Halcyon Multifunction Compensator Manuale utente
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Halcyon Multifunction Compensator
Owner’s Manual
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Halcyon Multifunction Compensator Owner’s Manual
Trademark Notice
Halcyon® and BC Keel® are registered trademarks of Halcyon Manufacturing, Inc. Halcyon’s BC Keel
and Trim Weight system are protected by US Patents #5855454 and 6530725b1. Halcyon trademarks
and pending patents include Multifunction Compensator™, Pioneer™, Eclipse™, and Explorer™
wings, MC Storage Pak™, Active Control Ballast™, Diver’s Life Raft™, Surf Shuttle™, No-Lock
Connector™, Helios™, Proteus™, and Apollo™ lighting systems, Scout Light™, Pathfinder™ reels,
Defender™ spools, and the RB80™ rebreather.
Warnings, Cautions, and Notes
Pay special attention to information provided in warnings, cautions, and notes, that is accompanied by
these icons:
A WARNING indicates a procedure or situation that, if not avoided, could result in
serious injury or death to the user.
A CAUTION indicates any situation or technique that could cause damage to the
product, and could subsequently result in injury to the user.
WARNING: This manual provides essential instructions for the proper fitting, adjustment,
inspection, and care of your new Multifunction Compensator. Because Halcyon’s MCs utilize
patented technology, it is very important to take the time to read these instructions in order
to understand and fully enjoy the features that are unique to your specific model. Improper
use of your MC could result in serious injury or death.
Copyright Notice
This owner’s manual is copyrighted, all rights reserved. It may not, in
whole or in part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or
reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable form without
prior consent in writing from Halcyon Manufacturing, Inc.
©2003 Halcyon Manufacturing, Inc.
Contacting Halcyon
Halcyon Manufacturing
1110 S. Main Street
High Springs, FL 32643 USA
386.454.0811
800.HALCYON
386.454.0815 (fax)
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General Precautions & Warnings
¤Before using this Multifunction Buoyancy Compensator (MC), you must receive instruction and cer-
tification in SCUBA diving and buoyancy control from a recognized training agency. Use of SCUBA
equipment by uncertified or untrained persons is dangerous and can result in serious injury or
death.
¤Read this owner’s manual completely before attempting to use your MC, and become familiar with it
first in a controlled environment such as a swimming pool, in order to weight yourself properly and to
become comfortable with using its many features and adjustments.
¤Before every dive, perform a complete pre-dive inspection according to the procedure prescribed in
this manual, to ensure that all components are functioning properly and no signs of damage or leaks
are present. If your MC is not functioning properly or is damaged, remove it from service until it can
be repaired by an authorized Halcyon Dealer.
¤Your MC is not a lift bag. DO NOT use it to bring heavy objects to the surface. Doing so may cause
permanent damage to the MC, and could also result in an uncontrolled ascent.
¤DO NOT overinflate your MC. Control all ascents. A rapid, uncontrolled ascent may cause arterial gas
embolism or decompression sickness, and could lead to serious injury or death.
¤In the event of an uncontrolled ascent, it is important to immediately begin venting air from the MC.
Continue venting air to slow your ascent rate if neutral buoyancy cannot be reestablished.
¤In an emergency such as an out of air situation or uncontrolled descent, it is important to remove
and jettison weight immediately. DO NOT depend solely on using your MC’s power inflator to lift you
to the surface.
¤DO NOT inhale from your oral inflator. The MC may contain harmful contaminants or gasses, which
could cause suffocation, serious injury, or infection of the lungs.
¤Disassembly, repair, or lubrication must not be attempted by persons who are not factory-trained
and authorized by Halcyon. Unauthorized service will render the warranty null and void.
¤Factory prescribed service for this MC should be performed at least once annually by an authorized
Halcyon Dealer. Annual service consists of a complete overhaul of the power inflator, and a general air
leak inspection of the bladder and valve connections.
WARNING: Your Multifunction Buoyancy Compensator (MC) is NOT a lifejacket; it does
not guarantee a head-up position of the wearer at the surface. It does not meet U.S. Coast
Guard regulations for a life preserver or personal flotation device (PFD). If you become
unconscious in the water without a buddy present to immediately assist you, you may suffer
serious injury or death from drowning.
