Community Forums

Casuall454 · 05-11-2016, 05:31 AM

Installing a dash camera, so many choices 145, 160 & 180 radius lens. GPS on screen which can be used to verify speed to law enforcement.

Which model do you use ?
What options effected your selection?
Do you have model with audio as well?

I don't see why you need to record 12 hours of video, maybe just an hour then loop. Would seem all law enforcement would desire is few minutes prior to incident, the incident and then the post incident actions of the apparatus operators.

hogdriver · 05-11-2016, 09:15 AM

I bought a dashcam based on web reviews. It works fine. I think it is this one...

Panorama G DashCam w GPS

I have it wired to the ignition switch and whenever the engine runs, it records. As an option some people have them run all the time so I guess you can record "lurkers". I mounted mine from the cabinet holding the overhead TV, in front of the powered shades. The down side to that location is there is a 10 inch band of blue sun tint imbedded in the windshield so whenever I review a video it has a blue tint. Consider mounting it on the lower part of the windshield. Of course the wipers will be in view. The recording is very good on SD cards. I have mine set to make 5 min loops. I think it will run about two days before it overwrites.

Look for a unit that has GPS capability to record your location. Some people have fears about displaying their speed but I rarely go faster than the speed limit. Read the reviews, it's helpful to get a unit that comes with a viewing program. Some of the units will directly display on google maps.

757driver · 05-11-2016, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Casuall454

Installing a dash camera, so many choices 145, 160 & 180 radius lens. GPS on screen which can be used to verify speed to law enforcement.

Which model do you use ?
What options effected your selection?
Do you have model with audio as well?

I don't see why you need to record 12 hours of video, maybe just an hour then loop. Would seem all law enforcement would desire is few minutes prior to incident, the incident and then the post incident actions of the apparatus operators.

I think that some people use dash cams for videoing scenery as they drive down the road for review of parts later, thus the need for more recording.

For your use 1 hour recording would be more than enough.

Gary.Jones · 05-11-2016, 10:35 AM

I did a lot of research and finally decided to buy the Garmin 20 Dash Cam. The primary reason was that it had a huge American national company behind the product which is likely to be here and answering the phone three years from now. Also, the price was competitive, and has an automatic incident detection (think accident detection) which automatically saves the maybe 30 seconds before the detected accident and then maybe the 60 seconds immediately after and saves it to a non-erasable part of RAM. I had troubles with the Garmin 20 which they replaced and after the fact found that the recording would freeze, but it was not the Garmin 20 that was at fault.... it was the large SD card of memory that I bought (I bought the biggest SD card the Garmin would handle) to work with it. The SD memory was bad. This was discovered after I returned it to Garmin and they spontaneously offered to give me an upgraded model, the Garmin 35 in exchange for the "defective" 20 I was returning. The 35 has a built in GPS which notes your position continuously, speed, etc and also has a collision avoidance capability. It beeps you if you are too close to the car / truck in front of you, etc etc. (which I already had in my Mobile Eye). The 35 records fine and I simply plug in the 12V plug to one of the dash receptacles as we begin the day run and keep it running until we stop for the night. The picture is great. The Garmin 20 (will also record your in-coach conversation if you want it to) and cost ~ $150 and the 35 which I got in exchange is ~ $200. I think these are high quality units.

Another important issue is how big is the camera and how is it mounted? These Garmin units are small, rugged, and easily mounted. I have the Mobile Eye installed on my Anthem, and I mounted the Garmin 20 and 35 just above the mobile eye unit (so both are down at the very bottom of the windshield). It is down and out of the way so does not interfere at all with my vision, and the "view" of the camera is essentially a 180 wide angle view. Picture clarity is excellent. You can play back to computer, play to an LED TV, or watch on its own screen etc. Beyond having as good or better specs and lower price than anything else I looked into, I really like the fact that it is a Garmin product, and I have had tremendous success with Garmin GPS and Garmin LORAN units on my oceangoing sailboat for many years, and 4 or 5 stand alone GPS units in various cars and vehicles over the years and the company, and their products, are excellent. They made their name with aeronautical GPS units. Also, there are free map updates for life. Give them serious consideration.... JMHO

Gary

loisjop · 05-11-2016, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hogdriver

I bought a dashcam based on web reviews. It works fine. I think it is this one...

