Opinions on Audibles

[DecoJumper 0]

I have 40 jumps and I am starting to buy gear of my own. I would appreciate opinions on audibles for my G3 helmet. I have a new Atlas on the way to me to use on my wrist as an altimeter and for the log information. I want a simple and reliable audible as a backup to my eyes and altimeter. I keep hearing Solo 2 or the Quattro, so I guess those are the front-runners at this point. I was just about to buy the Solo2 (because the Quattro has more functions than I need and is priced higher) when I was told that it was junk. Back to square 1. Advice or opinions? Thank you to the ones that are always offering wisdom to us new jumpers.

[gowlerk 1,901]

Whoever told you that the Solo 2 is junk is just plain wrong. Except in that they are all rather junky for the money you pay. Really, at that price point they should have much more solid metal cases. But none of them do.

Solo 2 does only one job. Three altitude alert presets. That's why I use them. I only need them for one job and that makes them simpler to operate. And they are just about perfect for someone starting out. If that is what you need then that is what you should buy. Don't be swayed by haters that tell you you need more functions. They are all very similar and L&B has a pretty good rep in the business.

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[DecoJumper 0]

Thank you for the input. I think the three high-speed tones are enough. I not sure why anyone at my level would want tones in the landing pattern. Plus the Solo2 is $50 cheaper.

[SecondRound 0]

The Landing pattern tones are helpful in learning to fly a consistent pattern making your turns at consistent altitudes,

[RichyR 0]

^^^^^This

I thought I wouldn't need the canopy alarms, but now love them.

I set one for 2k cutaway altitude, as additional awareness in case I got distracted fighting a mal. The other pattern ones allow me to concentrate on traffic instead of continuously checking my alti for turn points. (I fly with 2 audibles - so essentially have got the use of 6 canopy alarms!)

They're also coming in useful now I'm starting high performance landings - something it's likely you'll want to start doing a few hundred jumps down the line.

[degeneration 5]

RichyR

They're also coming in useful now I'm starting high performance landings - something it's likely you'll want to start doing a few hundred jumps down the line.

Really? Maybe I've missed something, but not everyone wants to start doing HP landings. Some not ever, some not within a few hundred jumps. Some wouldn't even recommend starting to learn how to do them before 500 jumps or so...

Bored at work, had to comment.

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[RichyR 0]

Ok. Maybe I should have said a good chance rather than likely.

By HP I mean the technical definition of any landing with purposely increased speed, rather than swooping.

I'm sure it varies by DZ, but the majority of jumpers I know with 500+ jumps do these, even if most are 90s or straight front riser. Those with over 1000 jumps that goes up to 80%+

[DecoJumper 0]

I do also have the option of using the Atlas alti on my wrist for the canopy alarms if I decided I needed/wanted them. Anyone have an opinion on which audible for the helmet? Solo2, Quattro or something else?

[Blis 1]

DecoJumper

I do also have the option of using the Atlas alti on my wrist for the canopy alarms if I decided I needed/wanted them. Anyone have an opinion on which audible for the helmet? Solo2, Quattro or something else?

Quattro or Optima would be my choice if I were buying a new one... Currently jumping protrack and optima II but would appreciate the fourth canopy alarm...

[DecoJumper 0]

Seems to me that, for the most part, everyone agrees on the top three choices: Solo2, Quattro, or Optima2. I do not yet see any strong case for making one choice a clear front-runner or to exclude any choice. Maybe I really cannot go wrong with any of the three.

[IJskonijn 38]

You can't. Each of those devices will be very helpful for you. Just recognize that each have their own positive and negative points. The final choice depends on your personal needs.

I personally use an Optima to great satisfaction. It has a more difficult menu structure & operation, I required a good hour of messing around with the manual open in front of me before I got the hang of it. But the upside is that it offers canopy alarms (VERY useful for learning consistent patterns & learning the sight picture at different altitudes) and it has the option to store different alarm profiles. This makes for easy switching between disciplines, where you want the alarms to go off at different altitudes.

It is more expensive than a Solo, but it also offers a lot more options.

