I was interested in the Oceanic Atom 3.1. It is being phased out and thus price is good. It offers optional air integration. Anyone has any experience with this one?
The Atom 3.1 is a good computer.
@stuartv has one and can tell you about it
Ha ha! Yep!
Actually, I have the Atom 3.0.
The 3.0 and 3.1 are identical except for one feature. The 3.0 has a Buddy Check feature. A patent infringement lawsuit forced Oceanic to remove that feature and call the new version the 3.1. Otherwise, they are the same. And with the limited distance that the transmitter works over, I don't see that feature being very useful anyway. I have certainly never used it.
I have had my Atom for over a year and a half, and have approximately 100 dives on it and I still love it. I since bought a Shearwater Petrel 2, then bought a SeaBear H3, then sold the Petrel. Through it all, I have always dived with the Atom - sometimes as my only computer, sometimes as backup to one of the others.
The wireless AI has been flawless - thought I should note that it is important to wear the computer on the same side as the transmitter. I.e. If the transmitter sticks out the right side of your 1st stage regulator, then wear the computer on your right wrist. If you don't, it still works, but you may notice an occasional dropout of the signal and have to wait a second or so for it to reconnect when you look at your computer and want to see your tank pressure. That said, I was diving doubles on Saturday. I put my wireless transmitter on the reg on my right post and, not thinking, wore my Atom on my left wrist. I never noticed any dropouts all day, on 3 dives.
I bought my Atom as New Old Stock, so I have no idea how long it was sitting in inventory when I bought it. The battery in the computer needed to be replaced sometime around the 1 year mark after I got it. I don't remember exactly. I did it myself. It's super easy with the included tool. The transmitter is still going strong with the original battery. I checked the transmitter battery status a few weeks ago and it still showed as "Good". I have a replacement for it ready to go, but I'm waiting to swap it until it shows as Low, just so I see how long it lasts.
The only thing I felt the need to change on mine was I ditched the stock wrist strap and got an extra long NATO style wrist strap. Now, if 1 strap pin breaks, the whole computer won't just fall off my wrist. And the strap is long enough to use over my dry suit without adding an extension.
