Video Gear Questions

[Ratdog68]

Any chance of getting some pix of all your video gear laid out on a table?

I.D. what each piece does, roughly what it weighs?

How do you mount it, carry it, access it, activate it?

What kind of connections do you use between your thermal optic and your recording gear?

What do you use to power it all?

Does each item require its own source of power, or does some of it piggy-back to another device to receive power from it?

I'm just trying to wrap my head around all of this stuff, and to get a "more gooder" appreciation of what you guys are doing to bring us all these wonderful hunting vids.

 

[DaveABQ]

Most of it is already on the forums under the thermal heading.

But not complicated. Each scope has a port, either proprietary or other. Each of those ports has a Video Out and Ground connection.

Each DVR has some sort of Video In connection, usually a 2.5mm 4 pole 3 ring connection.

So, either buy or make cable with those connections and plug in to the DVR.

Different DVR's may have different ways or powering on. The UNV MDVR or my version of it, have a single rocker switch and there is a switch on the DVR that you can toggle that will allow one button recording. So when you flip the rocker switch, it powers on the DVR and then starts recording.

The DVR I'm using now as well as several others has a lighted flush momentary push button switch. On the DVR, one advantage, is instead of a tiny led to give status, mine has a 1" slotted LED. To power on hold button for two seconds, DVR comes on, LED goes blue, it checks to see if there is a video signal and SD card installed, the LED goes orange during that time and then goes back to blue if both are present. To record a quick push of the button will start recording, same for stopping. Two second hold powers it off.

As for mounts, well that you need to figure out. I built mounts for mine and several others on the forums. They are a QR mount that attach to any picatinny rail.

As for power, the DVR has its own batteries that last pretty long. However, I have built custom cables for people that have an external power pack and DVR connection, such as this one with a central connector for the Armasight line-up and the other end with my filter and DVR connector:

There are not much room for the video connections other than above. Just a DVR, almost all use 2.5mm Video Inputs, a specific cable and a way to mount it.

Anything you are unsure of?

 

[Ratdog68]

Where I'm going with my questions is... "what if" in nature. With my latest absorption into things (being RC Hobby gear), I began wondering whether a guy might want to look into having a 5.8Ghz transmission set up on the rifle, and the rest of it on.... like maybe a tri-pod, or in the vehicle, or in a case on the ATV, or in the blind...? As I understand it, video out from the thermal optic to a very small package consisting of: "transmitter, antenna, battery". Then a receiver, power pack, DVR back at the location of your choosing?

These are things weighed in grams, and are things which are housed within very small things... like these little multi-rotor quad copters, small planes. The video signal is sent to a ground station near the pilot/radio controller, and is received and recorded on the ground. This type of wireless technology is also used for the pilot to have the "FPV" (First Person View) immersion of the flight experience... as if in the cockpit of the RC model.

Would this type of thing move pounds of bulk off the rifle, and back at a base/starting point/vehicle? A remote in hand, antenna/transmitter/small battery mounted to the rifle?

Lemme see if I can dig up some links/pix of what I'm talking about. It may take a while, my connection speed is weirding out on me today. Laptop, tablet, and phone.

 

[DaveABQ]

I know what you are talking about, but remember something, more gadgets, switches, gear, the more chance of messing up your video. Armasight already comes with a remote, I never use it.

The DVR is really light. Even though I built external battery packs, don't use them because of weight. So the only weight is the DVR/holster, switch, cable and mount.

 

[Ratdog68]

For example: Transmitter/receiver package. (Tx to the gun, Rx to the remotely located kit.)

http://www.getfpv.com/5-8ghz-32ch-fpv-av-600mw-transmitter-receiver.html

Couple of these, one at each end. Although, a smaller battery at the Tx end may be possible.

http://www.getfpv.com/batteries/flight-packs/tbs-1700mah-3s-8c-lipo-battery.html

Patch cord each end to the required device: Optic/recorder

Could even have a monitor connected at the remote station?

http://www.getfpv.com/5-lumenier-lcd-fpv-monitor.html

Oso? How far out in left field am I with my thought process here?

