Computer/Transmitter question

[Akimbo]

hell, if they started making J-Valves again I'd be 100% on board for recreational diving with wireless AI and no SPG, but alas, no such luck

I learned pretty quickly that J-valves are a nice convenience when they actually work but should never be part of my self-rescue plan. They were considerably less reliable than today’s AI transmitters due to accidental tripping plus variations in manufacturing and maintenance. I finally just started pushing them down at the beginning of the dive.

 

[dberry]

There are lots of moving parts to consider. I also second getting your own regulator for tons of reasons.

Reg was high on my list anyway, so I'll get on that well before I travel in April. At the risk of hijacking my own thread, I'm gonna ask for opinions about buying used from a reputable LDS. I live about 20min from Northeast Scuba Supply (in Norristown, PA) which I've seen mentioned favorably on these boards. They list both clearance and used equipment, and I can scoot over there after work some day.

It's not that I'm cheap (well, okay, I AM cheap), but I also hate buying entry level stuff (tools, toys, etc) so trying to get better quality gear at a good price is my SOP. And a used reg from an LDS would be freshly inspected / serviced, no? Or are most shops just trying to unload old, abused rental gear?

What sez y'all

 

[tbone1004]

I buy used stuff from John all the time, he's as legit as they come. That being said I don't see any used regs on his site I'd bother with. You have to ask yourself the question now though how far you want to go with diving. If there is ANY possibility of sidemount, or backmount doubles in your future, it is much cheaper to buy a doubles set of regulators now than it is to buy a singles set and an extra first stage later.

 

[Akimbo]

I buy used stuff from John all the time, he's as legit as they come...

Agreed. I also would not hesitate a second to buy from Jim Lapenta who is also in Pennsylvania.

 

[tbone1004]

right, only issue if he wants to try local is Jim is in Pittsburgh....

 

[kelemvor]

Nothing wrong with a used reg if it's been serviced and is in good order. I see posts from people with 20+ year old regulators pretty frequently. I've got an old scubapro Mk7 "honker" that's older than I am and breathes just fine. Only caveat is that at some point manufacturers stop making parts kits and you have to go with aftermarket kits.

 

[scottwilson1]

I know some people have strong opinions about transmitters, but this isn't a thread about the wisdom of buying one.

I bought a dive computer, and was given the transmitter as a gift (Amphos Air).

I intend to ONLY use it with a SPG as a backup.

I'm a datahead, and I like seeing my air consumption plotted with the depth profile after a dive. I'm new at this, and it's nice to get the feedback (and see the improvements as I dive more.)

BUT I went diving on a family trip last month and was shocked when the instructor had to disconnect the SPG in order to attach the transmitter. Not enough ports in the reg. All's well that ends well, but I felt a bit naked without the SPG backup.

So questions:
(1) Do most rental regs have enough ports (4?) to take the transmitter and SPG?
(2) Do dive shops object to putting a diver's transmitter on their regs?
(3) Am I silly to always want the SPG as a backup? Any of you actually dive with only a transmitter?
(4) Will keeping the transmitter seriously limit my choice of reg when I eventually decide to buy?

Sorry if this is a well-worn topic.

-Don

well I like the computer transmitter combo but would only consider it with a back up spg - if had to choose one the spg would be it. My computer broke on it's first dive so my day would have been done if i didn't have the spg
also i find there is a tendency to lose connection for several seconds here and there.

 

[Colliam7]

Some good questions.

(1) Do most rental regs have enough ports (4?) to take the transmitter and SPG? It depends on what a particular shop has in their rental fleet. Most of the first stages that we had in rental inventory had two HP ports (and 3 LP ports) on the first stage. Perhaps, other shops did not have the same selection. If a shop didn't, I would question what they were offering me, as a customer.
(2) Do dive shops object to putting a diver's transmitter on their regs? No, IF the rental reg has 2 HP ports. It is not a big deal.
(3) Am I silly to always want the SPG as a backup? NOT AT ALL. Any of you actually dive with only a transmitter? Some do. That's their choice. it isn't / wouldn't be mine.
(4) Will keeping the transmitter seriously limit my choice of reg when I eventually decide to buy? Not at all. There are plenty of good intermediate regs on the market that have 2 HP ports on the first stage. Why bother to buy one that doesn't?

 

[Fish in a Barrel]

My last 30 dives have been with a hoseless AI computer (Aeris t3 Elite). I have had two dives where the computer briefly lost sync with the transmitter. Resyncing simply required holding my hand up by my head for a second so it could reconnect. If that hadn't worked, I would have ended the dives.

Both cases were on night dives with the same group of divers. I suspect someone had a light that was throwing off some RF interference. I've done other night dives before and since with no loss of sync, so this seems reasonably rare.

I do travel with a spare SPG and hose, though.