The latest release of the WB 3.0.2 is on the web. This release was designed to push firmware updates to your Nitek Q computer. If you purchased one before firmware 2.0 (black USB cap), then you haven’t been able to use the WB logbook function. If you purchased a later model (red USB cap), then you have access to the WB.

The WB is a free download from our website, and I encourage you to download it and update the firmware on your computer. We are up to version 2.0.5 on the firmware. The update includes better animation during battery charging and a 10 hour countdown on battery life. It still checks voltage, but now has a 10 hour countdown on the time the display is active. Since the display has the highest power consumption, it gives you a better indicator of battery life with a reserve.  The overall battery life hasn’t changed.

To use WB 3.0.2 on a PC, it needs to have Windows 7 or newer and you need to have administrator rights.  Everyone believes they have administrator rights to their PC, but sometimes the wrong check box or another program can change it. One user that was having issues with installation and communications to load the program used this link http://www.mytechguide.org/106/how-to-log-on-as-administrator-in-windows-7/ to log on as administrator, and it worked for him.

MAC is easier, but I had an issue with a USB port not allowing enough communications/power to allow for the re-flash, but would still allow me to upload dives.  I switched ports and now everything works.

Since the program is internet based you must have a high speed connection to install the program or get any firmware updates or upgrades. Look for more features now that we can push firmware updates to your Nitek Q.

To download Workbench for Mac or PC visit: http://www.diverite.com/products/catalog/computers/co-xxxx

Lamar

Our thigh pocket design is our answer for storage of the tools technical divers need to carry: back up lights, spools and lift bags. It provides a convenient way to keep tools away from line traps or danglies. The Dive Rite AC3201-XT Thigh Pocket is mounted independently of the exposure suit – not everyone wants permanent glue-on style pockets. I have friends that buy a new wetsuit every 6 to 9 months, but they have had their thigh pocket for 3 years. I have even our thigh pocket wrapped around fins and mask to keep them bundled on a boat. I never thought of that but hey, if it works go for it.

After some diving in the islands I was talking to a few divers over a beer, (it’s amazing what you hear over a few beers) and learned that our thigh pocket design could be improved. I went back to the drawing board and made the 2013 model slightly bigger so that a spool would fit while still attached to the surface marker and we changed the straps up to keep in line with the new trend to ride the primary lift bag on a deco/bailout bottle.

The new thigh pocket is just a little bit larger, you can hardly see any difference since most of it was in the side panels. We also added an ingenious way to connect it. Now you can mount the pocket upside down and attach it to tanks if you want to.I changed the elastic length for a better fit on small legs and aluminum 40′s while not comprising it for the guys or aluminum 80 cylinders. You can easily add it to a bottle or put it on your leg with very little effort. Watch our Dive Rite TV for the skinny on it.

Lamar

I wrote a blog back in October on the new Nomad XT model with the reshaped wing (Oct blog).  Since that time, I had not switched the inflator and OPV on my own rig, primarily because I had started diving the Nomad LT. Recently, I wore my Nomad XT for a dive and it reminded me of how much I like this rig.

The fit is more comfortable with the addition of the TransPac XT. I went ahead and moved the inflator and it was then I realized how much I like it positioned on the bottom and the pull dump on the neck. You can put the pull dump over the left shoulder or right and also adjust the cord length. I prefer to keep the cord higher up on the shoulder, above the D-rings.  This keeps it away from the busy area with cylinders and regulators.  The BC2748-TP comes as a kit with a long pull string and ball so you can find the sweet spot for it. The inflator is positioned just like my Nomad LT Cave. I like to run it on the right side so I still have my lower left pull dump that I use for trim.

I put D-rings on the belt that are high enough to clip off reels and keep the bottle area clear. This was something I have done for years but couldn’t always recommend it with the older style TransPac. Now it works perfectly on the TransPac XT, so it will be added to all the Nomad XT rigs from this point forward. I’ll show you my rig in this short video. VIDEO: Nomad XT Mods

Lamar

It’s been very busy over the past few months. We have been swamped with orders from public safety dive teams. We give these priority production because we want to show our support however we can. We have equipped a number of teams in harness/wing systems and especially our RX10 lights. With over 100 lights recently going to public safety dive teams we are proud they looked to a US made product. Our lights are made in the USA, from the electronics to the housings. The teams were looking for products made in the USA for local service and reliability. We don’t buy off the shelf but rather design it and build it here. The engineers designing our lights are divers and take every aspect of performance and quality personally, as if they were going to dive it themselves just like we do.

The RX10 is getting brighter, we haven’t changed anything but improved heat sink and boards yield longer burn time and some more light output. Every module comes in tagged with its individual quality control analysis for color frequency, current draw and LUX output at one meter. We are going to start including these specs with every light so you know they have been individually tested and inspected.

