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work4mediocrity

Altitrack

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I have one, although I didn't buy the jump track software. Kinda bugs me that it isn't included, like selling a printer without ink or a cable.

The backlight is nice for night jumps.

The device does a really good job at logging the time, speed, and altitude each second. It is pretty cool to play back the jump in real time and see where you gained speed, or slowed down. You can watch the canopy deploy and snivel during the play back. :D

It is super comfortable, and fits super well on your hand. The offset numbers make it a cinch to read.

What I dont like:

The wrist strap is way too long.

It also makes me uneasy that is "zeros itself", the manual is very unclear about how it self zeros, for example how long do you have to be at a given alt for it to zero.

I wish it had an audible feature for canopy alerts, I also wish there was more precise marking from 1000 -0, you can eyeball it but i like the way the galaxy altimeters I used before were marked 1000, 900, 800, 700, etc.

Otherwise I am very happy with it at 5 jumps, I will update if I change my mind down the road.
"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

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Windows platform , The Windows emulator on a MAC should work ok or if its a new intel mac you could use boot camp. I may give the emulator a try myself if I get a chance soon.
SO this one time at band camp.....

"Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most."

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my powerbook is pre intel and I'm not real familiar with windows emulator. What's it cost and where can I find it. Is it fairly seamless to operate or will there be some noticable hiccups. I was kind of wishing it had 100 foot increments below a 1000 also or maybe an audible feature... but it still beats the old altimaster III. Thanks for the insight.

Erik

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What I dont like:

The wrist strap is way too long.

It also makes me uneasy that is "zeros itself", the manual is very unclear about how it self zeros, for example how long do you have to be at a given alt for it to zero.



Hi,

couldn't agree more with you re the wrist strap: Danish skydivers must have wrists the size of my bicep!
As for the self zeroing feature, I did some tests at home and it looks like a couple of minutes are enough for the altitude to be reset to zero.
If you're worried about it zeroing itself on the plane while holding at a constant alti, it's my understandig that the zeroing feature is disabled as soon as the Altitrack goes into airplane mode, which happens shortly after takeoff.
As the Altitrack does not leave airplane mode until a jump is logged or five hours have elapsed without a jump being made, I think there is very little chance of it happening.
Unless of course you turn it off by mistake but that's probably why they made it so complicated to turn off. :)
Ciao.

Vale

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my powerbook is pre intel and I'm not real familiar with windows emulator. What's it cost and where can I find it. Is it fairly seamless to operate or will there be some noticable hiccups. I was kind of wishing it had 100 foot increments below a 1000 also or maybe an audible feature... but it still beats the old altimaster III. Thanks for the insight.

Erik



I last used an emulator a couple of years ago but the one I used was called Virtual PC. It was a total waste of time to use because it would be equivalent to running one operating system inside another. It took ages to start up and every time you pressed the mouse, there was a 1-2 second lag before the action started.
YMMV

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Hi,

couldn't agree more with you re the wrist strap: Danish skydivers must have wrists the size of my bicep!



B| I am going to tack a piece of pile velcro on the outside of the strap for a solution. I am afraid the excess strap is going to prick important stuff when I am gathering up the canopy, or stowing my brakes. :S
"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

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The wrist strap is way too long.



Scissors?:S



Damn I didn't consider that, you are pretty clever. Allways a thinker.:P Maybe I can chop the end off with a sharp rock.

I don't want to lop the excess strap off my new 300 dollar altimeter. I don't think I would be able to hem? the newly cut section well enough to keep it from fraying at the cut.
"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

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The wrist strap is way too long.



Scissors?:S



Damn I didn't consider that, you are pretty clever. Allways a thinker.:P Maybe I can chop the end off with a sharp rock.

I don't want to lop the excess strap off my new 300 dollar altimeter. I don't think I would be able to hem? the newly cut section well enough to keep it from fraying at the cut.



So cut it, then take a lighter to it. ;)

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The wrist strap is way too long.



Scissors?:S



Damn I didn't consider that, you are pretty clever. Allways a thinker.:P Maybe I can chop the end off with a sharp rock.

I don't want to lop the excess strap off my new 300 dollar altimeter. I don't think I would be able to hem? the newly cut section well enough to keep it from fraying at the cut.



I cut mine with a hot knife and quick sew ti tack it down I ordered another one and sewing to my glove so it will be part of the golve instead
SO this one time at band camp.....

"Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most."

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The wrist strap is way too long.



Scissors?:S



Damn I didn't consider that, you are pretty clever. Allways a thinker.:P Maybe I can chop the end off with a sharp rock.

I don't want to lop the excess strap off my new 300 dollar altimeter. I don't think I would be able to hem? the newly cut section well enough to keep it from fraying at the cut.



I think, there I go thinking again, that you might be over complicating this wrist strap thing a bit.

Have you thought about taking it to a tailor?
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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Hello,
Now i am new to skydiving and am just starting to get my gear mainly Altimeters and Audibles
and i was thinking of getting two for my wrist and one Audible but idk if i am choosing the right combination of Alti's i was thinking about having a Neptune N3 and a Altitrack on my wrist and a Pro-Track as my Audible tell what you think and suggest.

Shot.

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why do you need three logging devices?
What reason would you have for needing two altimeters on your wrists?
I'd recommend you consider looking at an alti and comparing with your eyes to better train your brain as a primary altitude device. Let the audible sit in a box for a while, IMO.
FWIW, I wear an Altitrack on my wrist or mudflap, and have a Solo in one helmet and Optima in another. My "funjumping" helmet that has no camera mounts has no audible in it.

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There are three primary functions that you can look at in altimeters:

1) Visual altimeter
2) Audible altimeter (freefall alarms in all audibles, canopy alarms in some).
3) Jump logging

This may seem obvious, but I'll say it anyway - there is no single device that can give you all three functions, simply because a device that you can hear (in freefall) you can't see, and vice versa.

The combination you've described gives you two devices that do #1 (redundancy, but I'd argue not necessary redundancy), one device that does #2 and three devices that do #3. Logging, frankly, is the least important of the functions provided by altimeters. It's cool to have and provides interesting information when you're on the ground, but it's 100% useless in the air - when you're using an altimeter to let you know when you should take key life-saving steps (breaking off, pulling, executing EPs).

If you're going to invest in a Neptune or Altitrack, think about an audible that's just an audible (like a Pro-Dytter, a Solo, or an Optima). not an audible + logging device (like a ProTrack).

When I first started jumping I bought an analog wrist alti from Alti II, and that was all I used for a while. After I had about 200 jumps I had the opportunity to buy a used Pro-Dytter and later used Pro-Track, so I picked them up and saved a lot of money vs. buying new.

Having two audibles was nice but not necessary, and when the Dytter was lost (fell out of my helmet when I was walking back to the hangar), I didn't replace it. I recently picked up a used Altitrack and it's been a cool addition to my skydiving toys, but I didn't buy one till I found a screaming deal on a used one, because while it added some cool logging features, it didn't add anything critical to the skydive itself that I didn't already have.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

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