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Dashcam Talk (Page 2)
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reader50
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Mar 16, 2019, 12:56 PM
 
On the plus side, you can read his plate while within 25 feet.

You made the right move. If you'd tried to turn right while beside him, he might have pulled forward anyway. Instant accident, and you'd have been blamed. For trying to turn right when you weren't in the right-hand lane. I've seen plenty of that from the Russian dash cams.
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 16, 2019, 01:27 PM
 
I’m not sure I would have been blamed.

I know it’s illegal here to “two-up” at a stop sign. When it does happen, the car on the right isn’t in a valid lane. Since they’re not in a valid lane, it’s on them to merge.

That’s why I’m technically in the wrong. I was legally supposed to stay in the lane, and “cut-off” the pulled over car.
     
subego  (op)
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Apr 3, 2019, 01:32 PM
 
Even though I’m still not thrilled with the image, decided to start in on the permanent install anyway.



Off to a great start. Two big air pockets to permanently mess with my OCD.
     
subego  (op)
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Apr 3, 2019, 02:12 PM
 
So, who exactly do I call to do a “Laminar” on the cable install? Car radio place?

Edit: never mind. Radio place looks like the way to go. They all mention dashcam installs now.
( Last edited by subego; Apr 4, 2019 at 01:22 AM. )
     
Laminar
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Apr 4, 2019, 12:10 PM
 
But do they provide the full Laminar experience, including a loose fuse connection that has worked so far but could fail at any time? And also failing to reinstall the dash cam after pulling it to get the windshield replaced a year ago?
     
subego  (op)
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Apr 5, 2019, 03:49 PM
 
They have a “Lam my Van” option, which comes with full blogging services.
     
subego  (op)
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Apr 8, 2019, 07:41 PM
 


More or less looks like it belongs.
     
subego  (op)
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Apr 9, 2019, 04:16 AM
 
Looks like I got it too close to the top of the windshield, and the balun on the end of the power cable is right up on the crease where the cable will run.

I think it’s workable, but the installer will no doubt be grumpy about it.
     
subego  (op)
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Aug 5, 2019, 07:00 PM
 
After two cancelled appointments (nailing me down two weeks in advance is difficult), finally got it Laminared!




Edit: one of this place’s specialties is apparently building-in radar/laser detectors. Had no idea that was a thing.
( Last edited by subego; Aug 5, 2019 at 07:19 PM. )
     
Laminar
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Aug 6, 2019, 09:32 AM
 
Looks great!

One of the reasons I've never owned a radar detector is because I assume if I get pulled over and the police see it, I'm never getting out of another speeding ticket. I assume those tinted license plate covers are the same thing.

Also I assume radar detectors are mostly good at telling people that a cop already has their speed, or that the car in front of you has a blind spot monitoring system.

I run Waze on longer drives and set the cruise at 7-9 over. That seems to work pretty well.
     
reader50
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Aug 6, 2019, 11:36 AM
 
Originally Posted by Laminar View Post
Also I assume radar detectors are mostly good at telling people that a cop already has their speed, or that the car in front of you has a blind spot monitoring system.
I use a detector on longer drives outside my usual area. Lets me watch the road rather than watch for cops. I've never been pulled over with one, so no insights on that angle.

It lets you know a cop is in the area, as it can pick up the radar signals farther away than they can get a return from. It also alerts when hit with a laser, which probably does give an instant speed.
     
subego  (op)
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Aug 6, 2019, 01:35 PM
 
Originally Posted by Laminar View Post
Looks great!

One of the reasons I've never owned a radar detector is because I assume if I get pulled over and the police see it, I'm never getting out of another speeding ticket. I assume those tinted license plate covers are the same thing.
I was taught to throw it under the seat, which always made me nervous because hiding shit as you get pulled over seems like a bad idea. Luckily, I’ve never been pulled over using one.

Because of the risk, I only pulled mine out for road trips, which I don’t really do anymore. I think I left my detector in my old car when I sold it.

