Mike Lev
Contributor
Ok I left the approved off.im guilty.
Need help identifying equipment
- Thread starter Chevon Cox
- Start date
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Mike
It is a given fact that you are relatively new to diving and collecting
The US Divers regulators were as long as I can recall and as you probably recall I was diving long before they appeared on the American market. When they appeared the divers, massive majority who were in California identified the regulators by numbers DA, DW, DX, ( & of course the DY the single hose "Aqua- Matic ")
You have so much historical data to offer -- don't become a modern late model revisionist changing names and accepted designations
Cold and snow back where you live? Sunny and warm here-- off to walk my dog Lucky
SAM
It is a given fact that you are relatively new to diving and collecting
The US Divers regulators were as long as I can recall and as you probably recall I was diving long before they appeared on the American market. When they appeared the divers, massive majority who were in California identified the regulators by numbers DA, DW, DX, ( & of course the DY the single hose "Aqua- Matic ")
You have so much historical data to offer -- don't become a modern late model revisionist changing names and accepted designations
Cold and snow back where you live? Sunny and warm here-- off to walk my dog Lucky
SAM
I'm going to take a slightly different track on price and suggest that a DA Aquamaster with no significant scratches or dents, and with original hoses and mouthpiece that are still soft and supple with no cracks of weather checking, it'll be worth about $400 to a collector.
Even if it's got some minor scratches and dings, needs new hoses, etc, It's still going to be worth around $250, especially if it is still functional.
A beater DA Aquamaster will sell for the $100-$150 prices some have quoted above.
----
I'm also going to suggest that perhaps you might not want to sell it. There is an excellent option to modernize a DA Aquamaster for open water use. The Phoenix Royal Aquamaster first stage is a new build first stage that replaces the first stage (the part that screws into the back of the regulator) in a DA Aquamaster and allows it to use up to three modern low pressure accessories like a BC power inflator, Octo, and dry suit inflator as well as offering high pressure ports for an SPG (although you'll need a 3/8" to 7/16" adapter). You can also get them in both DIN and yoke configurations.
There are also new manufactured 'rubber' parts made for the DA Aquamaster including both silicone and EPDM hoses as well as new silicone parts including exhaust valves, mushroom valves and mouth pieces so that you can replace all the worn or aged and deteriorated parts.
You can also install a new higher performance second stage - the 'HPR' second stage, and you can replace the traditional duckbill style exhaust valve with a mushroom style exhaust valve.
You can also install an Argonaut DSV that lets you use your favorite mouthpiece and addresses the problem of free flows when vertical on the surface.
Why would you want to do this? Because when rebuilt, properly set up, and properly positioned, they breathe exceptionally well, place all the bubbles behind you and deliver breathing gas to you that is both warmer and moister than with a single hose regulator. They also put all the bubbles behind your head and diffuse them more, so they are not as offensive to fish, which is great if you are an under water photographer.
If you already dive a back plate and wing, it's an easy transition, and if you get an Argonaut back plate or a Freedom Plate, you can get an ideal set up that will properly place the can where it needs to be for optimum breathing.
PRAM:
PRAM with Argonaut DSV:
If you don't want to do a full conversion, you can get an adapter for the Hookah port on the back of the regulator and install a three way adapter that will allow you to use low pressure accessories, although you'll need 'long' yoke and a banjo fitting to use an SPG (or a vintage valve with the SPG port in the valve).
Hookah port with cap on it:
Royal Aquamaster (a balanced first stage development of the DA Aquamaster) with a Hookah port adapter and a splitter for a power inflator and an Octo:
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@herman posted;
Based on the description and serial number, I would guess its a mid to late 60's DA Aquamaster.
With photos we can narrow it down some. It's value depends on a number of things, including if it's "original" or not. By that I mean all original main parts. Many times we see regs that we refer to as "Frankenstein regs", ones that have been cobbled together from parts from various regs, these are not worth as much. Unless you have some odd reg, I would venture an eBay price in the $90-120 range. Locally, these regs can be harder to sell since you need someone near you that's interested in it. Sometimes morons will run up a reg on eBay to higher prices for unknown reasons and occasionally one will sell for less but that is the average for a run of the mill reg. I often see "buy now" prices much
higher but they never sell. There are a few models that fetch higher prices but they are fairly rare. Pristine and still in the original box, it would go for a lot more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@Chevon Cox
@Mike Lev
@DA Aquamaster
@Akimbo
@herman
By Gum By Golly !
