Nokta Simplex Ultra Metal Detector with AccuPOINT Lite

The Nokta Simplex Ultra is a single-frequency 15 kHz VLF metal detector, fully submersible to 16 ft (5 m), and this package pairs it with the Nokta AccuPOINT LITE, a rechargeable 20 kHz pinpointer waterproof to 10 ft (3 m). The Simplex Ultra finds the signal in parks, fields, beaches and shallow water; the AccuPOINT LITE finds the target once you are in the hole.

This package suits a first serious detector buyer, or someone stepping up from an entry machine, who wants one waterproof setup for land and wading and would rather buy the pinpointer now than make a second trip for it.

Who the Simplex Ultra is for, and who should look at another model

The Nokta Simplex Ultra is the most adjustable model in Nokta's Simplex line. It is for the detectorist who wants to start in a simple mode and grow into tone, recovery speed and discrimination controls later.

If you want the same waterproof platform with fewer settings and no Bluetooth, the Nokta Simplex Lite covers the basics for less. If most of your hunting will be on wet salt sand or in the surf, we would point you to the Nokta Score series instead, because it runs simultaneous multi-frequency, which is what we reach for on conductive ground.

Simplex Ultra features and what they mean in use

• Six search modes. Field, Park, 4 Tone, 99 Tone, Beach and All Metal. Nokta recommends Field for relics and Park for coins and jewelry among modern trash. The Simplex Ultra works in Field and Park without ground balancing on most ground, so you can switch on and start.
• Beach mode for salt and alkali ground. Nokta built this mode for salty wet sand: it ground balances across the full 0 to 99.9 range and always rejects IDs 0 to 14 to ignore iron and ground noise. On dry beach sand, Nokta says the other modes work fine.
• Tone volume per zone. On trashy sites you can turn the iron tone down or off instead of notching it out, which Nokta says keeps more depth. It only affects deeper targets; shallow iron still sounds unless you set that zone to 0.
• Coin and Relic ID scales. The Coin scale treats IDs 01 to 14 as iron. The Relic scale widens the iron range to 01 to 39, which Nokta says gives steadier IDs on relic sites.
• Vibration, backlight and LED flashlight. The Simplex Ultra vibrates on targets; Nokta describes this as ideal for detecting underwater in poor visibility and for hearing-impaired users. A display backlight, keypad backlight and flashlight cover night hunting.
• Bluetooth audio. The Simplex Ultra pairs with standard or aptX Low Latency Bluetooth headphones. The link drops once the control box is under water.
• Light and packable. 2.6 lbs (1.2 kg) including the coil, on a fully carbon fiber shaft that collapses to 25 in (63 cm) and extends to 52 in (132 cm).

The AccuPOINT LITE pinpointer

The Nokta AccuPOINT LITE is a 20 kHz VLF pinpointer with a color LCD, 9 sensitivity levels and a detection area that runs 360 degrees from the tip back toward the grip, so you can sweep the side of a hole as well as the bottom. It has three modes:

• 2-Tone: the alert breaks up on iron and stays steady on non-ferrous metal, so you can tell a nail from a coin before you dig further.
• Iron Off: ignores ferrous targets. Nokta recommends it on wet beach sand and highly mineralized ground.
• 1-Tone: one sound for all metal.

Alerts can be sound, vibration or both. If the AccuPOINT LITE sits unused for 5 minutes, it sounds an alarm and flashes its LED until you press the button. The built-in 1650 mAh Li-Po battery is rated by Nokta at up to 25 hours and charges over USB Type-C in about 2.5 to 3 hours. To charge it, you open the back cover and lift out the audio booster piece; put it back before you use it again.

Nokta lists no Bluetooth or wireless link for the AccuPOINT LITE, so plan on hearing it through its own speaker and vibration, not through the Simplex Ultra's headphones.

What is in the box

Nokta Simplex Ultra 

• System box
• SX28 11 in waterproof DD search coil with coil cover
• USB charging and data cable
• Coil hardware
• Nokta AccuPOINT Pinpointer with a security lanyard and tip protector
• Warranty from Nokta: 3 years on the Simplex Ultra, 2 years on the AccuPOINT LITE.

Waterproof ratings: the detector and the pinpointer differ

Nokta rates the Simplex Ultra IP68, fully submersible to 16 ft (5 m); it does not give a separate figure for the coil. The AccuPOINT LITE is rated IP68 to 10 ft (3 m), and only with its back cover fitted and the o-ring seated. Below 10 ft, the AccuPOINT LITE stays topside.

Simplex Ultra compatibility

• Coils: Nokta lists the SX24 9.5 x 6 in DD, the SX28 11 in DD (included) and the SX35 13.5 x 12.5 in DD for the Simplex Ultra. It does not list the older SP-series coils made for the Simplex+.
• Headphones: standard or aptX Low Latency Bluetooth headphones, Nokta waterproof headphones for under water, or your own wired headphones on land with Nokta's 6.3 mm (1/4 in) adapter. See our metal detector headphones.
• Power: built-in 2300 mAh Li-Po, about 12 hours per charge and about 3 hours to recharge, per the Nokta manual. The Simplex Ultra can run from a power bank on land, never under water. Nokta also offers a waterproof 4 x AA battery pod (batteries not included) and a 5500 mAh external Li-Po pack.
• AccuPOINT LITE charging: Nokta specifies a USB charger with an output between 5 V 0.8 A and 6.6 V 3 A.

Where this set works well, and where it does not

Parks, school yards, fields and fresh water are home ground for the Simplex Ultra. Park and 99 Tone modes, notch discrimination and tone volume give you real control in trash, and the AccuPOINT LITE's 2-Tone mode lets you check a target for iron before you widen the hole.

Wet salt sand is where the Simplex Ultra works hardest. Beach mode keeps it usable, but it is a single-frequency machine, and Nokta's manual warns of false signals moving between wet and dry sand and in and out of the water. If saltwater beaches are your main ground, a multi-frequency Nokta Score is the stronger fit. Nokta's manual notes that search depth is lower on highly magnetic ground, and the Simplex Ultra's 5-level mineralization indicator tells you when you are on it.