What did you do for your Escape today.....

[MyronL]

This is really so much fun. Road test is next.

[gbaglo]

Have you got a camera set up to video what happens to this camera when on the road?

[MyronL]

We shall see, soon as I am back from the road test.

........(Do I detect a mildly astringent smirk from North Vancouver?)

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by MyronL

We shall see, soon as I am back from the road test.

........(Do I detect a mildly astringent smirk from North Vancouver?)

Beats me. Last time I used a video camera was prior to retirement ( July 2012 ). Image stabilization is probably a lot better today.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by MyronL

This is really so much fun. Road test is next.

For some reason looking at the bracket and camera I'm reminded of fatigue analysis classes in university. Drive enough miles with it and I can visualize a fatigue crack at the 90* bend or cracks radiating out from the single bolt hole. I think you should have a tether that's independent from the bracket.

Originally Posted by MyronL

W.

........(Do I detect a mildly astringent smirk from North Vancouver?)

From Glenn? Never.

Ron

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

From Glenn? Never.

Ron

Had to look it up. Still didn't get it, but then it came to me. Ascerbic, not astringent.
Caustic humour is a type of humour which relies on wittyinsults. As is implied by the name (which literally means humour which is designed to burn or to corrode), it involves the clever use of language to convey biting, insulting, or sometimes even cruel remarks.

[MyronL]

Anyone who remembers iodine should know the meaning of astringent.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by MyronL

Anyone who remembers iodine should know the meaning of astringent.

Or anyone who, as a kid, tried to make a water pistol out of their mother's plastic squeeze anti-persperant container.

[MyronL]

Results in. Out on test run yesterday. Drove on dirt, and smooth highway,
bumpy blacktop. Home -made camcorder bracket attached to front window rock guard. The Sony675 with off-brand remote.

Questions needing answers: Will the remote work to reliably turn the camera on and off while on the road? Will the video be nice? Will vibrations spoil the view? Will the bracket hold up despite stress that may affect it?

Facts: The Sony Handicam weighs .79 pounds (.0358kg). Takes an excellent video and has a zoom with a great wide angle view. It’s built in image stabilization is exceptionally good. Battery life is very good and can be controlled with the remote in the tow vehicle. My bracket very tightly attached to trailer with quarter/twenty bolt and washers. The attached camera is likewise mechanically secured.

Lessons Learned:

1. Video shot at the extreme wide angle is superb. No significant image vibration. It does however show more of the tow vehicle than I like. Horizon line is good.

2. Video with focal length set to half-way magnifies the image to mostly eliminate the tow vehicle. Only it’s roof is in the picture. That compresses the view nicely. but, this also greatly magnifies shake and vibration to an unacceptable degree. No good. Camera shutter speed was 30fps. Maybe another test needed, at 60fps.

3. While driving used the remote many times to manually turn the camera recording on and off. It worked great, until it did not. There is no way to be certain you have actually turned recording mode on and off. No lights or audible sound off the remote to confirm. Towards the end of the run when I thought I had started recording the camera was not recording. This was a surprise. My bad.

4. Clearly, finger pressure on the remote buttons must be done with attention and intense care. (The camcorder does beep, but cannot be heard and of course you can’t see REC in its monitor.)

5. My bracket worked perfectly. Horizon was level. Angle was good. No shifting. The question of how long that will last without breaking remains open, but looking good to me. I note the heaviest part of the camcorder is the battery, which sits a scoshe away from trailer wall.

Further consultation with experts needed here.

[Ron in BC]

Glad that it worked well for your test run and it does give a different view.

One last nag, put a lanyard on it. Fatigue happens slowly, but give it enough time and it will occur, likely at the 90* bend.

Ron

[MyronL]

Currently working on the video version. Maybe I could loop a long lanyard around the maxi fan on the roof and run a "necklace" down to the camera.

[Ron in BC]

I think that you could take a piece of webbing, attached to the camera, open the rock guard, put the webbing through the top gap and let it hang down lower than the bottom of the window when the guard is open and then close the rock guard. A simple knot at the bottom of the guard where the webbing emerges would be all that's needed.

I mean, hey, after buying that expensive lithium battery, you don't want to have to buy a new camera.

Ron

[MyronL]

I think that will work. I could drill a hole in the web strap end and run it through the inside Quarter/twenty bolt, underneath a fender washer,

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by MyronL

I think that will work. I could drill a hole in the web strap end and run it through the inside Quarter/twenty bolt, underneath a fender washer,

rather than drilling nylon webbing, use a nail held in vice grips, and heated quite hot with a blowtorch to MELT a hole

[MyronL]

I like it!

[HABBERDABBER]

Put a lanyard on any thing you want to keep. I've lost sailboat cushions, hats and other items and never, ever seen them go overboard.
Logic: If tied down, they'll stay around.

[Tom&Joan]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

rather than drilling nylon webbing, use a nail held in vice grips, and heated quite hot with a blowtorch to MELT a hole

Works good and you end up with a hole less likely to tear out! Done it many times!

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by HABBERDABBER

Put a lanyard on any thing you want to keep. I've lost sailboat cushions, hats and other items and never, ever seen them go overboard.
Logic: If tied down, they'll stay around.

Yup, lanyards or tethers for saving things from being lost. I've spent a lot of time tethered to a boat in heavy weather but the most tethered experience that I've ever had was climbing the Sydney Harbor bridge. Not only fully tethered personally non-stop from the second you start until you finish but they even have a training scaffold with stairs ect. that you have to demonstrate you can handle the tether as you climb stairs and change directions etc. Even your cap is tethered. At the top you cross on a catwalk from side to side with 8 lanes of traffic far below. They want to ensure that nothing, ever, will fall on traffic.

Originally Posted by Tom&Joan

Works good and you end up with a hole less likely to tear out! Done it many times!

I have a sharp pointed small soldering iron. Pokes sealed holes in webbing perfectly. Just used it to put the webbing in my new cargo box.

Ron

[MyronL]

They let you climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge? Holy Mackerel. They do that? Nice hat.

When I worked in the outdoor sign business the boss wanted me to climb up on a water tower in the shape of a quart bottle of Pabst beer. I had a reputation for being willing to go out there and paint signs on structures the other guys wouldn't do. This job was really high, and I would have to attach a bosun's chair to the bottle cap to do that lettering job. I told him you couldn't pay me enough.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by MyronL

They let you climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge? Holy Mackerel. They do that? Nice hat.

Ah, let me put it two ways. It's the most expensive ball cap you've ever seen. The cost for the two of us would have gone a long way towards buying a lithium battery.

I've never had a fear of heights and I'm usually the one to go to the top of the mast to fix things for my friends that have a fear of heights. I have to admit, that during a single handed race, having to go to the top of the mast to cut a jammed spinnaker halyard free while the boat careened downwind did cause me to have some doubts at one point.

M. is the hero, she suffers from vertigo, but she was a real trooper and toughed it out.

One of those never to be repeated but glad you did it life experiences.

Ron