Cavechat.org

Does anybody know where a caver can purchase a DistoX2 or modified Leica E7400X?

The laser rangefinder is very important. An accurate tilt sensor is important. An accurate azimuth sensor is important. Bluetooth...I can take it or leave it.

Can anybody build one for me, for a price?

The Leica E7400X is due for delivery, and I am in touch with Beat Heeb about the modification board. There is a bunch of small accessory parts.

For cavers who use a DistoX or DistoX2 for survey work, you really need to watch out for large hunks of ferrous metal. Almost any sort of steel can throw off the accuracy of the sensitive sensors inside. As a result, some of us have thrown aside our steel caving hardware and have gone to aluminum alloys for everything. Now, many cavers use a half-round maillon rapide on a waist harness, and swapping out the steel version for the aluminum version was the first step for us. However, if such hardware gets corroded by water or humidity, or if it gets "sprung" by side-to-side pressure, it is possible for the 15mm hex fitting to jam. So, some cavers carry a 15mm wrench for loosening this. The wrench is typically steel, though, and that gets us back in trouble with the sensitive magnetic sensors. As a result, I just constructed my own aluminum open-end wrench. There are commercially available wrenches for this, but they are either expensive or heavy. Similarly, some cavers use a Delta maillon rapide at a top anchor, like at a tree. It is nice to be able to lock that closed so that a stranger cannot fool with your anchor hardware, and the aluminum wrench works for that as well.

Replying to an old thread. Instead of carrying an alloy half-round maillon AND a wrench to loosen it, why not not just use an automatic half-round carabiner like Petzl's Omni Triact? I had a maillon before and wouldn't go back, despite the price.

https://www.innermountainoutfitters.com ... carabiner/

bobby49 wrote:For cavers who use a DistoX or DistoX2 for survey work, you really need to watch out for large hunks of ferrous metal. Almost any sort of steel can throw off the accuracy of the sensitive sensors inside. As a result, some of us have thrown aside our steel caving hardware and have gone to aluminum alloys for everything. Now, many cavers use a half-round maillon rapide on a waist harness, and swapping out the steel version for the aluminum version was the first step for us. However, if such hardware gets corroded by water or humidity, or if it gets "sprung" by side-to-side pressure, it is possible for the 15mm hex fitting to jam. So, some cavers carry a 15mm wrench for loosening this. The wrench is typically steel, though, and that gets us back in trouble with the sensitive magnetic sensors. As a result, I just constructed my own aluminum open-end wrench. There are commercially available wrenches for this, but they are either expensive or heavy. Similarly, some cavers use a Delta maillon rapide at a top anchor, like at a tree. It is nice to be able to lock that closed so that a stranger cannot fool with your anchor hardware, and the aluminum wrench works for that as well.

Two reasons that I can think of. First, if you go to the Innermountain web site and look for that product, there is no information at all about what metal it is made from. Second, if you go to the Petzl web site and look for that product, it doesn't even show up at all.

bobby49 wrote:Two reasons that I can think of. First, if you go to the Innermountain web site and look for that product, there is no information at all about what metal it is made from. Second, if you go to the Petzl web site and look for that product, it doesn't even show up at all.

https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Professiona ... ctors/OMNI

Specifications

Material(s): aluminum