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SFBayArea

Which altimeter to buy?

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Shredex


Love watching people smack their analogs in the plane because the indicator is stuck lol


Sounds pretty much product snobbish.
:P

You can hear all the way to the back of the plane:
"Fuck! My battery died! Why now?"
"Why the hell is my display blanked out?'

There are no fail-safe pieces of equipment from any manufacturer on the planet...even toothpicks fail.
My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

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377

Buy an Altimaster, the big original one. Used they go for about $50-65. The ones made by SSE are ancient but still work fine. Bullet proof. Alti-2 makes a later version (Galaxy) which is also a fine instrument.

No batteries. No micro controllers. No code. Just an aneroid element that gear drives a pointer. Dirt simple, rugged, accurate enough.

Once you have a basic mech altimeter then look at fancier electronic ones. L&B makes great stuff.

377



^^^^^THIS^^^^^

...By far and away.
Galaxy with glow face.
My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

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Quote

Love watching people smack their analogs in the plane because the indicator is stuck lol



I find it amusing that people smack their analog altis whether they think the indicator is stuck or not, whether they have a brand new alti or one they suspect has been abused and has stuck before. It is probably a habit picked up from watching others smack their alti - so it must be something that is proper to do several times on the way up, must smack my alti a few times! :D I never smacked my analog altis, and if they had needed to be smacked to read correctly, I would have sent it in for repairs. Perhaps persistent smacking causes sticky altis! :D

I am skeptical of claims that analog altis are so easy to quickly read. They are very easy/quick to use when you don't need a very precise result, but it is my experience that people actually look for much longer when they want to a more precise reading from the dial (like when you are getting close to break off altitude). As I said before, after so many years of using an analog, I didn't expect to prefer a digital alti, but I most definitely did. I also found the Neptune's larger digits (but thinner "stroke" of the digits), to be much, much easier to read than the Viso.

To the OP - it is a very wise to not change too many things too quickly as you do more jumps early on. The things that are subject to change might be gear related, or they might be related to what you are trying to do on a jump. Changing too many things too quickly causes things to go bad in ways you won't expect. So, don't be in a hurry and consult those locals at your DZ that you trust for guidance.
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

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I would suggest a mechanical analog first. No batteries to go dead (at the worst possible time), similar to what you have been using, pretty reliable. Yes, they can and do break, but the good ones can last a long time if treated properly.
No matter what you get later, having that one in your bag as a backup (or to loan to a friend) will come in handy.

Digitals are nice, but can take longer to read (there is debate on this). The batteries will go dead, often at the worst possible time.

An audible is nice, but it has been suggested to wait a bit on one for a student. You want do develop good altitude awareness habits, and having a beeper go off in your ear can screw that up. If you need to look, then you learn to. If it tells you, then you don't learn to "need to look."
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

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wolfriverjoe

Yes, they can and do break, but the good ones can last a long time if treated properly.



Proper treatment is indeed very important. I see my altimeters (both analog and digital audio) as sensitive and fragile high-precision instruments, and treat them as such (put them away properly, have a box with foam to store them in, don't throw them or even drop them a short bit). In four years of jumping, they still work perfectly.

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Shredex

If you have the money to drop:

Viso II on the wrist:
http://www.l-and-b.dk/products/visual/viso_ii
Optima II in the dome:
http://www.l-and-b.dk/products/audible/optima_ii

You will likely end up with the Viso and Optima down the road anyways.

If you can't afford it, then go for cheap used analog for less then $100. They are all pretty awful. lol
Love watching people smack their analogs in the plane because the indicator is stuck lol

Also, learn to use your eyes.


I already ordered Optima II and yes I was eyeballing the Viso, but seems that most people suggest to have an analog for a newbie like me.

