where do i put the weighted STA?

[thelawgoddess]

i have an older halcyon pioneer with the integrated STA but i use it with a steel STA. i just bought a weighted STA to remove some of the weight off of my belt (and elsewhere) but i am not sure where to put it.

when i installed the unweighted steel STA i did not re-thread the cam straps; i left them as they were through the wing and had the system layered bp/wing/sta (with the cam straps through the wing).

i don't think i want to install the weighted sta that way, so my question is - what is the best way to install the new weighted STA? (i can't find that information on halcyon's site or anywhere else i've been looking for the last 30 minutes.)

help is greatly appreciated!

 

[pacchill]

If I understand what you are asking right, you run the cam bands through the STA. Then use the bolts and wing nuts to mount the STA to the backplate. It is my understanding that the weighted STA made the way it is so that you can mount weights inside the channel of the STA. So it is not really "weighted" unless there are weights mounted to it.
I have the weighted STA with rig, but I don't have any weights on it. I think you can see the Halcyon weights on the website. Or maybe try Extream Exposure.
If I am wrong, Im sorry. This is just how I see the system.
Cheers
PacChill
P.S. Still digging the fins. She loves them!

 

[thelawgoddess]

good to hear about the fins - glad she's enjoying them!

thanks for the tips. this is halcyon's weighted STA - it has a 6-lb weight in it [that can be removed]. i'm going to set it up as i had the unweighted STA for now and maybe work on moving the straps to the STA at some point. i had lots of other tweaking to do tonight!

 

[Ben_ca]

From the Halcyon Website

Is this what you mean? Usually if you have an STA you do not route the straps thru the wing... The older STA's wouldn't line up IIRC

 

[pacchill]

I dont have a weight on mine. I was going to make one from my soft bags. I really got to get the weight off my belt. It's killing my trim.

 

[Ben_ca]

Pac,
Just get a small hard wt... thread it thru your top (or bottom) cam band....

 

[pacchill]

Tried that. All the ones I tired to use are too big. At least to run them on the back side of the band, inside the channel of the STA. I have some 2kl soft weights are smaller than normal hard weights, they didn't fit either. I think Im just going to make a mold and melt down the lead in the soft weights, and mold them with some big washers in them to mount'm on the sta. OR find some for cheap some where.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

From the Halcyon Website

Is this what you mean? Usually if you have an STA you do not route the straps thru the wing... The older STA's wouldn't line up IIRC

LawGoddess,

To set up a singles rig using the weighted STA, Ben is exactly right (good photos BTW).

Run the cam bands through the STA. Clamp the STA to the tank(s) you will be using to ensure the tension is correct.
(Soak the cam bands first...)

Once the STA is tight to the tank, then thread the wing onto the bolts followed by the backplate. If you want to use a P-weight, hard or soft, then the P-weight goes into the channel before you tighten either the wingnuts or the little doohickies that Tobin offers that are easier to work with cold hands. (Tobin's innovative doohickiage found here: )
http://www.deepseasupply.com/page13.html

This setup allows you to come up from the first dive, change tanks on the boat to a second tank for your second dive, and never need to mess with further disassembly of your rig while on the boat.

Enjoy your new weighted STA. If you're still wearing a weightbelt, and you don't want to be wearing a weightbelt (as I notice you're up in the PNW near Seattle), you have two easy options available to you, both with their own benefits and liabilities. These would be a heavy plate or a P-weight (channel weight).

Hope this helps - if I understand correctly what it is that you're asking. If this isn't clear, or if I misunderstood, please let me know

Regards,

Doc

 

[thelawgoddess]

okay; i think i'm starting to see what your'e saying. i guess this method seems a bit strange because i have the mc pack on my plate, so putting the STA on first and then trying to attach the rest sounds rather awkward. right now i still have the cam bands threaded through the wing. the slots in the wing are wider (as in more distance between them) than the slots in the STA, giving me more latitude to put my tanks higher - if that makes any sense the way i explained it. i do like the new weighted STA, but we went on a charter this weekend, and it sure was a lot more difficult to change out tanks with my rig being that much heaver ...

 

[pacchill]

Lawgoddess,
If you plan on removing the STA frequently, leave off one, or both of the fasteners on the bottom part of the MCPack. That is what I, and quite a few others do. My STA always comes off after diving, for cleaning and storage of my rig.
As far as your straps go,you are still running them through the slots on the backplate and wing right? Are there holes on the Pioneer for mounting the STA with the bolts or is it just wedged between your tank and the BP? It has been a while since I have seen the Pioneer up close. You said the wider slots on the wing let you put your tanks higher, you lost me lol. Sorry. I think I am at the point where I would have to see to really help.