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OliverGreenaway

Hand over Altimeter

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So over the weekend I tried the elasticated Wrist mount for my Viso2 for the first time and on 2 seperate jumps doing RW my altimeter was covered up by someones hand so I couldn't check my altitude. On one of the occasions I missed the break point only knowing to break due to the setting I had put on my dytter to indicate I'd missed the break point.

Is there a way of minimising this occurring as it happened 2/5 jumps this weekend and if it were to occur again what would you suggest be the best course of action to remain altitude aware as I don't like to rely on my dytter to tell me I've missed a key altitude?

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OliverGreenaway

So over the weekend I tried the elasticated Wrist mount for my Viso2...



Yeah, wrists are where people take grips when they dock on a formation. So that makes it a bad spot for an altimeter. Put it further up the arm, on the back of the hand, a chest strap, somewhere else... Look around at what other jumpers are doing, and talk to them about it. See what they say.

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OliverGreenaway

So over the weekend I tried the elasticated Wrist mount for my Viso2 for the first time and on 2 seperate jumps doing RW my altimeter was covered up by someones hand so I couldn't check my altitude. On one of the occasions I missed the break point only knowing to break due to the setting I had put on my dytter to indicate I'd missed the break point.

Is there a way of minimising this occurring as it happened 2/5 jumps this weekend and if it were to occur again what would you suggest be the best course of action to remain altitude aware as I don't like to rely on my dytter to tell me I've missed a key altitude?




Didn't other people leaving give you a hint? If you notice in the picture the altimeters are easy for the jumper to see and when in a formation other jumpers can look across and see it. Also when you are tracking away you can see the altimeter without breaking your track.

Michael
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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There are many answers to this minor issue. It has happened to me on a couple of occasions. Just look at the altimeter of the person on your other arm. If he/she is not wearing one visible to you as long as people are still docked and still in a formation, chances are its not break off time. If you see everyone turn and trac then thats a good indication you should to.

One day while I was organizing a jumper with less than 100 jumps noticed their altimeter not working on the plane on the way to altitude. I let them use mine. I also where an audible as a back up but was doing a 8 way and would have other peoples altimeters I could glance at. I dont recommend this or make it a habit but in this situation I was more comfortable with the low time jumper having a working altimeter.

Another solution is when someone docks on the arm you wear your altimeter on dont let them grab you, make sure you take the dock. If you need to, cover who will take who in the dirt dive with out going into details unless some one asks, and in the dirt dive make sure to take the grip on that side. Because of the style of altimeter I wear moving it further up my arm is not an option so this is how I work around it.

So not a big deal but good question for the forums.Good thing you have a back up in an audible.

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mjosparky


Didn't other people leaving give you a hint?



Normally this would have been a good indication and was the reason I didn't worry too much when my Altimeter was covered, however the fact I heard my dytter go would suggest all 3 of us went past the altitude as no one had broken off at that point. Just shows you can never fully rely on everyone else I suppose :P

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Rotate it towards the inside so it sits where "your veins" are, I don't know how to explain it better.
The other advantage of doing this, and to me the biggest one: it's also much easier to see under canopy.

Also, as they said, put it on the "thicker" part of your forearm and it'll be in a much better spot.

Finally, I see the rationale behind setting the audible past your break-off altitude, you're probably trying to force you not to rely on it... but really.
All things considered, you have an audible, you might as well use it the way it's intended to be, i.e. properly go off at break-off altitude. But that's just me, you don't have to if you prefer to have it as a "you-fucked-up" acoustic device.
I'm standing on the edge
With a vision in my head
My body screams release me
My dreams they must be fed... You're in flight.

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In the old days it was located on the chest strap and then it gradually moved to the wrist. Since I only glance at mine occasionally I wear it on my mud flap. This makes it always easy to see and out of the way. Frank, of Look Ma makes a great adapter that works and is inconspicuous, but always there.
Dano

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Having done a lot of FS4 jumps the last two years I've realized just how much I rely on my audible to keep track of altitude. Just like you mentioned yourself, it does happen that the whole group gets so caught up in what they're doing that you go past break-off, no one noticing. I decided to get a second audible as back up.

Make sure you remember to change both of them when planning your dives though. Having four, five or six alarms going off at different altitudes is a bit more information than at least my brain can handle :S

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jackwallace

Learn to eye ball your altitude. You probably do it some now. Ever notice you seem to glance at your altimeter at the same altitude.



+1

The Mk 1 eyeball works pretty well.

Also someone on the dive (the base) is designated to control the breakoff, so that person keeps an eye on altitude and waves off at breakoff time.

That's RW 101.....
My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

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If you look at FS competitors' jumpsuits, you'll see that forearm altimeter pockets are very common, placed at an angle where a neutral grip presentation will have it facing towards the eyes.

Your arm mount can do the same thing. The wristwatch position is not so good for a couple of reasons, as you have discovered :P

--
"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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Visual altimeters aren't very useful when doing more complicated jumps and aren't the end-all-be-all of altitude awareness. Even a Viso high on your forearm can become twisted around so you can't see it. Arm pockets on jumpsuits also wear out and crack pretty quickly. Glare from the sun can also make them unreadable at times.

An audible (or two), other jumpers, or looking down can give you good clues when it's time to leave.
NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

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Is there a way of minimising this occurring as it happened 2/5 jumps this weekend



Determining grip discipline is a valuable option that is available during the dirt dive, but is often overlooked.

It is common for people to go through the dirt dive and worry about the movement and not about the dock. Having someone paw at you during the jump after you picking up the grip all through the dirt dives is classic and rampant. During the dirt dive figure out the points where you could get your altimeter covered up and discuss it with the other jumper.

And verbalize every grip if you have to, "I pick up your right arm and Pete picks up my left arm." Anticipate and avoid the problem before it happens.
Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics.

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You answered your own question. Maintain Alt Awareness. Go jump solo with out an alti. 1st jump you will pull high, 2nd and plus you should be able to figure it out. Take my advice knowing that I am an Aspie (Aspberger´s syndrome). i like measuring things., I did 200+ jumps without an alti after almost bouncing from a faulty alt reading.i. I had gotten open at about 400ft. I normally only use an alti skyjumping to not pull too low at the DZ. because i feel comfortable at 1000 ft being a big wall BASEr. just figure out how to use your alti as secondary info. take care,
space

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