Contour Plus 2 - Review Part 2 - The device config file

In my last post I mentioned that the Contour "Storyteller" software isn't available anymore from the Contour website. Well you don't really need it, and there are a few nifty tricks you can do with the camera configuration just by editing the camera's configuration file.

Backup

Before you start, make a backup of the file:

• Plug your camera into your computer, and browse to the contour drive that appears
• In the root folder, you should see a file called "FW_RTC.txt" which is the configuration file. 
• Make a copy of this file on your computer

Ensure file is not "Read only"

Now, going back to the contour drive on your computer, right click on the file and make sure it's not "read only" - uncheck this box if its checked before you start.

Explore the file

Open up  "FW_RTC.txt" on your device. This first part of the file, tells you what you have configured the programmable switch buttons 1 & 2 on, when you open up the back of the camera :

And this part of the file, defines what parameters you can enter, for each of the options in the settings above:

For example, if I wanted to change program otpion 1 from "A" - 1920x1080 30fps (NTSC)/25fps (PAL) to "G" 848x480  120fps (NTSC)/100fps (PAL) I simply change it to:

You'll notice I also change the 2 update settings to "Y" - this ensures the device firmware gets updated next time you power on the camera. If you leave it on "N" nothing will change.

To save your changes, just save the notepad file. Make sure you eject the device properly from windows before you unplug it. And you do this at your own risk! Make sure you test it before you need it....

Option for travelling

A good option if you are travelling,could be to make a couple of copies of the configuration file with the various settings you prefer, then just copy the one you want to have active onto the device whenever you need it. For example, have a couple of different microSD cards with you, and use one for HD video in low light, and a different microSD with different settings for other shooting conditions.

Contour Plus 2 Camera Review - Part 1 - Out of the Box

I recently purchased a Contour 2+ helmet camera, and thought I'd review impartially, and in detail how it fares. I'm going to do this in a couple of parts, first of all talking about what you get for your money, and then in part 2 after a bit more use, I'll look at the software, and some results from using it.

First of all, you need to know that Contour have gone bust. This is a great shame, and its probably bad news for anyone who brought a camera recently, and needs support. Parts of their website  are still up, but there are no official links available to download the "storyteller" software (which does not come with the device in it's packaging - more on that in a  minute) and there is also no support available on their website.

Contour devices are still being sold however! And consumers need to be aware that there some risk with buying one of these - if it breaks, you'll have to negotiate with the store you brought it from with regards to a refund. On the plus side, these camera's have dropped in price if you shop around, and you can get a quality product for a bargain. So first of all, here's what you get for your money.

Opening the box

It's an impressively tidy package, and the build quality of everything seems pretty good:

The Contour 2+ Comes with:

• Waterproof case: Looks solid & genuinely waterproof with a good seal - though I haven't tested it underwater yet. The case adds quite a bit of weight and if you were mounting it on the side of a cycle helmet, I think it would pull your head to the side too much. I'm not going to use this on my helmet.
• USB 2.0 cable
• Rubber lens cap
• Gigastone 4gb MircoSD card + SD Adaptor. It;s worth mentioning 4GB won't last you long (maybe 1 hour of full HD video recording). I purchased an additional 32GB micro SD separately.
• 2 adhesive mounting points + 1 spare adhesive pad for the rotating mount (see below)
• 1 Safety cord
• The Camera

Mounting

Out of the box you only get 2 mounts. The mounts are basically just rubber sliders with an adhesive back (made by 3M) that you stick to your helmet. I'm not sure I totally trust the adhesive backing to hold for long, and especially not if the the camera is in the waterproof case. The problem is that bike helmets don't actually have any fully flat surfaces on them. The mount does flex a bit, but I can still see a few small air pockets after attaching mine (and waiting overnight before use to let the seal form, as recommended).

The mount pictured above rotates so you can adjust the camera angle, and so far this rotation hasn't "slipped" on me. The Safety strap however, is not long enough to attach to the helmet (It's designed for goggles) but I'll make my own which will be easy. Note also the safety strap that comes "out of the box" only fits the adjustable mount pictured above. On its own, it looks like this:

Although its an additional $AUD 65-100, it's probably worth buying the bike mount kit. I cant see the mounts that come out of the box lasting forever, and if its wet, I'd mount the camera on the handlebars in the heavier case. Here's what you get with the separate bike mount kit:

Finally, a few useful links.

To the owners of contour, if you want these removed I will do so immediately on request. But it seems unfair to consumers, that the products are still on sale, yet your can't download the software. or even read the instruction manual, from your own support web site. The software (Contour Storyteller) is essential for configuring the device. For video editing, you can use either contour software, or any other video editing software. I will post more information about the software soon...

You can download both the instruction manual, and windows installer for Contour Storyteller from dropbox here .This is not my own link...it was found with a search engine and I take no responsibility for the content on there!

