Suunto Air Transmitter

[LanceRiley]

I bought a Suunto D4i... without the transmitter.

Im wondering.. how efficient is the transmitter? i've heard horror stories of transmitter not transmitting in the middle of the dive? are they worth it?

im using a scubapro mk17 1st stage.

 

[muzikbiz22]

I bought a Suunto D4i... without the transmitter.

Im wondering.. how efficient is the transmitter? i've heard horror stories of transmitter not transmitting in the middle of the dive? are they worth it?

im using a scubapro mk17 1st stage.

I've had the new D4i, with transmitter, for about 3 months now, and no issues. You could always get a small SPG, as redundancy. I'm on the fence about doing that myself, just for safety sake. But, having the D4i eliminated a clunky console with SPG, computer, and compass. Lot easier (and lighter) to travel with.

 

[LanceRiley]

i still do have the SPG and depth guage console... planning to keep it though as a backup.

3 months... so how many dives has it gone? not finicky? do you need to "pair" it everytime you change tanks? I usually do 2 dives. every sunday..

 

[muzikbiz22]

i still do have the SPG and depth guage console... planning to keep it though as a backup.

3 months... so how many dives has it gone? not finicky? do you need to "pair" it everytime you change tanks? I usually do 2 dives. every sunday..

I purchased with the intent of eliminating the console, and that's what I did. I occasionally put some thought to adding a single, small SPG. Still on the fence on that. I'm liking my streamlined regulator rig at this point, especially for dive travel.

I've got around 50'ish dives, and no issues. I've yet to find it finicky or "conservative". As far as pairing it, once you've paired, that's it. There may be an occasion where you have to re-pair or change channels, and that would be if you get on a dive boat and someone else is TX/RX on the same channel as you. Super simple if you have to re-pair . All in all, I'm digging this thing

 

[doctormike]

I use mine so that I have pressure data in my computer for downloading into my dive logs, so I can track SAC, etc... However, I also have a brass and glass SPG.

Not sure that I would rely on it as the sole pressure gauge - it occasionally loses the connection, and consistently reads a few hundred PSI below the analog SPG reading for the early parts of the dive.

Mike

 

[LanceRiley]

muzikbiz22,

In relation to doctormike's observation.. that it is reading a few hundred psi below... I read that the transmitter gives a 500psi allowance? so if you have like 3000 psi to start with.... does it mean it will read it as 2500 psi?

doctormike, im curious... about the lost connection. does it happen underwater? what do you do to get it back? is the transmitter on the same side as your watch side?

 

[muzikbiz22]

muzikbiz22,

In relation to doctormike's observation.. that it is reading a few hundred psi below... I read that the transmitter gives a 500psi allowance? so if you have like 3000 psi to start with.... does it mean it will read it as 2500 psi?

doctormike, im curious... about the lost connection. does it happen underwater? what do you do to get it back? is the transmitter on the same side as your watch side?

Hmm, I'm not aware of an "allowance" or reserve. My experience is that it reads fairly true, 3000 PSI is 3000 PSI. It does give you an alarm/beep at 700 PSI, and you can program other intervals/events, etc. I think the computers like the Atomic Cobalt have "a reserve" feature, something like a 300 PSI differential. As far as a lost connection, you don't have to do anything. If there is a lapse, it refreshes very quickly. Again, nothing to worry about. FWIW, you can also download the manual off of the Suunto website

 

[LanceRiley]

oooh...!

downloading the manual... is tempting.. i might not be able to resist buying it as the dive shop is just 30mins away =)

so does the transmitter have to be on the same side as your watch? watch on left hand... transmitter on left side?

thanks for the replies by the way =)

 

[ajduplessis]

Nice to have if you have the cash to spend. I have a D9 and never had any issues.

 

[doctormike]

muzikbiz22,

In relation to doctormike's observation.. that it is reading a few hundred psi below... I read that the transmitter gives a 500psi allowance? so if you have like 3000 psi to start with.... does it mean it will read it as 2500 psi?

doctormike, im curious... about the lost connection. does it happen underwater? what do you do to get it back? is the transmitter on the same side as your watch side?

The computer usually reads 300-400 psi below the SPG at the beginning of the dive, and they converge as the dive proceeds. By the time that I'm below 1000 psi, they are fairly close.

Transmitter is pointed away from my left wrist with the computer.

The lost connection happens regularly when I fire my strobes on a night dive (this is apparently a reported issue), but it eventually resets. Lately, I have just stopped looking at the computer pressure reading altogether (I switched the computer to not even display it), so I'm not really sure how often I get a "FAIL" during a dive, but when it did, it would usually reconnect pretty quickly. You can hurry that process by putting your hand up to the transmitter.

When I was using it, it was reasonably reliable... but I wouldn't dive without an SPG!