Best new toys at DEMA

[bobcatdiver]

I'm soooooo jealous I will be there next year. It was poor planning on my part. I had to book a flight from Ohio and had to decide if I wanted to get 3 days of diving in or go to DEMA I ended up picking the diving so I'm counting on you guys and girls to tell me about all of those neat new toys.

 

[Web Monkey]

yes, yes it is. wonder who will be the first to buy one . . .

I wouldn't Dilly Dally if I were you . . .

It's a hack. According to their literature, there's still a floating part you have to drag around with you.

Terry

 

[OldNSalty]

It's a hack. According to their literature, there's still a floating part you have to drag around with you.

Terry

I'm not sure I would call it a hack, how exactly do you expect it to work? GPS signals don't penatrate the water in any meaningful way. I understand that it is less then idea and I have no need for the device even if they eliminated the floaty anteena but I really don't see it as being a hack.

Underwater GPS is not really practical, why don't we learn to rely on our nav skills?

 

[Web Monkey]

I'm not sure I would call it a hack, how exactly do you expect it to work. GPS signals don't penatrate the water in any meaningful way. I understand thta it is less then idea and I have no need for the device even if they eliminated the floaty anteena but I really don't see it as being a hack.

In this sense, a "hack" is a cheesy way to accomplish an engineering task (underwater GPS) without actually accomplishing the task. Like handling Y2K bugs by setting the clock back.

If they had a real U/W GPS, that would be impressive. This is just a regular GPS with a remote component.

Terry

 

[sabbath999]

It's a hack. According to their literature, there's still a floating part you have to drag around with you.

Terry

Well, since GPS signals can't actually penetrate water, there's going to have to be a receiver on the surface somewhere.

Having said that, you don't necessarily have to drag it around with you. If you are not going out of range of the transmitter (the manufacturer says one mile), you can leave it on a boat. It appears the unit traces the direction it is from the transmitter and calculates where you are.

That's the same thing the Navy does with submarines... not really sure I would call it a hack any more than I would call a front motored rear wheel drive car's driveshaft a hack to get energy from engine to wheels.

 

[Web Monkey]

Having said that, you don't necessarily have to drag it around with you. If you are not going out of range of the transmitter (the manufacturer says one mile), you can leave it on a boat. It appears the unit traces the direction it is from the transmitter and calculates where you are.

That sounds really unlikely.

I can see how it could find the boat, or give you a GPS reading for the boat's location, but have no idea how it could accurately know your coordinates based on a single point of reference (the boat).

Terry

 

[sabbath999]

That sounds really unlikely.

I can see how it could find the boat, or give you a GPS reading for the boat's location, but have no idea how it could accurately know your coordinates based on a single point of reference (the boat).

Terry

I don't know, but that's what they are claiming...

"Requires only small transmitter hung from boat or bouy"

Not many divers drag their boats around with them.

This company makes magnetic measuring devices, so I am guessing they are using a magnetic compass and a magnetic rangefinder...

How else could it find buddies unless it was also tracking their magnetic transmissions? Since it can find both the boat with a transmitter on it and buddies, and it comes from a company that specializes in magnetic instruments, I am guessing that is how it works.

Nowhere in their literature does it say you have to tow the GPS around with you.

If it does work, it would be very trick.

If.

I am from Missouri... they would have to SHOW ME before I actually believe it DOES work.

 

[Walter]

Walter, I have a dive caddy and I love it!! I can carry ALL my dive gear as a carry on, and it is TSA friendly, they can unclip, unroll and check everything! It is awesome to travel with, and no worries about lost dive gear!! But that scooter really sounds interesting...hmmm

I'd love to get one, but they are wickedly expensive.

 

[OldNSalty]

In this sense, a "hack" is a cheesy way to accomplish an engineering task (underwater GPS) without actually accomplishing the task. Like handling Y2K bugs by setting the clock back.

If they had a real U/W GPS, that would be impressive. This is just a regular GPS with a remote component.

Terry

Well, GPS was never intended to be used underwater so even the most elegant engineering solution would still technically be a hack…so you are right.

 

[The Chairman]

In this sense, a "hack" is a cheesy way to accomplish an engineering task (underwater GPS) without actually accomplishing the task.

I fully disagree. I don't see this as something for individual divers, but as something for charters to use. They can now track their divers if they lose the dive flag/group. The divers can also see where their group is and try to locate them more easily without having to bop to the surface. BTW, it also indicates the position of the boat to the diver, which makes heading home all that much simpler. Not everything new is cheesy.