Your buoyancy compensator is primarily designed to help you maintain neutral buoyancy while in a
comfortably balanced, face-down swimming position underwater. It is also designed to provide you
with flotation so that you can rest on the surface, but it is not designed to function as a life preserver
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or personal flotation device (PFD). In order to meet U.S. Coast Guard regulations, a PFD must be
designed so that it automatically rights you to a face-up position and holds your head out of the water
on the surface. The design characteristics of a personal flotation device are therefore different from
those of a buoyancy compensator. The ability of any flotation device to float you in a face-up position
can also be affected by other diving equipment you wear, including a cylinder or exposure suit, and
whether it can be inflated before you lose consciousness.
For this reason, it is important to always dive with a buddy, and maintain close proximity with them at
all times. Do not depend on any flotation device to hold your face above the surface in the event that
you are rendered unconscious in the water while diving.
WARNING: Although this manual provides some basic guidelines for certain buoyancy
control techniques, it is not a substitute for training from a professional diving instructor.
Failure to weight yourself properly may create a hazardous condition that could lead to seri-
ous injury or death. If you are unsure how to weight yourself in order to achieve optimum
buoyancy underwater and on the surface, do not dive until you have obtained the necessary
instruction from your diving instructor or an authorized Halcyon Dealer.
If you have any questions regarding your Buoyancy Compensator or these instructions, contact your
Halcyon Dealer or Halcyon at: (386) 454-0811.
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Table of Contents
EC Type approval conducted by SGS UK Ltd.
Ellesmere Port CH65 3EN, ENGLAND
Notified body number 0120.
Fitting your Multifunction Compensator 7
Harness Adjustments 7
Fine Tuning your Multifunction Compensator 9
Harness Accessory Placement 9
Mounting on a SCUBA Cylinder 10
MC Storage Pak/Lift Devices 12
Weighting your Multifunction Compensator 13
Fixed Ballast 13
Active Control Ballast 13
Matching Wing and Cylinder 14
Attaching the ACB System 15
Using the ACB System 15
Pre-dive MC System Inspection 16
MC System Care and Maintenance 17
Appendix 1: MC System Component Checklist 18
Appendix 2: Halcyon Warranty Information 19
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The Halcyon Multifunction Compensator system provides superior
buoyancy control and trim adjustment for divers in any underwater
environment. Each component of the MC system- the proper buoyancy
wing, alternative lift device, weighting system, and Secure Harness-
works together to provide you with safe, efficient control of your
gear while under water and on the surface. Nearly every aspect
of the Halcyon MC can be individually customized to meet
the demands of a specific dive’s conditions or the needs of
multiple dive team members sharing a common set of gear.
The MC harness system is adjustable to fit all body types,
providing for a much more precise fit than jacket-style
BCs. The MC has been designed to provide you with optimal
control of your scuba system while underwater and on the
surface.
To properly fit your Secure Harness before first use, begin by
suiting up with the same thermal protection that you will use with
your MC. If you plan to dive with a drysuit, make sure to include all
undergarments. In addition to the thickness of the drysuit, a full set of
thermal undergarments can add considerable bulk and have a dramatic impact on the sizing of
the harness.
You can adjust the Halcyon MC harness without the use of special tools by adjusting the triglide
fastners along the back of the backplate and on the crotch strap (Figure 1). To adjust the shoulder
straps, loosen the triglide fasteners on the back of the backplate where the webbing feeds
through the slots (Figure 2). Using equal amounts of webbing from both sides of the waist belt,
adjust the straps so that several fingers can fit under the webbing along your shoulders (Figure
3). The shoulder straps need to be loose enough to be comfortable with your thickest amount of
thermal protection. The fit of the harness should faciliate easy doff/donn, both in-water and out-
Fitting Your Multifunction Compensator
Fig. 1: Rear and crotch strap triglides Fig. 2: Adjusting rear triglide fastner
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of-water, yet still remain snug enough so that your tanks are secure while stage bottles clipped
off to the top D-ring stay close to the chest.
To finalize the fit of the harness shoulder straps, loosen the straps enough to allow easy
movement of the backplate. Position the backplate for proper tank position, with the top of the
backplate high enough to touch by reaching behind your head with either hand; if you can touch
the backplate, you should be able to reach your valves when your rig is fully assembled (Figure
4). With the backplate in position, tighten up the arm straps until you are able to fit two or three
fingers underneath the strap. You should be able to easily slide the straps off of either shoulder.
Be careful not to leave excessive slack in the harness straps. An exceedingly loose fitting
harness will allow the backplate to ride low on your back, making it nearly impossible to reach
your valves.
The crotch strap should be comfortable and allow you to reach your tanks. The waist belt should
fit as snug as is comfortable. Do not overtighten the waist belt
so much as to restrict breathing. When adjusting the waist belt,
make sure to set the buckle so that it is off to your right side.
