Petrel compatible desktop software

[nakatomi]

V-Planner supports both desktop and android (VPM-B/E)
Baltic Deco Planner for Android (VPM-B & Buhlmann GF)

Baltic Dive Planner, correct me if I'm wrong, is not available for Android, only for the iphone.

As to a desktop alternative. I'd say it's either Multideco (for Bühlmann support) or if you want something free, try MV-Plan.
MV-Plan has worked well for me so far and it's easy to use, plus being Java, it's multi-platform and can be used on Windows and Mac's.

MV-Plan the Java Dive Planner

 

[boulderjohn]

Thanks for the information, everyone.

I did try out MV Plan, on Shearwater's recommendation. I had a lot of trouble figuring out multi-level--I probably just didn't give it enough time. Most importantly, though, out of curiosity I ran a profile through several programs, and the MV Plan result was the farthest from the Petrel result, which puzzled me. I assume I must have done something wrong.

 

[Jax]

Thanks for the information, everyone.

I did try out MV Plan, on Shearwater's recommendation. I had a lot of trouble figuring out multi-level--I probably just didn't give it enough time. Most importantly, though, out of curiosity I ran a profile through several programs, and the MV Plan result was the farthest from the Petrel result, which puzzled me. I assume I must have done something wrong.

Well, don't hold us in suspense . . . With which did you go?

 

[boulderjohn]

Well, don't hold us in suspense . . . With which did you go?

I just downloaded Multi-deco for my PC. I will download it for the phone next, after I check it out. A phone might not be a desktop, but I am guessing the software will work the same.

 

[rhwestfall]

I wish the writers if MultiDeco had continued to support the desktop extension that was done for the pre-predator models and into the petrel... it was quite robust. Apparently the Sheerwater Desktop was a reason for them to stop....

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

Thanks for the information, everyone. I did try out MV Plan, on Shearwater's recommendation. I had a lot of trouble figuring out multi-level--I probably just didn't give it enough time. Most importantly, though, out of curiosity I ran a profile through several programs, and the MV Plan result was the farthest from the Petrel result, which puzzled me. I assume I must have done something wrong.

Would you put this profile here?

 

[boulderjohn]

Would you put this profile here?

I wish I could. I was sitting in a hotel room the evening before diving, and I was playing with things. I didn't write anything down. I hesitated to mention it here because of the sinking feeling I may have made an errors. I wasn't being particularly careful because I was not planning to do the profile.

---------- Post added October 3rd, 2015 at 09:13 AM ----------

What I am mostly interested in is the ability to do multi-level planning. Software programs that only have the ability to input one bottom time/depth/mix figure are limiting. I did some recent dives in which I dropped off a bottle at 30 feet, switched off a travel gas, dropped off a bottle at 130 feet, and continued at near that depth along a sloping bottom for a while before plummeting to the final depth. In pre-dive planning, it made sense to plan for a time at 130 followed by the planned deepest portion followed by another 130 foot segment during ascent. Some programs can't do that.

---------- Post added October 3rd, 2015 at 09:21 AM ----------

I am participating in two similar threads, and I just saw that in the other thread, Ross Hemingway offered an explanation for my experience that was not related to diver error. He said some desktop software programs that claim to be using a specific algorithm are not doing it well, meaning it is a software error. Of course, he also says that his software (multi-deco) does not contain such programming errors. (There is no intended sarcasm in that statement--just relating what he said.)

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

The exemplary profile you mentioned shouldn't be hard for software applications to run. All three types of multilevel dives (multilevel descents, multilevel ascents and recompression (sawtooth) profiles) are detailed in my book Deep Into Deco (here Deep Into Deco: The Diver's Decompression Textbook: Asser Salama: 9781930536791: Amazon.com: Books if interested), along with some software planning examples. I'd Ross was talking about sawtooth profiles when planned with VPM-B.

 

[JohnnyC]

I wish the writers if MultiDeco had continued to support the desktop extension that was done for the pre-predator models and into the petrel... it was quite robust. Apparently the Sheerwater Desktop was a reason for them to stop....

What did this do? Was it like a logging extension or something?