Drift HD170 Camera - My review from a pilots perspective

[Bonanza Man]

I tried both links given by you tube, neither worked so I gave up. Here's how it should work. I click the you tube link on this site to put the you tube link into my post. Then I go to the you tube movie and click share. I copy and paste that link into this post. That doesn't work.
As for my mount I used the helmet mount supplied with the camera. That mount is curved. I had a buddy fill in the curved part with something like an epoxy so it was flat on the bottom. I drilled a couple holes thru the mount to match up with the screw holes that attach my wing tips to the wing. Rock solid. The mount can stay on the plane and the camera snaps on and off easily.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/newps/7218 ... hotostream

[Zzz]

Here's how it should work. I click the you tube link on this site to put the you tube link into my post. Then I go to the you tube movie and click share. I copy and paste that link into this post. That doesn't work.

You're not the one who has to clean up the hacking damage. BBcode is meant to reduce the injection opportunities of code. Most people here have figured it out, and it's easy. Easier than flying a Bonanza.

The Youtube URL can be long and complex, but it's always the same piece that you copy, after the v= and before the &

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1PxAUkZV_s&list=UUNjjOym0aMelPzBlYSWYzAg&index=8&feature=plcp

Works this way on most forums. Youtube doesn't really care if other sites get hacked, so they give you the old full Flash object embed html.

[Hafast]

Hey All,

I have a brand new, still in the packaging, Drift LLBAT Long Life Battery that I got last week, that I would like to sell. Yep, I ordered the wrong one for my camera. I paid $21.19 plus $5.17 shipping for it. Make me an offer and I'll ship it to you for free.

You guys sure are a bunch of cheap asses, I offer a brand new heavy duty battery for a Drift 170 for free, and nobody takes me up on it. The last line of the paragraph says it all, and none of you guys picked up on it. What the hell?

[Aviatorpa11]

Hafast, I did the same thing. I have the newer HD Drift model and I also mistakenly ordered the long life battery for it, an like you found out it doesnt work for it. Someone on here will take you up on the offer, I'm sure.

[GroundLooper]

Just in case you guys are making the same assumption I did when I bought the LL battery for my drift HD Stealth. The LL battery is bigger than the standard battery. My first thought was, crap! I bought the wrong one. Then I noticed there is a plastic insert in the camera that is removed when putting in the LL battery.

[Centmont]

OK guys... got my credit card out...got the kitchen pass (told her we needed it for the grandkids ) I was going to buy the older Drift 170 HD for one reason. I know I can use a long-life battery. Can I use a long-life battery for the new Drift HD? The dialog in this thread is a little confusing. Ralph

[mountainmatt]

OK guys... got my credit card out...got the kitchen pass (told her we needed it for the grandkids ) I was going to buy the older Drift 170 HD for one reason. I know I can use a long-life battery. Can I use a long-life battery for the new Drift HD? The dialog in this thread is a little confusing. Ralph

Ralph, the extended battery (long life/1700mAH) will only work in the Drift 170 HD/Stealth and not the new Drift HD camera. Also, the new HD camera will only use MICRO SD cards, so beware of that as well.

[Centmont]

Matt: 170 it is... and I owe you a beer for saving me money to boot. Thanks Ralph

[mountainmatt]

I talked with the guys at Drift, and they have set up a pretty good little pilot package for us (as well as donated another Drift HD camera to this years BCP raffle).

This is the package: https://www.mypov360.com/buy/Drift-Back ... -Deal.html
It includes one Drift HD camera, an extra battery, a suction cup mount, and the Drift patch cord (record the intercom).

If you enter the promo code "backcountrypilot" it will also take another $30.00 off the price and provides free UPS ground shipping to the Cont US.

[shortfielder]

Just in case you guys are making the same assumption I did when I bought the LL battery for my drift HD Stealth. The LL battery is bigger than the standard battery. My first thought was, crap! I bought the wrong one. Then I noticed there is a plastic insert in the camera that is removed when putting in the LL battery.

