Vintage Double Hose

This weekend I made my 1st dive with the RAM I purchased recently from Brian. I also took along a new mistral from my LDS. The store owner asked if I’d like to try it since I was interested in double hose regs. I said sure I’d try it but I wasn’t interested in buying it. He said that was fine.

My buddy & I drove up to Mermet Springs in Southern IL. It was my 1st trip there, and I thought it would be a good place to test my new reg.

I made the 1st dive of the trip using the new mistral. We descended to a platform at 15ft. I immediately noticed that the breathing was more labored than my Snark. I thought that I must not have turned on my air all the way, even though I was sure that it was. I had my buddy check (twice), and he indicated it was on all the way. I couldn’t believe how difficult it was to breath. I assumed it was the orientation on my tank. All the gear on this dive was modern, and my tank was higher than ideal. Even though it was hard to breath, we proceeded with the dive. Several times I turned my head a certain way, and received a mouth full of water when I inhaled. I constantly had to clear the reg. Needless to say, it was not my best dive experience. Anyway, after a short 25-minute dive (it seemed much longer), I’d had enough, and we came up. I put up the mistral for the rest of the trip.

I later dove the RAM. It was absolutely fabulous compared to the modern mistral. It was much easier to breath, and was completely dry throughout the dive. The tank orientation was the same as when I dove the mistral, so the difference was only in the regulators. I can’t wait to put a nozzle on the RAM.

So in conclusion I would give the following ratings:
RAM a 9 (it will be a 10 when I get a nozzle
modern mistral a 2 (1 for each hose).

Its been a long time but if memory serves me ----it sure sounds like the new mistral had a defective duckbill or exhaust valve (wagon wheel)---perhaps knowing that you dove double hose he was anxious for you to test the mistral and let him know that it wasn't operating properly.

standingup wrote:Its been a long time but if memory serves me ----it sure sounds like the new mistral had a defective duckbill or exhaust valve (wagon wheel)---perhaps knowing that you dove double hose he was anxious for you to test the mistral and let him know that it wasn't operating properly.

I think he would have told me if he thought there was a problem. It sure sounds like this 1 had the problem you describe. But even if that problem was fixed, it was still too hard to breath. I can't believe anyone would use this thing as a primary reg. It's more like it will become like the Edsell, and just be a collectors item.

You probably are so correct--the New mistral will become a collector's item before it reaches the required twenty five years (25) to became a certified antique. May or may not become a good $$$ Investment.

Regarding Mermet Springs..
That area of southern Ill, is rather rual and certainly bucolic and traditionally been resistive to change. It is refreshing that you didnot encounter opposition to diving a double hose regulator---or did you? . Were inquirries made about it's function or operation? Or did you dive in an isolated area unnoticed by the diving authorities?

Like to hear more.

21

I have to agree!!!
I dove the new minstril when we were in weeki wachy at the sand dog III and you could not give me one of those things, they do breath real bad (like a rock) I wont ever dive one of those again unless it is the only reg. left to dive. And i think it was a brand new reg. I think Karl got it from the dive shop off of Jimi. I will take any of my old regs over this one.

21 wrote:You probably are so correct--the New mistral will become a collector's item before it reaches the required twenty five years (25) to became a certified antique. May or may not become a good $$$ Investment.

Regarding Mermet Springs..
That area of southern Ill, is rather rual and certainly bucolic and traditionally been resistive to change. It is refreshing that you didnot encounter opposition to diving a double hose regulator---or did you? . Were inquirries made about it's function or operation? Or did you dive in an isolated area unnoticed by the diving authorities?

Like to hear more.

21

When I dove the mistral, we came up when 1 of the workers was coming up. He heard me complain about the mistral & told me he had a RAM. I told him I had 1 with me, but that's about as far as the conversation went. He didn't ask if I intended to dive with it, so I guess he was OK with it. Especially since he had 1. Nobody Official saw us using our vintage regs, so we didn't run into any opposition. It was a pretty light weekend as far as divers were concerned. I would guess about 40 on Saturday, so it wasn't like we were lost in a huge crowd.

My attitude when I dive these places is that it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. I bring a pony, & another reg just in case, but nobody said a word to us. In fact, we didn't even get any questions from nearby divers. That was strange because we talked with everyone around us. And it was obvious that some were new divers. I say this because they needed help setting up their gear. (I hope they were new divers anyway). So, if they were curious, they kept it to themselves.