 

[Ratdog68]

That's why I was asking (initially) what all gear is involved. Didn't know if it was pounds of stuff being packed around, or if it was really compact already.

 

[DaveABQ]

Way far in left field lol

I have a dvr, cable, mount and wired remote, easily accessible, easy to operate.

 

[DaveABQ]

This is the whole package, dvr in holster, cable with my filter, can see remote cable also, that's it

 

[Brian Shaffer]

Where I'm going with my questions is...

IIRC correctly, Ident and dfwroadkill played with one of G3's wifi setups "because wouldn't it be cool if you could send the video feed to your phone?" and the whole kaboodle was just too awkward to be reliable in the field and more over, what problem did is really solve that folks shooting in the field are trying to resolve? The whole "Soldier of Tomorrow" setup where your hunting can be monitored by a 3rd party and even directed by radiolink to/from a 3rd party is something that sounds really cool, but has very little practical application for 99.9% of us. We either hunt alone or have other hunter(s) with us and we want guns on target and not realtime armchair QB-ing.

ATN tried to shortcut some of the problem with their X-sight with onboard recording and even making it a Wifi transmitter to your photo for remote viewing. Result? The POS has yet to work right. The concept is good, but execution was horrible and wifi ate batteries like a competitive eater downing hotdogs.

Dave touched on it pretty well. Increasing complexity generally is not beneficial to ease of successful hunting. However, if you have identified a problem that your setup might resolve, then that would be really cool.

Too much gear and we risk pulling an Al Franken One Man Mobile News Gathering Fiasco.
https://screen.yahoo.com/al-franken-reports-via-satellite-000000153.html

 

[Ratdog68]

Ok, that pic answers my initial question. I was envisioning you guys hauling around pounds of gear with a myriad of cables to manage, in the dark. Seeing the whole package you use, it's small kit. Thanks.

 

[DaveABQ]

Too much gear and we risk pulling an Al Franken One Man Mobile News Gathering Fiasco.
https://screen.yahoo.com/al-franken-reports-via-satellite-000000153.html

Lol, exactly what I was thinking. I had already thought about doing wireless to record to a unit in my pocket, however I would have more units to turn on, verify signals, verify recording and still have something on the gun /scope like I already have as for weight wise.

God thinking though RD. I believe in the future, with thermal, we will see something similar to the X-Sight concept, digital recording internally, WiFi, etc

 

[Ratdog68]

Too much gear and we risk pulling an Al Franken One Man Mobile News Gathering Fiasco.
https://screen.yahoo.com/al-franken-reports-via-satellite-000000153.html

LOL... now, see? THIS is what I was thinking you guys were having to do... the whole Al Franken thing. I was trying to get a lighter package on your rifle/body... and leave the rest of the gear at the snow-mobile. LOL This is what triggered my inquiry... but, instead of the tiny camera, a lead soldered to the board with the plug for video out at your optic.

 

[FrankT]

RD the ideal setup is an armed drone with thermal and firing capabilities, then all you carry are your goggles and whatever to control the drone

 

[Ratdog68]

But (Frank)? Who wants to be like your President? Killing with drones is just so... "D".

 

[FrankT]

RD, Not if you are killing hogs or terrorists...

 

[DaveABQ]

This is similar to what I was originally looking at:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-4Ghz-P2P-...413?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item566f95cf7d

Problem is getting away from an external power source to power the units

 

[FrankT]

here you go RD

 

[Ratdog68]

here you go RD

LOL... yeah, I saw that one already. Sad part is, people believe half of what they see him portray.

 

[DaveABQ]

This one is small ratdog, wire the video in from the scope, ground, add in a condenser mic, again need power but I can do that easy by using one of the power supplies I built, good to go except what you are going to record to

 

[Ratdog68]

Yup, that's where I was going with that. I see that one already has the dip switch included onboard.