With the buckle in this position, the crotch strap is unable to
accidentally open the buckle. The waist belt buckle (and/or
another buckle) can be used to hold your Helios or Proteus light
canister in place.
To adjust the crotch strap, buckle the waist strap without running
it through the crotch strap. Now pull the crotch strap up to the
waist belt. Set the length so that the top of the crotch strap loop
extends a half-inch (12mm) over the top of the waist belt.
While standing on land, your MC should be snug but not
uncomfortably tight. In the water your harness should be snug
enough to prevent notable motion of the cylinder as you change
orientation, but not too tight so as to bind or restrict your
complete range of shoulder and arm movement.
Fig. 3: Allow for at least two fingers of
spacing between the harness strap and your
exposure suit
Fig. 4: Proper placement of backplate
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Fine-Tuning Your MC System
The MC harness is the model of simplicity. The Secure Harness
utilizes one D-ring on each side of the chest, avoiding the
unnecessary clutter of multiple attachments. One D-ring is
located on your left hip and single D-rings are placed on the
front and back of the MC crotch strap. The hip D-ring is used
to attach a pressure gauge, stage bottles, or small tools during
a dive.
The knife is placed in an open sheath on the waist belt left of
the crotch strap, where it can be quickly deployed with either
hand. The knife is small and designed as a tool for cutting
line. Two backup lights are attached, one to each of the two
chest D-rings. These lights are held to the strap by an elastic ring.
This location puts the lights in a streamlined position against your
chest while remaining completely accessible.
Once you have properly sized your Secure Harness, you will want to
fine-tune the position of the five D-rings. The shoulder D-rings should
be positioned relatively high on the shoulder straps, especially if you
plan to utilize stage bottles in your diving. If the D-rings are too low, the stage bottles will
hang too far away from your body, causing significant drag and possibly damaging marine
environments. The shoulder D-rings should also be high enough to allow for proper storage of
your Scout back-up lights and to allow for ease of use of your wing’s inflator hose to adjust trim
and buoyancy, yet not so high that you can’t clip an item off with the same side hand as the clip.
To position the shoulder D-rings, extend your arms straight out to the side, parallel to the
ground. Bend at the elbow and bring your thumb straight to the shoulder strap. The center of
your thumb should intersect the center of the D-ring (Figure 5). Next, reach across your body to
(or almost to) your left shoulder with your right arm (Figure 6). Make sure the right side D-ring
Fig. 5: Locating the proper location for
the chest D-rings
Fig. 6: Checking final placement of the chest D-ring
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doesn’t pinch between your arm and chest. Do the same with
your left. If either D-ring pinches, adjust it upwards.
The waist D-ring is used for clipping off the SPG and for stage
bottles. To position the waist D-ring, run your left thumb
straight down your left side until it hits the waist strap. Your
thumb should intersect the D-ring, very close to your hip bone.
The position might need to be adjusted after your first dive
with your MC system. In water, practice clipping/unclipping
the SPG and, if you wear stage bottles, have your buddy check
the position of the tanks. You do not want the waist D-ring
positioned so far back that you can’t comfortably clip or unclip
your SPG, nor so far forward that a buoyant stage would become
a hindrance or cause excessive drag.
The rear crotch D-ring is generally used for storing gear that is
not used very often, such as reels or lift bags. This D-ring needs
to be low enough that you can clip/unclip gear there (and not be
blocked by the bottom of the tanks), yet high enough that the
gear does not hang down too far. Typically, position the rear
D-ring one hand-width down from the bottom of the backplate
(Figure 7).
The front crotch D-ring is only used with a tow-behind scooter.
Gear should never be clipped to this D-ring, as it will hang in the
slipstream and pose significant entanglement hazards.
Fig. 7: Rear D-ring placement
Final Assembly of your MC System
When using an Pioneer single cylinder wing, the MC’s
backplate mounts directly to a scuba cylinder with two cam
straps that thread through both the backplate and the buoyancy
wing (Figure 8). When used with an Eclipse series single
cylinder wing, attach either the Halcyon stainless steel or
weighted Single Tank Adapter to the wing with the two supplied
bolts (Figure 9). With either wing, slide the cam straps over
your cylinder and tighten at desired position in relation to the
cylinder’s valve (Figure 10).
When diving with doubles, the backplate is bolted to the
cylinders with an Explorer buoyancy wing sandwiched between
the backplate and cylinders. The bolts on the cylinder bands
thread through the two grommets on the wing (Figure 11).
Fig. 8: Cam straps threaded through
Pioneer wing and backplate
Indice
Altri manuali Halcyon Strumento subacqueo
