In car video

[lancer360]

You had the same problem I did with the extreme amounts of wind noise using the bullet camera and no amount of foam cured the problem. The bullet mic is just WAY to sensitive. I get much better video with mine when I just gave up on the bullet camera and mounted the camera directly instead with some foam over the microphone. The mic in the camera body is not nearly as sensitive and some foam allowed me to get some video with good engine noises and such without the wind covering it up.

With the bullet camera = BAD wind noise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrSrxAsZO70

With the main camera

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLvDzUZcy38

[ffhillclimber]

Thanks, I'll have to give that a try. I see you attended the CMP autocross. I was there for the time trial portion of the weekend. It was a little cool for April in SC wasn't it?


Stan Vann
1970 Caldwell D9 FF1600

[Toad]

Anyone have experience w this? Friend just sent me link, and I couldn't find under search.

http://www.goprocamera.com/index5.htm

[Toad]

I've ordered a GoPro Motorsports camera. Although the videos/reviews/comments on the internet are somewhat mixed, I'll give it a shot and post the results.

[Randy Chase]

ChaseCam has replaced a number of them. They are not so rugged for race cars. Might be fine on a street car though.

Gopro is a marketing company. You can buy the same HERO camera for cheaper through other sources. It is a digital camera that can also do short videos.

Positives are the small size, waterproof, low cost, no wires, self contained. Seems like a good solution or value for a certain market.

I have a list of negatives, but perhaps those will not matter to you.

[Eye Candy]

Track Systems has upgraded their system and the Traqmate now offers real time lap data for qualifying sessions. This feature alone makes the system almost indispensable. For example, if you are doing time trials or racing you may feel you are on a great lap, and be 0.8 seconds behind your best time for the session. The display unit tells you this information with a bar graph as you drive, so you don't take unnecessary chances during a lap that is not going to count anyway. A great safety feature really. I had been avoiding buying a data acquisition system just because, well, I didn't want to have to analyze the data between sessions. It seemed like it might take the fun out of the whole process of track driving. And there is the associated expense.

I bought the TraqMate system last weekend. As I had a power source already wired, it took about 10 minutes to install and was instantly helpful. I was amazed with all the information I was able to gather after reviewing the sessions at home. Simple to use.

During the same weekend, the inexpensive video camera I was using got wet and died. It would cost $230 to replace it. Also, the "extreme sports" helmet cam system I bought from Samsung is about worthless for track use as the stupid battery lasts about 10 minutes and takes forever to charge.

So now I am looking at what I should have bought from the beginning, the ChaseCam. It is a little pricey, but is designed to hold up to the extreme environment of an open race car.

Moreover, the TraqMate and the ChaseCam are designed to interface with each other. And Randy makes the ChaseCam as everyone should know.

I have a few questions though: is the system going to be upgraded to 16x9 widescreen format anytime soon? Do the microphones in the PDR (2) record with external microphones, or are they designed to capture the "protected from wind" engine and other sounds from inside the cockpit? What do you need to have to use the system in another car in addition to the kit Randy once listed (which is hard to find on the search system BTW)? Or in an airplane? How do you aim the bullet camera, as the PDR has no display feature?

I highly recommend looking into this combination. For time trialers and racers the system should be mandatory. I have already had my car popped lightly twice this year by divebombers, with only a forward facing camera. Nowadays a camera forward and rear facing can keep you out of trouble after the fact, and data acquisition will help you drive faster almost immediately.

[Eye Candy]

Another thing I noted: when I recently googled 'motorsports, video camera' the Hero Motorsports camera comes up with a whole page of suppliers, tests etc. From what I gathered, this inexpensive 'HD' camera has a few bugs especially sensitivity to vibration, relatively poor video quality, battery life, and poor sound quality but is dirt cheap. I would rather buy another Sony DCR MiniDV than that product. And for 'short' extreme use, the Samsung is probably superior.

People should post their TraqMate/ChaseCam videos under this (or a similar) heading to keep it popping up, as Randy is reluctant to advertise his product on his own website, a rare case of reverse nepotism.

[ZJChaser]

I just bought one of those Motorsport Hero cameras in a group buy for cheap. so I'll let ya'll know how it turns out. I plane to use it suctioned to the outside of the car while keeping my Canon SD700 for inside the car the combining the video later.

[Randy Chase]

Originally Posted by Eye Candy

People should post their TraqMate/ChaseCam videos under this (or a similar) heading to keep it popping up, as Randy is reluctant to advertise his product on his own website, a rare case of reverse nepotism.

Funny. I do think most people would like to support the people that support the forum. But then I am always surprised to see otherwise. And truly a lot of people have no idea what my real business is. Still, I do run a banner ad.

I decided a long time ago that since my company is the global market leader, the guys that think they are my competition can spend their time thinking about my company. Me, I don't worry too much about them or post much about them. Though it can get a bit frustrating trying to teach people the differences between companies and products and what they are paying for. And frankly after some time, I feel like I need to focus on other things like developing my products. We have enough customers that get it.

For example, today we released a new firmware update (free download and easy update) that allows a new PDR100 to automatically turn on and off with the car, and automatically record when the car is moving. A nice feature for racing series and teams. Since we now supply:
V8Utes
V8Supercars
Porsche Carrera Cup Au/NZ and more
SPEED World Challenge GT and TC
MazdaSpeed
and much more....

Talking with VW TDI cup this week.

