Highways of Happiness ! [Yellowstone]

Hi Dave,

First of all - another fantastic trip report! Really enjoyed it.

Just wanted to ask you (or anyone else with experience with these): the 'Dash Cam' you used to record the video with (post #76) - I just bought a similar one (cheap one = £20) in order to record some parts of our upcoming trip (and for other use also) - but how did you deal with the data storage/lack of?

It seems like all of the models are primarily meant for continuous use - in case of road accidents - and can record, on one memory card, for a few hours only, before deleting previous footage and then starting again. This, for Road Trip (holiday) recording purposes, is not ideal - especially since we won't be bringing laptops or anything to transfer the footage onto in order to clear the memory card.

So I was wondering, am I missing something obvious with this, or is it simply a case of turning the thing on VERY selectively - like 10-20mins per day only -, in order not to use up all the memory? Or bring tens of memory cards for it?

If anyone can help (a technological dummy), that would be much appreciated.

Subman

On the dash cam I have, and I think the one Dave has, the looping is able to be turned off. Probably the same as yours. Dave got it for me, and it was just as expensive as yours.

I got myself two ultra HD cards. They store virtually a whole day travelling. I'd still suggest turning it on and off selectively, or you'll have hours and hours to scroll through. However, I was not aware I had forgotten to turn mine off when a truck attempted to run me off the road. It was good to have the evidence to present to the company.

Lifey

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the report.

I think most of the dash cams are intended for continous loop recording as there prime purpose is as an accident witness. Some of them you can turn the loop recording off in the settings. So basically I took a couple of extra memory cards and used it selectively, turning it on and off manually, as and when we hit a stretch of scenic Highway etc. This is what I would have done anyway despite the lack of storage, or else you would need to go over hours and hours of not so interesting footage just to find a particular moment. On the device you have different settings for how long each video records before becoming a thumbnail, I chose the 5 min option. A couple of tips : When I turned the cam on I spoke the route number and where we were and where we were going, this made identifying things easier on playback. If you leave the device plugged in when you stop for food or fuel, when you start the engine it automatically senses the power and starts recording. I had quite a bit of footage of driving around parking lots and being stationary while waiting for a break in the traffic. lol During the day I would start recording when a section of road looked promising and then in the evening I would delete any footage that didn't quite live up to expectations. One of the downsides of being selective is that I was not recording when this idiot pulled across us in the middle of a storm which resulted in me taking evasive action and missing him my inches. I would have been gutted had it resulted in a collision and I did not have it recorded ! Perhaps for £20 we should travel with two of them !

Dave.

Options for offloading the SD card:

1. Bring a small inexpensive laptop with a card reader. An old netbook such as an Asus EeePC would be adequate and also give you wifi capability for Internet work.

2. Bring a USB hard drive and a card reader, use hotel and/or cafe computers to do the transfer.

3. Bring an iPad (with large enough internal storage) and a Lightning to USB Camera Adapter.

Lifey and Dave:

Thank you SO much for this information!

I will test my model and the settings, and everything else - nothing was clear on Amazon, including reviews - this weekend.

Hopefully will be good.

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When I turned the cam on I spoke the route number and where we were and where we were going, this made identifying things easier on playback

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Oh! what a clever idea. I stopped to write it all down.... or hoped a roadside sign would remind me.

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If you leave the device plugged in when you stop for food or fuel, when you start the engine it automatically senses the power and starts recording.

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Mine kept recording even though the engine was off, but it was still plugged in (or running on its internal battery). I ended up with more than an hour looking at the same thing while I made and ate lunch.

Lifey

GLC: thank you very much once again.

After a consultation with my wife (who is the technology expert in this household), it looks like option 2 is a definite possibility, as she says we need a new and more lightweight (the current one is old and heavy, apparently) external hard drive anyway, which I could take on the trip. I personally didn't know what an 'external hard drive' was, but you learn something new every day, I guess.

I just hope that the motels/hotels/cafes will have computers available and that they don't cost outrageous amounts of money to use(?)

Thanks and all the best.

Subman

The little Eee PC is a nice little computer. Light enough to put in a handbag. Small screen is a little hard on the eyes though. I have two of them, but still prefer to travel with my large lap top.

As for wifi, you will find it almost everywhere you go. Very few accommodation places do not have wifi, most are free. Many, if not most cafes have wifi. It is the first thing I ask on entering. Many large stores have wifi, and lots of supermarkets. Often you can pick it up in the parking lot. (I am not sure if you can get a car charger for the Eee PC.) Several States have free wifi at rest areas along the major interstates. Sometimes you find it is limited by time. Other places you might find you need to pay. (I never do!)

Lifey

The only motel chain I've ever run into, that charges for wifi, is Motel 6. They charge $3 PER DEVICE. My cousin, who uses Motel 6 a lot because of the dogs she travels with, says you can switch off between them, using the laptop, then shutting it down, then your phone, etc. We didn't try that, though. There are some mom-and-pops that do not have wifi, but it's really pretty rare. I noticed when I walked into our local Target store, that they were advertising free wifi, probably promoting the Target app. Denny's usually has free wifi, as do McDonald's, Panera Bread, and Starbuck's (though I personally don't go to Starbucks except once in a blue moon).


Donna

Eee PC Car Charger

Getting hard to find Eee PC's, and they are expensive when you do.