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popsjumper

***Go hang out at a DZ.



^^This
Ok, I keep reading this "go hang out at DZ". I do, every weekend I spend at least 5-6 hours at DZ. The problem is all of the "cool kids" are busy either taking tandems up to the air, or packing their shoot for the jump. The only time I can see people wearing the altimeter is when they are walking up to the plane and that I think is a bit wrong time to approach people asking questions. I will try this weekend to nag few guys about their altimeters, see where it will get me.

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There is a rubber O ring that goes on the adjustment knob shaft on Altimaster II analog altimeters. They crack and stretch and I've seen quite a few with the O ring missing. It serves as a dirt-dust shield to minimize intrusion into the inner workings. I replace mine every couple of years. It's a ten second job.

I have a 42 year old Altimaster II that works perfectly. No sticking. Accurate.

Even sticky ones will likely work fine in freefall. Early jets had electromechanical instrument vibrators attached to keep them
from sticking. Piston planes had enough prop and engine vibration to accomplish the task. Freefall is full of vibration.

Banging analog altimeters is a bad idea. If you saw the innards you'd see why. Very fine watchmaker type mechanism inside.

If it sticks send it in for service. Alti-2 can service everything except the awful Altimaster V which is a dangerous altimeter.

377
2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

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I wear polarized sunglasses on every jump. Never had a problem with reading my Viso II.

Always nice to have a mechanical backup as a student, though :]

VisoII with wristband is also great for under canopy. I don't have to turn my wrist to see my altitude. It's right there facing me.
Then again, unnecessary with an Optima.

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Hellis

About malfunctioning altis.

This happend to me recently.
It's meters :|



That would have been much worse if it read "+85"
"The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls."

~ CanuckInUSA

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DocPop

***About malfunctioning altis.

This happend to me recently.
It's meters :|



That would have been much worse if it read "+85"


During the planeride I saw when it reset itself to 0.
So I looked at another VISO and noticed the 85-90 diff.

But then during my canopyflight it managed to confuse me :$
When I was at 300, I thought "oh crap I'm at ~200 m now and I'm not even close to the LZ."
But that was not correct, I was actually at 385 m :$
So once I got closer to the LZ I noticed I was too high, and thats when I finally stoped looking at the alti :D
Should have done that right from the begining :D

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I've got an FT50 analog altimeter (cheapest one I could get fresh out of AFF), and the entire inner housing simply rotates to zero it. As far as I know, it doesn't even have any o-rings that require maintenance.

That said, preventive maintenance is indeed much better than post-break replacing.

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SFBayArea

***
Blah blah me me me


I already ordered Optima II and yes I was eyeballing the Viso, but seems that most people suggest to have an analog

And, as a bonus, you seem to have already identified one common source of poor advice on dropzone.com. You're off to a good start.
--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

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I was having some inconvenience reading the analog alti in the pattern during my first jumps on AFF, so I bought a Neptune 2 (was wearing two altis actually, as our DZ requires analog ones for students). Recently I finally put it into the helmet (as an audible) and bought an analog wrist mounted one. What a relief! I spend much less time staring at the altimeter during RW, it's just obvious how much time is left, no need to calculate!

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Had you recently replaced the batteries? Mine did that a month or so ago right after some new juice. Turned itself off in freefall at some point and turned itself back on towards the bottom end. Read about 400 feet. One of those days...went all nuts under canopy, too, alti bouncing between negative whatever and about 700 feet. I just cycled the power on the ground and it has worked fine since. Good times.

Had a friend with a brand new Alti II...needle would stick in freefall. Really stick. Sent it in and they couldn't figure it out. Sent him a new one. Needle simply popped off in freefall about 20 jumps later. That one went back, too. New one again. He's put a few hundred jumps on his new new one. Seems to work fine.

Somewhat related...I too, sometimes, wear polarized sunglasses while jumping. Several different brands. Never once had a problem reading the Viso.

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potatoman

Galaxy...
Analog is always good to have in your gear bag, for those days you go to the DZ and the battery is dead. Saved me plenty of times. So, get this as a start, and move on, keep it.



+1.

