Goal Zero 42005 Sherpa 50 Silver/Black Solar Recharging Kit with Inverter

Goal Zero 42005 Sherpa 50 Silver/Black Solar Recharging Kit with Inverter
  • Charge the Sherpa 50 in 2-3 hours from wall, or 4-6 hours from car, or 5-10 hours from the included Nomad 13 solar panel
  • Sample run times: laptops 1-3 hours, tablets 15 plus hours
  • Included bolt-on inverter converts Sherpa 50 into a wall plug
  • Compact, lightweight and rugged design
  • Includes Sherpa 50, Nomad 13, 110 Volt bolt-on inverter, and wall charger

Compact, powerful and works correctly right out of the box. Easy to setup and easy to use. Fool proof connections. Well made.

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I recentrly bought the 42005 recharging kit with inverter and I love it.

Everything looks like it's made of good quality material. The charging time is very fast even on winter partially cloudy days.

My only concern was the integrated led light that seems to not active avery time I depress the switch. I worked it a little and it's alot better now (contact oxydation I guess).

ATD Tools 5928 12 V 1700 Peak Amp JumpStart

ATD Tools 5928 12 V 1700 Peak Amp JumpStart
  • Includes on/off switch for safety, built-in work/emergency light, charging level/battery indicator gauge, AC/DC power cord for charging in vehicle
  • Heavy-duty impact-resistant polyethylene case with rubber base
  • 74 inch 4-gauge PVC coated cables that remain flexible in extreme cold temperatures

I got this battery jumper and was not sure if it would do the job. For the price it should.Well it did I took it up the mountain to start our tractor,and it worked great.I started it 7 or 8 times and the jumper was still going strong.You get what you pay for and in this case it was worth it.It's nice to know that you don't have to worry about a jumper.It was very cold out and it started right up.The only thing about this battery that some might not like is that it is a tad heavy.I would not want to carry it too far,but if you do not care about the weight then there is no other one out there that will compare to this one.If i get another one it will be another one of these.Great buy.

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i like this product very much. i use it for industrial purpose as i work with aaa and it works great. use it all day and night and charge when i have down time. great product, rugged and easy access to replace the battery instead of buying a new pack. i am still on the original and have only pros

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I think this Jump Pack could start the Space Shuttle!! It is a little big and a little heavy but man can this thing crank! The best feature is the long cables. they are very soft and flexible. you can set the pack on the ground and the cables will easily reach your battery. Nice for when you don't have a spot under the hood to balance the pack while you start your vehicle. I will be ordering another one for my dad's birthday.

Look no further, this is the last pack you'll need!

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Bought this to replace a older starting unit from Home Depot that didn't have enough power to turn over the car. Batteries are heavy and you can tell right away that there is a substantial battery inside this unit because it it heavy. This unit was the most powerful I could find and on my first use as soon as I hooked it up the whole car came alive with radio, AC blower and everything else that was on when the car was last turned off. The motor turned over as quickly as a normal start. The cables are long enough to leave the unit on the ground and reach the battery and very flexible making them easy to maneuver. Very happy with this purchase, my neighbor has borrowed it twice now and is about to order one for themselves.

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The ATD 5928 is built to stand the wear and tear from constant use. It is charged using a charger that has a 120vac to 12vdc transformer on one end and a cigarette lighter plug on the other end. It is not a typical set up. When I tried to find a replacement cable, the company had no idea where to specifically find the part. They don't support the product, the consumer needs to search on their own and/or design there own replacement part. For a product that sells for somewhere between $90 and $199, depending on where you look and how much the shipping will cost, that seems like a very problematic philosophy for running a company. You either provide parts support, make the parts standard off of someone's shelf, or you send two sets of the parts most likely to fail.

YTX14AHL-BS Snowmobile Battery for Yamaha PZ480E Phazer II LE SS 1994

YTX14AHL-BS Snowmobile Battery for Yamaha PZ480E Phazer II LE SS 1994
  • Chrome Battery YTX14AHL-BS Mainenance Free and Fully Charged
  • 5.31in (length), 3.54in (width), 6.57in (height); 10.16lbs
  • 18-Month Warranty, 60-Day Money Back Guarantee
  • High Cranking Amps & Low Self-Discharge Rate
  • Heavy Duty Terminals

It was shipped on time and was fully charged I installed the battery and it fit perfectly. And sled started right up. I purchased another battery for my 86 honda 250 sx with the same results.

