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Do you still use a SPG with a AI computer?
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ScubaKeefe
New
I actually have a 3-gauge console that I keep clipped to me, out of the way, JUST IN CASE.
I’m glad that I do practice having a complete analog for redundancy, as this was greatly appreciated and needed when my wrist battery took a crap on me just before a dive trip in Carmel, CA (Point Lobos). Had I not had it, I would’ve had to leave and find a store that was open and had the battery that I needed or cancel my dives. I looked at my gauges and literally said “I’m good, let me jot down my calculations really quick, then we can go”.
For what it’s worth, it doesn’t hurt to have at least an analog SPG as a backup. Just my .02
I’m glad that I do practice having a complete analog for redundancy, as this was greatly appreciated and needed when my wrist battery took a crap on me just before a dive trip in Carmel, CA (Point Lobos). Had I not had it, I would’ve had to leave and find a store that was open and had the battery that I needed or cancel my dives. I looked at my gauges and literally said “I’m good, let me jot down my calculations really quick, then we can go”.
For what it’s worth, it doesn’t hurt to have at least an analog SPG as a backup. Just my .02
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@ScubaKeefe ...and a battery for your computer
elbig
Contributor
The question is whether is it worth having the backup spg attached with you at all times or carried in your save a dive kit to be swapped and used in such a case.
I haven't used an AI computer for a long time but the one I had didn't always function well in cold water. I used an SPG as a backup.
R..
1000RR
Contributor
My daughter and I are new to this game (diving) and I set both of our rigs up the same. We both have AI computers and we both have a jazzy looking 2" Deep 6 SPG (cool orange face).
I read the pros/cons to have or not to have and I just liked the idea of having it. It comes in handy when we're doing our checks/buddy checks pre-dive and taking a couple breaths of air (you can see if the needle bounces at all), it has also been handy for providing confidence in what both pressure readings read (AI and SPG)... which has been the same all along. We haven't had issues with the AI dropping a signal as of yet except for one time... and that was when we figured out she had my dive computer on her wrist and I had hers LOL. They started reading when we were right next to each other. So we swapped back. The 2" SPG is on a short hose tucked under our left arms and clipped to our chest D-ring. Perfect location to just glance at but not in the way of anything and doesn't take a lot of space.
I read the pros/cons to have or not to have and I just liked the idea of having it. It comes in handy when we're doing our checks/buddy checks pre-dive and taking a couple breaths of air (you can see if the needle bounces at all), it has also been handy for providing confidence in what both pressure readings read (AI and SPG)... which has been the same all along. We haven't had issues with the AI dropping a signal as of yet except for one time... and that was when we figured out she had my dive computer on her wrist and I had hers LOL. They started reading when we were right next to each other. So we swapped back. The 2" SPG is on a short hose tucked under our left arms and clipped to our chest D-ring. Perfect location to just glance at but not in the way of anything and doesn't take a lot of space.
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Batteries. Always have spare batteries for all of your toys. That includes Dive Computers. 
Cheers - M²
and 
Cheers - M²
and 
Aloha Joe
Contributor
At first I thought I was against AI. As I've been diving I'm realizing I don't like looking in so many places for data - if I could combine everything into one perfect screen I think it would be ideal (they have a name for that - it's "Perdix"...although if buying today I wouldn't mind more of a rec version).
I'm a mechanical guy and I still won't be able to trust an imaginary number to provide the most critical information on that screen. I feel like there's the chance the pressure reading could freeze, or could be off by some amount that seemed plausible. I feel like a mechanical gauge would give you better indication if it was stuck.
But you guys brought up the valid argument about an extra failure point (another port, etc). Although as I'm thinking about this...technically most of us have a port or 3 plugged with a cap and o-ring. If the Tx (sorry, transmitter) was small enough that it didn't get bumped or shake or anything, I don't know if I would consider A/I + SPG an extra failure point. Maybe this has been discussed here already. I recall something about gripping/bumping the Tx... Maybe the future holds Tx's that are soft and look like hose whips
I'm a mechanical guy and I still won't be able to trust an imaginary number to provide the most critical information on that screen. I feel like there's the chance the pressure reading could freeze, or could be off by some amount that seemed plausible. I feel like a mechanical gauge would give you better indication if it was stuck.
But you guys brought up the valid argument about an extra failure point (another port, etc). Although as I'm thinking about this...technically most of us have a port or 3 plugged with a cap and o-ring. If the Tx (sorry, transmitter) was small enough that it didn't get bumped or shake or anything, I don't know if I would consider A/I + SPG an extra failure point. Maybe this has been discussed here already. I recall something about gripping/bumping the Tx... Maybe the future holds Tx's that are soft and look like hose whips
Dan
Contributor
I see too often on my dive buddies having either transmitter signal problem or weak battery or leak. One claimed that he had no air in his tank on the way out on skiff to the dive site. We had to come back to the liveaboard to find out he just had a transmitter problem. It is good to have a redundancy of a simple SPG for this kind of set up so we don’t make the whole group wasting time due to these problems.
Did you later identify what happened? Was the transmitter battery dead, or was it something else?
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