30 replies to this topic

[shadragon]

Plus I get air integration with my Oceanic computers that I don't get with the Cochran.

The Gemini is air integrated, but it is a bulky transceiver I will give you that. For what I do the wrist mount is adequate.

[PerroneFord]

Man it seems like everyone on the board wants a Cochran...

I wouldn't say that....

[VADiver]

Man it seems like everyone on the board wants a Cochran...

I wouldn't say that....

LOL

So how have you been doing? Long time no post.

Vinny

[PerroneFord]

Man it seems like everyone on the board wants a Cochran...

I wouldn't say that....

LOL

So how have you been doing? Long time no post.

Vinny

Oh, I'm fine. I've been posting the past couple of days in the threads I'm sure you ignore.

Not everyone has a happy, shiny Cochran story. I'll never buy anything else they make, and won't recommend them to anyone. Ever. My experience ran the gamut from deceptive marketing practices, defective software, customer service / support all but calling me a liar when I described my problem, etc. Worst service I've had from any company in my entire life, hands down.

[scubafanatic]

Plus I get air integration with my Oceanic computers that I don't get with the Cochran.

The Gemini is air integrated, but it is a bulky transceiver I will give you that. For what I do the wrist mount is adequate.

...it's 'bulky' 'cause it's not just a transmitter, it's a computer too....most AI computers have plain transmitters that 'radio' gas pressure to a wrist unit, but have no inherent computational function, that's why they're smaller...they're 'dumb' units.....my Gemini's have 2 computers......the 'bulky' part that attaches to an 1st-stage HP port is the 'primary' computer, but in the event wireless communications are 'broken' between the computer/transmitter unit and the wrist unit, the wrist unit maintains/provides unbroken/ongoing dive computer information to the diver, with the exception of providing a gas pressure reading, essentially becoming a non-AI computer for the remainder of the dive.

Karl

[scubafanatic]

Man it seems like everyone on the board wants a Cochran...

I wouldn't say that....

LOL

So how have you been doing? Long time no post.

Vinny

Oh, I'm fine. I've been posting the past couple of days in the threads I'm sure you ignore.

Not everyone has a happy, shiny Cochran story. I'll never buy anything else they make, and won't recommend them to anyone. Ever. My experience ran the gamut from deceptive marketing practices, defective software, customer service / support all but calling me a liar when I described my problem, etc. Worst service I've had from any company in my entire life, hands down.

....well then, please don't tell anyone over at 'thedecostop' board that I'm diving a bright Canary YELLOW AI Cochran...I'd hate to get blacklisted over there....which reminds me, I probably should also airbrush/Photoshop away my snorkel in my avatar too.......

Karl

[PerroneFord]

I haven't posted at the deco stop this year. I think you're safe.

[WreckWench]

Not everyone has a happy, shiny Cochran story. I'll never buy anything else they make, and won't recommend them to anyone. Ever. My experience ran the gamut from deceptive marketing practices, defective software, customer service / support all but calling me a liar when I described my problem, etc. Worst service I've had from any company in my entire life, hands down.

Hey Perrone good to have you back.

Every company has hicups and mis-steps...and like any company that allows their product to be redesigned by the US Navy to ensure hardiness, reliability and durability...a lot happens in a short span of time...most of which in this case has been very good. I recall your issue being a couple of years ago but I do not recall the details or the precise timing. I would hazzard a guess that the problem(s) have been fixed and the unprofessional rep removed. However I also know once you make a decision you stick with it so it is unfortuate you had such a bad experince however that has not been the case with other users including some very serious tech divers. I know you are very happy with vplanner and that is great. However this computer serves many divers very well who not only don´t use vplanner but have no idea what it is. And no that does not make them lesser divers nor does it make you a greater diver...just different people doing the same thing with different tools.

This computer is a tool and a very good one. Is it the only good computer on the market? Many would argue no however a soon to be released study by DAN will reveal it is the only software to pass the criteria that DAN was testing for. I would say more but I do not personally have the results but will post them when I do.

If you want to elaborate on the problem I will gladly ask Cochran to reply directly as I am not a Cochran expert. However I have been using their computers for the past 3 years...almost 4 and have had minimal issues. I have however encountered at least 1 computer failure on most of our trips and recently 3 on the Dry Tortugas trip. Fortunately those individuals were wearing a Cochran as a back up and were able to continue their dives safely and enjoyably. Otherwise they would of had to abort their dives.

Is this proof of anything? No but I would never place my life in the hands of a flawed computer for any reasn nor would I support one that hasn´t performed beyond all others I´ve seen. And no the company did not buy me a computer nor have they paid me or comp´d me to be a spokes person for them. They are however a well respected corporate partner and we value their contributions to diver safety and to the dive industry in general.

Also I think it is very cool that they are the only computer the US Navy standardized on and now the rest of the world´s militaries have also standardized on. They are simple to use, provide real time accuracy and provide data that many computers can not provide. They do not force you to reset your mix every dive...you only change it when you mix changes. It does not default to air or 50% or anything other than the last setting you changed it too. THAT is nice in my book. I could go on but I´ll spare you.

Let me know if you´d like a Cochran rep to reply to your concerns with their company. Kamala

[PerroneFord]

Sorry to be contentious on my return. Not necessarily what I wanted. So I'll be brief and as tactful as possible.

My first experience with Cochran came in 1994. It was a relatively good experience but the local representative had enough trouble with them, and the computers had enough issues for the local rep to drop them.

