All my gear got stolen out of my car a while back and I'm replacing it. Does anybody dive with a wireless, air integrated computer? I've heard that strobe pops break the link between the transmitter and receiver. Does anybody have this problem? I teach allot, and like to be able to keep an eye on my gauges and a hand ready to grab wayward open water students. This last break in pretty much makes two things clear: I hate Southern California and my dog Tucker is never going to be a K9 officer when he grows up.
This is a potential problem. My Uwatec Air Z Nitrox doesn't like my S&S YS90DX strobes. I used to attach the computer to the camera rig, but lost air pressure data when the strobes fired. Moving it to my wrist solved the problem. It depends on what strobes you have & what computer. Seems you just have to get enough distance between the strobes & wrist unit.
I use a wrist Oceanic that works fine. Ike strobes never bother it.
My Oceanic Atom doesn't bother my Inon strobe, or vice versa. You got to agree that S. Cal. diving is just spectacular regardless of the other buttheads out there. Sorry for the loss.
I have a Suunto Vytec and 1 Ike DS125 strobe - Never had a problem. My wife has a Uwatec Air Z Nitrox and has been pretty close to me when I've taken pictures, no probs there either.
If you're teaching though, and I'm assuming diving, I'm thinking you should probably have a guage so your kit is of roughly the same set-up as your students?
James
I have a Suunto D9 and a Suunto Vytec and have had no problems with YS90s, YS110s or Ikelite 125s. I think the computer manufacturers have mostly solved this problem. The strobe/wireless issue, as I recall, was particularly troublesome with the first generation wireless computers (Uwatec Aladins 6-10 years ago for sure had a problem with Nikonos 105s). But even then, it wasn't a safety problem. They just lost the signal for a few seconds and then reacquired it. It was the durn beeping from people's computers every time the signal was lost that drove me nuts!
Stefan
I've never had a problem from strobe operation. I've had lots of problems losing connectivity. I also have an SPG clipped off. I don't use the wireless to get rid of a house. I have it so I can get all my info in one glance of my wrist, which is holding a camera.
Uwatecs with Inons or Nikonos: no problems for me over 6 years.
Vytec with a Inon D-2000 and more recently with two Z-240's. no problems noted from the flash. In fact rarely lose a connection on my Vytec wireless, and if so, just a momentary blip...
I use Ikelite DS125s and Inon Z220s with both an Oceanic VTPro and an Oceanic Atom2.
No problem with either.
Had problems sometime back with an old Oceanic Datatrans Plus and Sea & Sea strobes. But its not really an issue. It loses connectivity for a couple of seconds, then returns to normal.
Go for it. The one less hose, and the computer on your wrist where you can see it is a great setup for a photog.
BTW, free tip, I prefer the computer on my right wrist
I have a Vytec and Subtronics, also used Sea&Sea, never had a problem. The only time I've had the Vytec fail was if I did not check it was synching just before getting in the water. It is possible to check the computer synch when changing tanks, and then it may lose synch when one walks away from the tank / transmitter.
Then when one puts on the tank it may not resynch without turning the air on and off a couple of times. I have done this a few times, and then when one jumps in the water the computer reads 'fail'. The only way then to synch is to surface and resynch. I thought there was a problem with a computer until I realized how to avoid this happening.
I had an Aladin Air Z O2 which never had problems with strobes. However, it would sometimes lose the connection to the HP transmitter and would start beeping, usually at the worst possible time when I tried to stalk a skittish critter.
If anybody wants it, you can have it for free. It's currently waiting patientlly for a new owner. The only thing is you need to pick it up about 20 yards off Shark Reef in Ras Mohammed... Then you'll need to wait for the 20 years of deco it's probably accrued by now :-)
JP
Hi JP,
My Air Z Nitrox does the same thing (not sink the bottom of Shark Reef). It occasionally decides it can't hear the transmitter and has a bit of a beep to itself. Does it with or without strobes, usually when the angle of the transmitter isn't quite right. Needs the transmitter pointing towards my right hand side and is kind of fussy. I'm hoping my girlfriend's new D9 is less fussy.
Martyn
Uwatec Aladin Air X Nitrox, Oceanic VT-PRO & Oceanic VT-3 have caused no problem with my Nikonos strobes.
Uwatec Aladin Air X Nitrox, Oceanic VT-PRO & Oceanic VT-3 have caused no problem with my Nikonos strobes.
My Aladin Air X Nitrox seems to be quite more sensitive than other's here. I wear it on my right wrist (with a Cobra nitrox on a hose - always redundant computers). I often get a break in transmission and beeping after firing a strobe, with Ikelite SS200, and YS-120 and YS-90. The break only lasts for a short time, but the beeping can be irritating. However, having a computer on my wrist where I can see it withiut breaking concentration on a shot by hunting for the computer on a hose is worth the beeps.
Hi!
I'm diving the Uwatec Smart Tec (togehter with usually 5 or 6 other Uwatec devices) and never had any problem when using my Hartenberer strobe. Radio transmision in water is a difficult topic and may be influenced by many different things. Under some circumstances the connection may break. The Uwatec computers will sync with the transmitter as soon as the communcation is established again. There's no need for panic. It's only the beeping that may be annoying. The calculations will continue safely (like with an non-gas-integrated device) when the pressure transmisssion fails. Usually, putting your arm close to the transmitter for a short period of time will establish the transmisssion again, even under harsh conditions. It's a good idea to keep a hosed pressure gauge in your BC's pocket as a backup (although I never had to resort to one).
Helge ;-)=)
Strange people using basically the same computer have different experiences!
I've been using the Uwatec Air Z O2 with Sea & Sea strobes and have never had a problem.
