Thoughts on double Hose experience dives for customers?

[beanojones]

DA Aquamaster's post on the Phoenix Royal Aqua Master for someone who was having ear/bubble problems got me thinking

that in addition to wanting to set up a tiny double set (twin 19's) to let customers dive doubles with an isolator manifold and bungied necklace reg etc. for fun,

I might want to get a double hose reg setup for customers to dive for fun. Before DA linked the Phoenix Royal I had no idea that anyone built a double hose on a modern first stage base.

My customer base is Japanese pretty much exclusively.

Are there any gotchas about having a double hose reg built on a modern first stage that I should know about? Any thoughts on diving customers in it?

Any input/thoughts at all is welcome.

 

[gypsyjim]

Speak with Herman, here on SB. He has a lot of DH experience, and firsthand knowledge.

 

[simonbeans]

The Phoenix was designed by Luis Heros. It is being marketed by vintagedoublehose.com My suggestion is to go to Vintage Scuba - Vintage Scuba Gear at Vintage Double Hose and learn all you can about the Phoenix. There is a forum section devoted to the Phoenix. Although SB has many of the same participants as VDH, go to the source of the product.

 

[captain]

To me the main issue is no purge button which requires knowledge on how to clear flooded hoses and how regulator breathing characteristics change with body position and buddy breathing.
This knowledge can be obtained from training manuals of the day such as early editions of The New Science of Skin and Scuba Diving.
or here in the vintage diver training section

https://backup.filesanywhere.com/fs/Link.aspx

 

[beanojones]

Thanks for the suggestions! More comments/thoughts are welcome, because this is still in the fermenting in my brain stage. There may be a deal breaker somewhere, but I cannot see one so far now that I know an modern first stage is at the heart of the Pheonix.

The Phoenix was designed by Luis Heros. It is being marketed by vintagedoublehose.com My suggestion is to go to Vintage Scuba - Vintage Scuba Gear at Vintage Double Hose and learn all you can about the Phoenix. There is a forum section devoted to the Phoenix. Although SB has many of the same participants as VDH, go to the source of the product.

Is that Luis the same Luis as from ScubaBoard?

 

[captain]

Yes, one and the same. The vintage community is a close nit group and most know one another personally.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Before DA linked the Phoenix Royal I had no idea that anyone built a double hose on a modern first stage base.

There may be a deal breaker somewhere, but I cannot see one so far now that I know an modern first stage is at the heart of the Pheonix.

Pardon me for slightly distracting the thread, but this caught my eye. I thought that it was the opposite, and that certain (modern) single hose regs were using the same first stage that was already a part of some models of original double hose regs.

I was thinking the Phoenix was an addition to the (old, existing) first stage that allowed for adding an AAS/more ports? I could easily be wrong though, so that's why I'm asking.

 

[beanojones]

I know less than nothing about it, and any information is useful, so for me it is not at all distracting to the thread. Someone knowlegeable should correct me.

I dove a double hose a long time ago at a vintage diving equipment pool session. Beyond that I had not really thought about them until I was aware that an SPG/AAS equipped double hose was available, and I got to thinking about what a kick it would be to offer the experience to my customers.

I know nothing other than having seen the picture.

 

[Gilldiver]

Pardon me for slightly distracting the thread, but this caught my eye. I thought that it was the opposite, and that certain (modern) single hose regs were using the same first stage that was already a part of some models of original double hose regs.

I was thinking the Phoenix was an addition to the (old, existing) first stage that allowed for adding an AAS/more ports? I could easily be wrong though, so that's why I'm asking.

The Phoenix uses the same Aqua Lung internal 1st stage parts as just about all Aqua Lung regulators have in their first stages since the Royal Aqua Master of the late 1960's. This includes almost the entire Conshelf series through the new Titan. In fact the 1st stage rebuild kit is the same for all of these regulators.

What the Phoenix does do is replace the original 2 stage double hose 1st stage with a new first stage that has 3 low pressure and 3 high pressure ports. If you include the hooka port that is on all Aqua Master and Royal Aqua Master double hose regs you will have 4 low pressure and 3 high pressure ports on the regulator.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Edit: I see Gilldiver posted while I was typing
*******
Okay, well, glad I'm not disrupting then

I just learned a little bit about DH regs when Herman put on a small class on them a couple of months ago. The main focus was diving them, but there was an (all too) brief and interesting classroom session before we jumped in (I could have spent a week doing this and it would have been too short).

The way I remember it is that some of the later DH regs have basically the same "guts" as some of our current regs. Thus those new regs are using the same first stages as the DH regs instead of vice versa.

Then there was/is a "banjo" fitting that would allow the use of an SPG, if the DH reg had a long enough yoke to support that (it is shaped sort of like a ring and needs the room to "stack on").

And now there is a Phoenix nozzle, which allows an AAS, and has port(s) for other uses.

I'm sure Herman or one of the other knowledgeable DH divers will correct anything I got wrong; but it is fun for me to try to remember what I learned