Dirty_habiT Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 So, I have to drive on Mopac "Express"way to get to and from work. Anyone familiar with Austin will know that the two sides of the highway are separated by a train track in the middle where the Amtrak and freights usually are. I get to bench some pretty sick shit, but I have no way of recording it because I'm driving. So, my question is..... Does anyone use a dashcam in their car that would be good enough to record my drive by benching sessions? I rarely feel ok even glancing over to look at pieces I know are good because .... driving. Maybe a modern gopro or cell phone can do image stabilization good enough to not make it look like you're just vibrating down the highway. I'd like to capture these clips in detail so I can post them here for you all. Just this morning I saw a "King" whole car (autorack) and a "Bets" whole care (also autorack). There was a lot of other good stuff on there, including a fresh e2e 2019 happy halloween joint. Anyway, if someone can give me a good suggestion for how to record these, i'd be happy to post what is rolling through Austin, TX for the forum here and contribute to the metal heads section more. Also, people in Austin seem to love dashcams now.... they record and post people doing stupid stuff all the time, then it goes on /r/austin. I don't get on reddit anymore because of the shitshow of sheep on there (especially that sub).... but when I was going on there a lot, it was almost a daily occurrence that some super hero white knight econo shit box car driver would be crusading through the highway "documenting the truths of driving".... as if posting the video to a bunch of filthy casuals on reddit would somehow make people drive better tomorrow. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Man Banned Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 I think it's cool that it's the Mopac Expressway. -Trainnerdoner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fist 666 Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 GOPRO makes sense imo, that is the whole of my input. I know fuck-all about cameras. Whenever I'm driving with the wife and we pass trains she knows she has to reach over and hold the wheel because I will kill us. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty_habiT Posted November 5, 2019 Author Share Posted November 5, 2019 ^^Lol, that's pretty funny. Yeah, it still affects me like that. I don't rubber neck at anything, you can flash all the red/blue police/ambulance lights at me you want and you better believe I'm not going to touch that brake pedal unless I have to avoid an accident. I will, however, rubber neck at graffiti. There's a couple of really terrible twats that have been painting up Austin's streets recently. It makes me feel like a salty old man. Anyway, I guess maybe it's time to get a new GoPro. Does anyone have a newer model that can vouch for it's image stabilization features.... and be like, yes this is bad ass, yes it works great? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Man Banned Posted November 5, 2019 Share Posted November 5, 2019 You have to work out the distance x you moving factor. I don't use a gopro or related but met someone who did a few years back. Kind of a reverse move as they were mounting it to a bridge to catch moving trains but I guess the gopro of that time worked well enough since making vids was their thing. I suppose going down to one of those parking lots along the tracks and grabbing some still photos is out of the question? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty_habiT Posted November 5, 2019 Author Share Posted November 5, 2019 Oh, no this is literally a highway that has the trains go between it.... let me show you: TO the lower right of the picture is the rail depot where the Amtrak station is..... and this image above shows where the railway comes out of downtown Austin and then heads north.... it goes right in between the two sides of the highway. You could probably post up somewhere and get photos. There are a few hobo camps that I'm sure have great views. I'm a bit more interested in just doing something that's easy/low effort since I'm not into graffiti as much as I once was. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Man Banned Posted November 5, 2019 Share Posted November 5, 2019 Well I do support efforts to bring in more fr8 pix. Flicking what you drive by is def easiest, minus any effort/$ to get the camera. If you get bored there are enough easy view spots around to either get still shots or to at least park and catch shit on the move. