Is my Dytter set too high?

[lummy 4]

Here's the deal... My dytter is set for 5, 3.5 and 2.5 for most FF jumps..... and 4.5, 3.5 and 2.5 on RW

for the most part, I go by my internal altimeter and usually know when 5 hits, I'm almost always looking at my altimeter around 3.7 and I'll wait til I hear the second one to go off before I wave off and pitch

My issue is the last warning. I have an omega which snivels like a bad dog. lately it seems that I am getting the last alarm for about a second or two just about when the slider is coming down. I know I have a snively canopy and I know she's going to open (knock on wood). However, I'm concerned that the last alarm is going to quickly become not a BIG deal when I hear it. I mean, that's the whole point of the last alarm DO SOMETHING NOW isn't it? BUT, I also don't want to be so dependent on an audible that a 3rd alarm would lead me to cutaway just on hearing on it.

What are your thoughts? Should I generally keep a 1500 ft difference between 2nd and 3rd? This would mean a 1500 ft setting for RW jumps and TBH, the whole reason I am pulling at 3,5 is to have those precious few extra seconds.

I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. eat sushi, get smoochieTTK#1

[Staso 0]

Quote

Here's the deal... My dytter is set for 5, 3.5 and 2.5 for most FF jumps..... and 4.5, 3.5 and 2.5 on RW

i have the third one set at 1.5. it's my - oh shit, i gotta have any canopy out. i hope i never hear
it. it happend twice. first when i forgot to turn my dytter and i did in a plane and 1500 alarm actually
meant 3500 and another one yesterday when i cutaway and my reserve was opening around 1500.

i'd suggest to set it at 1500.

stan.

--
it's not about defying gravity; it's how hard you can abuse it. speed skydiving it is ...
Speed Skydiving Forum

[Sonic 0]

I used to have mine at 2000, but have dropped it to 1800 now. I think it's a good idea to have it set below where you know you'll have a canopy, as mine has gone off before and scared the hell out of me (it was then set at 2500)

-----------------------------------
It's like something out of that twilighty show about that zone

[billvon 2,400]

I would not trust the third alarm during canopy opening. The protrack manual states that helmet mounting is not very accurate, especially since it rotates into your 'burble' when you sit up on deployment. I regularly pull at 2500 feet and get the 1500 foot warble, even though I'm still above 2000 after opening.

[lummy 4]

That's good to know Bill, I don't remember seeing that in the manual, but then again, I usually only read it when I'm looking for an answer to a question...

Typically, after I do my control checks and collapse the slider, I'll generally check my altimeter and I'm just above 2.

It looks like I'm leaning towards setting the 3rd to 2k. My thinking is that if it goes off aside from a snivel I should already know by then if I have a canopy. If it is still a snivel/streamer, then something is definitely wrong, 8-900ft openings yeah(typical), 1500 NO...

I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. eat sushi, get smoochieTTK#1

[weid14 0]

I only use two of the three, one for breakoff and one for pitch your pilot chute dummy, everything else after that is -- IMO -- good or not? no good, CYA; good -- swoop it!

[cobaltdan 0]

i'm with the 2 alarm club.

1 break off
2 pull

if i ever hear the third its:

3 last chance to chop and pull reserve.

sincerely,

dan<><>

Daniel Preston <><>
atairaerodynamics.com (sport)
atairaerospace.com (military)

[freeflir29 0]

I have a Time Out so my bottom two are fixed at 2500 and 1500. I hear my 2500 all the time. I'm usually sniveling about then. I had never heard the 1500 Flat line until Saturday afternoon. I was doing some riser turns to lose alti and I guess I hooked it hard enough. Kinda strange to hear it though...I have my top alarm set at 4500. I usually break off from Free Fly dives of 3 or more at 5000. 2 ways at 4500. That way....if I'm on a 5 way or whatever and hear that 4500 alarm I have screwed up and need to get out of Dodge NOW. It also keeps me from being lazy and not watching my altitude by other means.

[jdhill 0]

I generally only use two as well, only mine are break off and oh shit... I don't need one to tell me when to pull...

Josh

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[Luminous 0]

I question the "oh shit" setting. Isn't it possible to have a mal and still get slowed down enough so the audible won't trigger?

Once you pull you should know how long it takes for a good canopy.