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Yuasa Maintenance Free Battery YTX20L-BS YUAM320BS

Yuasa Maintenance Free Battery YTX20L-BS YUAM320BS
  • Comes with pre-measured acid tubes that dealer easily empties into battery. Includes a seal that is then placed across top of battery to create a sealed, spill-proof battery. Never needs refilling but may need periodic charging. 1-year manufacturers warranty

Purchased this battery March, 2012 for ATV based on the One Warranty as stated in the product features site as follows: "Product Features Comes with pre-measured acid tubes that dealer easily empties into battery. Includes a seal that is then placed across top of battery to create a sealed, spill-proof battery. Never needs refilling but may need periodic charging. 1-year manufacturers warranty". The battery started failing within the one year and yes it was charged since the ATV is new and charging system verified. I initially contacted Amazon on January 29, 2012 referencing this purchase explaining the battery will not hold a charge and at this point requesting a replacement. After 18 emails back and forth with Amazon acknowledging that yes the features do state this battery has a one year warranty but they will not replace and D Volt does not honor what is stated on the site even thought it was sold with a stated ONE YEAR WARRANTY. D Volt and Amazon sold this battery based on the stated features of a ONE YEAR WARRANTY and now blatantly lie when time to honor their obligations. So do not purchase this battery from D Volt what so ever. Remember 18 email exchanges with all the excuses from there is only a six month when the site clearly states 12 months and when confronted about features in a screen shot Amazon agreed with the features but then stated D volt was not going to honor what they agreed too. The emails are there to prove how this company, D Volt and Amazon, is ready to sell but not honor their obligations.

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I ordered this battery from DVolt Batteries via Amazon. The battery arrives un-activated. That means that you have to fill it with sulfuric acid and then charge it. Sounds fairly easy, just realize that it takes quite a while before it will be ready to use. And Sulfuric acid is kinda scary stuff to work with.

The battery arrived quicker than expected. Brownie points for DVolt for very quick shipping. The acid is actually very easy and safe to use it's in a container with six cells that match/line-up with the battery cells exactly. you align the acid cells with the battery cells and press down, the battery will puncture the acid cells and then the acid flows into the battery. Slowly. This takes over half an hour, closer to an hour.

After the battery has been filled with acid, you remove the empty acid cells, place a permenant cap on the battery (make sure you line it up exactly), then let it sit for a coyuple hours. Next, check the voltage it will be low. There are guidelines supplied by the manufacturer. finally you have to trickle charge it, basically overnight. Next day you're ready to go.

My bettery came slightly damaged in shipping. I didn't notice the damage until I was ready to install it. I let DVolt know via Amazon and they were very good to work with. It took a couple tries to get the problem resolved, but I now have a good, functional battery. Another brownie point for DVolt.

I have another YUASA battery, the same model, and it's performed flawlessly for 6 years now, even sitting outside one Minnesota winter. I love these batteries! I don't care much for the mail order activation part of it, but it's really not that bad.

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This is the same battery that originally came with my atv, so I wanted to replace it with the same brand battery. Have no complaints so far.

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This battery was to replace my ATV battery that lasted 7 years. I looked at the battery that was in my ATV and wanted to go back to it for the reliability because some of the places I go I need the best battery. DO NOT BY ANYTHING ELSE THEN THIS BATTERY.

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I took a chance ordering this motorcycle battery on line instead of from a dealership. I was initially pleased with the price difference, but it didn't end there. The battery arrived quickly and the instructions for adding the fluids were easy to follow and worked like a charm. You do need to have a battery charger to complete the process before installation. The Plague TalesThe Burning Road: A NovelThe Physician's TaleThief of SoulsTapestry Bead Crochet: Projects & Techniques

Progressive Dynamics PD9160AV Series 9100 60 Amp Electronic Power Converter

Progressive Dynamics PD9160AV Series 9100 60 Amp Electronic Power Converter
  • Electronic Current Limiting
  • High Voltage Protection
  • Reverse battery protection
  • Light weight
  • Quiet sensor ceiling fan

Replaced my old 9100 55 Amp that went bad, with this 60 Amp and it works great! No problems here. Shipping was quick too.

