eweingarden
Contributor
Is getting a data download cable worth $100? What does downloading the data into your computer give you that manually recording it into a log doesn't? Thanks.
Downloading Dive Data
- Thread starter eweingarden
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You can:
review your entire dive profile
review temperatures at different depths
review your SAC at different times during the dive
Average depth
check your ascent times
record information about the dive in an electronic format that can usually be printed
back up your data in a safe place in case of some kind of loss or problem with paper logs
It's worth it to me, YMMV
review your entire dive profile
review temperatures at different depths
review your SAC at different times during the dive
Average depth
check your ascent times
record information about the dive in an electronic format that can usually be printed
back up your data in a safe place in case of some kind of loss or problem with paper logs
It's worth it to me, YMMV
AdivingBel
Diver
All that dmoore said plus depending on the computer, the cable & software may make it easier to configure/modify the computer settings (i.e. safety stop time/depth, deep stops, audible alarms, ppO2 values, time/date, etc.). Could save alot of push button work. It can also allow you to upgrade the firmware if/when updates come out.
I wanted the data cable so I could download my data and have a very accurate view of my air consumption. I wanted to be able to see things like does my consumption change during different parts of a dive? Did it change noticeably when I saw a shark? Etc.. But, that's only possible because I have a dive computer with air integration. If I didn't have that, I probably wouldn't care so much about the cable and I would just manually enter the basic dive data into dive log software on my computer (for the reasons given above - mostly being assured of not losing my log if a paper log book gets lost or destroyed).
scubashaunt
New
I have an air integrated vyper air and it gets hooked up to the computer after every trip, if not during.
I started using DM4. Then Suunto decided to do an upgrade and they seem to have completely focussed on their Eon Steel and forgotten to make sure the computers that everyone else owns continues to be supported. Couldn't upload dives after getting back from a week long live aboard and then would recognise the dives were there but wouldn't upload the nitrox dives which was all but one.
So I switched to subsurface and am never going back. This bit of software is very nifty and makes the computer transfer invaluable by:
1) all my photos taken while underwater now appear as part of the dive schematic
2) my phone is waterproof so I happily take it on the boat. Can use it to log the exact dive site by GPS and then this integrates when I upload the dive data
3) Can order dives by temperature, find the expected water temperatures and see what gear was used and was I cold, hot or just right. Everything from 4 degrees to 24 and hopefully again for warmer dives this summer so still figuring out gear combinations.
4) The bookmarks I put on the computer appear in the software and I can then rename them as to what they represent.
5) It shows me my cumulative dive times, breaks down for the year. Not essential but nice personal milestones. Still a baby diver
6) Its back up for when the computer starts writing over the dives that they have taken
7) The square profile of the logbook really doesn't show the dive. Just max time and depth. Allows me to improve future dive planning.
So even without air integration I would still upload my dives to the computer.
I started using DM4. Then Suunto decided to do an upgrade and they seem to have completely focussed on their Eon Steel and forgotten to make sure the computers that everyone else owns continues to be supported. Couldn't upload dives after getting back from a week long live aboard and then would recognise the dives were there but wouldn't upload the nitrox dives which was all but one.
So I switched to subsurface and am never going back. This bit of software is very nifty and makes the computer transfer invaluable by:
1) all my photos taken while underwater now appear as part of the dive schematic
2) my phone is waterproof so I happily take it on the boat. Can use it to log the exact dive site by GPS and then this integrates when I upload the dive data
3) Can order dives by temperature, find the expected water temperatures and see what gear was used and was I cold, hot or just right. Everything from 4 degrees to 24 and hopefully again for warmer dives this summer so still figuring out gear combinations.
4) The bookmarks I put on the computer appear in the software and I can then rename them as to what they represent.
5) It shows me my cumulative dive times, breaks down for the year. Not essential but nice personal milestones. Still a baby diver
6) Its back up for when the computer starts writing over the dives that they have taken
7) The square profile of the logbook really doesn't show the dive. Just max time and depth. Allows me to improve future dive planning.
So even without air integration I would still upload my dives to the computer.
Fear not, for Mac users MacDive is available. The software does everything I mentioned in my first post plus most of the things mentioned above. It works well for me. My computers are Oceanic and I bought MacDive because Oceanic didn't have anything for a Mac user. Fun stuff if you just like looking at numbers and being rather geekish.
I was curious what reasons people would give here.
As for me, I have never downloaded dive data. I'm a purely recreational (i.e., no-stop) diver, so the profile isn't a big deal to me. I dive non-air-integrated, so downloading wouldn't be useful for SAC rate calculations. I rarely dive where there are thermoclines, so temperature data isn't of interest. My computer gives me average depth, which I can just write in my paper log. Sometimes I'll roughly sketch the profile by entering a few depth/time points and connect the dots.
I guess I like seeing my own handwriting. I'm hardly a Luddite--if I could see a good reason to download dive data for the kind of diving I do presently, I would. Losing a book seems unlikely, though it could certainly happen. If I really cared that much about my log, I suppose I could scan or photocopy the pages in a few minutes to create a backup.
We'll see what other reasons people bring up. I'm open to the idea.
As for me, I have never downloaded dive data. I'm a purely recreational (i.e., no-stop) diver, so the profile isn't a big deal to me. I dive non-air-integrated, so downloading wouldn't be useful for SAC rate calculations. I rarely dive where there are thermoclines, so temperature data isn't of interest. My computer gives me average depth, which I can just write in my paper log. Sometimes I'll roughly sketch the profile by entering a few depth/time points and connect the dots.
I guess I like seeing my own handwriting. I'm hardly a Luddite--if I could see a good reason to download dive data for the kind of diving I do presently, I would. Losing a book seems unlikely, though it could certainly happen. If I really cared that much about my log, I suppose I could scan or photocopy the pages in a few minutes to create a backup.
We'll see what other reasons people bring up. I'm open to the idea.
AdivingBel
Diver
I'm really just getting started with underwater photography/videography (actually my wife is further along than me) and I like being able to link to the dive computer info. Alot of that has to do with the dive software and there are certainly other ways to do it. I am a Subsurface fan as well (it's free, I like that) and I'm having fun playing around with it. In the past I've usually written detailed descriptions of what I see on dives, but it's fun to actually link the media to it.
Belzelbub
Contributor
For years, I didn't. Then I got a new computer and it came with the cable. Came with software, too but it was Windows only. I'm currently using Diverlog, and it works great. Easy to keep my computer up to date as well. I also started taking video more frequently, and I like how I can plug a comment or photo to a particular part of the dive.
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