G’Evening Josh,
I eventually got the gear after a long, long wait. The manufacturer encountered a parts delay beyond his control, but they were good enough to double the warranty at no extra cost which now runs for 4 years. Yes, I paid for the initial 2 year insurance.
I got the long range model before our dollar turns further south, for $A948 delivered. The US cost was $549 for the gear + $29.95 insurance.
The set up does work straight out of the tough plastic equipment box. I am pleased about that as it had clips for padlocks and is very well padded with foam inside for the router/modem, high gain aerial equipment, battery, tripod and camera. It must be a good box because the cardboard packing box was flimsy. It’s like a big tackle box and only weighs a few kilos - very portable.
Anyway, it worked straight out of the box and the only thing I pulled out of the box was camera and tripod which you can aim straight at your target with a laser on the camera to centre your setup off on an angle at the side so you don’t shoot it. You can focus the camera by screwing off the protective front lens and winding the lens in an out. It’s clear. It is extremely portable and quick to use. The camera is also infra red. Hopefully this will run with an old CED Chrony which can also utilise infra red and records to the laptop to do some testing at home at night in nil wind conditions and no mirage for load development.
The setup creates a WIFI hotspot which you can tap into, even onlookers, if they download the Ipad/Iphone or Android app from Itunes or Google. I used mine with the USB stick provided with the software on a high definition laptop screen.
I checked out the operational videos on their site first. They were short, clear and easy to follow. The software enables you to keep good records and allocates your shoots to different gear once you set that up. The software at this point in time will be great for allocating shot numbers to groups and even colouring groups to distinguish warm up shots. It segments shots as thumbnails and you can view them in any combination you want. That is a plus for me, seeing I use 4 warm up shots, and five shot groups in a round robin for load development, which is the reason I bought the system. I can now capture a shot number and allocate that to a chrony figure without the need for helpers and walking up and down my test range when I need to check things up close.
All I need now is a WIFI operated target changer that could roll targets through like dunny paper. Any of you guys got ideas here?
My test range distance is about 140 yards, when the coning effect is negligible, as is wind and mirage. I would like two of these systems side by side, so I could quickly slip shots out to about the overturning distance without having to move my gear and when the elements were the same to verify the tune I was seeking.
As my arrangements were washed out for a weekend shoot, I have not used the camera in the field. But it is all go in the lounge room. It has been cold, wet and sleety all week at home and so I have been housebound except for essential feeding out. Even too cold to tinker in the shed, so I have been pounding the keyboard as some have noticed.
My test targets are buff and so I do not anticipate a problem seeing the holes. Another reason to choose 140 yards for testing as the test groups open up a bit and you can see the fall of the shots.
I’ll take on board Ned’s suggestion of coloured plastic backing if this is not successful and maybe place a big cardboard box behind to darken surrounds or maybe illuminate the box.
When the paddocks dry up again, I will set the gear up in the field and report further. More fronts coming through though and I don’t intend to get things wet either. Cairns sounds a lot kinder this time of year, Josh.
