Swift Interference when using heated vest

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Ean86

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I have a Santi heated vest, Swift transmitter, legacy Shearwater transmitter, Perdix AI, UWLD heat controller/battery and I am experiencing communication loss on only the Swift transmitter. I dive SM but had some issues with BM single tank diving last fall (also communication loss but this was with a legacy SW transmitter). There is a thread over here about SM specifically but wondering if anyone in this forum has seen this behavior. I've reached out to Shearwater but still yet to hear back after reaching out Monday morning.

I wouldn't think that using a heated vest with a Swift transmitter would be out of the question for some of us. Hoping that it was tested to see if there might be some interference though I get one manufacturer cannot presumably test all permutations of gear with their products. Again, maybe a heated vest is not as common but reading posts on these forums it seems that many advanced and technical divers are using Shearwater transmitters/dive computers on longer dives where a vest might be common to keep warm.
 
Close to same setup but BM doubles and running Perdix Ai and Petrel 3 and it dropped on me last week. No issues with the legacy.
 
The vest controllers typically use some type of pulse width modulation to control voltage which may cause interference by the vest. The transmitters are sonic transmitters and if the frequency of the PWM is causing interference with the frequency of the transmitter then I could certainly see communication issues. The legacy transmitters are "dumb" in that they just broadcast continuously but the Swift transmitters are "listening" to hear if there is interference with their signal and if there is then they change their transmit frequency. The transmitters are at 38khz and the PWM may be operating at similar enough frequencies that it is confusing the transmitters.
@Bobby may have more information on that.

If you move the Perdix close to the transmitter will it pick the signal up? That's typical behavior with a low transmitter battery where bringing the Perdix closer will allow it to pick back up. It's annoying but radio transmission isn't directional and is easily disrupted...
 
The vest controllers typically use some type of pulse width modulation to control voltage which may cause interference by the vest. The transmitters are sonic transmitters and if the frequency of the PWM is causing interference with the frequency of the transmitter then I could certainly see communication issues. The legacy transmitters are "dumb" in that they just broadcast continuously but the Swift transmitters are "listening" to hear if there is interference with their signal and if there is then they change their transmit frequency. The transmitters are at 38khz and the PWM may be operating at similar enough frequencies that it is confusing the transmitters.
@Bobby may have more information on that.

If you move the Perdix close to the transmitter will it pick the signal up? That's typical behavior with a low transmitter battery where bringing the Perdix closer will allow it to pick back up. It's annoying but radio transmission isn't directional and is easily disrupted...
I spoke with Bobby about this as well. I just wanted to throw it out here to see if anyone else had a similar experience. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised. I just never really thought that wireless transmission would be an issue. The distance didn't really make much of a difference but I'm diving again tomorrow so I can test it out. Other ideas I have are I will swap transmitters to the opposite tank and I could always try putting the first stage facing the bottom instead of facing up towards me. I just don't like having my transmitters exposed but that would gain a little distance from the vest. If nothing else works out - seems like I may have to try to find another legacy transmitter. Hopefully Shearwater will get back to me soon.
 
Pretty much confirmed for myself that the heated vest is the cause in my case. Switching tanks for the transmitters didn't change much. To test I had my heated vest connected under my dry suit but not connected to my heat controller. Heat controller and battery connected with EO plug on the end of the heat controller connection. Got in the water and at depth turned on the heat controller (again vest is not on). At all power levels the heat controller had no impact on communication with the Swift or legacy Shearwater transmitter.

Second dive I hooked up the connection to the heated vest from the heat controller. At depth I turned on the heat controller to level 2 of 5. About 30 seconds later lost communication in both transmitters. I was just stationary playing with it to see what would happen. Sometimes it would come back, distance to perdix and transmitters didn't change anything that I could observe. Turned heat off and comms came back right away for both transmitters.

Started the heated vest up again and seemed to remain in communication for most of the dive but intermittently would lose it then it would come back. Seems like I'll just have to live with this unless SW says this is not normal behavior.
 
Pretty much confirmed for myself that the heated vest is the cause in my case. Switching tanks for the transmitters didn't change much. To test I had my heated vest connected under my dry suit but not connected to my heat controller. Heat controller and battery connected with EO plug on the end of the heat controller connection. Got in the water and at depth turned on the heat controller (again vest is not on). At all power levels the heat controller had no impact on communication with the Swift or legacy Shearwater transmitter.

Second dive I hooked up the connection to the heated vest from the heat controller. At depth I turned on the heat controller to level 2 of 5. About 30 seconds later lost communication in both transmitters. I was just stationary playing with it to see what would happen. Sometimes it would come back, distance to perdix and transmitters didn't change anything that I could observe. Turned heat off and comms came back right away for both transmitters.

Started the heated vest up again and seemed to remain in communication for most of the dive but intermittently would lose it then it would come back. Seems like I'll just have to live with this unless SW says this is not normal behavior.
Happens to me and my buddy with CCR when we turn on heat (not always). It causes signal dropping. We are using old models. If you turn off heat, signal returns.
 
Happens to me and my buddy with CCR when we turn on heat (not always). It causes signal dropping. We are using old models. If you turn off heat, signal returns.
Out of filling in data points, do you know what the heating package is? Undies/controller/battery? And if there was a heat setting that caused it?

FYI, I have seen cars that had headrest monitors installed that would go wonky when the seat heater is turned on. Only the ones that had PWM controlled heat levels. You could watch the interference change on different heat levels. PWM makes a lot of noise.
 
Out of filling in data points, do you know what the heating package is? Undies/controller/battery? And if there was a heat setting that caused it?

FYI, I have seen cars that had headrest monitors installed that would go wonky when the seat heater is turned on. Only the ones that had PWM controlled heat levels. You could watch the interference change on different heat levels. PWM makes a lot of noise.
My vest is a Santi Flex 2.0 so output is 55w on it's highest setting? I use it with the UWLD 107wh battery and heat controller. Setting 2 is what I use the vest at. Didn't test much above those as it's too hot for me most of the time above 3. Undergarments are either a really light layer "under armour" type moisture wicking long sleeve/and pants or a 4th element one piece artic fleece.

@Bobby Would be able to explain it in better detail than I can but I am told he uses PWM (as do most if not all manufacturers of these controllers) and that he worked diligently to mitigate EMI as much as he could being that he dives a CCR and has had experience with EMI. My non-scientific testing leads me to believe that on any setting with the HC and battery only I didn't see any interference (loss of comms) with my transmitters.

Seems like there are some "fabrics" out there which one might be able to wear to mitigate EMF. I don't have any idea if it's just a gimmick or possibly might work to shield the transmitter from enough interference to talk with the computer.
 
Out of filling in data points, do you know what the heating package is? Undies/controller/battery? And if there was a heat setting that caused it?

FYI, I have seen cars that had headrest monitors installed that would go wonky when the seat heater is turned on. Only the ones that had PWM controlled heat levels. You could
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY_NVJTP0IA
Santi BZ400X with heated santi gloves = total 146W. Canister is SeaYa 41.4 ah one with dual outputs so can be additional 70w for light. Also have Scaleo Heat to change heating volume (0-25-50-75-100%). If heating is max and lamp on then usually signal drops. Also compass goes wild. Heating on 0 and lamp on everything works normal. It's only like 30-40% posibility that signal is blocked even with everything on. I don't know why it sometimes work and some time doesn't. Wire that goes to gloves is under computer, so that might cause it.
 

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