GUE Fundamentals BP/W: Hopeless without Halcyon ?

[Jack Hammer]

Gotta say,,, my essentially basic setup hasn't changed much in the last 9 years,,, I've swapped a few parts and a few brands but it is essentially the same setup as what I got a tech pass in Fundies in 2009 was....


... people really do overthink this

 

[beester]

Gotta say,,, my essentially basic setup hasn't changed much in the last 9 years,,, I've swapped a few parts and a few brands but it is essentially the same setup as what I got a tech pass in Fundies in 2009 was....


... people really do overthink this

Same here for OC... it's like your favorite pair of old slippers...

 

[Sevenrider860]

My questions are not meant to be argumentative, just curious...

Do the statements concerning regulators below still hold true today?
Doing It Right Gear Configuration | Global Underwater Explorers

"The intermediate pressure of all regs should be held to a minimum"
The Scubapro Service Team recommends tuning to the high end of the IP range. Aren't the Halcyon regulators made by Scubapro? Are there different service tuning recommendations for the Halcyon models?

"As with all hoses, we use a strain relief"
Are hose protectors still required? One popular online company says to get rid of them all, I see others that keep them for rubber but not for flex hoses.

"We do not use "upstream" valve regulators"
Are none of the Poseidon regulators are allowed in GUE classes?

"We use regs that can be taken apart and cleared underwater"
Do the Halcyon brand second stages ship without the Case Pin in place? I remove mine, but I am wondering about CE regulations or other requirements that may require the Case Pin left in.

"We use regs that operate at low IP's"
The Aqualung Legend has a lower IP range than the Scubapro equivalents of the H-75P or H-50D. Do these models have different manufacturer recommended IP ranges?

 

[tbone1004]

My questions are not meant to be argumentative, just curious...

Do the statements concerning regulators below still hold true today?
Doing It Right Gear Configuration | Global Underwater Explorers

"The intermediate pressure of all regs should be held to a minimum"
The Scubapro Service Team recommends tuning to the high end of the IP range. Aren't the Halcyon regulators made by Scubapro? Are there different service tuning recommendations for the Halcyon models?

"As with all hoses, we use a strain relief"
Are hose protectors still required? One popular online company says to get rid of them all, I see others that keep them for rubber but not for flex hoses.

"We do not use "upstream" valve regulators"
Are none of the Poseidon regulators are allowed in GUE classes?

"We use regs that can be taken apart and cleared underwater"
Do the Halcyon brand second stages ship without the Case Pin in place? I remove mine, but I am wondering about CE regulations or other requirements that may require the Case Pin left in.

"We use regs that operate at low IP's"
The Aqualung Legend has a lower IP range than the Scubapro equivalents of the H-75P or H-50D. Do these models have different manufacturer recommended IP ranges?

On the Poseidons
The Cyklons are not upstream designs. They are simple unbalanced valves, just look a bit funny. They are not DQ'd because of upstream
That said, they operate at 165psi, so they get DQ's for the IP requirement.
The Jetstream and Xstream operate at the lowest IP range on the market, and while they have an upstream pilot valve, it is not an "upstream" regulator that they are discussing. Unfortunately misinformed people tout that they are. They are however DQ'd because they can't be taken apart and cleared underwater. The Cyklons are the easiest to take apart and clear which is why they are very popular with sump divers.

 

[PfcAJ]

My questions are not meant to be argumentative, just curious...

Do the statements concerning regulators below still hold true today?
Doing It Right Gear Configuration | Global Underwater Explorers

"The intermediate pressure of all regs should be held to a minimum"
The Scubapro Service Team recommends tuning to the high end of the IP range. Aren't the Halcyon regulators made by Scubapro? Are there different service tuning recommendations for the Halcyon models?

"As with all hoses, we use a strain relief"
Are hose protectors still required? One popular online company says to get rid of them all, I see others that keep them for rubber but not for flex hoses.

"We do not use "upstream" valve regulators"
Are none of the Poseidon regulators are allowed in GUE classes?

"We use regs that can be taken apart and cleared underwater"
Do the Halcyon brand second stages ship without the Case Pin in place? I remove mine, but I am wondering about CE regulations or other requirements that may require the Case Pin left in.

"We use regs that operate at low IP's"
The Aqualung Legend has a lower IP range than the Scubapro equivalents of the H-75P or H-50D. Do these models have different manufacturer recommended IP ranges?

All of those are important points with the exception of the strain relief. They tend to hide damage, collect salt water, and are slow to drain.

 

[Sevenrider860]

On the Poseidons
The Cyklons are not upstream designs. They are simple unbalanced valves, just look a bit funny. They are not DQ'd because of upstream
That said, they operate at 165psi, so they get DQ's for the IP requirement.
The Jetstream and Xstream operate at the lowest IP range on the market, and while they have an upstream pilot valve, it is not an "upstream" regulator that they are discussing. Unfortunately misinformed people tout that they are. They are however DQ'd because they can't be taken apart and cleared underwater. The Cyklons are the easiest to take apart and clear which is why they are very popular with sump divers.

Always great info on Poseidons. Thanks!

 

[Ayisha]

I’ll take a look at it the next time at EE and come back with specifics, since it’s come up in the past. The feedback isn’t just noise, there is some outdated information in there (in addition to the computer discussion) that has a distinctly different tone/message from today’s teaching practices (that I’m aware of). Granted I am not current on the most recent messaging - I took my most recent GUE class over three years ago.

I agree that it badly needs a refresh. It's the optics of it. The message seems to be that it can't be that important if they can't be bothered to revise it with some updated info, practices, and photos. I seem to recall the Baker's Dozen in regard to computers, which isn't completely true anymore. If it has the minimum deco table in it, that has changed in recent years.

 

[EireDiver606]

Hey Roger!

I'm the one on facebook who told you that GUE and Halcyon were related.

If you have no intention of using doubles in the future, do the Rec Pass. It's a little bit easier. If you never dove doubles, they will probably require you to do a double primer before Fundies. Its a bit more work with the double.

For the equipment, from the instructor point of view, its easier to say buy Halcyon. They probably dont have all the time in the world to look at all the other options. I did my fundies in Egypt and the instructor had a Xdeep backplate and wing. It just has to fit the DIR requirements.

I'm in montreal right now, we can meet up and discuss about it.

Cheers,

JC

You dont need to do a doubles primer before fundies. You’re Fundamentals course will be the primer, it just won’t go into detail about cylinder bands, euros, concave, etc.

 

[EireDiver606]

There is a lot of material and skills that get covered in fundies and just being acquainted with doubles will take away from that.

If the cylinder bands are adjusted properly, IMO doubles are easier to stay in good trim with because you have a more stable platform. Shutdowns take longer.

 

[Roger Hobden]

This is what the scubapro donut wing looks like:

https://ww2.scubapro.com/en-GB/HKG/x-tek/products/x-tek-donut-wing.aspx