My van’s “white knuckle” point is somewhere around 80-85, so I’m not doing a whole lot of egregious speeding. However, as I’ve got something of a commute now, on a brand new 8+4 lane toll road, I’m finding myself taking longer stretches in the passing lane at 90-95.

Oh... I’ll just pass one more car and then get over.

If I had something sportier, though, I’d be seriously considering the build-in option.
     
Laminar
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Aug 7, 2019, 12:32 PM
 
Originally Posted by reader50 View Post
It lets you know a cop is in the area, as it can pick up the radar signals farther away than they can get a return from. It also alerts when hit with a laser, which probably does give an instant speed.
Depends. If they're using always-on radar built into most police cars and blasting a wide area, you can possibly see it bounce off trees, hills, and other cars. The officer may or may not have your speed at that point.

If they're using instant-on radar on a handheld or aimed unit, then again they already have you by the time your detector chirps.

What's the ratio of false positives (automatic doors, BLIS, etc.) to actual hits? I assume the newest units must be able to filter that?
     
subego  (op)
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Aug 7, 2019, 12:54 PM
 
I’m honestly shocked the standard at this point is some sort of passive system. Two $3 cameras, and a 28¢ chip to compute the parallax.

Game over, man.
     
reader50
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Aug 7, 2019, 01:43 PM
 
Originally Posted by Laminar View Post
If they're using instant-on radar on a handheld or aimed unit, then again they already have you by the time your detector chirps.

What's the ratio of false positives (automatic doors, BLIS, etc.) to actual hits? I assume the newest units must be able to filter that?
Mine is from 6-7 years ago, so not quite the latest.

If they use pulse checks, you can hear them checking cars ahead, before you're close enough to give a return. As the detectors have high gain, and don't need to compute a speed (only detect) they start ringing at several times the distance that cops can get a reading from. Definitely get a speaking detector - if you're glancing at a cheapie all the time, your attention isn't on the road.

False positives are an annoyance. Enough that I use the "city" setting all the time, which suppresses low-level X-band readings (used by old radars). When it rings, I only see the cop car ~1/4 of the time. I figure the remainder is about evenly split between out-of-sight cops, and false positives.
     
subego  (op)
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Aug 9, 2019, 02:37 PM
 
Today’s asshole cam...



Note the color of the lights, and the speed.

I circled Robocop.
     
Laminar
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Aug 9, 2019, 03:11 PM
 
So are you expecting a friendly letter in the mail? The main road by my house used to have those at every single intersection down its entire length. It was a 55mph road so there were a looot of "should I both slamming the brakes for this yellow?" moments, and a lot of rights on red. I think they voted the councilmen out and finally got the cameras pulled.
     
subego  (op)
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Aug 9, 2019, 03:30 PM
 
Originally Posted by Laminar View Post
So are you expecting a friendly letter in the mail?
Oh, yeah.

Waze warned me about it, too. I just wasn’t paying attention.

Not that it would matter, but I’ve got the camera proof this light is horribly timed. It should be red before the pack from the last light can get there. Instead, it goes yellow just as the first car from that pack hits the intersection.
     
Laminar
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Aug 10, 2019, 08:39 AM
 
For yeeears I've been wanting to make an iPhone game where you design intersections and stoplights and set up the timing and everything. I'm sure it already exists by now in a way better form than I could ever do, but I don't want to go looking and feel disappointed in myself for being so lazy.
     
subego  (op)
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Aug 10, 2019, 08:48 AM
 
It should use real roads, and then the high-scores get programmed into the real lights.
     
Laminar
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Aug 10, 2019, 09:06 AM
 
Crowdsourcing at its best. But then 4chan would find some way to triple the high score by mowing down pedestrians and obviously the system would auto-implement anything without checking. And it'd edit the city's records to be called 'Hitler Did Nothing Wrong" road.
     
subego  (op)
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Aug 10, 2019, 09:53 AM
 
If they’re going to work that angle, my money is on “Hitlery McHitlerface Parkway”.
     
subego  (op)
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Aug 10, 2019, 10:03 AM
 
As an aside, that intersection where I got pinched used to be one of Chicago’s “supercluster****” intersections.

