How reliable is the Suunto Transmitter?

[vales1]

Recently my analog spg's needle got stuck so I just decided to ditch it all together. The DMs I dive with insist that I should always have an spg -telling me stories about how unreliable wireless transmitters are and how often they've seen it fail. I've been diving with my Suunto D9tx for a little over 4 years and I never had any problems with it. I change the batteries on both watch and tx (transmitter) every 2 years regardless of whether or not I get a low battery warning to ensure it won't quit on me mid dive. I don't do wreck diving and I rarely go deeper than 90 ft (30 m). I always dive with a group of 3 or more and I never stray away farther than 20 ft. I'm fairly efficient in my diving that I usually come up at 1100 - 1300 psi when the rest of my group is at 600 -800 psi.

So how reliable is the tx and how unsafe am I to ditch the spg? Worst case I can think of is tx failure in which case I'll just safely ascend and abort the dive, grab my tools and rent an spg. I really highly doubt it, but would it be possible for the tx to give me a false reading of more than 600 psi and result in cutting out my air?

 

[muzikbiz22]

I have 2 years, hundreds of dives, thousands of miles on my current Suunto transmitter and not a single issue.

 

[Malpaso]

Do you carry two lights, two cutting devices, two etc.? Now compare those items to the importance of knowing how much gas you have left.

 

[vales1]

Do you carry two lights, two cutting devices, two etc.? Now compare those items to the importance of knowing how much gas you have left.

No and no. I don't even carry any of those items. The only redundancy I have is an alternate air - inflator. I use a separate tank press. checker before connecting to wireless and have my dive buddy check for leaks underwater. Over the years I've learned to estimate how much air I consume based off the last time I checked my computer and I've gotten fairly good at guesstimating how much I have left.

 

[Hendrik@Suunto]

vales1,

The Suunto transmitters are very reliable. With all electronics especially ones built for underwater use there will always be some that come up with issues. There is no such thing as a flawless electronic device. Like you have said as well as common diver safety knowledge, if you have an issue and the transmitter did malfunction you would notify your dive buddy. End the dive and safely proceed to the surface. There are hundreds of people that only dive with a transmitter and being able to have one less hose hanging by your side is always nice. Don't get me wrong though having a back up spg is by no means a bad thing, but by following the rules of safety you should not need one for recreational diving.

Best Regards,
Chris from Suunto

 

[Diesel00]

I have never had a problem in 4.5 years with my transmitter. I have to computers link 2 it also. I only every replaced the battery.

 

[vales1]

Thank you all for the very encouraging responses. I've been using Suunto dive comps from the very start and have come to trust it's toughness and quality. I acknowledge Chris' remark that no electronic device is flawless, but the risks can be mitigated with careful dive planning, pre-dive checks, and situational awareness. For now I'll keep my spg in my save a dive kit - It's kinda funny that my D9 actually outlived my spg.

I know this is asking for too much, but I wish the newer watches have a battery saver feature ( or storage feature) so the battery lasts longer than 2 years.

 

[tphelps]

I think it is even more rare to have an SPG failure. As a tech diver, I see the transmitter is just one more thing that can fail which is why I do not use one. That being said, I've also heard of other divers having transmitter problems. But of those I know, the computer has NOT been a Suunto.

 

[Rhone Man]

I had issues getting mine to sync up until someone taught me the "trick" (skin to skin contact). Once synced, I have never had a failure in about 300 dives. I have also never changed the transmitter battery in that time.

I hear what Tyler says about fail points. My biggest worry on vacation is when I hand my tank to somebody they are going to try and lift it by the transmitter and snap it off. By God's good grace that has never happened yet.

But I have always kept a traditional SPG as well. I value having the pressure readout on my computer, and when I am cold or tired I value the "air time" calculation feature to save me doing mental arithmetic. But I am not brave enough to ditch the traditional SPG.

 

[vales1]

I had issues getting mine to sync up until someone taught me the "trick" (skin to skin contact). Once synced, I have never had a failure in about 300 dives. I have also never changed the transmitter battery in that time.

I hear what Tyler says about fail points. My biggest worry on vacation is when I hand my tank to somebody they are going to try and lift it by the transmitter and snap it off. By God's good grace that has never happened yet..

Fortunately I've never been in a resort where the help used the tx for a handle. (knock on wood)

This is the first time I've heard about "skin to skin" contact. Then again, I've always synced the tx while I'm wearing the watch.