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CALIgula Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 I bought a dashcam back in 2012 before it was "cool" on amazon for $100...it works pretty good and records in 1080p and it was from China. i bought it mostly because of all the chinese people in china using dashcams to catch insurance scams and posting them on liveleak....but ive seen them in costco now and im sure theyre a lot cheaper now for something of really good quality..like supermegaultra HD or whatever the fuck the best quality HD is called now adays. but if you want to capture good shit, use a go pro....i dont know about austin, but here in sacramento you can check out gopros from the local public library...if you can do that, that might be a good way to check the quality of it before buying it. btw, visiting austin has been on my bucket list for 10+ years now....one day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty_habiT Posted November 7, 2019 Author Share Posted November 7, 2019 Hit me up if you come this way and I'll help you find the good shit easily. That's really crazy that they rent out gopros. I'm confident enough in their quality that I'd just buy one though after reading the features it has. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercer Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 I've been driving around in NYC traffic 5+ hours a day for years and don't drive without a dashcam. With that said, I'm a fan of the Transcend models because of the wifi and phone apps. I started out using gopro's but they have a tendancy to be unreliable due to you having to manually turn on/off every time, plus they tend to overheat if you power via USB more than 1/2 an hour which makes using batteries, or an older Hero 4 with aftermarket battery bypass option more reliable. Plus, I wouldn't leave a gopro as visible bait for a window smasher. Had a dash cam save my ass more than once, still have some of the footage. Good stories considering how NYC is full of scumbags that are incapable of telling the truth, but unfortunately got a meeting I need to get to. I'll see if I can dig some footage up later. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty_habiT Posted November 7, 2019 Author Share Posted November 7, 2019 Thank you for sharing that brand name.... I'm going to check that out. I'm so much more likely to buy something that someone personally recommends than I am to buy something that has high ratings on some web site (amazon, etc).... because I know those ratings are skewed, and I know you have no reason to lie about what you have and why you have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercer Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 2 hours ago, Dirty_habiT said: Thank you for sharing that brand name.... I'm going to check that out. I'm so much more likely to buy something that someone personally recommends than I am to buy something that has high ratings on some web site (amazon, etc).... because I know those ratings are skewed, and I know you have no reason to lie about what you have and why you have it. No problem, I'm constantly telling people they need one so I'm glad someone out there is smart enough to want one. I've tried several of the amazon "highly rated" dash cams leading up to getting the transcend and this was the first one there wasn't major issues with. Protip: On my last 3 vehicles I took one of those 12v cigarette lighter to USB plugs apart and rigged it to a constant (ignition on) power source for the dome light above the sunglass holder/dome light console on the ceiling. Hid it behind the console and plugged a usb cord, and ran it out of the front of the headliner above the rear view mirror. Nothing is worse than a dangling cord running up from your lighter lighter socket, or risking fucking up your windshield, or side impact airbags by trying to tuck a wire behind the A pillar so it doesn't keep popping back out. They sell them like this so you really don't have to rig it up too much by taking apart the cigarette lighter now: Bonus Tip: Also because you're in Texas I'd skip trying out the suction cup mount. My mom's kept falling off because of the extreme heat/sunlight in Las Vegas. Truth be told mine would even fall off here sometimes in August with extreeme heat. So when I was there last week I mounted her trancend drive pro to her rear view mirror using some cheap parts from amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Anumit-Universal-Mirror-KDLINKS-Cameras/dp/B07FTRRPTJ?ref_=ast_bbp_dp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty_habiT Posted November 8, 2019 Author Share Posted November 8, 2019 Very nice. I think the way you described wiring from the dome light area is how people used to hard wire radar detectors. You think even those gopro suction cups w/ the lever on them would fall off? Another word of warning for anyone reading.... I've seen this done in cars before and I highly recommend against doing it. Usually when you try to draw too much power through a stock power wire in a car, you'll cause the fuse to blow. This, what we're talking about here, probably won't blow up a fuse..... but my warning is, do NOT install a higher amp fuse to keep it from blowing. If you do this, the wire carrying the power becomes your fuse and there is a very real possibility of starting a fire inside your dash/headliner/foot well/etc. The ONLY time this would be ok is if you also upgraded the wire, but most people aren't going to disassemble a dash to do that. @Mercer- I'd be interested in seeing some of the footage you caught. Some of the stuff people were posting on /r/austin when I still got on reddit was crazy. On Mopac, we have this "express lane". I put it