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This is a good product. Really simple to install. Runs very quietly and handles the power load very well. We have ours installed vertically and it is running without problems. The remote display pad is nice to quickly know how your battery is doing and if you need to charge it soon. I think the 60 Amp may have been overkill but having the extra power has never made me unhappy. I was also very happy with the quality of the materials this product is built with and how well the parts are put together. I would buy this again.

Belkin Vehicle Power Inverter

Belkin Vehicle Power Inverter
  • Compact unit that converts vehicle DC power to household AC power
  • Provides up to 69-Watts of AC power
  • Powers laptops, DVD players, mobile phones and more
  • Built-in circuit protection with overvoltage, undervoltage and over-temperature shut-offs
  • Includes on-board USB port to recharge USB devices

I needed an inverter for my dell studio laptop so I can work on a report while on a long driving trip with a group. The inverter got the job done, though I had to unplug it from the cigarette lighter when it got too hot. Not a big deal as my laptop had enough power to sustain with the charge at that point. By the time my laptop battery was low again, the inverter was cool enough to plug back in for charging. I was really pleased with the product as it did exactly what I expected. By the end of the trip, my report was done. I found the inverter very valuable.

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The product works well, however, I think it is helpful to note that if you are going to use it to charge an iPhone, you will need to use the iPhone power adaptor instead of just plugging the iPhone cable into the USB port.

TomTom VIA 1500 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

TomTom VIA 1500 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
  • Features:Real Time Traffic Updates, Emergency Menu, Advanced Lane Guidance, IQ RouteTM, Text-to-Speech
  • Mapping Features: Turn-by-Turn Voice Instructions, Built-In Maps, 3-D Map View, Automatic Route Recalculation, Map Share Technology
  • Map Coverage: United States
  • Display Features:LCD Screen, Touch Screen
  • Screen Size: 5.0 "
  • Screen Resolution: 480 x 272
  • Built-In Memory Storage Capacity: 4GB
  • Wired Connectivity: USB 2.0
  • Mount Type: Suction
  • Includes:Car Mounts, Car Adapter, Adhesive Mounts, User Manual, USB Cable
  • Dimensions: 5.3 " H x 1.3 " W x 3.7 " T
  • Weight: 0.5 Lb.
  • Warranty Description: 1 Year Limited Manufacturer Warranty

I really like this unit. Unfortunately, there is some unresolved issue with VIA units not being able to activate the lifetime map feature update through tomtom. See discussion forum here: . Just wanted to give amazon customers a heads up to avoid this unit until tomtom resolves there issues. The customer support has a tendency to quicky close tickets they are burying their heads in the sand with this issue and not being honest with customers which is extremely annoying. My first experience with tomtom not impressed...

Since the review was written tomtom has fixed the map update issue. The only other complaint I would have is my mount broke early on. I can get it put together and working but then it pops apart again pretty easy.

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Normally I don't write reviews,and certainly I'm not going to submit a novel here, but I do need to let others know what I personally think, especially given the two reviews that had a bad experience. Mine was terrific. Its a very solid, but lightweight unit. The integrated mount system is very elegant and it plain works. When collapsed, the device fits neatly into either a center console or a glove box. The cord is important as without it, the unit will not be able to predict traffic. There is a small knob on the cord that lives close (6-12 inches?) to the GPS when mounted, which is not at all obtrusive, but it receives a radio signal relaying traffic info. So the cord charges AND delivers important info. Pretty slick--so it doesn't add bulk to a nice thin piece of hardware. Gotta tell you, the screen is beautiful. 5 inches is just sweet. I used to have a much smaller one and I wasn't keen on a big unit, but boy this is nice! Oh, and it rotates! 90º or 180º, so it fits anywhere! All the relevant info, and you decide what else you want to show up. Totally customizable interface too. I could have sprung for the more expensive blue-tooth and voice activated gizmo, but that's not my style. Get me there, and tell me if there's a problem ahead and I'm a very happy camper. Last note. I did plug it into my computer and updated the device. Waited as I was supposed to, and then viola! All set and good to go. No issues. Enjoy!