I agree, even thought I am not a regulator expert, that it was possibly manufactured in the late 1960s
It was my intention to go to my collection of regulators but all I had to do is look up from my computer desk to a shelf and there resting was a 2 hose US Diver regulator that holds a special place in my life.
It is a 1969 edition of the Aqua Master, black or blue label, serial number 266704 made by US Divers, I322 West Warner Avenue Santa Ana, California.
It is reconized that the OP was inquiring about a regulator with a serial number of 239704 and 266704 is a difference of 27000-- it is close enough. Although I was a consultant, advisor and the US Divers SCUBA diving instructor during that time I was never privy to their method of serialization of their regulators.
All of the employees of those halcyon days during the geneses of recreational diving and the emergence of US Divers have retired and many have passed away, but there are a few remaining upright. I will attempt to locate them and inquire about US Divers serialization procedure, Certainly would make identifying the manufacture so much more accurate and avoid "guesstamaton" of a regulator's age.
My particular regulator is totally gold plated as a special presentation unit. It was presented to me by Tommy Thompson, the then US Divers PR when I was voted as the "Outstanding Underwater Instructor of the year 1969" by LA County Underwater Instructor's association. To place this time frame in proper prospective, NAUI had less than 200 instructors and PADI was a dream of the future. The sport was slowly migrating from the far west to the hinterlands of the country via Skin Diver Magazine and the pages of the spring and summer editions of the then great American retailers Sears, Wards and later Pennys.
The Gold Plated 2 hose DA Aqua Master regulator was inscribed in script the following :
Based on the description and serial number, I would guess its a mid to late 60's DA Aquamaster.
With photos we can narrow it down some. It's value depends on a number of things, including if it's "original" or not. By that I mean all original main parts. Many times we see regs that we refer to as "Frankenstein regs", ones that have been cobbled together from parts from various regs, these are not worth as much. Unless you have some odd reg, I would venture an eBay price in the $90-120 range. Locally, these regs can be harder to sell since you need someone near you that's interested in it. Sometimes morons will run up a reg on eBay to higher prices for unknown reasons and occasionally one will sell for less but that is the average for a run of the mill reg. I often see "buy now" prices much
higher but they never sell. There are a few models that fetch higher prices but they are fairly rare. Pristine and still in the original box, it would go for a lot more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@Chevon Cox
@Mike Lev
@DA Aquamaster
@Akimbo
@herman
By Gum By Golly !
I agree, even thought I am not a regulator expert, that it was possibly manufactured in the late 1960s
It was my intention to go to my collection of regulators but all I had to do is look up from my computer desk to a shelf and there resting was a 2 hose US Diver regulator that holds a special place in my life.
It is a 1969 edition of the Aqua Master, black or blue label, serial number 266704 made by US Divers, I322 West Warner Avenue Santa Ana, California.
It is reconized that the OP was inquiring about a regulator with a serial number of 239704 and 266704 is a difference of 27000-- it is close enough. Although I was a consultant, advisor and the US Divers SCUBA diving instructor during that time I was never privy to their method of serialization of their regulators.
All of the employees of those halcyon days during the geneses of recreational diving and the emergence of US Divers have retired and many have passed away, but there are a few remaining upright. I will attempt to locate them and inquire about US Divers serialization procedure, Certainly would make identifying the manufacture so much more accurate and avoid "guesstamaton" of a regulator's age.
My particular regulator is totally gold plated as a special presentation unit. It was presented to me by Tommy Thompson, the then US Divers PR when I was voted as the "Outstanding Underwater Instructor of the year 1969" by LA County Underwater Instructor's association. To place this time frame in proper prospective, NAUI had less than 200 instructors and PADI was a dream of the future. The sport was slowly migrating from the far west to the hinterlands of the country via Skin Diver Magazine and the pages of the spring and summer editions of the then great American retailers Sears, Wards and later Pennys.
The Gold Plated 2 hose DA Aqua Master regulator was inscribed in script the following :
Los Angeles County
1969
Outstanding
Underwater Instructor
~~ Samuel Miller ~~
And all the other LA based manufactures followed - Heathways ; a wet suit,, SCUBA Pro SPG
Sportsways; PFV, etc etc....It was a long time ago 1969 - 49 years ago- and counting
Sam Miller, III
1969
Outstanding
Underwater Instructor
~~ Samuel Miller ~~
And all the other LA based manufactures followed - Heathways ; a wet suit,, SCUBA Pro SPG
Sportsways; PFV, etc etc....It was a long time ago 1969 - 49 years ago- and counting
Sam Miller, III
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