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toddville393
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It doesn't give me an option to ship to the US though.
Should I upgrade?
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It doesn't give me an option to ship to the US though.
moody s
Contributor
They don't sell or support the North American market at present. If you go onto a euro based forum you might be able to pick one up used but personally I would buy something that you can at least get support for. In your price range you really won't find much of an upgrade from DG03, my suggestion is to keep diving it till you can afford a petrel. If you find that a BT does meet your needs but you want when with a nicer screen and interface then it's the xDeep or the Liquivision Xen.
OP
toddville393
Contributor
I don't like the layout. I prefer the squared screens over the round, it's just more tidy and easy to read at a quick glance. Also I don't like the I way the button interface is, it's so confusing and the user guide isn't really that helpful on how to use it. Mostly I had to just mess around with it to figure out what things did and I still don't know how to work half of the stuff on it. Lastly I want a colored display or at least one that's not like looking at a calculator, I went on a deep dive at night awhile back and even with the back light it was a nightmare to read.
---------- Post added March 23rd, 2015 at 08:08 AM ----------
How do I know if a BT will fit my needs though? In all the classes I've taken my instructors always talked about computers so I don't know much about BTs.
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Actually they will ship outside of the EU, I have bought from them direct before, from memory the shipping on the computer was €40. Of course if you buy from them and you have an issue you'll need to ship it back to them. Send them an email. Customer service is tops.
moody s
Contributor
Interesting, I wonder if this is new, when I emailed them last year they wouldn't ship to me.
Save your money and get a petrel getting anything from Europe is a waste since you don't have the support. Theses people trying to make you pay an insane amount for shipping aren't doing you a favor it will and up costing the same as a petrel. You can get a petrel very cheap now since the Canadian dollar is low. Do not waste you money on a computer your going to hate or from Europe
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moody s
Contributor
A bottom timer just gives you depth and time information, you have to do all the deco calculations on your own. A dive computer will do that for you based on the algorithm it's programmed with including calculation of your residual nitrogen levels based on your surface interval. You are choosing between diving a BT w/tables or using a dive computer (although I would still have tables as a back up). Dive computers are much more efficient unless you are diving square profiles as they take into account the time spent at various depths instead of taking your max depth and applying to the total dive time. If you are interested in doing the BT route but aren't sure you have the skill set i recommend taking Fundies with a GUE instructor as they don't dive computers, strictly BT. It will also probably be beneficial in other areas of your diving and you can take the rec version with a single tank set up.
victorzamora
Contributor
The Hollis DG03 has one of the worst UIs imaginable, that's for sure. The fact that you have to fight with it to get it to do what you want is deplorable, it's too hard to figure out....and I'm actually a rocket scientist! However, once you set the basics (date/time/etc) all you really need to do is change the FO2 of your inspired gas (so, change Nitrox types if diving Nitrox) and go on. That is easy to do. Diving air, there's zero maintenance....just hop in the water and dive.
As for the screen layout, I don't think it's that bad. Certainly not great, but not any worse than anything in your price range. The screen itself is certainly lacking. I found the backlight to be a little dim and not very crisp....like it left the letters very fuzzy. I have a DG03 that I used exclusively until I could afford a Petrel. My wife has an Oceanic Geo 2.0, which is MUCH easier to read at night. The backlight is much more crisp in that it leaves actual definition in the characters.
Having said all of the above, my suggestion follows the same suggestion of many above me. You're still young in your dive career. Wait it out for a little while. Don't buy more gear just to realize it's not what you really need. Save some cash, get a Petrel, be set forever.
I HATE saying it this way, but if you have to ask it typically won't. A bottom timer will do nothing regarding tracking your inert gas loadings....the reason depth and time matter in scuba diving. A bottom timer is just a single piece of hardware that tracks your time and measures your depth. It doesn't keep track of anything other than time. It does nothing that a depth gauge and stopwatch would do. This means that you have to either a) Follow tables like you would without a computer at all and just keep track using something like PADI's RDP or eRDPml or b) Cut deco tables and run those. If you're maxing out at 60ft, cutting your own deco tables isn't an option. Following NDL tables is a huge waste of paying for a bottom timer. Bottom timers are REALLY only useful in the world of Tec diving.
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Grey Goose
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The XDeep BT will provide you with current depth, max depth and average depth, as well as the following (might be other functions): dive time, plain surface time, speed of vertical decent/accent (adjustable), compass, alarms (for Maximum depth, Average depth, Total dive time, Alarm clock, Battery level), logbook, graphical chart (depth by time) of dive.
The BT does not tell you when you should surface (No Dive Limit) or track the surface interval time (based on your last dive and your mix).
For and additional $200, the BT is upgradable to a EANx computer.
User manual: http://www.xdeep.eu/files/manuals/xdeep_black_bt_manual_en.pdf
The BT does not tell you when you should surface (No Dive Limit) or track the surface interval time (based on your last dive and your mix).
For and additional $200, the BT is upgradable to a EANx computer.
User manual: http://www.xdeep.eu/files/manuals/xdeep_black_bt_manual_en.pdf
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