A question of etiquette

[Diver0001]

well, can we agree that an SPG is much less likely to fail than a hoseless computer/pressure gauge?

i believe that's the issue

you can often see an spg failure coming well in advance too, like in your case or Mike's case.

I just got back from Egypt where I made 20-odd dives with an spg that was cracked and flooded (darned baggage handlers...). It was still working but of course you could bet your testicals that it was only a matter of time before it rusted though and blew up. To replace it would have meant riding teh bus for 4 hours to the nearest diveshop so I just hoped for the best.... It managed to survive the trip and now it's gone to spg heaven.

R..

 

[OneBrightGator]

Running both for a couple dives to compare is not a bad idea and should garner some trust in it, but the idea of adding the SPG for wreck/cave/whatever dives is a little flawed. There are two bottom lines: 1. Either you trust it or you don't (i.e. either it's good enough to use all the time or it's not good enough to use anytime). 2. It doesn't matter what you use to track your pressure, you should NEVER be somewhere that you can't get out with what you have left. So, either you use it or you don't. That being said, it does take a little more diligence to check it and make sure it is still connected. FWIW, I used to have a Vytec w/ transmitter, but I have switched to a mech SPG and Nitek Duo computer, the cost difference was my first set of doubles and the convenience of wireless integration was not worth it to me.

 

[BarryNL]

You're making it too complicated. Part of going HOG is not diving with 2nd best solutions for something. A mechanical spg is more reliable than a wireless link and that's all you need to know to make the decision.

R..

Indeed, it's more reliable than any ***** air-integrated computer.

(Guess who drove 2 hours for a dive recently only to have their buddy's air-integrated computer battery die after 5 mins in the water).

 

[BarryNL]

if it is satisfactory, i will be diving with just my comp during rec dives, and adding an spg for redundancy during wreck dives or anything like that. Thoughts?

Well, the reasoning (which I agree with) is that there's not much point in having redundancy for the pressure gauge. In the "two is one and one is none" mentality, when one fails you abort the dive. If the pressure gauge is the failed item then why do you need to know your pressure? You either have enough gas to get back to the surface or you don't, and if you don't then knowing that is not really much help.

 

[Pearldiver07]

When rec or tech diving I use wireless (UWATEC 3-gas), and have never even once lost sync - ever. But I DO have a SPG clipped off. And I do have a bottom timer with back up on a slate.

You can still minimalize without sacrificing redundancy. I figure that if I have a failure of just about any kind I will be heading up. If you don't know the air left on your back pretty closely, you probably aren't doing that good of a job of diving your plan.

I don't argue the extended path to failure, but that argument of "Hi-tech = Hi failure" doesn't entirely hold up with me. Otherwise the Air Force would still be flying with cable controls and M1A1 Abrams would be using mechanical sights. And I can tell you that both situations are significantly critical in nature also.

 

[Doc Harry]

My question is wether or not i need an spg on a hose. is the redundancy necessary? I may have misunderstood, but i thought the meaning of minimalist diving was eliminating unnecessary gear, not having the simplest gear. i know wireless comps have their downfalls, but i'm a fairly tech-oriented guy, and i think i'm responsible enough to change a battery and do a little maintenance.

You don't NEED a computer.

You absolutely NEED an SPG.

 

[Ana]

Just as a matter of information you all know that the transponders used for this Air Integrated computers use technology that is not exclusive to divers.
The signal in this case travels a very short path, water and specially salt water is a wonderful conductor.
Transponders are used everyday with AUV's, all kinds of bouys and a great number of oceanographic equipment. Not to say that our lives are not valuable but as far as the Department of Defense is concerned, I'm sure their million dollar vehicles are more important than a few Navy divers, even if they don't admit it out loud.
This devices can fail, yes, but with reasonable maintenance their level of reliability is more than just fair.

 

[grazie42]

If you trust it, dive it.
If you don´t then don´t.

I´d suggest that if you feel the need to carry a "backup spg" (on the dive) then you don´t trust it (see above).

 

[BarryNL]

I don't argue the extended path to failure, but that argument of "Hi-tech = Hi failure" doesn't entirely hold up with me. Otherwise the Air Force would still be flying with cable controls and M1A1 Abrams would be using mechanical sights. And I can tell you that both situations are significantly critical in nature also.

Unfortunately, pilot safety is not the number one concern of the air-force

 

[Thalassamania]

Unfortunately, pilot safety is not the number one concern of the air-force

No? Forgetting about humanitarian concerns and other fuzzy crap, do you have any idea what an Air Force pilot or an F-22 costs?