POLL: SPG or transmitter failure - UPDATED TO BE EASIER

[Puppeteer]

1) 70
2) 60
3) 0
4) 2 - both times the transmitter had become disconnected from the dive computer prior to the dive, which I could have rectified by getting back on the boat, but I continued the dive as I had an SPG.

 

[greeniguana]

What if someone dives with several transmitters at once? Does that increase sample size?

 

[Edward3c]

1) 2000+
2) 400+
3) 5
4) 0

I’ve had the SPG come off the hp hose on one occasion.

 

[iho]

I'd like your help to better determine the rates of SPG and transmitter failures.

For this, I'm defining "failure" to be anything that occurs which prevents you from accurately determining your tank pressure for the rest of the dive. It doesn't necessarily mean that you ended your dive but you considered the information inaccurate enough that you didn't trust it for the rest of the dive (whether you ended it or not).

Since SB polls can only ask one question, please just reply to this message with the answers to the following questions. PLEASE ANSWER EVEN IF YOU'VE NEVER HAD A FAILURE

If you dive with both a transmitter and SPG, please include the number of dives with both in the answers for both question 1 & 2. For example, diver has 50 dives with just an SPG, plus another 50 dives with both SPG & transmitter at the same time, for a total of 100 dives lifetime.
Answer to question 1: 100 dives lifetime with SPG
Answer to question 2: 50 dives lifetime with transmitter

1) How many dives have you completed in your lifetime (approximately) using an SPG?

2) How many dives have you completed in your lifetime (approximately) using a transmitter?

3) How many times have you had an SPG failure? Write N/A if you never have used an SPG

4) How many times have you had a transmitter failure? Write N/A if you have never used a transmitter

1) 65
2) 40
3) 0
4) 5-6

 

[Joebar]

What if someone dives with several transmitters at once? Does that increase sample size?

I dive Sidemount with two SPG. Do I have to count SM Dives twice?

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Just a quick post to say I voted in your survey/poll. I assume you will publish the results on here at some point?

 

[Wants2divemore]

I dive Sidemount with two SPG. Do I have to count SM Dives twice?

Yes you would, since I'm looking at rates of failure per device.

 

[Wants2divemore]

Just a quick post to say I voted in your survey/poll. I assume you will publish the results on here at some point?

Yes I will.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @Wants2divemore

Good polls are hard to construct. I've been diving since 1997 and have 2360 dives. The first 40 dives were with a SPG, no computer, no failures. The next 400 dives were with a hosed AI computer, no SPG, not covered by your poll, no failures. The next 1920 dives were generally dived with both one or two hoseless AI computers off one transmitter, and an SPG. In these last 1920 dives, I have had no SPG "failures", preventing me from determining my tank pressure. However, I have had several leaks that required replacement of the spool. I carry spools in my save a dive kit and have given them to others as well as using them myself. During those 1920 dives I have had 2 transmitter failures, both PPS MH8A transmitters. One failure was an uncharacterized hardware failure, the other was an over pressure valve failure and leak. As I had an SPG during each transmitter failure, I did not have to interrupt my diving in any way. The transmitter failures were after 865 and 875 dives respectively. As these were both Oceanic transmitters, they were replaced by Oceanic/Huish for $120 as part of their service plan. I am now on my 3rd transmitter.

I tried to investigate the specific causes of transmitter failure with a poll, with limited success

Question - Pelagic Pressure Systems or Shearwater (the Swift) transmitter failures

There have been discussions regarding failures of Pelagic Pressure Systems and Shearwater transmitters. For Shearwater, I mean only the Swift. Earlier Shearwater transmitters were manufactured by PPS and should be included in PPS voting in the poll. I would like to get an idea about how these...

scubaboard.com

So, after all of that, my answers to your poll are:
Dives with a SPG: 1960
Dives with a transmitter: 1920
SPG failures: 0
Transmitter failures: 2

I look forward to seeing your compiled results and comments.

 

[inquis]

I completed the survey: 0 (SPG) and 1 (xmtr) that ended a dive. However, I've had about 8 SPG failures (of ~1400 trials) that were caught pre-dive. The single xmtr fail (of ~300) was on sidemount with 2 gray PPS transmitters stepping on each other -- my choice to operate outside the designed operational envelope.