Shearwater Computers Linked to Same Transmitter

[RobPNW]

My kit includes a Shearwater computer, a single transmitter and a backup SPG. I like having the SPG as a backup. Down the road, if I get a backup computer, can both of them point to the same transmitter? Even though the transmitter is a single point of failure, that would give me redundant computers and AI. And I would still have a backup SPG.

 

[tursiops]

Yes, no problem. There is no "linking." The transmitter is a dumb transmitter, The computer is a dumb receiver. It is like listening to the radio; many radios can listen to the same transmitting station.

 

[RobPNW]

Yes, no problem. There is no "linking." The transmitter is a dumb transmitter, The computer is a dumb receiver. It is like listening to the radio; many radios can listen to the same transmitting station.

If there's no linking, how do you keep your computers from cross connecting to someone else's transmitter?

 

[Joneill]

My kit includes a Shearwater computer, a single transmitter and a backup SPG. I like having the SPG as a backup. Down the road, if I get a backup computer, can both of them point to the same transmitter? Even though the transmitter is a single point of failure, that would give me redundant computers and AI. And I would still have a backup SPG.

Yes - you can have the same transmitter “linked” to multiple computers. I dropped the SPG and have 2 Shearwaters (Teric and Perdix 2) with 2 transmitters.

I set it up so both transmitters can be read by both computers (and, yes, you do have to effectively “link” the transmitters to the computers by entering each individual transmitter’s code into each computer in order for the computer to recognize/ receive the signal)

 

[tursiops]

If there's no linking, how do you keep your computers from cross connecting to someone else's transmitter?

When you put in your transmitter SN into your computer, that is the only signal your computer will decode. There is no two-way linking. There is only one-way filtering. Anybody can hear your transmitter and decode it if they put your transmitter SN into their computer. But the transmitter has no idea how many people are decoding its transmissions.

 

[Joneill]

When you put in your transmitter SN into your computer, that is the only signal your computer will decode. There is no two-way linking. There is only one-way filtering. Anybody can hear your transmitter and decode it if they put your transmitter SN into their computer. But the transmitter has no idea how many people are decoding its transmissions.

Otherwise, called linking… lol.

 

[tursiops]

Yes - you can have the same transmitter “linked” to multiple computers. I dropped the SPG and have 2 Shearwaters (Teric and Perdix 2) with 2 transmitters.

I set it up so both transrmitters can be read by both computers (and, yes, you do have to effectively “link” the transmitters to the computers by entering each individual transmitter’s code into each computer in order for the computer to recognize/ receive the signal)

The computers hears ALL the transmissions that are within range. They attempt to decode them. But only the one transmission that has the same SN embedded in as the SN you put into your computer gets fully decoded. It is not linking, it is filtering all that it hears, looking for that one tranmsission that it is hoping to find.

 

[tursiops]

Otherwise, called linking… lol.

A link is two-way, by definition. The transmitter is just broadcasting, not listening. It cannot link.

 

[-JD-]

A link is two-way, by definition.

Errrr, no. Not really. As any reasonably sophisticated programmer can tell you.

The computers hears ALL the transmissions that are within range. They attempt to decode them. But only the one transmission that has the same SN embedded in as the SN you put into your computer gets fully decoded. It is not linking, it is filtering all that it hears, looking for that one tranmsission that it is hoping to find.

This!

 

[Joneill]

The computers hears ALL the transmissions that are within range. They attempt to decode them. But only the one transmission that has the same SN embedded in as the SN you put into your computer gets fully decoded. It is not linking, it is filtering all that it hears, looking for that one tranmsission that it is hoping to find.

The computer will only display info from transmitters that you enter the codes for - so, in practical terms, you have to “link/pair/associate, etc.,” each transmitter with each computer you want be able to receive and display pressure info from.

Maybe “link” is the wrong technical term, but it’s a common layman’s term for what you need to do to get the transmitter pressure to display on the computer.