New gear

[forestguy]

Between my birthday last month and Fathers Day yesterday I've managed to add to my meagre set of kit!

I picked up a cheap laptop ($150) on eBay that I want to try and set up outside my tent next overnighter to do something like this: http://www.simplehelp.net/2006/09/27/ho ... ty-camera/

And today I got a tiny spycam that I'll be able to clip to my hat while walking, and also leave somewhere during the night - that's the plan anyway. It's about the size of a pack of chewing gum.

[Mike Williams]

Nice price for the laptop.
I am poking round for some elcheapo software which works with laptops...which I have used before..
Its elcheapo "change in picture" software for about US$25.00.
It caches the video stream, checks for changes and dumps the footage if there is no change in the frames.
Here it is..this is the best video security software I have ever found for the money.
http://www.felenasoft.com/webcamlooker/


Mike

[forestguy]

Sweet - that's the sort of thing I'm looking for.

[Shazzoir]

I'm just hoping you can get some footage! Wow, you guys are really getting into this, great to see! Have any others on AYR had success spotting the big hairy guys with Aussie trail cams? I'm amazed to hear about the technology available these days....

I'm a bit annoyed at the moment, as I just dropped my Lumix yesterday, and cracked the lens. Very unhappy - it was a great camera. On the other hand, I'm considering forking out some $$ for a Canon EOS digital SLR....

Kind reards,
Shazz

[Mike Williams]

Have any others on AYR had success spotting the big hairy guys with Aussie trail cams?

No..but one other guy did have something odd on a few stills in the background of his set up ....trees..yowie..who knows..

I'm amazed to hear about the technology available these days....

Well..then you might be interested in this little beast.
http://www.pixcontroller.com/Cellular-S ... e-main.htm
An electronics teacher is building us a proto type for testing on the Next G Telstra network..
As long as you have a mobile signal..it can send photos from the camera to your web site/email...now that would be great..except if the cost per photo is big $$$ and a fox/rabbit keeps moving round in front of the cam..

[steven 47]

Have any others on AYR had success spotting the big hairy guys with Aussie trail cams?

No..but one other guy did have something odd on a few stills in the background of his set up ....trees..yowie..who knows..

I'm amazed to hear about the technology available these days....

Well..then you might be interested in this little beast.
http://www.pixcontroller.com/Cellular-S ... e-main.htm
An electronics teacher is building us a proto type for testing on the Next G Telstra network..
As long as you have a mobile signal..it can send photos from the camera to your web site/email...now that would be great..except if the cost per photo is big $$$ and a fox/rabbit keeps moving round in front of the cam..

now trhat you have a laptop you can download a program to make your webcam into a radar that automatically snaps pictures of anything that passes in front of it great for the yowie hunter i have this program but havent botherd to use it for a while

[steven 47]

my web cam is a logic tech type and you can download some gadjet softeware to go with it . ones a motion sesing softaware that enables your cam to automatically take pictures of anything that gets in its veiw , it has a radar like moveing icon thing and it s an ideal tool to get a picture of a yowie if it strays into view of your web cam and you dont have to be at your pc for it to take pictures by itself ,

[mikka]

Battery life is the bigest killer, atm im only getting 120mins on powersaving mode with this lappy. Maybe some trial and error with some car batterys and an inverter to get an overnight life.


Best thing I ever did was get a mobile broadband ubs stick (pre paid) on a side note. It will come in handy more than you realise

[forestguy]

Battery life is the bigest killer, atm im only getting 120mins on powersaving mode with this lappy. Maybe some trial and error with some car batterys and an inverter to get an overnight life.


Best thing I ever did was get a mobile broadband ubs stick (pre paid) on a side note. It will come in handy more than you realise

Hey Mikka - it was our overnighter that gave me the push - would have been good to have had something pointing down the track when we had our visitors cross near the tent, and it was a good bright full moon that night.

[steven 47]

if the broard band wirelless network thing is anything like a moblibe phone service which relies on mobile phone towers to send signals on youll get dropouts and may run into problems if your miles into the bush and to far from any mobile or broard band wireless service.