Panorama G DashCam w GPS

I have it wired to the ignition switch and whenever the engine runs, it records. As an option some people have them run all the time so I guess you can record "lurkers". I mounted mine from the cabinet holding the overhead TV, in front of the powered shades. The down side to that location is there is a 10 inch band of blue sun tint imbedded in the windshield so whenever I review a video it has a blue tint. Consider mounting it on the lower part of the windshield. Of course the wipers will be in view. The recording is very good on SD cards. I have mine set to make 5 min loops. I think it will run about two days before it overwrites.

Look for a unit that has GPS capability to record your location. Some people have fears about displaying their speed but I rarely go faster than the speed limit. Read the reviews, it's helpful to get a unit that comes with a viewing program. Some of the units will directly display on google maps.

We have the same camera, works well. Noel

**TonyDi** · 05-11-2016, 12:32 PM

I use a Go-Pro 3 as my dash cam. Very versatile.

rbr · 05-11-2016, 03:19 PM

Like Gary.Jones, I have the Garmin DashCam 20 with GPS. Bought it at a higher price than many others because of brand familiarity, completeness of features, and simplicity of use. Stuck it low on the windshield with supplied suction cup on driver's side. Power comes on with key on and turns on the camera. The few times I have looked at the video it's very clear and the Garmin Dash Cam Player software works well on my Mac laptop and makes it easy to find a specific piece of road, or view a saved segment that has been marked by the automatic incident detection (G-sensor). It's pretty much a set it and forget it device. Where I have it mounted the day shade will occasionally bump it off the window, but simple to reattach and the field of view is so large you don't have to be precise about aiming it.

Gary.Jones · 05-11-2016, 08:02 PM

Here are two pictures of my Garmin 35 installed on the windshield of '15 Anthem. The upper black box is the Garmin in position. The lower box is the "Mobile Eye". The second picture shows the view of the center of the windshield from the perspective of my eye while sitting in the driver seat.

Gary

bobf46 · 05-11-2016, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyDi

I use a Go-Pro 3 as my dash cam. Very versatile.

I have been wondering if the GoPro worked well as a dash cam. The prices are coming down and I almost pulled the trigger on one a couple of weeks ago. So you would recommend it?

Casuall454 · 05-11-2016, 09:15 PM

Thank you all feed back with suggestions, the mega field of dash cameras has been narrowed. Wiring to ignition switch was my exact thought.

The amount of professional OTR semi drivers, city & school buses that have "released" dash cam footage resulting in the other driver receiving the citation due to aggressive lane changes, brake checking and failure to yield right of way, has directly effected my desire to use dash camera. Last weekend a car worth maybe $500 passed me and then "dove" into to my lane and brake checked me. All I could envision was law enforcement citing me for assured clear distance ahead, although it was his aggressive driving and braking that would have directly resulted in the incident.

Lets be honest for a few minutes, ever watch Maury Povich or Jerry Springer shows ? half of their ad time is taken up by lawyers representing you the injured person and we are driving units worth 250,000 to 800,00 with some worth more. We class A motor coach operators and our insurance companies are soon to be the next feeding ground for these lawyers and their clients.

Seems a $200 dash camera is worth the investment to me, thanks again all for your insight and recommendation(s).

Barmats · 05-12-2016, 08:50 AM

Another thumbs-up for the Garmin 20. I bought this because of the brand name, reviews, and the fact that it recorded audio. Although the Garmin 35 is a more expensive unit, it does not record audio, which was something I wanted. This was intended to be a set-it-and-forget-it device, and it has been working well.

gingery56 · 05-12-2016, 09:09 AM

The insurance company for the other guy said he needed to interview Don and had some questions. Don said, "I'll send you a video from my dashcam and you can call with any questions you might have." We never heard from them again. Here is the clip....3 miles from home after a 1500 mile trip.
Attachment 126821

I'm not sure about this clip. Hopefully it did attach. it said it was too large, so I kept cutting it down.

brobox · 05-12-2016, 06:13 PM

Made a believer out of me!!!!

dpinvidic · 05-12-2016, 06:35 PM

Regarding Go Pro, does it have a auto record when the ignition is turned on?

How long does it record when power is removed?
A dedicated dash cam has a impact sensor and a capacitor or battery to allow it to save the file to the memory card in the event the car battery is distroyed on impact.

Regards,

Dan