Alti-Trak or Alti-2 for newb?

[mtbriles 0]

Ok so im looking to buy my first altimeter and i cant decide between these two.
There is obviously a big difference and price and i dont know if i should get the cheaper one and put the money towards something else or go ahead and purchase the more expensive one and not have to upgrade later ( which i would if i got the cheaper one).

Suggestions please

Why not?
My direction in life is up...then down again REALLY REALLY FAST!!!
Never take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
D.S. #55

[pilotdave 0]

An alti-2 galaxy will probably outlast your skydiving career. If you want something electronic in the future, it'll wait patiently in your gearbag for the day your batteries die. It's a good investment.

Dave

[monkycndo 0]

You can pick up a used galaxy for under $100. I'd start there. They are as close to bomb proof as you can find.

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[amstalder 0]

I know Im just a skydiving baby too, but I freaking LOVE my galaxy. I got it right off AFF last winter, and you pretty much couldnt convince me to buy anything else.

[ikon 0]

I've been pondering this same question. What I decided I'm going to do is get a Galaxy and a Neptune. That way I will always have a reliable mechanical altimeter and I'll also have the Neptune as a backup visual alti, plus an electronic logbook, and can also use it as an audible for later on when I start freeflying. It's a little more money this way but then you'll always have a backup visual altimeter also, and if you opt to buy an Altitrack now, then if you decide to start freeflying you'll probably want to get an audible so now you're really spending more money.

Galaxy + Neptune gives you:
1 Mechanical Altimeter
1 Digital Altimeter (backup)
An Electronic Logbook
An Audible

Like you I was going to just get an Altitrack, but then if you add the cost of an audible and/or a backup altimeter then cost becomes much more.

[azureriders 0]

Everyone needs a purely mechanical analog altimeter in their gear bag. IMO, the alti-2 galaxy is the best one on the market. I also recommend you use this altimeter until you are comfortable with the FACT that anything digital, IS going to fail you at some time. When you are comfortable you can handle that situation when it happens, then buy what ever you like. With all that said, and knowing how hard I push analog to novice jumpers, I do prefer a digital read out altimeter myself, but I do adhere to my above comments.

[Sangi 0]

Best is having the best of both worlds.. Alti-2 + N3 on your arm

"Dream as you'll live forever, live as you'll die today." James Dean

[Arvoitus 1]

Quote

I've been pondering this same question. What I decided I'm going to do is get a Galaxy and a Neptune. That way I will always have a reliable mechanical altimeter and I'll also have the Neptune as a backup visual alti, plus an electronic logbook, and can also use it as an audible for later on when I start freeflying. It's a little more money this way but then you'll always have a backup visual altimeter also, and if you opt to buy an Altitrack now, then if you decide to start freeflying you'll probably want to get an audible so now you're really spending more money.

Galaxy + Neptune gives you:
1 Mechanical Altimeter
1 Digital Altimeter (backup)
An Electronic Logbook
An Audible

Like you I was going to just get an Altitrack, but then if you add the cost of an audible and/or a backup altimeter then cost becomes much more.

Mechanical - reliable? Have you ever looked inside one? The mechanics are very delicate and it is ridiculously easy to break one. The only aspect of reliability they have its the fact that you don't have to carry backup batteries in case the current ones run out.

Your rights end where my feelings begin.

[IanHarrop 37]

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Quote

I've been pondering this same question. What I decided I'm going to do is get a Galaxy and a Neptune. That way I will always have a reliable mechanical altimeter and I'll also have the Neptune as a backup visual alti, plus an electronic logbook, and can also use it as an audible for later on when I start freeflying. It's a little more money this way but then you'll always have a backup visual altimeter also, and if you opt to buy an Altitrack now, then if you decide to start freeflying you'll probably want to get an audible so now you're really spending more money.

Galaxy + Neptune gives you:
1 Mechanical Altimeter
1 Digital Altimeter (backup)
An Electronic Logbook
An Audible

Like you I was going to just get an Altitrack, but then if you add the cost of an audible and/or a backup altimeter then cost becomes much more.

Mechanical - reliable? Have you ever looked inside one? The mechanics are very delicate and it is ridiculously easy to break one. The only aspect of reliability they have its the fact that you don't have to carry backup batteries in case the current ones run out.