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Can't add a lot more than what Wolverine has already written, except to emhasize I haven't experienced any problems with my Tom Tom VIA 1500 unit. Maps updated in my first connection (several months ago) and it has worked flawlessly from day-one.

Once you've become familiar with it's menu structure it's easy to use and adjust to your specifications. It does a great job warning of traffic delays as well as offering alternative routes when it will save you time. I love it's big screen, how easy it is to attach to your windshield or to other surfaces and the ease it is to adjust it to the best viewing angle.

Owning a stand-alone GPS with these features (especially in comparison to those on many smartphones today) to me is a no-brainer. It's well worth the cost in consideration of the savings in time and frustration when you find yourself traveling to unfamiliar areas. No longer do I need to look up and print out maps via the 'Net! With regular use the Tom Tom has easily paid for itself.

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I have five GPS units now and three are tomtoms, with the VIA 1500TM as my most recent purchase. The initial setup was without error and while sitting on the kitchen table waiting for update it immediately found satellites! I didn't expect that based on some previous reviews of this unit. I have used the traffic and red light camera feature and find the menu simple and intuitive. The screen is clear and the window mount works well. There is no advertising like other brands. And the website update works without a hitch. I am glad I bought it and perhaps I jumped the gun for it to be an X-mas present. Oh well!

GREAT GPS!! Updated after 5 years of using the TomTom One. What a difference in every respect. Great mount (no more falling off the windshield); swivel view; traffic indication; etc. Add to that that I paid north of $150 years ago for substantially less technology. This is an incredible leap forward. Yeah!!!!!

Schumacher SC-10030A SpeedCharge Automatic Charger and Maintainer

Schumacher SC-10030A SpeedCharge Automatic Charger and Maintainer
  • 100 Amp engine start
  • 2 amp slow and 12<>30 amp charge rates
  • Charges AGM, deep cycle, gel cell, SLA and standard batteries
  • Charges 6 and 12V batteries
  • Includes Tester/Alternator Check

Some years back, I began using deep cycle AGM batteries in a few of my vehicles. Why use such expensive batteries that need specially regulated chargers? Well, let's just say you already know if you've ever had a standard lead-acid battery die and leak acid that ate the battery compartment and fender wall away of a stored vehicle (I had a brand new battery do this to one of my cars in less than six months storage) or you might know if you don't keep the batteries pulled out of stored vehicles.

Recently, I found one of my expensive AGM batteries to be severely discharged (at 20% charge) from disuse. Normally this would not be a problem as I have always owned an industrial battery charger over the last 40 years that will quicky build a battery or boost start even an 18-wheel tractor. I've had the current one since the late 1970's and it (a NAPA charger) still runs flawlessly although it will soon need a new AC power cord due to worn insulation.

Okay, therein lies the hidden problem that made me need a new charger. Most chargers including my old NAPA were/are not designed for properly charging newer type batteries such as deep cycle AGM and gelled types. Using the wrong charger on an AGM or gelled type battery can quickly destroy them. These newer battery types require voltage limiting system regulation as they recharge. The old wet-cell un-sealed lead acid batteries are much more forgiving when it comes to higher charging voltages and amperage rates.

While my older charger was able to place a regulated 10 Amp charge rate at under the specified maximum voltage rate for an AGM battery, the best it could charge my Odyssey batteries was 80% before the voltage began to gradually creep up over the recommended AGM type maximum of 15 volts (an even lower voltage is required for gelled types). Sure, I could have just used the vehicle charging system as its voltage is regulated below 15 volts, but that would have meant many hours driving time not very cost effective at the price of gas today. Plus, my vehicles with AGM batteries are antiques and show vehicles I don't want to drive far.

