Silly log book dilemma - help please!

[Walter]

Why would you ever need to show 900 dives? I carry the current volume, if I've just started a new book, I might take the previous one as well.

 

[do it easy]

I keep the current year's worth of dives in my log book. At the start of the year, it's out with the old and in with the new. I keep the old ones in a seperate place. Check with your instructor if he or she will want to see your log book. If it's an instructor that you know, they might just ask you about your dives, rather than want to see logged proof.

 

[RadRob]

Why would you ever need to show 900 dives? I carry the current volume, if I've just started a new book, I might take the previous one as well.

I carry the CD so I can look back at the notes, maps, good dive locations, etc... In my post, I said the last 30 dives or so should be sufficient. The CD is for personal use only.

 

[dkktsunami]

I use a passport-sized log book which fills up in a year. Start each year with a new log book. I record the dive site,date, lbs.air consumed, max. depth, average depth, dive time, and SCR. Very little verbage.

 

[NadMat]

Somewhat off topic, do any of you use the software dive logs? What do you think of them? Which is your fav? My logs disappeared when 'helpful' GF (now ex-GF) threw them out (why would anyone need or value bunch of old paperwork?). All I had left were my original OW Cert training logs (saved in seperate spot in the original SSI logbook). So I had to start over again. Of course, never had anyone ask to see my logs, so not a problem except I would like to have those records. Wasn't diving much for about last 8 years, occasional recovery dive in local lakes, or help someone reposition dock. But recent trip to Cozumel has me addicted once again and am probably going to go digital with logs but unsatisfied with current offerings I have found. Am considering just writing my own. So far best I have seen seems to be Uwatecs offering, but still, like most of others it seems to be designed from their equipment interface on up rather than on ease of access and usability from divers standpoint.

And if I write my own software, what features would you like to see in dive log software? If I write it, I will market it, even if don't really make any money at it would give me excuse to write off some equipment and dive trips as development expenses.

Current planned features include ability to download or import from most or all downloadable PDC's, ability to attach audio and video clips to logs, extensive site and location DB modifiable by user, Windows/Mac/Linux versions, scaled down versions of software for portable devices ( palm computers, blackberries, jave app enable phones, etc.) to allow for logging of pertinent details while still fresh in mind (not a good idea to drag nice laptop out on small boat dives, but almost always bring at least phone), some waterproof, reusable log cards for manual entry at site for those without portable electronics, manual entry of dive profiles for those who would like to enter that data from non downloadable PDC's or those still going old school without computers, dive planning features, and of course a web link to ScubaBoard

Edit: Copied this to new thread on R&D board, thought it was most appropriate there

 

[Jasonmh]

Somewhat off topic, do any of you use the software dive logs? What do you think of them? Which is your fav? My logs disappeared when 'helpful' GF (now ex-GF) threw them out (why would anyone need or value bunch of old paperwork?). All I had left were my original OW Cert training logs (saved in seperate spot in the original SSI logbook). So I had to start over again. Of course, never had anyone ask to see my logs, so not a problem except I would like to have those records. Wasn't diving much for about last 8 years, occasional recovery dive in local lakes, or help someone reposition dock. But recent trip to Cozumel has me addicted once again and am probably going to go digital with logs but unsatisfied with current offerings I have found. Am considering just writing my own. So far best I have seen seems to be Uwatecs offering, but still, like most of others it seems to be designed from their equipment interface on up rather than on ease of access and usability from divers standpoint.

And if I write my own software, what features would you like to see in dive log software? If I write it, I will market it, even if don't really make any money at it would give me excuse to write off some equipment and dive trips as development expenses.

Current planned features include ability to download or import from most or all downloadable PCD's, ability to attach audio and video clips to logs, extensive site and location DB modifiable by user, Windows/Mac/Linux versions, scaled down versions of software for portable devices ( palm computers, blackberries, jave app enable phones, etc.) to allow for logging of pertinent details while still fresh in mind (not a good idea to drag nice laptop out on small boat dives, but almost always bring at least phone), some waterproof, reusable log cards for manual entry at site for those without portable electronics, manual entry of dive profiles for those who would like to enter that data from non downloadable PDC's or those still going old school without computers, dive planning features, and of course a web link to ScubaBoard

I would really like some better divelog software. I thought that Diving Log 4.0 was close, but not quite. I'd like to see some software that let you do more flexible queries. For example, to be able to search for and bring up all dives that were deeper than 80ft, or all dives that were in an overhead, or all dives using doubles. That would be useful for those timest that you want to do a dive that the the op says you have to have X number of dives below 80 ft, you could look up and print just those to show the op. In some of the software you can add your own custom fields, but when you do you cannot search on them or see them in an exported spreadsheet. When you set the program to imperial, the calculations are still done in metric. And the export feature provides confusing data such as WaterType=1, because Freshwater is the first option in the list, but when you are looking at the exported data it makes no sense, because you don't know that 1=freshwater. Lots for room for improvement I think. Would be interested to hear what other people use.

 

[nazgul810]

I would really like some better divelog software. I thought that Diving Log 4.0 was close, but not quite. I'd like to see some software that let you do more flexible queries. For example, to be able to search for and bring up all dives that were deeper than 80ft, or all dives that were in an overhead, or all dives using doubles.

You might try Scubase, I think that it will allow queries like that. I downloaded the trail and played with it but haven't used the full version.
http://www.scubase.net/