That is very interesting! I wonder if he owns one and never dives it or on occasion dives the unit?

Would raise the question how many originial double hose regulators are owned but not used. Relics from the past handing on a wall?


And the follow up question how many New US Divers Mistrals have been purchased but will never be used?

FYI -- a "Mistral" is a very warm wind that blows across the Sahara desert, the Med sea and on into France. the Mistrals are very simular, I am informed by the Americans born in France, to the very warm dry October winds of Southern California called "Santanas."

The DX & DYs and the original Mistral certainly delivered copious amounts of air like a Mistral or a Santana, but the New Mistral missed the mark --it certainly doesn't blow like a wind...

21

does anyone have an exploded diagram of the new mistral to look at. It just doesn't make sense that a company that had an excellent working earlier version would tool up and produce a new version that was poor in operation. Is it possible the company intentionally produced a poor working version to kill the double hose idea? Or has ralph nader and his crowd messed up the new mistral?

It doesn't make sense that a company that made a RAM would now make a Mistral like the one they make but they do. There is probably not one person working for Aqua Lung today, that was there when the RAM was made. I would guess that not many there were even born at that time.

I just returned from Truk Lagoon. I dived my RAM there. At the Blue Lagoon Dive Shop nobody cared what we dived. I did not bring a manifold to join the twin tanks that we needed to use for the deep dives, so I used the twin independent rigs for penetration and deep work. I made 10 wreck dives. I only dived the RAM on the reef. I was not sure what was allowed, so I brought the conventional gear. My weight allowance made adding any extra weight a risk, so the manifold stayed home. As it turned out, I could have taken the manifold, and left the single hose stuff at home.

There are two live-aboards there, and another store called the Truk Stop. The Truk Stop is leased by an American couple, so they may have different rules. The guys at Blue Lagoon are so casual you could dive anything if it looked like you knew what you were doing.

Actually, I don't consider the modern AquaLung company to be the same company as US Divers so they actually did not build the RAM, USD did. Maybe a small thing.

Had the PRAM at 110 feet for two dives in cold water, smooth as silk, all the air anyone could ever need and the new silicone diaphram---priceless---holy cow. I thought it was good before--now it is FABULOUS, fabulous I say .

Nemrod

Having used a modern Mistral briefly I was fully convinced by that short time that it was junk. why bother with that --even their so called Legend is lacking . The Legend is legend in Aqua Lung's mind only, to me it is nearly junk.

Here is a pic of me having returned from the depths in semi-vintage tech. Notice the slung 30 with Tekna and PRAM on BP/wing and aluminum 80 supporting other requirments including a Tekna octapus. We were at 110 feet, maybe a tad more. Nothing compares to the real deal, and this is the real deal, the RAM is tops, new, old, inbetween.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/ ... CF0103.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/JRWJR/00004.jpg

The second photo is side scanning sonar image taken from the Whaler Nemrod of the wreck. The depth indicated is from the bottom below the Nemrod, the wreck itself is quite a bit deeper.

James

Nemrod you have a very interesting set up. The picture leaves some questions however. The octopus ,is that coming off the hookah port of the double hose or are you using an H valve on the al 80. If the oct is coming off the hookah port are you using a t connector to power the octo and power inflator ? I and possibly others would be quite interested in your "plumbing"
Do you have any photos showing your plumbing?

standingup wrote:Nemrod you have a very interesting set up. The picture leaves some questions however. The octopus ,is that coming off the hookah port of the double hose or are you using an H valve on the al 80. If the oct is coming off the hookah port are you using a t connector to power the octo and power inflator ? I and possibly others would be quite interested in your "plumbing"
Do you have any photos showing your plumbing?

From the position of his inflator hose I'd be willing to bet that he is diving his Phoenix RAM.

Phoenix RAM = PRAM DUH Now I get it. Nemrod I think I see the perfect set up. The buddy bottle only when needed. The PRAM when octo or bc required and just a RAM and harness for shallow just get wet quick dives.

It is a Phoenix but before the Phoenix many of us, me and Luis and others were using a three way spliiter block off the hookah port with good success. The adapter offered by "oldmossback" is especially good. Possibly Bryan is developing a new device but since it is secret---how can I guess .

James