New Alti

[tntsawers 0]

Having just bought a new rig i am also after a new alti but with so many on the market i dont know which will be good for me. I quite like the thought of the neptune but have heard alot of negative feed back with regards to battery life and being difficult to read in free fall. I think that it would be easier to read the digital display, any thoughts??

[labrys 0]

I have absolutley no problem reading my Neptune in freefall..... when it doesn't shut down for no obvious reason.

It does eat batteries like crazy when the weather is cooler even after the firmware update.

Owned by Remi #?

[tntsawers 0]

So it does have a mind of its own then and shut down of its own accord

[pilotdave 0]

Get a good quality analog altimeter like an alti-2 galaxy. It can last your entire skydiving career (unless you let the velcro strap get so worn it falls off in freefall, like my first one did).

I once asked a long time jumper how many old altimeters he had lying around his house with all his other old skydiving gear. None... they last so long, he was still using one he had bought many years ago.

They're cheap and always make a good backup if you ever decide to go with an electronic altimeter later on.

Dave

[diablopilot 2]

Bag the Neptune idea, and go with a bulletproof Alti Galaxy analog. It will serve you well, and doesn't eat batteries.

There are some things technology doesn't need to improve.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[millertime24 8]

Alti galaxy has always been good to me. Price isnt too bad either.

Muff #5048

[boffin 0]

galaxt is solid, no one i know has ever had a problem, and neither have I.

[IanHarrop 37]

Quote

I have absolutley no problem reading my Neptune in freefall..... when it doesn't shut down for no obvious reason.

It does eat batteries like crazy when the weather is cooler even after the firmware update.

My experience with Neptunes has been very positive. I haven't had an issue with either battery life or unexplained shut downs.

I also own a Galaxy which I agree is a very solid piece of equipment, and a 30 year old Altimaster II which still works excellently!

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

[darkwing 4]

I second the Alti galaxy for the wrist, and vote Pro-Trac for the ear.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[DougH 270]

I am a gadget addict. I went with a Altitrack for my wrist and a Optima for my audible. Both products have been fantastic.

The Altitrack is at 400 or so jumps, original battery and it is working great.

I have witnessed Neptunes doing some whacky shiet myself jumping with my friends that own them, but they seem to be reliable with a *new* battery.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[MB38 0]

I carry six altimeters - an analog on my chest, a Neptune on my wrist, two audibles in my helmet and two eyes in my head. What are the chances of all of them failing on the same jump?

Start with the analog - give yourself something tried and true. Then start adding the toys.

I really don't know what I'm talking about.

[kschilk 0]

Quote

I carry six altimeters - an analog on my chest, a Neptune on my wrist, two audibles in my helmet and two eyes in my head. What are the chances of all of them failing on the same jump?

Start with the analog - give yourself something tried and true. Then start adding the toys.

Geez....an' everybody's always tellin' me that six hook-knives is excessive!

"T'was ever thus."

[DougH 270]

And to think that people started busting my chops when I added a second visual on my arm... a Viso for more accurate landing patterns.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[kschilk 0]

Quote

And to think that people started busting my chops when I added a second visual on my arm... a Viso for more accurate landing patterns.

Damn, wish I'd thought of that! The bread crumbs were definitely a bust and the big ball of string......well, problems quickly developed there too. Finally decided to fly IFR (I Follow Roads).

"T'was ever thus."

[countzero 7]

i like my Viso. easy to read with simple to navigate jump info. and it cost less than a neptune.

diamonds are a dawgs best friend

[dfairleigh11 0]

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I went with a Altitrack for my wrist and a Optima for my audible. Both products have been fantastic. ***

Same here, got an Altitrack and Optima. I love all the data that the Altitrack gives you post jump - min/max speed, deployment altitude, freefall time, exit altitude, ntm that you can replay the entire jump.

"We'll start the ass kissing with you"

• Quote

[hukturn 0]

Why a digital? Why not a regular old altimaster? Digital requires reading which can be more difficult than simply referencing a dial on the altimaster. Additionally, a dial can be read by others on your load. Just my perspective.

[DougH 270]

Let me know if you are still doing that in a 100 jumps or so OK?

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[tsalnukt 1]

Analog is the way to go at first. It's easier to read. when you look at your watch, you know what time it is just by looking at where the hands are. Get an audible for your helmet.

[siddacious 0]

I don't know where all this talk of a dial being easier to read comes from, as though it were universal. I realized while riding a friend's motorcycle with a digital speedometer that digital gauges were easier for me. I got a Neptune the next weekend.

Not everybody grew up using analog clocks. I know I didn't. I can read one, sure, but I have to think about it more.

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[pilotdave 0]

I can read a digital watch faster than an analog one too... But I think it's easier to misread a digital altimeter than an analog one. It's easy to take a very quick peek at an analog altimeter and know approximately what altitude you're at. If it's pointing somewhere to the left, you're around 9000. Somewhere toward the bottom, 6000. Somewhere to the right, probably about time to pull.

On a digital, you could misread one digit and be off by thousands of feet. Most likely in those more extreme situations, like when you have to hold your hand at a funny angle (wingsuit jump, holding a grip in RW, etc). This is why in modern aircraft glass cockpits, they don't just show numbers, they always have some sort of scale to go with every gauge.

I like my neptune, but I keep mine in my helmet. I don't recommend them as a first/only altimeter, mainly because I think it's a good idea to own an analog altimeter in general. Very reliable, never needs batteries, always there as a backup in your gear bag down the road. Just a good purchase.

I also don't recommend audibles for at least a couple hundred jumps. Audibles make it EASY to get really lazy about altitude awareness. At the very least, set the breakoff and pull alarms 100 feet low. If you hear em before you act, you're late. Worst thing to do is learn to pull when you hear a beep.

Dave

[siddacious 0]

All good points, tough I disagree about the ease of mis-reading a digital. YMMV. Either way, I wonder if alti-2 could be persuaded to integrate some sort of bar graph into the main alti display of the Neptune. They have the hardware for it.

I especially agree with what you said about audibles. I stopped using mine for this very reason.

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[malcom42 0]

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... I wonder if alti-2 could be persuaded to integrate some sort of bar graph into the main alti display of the Neptune....

They just removed the bar - it was there in the older FW.
However no one I asked noticed that it disapeared and most of them didn't even know it ever existed

[popsjumper 2]

Add one more vote for the analog Galaxy...glows in teh dark, too!

For audibles, I chose Neptune. I like the features and I've had it 3 years with zero problems. When I had questions or needed a F/W upgrade, customer service was far and above better than what was expected.

I fly both. Analogue on the wrist for easy reading, Neptune in the helmet for audible and jump logging.

The best one I have is my eyes...but they don't do much for logging jumps...the server quite often overloads the RAM.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[tsalnukt 1]

I have a bunch a videos of TM's trying to figure out what the neptune says in freefall and a couple of them only realized it was time to pull b/c I tracked away and dumped. I have used both and have had problems reading the digital. sun shines on it or in your eyes. It's not that easy to just glance at it and know where you are. personal prefrence for sure, but not recommended for a lowtime jumper as a first alti.