I have my alti mounted on my chest now for wingsuiting and then keep a VisoII on the wrist when belly flying. But up until maybe 30 jumps ago, it was all alti. Love that thing.
You stop breathing for a few minutes and everyone jumps to conclusions.

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hillson

Had you recently replaced the batteries? Mine did that a month or so ago right after some new juice. Turned itself off in freefall at some point and turned itself back on towards the bottom end. Read about 400 feet. One of those days...went all nuts under canopy, too, alti bouncing between negative whatever and about 700 feet. I just cycled the power on the ground and it has worked fine since. Good times.

Had a friend with a brand new Alti II...needle would stick in freefall. Really stick. Sent it in and they couldn't figure it out. Sent him a new one. Needle simply popped off in freefall about 20 jumps later. That one went back, too. New one again. He's put a few hundred jumps on his new new one. Seems to work fine.

Somewhat related...I too, sometimes, wear polarized sunglasses while jumping. Several different brands. Never once had a problem reading the Viso.




No new batteries, but I should replace them soon.
I really hate geting the VISO out of that holder >:(

The reason the VISO did like that is probably because the plane was flying low and was told to keep the altitude for a few minutes.
Probably the VISO thought we had landed.
I guess, if the pilot hadn't been so good at flying, he would have gone slightly up and down in altitude and the VISO would notice it.


I always wear polarized when skydiving, never had any problems.

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Canopy alarms are convenient but not very necessary. I set my n3 to 1500, 1000, and 600. Helps fly a standard pattern and keep track of key altitudes. I'm sure swoopers have a differing opinion.

For the record, the analog altimeter was created to look like a watch. I've always used digital clocks so it took me a long time to read an analog alti in free fall. I bought a digital and now I can take a quick peek. Ask yourself which display you can read faster and if you have the mad managerial skills to ensure you can keep a battery charged and you've answered your own question.

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I would say it would depend on what kind of flying you are planning on doing. Some people like wrist mount and others want a chest platform. As for audible altimeters, any audible is better than nothing, a back up in your ear is always a good idea. two is better as most helmets have pockets for 2 audibles. As for your wrist, I really like my Suunto Vector. It's a watch and altimeter so you don't have to take it off all day. It's easy to set for AGL readings and easy to see in the air. It doesn't slap the back of your hand as it rides on your wrist. It's great for long spots and helping you adjust your descent rate. However, it may not be the best for somebody not used to quickly reading an altimeter, but you might want to discuss all of this with your Safety and Training individual at your DZ.

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IJskonijn

I've got an FT50 analog altimeter (cheapest one I could get fresh out of AFF), and the entire inner housing simply rotates to zero it. As far as I know, it doesn't even have any o-rings that require maintenance.

That said, preventive maintenance is indeed much better than post-break replacing.



Last Saturday I finally graduated from the school and made my first solo jump without any instructors. On the way up I noticed that my altimeter (I picked one that used by students) is stock at 7K while Viso II on a guy next to me was showing over 8K altitude. What the heck? The guy told me to hit the altimeter a couple of times. I did and it got unstuck. However, on the way down I was very much uneasy about this altimeter and at around 6K I thought it got stock again so I pulled, even though I was planning to pull at 4.5K. I don't know if altimeter indeed got stock again or I was reading too much into it, but because my helmet has not arrived yet and I could not use my new Solo II to verify the altitude I ended up pulling too high and guys on the ground teased me that I pulled much higher then I said I would.
So now I am thinking if I am getting mechanical altimeter, it should probably be new to avoid complications with used ones since you never know how and for how long it was used.

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SFBayArea

How do you guys wear altimeter on the chest? I don't think I've seen anyone at the local DZ wearing altimeter on the chest.

Also, if I get a good deal on the used mechanical altimeter is there a place I can take it to give it a "tuning"?



Some people still wear it on the chest strap, using a "pillow". Most gear store still sell them, so look it up.

As far as tuning, Alti-2 offers factory servicing on theirs.
Remster

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