All in all, I'm enjoying using this so far. I immediately have noticed a difference in driver behaviour as well...if a motorist notices the camera, they tend to be more likely to behave with their driving.

I'll follow up with "Part 2" soon.

Gale force fun & broken bikes

Since I last posted, it’s been a bit of a torrid time on the bike, with a whole bunch of “mechanicals” and some not very fun times dealing with constantly windy weather. The wind has been really unrelenting of late, I can only recall 1 calm day in the last couple of weeks, and this week is no exception, with a only the briefest window of a couple of hours on Friday morning forecast to not be blowing a gale! 

This has definitely been getting me down. Last week I managed to ride a lot anyway, racking up 700 km in about 10 days -  but the legs were pretty shattered. I'm at 80% of my goal now, with 2000 km to try and cover before new year. If the wind eases, I think I can still make it – but if it stays like this I’ll be hard pressed to pull it off. I'm still a good way behind target…as illustrated by the red “target” line in my cycle geek graph:

2000 km to seems like a ridiculous amount for a month and a half. So mentally I'm taking it one week at a time: 280 km a week will get me there, which sounds much better!  I'm just going to focus on that…

Mechanicals

I’ve also had a string of break downs on both my bikes. On my tourer, a converted Specialised Cyclecross, I had a cracked rear rim, replaced the chain & rear cassette, replaced the hub,  and had a bolt holding the rear rack shear off, leaving half the bolt still stuck in the frame. I've got all that fixed now but she was out of action for 3 weeks. I have now replaced the rear wheel with a much stronger 36 spoke wheel which should fare better for my next tour. It always was a bit dicey trying to get by with standard wheels when riding with a heavy load, and that led to most of the break downs above. I was very fortunate that I got back to Melbourne OK from Adelaide in one piece though,  those break downs out in the countryside would have been disastrous!

Meanwhile on my commuter bike, a couple of weeks ago I rode of this piece of metal:

It looks like a broken piece of a machine part….and it somehow managed to go right through the tyre, both sides  of the tube, and also punch a hole in rim. A couple of days later a spoke broke on the same wheel as well.

Fortunately I wasn't too far from work when the later happened…but for about 10 days I was without both bikes while they got fixed, and that put me even further behind on my target. To top things off, last week the front derailleur cable just snapped right off on this bike, so the commuter bike is back at the shop…again! I guess so many km’s in one year will cause this kind of wear, but it’s unfortunate timing.

Not the most positive or riveting blog post I must admit…but frankly it’s been really tough keeping going lately!

Ride to Work Day 2013

Its been a fair old while since I've posted on here. I have been riding a fair bit, but lost momentum over the tail end of winter when I switched jobs. Pulling another excuse: It's been bloody windy lately! If I want to make my 10,000 km target for the year, I'll need a really big effort in Nov/Dec with just under 3000 km still to cover. It's not impossible...

Today was National Ride To Work Day and it was just the motivation I needed! I was really impressed at the amount of effort and scale, that went on to make the event a cool day. On my route from the west, the punt was free, and full of atmosphere. With shared tales of woe battling the northerly gale enroute.

On the city side of the punt, a coffee van was set up

...with free goodies: juice, water, & these very tasty buns

The accordion player there was playing a lively sea-shanty style tune that made me think: they should combine ride to work day with "talk like a pirate day"? For punters taking the nautical route to work, its a perfect fit. As for everyone else: Ya lilly livered land-lubbers! Daaargh.

In any-case, for my commute I'm very fortunate to get views like this at dawn and dusk:

I hope to keep blog going a bit more with summer just around the corner, so see you soon...

Adelaide to Melbourne - Summary

Just a sum up here, mainly for anyone else planning a similar trip.

Route and Statistics

 

Route / Distance / Elevation Gain (map links on http://bikeroutetoaster.com )

Day 1 route map / Distance: 153 km / 852 meters / Blog post
Day 2 route map / Distance: 156 km / 99 meters / Blog post
Day 3 route map / Distance: 137 km / 114 meters / Blog post
Day 4 route map / Distance: 156 km / 438 meters / Blog post
Day 5 route map / Distance: 110 km / 176 meters / Blog post
Day 6 route map / Distance: 111 km / 867 meters / Blog post
Day 7 route map / Distance: 112 km / 931 meters / Blog post
Day 8 route map / Distance: 105 km / 315 meters / Blog post

Total Distance: 1040 km
Total Elevation Gain: 3792 meters
Nights Camping: 5
Nights in Motels: 2

This was a much easier tour in terms of distance, length of days, and hills than my last. But this was also my first with a fully weighted bike, so it was a good learning experience. I enjoyed having shorter days on the last 4 days which had good scenery, and there were plenty of side trip options available, or if it was summer...the beaches would get more of a visit!