A regular cluster**** intersection is a “six corners”. Three streets making up an intersection.

A supercluster**** is when those three streets don’t exactly line up. There’s this triangle of land in the middle, and two stoplights in rapid succession on all three streets.

Here, they rebuilt the angle street to hit the other streets farther out, and then curve around, so now there’s a reasonable distance between the stoplights. It’s between these two where I got caught.

But as demonstrated, the timing is now all ****ed up on this street. It’s better on the other two.

The Lincoln Park Apple Store is on the triangle of land at one of these supercluster****s, but as one can imagine, if the triangle is big enough to fit an Apple Store, it’s a lesser example. The one I’ve been talking about wasn’t even large enough for a newsstand.
     
subego  (op)
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Aug 10, 2019, 12:41 PM
 
This makes it a little clearer.



Elston used to go through where Elston Court is now.

I got caught on Fullerton, right by the food pin (which is a Popeye’s).

That driveway on the north side of Elston is to the Vienna Hot Dog factory.


Here’s the Apple Store intersection at the same scale.



Back in the day, the Apple Store used to be a gas station, and the neighborhood was semi-funky. Lots of broken bottles on the street from the people who had been getting drunk in their car. I lived up the block, and bought cigarettes there. When they built the store, Apple redid the subway station and added a Starbucks. I’m not sure what the quid pro quo was, but all the ads in that station are for Apple products.

I now live near a station on that line, so it’s super convenient. Our rehearsal space is also only a few blocks from there.
( Last edited by subego; Aug 10, 2019 at 01:12 PM. )
     
subego  (op)
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Aug 12, 2019, 04:55 PM
 
I’ll let the judges decide on this one, but I say the cop made an odd choice.

     
Thorzdad
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Aug 12, 2019, 05:45 PM
 
I’ve seen cops and fire trucks do that. If they can’t get through using the proper lanes, they gotta do something.
     
subego  (op)
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Aug 12, 2019, 07:02 PM
 
Originally Posted by Thorzdad View Post
I’ve seen cops and fire trucks do that. If they can’t get through using the proper lanes, they gotta do something.
Oh... no question.

What I thought was odd was they even tried to use the proper lanes in the first place. I only started moving once I had thought they committed to their side.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 11, 2019, 09:44 AM
 


Lucky for him I saw a flash of movement behind the truck and decided to slow down.
     
Demonhood
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Oct 11, 2019, 10:28 AM
 
Wearing headphones too. Smart
     
richwig83
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Oct 11, 2019, 02:04 PM
 
Natural selection (nearly) working its magic.
MacBook Pro 2.2 i7 | 4GB | 128GB SSD ~ 500GB+2TB Externals ~ iPhone 4 32GB
Canon 5DII | EF 24-105mm IS USM | EF 100-400mm L IS USM | 50mm 1.8mkII
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ShortcutToMoncton
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Oct 12, 2019, 09:38 AM
 
I gotta get on this shit too. My buddy was telling me about one that is wireless/battery and goes right on over the rear view mirror. Sounds interesting.
Mankind's only chance is to harness the power of stupid.
     
reader50
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Oct 12, 2019, 02:55 PM
 
subego, you forgot your customary audio commentary.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 12, 2019, 05:08 PM
 
That was so insane it took me about half a minute to start in.

“You could have died... you could have died... you could have died...”
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 13, 2019, 01:32 PM
 
Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton View Post
I gotta get on this shit too. My buddy was telling me about one that is wireless/battery and goes right on over the rear view mirror. Sounds interesting.
As far as I know, a good percentage of dashcams run on batteries. This lets the nicer ones do tricks like using motion sensing to turn it into a “security camera” for your parked car.

I got one of the capacitor type models. It’s somewhat practical, since they don’t mind getting warm in the sun. The company who made mine is Australian, so definitely an issue there. Not so much in Chicago or... is it Toronto?