If you have a mal, you should try to correct it to your decision altitude.

If you don't know what your altitude is and you can't see your altimeter, your at decision altitude, chop it.

Don't wait for an audible to tell you your to low as it's performance may be affected by change in fall rate due to malfunctioning canopy. (in other words, it might not go off).

Am I way off base here?
BSBD

'In an insane society a sane person seems insane.' Mr. Spock

[wlie 0]

I've got mine set @ 4500, 3000, and 2000. It's quite normal for me to hear the 3rd alarm, and see a nice Diablo overhead.

What's scary was one hop-n-pop from 3000. I pitched as soon I left, and it never beeped.

My other ride is the relative wind.

[jdhill 0]

who said I would wait for the oh shit one to go off before exercising my emergency procedures... it is really for "oh shit I am getting alot of speed out of my hook turns" when it goes off right as I plane out.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[Ron 7]

I have mine set at:
3,500 feet...
1. For one reason, I really don't know how to change it.

2. I do mostly 4way team stuff, and thats about as good an altitude to leave anyway. And when anyone tracks off..the jump is done.

3. I can get away from almost any jump I go on from 3,500.
Or someone will leave before that...as soon as the 1st person goes...Im gone too.

I have the second warning set at 2,500.....I don't really use this to tell me when to deploy. I deploy as soon as I have tracked enough to not get killed. But it lets me know I am about to scream right by 2,000 feet if I have not deployed yet.

The last warning I have set for 1,500 feet. I don't use this to tell me when to chop. I chop when I look up and see something I don't want to try and land. It also just serves as a warining that I am about to roll right by 1,000 feet.

I don't use my Alti much either....

I leave when someone goes, my 3,500 foot warning goes off, I look down and see that I am at the right time, or I look down and see a very bad spot.

I track till I have safe airspace to deloy....It can be a few seconds, or in some cases 1,500 feet if there are people still above me.

I cut away as soon as I say to myself "Self....That is gonna hurt like hell if you try and land it."

My thoughts.....2,500 jumps, so far so good.

Ron

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[JYorkster 0]

I agree with most the posts here, and your own when you said...

Quote

I'm concerned that the last alarm is going to quickly become not a BIG deal when I hear it.

I have mine set as follows: (for RW)

4K Breakoff
3K Pull
1.5K Hope I never hear it, but if I do I WILL react.

You don't want the sound to become commonplace. I suggest moving it down to 1.5K

Rock

[aufreefly 0]

I would definantly leave the lowest setting at at least 2k... and I am speaking from experience. When I had about 130 jumps I was doing a four way headdown jump with one very experienced person and two less than experienced people. When I saw the experienced guy breakoff I thought that we were at 4.5k and I decided to try my hand at back tracking for the first time...all was going well until I heard my 1.5k alarm...oops! I immediatly turned and dumped and was rewarded with my main canopy deploying and a few seconds later with my reserve popping out...they cypres worked!

If you have your alarm at 2k and you do something you will safely deploy your main and land. If you set it at 1.5k you will have a cypres fire if you do not deploy immediatly.
Under a canopy of any sort (other than a total mal) you have time to figure out what is going on and when to cutaway...I would not use your audible to determine that.

(all of this is totally my opinion only, but comments are welcome) I will try to upload a video to my site

[wilmshurst 0]

For me an audible is a back-up/safety device in case I lose altitude awareness. Thus, I set all of the alarms below a height at which I should at least have deployed. Any alarm - unless the situation dictates otherwise - means "PULL!!" I do not want a Pavlov's Dog situation (I think that's right) where I only act in response to a noise. Otherwise there is the danger that if there is no noise then there is no action. I determine whether I am at break-off height by reading my visual altimeter - my audible is my back-up in case I have gone 'low'.

The only thing worse than a cold toilet seat is a warm toilet seat.

[bps 0]

Like most people here, I generally set mine as reminders for certain tasks. And while it varies as to each type of jump I do, I keep them exactly the same every time I do that specific jump.

