[tooseevee]

       Due to circumstances beyond my control, I have to pick my days carefully and this was that day. My first ride of the season and my first after my 80th birthday, was going to also be a video with the Ion Air Pro I 'sparamented with last Fall so I could show you guys that the Acehead AVL actually DOES run down the road and how frigging good and smooth and quick it is.

         Well, I spent most of the afternoon trying to find the dam video except for two 20 min sessions of grass cutting and I got so piggin' frist I came close to throwing the laptop off the deck down onto the driveway along with the camera and going down and smashing them with my 4 pound sledge hammer.

           So I took a flawless, perfect, 15 mile ride with the cam damera recording the whole thing (the green light was on). The day was poifect, the bike was flawless and fast and smooooth as usual and nobody tried to kill me BUT

        I then spent most of the afternoon trying to find the video in my computer after it apparently downloaded. Tried every trick I could think of.

[mattsz]

tooseevee: I know the feeling!

I know you didn't ask, but - my best advice to you is: ride more, record less.  The bike is worth all the hassles; the video editing, not so much... 

[AVL Power!]

       Due to circumstances beyond my control, I have to pick my days carefully and this was that day. My first ride of the season and my first after my 80th birthday, was going to also be a video with the Ion Air Pro I 'sparamented with last Fall so I could show you guys that the Acehead AVL actually DOES run down the road and how frigging good and smooth and quick it is.

         Well, I spent most of the afternoon trying to find the dam video except for two 20 min sessions of grass cutting and I got so piggin' frist I came close to throwing the laptop off the deck down onto the driveway along with the camera and going down and smashing them with my 4 pound sledge hammer.

           So I took a flawless, perfect, 15 mile ride with the cam damera recording the whole thing (the green light was on). The day was poifect, the bike was flawless and fast and smooooth as usual and nobody tried to kill me BUT

        I then spent most of the afternoon trying to find the video in my computer after it apparently downloaded. Tried every trick I could think of.

Search for .mp4 in your PC and that should help you spot it. These HD videos are saved in MP4 format so that's the best bet.

[tooseevee]

tooseevee: I know the feeling!

I know you didn't ask, but - my best advice to you is: ride more, record less.  The bike is worth all the hassles; the video editing, not so much... 

             Oh, I know, I know  Believe me, I would if I could.

              As far as video goes, I resisted it a long time. I've been successful with smart phones, though. Still don't even have a cell phone. I have really good audio stuff though. That's my weakness.

[tooseevee]

Search for .mp4 in your PC and that should help you spot it. These HD videos are saved in MP4 format so that's the best bet.

          Yes, that I know and I think I've 1/2 figured it out. Gotta run another 'spare a ment.

          I think plugging the remote audio mic in might have stopped the recording at about 10 seconds into the video (I finally did locate the 10 seconds) of a 14 mile ride.

           I took a 10 minute video around the house an hour ago without the mic plugged in and it came out fine.
 
 

[tooseevee]

       I think I finally got it;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELxQPdhh5mU&t=47s

        The next thing is to figure out why plugging in the external mic shuts the camera down. The Ion Air Pro onboard mic gets nothing but wind noise.

         

[heloego]

Any chance the External Mic can be turned on in the software?

[ace.cafe]

Glad you got it posted, George!

I enjoyed the ride! Thanks for sharing.
You and the bike did great.

[heloego]

That is a nice ride!
I asked earlier if the cam software has a setting for enabling the external mic. Yay or nay?
Also gotta wonder now if you have a defective camera unit or mic, though. Did the mic come with the camera?Have you contacted the support team at https://usa.ioncamera.com/?
It sounds like the cut out switching is working ok when you plug the mic into the main unit, but the issue could be with a sound circuit in the cam, just a bad mic, or a software setting.

If it's a hardware issue either ION or the vendor should make it good.

[tooseevee]

That is a nice ride!
I asked earlier if the cam software has a setting for enabling the external mic. Yay or nay?
Also gotta wonder now if you have a defective camera unit or mic, though. Did the mic come with the camera?Have you contacted the support team at https://usa.ioncamera.com/?
It sounds like the cut out switching is working ok when you plug the mic into the main unit, but the issue could be with a sound circuit in the cam, just a bad mic, or a software setting.

If it's a hardware issue either ION or the vendor should make it good.

           Thanks. Yes it is. There are hundreds of miles of blue highways in RI. I can even skip the 4-lane part if I want to. I was beginning to think none of this was worth the time or effort, but at least I got two comments out of it all. Thanks to both you and Ace.