Using my old charger to bring back that one AGM battery to only 80% was a royal pain in the rear, as I had to monitor the voltage as the battery charged and it took hours of watching for it to safely build the Odyssey battery back to 80%. The ten ampere charge rate stayed at around 14.5 volts until it neared 80% where it then began climbing above 15 volts if I didn't remove the charger. Any higher an ampere rate using this older charger would have resulted in an AGM battery destroying voltage of 18 volts on the old charger's 12 volt battery ampere switch positions. Oh, and for those wondering, I kid you not as my old industrial charger has always been a loud unit due to it's large internal fan. My ears were ringing from sitting there nearby with it running.

After spending a weekend day of that, I decided it was time to wait for the arrival of this new charger I had already decided I needed and ordered from the Amazon store. Okay, I read the manual before and after purchase pretty much standard stuff except you need to always connect the AC power cord after first connecting the charge cables, and to disconnect the AC power cord before removing the charging cables. It doesn't have a manual on/off switch. As they say on the DirecTV commercial, the rest was a "no-brainer".

I have a few years of electrical engineering experience (okay, many more than a few), so I decided to test a few things when I began using the Schumacher SC-10030A. First, I turned the vehicle headlights on for ten seconds to reduce any surface charge on the Odyssey battery I wanted to charge, and used an Amprobe digital meter to find the battery voltage was more or less stable at 12.54 volts just above 75%. I then connected the SC-10030A battery cables, and noted it showed 12.5 volts on its display after connecting the unit AC power cord. The display can also be changed by a simple left button press to show the approximate percentage of charge according to voltage. The center switch button controls battery type (default is AGM). The right hand button controls amperage per battery size, and the 100 Amp boost start. I pressed it once to get to the large battery setting (12-30 Amp automatic operation), from the default small battery setting (low 2 Amp amperage setting).

After connecting the SC-10030A, I checked it several times as it charged the AGM battery. The fan gives a low whine and comes on and off automatically as the unit heats and cools. There is nothing loud about this by any stretch of the imagination the fan on a 500 watt computer power supply is about the same. Once the unit read 13.5 volts for a short time, it soon cycled out of the automatic variable ampere charge rate and went into maintain mode. Using my digital amprobe again, I watched the amps of the maintain charge as they fluctuated from .17 to .28. That's an average of less than a quarter of an amp in maintain mode, and definitely not anything that could damage any AGM battery. An hour later, I looked again and saw those maintain mode amps were fluctuating from .15 to .22 Amps. Seeing these figures, I would have no problem leaving this charger connected and un-attended for a day or two as I know it would only build a battery back to its full remaining capacity (all batteries permanently lose capacity over time).

The case on this unit is hard plastic and fairly thick. The case handle has a nice strong feel and the charger appears sturdy. I found the cables were completely adequate but, while sturdy, the battery clamp handles are cheaply insulated and not what I would call heavy duty unlike the clamps on my old professional NAPA charger which can easily take the abuse of a truck driving over them. Still, they appear to be completely adequate for a charger of this unit's capabilities. Looking at the size of this unit out of the box, I was actually surprised to find it had more weight than I expected looking at it. I also saw the cable storage on the back of the unit was adequate as well. The LED display and other LEDs on the unit are also bright and easily seen. Overall, I'm quite pleased with this SC-10030A. Provided with reasonable care, I see no reason this unit shouldn't work reliably for many years. It does exactly what Schumacher has represented it to do, and the five year warranty reinforces how much faith they have in this product. One thing, follow the instruction manual especially if you intend to use it for boost starting.

At my age, there's yet another reason I like this charger so well other than its easy operation. It only weighs a little over 10 lbs. My old NAPA charger probably weighs 75 lbs. hard to move even if it is on wheels. One other notable thing this charger is about half the price of the comparable Odyssey recommended Odyssey charger also sold at Amazon. It has fewer features than the SC-10030A. It still makes sense to save a dollar where it counts especially when you get a much better product for the price!

Now on to the de-sulfate mode!