I read enough horror stories over the ensuing years to steer clear of Cochran. Sometime in 2005 I became interested in participating in DAN's data gathering but I didn't dive with a computer nor did I want one. I approached a different local rep who was a Cochran dealer but not a stocking dealer. I ordered a DDR from them. It was slightly more expensive than the competing product. When it arrived, there was no software. The rep called the company and was told that the unit price did not include the software necessary to extract the dives from the computer. When placing the order for the software, we found it actually cost more than the data unit! So now I was spending double what I could have gotten the competing product for. I was upset by this, but at least I'd have a functioning unit.

So after my first weekend of diving, I tried to use software to download the dives. After some issues, I was able to make that work. However, I could not print my dives to PDF because the software was incompatible. After 2 weeks or so of trying to work through Cochran support and giving up, I solved the issue by moving to a different version of Acrobat (and losing functionality).

When I tried to upload my dives to DAN, I found the software did not allow me to input the necessary information to make it work. It's not like the software didn't connect, the fields in the software simply didn't exist. I again contacted Cochran and was told in no uncertain terms that their software worked and I was doing something wrong. I called DAN since I had read they were using the units. After speaking to them I found out they were entering the data manually and not using the Cochran software. After contacting Cochran again, and basically being called a liar, I gave up on them.

Some time later a poster on Decostop asked about Cochran and a rep from the company responded. So I told him my story, in the forum. He said he would try to help. A few weeks later he brought me the word from the engineering team. Essentially, that they were aware of the problem and they'd fix it when they felt like it, or words to that effect. The people in the thread on Decostop were taken aback. At that point, I washed my hands of Cochran. My dealings with them included deceptive marketing, incredibly poor software, non-existant customer support, arrogance from the technical engineers, etc.

I understand that the software works now, and that they have made some updates and upgrades. And that's wonderful. I bought a Suunto Vyper and never looked back. I don't begrudge anyone with a Cochran, and I wish them and the company all the best.

The current Cochran computers appeal to a wide audience from recreational divers, to a few rebreather divers, to military divers. Many seem to be happy with their choices, though I still do hear some grumblings. I hope that their relationship with SingleDivers is fruitful and pleasant.

Thank you, and I'll consider the matter closed.

[WreckWench]

Thank you Perrone. Sounds like the matter is in fact resolved. However I do not doubt your experience. I have strugged a bit with some of the interfaces when I´m doing DAN support stuff. It was developed by engineers and as I like to tell them...only usable by engineers. However the end user interface is friendly and works very well.

The internet cafe is booting us out...in Holbox with the whalesharks! Saw 10 today and got some awesome pics.

Thank you for explaining your experience. Kamala

[peterbj7]

Kamala and I have briefly discussed the current Cochrans and I know she's very impressed with them. I have never dived with any Cochran so I have absolutely no first-hand knowledge, but I had lots of diving friends in England in the early/mid '90's who had tried the then-current models and between them didn't have a good word to say for them. Whether it was to do with the hardware, the firmware or the connection software I don't know, but the story I kept hearing was of unreliability. I never felt motivated even to try one.

Now that's a long time ago and I'm well prepared to believe they've radically changed for the better. So next time we're diving together, Kamala, I'd like to try one of your Cochrans for a few dives alongside my regular computer. Please!

[WreckWench]

Kamala and I have briefly discussed the current Cochrans and I know she's very impressed with them. I have never dived with any Cochran so I have absolutely no first-hand knowledge, but I had lots of diving friends in England in the early/mid '90's who had tried the then-current models and between them didn't have a good word to say for them. Whether it was to do with the hardware, the firmware or the connection software I don't know, but the story I kept hearing was of unreliability. I never felt motivated even to try one.

Now that's a long time ago and I'm well prepared to believe they've radically changed for the better. So next time we're diving together, Kamala, I'd like to try one of your Cochrans for a few dives alongside my regular computer. Please!

THAT can be arranged. OTWDiver did the same running it side by side his nitec and the other computer he uses. He has now standardized on Cochran for his technical diving that does not exceed 3 gases. He also uses vplanner and all sorts of tools that I have a hard time keeping up with.

Bottom line is they have come a long way and I think you´ll be sufficiently impressed.

[NJBerserker]

Since it's been brought up, the one problem I do have is with the DAN research. For some reason I can never get my dives to upload, something is always missing or something that I can't find. I'm pretty sure though that it's something on my end and I'll make the phone calls to figure it out, but if anyone else has had the problem and fixed it I'd like to hear how. Everything else has run silky smooth with the computer, software, etc.

[Scubatooth]

NJ

do you have a DAN FRC or DAN Diver ID number that you got after filling in this form online and intering it into the ID slot on the first tab at the top?

When i can think and actually write (long story PM me if you want to know) coherently I will do a write up on the process on the cochran / DAN software, but basically any box that has blue lettering next to it has to be filled into be sent. Or is it a connection to server issue?

I worked with this software last summer and trust me i know the cochran analyst 3.0x (shiver) up through version 4.01 Rev O. yes i know P is available but i havent loaded analyst on my new laptop so i havent played to it but I think i know what the changes where, because i sat down with the engineers after my internship and did detailed report of things that popped up or could be improved. This insight comes with collecting/processing/uploading over 1200 dive profiles for DAN in about 65 day period.

[NJBerserker]

I do have the number. If I remember correctly I don't think I was able to access all of the necessary fields or something. I will try again later this evening when I download this weekends dives so I can tell you precisely what's wrong. If I'm too tired tonight I'll definitely have that info for you ASAP. Thanks for offering to help.