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Eric Wolf (profile)
I started my adventure in aerial photography about four years ago. I received a small grant from the University of Tennesse at Chattanooga, where I was finishing my BS in Math, to attempt to build an aerial photography system. Of course, I didn't do a great job on my lit review and reinvented several wheels along the way.
My original goal was to create an aerial monitoring platform. It had an entire mini-ITX based PC and camera. The idea was it could be hooked up to other sensors as well. It camera was controlled remotely via an 802.11b connection to the PC and a USB connection to the camera.
It didn't work very well because my balloon, a 7-foot advertising balloon filled with helium, only provided 7 lbs of lift and it weighed 5 lbs. I was using power-line for the tether to power the PC. It never got more than about 100ft off the ground.
My second attempt replaced the PC with a Radio Shack A/V signal sender which provided video downlink and IR shutter release - all for $99 - available at your local Radio Shack dealer.
The biggest drawback to this system was that in "RF noisy" enviroments, you only get about 100ft of range from the IR retransmitter. I've been looking into stepping up the power of the amplifier in the transmitter - but progress gets in the way.
This rig was lost with my Olympus C-2020-Z and Hoya R72 filter setup for NIR photography when the tether I was using "melted". I now buy good kite line from Into the Wind...
I got my first kite, a FlowForm 30, right before X-Mas 2005. I'd never experienced such a kite before and now I look forward to windy days! My first time out with it, I wrapped the line around a simple L-bracket I made for the Olympus 410. That was stupid! The kite flew well but the camera fell about 300 feet and landed in a parking lot. My GentleAuto survived and I ordered an Olympus Stylus 800 that night. I also ordered the parts to build a real picavet.
This rig worked great with both the balloon:
And the FlowForm 30:
But I could never leave well-enough alone and built a 100g-lighter rig:
I also bought a Pentax S55 with the hopes of eventually building a servo-positioning system. But that'll come later.
Right now, I am using KAP/BAP in my Geographic Information Science MS thesis. I am trying to document some of the spatial aspects of the Upland South Folk Cemetery and analize the accuracy of the resulting imagery. I sure wish I could take Dr. James Aber's course in SFAP!
In the near, near future, I will be moving from Chattanooga. I am going to start working toward my PhD at an, as-yet, undetermined school - probably in the Sowuthwest.
My original goal was to create an aerial monitoring platform. It had an entire mini-ITX based PC and camera. The idea was it could be hooked up to other sensors as well. It camera was controlled remotely via an 802.11b connection to the PC and a USB connection to the camera.
It didn't work very well because my balloon, a 7-foot advertising balloon filled with helium, only provided 7 lbs of lift and it weighed 5 lbs. I was using power-line for the tether to power the PC. It never got more than about 100ft off the ground.
My second attempt replaced the PC with a Radio Shack A/V signal sender which provided video downlink and IR shutter release - all for $99 - available at your local Radio Shack dealer.
The biggest drawback to this system was that in "RF noisy" enviroments, you only get about 100ft of range from the IR retransmitter. I've been looking into stepping up the power of the amplifier in the transmitter - but progress gets in the way.
This rig was lost with my Olympus C-2020-Z and Hoya R72 filter setup for NIR photography when the tether I was using "melted". I now buy good kite line from Into the Wind...
I got my first kite, a FlowForm 30, right before X-Mas 2005. I'd never experienced such a kite before and now I look forward to windy days! My first time out with it, I wrapped the line around a simple L-bracket I made for the Olympus 410. That was stupid! The kite flew well but the camera fell about 300 feet and landed in a parking lot. My GentleAuto survived and I ordered an Olympus Stylus 800 that night. I also ordered the parts to build a real picavet.
This rig worked great with both the balloon:
And the FlowForm 30:
But I could never leave well-enough alone and built a 100g-lighter rig:
I also bought a Pentax S55 with the hopes of eventually building a servo-positioning system. But that'll come later.
Right now, I am using KAP/BAP in my Geographic Information Science MS thesis. I am trying to document some of the spatial aspects of the Upland South Folk Cemetery and analize the accuracy of the resulting imagery. I sure wish I could take Dr. James Aber's course in SFAP!
In the near, near future, I will be moving from Chattanooga. I am going to start working toward my PhD at an, as-yet, undetermined school - probably in the Sowuthwest.
Comments
I also see you like nylon fasteners. Be careful with them, especially in cold weather. For the pan axle and the tripod screw I prefer metal, steel respectively aluminium.
I agree with Peter about nylon -- use it only when it isn't a critical joint; esp don't use it for the pan axle. You can use the wingnuts, just use steel bolts.
welcome, Eric!
After the discussion here, I started playing with my picavent and camera frame. I realized that the nylon bolt I was using for the pan was flex alot. Considering that this is a single-point of failure, I figure it's best to listen to the advice here and just change it. No sense in losing a camera over a few grams of weight.
I'll post a picture when it's done.