Dash Cam tidbit

[JerryJ]

I know this doesn't have much to do with trailers or towing, but necessity is the mother of invention. Of course this concept is not new. I added some soft rubbers for the bottom portion that sits on the dash. Those should act as shocks for vibrations.
When my wife and I go camping we tend to travel some of the back roads after we park our trailer in the campground we like to explore and get to know more of our northern area.

I took our little Sony Digital Video Camera and held it on the dash only to capture parts of the back roads, you know those roads that have character and seldom travelled etc. This camera is older by today's standards because it uses a digital video TAPE. But the puppy still works and shoots great videos, just not in HD.
When driving and holding the video camera as steady as I could and even though my camera has an image stabilizer, I could still notice some UN-SMOOTH video. I had one of those pop-ups in my head (the only place where I allow pop-ups )

Every camera has those 1/4-20 threads in the bottom, typically for your regular tripod. I already had one of those extension pieces commonly found at Walmart. I had a few "L" brackets as left over parts in my shop. One thing led to another with my creation. At the end of the brackets I installed suction cups to stick on the inside of my windshield. Not just to capture the country side but what if a moose or bear or other wild animal crossed my path, I'd be able to capture it. This year we drove through our campground to show the family at home. None of us had been to this campground before. I already had everything on hand except I have to buy bigger and better suction cups. Cheaper than a GoPro.
Turn the camera on and hit the remote control to record. No more shake and now hands free. If I capture nothing I simply rewind the tape and start over again. or leave it on pause but sometimes I can't hear it when it times out. It's not pretty but it works

[JerryJ]

Here's what my home brew dash cam mount looks like after install. The suction cups keeps things steady and up right but 99% of the camera's weight sits on the dash. I also added rubber bumpers to soften the bumps. I can still use the remote control for rec-pause rewind and stop. There have been many times where we have been off the beaten trail and want to keep those memories alive. Great for severe winter driving if you feel the need to record for severe weather and road conditions.

Since all cameras have those 1/4-20 mount holes, you can also attach your POS or DSLR and shoot video or click for snap shots

[Gene]

Nice job Jerry, thanks for posting the details AND the pictures.

[Gene]

Nice job Jerry, thanks for posting the details AND the pictures.