remorse for what he has gotten himself into.

So we're in a clear field, somewhere quite far from the nearest village, select the Forest/Park mode , set the recovery speed to 3 for the BT 1a and ULTRA versions (the manufacturer's default setting).

Now we need to set the sensitivity. I recommend setting the sensitivity to 25 to start with. But once you get a little familiar with the detector, you can always proceed by setting the sensitivity to maximum and start walking. If the detector is making a clicking noise and is restless, gradually lower the sensitivity until the instrument is essentially quiet. The more experienced searchers always prefer a setting where the detector shows some slight instability and "hums" slightly. However, you can work your way up to this later.

For now, let's go through the menu. The first item is the volume setting. It has 5 levels and is set to 3 by default. Try waving something over the coil and adjust the level depending on your hearing. For me, 3 is still loud enough, at least in conditions where no other sounds disturb me.

Discrimination - discrimination is an important thing to adjust. Since the Simplex is still a beginner's detector, or in the case of the Ultra version, a detector designed for the slightly advanced, I strongly recommend avoiding anything other than "closing" the iron (in coin search mode up to ID 15 - Ultra version). In doing so, I would always walk so as to "listen" to each iron. Particularly with large iron targets, where the object often echoes in a way that mixes the tone of the iron and non-ferrous metals, a setting where you can't hear the iron is counterproductive. For then the beginner, who hears only an intermittent tone for the non-ferrous target, is kicking the iron unnecessarily.

Mineralization Filter - Ground Damping - A handy feature that can help you keep your detector at a high sensitivity setting in problem areas. As with any such tool, this filter should be handled with care and only used when absolutely necessary. In classic modes the filter is set to 0 and you should leave it there even in normal locations. The filter finds use in places where the detector significantly "admits" the ground.

If you experiment at home with the filter settings (I recommend not to be afraid to experiment) you will quickly notice how it works. In standard modes with the filter set to 0, the detected object has a rather long end at the end of the range where it is reported very weakly, but the detector still detects it. The higher you set the filter value, the less effect this weak signal has. So it is clear that, especially for targets such as small silver etc, the filter will detract from the range.

Frequency Shift: This setting is used to eliminate possible interference and there are three channels to choose from. In the event of interference, you simply test which channel is the most stable. Interestingly, in our tests, F3 came out as the most stable. Personally, I would start with F2.

Specialty version of Simplex Ultra

Coin and Relic Search ID Scale: this is really a specialty that we played around with a bit. The Simplex Ultra version allows for two ID scale settings. They differ primarily in how wide a band is dedicated to iron targets. While in the "coin" setting the iron is up to ID 14, in the relic setting it is up to ID 39.

What's it good for? If you are looking for colored targets, coins, jewelry, etc be sure to leave the coin symbol set. The relic setup is especially recommended for those who are into finding iron, as it will allow them to léThis will allow them to sort the iron by size and better avoid the tiniest nails, which are usually of no interest to anyone.

Target ID depth - another rather unusual feature. There are three levels of settings. The lowest one means the most accurate evaluation, and on the contrary, the highest one will mean that the detector will try to evaluate the ID number of even the weakest "shards" at the range limit. Empirically tested, I would stick with the middle setting at "medium".

Recovery speed: The Simplex Ultra version allows you to set the recovery speed in 5 steps, with number 1 being the slowest and number 5 being the fastest.

Purely for those starting out, the speed is set with respect to location. The more targets there are in a location, the faster the detector response you need with respect to separation to be able to "pick out" colored targets among the iron. Unfortunately, higher signal processing speed means reduced detector range, so if you try to always set the maximum response speed, you will be robbing yourself of range. The ideal setting for normal sites is at 3. If you get into a lot of clean places, you can reduce the value At low settings it is also a good idea to slow down the speed of the coil movement, and conversely if you are looking in places with a lot of rubbish, you will increase the setting.

Tone settings: the whole menu is more reminiscent of professional detectors. It is possible to adjust both the frequency of the tone and its volume. But the selected values are not bad at all and before you start experimenting, I would probably do something with the factory set values.

That's probably the basics in a nutshell. I could go on with less important things like backlight, flashlight, etc, but for basic setup and explanation of those important features this text should be sufficient. Even so, it's already really long and even though Simplex means simple, its second generation, especially in the ULTRA variant, is literally stuffed with setting options. We'll talk more in the second part and I can also reveal that there will be a special article by Jaccob which is only dedicated to the ULTRA version.

Comparison table (Simplex New Generation)

Model	Simplex LITE	Simplex BT	Simplex ULTRA
Working Frequency	15kHz	15kHz	15kHz
Bluetooth connection	NO	YES	YES
Working modes	Field, Park, Beach, All Metal	Field, Park 1, Park 2, Beach, All Metal	Field, Park, 4 Tone, 99 Tone, Beach, All Metal
Pinpoint	YES	YES	YES
Identify targets	01-99	01-99	01-99
Notch filter	YES	YES	YES
Setting sensitivity	30 levels	30 levels	30 levels
Volume	5 levels	5 levels	5 levels
Tuning the effect of soil	Automatic/Manual	Automatic / Manual	Automatic / Manual
Vibration	YES	YES	YES
Backlight	YES	YES	YES
Backlight keyboard	YES	YES	YES
LED flashlight	YES	YES	YES
Shift frequency	YES	YES	YES
Switching off the iron	YES	YES	YES
Stabilizer ground	YES	YES	YES
Threshold Tone (All Metal)	YES	YES	YES
Coin&Relic ID Scale	NO	NO	YES
Accuracy of depth ID	NO	NO	YES
Adjustable recovery rate	NO	NO	YES
Tone Break	NO	NO	YES
Setting tone frequency	NO	NO	YES
Tone volume	NO	NO	YES
Update Software	YES	YES	YES
Search probe	Waterproof DD probe 24x15 cm / (SX24)	Waterproof DD probe 28 cm / 11" (SX28)	Waterproof DD Probe 28 cm / 11" (SX28)
Construction	Aluminum & Plastic	Aluminium & Carbon	Carbon & Karbon
Display	Graphic LCD	Graphic LCD	Graphic LCD
Weight	1.2kg (2.6lbs)	1.2kg (2.6lbs)	1.2kg (2.6lbs)
Length of construction	63cm -132cm adjustable	63cm -132cm adjustable	63cm -132cm adjustable
Battery	2300mAh Lithium	2300mAh Lithium	2300mAh Lithium
Warranty	3 years	3 years	3 years