Chest Mounted Altimeter

[JeffSkydiver 0]

Hi All,

Having just returned to the sport after 23 years off, one of the many changes I see is the change from chest mounted to wrist mounted altimeters.

Soon, I'm pretty sure I'm going to find the right box of old junk in my garage or closet and find my old chest mount.

I want to know, was the change due to some safety reason I'm not aware of? Or was the change just for style?

I have to say, it's hard getting used to the wrist mount. I keep pulling my arm in like I'm looking at my watch. I'm trying hard to just glance at it in my peripheral vision. I can honestly say however, I'd be much more comfortable with my chest mount. It's always right there regardless of arm position - even in tracking.

If/when I find my alti, is there a problem using it as a chest mount (assuming it still works!)?
Wassup?

jt

*

Let's all do this safe enough that we can still do this in our 90's.

[Hooknswoop 19]

The problems with chest mountd altimeters are 1) You lose sight of what is going on around you looking at your chest mount, 2) Other people's chest mount can be very unreliable (forgot to zero, constantly gets dropped with their rig, etc) 3) if you look at a chest mount while tracking you can;t see where you are going and it causes your flat trak to not be so flat anymore, 4) it can hit you on opening 5) one jumper died after landing on it and it hit their throat.

Once you get used to the wrist mount you'll find it easier to read than a chest mount.

Derek

[tombuch 0]

Quote

The problems with chest mountd altimeters are 1) You lose sight of what is going on around you looking at your chest mount, 2) Other people's chest mount can be very unreliable (forgot to zero, constantly gets dropped with their rig, etc) 3) if you look at a chest mount while tracking you can;t see where you are going and it causes your flat trak to not be so flat anymore, 4) it can hit you on opening 5) one jumper died after landing on it and it hit their throat.

I really like chest mounted altimeters, especially for conventional RW because I don't need to take my eyes away from the formation to know what the altitude is. I suppose that isn't so much the case with freeflying. I find that when in a group of flat flyers I'd rather have three or four altimeters available on other peoples chests, rather than just mine...that reduces the likelihood that I'll rely on a single altimeter that is inaccurate. Besides, sharing altimeters on a skydive is an old school social thing to do.

I especially like looking at a chest mount when I'm tracking because with a quick glance down i can see where I am, then continue the glance around to look for other tracking jumpers, all without changing my direction of flight or pitch. I see too many people with wrist mounts looking at their wrists and not tracking straight, or at all.

I've handled a few (two) accident reviews when bridles were snagged on wrist mounts. I don't know of any fatality yet, but freak accidents happen with all gear.

So, I guess the point of my post is that there are pluses and minus with both wrist and chest altimeters. It becomes a matter of personal preference. In my case, I've pretty much switched to a wrist mount because there are so few chest mounts on my skydives, that I need to look at my own anyway, and if I'm going to look at my own in freefall, the wrist mount is a bit easier to see.

So, if you are returning to the sport, feel free to use your chest mount, or simply switch the mount so the same altimeter works on your wrist. It's all fun.

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[sundevil777 94]

I prefer having a more visible hand mount with the altimeter sitting more on the side of your hand next to your thumb, instead of on the back of the hand. Having a smallish finger loop, only on the index finger is the way to do it.

It has only been the last ten years that I've worn an altimeter at all, got by with eyes and a paralert.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[IanHarrop 37]

Hi Jeff,

I can relate to your situation because I was off for 16 years.

I still use my chest mount, but I did get a new wrist mount. My g/f and I do a lot of RW and she really likes my chest mount and I like it for tracking.

I too had a Para-Alert in the old days but got a Neptune, which I also really like having.

Ian

Edited because my computer forgets to make me press the spell check button before I post stuff...

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

[councilman24 36]

Nothing wrong as far as I'm concerned. I'm still using mine bought in 1980. As you know, you can look at someone elses during RW. (There no less reliable than anything else. They always work fine for the people I know.) You can watch the other tracking behind you and look at your altimeter easily. It won't hit you if your rig fits. If you land on it your in trouble anyway. I keep my Jack the Ripper on the back of mine. Keeps the mount from flipping up and puts the knife on my sternum where its never in the way and available to either hand.

I know several hand mounts snagged or ripped on opening. I know one jumper with his fingers almost ripped off (still don't work completely) by getting his hand in his risers and altimeter caught.

I have a hand mount. In some cases I where it also. But I've never been able to get used to looking at it. Audibles have gotten better and most people are using at least one.

