Phoenix conversions!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Luis H]

Mine arrived today. Very slick. Now I just have to get one of my DA's rechromed to match.

I just had Sir Chrome-A-Lot re-chrome all the major parts of an old DA and it looks great. A lot of vintage divers have used him with great results. Dennis is getting a lot of experience re-chroming DH regulators. He will also take care of fixing any minor dings or dents in the cans.

A link to his web site is in the home page of VintageDoubleHose.com


If you need a new label (if the old one is bad or you just want to replace it) I would recommend to talk to Jerry (at Faux Label Works), he also does a great job. He even has a label for the Phoenix yoke screw.

http://www.vintagedoublehose.com/labels/index.php

He made for me (and it is now available) a label that looks just like the original square Royal Aqua Master label, but it reads "Phoenix Royal Aqua Master". He can also make many other custom labels at a very reasonable price.

Good luck

 

[Luis H]

Well this really stinks!

Just this morning after I posted about Dennis great work (at Sir Chrome-A-Lot) I read this at VDH:

http://www.vintagedoublehose.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=12081

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Hmm...I spoke with Dennis yesterday and made arrangements to send it to him. It's going out in the morning. Perhaps I should call him before I send it off.

Perfomance wise, after assembling it, setting the IP, rebuilding the second stage and installing a silicone diaphragm, my Phoenix is turning in an inhalation effort of .7 inches of water on the bench. I am not sure yet that it will be useable at that level in the water, but it is impressive that the system is capable of that level of performance.

 

[Nemrod]

Modern high performance regulators have dive/predive levers and control knobs. If I set my new Legend to minimum it will freeflow if I pop it out of my mouth. The Phoenix does not have this feature and yet it has performance on par with the Legend when carefully tuned as you are doing. The downside is that it will be more free flow prone if you pull the mouthpiece out of your mouth. It may afterbreath a little bit, the flow continues for an instant after you stop inhaling, it may also gently bubble in some diving positions, not much, just a bubble or two or three. The only way around this is to introduce more back pressure or detune the IP or second stage screw. The neoprene cage valves provide more backpressure than the silicones I got from vss and I notice they contribute to afterbreathing and freeflow--but I like them because they do decrease breathing effort overall. I would rather detune slightly than stop using the silicone cage valves. Unfortunately at the moment there are no more of them.

Interesting thing, the tendency to afterbreath slightly causes there to be a feeling that the regulator is pumping air into you, much like my old Teknas would do sometimes.

It was also discussed sometime back that the super stretch hoses (vss) seemed to breath better. At first I thought people were crazy and then I got some and noticed the same thing. Then I pretty much convinced myself I was crazy and they did not breath any better. I am now of the mind that for some reason, they do breath slightly better---again---no longer available at the moment.

I am also convinced that the Phoenix equipped regulators breath better than a well tuned standard RAM. I have been unable to get my best unmodified RAM to breath quite equal to my Phoenix RAM. It may be something simple such as the Phoenix having that nice and NEW volcano orifice which allows it to perhaps be tuned more tightly. I don't know but I do know I like the Phoenix Royal Aqua Master. N

 

[fishb0y]

So what can I do to tune up my Phoenix a little more? Right now, my inhalation effort seems a little high.

 

[justleesa]

I just hope we get a chance to try ours out soon

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Dennis confirmed he will chrome mine and he is saying 4-5 weeks to get it back to me.

Now I just need to order one of those really cool Phoenix labels and one of the round logos for the yoke knob.

 

[Nemrod]

There was a fellow who had converted a rebreather mouthpiece with an on/off valve. I think this could be a useful adaptation with highly tuned Aqua Masters. In this way, if breathing from your secondary or removing your mouthpiece for whatever reason the outflow could be shut off.

In any case, I have had no problems switching to my secondary or pony while diving. Since I bungee necklace my secondary on my neck below the double hose I deploy it by pulling the secondary free of the necklace and pushing the double hose down and bringing the secondary over. Obviously if you swim upside down or in vertical postions that place the mouthpiece above the diaphram there is free flow potential--with the mouth piece removed--of course there is and always has been. If there were a back pressure vane or on-off valve in the mouthpiece that would be useful for this.

On the surface either keep the mouthpiece in your mouth or use a snorkel to swim face down. Anytime the cans/diaphram dip below the surface and the mouthpiece is high and dry--it will momentarily free flow--again--as always.
N

 

[Luis H]

Hmm...I spoke with Dennis yesterday and made arrangements to send it to him. It's going out in the morning. Perhaps I should call him before I send it off.

Perfomance wise, after assembling it, setting the IP, rebuilding the second stage and installing a silicone diaphragm, my Phoenix is turning in an inhalation effort of .7 inches of water on the bench. I am not sure yet that it will be useable at that level in the water, but it is impressive that the system is capable of that level of performance.

Both of my Phoenix and my original RAM are tuned to about 0.5 to 0.6 inWC when measure directly out the hose (no mouthpiece or mouthpiece valves). The mouthpiece and valves add about 0.3 to 0.4 inWC resistance.

I have found that the limiting factor at trying to fine tune it further, is that it will lightly free flow out the exhaust in some positions were the duckbill is higher than the center of the diaphragm. A slightly longer duckbill could resolve this. I am planning on experimenting with it this coming summer.

With any double hose if the mouthpiece is out of your mouth and higher than the diaphragm, it will free flow. I think of this type of free flow as the alternative to having a purge button in a single hose (not fancy, but effective).

To avoid a free flow, I just keep the mouthpiece tuck below my chin when it is not in my mouth.


I only detune my Royal or my Phoenix Royal when I am traveling (air traveling on vacation), and not much at that. I may back the IP about 5 psi (from 150 psi to about 145 or 140 psi). Even do my regulators are carry on luggage, I am just concern about slight detuning during travel. I do carry an IP gauge and limited tools, but I don’t want to mess with it.

 

[Luis H]

Dennis confirmed he will chrome mine and he is saying 4-5 weeks to get it back to me.

Now I just need to order one of those really cool Phoenix labels and one of the round logos for the yoke knob.

I am glad to hear that Dennis will be able to do your regulator. He does a great job.