[mikka]

Hey Mikka - it was our overnighter that gave me the push - would have been good to have had something pointing down the track when we had our visitors cross near the tent, and it was a good bright full moon that night.

My hair stands up on the back of my neck just thinking of that incident to be honest. I agree with you would of been good with a camera pointed down the trail and one to the side. I have no doubt would of been some interesting viewing.

A lappy is a good mobile recording device but has a limited battery life end of the day . 2 hours out of a trip is hit and miss at the best, and thinking of the fact it takes time to boot up then start doesnt really suit itself to catch sudden events.

As I said maybe trial some big car batteries with a small inverter and run a lappy for 8-10 hrs with the camera for a full night.

steven 47 your 100% right, the mobile broadband is run off mobile towers (A mobile sim card activates and runs the show) and wont cover you in the depths of the ruggered bush. my comment wasnt about being in the middle of no where but just general, in saying that though it can come in handy being a short drive away from topo and satalight maps, let alone general information if need be.

I'll keep my stick on hand thats for sure

[steven 47]

Hey Mikka - it was our overnighter that gave me the push - would have been good to have had something pointing down the track when we had our visitors cross near the tent, and it was a good bright full moon that night.

My hair stands up on the back of my neck just thinking of that incident to be honest. I agree with you would of been good with a camera pointed down the trail and one to the side. I have no doubt would of been some interesting viewing.

A lappy is a good mobile recording device but has a limited battery life end of the day . 2 hours out of a trip is hit and miss at the best, and thinking of the fact it takes time to boot up then start doesnt really suit itself to catch sudden events.

As I said maybe trial some big car batteries with a small inverter and run a lappy for 8-10 hrs with the camera for a full night.

steven 47 your 100% right, the mobile broadband is run off mobile towers (A mobile sim card activates and runs the show) and wont cover you in the depths of the ruggered bush. my comment wasnt about being in the middle of no where but just general, in saying that though it can come in handy being a short drive away from topo and satalight maps, let alone general information if need be.

I'll keep my stick on hand thats for sure

speaking of hair standing on end thats why i arsked in here somewhere if yowies hair is statically conductive like have ya seen a yowie on a dry day with bits of mastierrial stuck to its fur or hair, the thing is we all know what effects a static charge has on hair and light objects like bark and paper so if the yowies fur is dry and on a dry day it may generate a charge and this charge when biult up would create an oposing charge on objects and i was working on an electronic idea to monitor electrostatic charges generated and held by the yowies conductive fur so i can just monitor for residual charges left on objects it walks past so to track it by the electrostatic signitures it leaves on dry objects like trees bark etc , so its fur would be like an electrostatic capacitor, that can be electronically tracked by the static charges it holds

[Dean Harrison]

I would just stay clear of I.R. based systems - they won't work. I have written a lot about I.R. in the past. The long term Researchers in the States that have used it as extensively as we have, also agree.

DMH

[forestguy]

Yeah, I'm thinking continuous filming/pictures, and hope for a bright night...

[Dean Harrison]

Due to technology and buffoons out there, even daylight footage is hard enough to prove these days. Any footage is fantastic for yourself and those who know you, however if the agenda is to convince others, well, that's another story.

In regards to I.R., we firmly believe they can detect it at night like a bright light, as we would a flash light. Fine to do it, always entertaining, but won't work. Thermal would be far more interesting. Thermal is now coming down in price and has always been out of reach in the past for avid enthusiasts (and still is for most), although I believe in the future the price will drop once Patents expire. Having said that, unlike Plasmas and LCD TV's, there just isn't the demand for mass production of such devices from Chinese manufacturers as there is in the main stream market, which is the main factor in all facets of business.

DMH

[topender]

Those FLIR devices would probably be the one of choice i assume, are you saying that they are coming down in price? as the trailcams have.
Are there any better devices out there....im due for a personal pressie and i was going to go for a Flir, the night vision scope ive got just doesnt do it for me its Gen1 and c**p, its good for about 20 mtrs, if iam gunna be running through the topend scrub at night i want something that will show me " whos " in front of me.

[SAB 8]

This is top stuff people. I`m getting a good heads up on the technology! Keep it coming.