[mxk 1]

I have a Quattro set to 6k, 5k, 4k, and 2k. Canopy mode alarms are 1.5k, 1k, and 0.5k. A lot of people reconfigure their audible depending on the jump they are doing and also set alarms to altitudes where they need to do something, such as turn and track. I don't like doing either of these things. Seen way too many people do the wrong thing at the wrong time because they forgot to change their audible settings.

An audible is there to improve situational awareness. My settings are the same whether I'm doing belly jumps or wingsuiting. 6k, 5k, and 4k alarms give me a nice even countdown toward the end of the jump. The 2k alarm is one that I don't expect to hear under normal circumstances, but it's useful in an emergency, so I think having 4 alarms total is not a bad idea.

Same theory with my canopy alarms. Three beeps evenly spaced to give me a better sense of time and progress. You don't need to be doing HP landings to benefit from this. They just allow you to be more consistent, which will be helpful when you start working on your accuracy for the C license.

[timrf79 0]

degeneration

***They're also coming in useful now I'm starting high performance landings - something it's likely you'll want to start doing a few hundred jumps down the line.

Really? Maybe I've missed something, but not everyone wants to start doing HP landings. Some not ever, some not within a few hundred jumps. Some wouldn't even recommend starting to learn how to do them before 500 jumps or so...

Bored at work, had to comment.

A HP landing is everything where you don't let your canopy fly straight for 8 seconds on final...

[DecoJumper 0]

I've eliminated the Solo2 as a choice. It is between the Optima or Quattro as they have features that I may eventually want even if I do not need them now. Same price and similar features. Hard to find a clear winner and I do not think I can choose unwisely here. I'll just go with the one most mentioned in this post. Thanks everyone.

[SecondRound 0]

The tracking tones on a Quattro are another feature that reveals its value after using it for a while.

[radical_flyer 0]

What do you mean tracking tones?

[DecoJumper 0]

I believe that I have decided to go with the Quattro

[danornan 64]

Personally I prefer the solo for it's simplicity. Set and forget. If a change is necessary, it's easy to do and can be done in the climb to altitude. L & B 's service is second to none and over the years, their support for skydivers is also first class.

Dano

[SecondRound 0]

Track Guide: 0.5 second pulsating tones between the 1st and 2nd warnings help keep track of altitude separation of tracking groups or waves.

[GoHuskers 0]

danornan

Personally I prefer the solo for it's simplicity. Set and forget. If a change is necessary, it's easy to do and can be done in the climb to altitude. L & B 's service is second to none and over the years, their support for skydivers is also first class.

Second the solo2. I bought mine in 2010 on jump #8 and have replaced every other piece of gear I use at least once. Its simple, its reliable, and meets all of my audible needs. Unless your going to do bigways or want to have freefall and canopy alarms on the same device, then you really don't need anymore than 3 alarms. The only issue I have is that mine seems to go off about 3-500 feet higher than its supposed to.

[degeneration 5]

GoHuskers

Second the solo2. ... The only issue I have is that mine seems to go off about 3-500 feet higher than its supposed to.

You're recommending something that doesn't work properly/correctly/accurately?

Although the difference in measurement between it and your alti (which is what I'm guessing you are comparing its beep tones to) could be due to the difference in location on your body and therefore difference in pressure in those locations. Or if you are comparing it to an analogue alti, the lack of accuracy in the analogue.

OR, the solo2 is actually beeping at the correct altitudes, and it is your other alti that's wrong?

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[danornan 64]

degeneration

***
Second the solo2. ... The only issue I have is that mine seems to go off about 3-500 feet higher than its supposed to.

You're recommending something that doesn't work properly/correctly/accurately?

Although the difference in measurement between it and your alti (which is what I'm guessing you are comparing its beep tones to) could be due to the difference in location on your body and therefore difference in pressure in those locations. Or if you are comparing it to an analogue alti, the lack of accuracy in the analogue.

OR, the solo2 is actually beeping at the correct altitudes, and it is your other alti that's wrong?

Exact accuracy is very subjective and can depend on lots of different variables. The audible is a guide and not exact. Trust but verify... As far as not using it on Big Ways, not sure what you mean. I've been on a few without it being an issue !

Dano