in quotes because, it's a single lane, blocked off by those floppy plastic cones and those super tall bumps I like to call "city titties". The kind that will probably jerk your wheel out of your hand and wreck you if you hit them in a civic going 60mph. Anyway, there's no .... real thing keeping people from crossing in and out of this toll lane. Trucks are recorded doing it on peoples' dash cams all the time. It's so dangerous to hop into that lane from the normal lanes because people could be doing like I do.... 80mph in a 65mph zone there. And I'm in a Suburban.... the brakes work fine, but they're not sports car brakes and the truck doesn't slow down like my Eagle Talon..... AT ALL. Anyway, it's silly that they made this single lane thing because, without fail, you'll get some dippy person riding on their brakes and doing just about the speed of the grid locked traffic in the lanes next to the toll lane. Oh, the price of the lane changes too. The cheapest is 30 cents.... but it goes up to, I've paid, 9 dollars in the afternoon to drive home on that short stretch. I try to head out at 2:30PM every day to avoid this, and I usually only have to pay 30 cents to drive home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 8, 2019 Share Posted November 8, 2019 Alls I know about dashcams is like everyone in Russia uses them and they make some awesome YouTube vids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 8, 2019 Share Posted November 8, 2019 Estrovia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fist 666 Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 Suction mount with lever will fall off, my passport is mounted that way and when it gets 80s and hotter it will only stay stuck for a couple hours sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercer Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 On 11/15/2019 at 3:49 PM, Fist 666 said: Suction mount with lever will fall off, my passport is mounted that way and when it gets 80s and hotter it will only stay stuck for a couple hours sometimes. That's a major issue for these dash cams, especially when I'm driving and that shit falls off causing a major distraction. I used a similar mount that comes with a strong adhesive on the cup where it attaches, and it would still fall off NYC summers. I like those mirror mount KD Links clamps now that I posted above. Used them, and OEM Transcend parts to match up with the transcend cam in my mom's car. Thought I was a dash cam engineering god, until my mom told me recently that it's now blocking the lane keep sensor. Fuuuuuuu... She don't even use cruise control anyways though, so no rush to fly back out to fix at least. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T4M* Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 I got this as a gift and so far, not bad at night. Will test during the day.... The one review states that the battery sucks, and so far, all I can say is a 20 minute drive didnt get me one bar lol Here is the night view.... InShot_20191215_184415710.mp4 *Inshot App will open AVI files *4GIG memory Card on deck. *Each 3 Minute split video size is about 350MB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T4M* Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 (edited) So I got bored..... (early night at work). On the way home, I started brainstorming some stuff and here goes.... When I pull out the keys to the ignition, my USB ports and cigarette outlets lose power. I have a spare battery bank that can keep the camera charged for most of the day. I have this old Mask I keep in the dash and decided to fix it up. Nothing fancy, ducktaped the battery on the back of the mask.... I decided to install the dash camera onto the other eye but there is a small issue.... Have to do some surgery.... I SEE YOU.........FOREVER..... The cool part about this, is that the green light will ONLY turn on when the camera turns on. (Camera has a motion sensor, anything within range will activate camera and record) If someone gets too close to my car, the green light will turn on, as my goal being to alert the person that some crazy shit is happening. Another goal is to delay their judgement whether the mask has a camera or not, recording their reactions lol The idea is pretty much to give the person a higher instinct not to mess with the car. As far as keeping my car safe, very minimal. I have other gadgets that make it a lot tougher to run away with my car besides an alarm system, but that's for another thread. Other Angles... Edited December 16, 2019 by T4M* 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T4M* Posted December 25, 2019 Share Posted December 25, 2019 GO Pro + *30fps *Licence Plate View *InShot App downgrade Size InShot_20191223_200549075.mp4 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty_habiT Posted January 8, 2020 Author Share Posted January 8, 2020 Minivan drivers man..... I don't fucking understand them, why do they think a van is fast or that it should be driven fast. What is it about people that will buy a vehicle like that and their mentality that makes them think they're in a ferrari? Also, bad ass skull mask thing you made there. Hackaday.com would love