The usual start for a "Craft Day" with one surprise. After parking at the MPR I saw there was no sign on the Lodge denying entry. Perhaps Yoga changed to the Main Rec Hall? They did have to move, then replace a lot of tables and chairs when using the Lodge. There may be enough room in the Main Rec for their mats without having to move anything (Dance Floor area?).
Today is a day for re-do's.
I noticed today that I accidentally labelled the blog yesterday as Wed - 17 instead of Tue -16. That happened because I started it as a draft earlier in the day. I forgot that I had done this and simply looked at the last entry (which was today's draft) and labelled my next effort as a + 1 (Day and Date). That entry has been corrected.
I'll try not to repeat that mistake; but no promises.
I also discovered, in a review by PC World, that the F800 is ... arguably the best of the best ...and the night video ...is absolutely the best of all their reviews to date. I am impressed with the video and Charlotte thinks it is a good idea. Perhaps we may even get an auto insurance reduction?
I also discovered that there is a suction cup mount available from Thinkware; however, it is only for their other camera models. I may follow the great advice of Diane (cousin Keith's wife, who follows the blog) and find a way to use Velcro, that is, unless I can purchase a second mounting plate for use in the motorhome.
I am still working on a viable mounting position for the car. I still have 2 weeks in which I can return it to Best Buy. I also want to test the settings (High/Med/Low) for the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) as well as the Parking Mode Impact Setting.
I will have to wait until the Safety Camera Alert goes off to know how well the Speed/Traffic detectors work. There are none where we regularly drive down here.
It took a few hours yesterday to download and install all the software additions for the SmartPhone and Computer. I found out that it uses a "Super Capacitor" rather than a battery as well as thermal protection to prevent damage in temperature extremes. It also can be set to shut off at specific source battery voltage levels in winter to prevent "Killing" the vehicles battery. This leaves enough reserve power to be able to start in cold weather.
The Lodge was fairly active as I was catching up on my Wi-Fi needs. The "Tornado" (Emergency) Committee was meeting to refine the upcoming safety drill. New OMS park residents came through on their introductory guided tour. Several other "Wi-Fi" folks came in and out throughout the morning.
Charlotte arrived after her sewing session. Then it was back to the motorhome for lunch. Today was another "Sandwich for Lunch" kind of day along with the usual TV session.
Charlotte watched a movie while continuing to knit her quilt.
I went out to work on locating a good installation spot for the Dash Cam. I found what I thought was a good position until I reviewed the video. It had too much of the picture blocked by the rear view mirror window attachment.
That is when I realized how hard it was to remove the adhesive that attaches the camera. It was all I could do to pry it off with a large, sharp knife. Even though I had a second adhesive strip included for re-attachment I decided "...that was enough of that!"
I followed Diane's advice; but with a hybrid twist. I had industrial Velcro that would hold; however it would be a "Pain" to remove if needed due to the strong adhesive. I went to the Ace Hardware across from OMS to see if they add what I wanted.
They did! I bought a pack of 3M Command Brand "Large Picture Hanging Strips". They are adhesive backed Velcro strips with a unique feature. Like Velcro I can easily remove the Dash Cam from the car by prying the Velcro strips apart. Unlike regular velcro adhesive these strips have an end tab that, when stretched, will cause the adhesive to (magically) release from whatever it is attached. No Fuss! No Muss! ...and No Mess!
If I ever want to remove the strip from the windshield it will be a snap (actually, a stretch). I will just attach another strip (6 left in the pack) to the motorhome windshield and stick the Dash Cam to it. Viola! Transfer from one vehicle to another will now be so easy.
I had the new mount in place about the same time as Charlotte's movie ended. It was time for a test run. Charlotte needed a few things for her projects so we were off with the Dash Cam running. It was still sunny so the top was off the Del Sol as well.
The first stop was at 'Sew What" in Umatilla, FL. Charlotte picked up some material (and a little free advice) from Norlina. Unable to get the special backing here we were now headed to JoAnn in Tavares, FL. I remained in the Del Sol (enjoying the sunshine) while Charlotte went into the store. I spent the time trying to figure out and set up the new SmartPhone Apps for the Dash Cam.
Charlotte wanted the backing material to have "Heat Bond" adhesive on both sides. After checking everywhere the folks at JoAnn determined that the "Double Sided" may no longer be available. Charlotte returned to the car with what was available.
Now it was time for supper. We passed on a few of the fancier spots nearby. We just weren't very hungry and did not really want a fancy "Sit Down" meal. We decided on the Burger King in the Publix mall where we regularly shop. We each had the usual: 2 Cheeseburgers w/Fries and Drink for $3.29. We shared 10 Chicken Nuggets w/Honey Mustard sauce. Even though the price had increased by $0.20 to $1.69 we decided to "bite the bullet" (actually chicken) and went for it. (grin)
This picture is from the Dash Cam. Not bad for night time. We were now on our way back to OMS.
As I turned into OMS we noticed a loud "CLICK..CLICK" from the Dash Cam. It was the Lane Departure Warning sound. There are "Turn-in-Lanes" at the park entrance. When I crossed over the road lane marking when entering the turning lane the warning sounded. Even though it was dark the Dash Cam detected that I was leaving my lane. I'm impressed!
We arrived at the motorhome just in time for the ABC Evening News followed by Jeopardy. We both knew the Final Jeopardy answer even though not all the contestants did. The answer was "Armistice". (In reference to Armistice Day). This word is not as well known in the USA as they changed the name of that event in the '50's to "Veterans Day". (Canadian, EH!)
Charlotte continued on watching TV (Family Feud) while I went to do the blog for today. Both the Lodge and the MPR were busy. I went to the MPR where about 3 dozen folks were participating in a "Game Night". This time I had to set up at the other end of the room. Only 1 other person arrived to use the Wi-Fi.
I am still learning about the ThinkWare F800 Dash Cam features. Tonight I looked into the functions of the ThinkWare Cloud that I installed on my SmartPhone.
There is a feature called Geo-Fencing. Location can be tracked and displayed on the PC Viewer. The Geofencing feature on the F800PRO takes location tracking once step further by allowing users to set up to 20 geographic zones and then notifying users when the vehicle is arriving and/or departing the pre-selected locations. With Geofencing notifications, users are alerted of any potential unauthorized access or usage of their vehicle(s). This is a "Company" (or parent) thing.
When a sharp movement triggers the built-in G-Sensors it results in event recording. With the Cloud feature, users can also receive a notification when an impact is detected. Should any events occur to the monitored vehicles those concerned may be notified.
This feature will take a little more investigation. I thought the only difference between the F800 and the F800 Pro was that the Pro had a second rear viewing camera included. My model does support a rear camera although it wasn't in the package (or the price). I will have to do more research on the differences.
Just not now. That's it for tonight.
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