Need Help on Computer with Compass

[Belzelbub]

Thanks folks. Definitely a few options I’ll be looking into. Wireless charging really isn’t a requirement. I should have said rechargeable or user changeable battery as requirements.

That should open things up quite a bit. There really shouldn’t be any computers being sold today that have dealer/tech only no rechargeable battery changes. I say should, but can’t guarantee it as some brands seem to like sticking to old models.

Now that doesn’t mean that all battery changes are created equal. Some brands hide the battery and o-ring type, but will gladly sell you a kit that includes what is needed for significantly more than it should cost. Or they use batteries that may be tougher to find.

The more I consider it, the more I’d like air integration so I have a one stop data point on wrist.

I totally understand that. My very first dive computer was air integrated, and every primary DC I’ve bought since has been air integrated as well.

Is it common that the compasses on these have to be calibrated frequently. Reliability and no fuss will be a top priority and definitely take precedent over price point.

I wouldn’t say they need to be calibrated frequently. The DCs I have with compasses don’t prompt me to calibrate frequently. My Perdix AI and VT4.1 only prompt when I change the battery. My Garmin asked me to calibrate when I first got it (IIRC) but not since. Shearwater manual explains the recal at battery change is due to slight differences between the battery that could affect the compass.

I should also add that an ability to see the compass, mark a heading, see tank pressure, depth, and bottom time on a single screen would be ideal.

That list is a bit smaller. The Perdix has a mini compass display that you can add, but I don’t think you can mark a heading on that. The full compass screen will take up the row where tank pressure resides, but the rest of the info is visible. I believe the Teric may give you what you want, though. It at least has a compass outer ring display that includes heading marks, but I’m not positive that you can actually mark headings in that screen.

And on the no fuss front. Shearwater gets high praise for their user interface, reliability, and their customer service. On the UI topic. A buddy was interested in my Perdix. He asked how difficult it was to change the gas mix. I handed him my computer and told him how to turn it on. He figured out how to change the gas in under 30 seconds.