couple questions

[alex38]

1. because I know I will get the best answers here; what is the best pylon camera mount for slalom? We often ski with no 3rd

2. we believe my fin is moving around on me, is this possible? Goes from 6.830 to 6.840. (was at 6.844 after 3 rounder the other day)

[thager]

1. I had a trakker. Was ok until -32 then gets herky jerky. Probably me.

 

2. Is very possible. I had to reset my last skis fin about every third outing. Was not a great fin box.

[Ed_Johnson]

Tip for the Fin Box.....Take out the set screws for depth and DFT, and the horizontal box screws can grip the fin tighter.

I use thinner fins and have done this for years without the fin ever shifting.

[alex38]

got it, that makes alot of sense, thank you.

next question is does anyone have a trakker they would like to trade or sell?

[Ed_Johnson]

Tip for the Tracker Camera mount......If you attach the arm to a shock tube instead of the rope, it is much more accurate. I extended the arm on mine and tie wrapped it to the shock tube. It has been totally accurate through 41 off.

[alex38]

very cool, thank you again

[thager]

Ed, My fin box (Elite) didn't have set screws. My fin would always be longer and deeper than what I set it at. PIA!!

[Wish]

I made a home made tracker and used the shock tube as an attachment point with a longer arm and it works very well. Also made the pivot point adjustable in terms of tension avoiding any rebounding off a slack line coming tight. Down side is I use it very little. That I have to change and soon.

[alex38]

do you have a photo of your device, currently thinking how I could make one out of pvc maybe.

[Ed_Johnson]

Not familiar with the Elite Fin Box. The Goode, Sans Rival, and HO Fin Boxes that I have, all came with set screws.

I would try to add something like a strip of electric tape on the top of the fin that goes into the box to make it thicker and grip better.

[alex38]

That's a good idea too, looking close at my box (d3) i believe the recess for the dft set screw is too big, making it impossible to grab fin properly unless I try this tape idea

[Wish]

Tape, yes..... Electric tape..not so much. Stuff doesn't work well with water. Get that it's a filler but consider other materials or tapes. I'll see if I can dust off my tracker cam mount and post a pic or two. I think it cost me 5$ when all was said and done.

[DW]

With the pic, could you describe the parts if not obvious in the pic, thanx.

[Simojo]

DW,

Here is a couple of pics of the one I made; its rudimentary (just like my skiing) but it works for what I need it for.

 

Starting from the bottom: 1' piece of 3" PVC pipe (whatever size fits over your pylon) with slot cut all the way through except for last 2". Slot size is critical and depends on the inside neck of you pylon; slot should be slightly smaller than the 2 strands of the loop coming off the pylon since this tension is what determines how well it tracks the skier (last pic). 3" cap on top with 2" bolt sized to fit your camera. Bolt has a lock nut to keep it tight on the cap. Camera is held on by a rubber-backed washer and a wing nut for adjustment. There is also a piece of PVC pipe inside the 3" PVC to act as a spacer so the mount doesn't rest on the rope, but rests on the top of the pylon (last pic). Cap and spacer are screwed, not glued, to pipe in case you have to remove the cap at some point.

 

Here is video from the mount:

 

 

Hope that helps!

Jon

[Bdecker]

Nice idea, the issue I see would the shortening the rope. Has anyone designed one that addresses that issue? Seems like it would have to mount below the attachment point- perhaps the same concept from the bottom up with the camera mounted up to the side somehow. No way I'd use it consistently if we had to take it off at each end.

[Simojo]

I can't take credit for the design; I think I saw it on PSC. Once you get the hang of it, its pretty fast to slip off and change rope lengths. All depends on how much you want video! :)

[Simojo]

and how cool your ski buddies are..... Thanks Rodito and Crazy Larry!

[ral]

@Bdecker, use a switch carabiner...

[Patrick]

Am I missing something about how it's attached to the pylon that would make it a pain to change the rope length? Doesn't it rest on the pylon such that you just lift it off and then put it back down? Looks like a nice simple design.

[Simojo]

@patrick- it just sits there, nothing complicated.

 

The picture shows the last loop for simplicity sake, but in reality the rope going out to the skier, the rope going back to the longer rope sections, and the velcro strap for the shock tube are all coming out of the slot.

