Thank you , Billy. Great demonstration of the intention of the system.


bdi@bd*.co*.au* wrote:
> 
> At 10:08 PM 9/9/99 -0400, David B. Widen wrote:
> >Thanks Jim, that is an excellent accounting of the discussion and end points
> >reach by us as a group.
> 
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From:  Jim Cobb [mailto:cobber@ci*.co*]
> >Sent:  Thursday, September 09, 1999 1:19 PM
> >To:    Tech Diver; kirvine@sa*.ne*
> >Subject:       To FT or not to FT
> >
> >Hi, George. Rumor has it that I am accused of "messing with your system"
> >insofar as wether to use FT or not to use FT on stage bottles. We had a
> >VBTech meeting where we discussed the DIR stage bottle rigging technique.
> ........
> >So on the FT thing, we are not always able to dive on "stroke free"
> >charters, sometimes breakinng RULE #1 is part of the game. So we agreed
> >(thats "we" not "me") that it would be a good idea to add FT for 2
> >reasons:
> >
> >1. Make it absolutely clear that the number indicates MOD and not MIX.
> >2. And that we are talking FEET and not METERS (Yes, we get lots of
> >European divers).
> >
> >I really could not come up with a reason not to use FT, hell it's just a
> >couple of letters and does not effect streamlining.
> 
> Jim & David, I just went on a bottle marking journey
> and here's the trip report...
> 
> After 9 months of effort, we finally got aluminium 40's
> approved by the standards authority here in Oz and the
> first shipment brought into the country. I had orders
> for the entire shipment before it landed.
> 
> Anyway, this weekend I had a tank painting session and,
> on the way, made some decisions just like yours - and
> for the same reasons.
> 
> On the 50/50 bottle I put '21' (we're metric). Then I
> figured that 99% of the divers round here would read
> that as 21 percent (air) not 21 metres. So to let them
> know that the cylinder didn't contain air I added the
> letter 'm' for metres next to the '21'.
> 
> Then I put the word 'oxygen' on the 02 cylinder. And
> next to it the number '6' in the same size type. Oh
> Mama it looked tres tasty.
> 
> Then I stood the bottles on a table at the far end of
> the garage, turned off the light and looked at them.
> 
> Fucking pathetic! Not only did I now have one bottle
> marked primarily as to depth and the other as to
> contents (some system, huh?), the letter 'm' after the
> '21' added confusion, not clarity. It prevented instant
> 'flash-card' recognition of the number and created a
> long typographic profile which was hard to decipher at
> distance.
> 
> In a zen-like moment of enlightenment I realised then
> that the ONLY information you're looking for and need
> underwater is depth. Just the numbers, nothing else.
> 
> What I'd done by trying to indicate that the '21'
> didn't contain air, and by making the word 'oxygen'
> relatively too big was to pervert the DIR depth marking
> system.
> 
> Depth is a below the water problem. It's taken care of
> by the big numbers on the bottle for use and guidance
> when diving.
> 
> Contents is an above the water problem, taken care of by
> the contents marking on the shoulder of the cylinder for
> use and guidance when filling & testing.
> 
> And I was trying to use the DIR *DEPTH* marking system
> to indicate *CONTENTS*.
> 
> So I cleaned off the 'm' and voila - the '21' jumped
> out like dog's balls. Next, I repainted the '6' on the
> 02 cylinder in the same big-size numerals as the '21'
> so now the depth screams out on that cylinder too - and
> having the numerals same-size on all cylinders adds the
> consistency that makes the system work.
> 
> The word 'oxygen' in smaller type on the 02 bottle then
> becomes a discriminator - a distinctive mark at a
> distance, and an aid to orientation up closer. The
> lights-out test confirms this. More importantly, it
> also serves the purpose of marking the cylinder for
> emergency use on the surface.
> 
> Once again, the DIR system is right. I keep doing this -
> making 'improvements' to the system, only to discover
> that it's already an 'improved' system.
> 
> At least now I only DIW in the privacy of my own garage.
> 
> rgrds  billyw


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