            I Googled and Youtubed and researched the hell out of cameras for six months prior to settling on and buying the Ion Air Pro (back in March, I think). There are hundreds of comments out there on the fact that the Air Pro internal mic suxx on a motorcycle. Can't use it. I knew that going in. It was the main bitch in everything I read. It picks up Nothing but wind noise when mounted on a bike.

            You must have an external mic. There is an external mic input on the camera. After all the research I ordered The Most recommended external mic for the Air Pro (Drift something or other).

            No, there is nothing in the software for the mic. When you plug in the external it's SupPOSed to disable the onboard mic (which is just a tiny hole in the camera body) just like when you earphone your stereo amplifier it disables the speakers.

             I just have not been able to until now, but I am going out right now and settle this external mic thing. If it does shut down the camera like I was thinking previously, I'll just forget the whole thing.

              I Want Motorcycle Noise, not wind noise or I'll just give the damn thing to my granddaughters to play with. 

[ERC]

Can't believe how little traffic is there. Every time I go to R.I. it's bad.  ERc

[mattsz]

Thanks. Yes it is. There are hundreds of miles of blue highways in RI. I can even skip the 4-lane part if I want to. I was beginning to think none of this was worth the time or effort, but at least I got two comments out of it all. Thanks to both you and Ace.

I don't know anything about video cameras, and I generally save watching ride footage for when I'm not working - I know, when I should be riding!  But don't be discouraged by few comments; a lot of people are looking.  For me, it's always nice to see if the grass is greener...

[Arizoni]

I'm sure that camera has a small opening to let the sound for its internal mic in.

Find that opening and then get a small piece of foam rubber and some tape.
The foam should be the old normal kind.  Not the stuff scrub pads are made from.

Put the foam rubber over the mic hole and, without totally crushing the foam, tape it in place.  The foam must have some open areas showing after the tape is in place so don't cover it completely.
  Doing this will block off all of the wind noise but it will still let in the sounds.

It might look like shit but it works and that (IMO) is the important thing.

[tooseevee]

Can't believe how little traffic is there. Every time I go to R.I. it's bad.  ERc

            That's why I go THERE

             I can go the Other way out of Wood Lane (where the video starts) and have you buried in traffic in 3 minutes or less. Places that were nothing in the '60s now spread out from one 4-way intersection where 6 lanes now meet from all 4 points of the compass. I hate these two sister-towns insanely now whereas I used to love the whole area.

              Yes. RI is a clusterf*ck of traffic with 99 idiots per 100 drivers.
 

[tooseevee]

That is a nice ride!
I asked earlier if the cam software has a setting for enabling the external mic. Yay or nay?

            Plugging in the ext mic while you're recording shuts the recording down. Just proved it a while ago.

            Also tried plugging the ext mic in beFORE turning the camera On. Same thing. Will not record.

             $30 some odd dollars for the recommended mic. Right.

             

[DanB]

Nice! What beautiful part of the world.

[tooseevee]

            Plugging in the ext mic while you're recording shuts the recording down. Just proved it a while ago.

            Also tried plugging the ext mic in beFORE turning the camera On. Same thing. Will not record.

             $30 some odd dollars for the recommended mic. Right.
         

              Spoke back and forth with the external mic vendor and verified what I was thinking. An external mic will not work with THIS first generation Ion Air Pro video camera. It will work with the Air Pro 2 and the Air Pro 3.

                I forgot to ask him why there's a mic port in the camera (marked AV). I guess it was put in anticipating the upgrade and release of the Air Pro 2.

                So if anyone needs or wants an external mic with 3.5mm mic jack and a VERY long cord let me know. I'll send it to you. It's useless to me.
   
                 It also has an HDMI port. I wonder if THAT works
 

[High On Octane]

              Spoke back and forth with the external mic vendor and verified what I was thinking. An external mic will not work with THIS first generation Ion Air Pro video camera. It will work with the Air Pro 2 and the Air Pro 3.

                I forgot to ask him why there's a mic port in the camera (marked AV). I guess it was put in anticipating the upgrade and release of the Air Pro 2.

                So if anyone needs or wants an external mic with 3.5mm mic jack and a VERY long cord let me know. I'll send it to you. It's useless to me.
   
                 It also has an HDMI port. I wonder if THAT works

Interesting.  I have the Pro2 so haven't run into these issues.  Tho haven't tried an external Mic either.  The HDMI port is for streaming the footage and pics thru your smart TV.  Haven't tried that either.