We found it a little tricky getting that plastic insert out. If you aren't careful, you can break one, or both of the tabs that hold the battery in.
Gary

[Centmont]

First video...the Drift was delivered UPS last night. Most of the instructions/suggestions came from right here at BCP... I enjoyed this...thanks guys..especially Matt. I overflew a huge number of elk this morning....Drift won't really pick those up no matter how close you get in an airplane. Ralph

[Aviatorpa11]

http://youtu.be/BmbRcPc-S9Q

[Grassstrippilot]

Ok everyone,

I've got a new problem to solve. I bought the audio cable and 3.5 adapter so that you can plug the camera in and capture intercom audio. I tried it for the first time last month in Rob's Maule using my Bose headsets with the UFly mic. The audio was completely unintelligible. Two days ago, I had the chance to try it again in our 172SP, this time using my David Clarks. Same result! The audio is completely unintelligible.

Anyone else using their audio patch cords to capture cockpit audio? Am I missing something? Camera settings or something?

I thought this would be an easy "plug and play" type of a deal, so I'm pretty disappointed. I did email their costumer service this morning and hopefully will hear something within a few days.

Thanks,
Cory

[rlhawk11]

rfinkle and I went through a pretty extensive search to eliminate that same problem. We found if you run the cable through the intercom, you pick up way to much extra noise. Instead of connecting the camera to the intercom, run the line into an external mike and place the mike bud into the ear piece of the head set (just lift up the ear seal and let it hang next to your ear). The only thing you will record is what you hear through the ear piece.

Hawk

[Av8r3400]

Got the Drift 170 Stealth and love it. Remote and preview screen are awesome.

Got the Magix Movie Edit Pro MX and absolutely hate it. Totally a waste of $69. This software is so overly complex and cumbersome to use it is virtually worthless.

I just want to edit the MP4/.mov files generated by the drift, not make the sequel to Avatar...

[Grassstrippilot]

rfinkle and I went through a pretty extensive search to eliminate that same problem. We found if you run the cable through the intercom, you pick up way to much extra noise. Instead of connecting the camera to the intercom, run the line into an external mike and place the mike bud into the ear piece of the head set (just lift up the ear seal and let it hang next to your ear). The only thing you will record is what you hear through the ear piece.

Hawk

Thanks for the info. So basically their patch cord doesn't work. Anyone here actually get it to work? Hawk, were you getting continuous noise, or only during radio transmissions/when the intercom was activated? That is what I am experiencing. Silence until a transmission or the u intercom is activated.

I'll let you all know what/if I hear from Drift.

[rlhawk11]

We were getting noise pretty much all the time. We found that the intercom did not filter out all the noise, including engine). The noise canceling headsets filter out the noise that the intercom did not. Therefore, if you put that mike bud next to your ear the things that you will record is what would come through the headsets (including radio transmissions, music and conversation). This handled the problem for us.

Hawk

ps: We mounted the camera on the wing and ran an extension from the camera through the wing to the cabin where we connected the mike to it. After putting the mike in the earpiece we just zip-tied the mike cord along the headset cord to the intercom plug in( that is where we had run the extension cord from the camera).

[rlhawk11]

Another thing I forgot to say in previous post: We tried the Drift patch cord, it did not work. We also tried a Patch Cord Cockpit Voice Recorder from Chief Aircraft, this worked somewhat but still not acceptable. The easiest and most simple worked the best.

Hawk

[amacbean]

I have the cable for the drift that plugs into the panel as well. At first, I experienced the same thing - unintelligible audio. At first I thought I had the mic sensitivity menu item setting to low, but now what I've discovered it that I need to turn the mic sensitivity to it's second lowest setting, and then turn down the volume on my intercom and then the sound is ok. It's not perfect, but it's usable. The same cord plugged into my Canon 5DmII works great, but that camera is a little much for in cockpit video I think. It's obviously the way the camera adjusts it's sensitivity to the incoming sound.

This video was shot with the Drift HD and the audio patch cord:

[Grassstrippilot]

Nice video Allen! Thanks for the info. Ok, so I'll get out and try it this Friday and see if I can get it to work. That is the quality that I was expecting and, if I can get it to that, I'll be happy.