Video while driving

[Matildas mate]

I’m interested in using my iPhone to record video as i travel off main roads into a boondocking area so i can not only find the place again but find my way out back onto the main road if i get lost. I’m not interested in purchasing a GoPro or similar type of camera nor am i interested in creating videos for YouTube, I’m just interested in compensating for my poor sense of direction with a record of the routes i use and turns i make. Can anyone suggest a homemade way to mount the phone or suggest a product that i can use to mount the phone to record my backroad travels.

 

[Seminole Wind]

on my rig i was able to use a cheap "hands free" cellphone holder that clicks into my heater vent. the mount does not block the camera and it sits high enough to "see" over the dash. if your vents dont lline up, most of the cheep cell phone holders also come with an adhesive pad so you can put the mount right on the dash or window glass
if i remember i paid $6-7 for mine

 

[highdesertranger]

just a little heads up video going one way is virtually useless going the opposite direction. same as if you are walking. if you are using the video for finding your way out you must turn the camera around 180° or you will not be able to identify anything. you should really work on your sense of direction, technology does fail the sun on the other hand is pretty reliable. highdesertranger

 

[WanderingCanuck]

So, why not just record a track log using your phone's built-in GPS? Set a waypoint or two...?

 

[Ticklebellly]

A windscreen mount that will hold an iPhone costs maybe, $7 or $8. The problem with using a video to provide cues to the way back or out of geographical embarrassment, is that you see the back of the landmarks seen on the way in.

A GPS app for an IPhone and one that records tracks, will cost from free to maybe $3. A friend and I fish a particular estuary once a year. Sand bars shift all the time. Each year, we motor out on the low, low tide and record the channels using a free iPhone app. These apps are so accurate that many a time we have returned to the boat ramp in the dead of night with only Nav lights on so we are visible to other boat operators.

 

[highdesertranger]

relying on phone GPS is iffy at best. if you have a signal they seem to work fine, but without a signal I have seen errors up to 10 miles plus they are very slow and suck battery power. again I recommend not to rely on technology to find your way, it's not hard to learn how to find your way. learn North, South, East and West. learn how to use landmarks. it's only learning and practice. highdesertranger

 

[WanderingCanuck]

I fundamentally agree with not relying on technology for navigation. But I'd sooner navigate by GPS than by watching a video of the trip. Paper maps and a compass are the best if you learn to use them properly and have enough landmarks to orient yourself.

So long as your vehicle battery is good, and you have a reasonable sky view, GPS should work reliably down to a few feet. Lots of people don't properly set up their phones, so they are using cell towers and/or WiFi IP geolocation. The latter are accurate within a continent or two.

Dedicated GPS devices often give better resolution, but I've found phones more convenient. Maybe its a solution for the OP, maybe a tangent. I'll let them decide.

 

[vanman2300]

Do not rely on tech. It will absolutely fail you at least a few times. One time and you're finished. Cell phones and GPS devices can lose power or break from drops etc. Cell phones are particularly a bad idea especially if you're going into an area with little to no signal. I've had my battery go dead within a few hours because the phone ramps up power to maintain a good signal.

Knowing how to navigate with map and compass is the only safe way to go. If you don't know how to do that then you can always carry ribbon to leave behind for guidance later on when you want to leave. Locate them at turns etc.

 

[WanderingCanuck]

Fewer people are willing/interested/able to learn navigation skills than to learn how to properly set up and use their phone.

In remote areas, turning airplane mode on will disable all radio (cell, Bluetooth, etc) transmitters in the phone, greatly conserving battery life. You can still turn on GPS, and only leave it on when using it.

All of the battery issues are moot if you're driving a 4-wheeled fossil fueled power station.

As I've already stated, map and compass is the most reliable. But it doesn't work for most spacially-challenged individuals.

 

[RoamerRV428]

video. See me being no tech savvy in any way I would have a pad and paper.
turn at big crooked tree....go a ways and look for broken barbed wire fence with big tuffs of grass near it that looks like a pile of hay and turn left. drive past the giant mound of rocks on right that are super red colored and next left, take that

haha

yes that is me. yea I do the above. I know I can't help ya in phone stuff but being old school I know I can easily navigate my way thru life without all the techie stuff

but I hope you find a good solution to your want. Good posts on the board for you I know, I know, never was and won't ever be a phone person!

 

[RVTravel]

Backpackers are doing entire trips by iphone gps no reception.

 

[Almost There]

If it were me (and I have a good sense of direction), I would resort to a good old hand held GPS like Garmin. We use them for geocaching and the first thing I teach newbies is to MKWYPK - Mark Where You Park. The second is to PBFUGO - haha, figure that one out on your own.

Seriously, a hand held GPS does not rely on cell service so you don't have to worry about it. You can either just mark your location and roam and then simply figure out a way to return to that pin or you can set it to show your trail.

It's one step up from using a compass and map, (which I think everyone should know how to use anyways if they're going seriously off road.

And once you get adventurous you could also learn to geocache with it - a really fun game to play and lets you explore the area around you and find all kinds of interesting things.

Just make sure you always have spare batteries for it and that have learned how to use it effectively.

 

[WanderingCanuck]

Backpackers are doing entire trips by iphone gps no reception.

This is where I draw the line. I'd never advocate someone relying on a phone or dedicated GPS in the wilderness. Sure, augment your navigation with the tech all the cool kids have, but be absolutely 100% positive you can do without it as well.

I've had lengthy conversations with park wardens regarding the number of people who get themselves lost. The vast majority blame it on their phone running out of batteries or a damaged phone. Both things have been mentioned in this thread already as potential reasons not to use electronic navigation.

I see this thread in a very different light, due to the original question having to do with *vehicle* navigation.

EDIT: But perhaps you were more pointing out the fact that you don't need cell reception. That brings me back to my previous comments about learning to use your phone properly. It helps to have at least some surface knowledge of the technology and how it works as well. I know, not going to happen.

 

[highdesertranger]

"Backpackers are doing entire trips by iphone gps no reception"

yes this is true and every year more and more of these yahoos need to be rescued because their phone failed them in some way. this is costing rural counties a fortune in search and rescue(SAR) cost. listen to the local radio stations when in the boondocks and you will see what I mean. highdesertranger