Mud flap mounts are also available.

There may be reasons for each. But it's mainly style. Our and other student programs use hand mounts because students stay more stable, they are abused less, and the less expensive ones were more amienable to hand mount or wrist mounts. Then students stay with what they're used to. Also obviously hand mounts are more appropriate for tandem and camera work. So all of this, I believe, has led to the to the popularity of hand mounts. But feel free to use your chest mount.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[dorbie 0]

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3) if you look at a chest mount while tracking you can;t see where you are going and it causes your flat trak to not be so flat anymore,

I recently considered a chest mount for the opposite reason. I've been getting instructed to watch behind during tracking to improve body position and keep an eye on what I'm tracking away from. It's a niggle to rotate my hand to squint at my alti in a track.

In the pattern a chest mount seems prefferable to a wrist, especially when you consider the Sun (how often have you glanced at your wrist alti and had to move your hand over the Sun just to read it?).

Taking grips during RW seems like when the wrist mount wins easily on easy visibility.

[dropzonefool 0]

Hay Jeff, I have a Neptune for a wrist mount. I have a pro ditter in my helmet, and on occasion I wear a chest mount alt. I like the chest on training jumps when I'm sit flying. The Atl. floats up in a sit and can be read with just eyes (looking down with only eyes) no movement of the head. Also with the digital age sometime it good to have that good old "analog type" altimiter just n case the batteries in the digital decide to go dead.
The only cause I have with chest mounts "chest strap mount" it can block your view of your E handles.
Don't blow off the dust, let the relative wind have it desert. After 23 years I'm sure its hungry!

J

[JeffSkydiver 0]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for all your helpful replies.

I tend to agree that it seems that what one used in training is what one remains most comfortable with.

Once I find mine I think I'll use both for awhile. Right now I'm using a large one strapped on the wrist with velcro. Maybe I can borrow one of those that look smaller and are more down on the hand, which seem to face more naturally toward the eyes.

I've also noticed that some altis have the yellow zone beginning at 4000 or 4500 I think rather than the standard alt. I think that's a good idea.

As far as altitude in general goes, in the old days, nearly all my jumps were from a 182 with occasional jumps from a Cherokee 6 and few Beech 18's. As a result, most jumps were under 10,000 feet. I remember standard opening alt for me was 3000.

Now with my jumps consistently at 13,500 out of a Porter or Otter, the ride is much longer. As a result, I've moved my opening to 4000. I like having the extra time under canopy or to deal with a mal. From my perspective, my free fall times are still one heck of a lot longer than what I had been used to.

Thanks again for all your posts. I'm so darn happy to be back in the sky.

If anyone ever comes to Deland, please let me know and we can meet up - up there, that is.

Blue skies,

jt

*

Let's all do this safe enough that we can still do this in our 90's.

[JohnRich 4]

Quote

I tend to agree that it seems that what one used in training is what one remains most comfortable with.

Screw fashion and what everyone else is doing. There are pros and cons to both mounting locations. Use what you're comfortable with!

Oh, and welcome back!

[councilman24 36]

Quote

Taking grips during RW seems like when the wrist mount wins easily on easy visibility.

But, when we all wore chest mounts we looked at the other guy's chest mount in front of us.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[freakflyer9999 1]

I personally prefer a wrist mount for my primary altimeter. I am currently jumping a chest mount converted to wrist mount. I sold all of my gear when I got of the sport a few years back and now I'm having to buy everything again, so I've been buying used.
As I did previously I intend to jump with both a chest mount and wrist mount in addition to the audible altimeter that I jump with. As I stated above, I always used the wrist mount as my primary and kept the chest mount turned so that it was readable by those I was jumping with. It still served as a backup when needed and when tracking.

[steve1 5]

Jeff,
I quit for about the same length of time as you did. When I started up again I got my old altimeter out of moth balls and gave it a try. I unscrewed it off the old metal plate that fit on my old belly reserve. It still works just fine for a chest mount.

My problem is that I can't read it very easily with my Z-1 on my head. To tell you the truth I almost never look at my chest mount altimeter anymore. I've also got a new wrist altimeter, and I look at it most jumps. I've had people make fun of me for packing two altimeters, but I like to be able to look down at the chest mount when someone has ahold of my wrist in a formation. Others look at it also when I'm doing RW across from them. Maybe I don't need two, but the extra one comes in handy sometimes.....Steve1