If I’m being honest? It’s paranoia. It’s not a matter of if a battery in constant use will explode, it’s a matter of when. Sure... I could catch it before that happens, but I could also make it so it’ll never happen.
     
ShortcutToMoncton
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Oct 13, 2019, 11:01 PM
 
Motion sensing for outside the vehicle? I didn’t think that stuff worked through glass. Or do you mean it senses the vehicle moving, as in it got bumped?
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reader50
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Oct 13, 2019, 11:31 PM
 
The latter. Car is bumped, camera turns on, watches dude removing your car battery. (uncommon)

More common: camera turns on, watches cat on your hood.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 15, 2019, 01:21 PM
 


It's hard for me to tell what happened here. It looks like the car blew the red in the left lane and then right turned themselves out of it.

No commentary other than NPR because I wasn't really sure what happened. Still not totally sure


Edit: have no idea why it's mega-compressed in the beginning. Maybe because of where I picked my trim point.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 15, 2019, 01:25 PM
 
Originally Posted by reader50 View Post
The latter. Car is bumped, camera turns on, watches dude removing your car battery. (uncommon)

More common: camera turns on, watches cat on your hood.
That cat has a slim-jim!
     
reader50
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Oct 15, 2019, 02:39 PM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
It looks like the car blew the red in the left lane and then right turned themselves out of it.
I agree with your read. Light turned red, truck was already in intersection (and signalling) so proceeded to complete turn. SUV blew the red in left lane, then avoided truck. Definitely worth the full AHC title.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 16, 2019, 07:42 AM
 
The only thing stopping me from making an absolute statement is not being able to see past the truck, but I can’t find another explanation. There’s only one lane the car could have come through.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 16, 2019, 10:24 PM
 
Two-fer...



     
subego  (op)
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Oct 17, 2019, 03:14 PM
 
Speaking of assholes, I topped 100 showing how the passing lane is supposed to work to someone driving too slow.

I think I might have road rage issues.
     
Demonhood
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Oct 18, 2019, 12:01 AM
 
I had someone pass me on the right a few days ago, easily going 110mph.
At like 5:30pm.

Sadly don't have a dash cam in this car, otherwise everyone could enjoy my choice cursing.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 18, 2019, 01:05 AM
 
Originally Posted by Demonhood View Post
I had someone pass me on the right a few days ago, easily going 110mph.
At like 5:30pm.

Sadly don't have a dash cam in this car, otherwise everyone could enjoy my choice cursing.
Well, that’s actually unlikely from me. If someone is going too slow in the passing lane I...

1) Give them a chance to get out of the way
2) Start to tailgate.
3) Then aggressively pass on the right.

I’m not going 100 at that point, because I’ve matched the slowpoke. 100 is for once I’m in front of them.


The Ford 250 vans I’ve been renting usually succeed at step 2

I should also add I only do this on the Interstate, on a straightaway, when there’s a lane-sized shoulder.
( Last edited by subego; Oct 18, 2019 at 01:21 AM. )
     
Laminar
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Oct 18, 2019, 12:40 PM
 
My wife nailed a snowbank in her car last year, it really tore up the front bumper, I ended up cutting off an entire corner so we could keep driving it. I ordered a new front bumper and took it to a shop to get painted. In the meantime, people got the **** out of my way basically immediately.
     
andi*pandi
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Oct 18, 2019, 02:16 PM
 
it's just the right IDGAF carefree attitude you need for the freeway.
     
subego  (op)
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Dec 21, 2019, 12:23 AM
 


Has swears.
     
reader50
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Dec 21, 2019, 01:49 AM
 
Did you remember to flip them off as they went by?

The ladies always want us to talk about our feelings more. But when we roll down the window and do so, they get uncomfortable.
     
subego  (op)
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Dec 21, 2019, 11:17 AM
 
This was a strict hands at 10 and 2 situation.
     
Laminar
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Dec 21, 2019, 11:22 AM
 
Who's the slow guy blocking the left lane so that people have to go around him on both sides?
     
 
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