Vyper 2 w/compass or analog compass

[Alagua]

Hi everyone,
I need advice on my setting. I have a compass on my console, but I don’t like it there (console is pivot II Aqualung, that I'll change for a smaller one). I was thinking about putting it on my BC with a retractor, but there is not really a place to drill a hole to fix it there. Any advice on other compass I could use? (I heard SK7 is good, but I found it too big. I’m really looking for something low profile.

My LDS offered me to exchange the Vyper I bought last year for the Vyper II (that includes a compass). How about that? Is digital compass a good thing? Is it worth the price?
I’m still new to diving, but I’ll do my Advanced in about two weeks, and I'd like to do the navigation course.

Thank you

 

[John_B]

DSS makes a lower profile mount for the SK7 compass. I'd go that route. $12.

I personally wouldn't be interested in a digital compass because I don't know what problems it would solve over and above an analog compass. YMMV.

John

 

[Rainer]

When your computer dies, do you want to get home?

 

[ClayJar]

There is one purely practical reason I would *solidly* recommend an SK-7 over the digital compass in the Vyper2. From reading the specifications, perusing the manual, and *using* the Vyper2, I can conclude with quite comfortable certainty that the electronic compass in the Vyper2 is *not* a three-axis electronic compass.

What does that mean? Simply put, it means you have to hold it level to use it. A three-axis electronic compass has multiple Hall-effect sensors and the brains to use them, which lets you use it in any orientation, but it costs more and takes more engineering.

"Surely that doesn't matter!" you say, "My regular old compass has to be held level to work!"

Well, for the first part, the SK-7 is a *fantastic* compass which works even with amazing tilt angles. (Those cheaper dive compasses are much more tilt-affected.) Perhaps more significantly, since you can *see* the compass card, you have much more useful feedback regarding tilt. Unless you put a spirit level on your Vyper2, it simply cannot give you the same meaningful feedback. Finally, holding a compass in front of you and sighting *across* it is the "right" way to navigate (as it is significantly more useful and accurate than looking down to find the current orientation of the compass). Sighting across a Vyper2 just doesn't work as well (although if you traced a line across the scratch guard, you could, perhaps, approximate).

I love my dive computers, and the Vyper2 is a really nice one, but for navigation, you simply cannot beat a "real" compass. (If you're just needing to know which end of the boat the anchor line was on, it's enough, but if you're trying to swim across 100 yards of sand to get to the treasure chest, it's poorly suited.)

 

[somewhereinla]

I love dive computers, but I want an analog back up for everything. Get the Viper 2 if you want, but I would keep your other compass. You already have it...

 

[johnny_bravo]

Low profile DSS boot on an SK7 is all you need.

The Suunto digital compasses are great on land and absolute crap in the water.

Cheers.

-J.-

 

[Alagua]

Thank you everyone,
I'll look at DSS to see if they make a mount for my compass (which is not a suunto but works not too bad) or I'll try to find a way to fix it to my BC.

Alagua

 

[rdbean]

I have the same feature on my D9, BUT I find it annoying at times because it reads in exact degrees, all I need is a general heading so the exact numbers get on my nerves!