Dive computer advice

[Mike]

I will never buy a dive computer that I can't replace the battery myself.
This is not 1972, it's 2014.

Wait till the first time you're far from home and get a low battery warning in the middle of your dive vacation, that will be a blast. I carry a spare $6.00 battery with me and can change it out in 30 seconds.

I paid less than $400 for my computer about 10 years ago. I can't imagine paying $400 for it and then paying an additional $1000-$1500 since buying it just to change the batteries.

 

[Deepdelve]

Thanks for all the help guys. What are some thoughts on the DG03? The price is appealing but I have not heard much about them.

And I agree on the battery. I find it a bit ridiculous that a 6 dollar part requires 100 dollars worth of service.

 

[tphelps]

Im also an anti-transmitter guy. As a tech diver I view the transmitter as one more component that can fail.
When I'm on a dive trip I always log my max depth, bottom time and surface intervals in a paper bound log book. If my computer were to fail on me, I can go recalculate my residual nitrogen and dive using tables (as opposed to be SOL for the rest of the trip!). You can do this assuming you have some sort of backup depth gauge too (I have a backup computer to serve as this).

If you use a transmitter and your computer quit on you, now you have no way of tracking your air (that's kind of important)! If I did ever get into transmitters, I would still keep a SPG clipped off to my left D-ring as a backup. Just my opinion, I have lots of friends that love their transmitters!

 

[buddhasummer]

Thanks for all the help guys. What are some thoughts on the DG03? The price is appealing but I have not heard much about them.

And I agree on the battery. I find it a bit ridiculous that a 6 dollar part requires 100 dollars worth of service.

The DG03 seems to have had more than its fair share of issues. I'd be weary.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

The dg03 issues were related to the transmitter. Just buy the computer. Tell em you don't want the transmitter. The computer is a nice unit.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[buddhasummer]

The dg03 issues were related to the transmitter. Just buy the computer. Tell em you don't want the transmitter. The computer is a nice unit.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

Thanks for for the clarification Jim.

 

[Hatul]

If you're getting a new computer and want AI, which I highly recommend for sport diving in spite of the naysayers, your best choice is Uwatec, Oceanic or Hollis. I'd stay away from Suunto as I had a bad experience of a 48 hr lockout of my Vyper on a perfectly safe profile and its inferior implementation of Air Time. Just get a small backup SPG on a Miflex HP hose and you're all set.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

+1 for hoseless gas integration, along WITH an spg clipped off on your hip (completely out of the way and never dangling) for a back-up. The gas integration is a tremendous convenience and the software can give you a lot of valuable information about your air consupmtion at various depths and conditions, a great learing tool. They are generally reliable and if there is signal loss it usually only lasts a few seconds and then it re-establishes the link (I have not had a signal loss, though). I dive a hogarthian rig and would never give up my spg but I am finding gas integration a very fine thing and recommend it completely.

The DG-03 is a great computer. Personally, I looked around on here on the board and on e-bay and found excellent condition used Galileo sols for around $700.00 complete.

Hatul is right about being careful which brand you pick. Uwatec's programming calculates your gas time remaining by accounting for all of your stops and your ascent time, changing on the fly as the dive goes on, to get you to the surface with your pre-set reserve pressure. In other words, when you remaining air time is "zero" you are not out of air, but only need to complete your ascent as shown to surface with the pressure you have pre-set as your end pressure.

Not every computer does this, so that "zero air time" might actually mean "zero gas" which is something you do NOT want. I think Hollis and Oceanic are similar to the Uwatec, but check to be sure.

 

[Buoy_A]

Thanks for all the help guys. What are some thoughts on the DG03? The price is appealing but I have not heard much about them.

One thing you might want to be aware of is that Oceanic = Aeris = Hollis. Someone correct me if you know better but I believe that the Hollis DG03 = Aeris A300 = Oceanic Veo 3.0.

I use an Oceanic VT3 w. a VT PRO as a backup. I really like mine.

---------- Post added March 21st, 2014 at 02:00 PM ----------

Not every computer does this, so that "zero air time" might actually mean "zero gas" which is something you do NOT want. I think Hollis and Oceanic are similar to the Uwatec, but check to be sure.

I just happen to be sitting here w. my computer manual (going diving!) and the Oceanic VT3 calculates Air Time Remaining excluding your reserve pressure. So it assumes that when you have 0 ATR you will still have, in my case, 500psi left. (So the same method as Uwatec).