The Shumacher SC 10030A has a de-sulfation mode, but it is not continuous. Any interruption of power or unit settings will switch off this automatic mode as it only comes on by the sensing ability of the unit. Once a battery has a fairly good charge, this unit will not "sense" the need for further de-sulfation, and it then goes directly from "charge mode" into "maintain mode" skipping "desulfation mode". De-sulfation mode is noted by a flashing yellow "charging" LED instead of it staying solid during normal charging. Just don't expect to see it very often at all. De-sulfation mode can run up to 10 hours just don't interupt it or it probably won't re-initialize. BatteryMinder has better solutions for desulfation if you are more interested in this recovery type feature. The BatteryMinder 12151 and 12117 do full-time desulfation and can be left connected indefinitely to a good battery they also recover battery capacity very well.

CAUTION:

Do not operate loads such as car stereo equipment, etc., with this charger connected in "maintain mode". This charger will see the load and incorrectly raise voltages above 16 volts even while using the AGM or GEL settings. Chargers are not designed to power equipment even with a battery in the circuit.

Update 5/20/2011:

While I have used the unit a number of times now with zero problems, I noticed the fan became very loud when I used the charger to check a battery this evening. I decided to remove the four Phillips head screws that attach the cover to the rest of the unit and I took a look inside. It was nice to see the large copper wound transformer up close, but I noticed a few of the attached wires were out of place one had been pinched (a blue one) between the cover and the top of the transformer core, and some of the others (attached by female spade connector fittings to the transformer spade terminals) were interfering with the handle movement inside the case. This was an easy fix, but I was also surprised to notice several other of the female spade connection fittings were excessively loose on their transformer spade terminals. I simply crimped the female connectors gently with a pair of pliers and re-attached them to their spade terminal on the transformer, as there was no obvious damage or coloration that any type of heating would have caused that might have loosened them. My conclusion was the unit obviously had these terminals loose from the factory and they just hadn't caused any problem as yet. I also found it odd that the simple wiring position changes, I made, hadn't been made at the factory to eliminate any future use problem as it only required a single gentle looping in each of two of the wires, and slightly bending/positioning others out of the way of the handle area.

I couldn't see anything wrong with the tiny fan, but I used a white silicone spray and lubed it as best I could inside its bearing area after having removed it from the upper case. I couldn't help but notice the three screws holding it seemed overly tight (a fourth was noticeably absent but not present anywhere inside the case or in the factory box I keep my unit stored in), and I wondered why the fourth was obviously missing from the factory. I reinstalled the fan and lightly tightened the three screws evenly (no danger of the these screws coming out). I also made sure not to overtighten the four case screws at reassembly.

Once back together, I hooked the charger back up to the battery and plugged the power cord in. The fan was now back to its normal quieter self and the handle now slides in and extends out without any interference and yes, the unit performed just as well as always. I couldn't say if all units get assembled this shoddy from the factory, but it wouldn't hurt to carefully check inside if your fan suddenly gets louder for no reason or if the handle appears to be interferred with by something inside the case. While in there I would also gently wiggle the transformer connections and carefully tighten any female spades that appear excessively loose. I'm sure I just added years to the life of my unit, but I shouldn't have needed to do these things on what is a brand new unit.

The unit does most everything well as it should and I could have simply returned it for repair. But, it was easier for me to just do this correctly myself than shipping it off and waiting for its return. Who knows, some of the same small problems might still have existed after being sent back and returned. I mean, it did come that way from the factory. Anyway, my look inside showed me the components look well designed for the price and opening the case isn't difficult.

Buy Schumacher SC-10030A SpeedCharge Automatic Charger and Maintainer Now

I had another electronic style charger, purchased a few years ago from Sam's Club. Not bad, just not durable and it gave up the ghost...

I was referred to Schumacher by some friends in the auto repair business and wanted a unit that was reliable and was versatile, charging different types and sizes of batteries. We have a vehicle and a motorcycle that doesn't get used regularaly and I needed to be able to top off various batteries.

1st impressions, this thing is HEAVY compared to other brands! Not a big surprise since I have to assume they use a more robust transformer than other brands.

On the flip side, the battery leads are lighter and smaller than I would have expected. They work great and since Schumacher has been doing this for quite a few decades, I'm sure they will work well for the long haulI just expected larger gauge wires and larger clips. As a plus, the smaller clips actually are easier to connect to various batteries, especially if they are still installed (motorcycle).

