Swift vs old school transmitter?

[Mike1967]

I have 100s of SM dives using two gray transmitters and my Perdix and I have never had a single issue. I think the "issue" has been exaggerated a bit.

 

[scubadada]

Oh, you are speaking of the old yellow one. I believe the recall was because some of the early yellow ones still had the 5s transmit interval of the grey ones. Oops! It is not clear why they developed the Swift other than to be clever; especially if you we using a grey and a yellow, The problem the Swift solves was non-existent, except possibly for one colliding ping. And there are downsides to the Swift, like battery life, and changing the battery. Not to mention cost.

Perhaps Shearwater has a better margin when they manufacture the transmitter themselves.

The battery life of the Swift is said to be 300 hrs, same as the PPS transmitters from Aqua Lung and Oceanic (Huish)

Removing the 4 hex screws and removing the cover of the Swift is not as convenient as unscrewing the hatch on the PPS transmitters

The Swift goes for $400. The Aqua Lung transmitter is now going for $420 and the Oceanic for $400.

 

[Mike1967]

The Swift goes for $400. The Aqua Lung transmitter is now going for $420 and the Oceanic for $400.

Wait what?! The Swift is the same price as the old style ones now? Did the Swift come down or the other up?

 

[tursiops]

The battery life of the Swift is said to be 300 hrs, same as the PPS transmitters from Aqua Lung and Oceanic (Huish)

It is stated as "up to" 300h.

Here is an interesting tidbit from the SW site:

HOW MUCH WARNING WILL I GET BEFORE THE BATTERY DIES?​

More than 20 hours of transmit time in most cases.​

​

The Swift ships with a high-quality Panasonic CR2 battery that will give well over 25 hours of transmission time from the first (yellow) low battery warning at about 20°C. The precise amount of transmit time will be affected by temperature and the type of battery installed. The Swift has been designed to allow you to comfortably finish your dive trip without the need to change the battery in the field; however, the battery should be changed as soon as practical following a low battery warning.​

The Swift goes for $400. The Aqua Lung transmitter is now going for $420 and the Oceanic for $400.

The PPS transmitter is advertised at $290 new if you look around, and is often available used for $200-225. Good luck finding a Swift for that!

 

[Mike1967]

The PPS transmitter is advertised at $290 new if you look around, and is often available used for $200-225. Good luck finding a Swift for that!

Yeah didn't think it sounded right, there's 120 aussie bucks difference here.

 

[Mike1967]

HOW MUCH WARNING WILL I GET BEFORE THE BATTERY DIES?

Battery life is a moot point IMO, if you change it every 12mths you'll never get a warning.

 

[tursiops]

Battery life is a moot point IMO, if you change it every 12mths you'll never get a warning.

The battery warning is part of the transmitter data stream. All the PPS/Shearwater transmitters send the same signal, coded the same. The battery status is sent, as above 2.75V("good"), below 2.75V ("warning"), and below 2.5V ("critical"). Not all computers decode all three levels; some just report Good plus one of the others. Cold weather and less-than-optimal batteries can drop the endurance to less than a year.

 

[scubadada]

It is stated as "up to" 300h.

Here is an interesting tidbit from the SW site:

HOW MUCH WARNING WILL I GET BEFORE THE BATTERY DIES?​

More than 20 hours of transmit time in most cases.​

​

The Swift ships with a high-quality Panasonic CR2 battery that will give well over 25 hours of transmission time from the first (yellow) low battery warning at about 20°C. The precise amount of transmit time will be affected by temperature and the type of battery installed. The Swift has been designed to allow you to comfortably finish your dive trip without the need to change the battery in the field; however, the battery should be changed as soon as practical following a low battery warning.​

The PPS transmitter is advertised at $290 new if you look around, and is often available used for $200-225. Good luck finding a Swift for that!

Wow, that's a really great price, I took the prices off of Scuba.com (ex-LeisurePro). These are list prices, any manufacturer discounts are generally shown when available.

I recently got over 400 hours off my CR2 in a PPS transmitter before it suddenly died, with no low battery warning from my Teric. I usually change the transmitter battery at the same time as the battery in my Oceanic VT3, 200-250 dives, more hours. Air integrated computers…backup?

 

[tursiops]

Wow, that's a really great price, I took the prices off of Scuba.com (ex-LeisurePro). These are list prices, any manufacturer discounts are generally shown when available.

Yeah, you won't find any discounts on Shearwaters because of their controlled pricing policy with dealers. List price (MSRP) is kind of irrelevant on the PPS transmitters....

 

[Mike1967]

The battery warning is part of the transmitter data stream.

Yeah I just mean if you change it every year it'll never get flat enough to give a warning.