I have a few questions though: is the system going to be upgraded to 16x9 widescreen format anytime soon?

The system can record 16:9 now. You just need a 16:9 bullet camera. There is more I can tell you about some product plans, but not on a public forum, sorry. PM me for more.

Do the microphones in the PDR (2) record with external microphones, or are they designed to capture the "protected from wind" engine and other sounds from inside the cockpit?

We think we covered all our bases. The PDR uses a high quality dual channel internal microphone with uer adjustable gain on either channel. Simply you have to do nothing and it will pick up engine cockpit, etc. Putting the mic in the camera is normally a bad idea, we tried it years ago. We also have dual audio channels for low and high gain. Low for use in race cars. High will pick up whispers in the office.

We also allow you to plug in an external common stereo microphone. Or you can plug in external driver communication or "line level" audio. All adjustable on each channel.

AND... now we can even do onboard mixing, something we developed for rally guys. Plug in driver communication on one channel and record ambient using the onboard mic for the other. And again all adjustable.

What do you need to have to use the system in another car in addition to the kit Randy once listed (which is hard to find on the search system BTW)? Or in an airplane?

If you are using our snap in bracket, then you want another one. Normally people get another camera and camera mount so that they can leave the camera permanently installed and aimed and to save work. But you can also move the entire system from one installation to another. We are used on many airplanes. You may need another extension cable for the camera (20') and make sure the power can be connected at 9-18vdc. Or use internal batteries.

How do you aim the bullet camera, as the PDR has no display feature?

Me.. I just point it, there is a label that says UP. The angle is wide enough and you get good at it. You could also take a 5 second video and view it on a laptop, or use an external LCD monitor. We output audio/video on the PDR100 using an industry standard MiniAV cable. We have small LCD monitors for this, but I like using a Sony portable DVD player as it is battery operated with a long life and can be used to play movies also.

By the way... this may not mean anything to anyone else. But I think my company is the only company in the USA making video recording systems for sale in motorsports. Everyone else is importing Asian consumer or security products. We can't compete in price alone with a Chinese company, but we will compete in features, service, upgrades, and the ability to answer the phone and answer your technical questions. And we support racing as we sponsor drivers and series. We support SCCA solo and SPEED World Challenge and the club racing RUN OFFS with our company dollars.

[Toad]

Originally Posted by ZJChaser

I just bought one of those Motorsport Hero cameras in a group buy for cheap. so I'll let ya'll know how it turns out. I plane to use it suctioned to the outside of the car while keeping my Canon SD700 for inside the car the combining the video later.

Are you keeping it in its underwater casing? The mic is in the back,and inside the casing the sound is dreadful. However the casing is required to use with the mounting tools provided in the kit. To get optimum sound you have to put it in the low audio setting to remove wind noise and audio clipping. To get fairly decent sound you have to take it out of the case as was suggested by some spec miata/911 forums that I visited, and fabricate mounting the camera.

Good luck, and look forward to seeing your results on youtube.

I'll probably be looking at chase cam as my cheap camcorder hiccuped ,and now generates corrupted .avi files w no eof markers, so I can't sync up with traqmate data files. I already have a bullet cam w an external mic.

[Eye Candy]

Originally Posted by ZJChaser

I just bought one of those Motorsport Hero cameras in a group buy for cheap. so I'll let ya'll know how it turns out. I plane to use it suctioned to the outside of the car while keeping my Canon SD700 for inside the car the combining the video later.

Most people don't think it is a good idea to suction cup a camera to the outside of the car, for safety reasons. Even though the camera is light, at 120 mph on a straightaway it could be a fatal projectile.

[dasmoofler]

I bought a Sticky Pod but haven't used it yet.
Here's my Tow Hook Cam and video

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...arch&plindex=0

[slaughtr]

Originally Posted by dasmoofler

I bought a Sticky Pod but haven't used it yet.
Here's my Tow Hook Cam and video

Tow hook cam, what an awesome idea!!

[ZJChaser]

Originally Posted by Eye Candy

Most people don't think it is a good idea to suction cup a camera to the outside of the car, for safety reasons. Even though the camera is light, at 120 mph on a straightaway it could be a fatal projectile.

suctioned to the front with zipties as well in case the suction breaks.

Originally Posted by Toad

Are you keeping it in its underwater casing? The mic is in the back,and inside the casing the sound is dreadful. However the casing is required to use with the mounting tools provided in the kit. To get optimum sound you have to put it in the low audio setting to remove wind noise and audio clipping. To get fairly decent sound you have to take it out of the case as was suggested by some spec miata/911 forums that I visited, and fabricate mounting the camera.

Good luck, and look forward to seeing your results on youtube.

I'll probably be looking at chase cam as my cheap camcorder hiccuped ,and now generates corrupted .avi files w no eof markers, so I can't sync up with traqmate data files. I already have a bullet cam w an external mic.

I dont plan on using the sound from this camera. Mainly just the video. Will use the sound from the incar cam.

[htkim6680]

Hey guys, this is my first time on this forum. I just recently bought a 2005 Elise. Loving it!!! I would like to get some upgrades though. I do not like the stock deck and I really would like one of those flip out screens with the touch monitor so I can hook up a HKS camp II and also have GPS. The only problem I see is that the windshield wiper controls would most likely get in the way. Does anyone know how to remedy this? I once saw a guy with a pioneer deck with a flip screen but I have no idea how he did it.