Nokta Simplex+ Help

FLOOD

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Apr 5, 2022
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Eastern NY
Hi, I just purchased a Simplex+ and have used it a couple times. It has the standard coil installed. I'm basically familiar with the settings (read the manual, watched several videos), but not feeling like it's set up right, or possibly an issue with it...seems like I am getting a lot of noise and display readout bouncing as I use it. I would appreciate some direct message correspondence with anyone who knows this detector really well, and can offer me some patient discussion about it. I want to love the detector because I have read so many good things about it, and was very excited to make the purchase. Thanks
 
Hi Flood.

The following is under the assumption that your Simplex or the coil is not defective in some way.

First, you may want to consider getting the 9.5 x 5 coil. It gets about the same depth as the 11" coil on coin sized objects, is much less prone to EMI, has much better target separation and unmasking abilities, and it's a lot lighter and easier to swing than the stock 11" coil. Most Simplex owners who try that coil, never use the stock coil again.

For the noise, it could be EMI of some sort. Does the issue occur if you lower your sensitivity or do a frequency shift? Does the issue occur at all sites?
 
Thank you Dig. I have started looking at the 9.5 inch coil, and read from others it worked well, but that it lost about 2 inches of depth ability from the stock coil. For the issue I am having, what it seems like is almost a constant buzzing like gnats buzzing around. I've heard this in both Park and Field mode, but only had the detector out 3 times, so I'm not sure if I just need to get used to it sounding and responding differently than my Teknetics machine. I've ground balanced the Simplex each time, and lowering the sensitivity has helped somewhat. I've tried it in 2 different parks and a residential yard. I seem to hear a lot of chatter. The main volume is all the way up and the iron volume is reduced to first bar only. I have the discrimination set at 15. I have found a few coins, but I am coming up with a lot of junk, and the gnat buzzing and bouncing numbers has me questioning whether or not I just happen to be in soil areas that have a lot of mineralization or iron remnants, or something else. I have tried it late morning early afternoon and also just this morning at 7 am while some dew was still on the grass. When I ground balance, I have had numbers in the 60s and 70s. I haven't frequency shifted it.
 
The Simplex has a very high maximum gain, and as such, it's almost impossible to use maximum gain with the 11" without getting a lot of noise. Typically, maximum gain can be used on the 9.5 x 5 coil. Being able to use maximum gain, is yet another reason why you'll usually get the same depth as the stock coil.

I'm not sure where you read that the 11" coil will go 2 inches deeper than the 9.5 x 5, because that's simply not true. Pretty much all Simplex owners will tell you that it isn't true. It might be true in air tests with no emi, but in real world coin detecting, the 9.5 x 5 will typically match, and even exceed the 11" on coin depth in the ground. That is due to less ground and emi affects on the slightly smaller coil, being able to use higher gain, and the smaller coil being more sensitive to coins on edge, or partially on edge (which is most coins in the ground).

Also, do you know what iron wrap around is? I ask because you might be hearing that as well.
 
OK, thank you for this information. My Teknetics also has to be reduced from max gain as well or it also gives me a lot of unwanted noise. I have dropped the Simplex down two bars but have gone as far as dropping it 3 bars, but then was concerned that i was losing too much sensitivity. I'm not sure what iron wrap around is. I can google it, but if you want to provide a user's explanation from actual field activity, I would appreciate that. I just ordered the 9.5 inch coil. I will say that this stock coil does make the detector pretty heavy after using it a couple hours. I am hoping that a switch to the new coil will give me better results. When I swap coils, will I need to do anything else or will it be essentially swap and go?
 
Just turn off the Simplex, then swap and go. Believe me, once you use the 9.5x5, your 11" will sit in the closet :)

Iron wrap around:

Conductivity and ID isn't actually a linear line that you see on most detectors. It's a circle. As such, some iron and even high ground mineralization can be so overwhelming to a detector, that it "bleeds" over and "wraps around" to the high part of the conductivity scale. You'll know if this is happening by watching the ID and seeing / hearing flashes of ID in the higher 90's.
 
thank you again. I may try to detect another area a little later today, and will try doing a frequency shift as well, and see what results that provides. Appreciate the help, and look forward to trying out the new coil.
 