Experience over decades by many skydivers says that they don't break so easy at all. I have an Alti II purchased in 1976. It was new then, still works like new now.

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

[kallend 1,649]

Quote

Everyone needs a purely mechanical analog altimeter in their gear bag. IMO, the alti-2 galaxy is the best one on the market. I also recommend you use this altimeter until you are comfortable with the FACT that anything digital, IS going to fail you at some time. When you are comfortable you can handle that situation when it happens, then buy what ever you like. With all that said, and knowing how hard I push analog to novice jumpers, I do prefer a digital read out altimeter myself, but I do adhere to my above comments.

Your EYES are your back-up.

Failure modes of analog and digital are diferent too. Analogs don't tell you they've failed, they just give bad information.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[wildcard451 0]

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You can pick up a used galaxy for under $100. I'd start there. They are as close to bomb proof as you can find.

However, they are not immune to the evidence collection section of the Dublin Police Dept.

[pilotdave 0]

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Failure modes of analog and digital are diferent too. Analogs don't tell you they've failed, they just give bad information.

I agree that a stuck altimeter is a nasty failure mode since it gives erroneous information. But digitals can do that too, especially a digital with an analog dial. But other digitals could theoretically lock up. And another failure mode of an analog altimeter is a needle that falls off. That's equivalent to the screen of a digital going blank.

I do think the most common failure mode of an analog is sticking and the most common failure mode of a digital is going blank (or rebooting and not showing altitude), but I do think that both types of altimeters can have the same failure modes.

But in my experience, the failure rate of digitals is much much much higher than the failure rate of analogs.

Dave

[azureriders 0]

kallend, you are one of the few on here that I almost always totaly agree with.
Today, I will simply almost totaly agree with you.

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Your EYES are your back-up.

absolutely. And even taking that further, in time and with training I believe all skydivers should strive to make their EYES be their primary, and any other device should then be the back up.

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Failure modes of analog and digital are diferent too. Analogs don't tell you they've failed, they just give bad information.

Again true, for if things are not identical they can be said to be diferent. However, a digital altimeter CAN fail in any way that an analog can, and then in many other ways as well.

My conclusion: The alti-2 galaxy is the most reliable altimeter you can buy. The galaxy may not be as precise as some others on the market, but in terms of failure modes, its reliability is second only to a well trained set of eyes.

[SkyChimp 0]

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An alti-2 galaxy will probably outlast your skydiving career. If you want something electronic in the future, it'll wait patiently in your gearbag for the day your batteries die. It's a good investment.

Dave

I am with Dave on this... The Alti-2 is great. Once you know you are going to stick with the sport, you can pick up an audible like a Skytronic GFX or something.

Does anyone else find it funny that we made a SPORT out of an EMERGENCY PROCEDURE?!?!

[Arvoitus 1]

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I've been pondering this same question. What I decided I'm going to do is get a Galaxy and a Neptune. That way I will always have a reliable mechanical altimeter and I'll also have the Neptune as a backup visual alti, plus an electronic logbook, and can also use it as an audible for later on when I start freeflying. It's a little more money this way but then you'll always have a backup visual altimeter also, and if you opt to buy an Altitrack now, then if you decide to start freeflying you'll probably want to get an audible so now you're really spending more money.

Galaxy + Neptune gives you:
1 Mechanical Altimeter
1 Digital Altimeter (backup)
An Electronic Logbook
An Audible

Like you I was going to just get an Altitrack, but then if you add the cost of an audible and/or a backup altimeter then cost becomes much more.

Mechanical - reliable? Have you ever looked inside one? The mechanics are very delicate and it is ridiculously easy to break one. The only aspect of reliability they have its the fact that you don't have to carry backup batteries in case the current ones run out.

Experience over decades by many skydivers says that they don't break so easy at all. I have an Alti II purchased in 1976. It was new then, still works like new now.

When I was on student status I did a poised exit from a 182 Cessna. I banged up my hand on the door frame on the exit. The analog altimeter broke on impact. Luckily the needle didn't get stuck but it was spinning around so I could be sure that it was indeed broken and I had to figure out another way to determine when to pull.

The insides of the altimeter were a mess and it could never be fixed again.

Your rights end where my feelings begin.