New Shearwater AI transmitter - the Swift

[scubadada]

Oceanic/Huish doesn't' service the old ones. They just give you a refurbished one for $120, and presumably then get around someday to working on the one you sent in. It's a good deal, and reliable.

I've never sent one in under warranty, so I would not know. It would not seem that they would charge you under warranty. I have had a perfectly good experience with Oceanic service, both before and after the acquisition by Huish. Not as quickly as Shearwater, but perfectly dependable.

I had 2 Pro Plus 2s where the pressure sensors finally went out. These were from 2002. They replaced both of them with new or refurbished units after around 15 years, for just $175. Both of these computers are still in service, my wife and daughter love them.

 

[The Ruttmeister]

I've only skimmed the thread... But having dived next to someone with the new swift transmitter for a week I have the following thoughts:

The old PPS transmitter had a plastic cap that you could munge if you didn't use the right tool (like a screwdriver instead of a coin).

But.

The Swift has a deeply inferior design when it comes to the seal and it's securing.
It's held closed with 3 TINY screws, that you are going to lose, and instead of the neat little plug of the old PPS, the whole shell comes off!

Now it might be that the seal turns out to be just fine (I have to assume they tested it a whole bunch!). But it's possible that with acquisition of PPS by Aqualung they had to rush to get somethings made in house...

Compared to their computers I was surprised, it doesn't seem anything like as rugged or as well though out. Those 3 tiny screws just seems like a potential nightmare.

But I guess replacing the battery is infrequent enough... At least I hope so.

 

[Scuba-Lad]

Thanks for the input everyone. As it turns out, I can get a brand new Aqualung transmitter for about 20 USD less than a new (old model) shearwater transmitter. I didn't check the warranty period yet though, if it's only 1 year vs Shearwater's 2 year then I may just go with the old style (but purchased new) shearwater transmitter.

The Swift is honestly looking less attractive at this point.

Edit: looks like Aqualung warranty is 2 years, at least according to their US website. They don't appear to have a site for Indonesia so I'll ask the authorised retailer here about the warranty period.

 

[Belzelbub]

Thanks for the input everyone. As it turns out, I can get a brand new Aqualung transmitter for about 20 USD less than a new (old model) shearwater transmitter. I didn't check the warranty period yet though, if it's only 1 year vs Shearwater's 2 year then I may just go with the old style (but purchased new) shearwater transmitter.

The Swift is honestly looking less attractive at this point.

Yeah. Totally get that. The main benefit of the Swift is the collision avoidance. If you only use one transmitter, there is nothing to collide. Down the road, if you want to start diving with another tank, you can get a Swift then and use it with the Aqualung.

A slight benefit is that the Swift can be hand tightened to the 1st stage, while the PPS transmitters recommend using a wrench. That’s a minor annoyance at best.

Changing the battery on the Swift is another consideration. Definitely easier on the PPS with no screws to lose. The PPS cap is prone to damage if you use the wrong size coin/tool. The SW key that came with my Perdix AI is a perfect fit for the cap on my 8 year old Oceanic branded transmitter.

 

[Scuba-Lad]

Further dilemma - the dive shop sold out of the older style Shearwater transmitter and obviously won't be getting any more in stock. With the Aqualung transmitter only having a 1 year warranty, and only being about 70 USD cheaper, looks like I may as well go with the Swift

 

[GF99/99]

Yeah. Totally get that. The main benefit of the Swift is the collision avoidance. If you only use one transmitter, there is nothing to collide. Down the road, if you want to start diving with another tank, you can get a Swift then and use it with the Aqualung.

A slight benefit is that the Swift can be hand tightened to the 1st stage, while the PPS transmitters recommend using a wrench. That’s a minor annoyance at best.

Changing the battery on the Swift is another consideration. Definitely easier on the PPS with no screws to lose. The PPS cap is prone to damage if you use the wrong size coin/tool. The SW key that came with my Perdix AI is a perfect fit for the cap on my 8 year old Oceanic branded transmitter.

Sorry in advance I cant say I have read through all 18 pages on the thread but just wondering is transmitter collision a problem with the older units.

I have been using two of them (bought them both used so don't know the brand, maybe Oceanic??) together for years with a Perdix AI and never had a problem. I have even brought them to 170m and they did not flood (but that's about the limit I will push them too)

Only reason I can see spending the crazy amount of money the new ones cost is that the depth rating is now 200m over the 150m on the old ones.

Yes the new ones look like a PIA to change the battery on, and I find I have to change batteries about once every 4-6 months

 

[Belzelbub]

Sorry in advance I cant say I have read through all 18 pages on the thread but just wondering is transmitter collision a problem with the older units.

It can happen, but I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily inevitable. The gray transmitters have the ”same” transmission intervals. Yellow have a different interval, and green yet another.

The different colors were recognition that collisions could happen. If it happens depends on the individual transmitters and when they were turned on. For example, if the spec on the interval is 5 seconds, there is a tolerance within that spec. One might be 4.9 seconds, and another might be 5.1 seconds (exagerrated numbers, spec is likely tighter). If the 5.1 starts a second before the 4.9, eventually, the 4.9 will catch up. The computer won’t be able to make sense of either until they are broadcasting on clear channels again.

Like I said, in reality, the spec is probably much tighter. This is good and bad. Good in that a collision is less likely. Bad in that if a collision does happen, it can take a while to clear.

Yes the new ones look like a PIA to change the battery on, and I find I have to change batteries about once every 4-6 months

That seems like a lot, unless you dive very often. I usually change the transmitter battery once a year, and could probably go a bit longer.

 

[jrouss28]

It can happen, but I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily inevitable. The gray transmitters have the ”same” transmission intervals. Yellow have a different interval, and green yet another.

The different colors were recognition that collisions could happen. If it happens depends on the individual transmitters and when they were turned on. For example, if the spec on the interval is 5 seconds, there is a tolerance within that spec. One might be 4.9 seconds, and another might be 5.1 seconds (exagerrated numbers, spec is likely tighter). If the 5.1 starts a second before the 4.9, eventually, the 4.9 will catch up. The computer won’t be able to make sense of either until they are broadcasting on clear channels again.

Like I said, in reality, the spec is probably much tighter. This is good and bad. Good in that a collision is less likely. Bad in that if a collision does happen, it can take a while to clear.

That seems like a lot, unless you dive very often. I usually change the transmitter battery once a year, and could probably go a bit longer.

I just had my Swift fail in a dive, it read 5000 psi on the start of the dive then didn’t connect until the end of the dive. I assumed I just needed to reseat it on the next dive. Unfortunately the issue is at the bottom of the the swift is a black plug, the plug blew out a caused an air leak. Thankfully this occurred after the dive was over or I would have had a bad air leak.

 

[Yukon Luke]

I just had my Swift fail in a dive, it read 5000 psi on the start of the dive then didn’t connect until the end of the dive. I assumed I just needed to reseat it on the next dive. Unfortunately the issue is at the bottom of the the swift is a black plug, the plug blew out a caused an air leak. Thankfully this occurred after the dive was over or I would have had a bad air leak.

My swift failed in the same way on dive 16 or my recent trip. I think that plug falling out is a major design flaw. It’s going back to the dealer right after Christmas. By the way, my dive partner did notice a small trickle of bubbles coming from the vent hole but not a major air loss by any means.

 

[Mergulhador do Delray]

Shearwater just sent me a new Swift after one failed the same way. That little overpressure plug blew out. I am wondering now if there wasn't some sort of design flaw and newer units don't have.