[tooseevee]

Interesting.  I have the Pro2 so haven't run into these issues.  Tho haven't tried an external Mic either.  The HDMI port is for streaming the footage and pics thru your smart TV.  Haven't tried that either.

            Yeah, I'm up on HDMI. I just wondered if it worked the same as the mic port IOW NOT work

             If you want to play with this mic (it's a Drift HD) I'll send it to you.

[High On Octane]

            Yeah, I'm up on HDMI. I just wondered if it worked the same as the mic port IOW NOT work

             If you want to play with this mic (it's a Drift HD) I'll send it to you.

You know, I thought I had the second series.  But just checked and no Mic input, so don't think it will do me any good.  Thanks for thinking of me tho.

[Bullet Whisperer]

My set up is a bit 'Farmer Giles', or 'Redneck', but it works. You may have seen some of my ride videos and discussions, here is what I use to film them ...

https://youtu.be/okExHYdMEs4

 B.W.

[Bilgemaster]

My set up is a bit 'Farmer Giles', or 'Redneck', but it works. You may have seen some of my ride videos and discussions, here is what I use to film them ...

https://youtu.be/okExHYdMEs4

 B.W.

I adore your videos. I appreciate 'em even more now that I've seen the humble but ingenious gear used to make them.  I'm a big fan of making silk purses from sows' ears...story of my life.

[tooseevee]

My set up is a bit 'Farmer Giles', or 'Redneck', but it works. You may have seen some of my ride videos and discussions, here is what I use to film them ...

https://youtu.be/okExHYdMEs4

 B.W.

           I've watched ALL of your videos. I love them. It was many years ago now that I remember the first one and from then on I couldn't get enough of them.

           I remember commenting years ago that I wished I "lived down the lane" from you back when I was trying to get this AVL to act like it was a real motorcycle. I love that rideout from your house through the village where you live.

           I love HOW you ride, WHERE you ride, the houses, the trees, the fields, etc., etc..

          I think you were probably instrumental (it took years) in my deciding to try a video camera. I just don't ride enough any more for it to matter and I gave the thing to my granddaughters. I made one good 14 mile ride video and don't care any more. I got it out of my system. There are already 28 million others out there. Or is it a 100 million 

[Bilgemaster]

Shame your "First Rideout" video's to be your last, Tooseevee.  It got my "Thumb's Up" at least--if only for the "Get in your own lane!" exhortation just shy of nine minutes in--the sole commentary in the piece, and all that really needed saying throughout. Come to think of it, "Get in your own lane!" might make for a nifty ad campaign catch phrase, as in: "Royal Enfield--Get in your own lane! Fuck the herd!"...Yes, I really must copyright that baby.  And you know, it occurred to me that even that light wind noise actually makes it quite like the real thing, at least with a half-helm, doesn't it? All you'd need to really round out that whole virtual verisimilitude would be like a scratch-n-sniff "Coastal Aromas" doodad or maybe a scented "Stenches of the Bay" candle for those various salty seasidey smells you must have thundering into your nostrils during such a near-waterside snort.

I hear what you're saying about Bullet Whisperer's route through the village and all. There you can practically smell the tea roses and bangers-and-mash. It reminds me a lot of when I lived in Scotland in a farmhouse in the Borders, south of Edinburgh, quite literally in the precise middle of nowhere. If you looked at a roadmap, directly due south of the city you'd see an isosceles triangle of roads. We were located directly in the blank spot at its very center. Getting out to the main road was a progression from grass and sheep crap dodging the geese to dirt path to gravel to lumpy single-lane tarmac and then a lovely windy manicured dual-laner north through Penecuik and straight into town. I adored that ride in to work on my old police surplus Norton Commando every morning, rain or shine. Bullet Whisperer sure knows how to ride those things too, doesn't he. Watching him dive right into that wee gap between that oncoming car on the right and hedgerow to the left on that single-laner without so much as fluttering the throttle just makes me realize I'd likely need a fresh Depends^® after such a maneuver. That Whisperer's a truly fearless two-wheeled badass, he is.

[Bullet Whisperer]

Thanks for the kind words about my riding videos, Bilgemaster and tooseevee, hopefully more to come soon. With the current long, dry hot spell we are having, a submerged farm house in a nearby dam may soon make a rare appearance - last time was in the late eighties, if I recall correctly. If it does emerge from the waters, I would like to take a few trips on various machines to visit and maybe something on knobblies, to pose in front of the place for some photos, if the levels get low enough.
 The picture below is probably from 1976.
 B.W.