to see that. The only improvement I can think of over what you've already done, an idea I've been tossing around for a while now, is that you have data storage in the cloud. Videoing someone and storing it on local storage (disk or sd card installed in the vehicle) does you no good if they steal your shit. The real secure thing that is needed is a constant streaming uplink into a data storage that is off site. If you have a sim card/cell modem inside there with a data plan this is easy. If it's parked at your house then a wifi connection into your house will work for this. Either of those two solutions would greatly increase the usefulness of a camera installed in the car. @T4M*- also what car is that? It seems to have boost the way it accelerated when you decided it was time to haul ass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misteraven Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 2 hours ago, Dirty_habiT said: Videoing someone and storing it on local storage (disk or sd card installed in the vehicle) does you no good if they steal your shit. The real secure thing that is needed is a constant streaming uplink into a data storage that is off site. If you have a sim card/cell modem inside there with a data plan this is easy. If it's parked at your house then a wifi connection into your house will work for this. Either of those two solutions would greatly increase the usefulness of a camera installed in the car. First thing a cop will do if he's shady and pulling you over is pull your cam out and take all of it with him. So yeah, having the ability to stream or backup remotely is an awesome feature to have. Though personally, the most practical application I see for dash cams is evidence for when you get in an accident. Normally both people are cited in traffic accidents unless its overwhelming clear what happened and that you aren't at fault. Even then, usually both get cited and they leave it for the courts to figure out. Can save your ass, if you can present quality video footage with corresponding metrics when pout in that situation. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T4M* Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 I'm mobing in a Manuel 6 Speed Fr_S / 86 / BRZ tuned with full exhaust, 91 Octane at the moment. Wifi is the only setup I have with the GoPro at home inside the garage, nothing in public. Security wise, naw, I mentioned before, the cameras are useless, just brings awareness. I have other Gadgets that keep my car "Safe" (GPS, Viper Alarm, steering wheel Lock and a "Kill Switch") For this run, a Honda smashes off the exit (Pist my hidden gopro wasn't charged) and caught it on my dash cam. A challenger tried to be in the Mix but naw, I got this.... InShot_20200108_160717351.mp4 Great info about the dash cams @misteraven @Dirty_habiT Oh and Dirty, ever since I got this car, minivans, trucks, stupid people, are always wanting to start trouble, main reason why I got the GOPro. Also good looking on the mask, noted. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T4M* Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Sidenote* Went to Facebook after and I should of known.... So annoying. Suck A dick Amazon. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T4M* Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 Like a Boss InShot_20200111_073942820.mp4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty_habiT Posted January 11, 2020 Author Share Posted January 11, 2020 Lol, you're braver than me driving like that in that weather. Of course, I live in Texas so I don't get the chance to drive in ice/snow often. I do drive quite spiritedly when I'm driving one of my fun cars and it's dry out though. What tires do you have for street/track? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T4M* Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 Fuck all that bravery shit, last year I ended up in the ditch because of it. This Year I prepared my car with snow tires for the season. Also in mind, ICE and SNOW are two different things. I was driving through falling snow (not frozen). The next night, I don't mob if my dash reads below 20 degrees outside. I drove through hills, straight roads, curves etc, prior to the video to gain "confidence" on what I can and can't do. Can't smash on red lights, or accelerate too fast. But, great tires to drive like a hippie, in a REAR car. @Dirty_habiT 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KILZ FILLZ Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 Bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T4M* Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 Awesome, thanks @KILZ FILLZ. Recently bought a suction cup kit, top view has been my favorite view. Have footage that I will posting later. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elena Delle Donne Posted October 13, 2022 Share Posted October 13, 2022 On 11/4/2019 at 6:35 PM, Fist 666 said: Whenever I'm driving with the wife and we pass trains she knows she has to reach over and hold the wheel because I will kill us. relationship goals 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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