Look for some new accessories coming out for the RX10 light: our new comfort fit Goodman style hand mount with large footprint pad for the back of your hand.  This new pad has three sets of mounting holes for single or double light head mounts. As with any hard hand mount it feels better with a glove on. In the Florida caves I wear fingerless gloves to protect my hands from the light mounts and gear, it’s the little things that make the sport comfortable.

If you are at the springs over the next week I will show you some of the new accessories since I will be testing them.

Lamar

I want to say the Nomad LT is my most favored Nomad for the side mount diving I do. Usually it’s travel and aluminum 80′s or LP 85′s in our backyard springs. For me, if I need anything more, it is most likely a rebreather dive on the O2ptima.

We introduced the Nomad LT Cave last fall because we selfishly had some exploring to do. There are a few holes close to home I wanted to check out that required a close fitting rig without any snag points on the back and the Nomad LT Cave’s positioning of both the inflation and dump valve near the wing base gives divers the ability to easily reach them swimming prone inside caves.

Now we have the Nomad LT Bluewater, a rig more suitable for my travels since the inflation is on top and a dump valve on the bottom just like a standard BCD so now you can dump gas when vertical, ascending on a downline or coming up a wall. I’m taking the Nomad LT Bluewater with me this week to St. Croix, as a matter of fact. Here is a video comparison of the two: Nomad LT Cave & Blue

I tend to specialize my equipment to the mission. What do you like to do?

Lamar

Since the day I got my first GoPro Hero all the underwater video I have shot is with it, then the Hero 2 and now the Hero 3. When the Hero 2 came out we started working on a video light for it. The RX Video Light is a proprietary light from Dive Rite with a four LED array spaced and mounted on a reflective board, which gives us the even light seen on the video. The Hero 2 needed 2 RX video lights to fill the capture area and now the Hero 3 only needs one RX to do the same job. This is a great upgrade since in a cave setting the rule was you can never have too much light, now you can.

For me one of the tricks was use the LCD back screen to make sure you have the subject matter in view and the lighting correct. Tilting the camera can create dark spots around the edges. The system I came up with uses the attachment pieces that come with your camera and this mounts directly to the leg of our Goodman style handle. You can easily check your lighting and subject matter set up like this.  You can set up more lights for fill lighting, but remember with the Hero 3 anymore than one on camera will overpower it. Here’s a sample of a single RX video light in action with the Hero 3. VIDEO: RX & GO PRO DIVER WALKING ON CEILING

Lamar

I see divers in the field settling for a regulator with a lower performance for their stage regulators. I think this thought process on regulator selection should be analyzed again. Let’s separate usage first, travel and decompression regulators are one class while stage regulators, deep travel and bailout regulators for cave CCR are in a different class. Travel and decompression regulators have depth limitations, usually shallow or limited use by nature. The argument for a regulator of performance not equal to the “primary system” can be debated.

The other class of regulators is different and you should look at all regulators in this class being of equal performance. Since I am always testing gear I find myself with multiple models on a dive doing the “Pepsi/Coke taste test” which is better breathing what makes them different. When you get in to high stress conditions, brought on by current, visibility or some other stress related event, regulator performance can be the little thing that magnifies the problem. I know, I have switched back to the better breathing regulator in stressful situations because I needed to feel good about something while everything else was hitting the fan. This can lead to over breathing a bottle’s gas planning and create another cascade of issues.

When it comes to regulators that I use at the same depth under the same conditions they are all just as important and I don’t compromise. At 200′ all my regulators need to be up to the task not just my primary.  Food for thought.

Lamar

Dive Lab Reg Performance Article

We had a request from Canada for a Nomad XT to fit a female diver who is 4’11″ and 105 pounds. The Nomad XT sizing begins at size medium because it its designed around the standard TransPac XT back plate. Because we build almost all of our products in-house, we can usually do just about any custom requests. Kenny and Jon accepted the challenge and built an Extra-Small, Nomad XT. With just a few minor alterations they put it together quite nicely. They used a small-size TransPac XT and the Nomad LT buttplate to make sure the length would be correct. Daisy chain ring bungees gives the diver additional customization to ensure tanks hang correctly.

We checked sizing first on Kathleen, our marketing director, and knew we were on the right track. The guys played with it and got a friend to come in that matched the size of the customer to make sure it would be a perfect fit. Congrats on another custom-job well-done.

Lamar

We no longer publish our regulator service manuals now that we have launched the new XT Regulator. Proper service of a breathing regulator requires the right tools, fixtures and lubricant. The new XT is a high performance regulator and should be tuned to get peak performance. The pictures below show the tools of the trade to properly service a regulator. A good technician will have these and an ultrasonic cleaner to make sure the parts are properly cleaned and prepped for assembly. I don’t service my own regulators, I leave it to the trained and experienced technicians in our service department. I do carry a parts kit just in case I need to have it serviced on a dive trip, which divers can get from an authorized dealer.

Lamar