[mac]

@alex38, I tried 3 different HD flash camcorders on the P4 Trakker in the past couple of months; here are the results:

 

1. Sony HDRCX160, Optical Steady Shot Image Stabilization, 16GB internal flash and a SDXC card slot: Wavy video results; also had to use manual vs auto focus to keep the skier in focus

 

2. Canon VIXIA HF M301, Dynamic SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization, no internal memory, has a SDXC card slot: Shaky video results; auto focus kept the skier in focus

 

3. JVC GZHM650BUS, Advanced Image Stabilizer, 8GB internal flash and a SDXC card slot: Video is perfect; auto focus also worked great

 

Here's a video clip of the JVC camera on the P4 trakker...hope this helps, mac

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRzjSGHIvDU

[alex38]

that is solid video, i have a cannon dig 8 that works well when hand held, we just want to be able to do some video analysis so super quality wont be neccesary, but if i go on the market for a new cam i will definitely look at that jvc, thank you. nice skiing too.

[Chris Rossi]

The Trakker is by far the best addition to my skiing in a long time. It keeps my in the frame at all moments through 41 off. Gone are the days where I evaluate my skiing through feeling. With the Trakker, I can change my set up and directly see the results. Every boat should have one of these regardless if there is a third skier in the boat as it videos from the pylon (center line) and gives the perfect perspective to evaluate your skiing.

I use a Flipvid for my camera as it is extremely small (size of iphone), inexpensive ($130), shoots good enough quality video for review purpose (720p?), has great battery life (sometimes I go a week or two without charging), has a flip out USB port built in so I just plug it in and up pops my iphoto program, and it fits in my tool kit which is always with me.

 

 

[alex38]

sweet, thank you for the wisdom.

[mac]

@edjohnson, Not sure I am following your tip; do you have a pic? tks, mac

 

"Tip for the Tracker Camera mount......If you attach the arm to a shock tube instead of the rope, it is much more accurate. I extended the arm on mine and tie wrapped it to the shock tube. It has been totally accurate through 41 off."

[CsSkis]

1) 4 ft section of 6" PVC pipe that slides over pylon. Camera mounted to side of PVC pipe on small platform that has soft foam cushioning. Camera platform has angle adjustment to compensate for angle-of-attack of boat relative to horizon. Rope passes through hole in PVC pipe. One hole in front, and one hole in back of 6" pipe. The holes are large enough to reach in and change loop length. A 1" PVC pipe (total length of approx. 2 1/2 ft) also mounts to side of pylon (fore and aft, in alignment with rope). 1" PVC is cut approx. 6" from pylon and a 6" section of 1" tygon (sp?) tubing connects it to remainder of 1" PVC "control arm". At the end of the 1" PVC is an elbow joint and then a "T" joint that ensures that centerline of rope is centered with pylon. The "T" joint is slotted such that rope can be easily removed. The slot is closed off with a small velcro strap. Sounds more complicated than it is. Boat isn't easily accessible right now, otherwise I would send pictures. It tracks very well unless the skier tends to get huge slack at the ball. Would have bought a Trakker, but the PVC solution was really cheap to build.

 

2) Elite, or other, fin box. When you adjust the fin, make sure you loosen the fin-to-ski attachment screws on the movable section of the fin box. Once you have completed your adjustments, retighten screws. I have never had my fin move on the (multiple) Elites that I have skied on.

[Wish]

@mac

 

Typically the tracker is guided by the rope passing through the arm of the system. The one I built and what sounds like a modification of a tracker uses a shock tube that the rope passes through. The tube is used to protect the passengers in the boat when the rope recoils under load into the boat. Passengers can get slapped good by the rope. Shock tube diverts the rope. It also makes a great place to mount the tracking arm. Found that it smooths out the video a great deal. Less snapping back and forth if there is some slack in the line.

[Ed_Johnson]

Ditto, agree completely. You can either add a longer arm, which is what I did, or bend the loop out on the current one to attach better to the shock tube. Has worked flawlessly for over 15 years now.

You can just simply tie wrap the extended arm to the shock tube.

[DW]

Jon, nice solution, cheap and simple, thx!

[acmx]

@EdJohnson, what model camera are you using?

[acmx]

@EdJohnson, what model camera are you using?

[Ed_Johnson]

Sony HDR-CX500 32 GB Hi Def. with GPS and 3 way Image Stabalization.

It also takes 12 Meg still photos.

Works great. It has a remote with slow motion, so I can play it back in the Man Cave on a 80" screen. It's a great coach.

 

 

[Ed_Johnson]

Sony HDR-CX500 32 GB Hi Def. with GPS and 3 way Image Stabalization.

It also takes 12 Meg still photos.

Works great. It has a remote with slow motion, so I can play it back in the Man Cave on a 80" screen. It's a great coach.

 

 

[acmx]

@EdJohnson, thanks for the info, you sure it's not turbo charged?

[acmx]

@EdJohnson, thanks for the info, you sure it's not turbo charged?