You're welcome. Good luck :)

BTW- If you're getting iron wrap around, then notch out the high 90's to 100.
 
You might try to reconnect the plug on the machine. when you insert the plug and start to turn the freewheeling collar to screw the plug in after a few turns push the cord in further, then a few more turns and more pushing.

i change coils back and forth and think once or twice i got noise because it wasn't pushed and seated fully.

i might be all wet but it is worth a try.

i bought the carbon fiber lower rod and i have the stock coil on that rod.

the SP24 is on the stock rod that is not as stiff as it should be. but with the smaller coil it is not as noticeable.

when my local dealer gets one in i am going to buy the SP35 large coil for the beach and add another carbon fiber rod for that.

the SP24 is a great coil for trashy areas. but for a wide open beach or field it is slow going with the smaller coil.
 
Hi John,

Yes, you'll get slightly more ground coverage with the 11" round coil. I say "slightly" because a 1.5 inch difference from the toe to the heel of the coil, doesn't make a whole lot of difference when it comes to coverage. Plus, the 9.5x5 coil has numerous other major advantages over the 11" round coil.
 
Dig and John,
I got the new 9.5 inch coil and put it on this morning, and, wow, what a difference it made. The discrimination of targets is so much sharper and distinct than with the stock coil. I also noticed that the noise I was picking up with the stock coil has changed (reduced) quite a bit as well. I gave the new coil a test run in a grassy area of a small parking lot near my house. I picked up my first five coins (just clad) with the new coil. I did get quite a bit of junk, and probably could have skipped digging a bunch of it, but I am still getting used to this detector, so much of the digs were in the name of science. I was tricked by some crushed soda cans that were ringing up at 92-95, and there were several bottle caps that rang up in the low 70s. I got a dime at 82, a few pennies in the 60s-low 70s and a nickel that rang up around 35...I like the new coil and look forward to learning the detector better. I think the stock coil is going to hang on the wall for awhile. thanks for the help.
 
Good job.

You can usually determine if it's a soda can, by wiggling the coil and raising it. If you're still getting a loud signal when the coil is about a foot off the ground, it's a can or something else very large.

You can also discriminate out much of the 90's. This will also help discriminate out cans, and address iron wrap around. Take the largest silver coin that you think you have a chance of finding, and see what it ID's at. Then, discriminate out above that ID.
 
I took the detector out again to my local park, which is always good for finding something. I located 17 coins, including a 1939 wheat penny. It's not an old park, and that 1939 penny is the oldest coin I've found there so far (205 coins taken from that park so far). I also scored a dog tag, which I thought was a quarter. It rang in at 94 and when I opened the hole I saw silver, and got excited, but it turned out to be a dog tag, maybe stainless steel, nice and clean. I also nabbed a necklace pendant (like a stone enclosed in a gold plated ringlet - looks like a child's necklace, not anything of value. On the other hand, today's total coin score with the new coil was 22, and I did gain some good use experience. I will need to read up on how to notch out the very high 90s numbers - not sure how to do that at the moment but I will learn. Thanks again
 
I posted a list of things on this forum the other day of what a variety of items ring up at.

I would leave the 90s alone, silver quarters show up in the low 90s.
 
I posted a list of things on this forum the other day of what a variety of items ring up at.

I would leave the 90s alone, silver quarters show up in the low 90s.

You might want to re-read everything I said about discriminating out the high 90's.
 
Notch out 95 and up.
Quarters 9 times out of 10 is a solid 91.
Pennies are 60s and 70s
Bottle caps are 71 with and iron grunt when wiggling the edge of the coil on the target.
Good luck on the aluminum bottle caps they ring up high and sound really nice.
I've dug nickles anywhere from 30s to 50s with the sp24 coil.
 
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