Alti2_Staff

Unfortunately, that kind of discussion in this open forum is counter-productive from a business standpoint. Suffice it to say that both of those suggestions have been received and will be given serious consideration. Thank you VERY much for your feedback! Alti-2, Inc. Staff

International Standard Atmosphere (ISA) is the average mean sea level pressure used worldwide for aviation. It is also referred to as “Standard Pressure.” Values are 29.92 InHg and 1013.25 mBar. The QNE reference on your altimeter shows the current pressure altitude at the device’s location corrected to ISA (Mean Sea Level). This is also called a “Flight Level” in aviation. The QNE reference changes throughout the day in response to small changes in barometric pressure. Because Atlas has an auto-zero feature, the AGL altitude reference will remain "0.0" as the QNE reference changes. Alti-2, Inc. Staff

Hi Squampton, Are you speaking about the QNE altitude reference at the bottom of the altitude screen in Ground Mode? Alti-2, Inc. Staff

Hi Gang, When I came on board here at Alti-2 I was told that there was a box of treasures from the SSE days that had gone missing in our 2010 move from 1400 Flightline. I found it a couple of weeks ago; of course it was in the last place I looked! I have created an historical display case for the best of these items, but I could use a little help finding more items to round it out. I have already combed through the forums here and picked up a few photos and ads, along with some useful information. I have also burned up Google looking as well. We could use the following items for the display: -Sentinel AAD Pin-Puller -Sentinel MK2100 AAD (Military Version) -SSE, Inc. Logo suitable for 8x10 enlargement -Photos of Steve Snyder (D-5) himself -Old Ads for Altimaster Altimeter, Sentinel AAD, Paralert. If you can help, please email me: [email protected] Alti-2, Inc. Staff

Hi John, Your Altimaster III does indeed have a user-replaceable lens. Although we no longer make this product, it may still be repairable. Shoot me an email [email protected] and I will help you get it sorted. Alti-2, Inc. Staff

I agree with that statement right from the start. I did write an article a couple of years ago that speaks to analog vs. digital displays. Y'all may find that of interest. I find this comment particularly interesting, and an opportunity to elaborate on mechanical altimeter mechanisms vs. solid state electronic pressure sensors in mechanical altimeters. First let's take a look at their range. Using our own electronic altimeters as a reference (Atlas, N3, N3 Audio, all Neptune variants, MA-12 and MA-10), their operational range extends up to 40,000 FT Mean Sea Level (MSL). By comparison, the operational range of our Galaxy, Galaxy Extreme, and Altimaster II is up to 18,000 FT MSL. Since most skydivers don't venture up to those altitudes, this rarely comes into play. The most important difference is accuracy. Our electronic pressure sensor has a maximum error of 19 feet at 10,000 FT MSL. The mechanism in our sport mechanicals has a max error of of 47 feet at that altitude. At 2,000 FT MSL, the errors are 15 feet & 30 feet respectively. Electronic pressure sensors also maintain their accuracy over a longer period of time. I have an original Neptune, built in 2003, which still meets to quality standards for accuracy we use for brand new products. Our electronic altimeters don't need to be periodically chamber tested for accuracy, nor re-calibrated - the pressure sensor is calibrated at the factory when it's made. Mechanical mechanisms may eventually fall out of calibration and require testing and maintenance. And that's just mechanisms . . . Speaking of displays, a numeric digital display shows just that - digits. As long as you can read "10.0" - no matter the viewing angle - you know your altitude. With analog displays, parallax comes into play. Viewed directly over the pointer, you will read "10" correctly. At an angle, you may read something different. The flatter the viewing angle, the worse it gets. Additionally, at very high free fall speeds mechanical/analog users may notice the pointer "shimmy" making it a bit more difficult to read accurately. Digits don't shimmy There are a lot more "pros and cons," but I echo your original comment - it's all about what works best for you. Hopefully this helps equip everyone who reads it make an informed decision. Alti-2, Inc. Staff

That's why I posted the link to the Alti-2 Forum post Alti-2, Inc. Staff

Speaking only about Alti-2 electronic/digital altimeters (Atlas, N3, N3 Audio, Neptune2, Ruggedized Neptune) . . . The following Alti-2 Forums article was intended for users like you . . . http://www.alti-2.com/showthread.php?1420-Using-quot-DZ-Offset-quot-amp-quot-I-m-On-A-Jump-quot-to-Compliment-the-Auto-Zero-Function Please feel free to email me directly if you have any more questions [email protected] Alti-2, Inc. Staff

I did look into it, and became educated as to why we are set up as we are. Roger's post from 2008 is a good summary. I then learned about some proprietary details that add to the level of complexity for such a change with these devices. I am not at liberty to discuss those, but once I had the complete picture I realized the idea was not a practical fit with current products. What the future brings remains to be seen. Alti-2, Inc. Staff

From UK to you today, Mate. Alti-2, Inc. Staff

That is best expressed in this Alti-2 forum thread: http://www.alti-2.com/showthread.php?446-Can-I-download-data-from-my-Neptune-N3-without-using-Paralog Alti-2, Inc. Staff

Your repair ships tomorrow from UK. Alti-2, Inc. Staff

Your chief complaint, as I understand it, is the requirement for purchase of a third party software product to view, export, and otherwise use the 2500 Jump Summary Logs to your liking. You are not the first one we have heard from in this regard recently, although yours was certainly the most artistic. This pattern showed that customers purchasing our electronic altimeters with a logging feature were not being properly informed. I sent an email out to all of our Dealers on 8/11/2015 to ensure their customers understood this requirement thoroughly. Before our proprietary Neptune Maintenance Utility (NMU) became embedded in a third party product, it allowed users to connect their device to their computer to perform custom configurations to their device and back-up their summary logs. Viewing, exporting, and otherwise using the log data was never possible with NMU. This became possible through compatibility with a third party software product shortly after release of the original Neptune. There are good reasons why our product firmware architecture is closed (not writable by the end-user). This information has been available in our product forums since March of 2008. The third party software requirement information has been available in several places long before your complaint: -The back of Atlas and N3 packaging points potential customers to the Product Pages on our website for a detailed description of the product. -Visit these pages (Atlas N3) and you will find clearly stated that downloading jump log data to a computer requires an additional purchase. -There is also a hyperlink on the third party logbook software page (Alti-2 website) that points to the forum post I referred to above. -The User Manual (Atlas N3) for these products clearly states that summary log data cannot be viewed on the device nor through NMU. My point – there are not only good reasons for this long-standing methodology, but the information is and has been available from multiple sources. Now – thanks to you – it is also available here. Regardless, I am happy that you found an altimeter solution that works for you, even if it’s not one of ours. In the end, that’s what really matters. Blue skies and safe landings . . . Alti-2, Inc. Staff

We can provide you with original screws. Please send an email to [email protected] and let us know which of our products you have (e.g. Galaxy, Altimaster II, Galaxy Extreme, etc.). We would be happy to send some your way . . .

The silicone sleeve for N3 in the Elastic Wrist Band Mount is made specifically for N3's form factor. The same style mount for Atlas has a sleeve that is also made specifically for that device. I just pushed a Neptune into the sleeve of the N3 Elastic Wrist Band Mount. I was able to squeeze it in, but it does not fit well and affects both visual access to the display and to a greater degree physical access to the buttons. Alti-2 does not recommend using the N3 or Atlas Elastic Wrist Band Mount for Neptune. Alti-2, Inc. Staff