My gear all performed really well , especially the bike with no major breakdowns and just the 1 puncture. My only gripe was the rear rack, I don't think I'd trust the Topeak rear rack again, the fitting looks and feels too flimsy for serious touring. I'll look into fitting a Tubus rack next time to match the front. One addition that would have been super useful is a dynamo to generate my own power for charging gadgets, I'll be looking into that more in the future for sure!

So that's it for now. I had an amazing time, was suitably challenged, and got to see plenty of this beautiful country! I'm sure it wont be long before I start planned another interstate ride...

Adelaide to Melbourne - Day 8

I quite enjoyed the last night in the tent, and some wind meant it was dry and dew free in the morning. Breakfast featured a mish - mash of whatever was left from the food bag, and I was on my way nice and early. The road out of Aireys Inlet soon heads back in land and over a few small hills before hitting Torquay. Surf was up here, and it was a good place to sit and have a breather.

From here it was time for busy roads. I'd tried in vain to plan a decent low traffic entry route into Geelong but couldn't find and good information on easy to navigate options...so just stayed on the A10! By this time, I'd done 50km and also passed a trip milestone of 1000km, so stopped for some food to celebrate and to get ready for the last stretch.

To get to Melbourne from here, you either have the option of a zig-zagging series of back roads going through Lara and Little river...or heading straight down the M1 motorway, on which bikes are allowed. I've ridden those back roads a lot and it was too indirect for me today, so opted for the M1.

This turned out to be awesome...the shoulder is wide and fast and not too full of glass and gravel...I was flying down this stretch, usually between 33 - 42 km/h...helped along by that Westerly at last, and got to my turn off for home in no time! Home by lunch!

I'll do one more post later on, with trip data. Thanks for reading, and your words of support on Facebook all! Especially Carla! What a beautiful country, and seeing it from the seat of a bike makes it all the sweeter.

Day 8 stats

Distance: 105 km

Average Speed: 26 km/h

Soreness of bum: 10/10

Adelaide to Melbourne - Day 7

Looking out the window at dawn, revealed pretty much nothing. Well, nothing but fog...and this:

Which turned out to be an Alpaca, and just about the last thing I expected to see first thing in the morning. (A small fib. The last thing I expected to see, would have been Darth Vadar riding a unicycle playing the bagpipes...but an Alpaca would be a close second, I promise!) It was very cold and wet, and the day started with a suitably cautious descent down the other side of Lavers Hill, with bike lights all on. The road undulated but was mostly 'down', dropping all the way to see level again at a tiny village called Glenaire. On a bike, this is a little bit of a shame...only because the road then goes back inland and back up a similar sized hill again!

It was beautiful riding however. A mixture of thick rain forest, with just the odd outpost of farmland every now and then. Some of the gum trees were huge, and they then gave way to a massive beech forest at one point. The summit of this second big hill is less obvious, but about 12 km out of Apollo bay, its pretty much aaaall downhill to the town, and this time, for good. Apollo Bay was bustling considering its the off season, and it was no trouble finding a wifi enabled cafe to post the last couple of days worth of blog entries...and of course, drink some coffee!

From Apollo Bay, the Great Ocean Road stays more true to its name, hugging a steep rocky coastline, and as a result, with few flat sections. None of the hills are too big however, and in most places there was just enough shoulder on the side of the road to make it feel reasonably safe, considering the windy road. There was the occasional scary driver, and I twice saw speeding convertables, complete with passangers probably wearing all the clothes they own - they looked cold! Also I saw the only other cycle tourist I'd seen since Mt Gambier. This was a couple in their late 50s/early 60s, with fully laden bikes like mine. You dont have to sit at home in anarmchair all the time when you get old! Love it. My own legs felt great today too, and I kept a good pace going all day. However I do have pretty bad saddle sores though...and could only get limited relief from "the magic red stuff" (Lucas Paw Paw cream. Very handy stuff for riders! I can just see Carla and Vicki nodding sagely if they are reading this...)

Originally I'd planned to stay at Lorne, but it seemed a bit too far away from Melbourne for tomorrows final day of the ride, so I decided to push on a little bit more up to Aireys Inlet where there is a camp ground. My tent was heavy and soaked with dew from 2 days ago so it was nice to arrive with just enough daylight left to dry off the worst of it.

Down on the beach next to town looked like a good place to catch some waves, so I warmed down with a walk and loved watching the surfers on their final runs for the day. It looked like a pretty righteous way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Last day tomorrow. All that's needed is a small stretch on the coast, then inland to Geelong and either down the M1 motorway (Cyclists are allowed as far as Weribee) or, a zig zag route inland which is quite a bit longer. In the meantime, it's time for me to tuck into the 'emergency' food...freeze dried Lamb Fettucine. Not sure what to expect here, but I'm sure it won't be as good as last nights pizza!

Stats for today

Distance: 112 km
Average Speed: 23.5 km/h
Beard Status: Not sure I will be let in the house tomorrow.