Full Face Mask Communication (Testing the OTS PowerCom 3000D)

[@joshroten3997]

Good video. I am honored to be part of the OTS Beta Team that provides input and testing of some of these new products, including this PowerCom3000D and the PowerCom3000S (surface station). Great gear by a great company. 👍

[@BAMFSQUAD]

Wow that thing is freaking Kool thanks for sharing bro

[@carllafrance5510]

AWESOME Jeff ! Good review ! I remember when we pulled the face mask off blew a bubble and talked into it Have a great day!

[@TritonsRealm]

Thank you! It's been a long time since I've tried talking into a bubble., but I'm going to try it again sometime this week.

[@carllafrance5510]

@@TritonsRealm We also screamed and waved like hell before hand signals were invented and understood Have a great day !

[@BlueHorizonDiving]

Awesome Jeff!!

[@TritonsRealm]

Thanks! It’s a fun toy.

[@fanny-chan2947]

hope ur channel grows pretty awesome content

[@TritonsRealm]

Thank you! We really appreciate the support.

[@UKDiver]

Very cool! Sound is pretty good. I’m doing a FFM try dive end of January and I’m looking forward to that. If I like it, who knows I may have to get myself one with a comms system 👍👍 Wife will be happy!! 💸💸💸

[@carllafrance5510]

Happy wife ! Happy life !

[@TritonsRealm]

Have fun, and let me know how you like the FFM. We certainly enjoy using it, but we've found our SAC rate is higher with the FFM. This is especially true when we're narrating our dive or communicating with each other. As a result, we've imposed limitations on diving with the FFM and comms. As a general rule, we don't use it below 18m or on dives with a more advanced profile such as drift dives or wreck penetration dives. However, in cold water, just using the FFM will keep your face warmer, which is nice. Enjoy and if you haven't seen @DiveClyde channel (kzbin.info/door/w3GzNa7w6NeAEnQYmVZGwA), check it out. He's doing some cool stuff.

[@chuckpowell2431]

Great review. I didn't hear a few things covered, how many divers can you have on a net, what's the range, can you have comms to the surface or does it require a repeater of some kind? I'm sure it's in the product description on the website which I will be looking up. The only other type I've seen require you to be tethered with a long cable.

[@TritonsRealm]

Thank you. We only use the wireless communication system between 2 divers underwater to record the audio. So we haven't had the opportunity to test it out with more divers. I believe the system can support more than 2 divers, but not sure exactly how many. The PowerCom 3000D has a range of up to 3000m, and the 5000D has a range up to 5000m. We've never tested it to those extreme distances, so we can't say how well it works, but that's what OTS has published in the manual. You can also get a wireless surface station, which we don't have, to communicate with topside support. I believe the wireless surface station is essentially another microphone & transducer hanging on a cable in the water that can receive and transmit the audio and does not use a repeater. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@joshroten3997]

Range: up to 3000 meters (depending on water conditions). No limited to number of divers on the wireless system, other than trying to manage all their comms (talking over each other, etc.). No repeater needed. Wireless : Throough-the-water comms and hardwire comms are two different animals but utilize some of of the same components (Hi-Use Connectors, Ear-Mic Assemblies, etc.)

[@SamOoms]

Thank you for the video and detailed responses in the comments. I’m looking to get this for a modular Kirby Morgan Mod-1 for a tech-level documentary cinematography dive. Do I understand correctly that this device both provides coms and recording? Do you still need an external recorder? Information is hard to come by so thank you in advance.

[@TritonsRealm]

Great question. I agree, information is hard to come by, so I’m happy to add to the conversation. This unit provides comms, but does not record. I think most people use a surface unit for the recording, but we’ve rigged up a solution to do it underwater. Our solution isn’t the only way, but here is a link to the video were I describe what we use for recording. OTS Full Face Mask (Recording Underwater Audio) kzbin.info/www/bejne/bneZYX6lg9mgr6s

[@blackangeldivers4249]

Nice material. The way divers communicate is obvious. It is fun. But how do you record audio? Is it possible without communication with the surface?

[@TritonsRealm]

Thank you and great question. It is possible to record underwater without the surface station. Here’s a video on how we do it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bneZYX6lg9mgr6s Hope this helps. - Jeff

[@blackangeldivers4249]

@@TritonsRealm thank you!

[@DiveDiveLIVE]

We use this often, but recently it hasn’t been working between masks. I think maybe it’s scrambling? How do you select from the menu options? I’ve tried so many different combinations 🫠

[@aryelamaral]

how you recorded the audio?

[@TritonsRealm]

Good question. I see you found the answer in the other video. 👍😃

[@MisterRustic]

This might be a stupid question but if your communicating with other divers the full face masks doesn't cover your ears so how do the divers hear each other. I understand how the audio mic works just curious on how you can hear others and vice versa if your ears are in the water. Thank you in advance!

[@TritonsRealm]

Great question! The full face mask has small speakers that sit on top of the divers ears so that they can hear each other. The transmitter also has a volume setting that the diver can control. It's not something we use on every dive, but it's been a fun toy to have for narrating videos underwater. All the best, -- Jeff

[@r7calvin]

@@TritonsRealm in what situations can't you use it?

[@TritonsRealm]

@@r7calvin We’ve imposed just a few personal limitations. Other people may have different personal rules, but here's a few types of the conditions we typically don't use the full face mask. 1- Deep dives below 80’ (25m) because the regulator is unbalanced there is more resistance when breathing at depth. 2- When we’re planning to dive an hour or more with an 80cuft tank. With the FFM we naturally use the gas a little faster. The OTS Guardian is a nice piece of equipment and we really like it, but we treat it like a tool in our tool box. When we need it, we take it out. All the best. -- Jeff

[@r7calvin]

@@TritonsRealm thanks for the clarification! That makes sense.

[@carlosmendes5320]

Jeff, just to confirm... are they both compatible with the Powercom 3000D? Earphone / Microphone Assemblies (OTS EM-OTS2-SM and OTS EM-OTS2-MM)

[@TritonsRealm]

Great question! Yes, I believe the Powercom 3000D is compatible with both assemblies as they both use the Hi-Use connector. We did our test with the OTS EM-OTS2-SM Earphone/Microphone assembly.

[@carlosmendes5320]

@@TritonsRealm thank you so much!!! 👊😀👌

[@carlosmendes5320]

Attention: MM is not compatible with the PowerCom as the unit used a Hi-Use connector and not a Marsh Marine connector on the MM ear-mic assembly. By OTS

[@TritonsRealm]

@@carlosmendes5320 Wow! Sorry to misinform you. I thought both used the Hi-use connector and would be compatible. Thank you for fact checking and correcting me.

[@MaximumDiver]

Does it come with all the wires if we don't own an SSB2010? I just have a BuddyPhone :P Also, how heavy is that beast? I wonder if I need to remove some diving weights! hahaha Thanks for this review Jeff!

[@TritonsRealm]

Yes, it does come with the wire that connects to the microphone from the Guardian FFM. It also has a very rugged design that seems more durable than the SSB2010, but I didn't have to remove or shift any weight when diving with it. Great question, and thanks for watching.

[@joshroten3997]

Just to clarify: if you do not already have a FFM equipped with an Ear-Microphone Assembly (EMA) then you would need one EMA per FFM also to marry the PowerCom3000D up to. See the OTS website for info on the EMA for various models of FFM.