Been thinking about putting a dash cam in the motorhome and after looking at several makes and models have decided to go with a Garmin 65 W 1080P unit. Seems to be everything I will want and need in one but thought I'd post this to ask if by chance anyone out there owns this unit and if so what do you think of it in terms of ease of use and overall operation, etc. Any thoughts would be appreciated................. Thanks and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all, BankShot...........(aka Terry) PS: And a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR to those that still believe in the traditional greetings.........
PS: If anyone uses a dash cam and recommends a particular brand by all means jump in and do so as I haven't completely made up my mind on this particular unit mentioned above................ Thanks, BankShot...............(aka Terry)
Terry, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you. I have been using cameras from the RoadHawk range for several years now and recently upgraded to the HD-2 model. First class reliability and easy to use with software that is also Mac compatible if that is necessary for you. They are available to purchase in the US now as well if you search for the US supplier. http://www.roadhawkusa.com/products/roadhawk-hd-2/ Richard.
Merry Christmas Everyone! No dash cam in the short term future for us but it may be a necessity if/when we do our touring rving in retirement years. Mike
Thanks Richard, will check this one out also before making a decision. Appreciate the input.......... All the best, Terry.................(aka BankShot)
Since we are on the road full time now, we are in the market as well. Although we do not travel much on weekends or during any rush hours, we still have been subject to a couple of close calls. Merging being the worst it seems. People need to know the rules.....get up to speed and make room! Thanks Terry for starting this thread. I'm looking forward to hearing what you decide on. We have three on-board cameras as do many other rigs. Is there anyway they can be tied into the forward system for recording?
Hmm. not sure about how an onboard camera system could be incorporated into a dash cam setup but this would be a neat thing to have. I am not aware of any coach manufacturers that offer this type of system but I'm sure if one had the money, it could be built and installed. I suppose one could buy four separate dash cameras and install them on all four sides but that would also get costly. I am going to start with just one unit up front and see how that goes and if I can find out whether a current onboard three camera system could be tied into a dash cam setup, I'll definitely post that info here.... All the best, Terry..............(aka Bankshot)
We've been using a dash cam made by this company for the past two years: https://smile.amazon.com/KDLINKS-DX...d=1513171765&sr=8-3&keywords=kdlinks+dash+cam It produces what iI think is a very acceptable image under a wide range of lightiing conditions. The specific model we own is no longer available. I use it in the car in the winter when the MH is parked. I don't know that it's better than others, but it definitely does the job.
Thanks Joel for the additional suggestion. I've checked into the ones mentioned on this thread and so far am "gravitating" towards the Garmin unit. Reason: I like the idea of how small and compact it is and that's due to the small 2" screen versus others that have 3" and even larger screens. Concealability is also better with the smaller unit. If for some reason I needed to watch a given incident I can simply upload the data onto a laptop, etc. and see it there. Does that make sense? My son is probably going to buy the Garmin unit for his car for the same size reason and I will let him be my guinea pig before I make my final decision. I may even ask him if we can borrow it to take on a short trip and see how I like using it. Thanks again for the suggestions so far. Am "making a list and checking it twice".............. Terry................(aka BankShot)
A few years ago, we equipped all the road service and tow trucks at our shop with Planet Halo's 4-camera dash cam systems.
Will do Vicki K. He won't be installing it until the cold, damp weather stops as the instructions say not to use the "sticky mount" under damp or cold conditions. He's currently chomping at the bit to get it installed and will hopefully do so very soon. He did his own research on it and is pleased with my choice of the Garmin unit (I ended up giving it to him for Christmas). Like you I figured why not let him be the proverbial "guinea pig"............. Regards, BankShot...........(aka Terry)
Just on that issue @BankShot Terry mate speaking as a professional (You know my line of work for the last 29 years) make sure that the unit has a back capture or like setup that will store the previous say up to 20 seconds of an event on a rotation. The thing is that when people have these units they tend to fall in to a false sense of security regarding the card and recording. I would advise that every few months take the unit off the window check the download, run the camera try the footage see if it will download to a disk or other file and believe it or not check that the camera screen is clean. Ensure that your date and time stamp is active. Units that provide you with a fish eye view generally capture more information and most will have a HD setting. If you can go to SD for driving then the unit will generally work a little better. Remember that these units are not for sending into Worlds funniest videos but provide you with an independent real time witness of a course of events. Plus always resist getting out of your rig and punching the idiot who cut you off in the head as thats recorded too. Trust me seen it happen......not saying its not piss funny.......just be aware they are a double edged sword.
Thanks for the info Jason. I ended up giving my son "the guinea pig" a Garmin 65W unit that came with all the "goodies & specs", etc. He has yet to install it as he hasn't made up his mind whether to just use the 12 volt plug in or have it hard wired in. I expect him to have it in shortly. I did some quick research and if this one works for him I will probably go with the same unit for the RV. I do know this one is 1080p and is 64 bit so it should be a good one. Will post again on this thread once I have more to go on.................... Regards, Terry..................(aka BankShot)