Here's some examples:

Typical 4-way jump:

1st one: 4,000ft (signifying break-off)

2nd one: 2500ft (deployment)

3rd one: 1,500ft (emergency procedures)

Tandems:

1st one: 6,000ft (wave-off the camera man and smile)

2nd one: 4,000ft minimum deployment altitude for the main (my normal deployment altitude is 5,000ft)

3rd one: 2,500ft (better have executed my emergency procedures)

AFF:

1st one: 6,000ft (most common altitude for a student to lock-on/cease manuevers)

2nd one: 4,000ft (general altitude to pull out a student if he/she hasn't already done so themself)

3rd one: 2,500ft (last chance to help the student -- time to think about taking care of myself)

These are just examples of what I do -- please keep in mind that these altitudes work for me, but may not for others. See what works for yourself and go from there.

Blue Skies,

Bryan

[skycop 0]

Yo dude,
I'd go for the 1500 third setting, in my opinion that third sound should signal immediate action "oh shit, whip it out.........or bend over and start kissing!!" But then again opinions are like the thing I described kissin' if ya know what I mean!
Blue Skies,
J

"Just 'cause I'm simple, don't mean I'm stewpid!"

[Staso 0]

Quote

For me an audible is a back-up/safety device in case I lose altitude awareness. Thus, I set all of the alarms below a height at which I should at least have deployed. Any alarm - unless the situation dictates otherwise - means "PULL!!" I do not want a Pavlov's Dog situation (I think that's right) where I only act in response to a noise. Otherwise there is the danger that if there is no noise then there is no action. I determine whether I am at break-off height by reading my visual altimeter - my audible is my back-up in case I have gone 'low'.

well, you can take Pavlov's idea to the next level. audibale is not worse or better then visual
altimiter. you can have Pavlov's reaction to visual signal (visuals altimiter) or audible (audible
altimiter). how does it make visual alitimiter better ? why do you trust your sight, but don't trust
your hearing ? i don't suggest replacing visual altimiters to audible, i just wanna justify audibles.
why not make them more useful then just "PULL!" device ? if there is a fear that aidible can
malfunction, then one can you two.

stan.

--
it's not about defying gravity; it's how hard you can abuse it. speed skydiving it is ...
Speed Skydiving Forum

[Luminous 0]

sorry josh,
your post said nothing about using it to judge hook turn speed. My reply was directed to the 'implied' use in freefall.

see ya this weekend.

'In an insane society a sane person seems insane.' Mr. Spock

[wilmshurst 0]

__________________________________________________

well, you can take Pavlov's idea to the next level. audibale is not worse or better then visual
altimiter. you can have Pavlov's reaction to visual signal (visuals altimiter) or audible (audible
altimiter). how does it make visual alitimiter better ? why do you trust your sight, but don't trust
your hearing ? i don't suggest replacing visual altimiters to audible, i just wanna justify audibles.
why not make them more useful then just "PULL!" device ? if there is a fear that aidible can
malfunction, then one can you two.

stan.
__________________________________________________

Yeah - some good points. I guess that ultimately you should take into consideration the circle of awareness taught in FJCs and refer to the ground and horizon to check your height - maybe that's an 'ideal world' scenario. Also, perspectives on the use of audibles may well vary by skydiving discipline (I fly on my belly).

Still, I do look upon my audible as a 'back-up' (that is, any sound means "do something NOW") as opposed to a decision-making guide for break-off etc. Maybe it's because I started jumping before audibles were available.

I remember reading about a guy who was experiencing problems with stability at pull time so ended up relying on his Cypres. He recounted being somewhat worried when he was still in freefall but could see the facial expressions of people in a train travelling past the DZ. An extreme example I know, but I think it's good to draw a 'line in the sand' between inputs to decision-making and devices that are used to 'tell' you to act now or even to make something happen for you. I personally see my audible (like an AAD) in the second category.

The only thing worse than a cold toilet seat is a warm toilet seat.

[billvon 2,400]

>you can have Pavlov's reaction to visual signal (visuals altimiter) or
> audible (audible altimiter). how does it make visual alitimiter
> better ?

1. You must think when using a visual altimeter, since most people don't look at it exactly at breakoff altitude. This 'keeps you in the loop.'

2. It's clear when a visual altimeter breaks - the needle stops moving or the display goes blank. A broken audible sounds like a working one, except you never get the signal to break off. This is bad if you're relying on it.

>if there is a fear that aidible can
>malfunction, then one can you two.

Unfortunately, they often have systematic failures, as the Danish 4-way team found out a few years back (they all recalibrated during a long hold at altitude.)