Other surprise is this thing is loud, with a constant hum when plugged in. It is normal based on the transformer, but it is different than the cheaper chargers out there. This is not a bad thing, just a little different.

I have already used this charger on a truck battery and a couple smaller batteries with no problems. It works as advertised and quickly. I like the fact that it will automatically charge then shift to a float charge mode and includes a desulfide mode if needed. Since some of my stuff sits (bike and lawn mower) the desulfide function is great to recover a battery. Haven't tested the start function and likely won't but it's there if needed...

Overall, pleased and would buy again.

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Have a diesel truck that is setting most all the time. Over a long period of time the alarm system and other gadgets drained the battery. Was probably this way for many weeks. Not good for a battery at all. This truck has a diesel that requires two batteries to start. After recharging the batteries many times with another non-automatic charger and a smaller version of this charger, they would not take a full charge and trip out the smaller charger/maintainer. This charger, Schumacher SC-10030A SpeedCharge Automatic Charger and Maintainer, has a de-sulfation mode for batteries that suffer this type of trauma. Over night, about 12-14 hours later the battery finally accepted a full charge. I verified this by using the same smaller maintenance/ maintainer battery charger that continually tripped out. Once I had a fully charged battery, I installed the smaller maintainer, and it turned green indicating a full charge and now maintains the batteries..

Two problems. 1) this charger in my opinion is too large to be a maintainer / conditioner. It does the job but has a fan that goes on and off. Probably uses too much electricity. 2) When ever the charger goes into maintain mode, it sets off my remote controlled alarm system on the truck. I had to put the truck alarm on valet to prevent this.

lloken

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looked at several products and prices and this prouct gave me the most options that I neeed for the best price. Plus helps to protect my battery from being damaged because I forgot to turn the charger off when it was fully charged and begins to boil. Plus I still have some 6 volt battery systems around. This charger had the most options at the best price and a name you can depend on.

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I put the charger into service the day I got it and was pleased with the speed with which it charged the battery of my car. I like the fact that you can see the on-going charging percentage and thus get a good idea of how long it will take to complete the charge. Another good attribute is the fact that this device doesn't have any air vent slits cut into the top of the case which would otherwise make it susceptible to getting shorted out. This is what in fact happened to my Craftsman charger. While using it one day, it began to snow unexpectedly and by the time I remembered that the charger was sitting alongside the car instead of under the hood, some snow had gotten into the air vents on top of the unit, landed on the open circuit board inside and proceeded to short it out. On a less than positive not but not a critical issue, is the fact that the unit came with the front sticker which displays the information for the various functions out of alignment and was actually causing some of the function lights to be partially covered up. All-in-all, though I'm please with the product and feel that I got a good value for the price and it does meet my expectations.

Midland LXT114 22-Channel 18-Mile FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair)

Midland LXT114 22-Channel 18-Mile FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio
  • Bundled pair of 22-channel FRS/GMRS radios with range of up to 18 miles
  • Features include channel scan, call alert, eVOX, auto squelch for crystal-clear communications
  • Channel scan automatically checks all channels for activity, stopping on any active channels
  • Tough, water-resistant construction for outdoor use; three-year warranty

This is a initial review of the Midland LXT114 [pair].

I just picked these up over the 4th of July sale Ace Hardware had. Originally selling of $14. each, they had on special with a $10. rebate by mail check each. So for a final investment I thought I could not go wrong for $4. each! They are a bit larger that the pair of Uniden [5 yrs. old] GMR 325-2's that I already own. They take the same batteries AAA x 3 as the older ones. The clip seems nice and sturdy, the battery covers are a bit tricky to get off but I'm hoping they loosen a bit with age. One nice thing is that the pre-programmed channels [22] all have freq's that match the Unidens, I was not expecting this & very happy. So now I have four radios that work togather for a total investment of about $25!!! We mostly use on family/friend outings. Hoping these are better on battery use than the Unidens, we will see. FYI the screen is NOT backlit like the photo shows. It is a light grey [unlit] with bold black numbers. Not especially helpful in low-light/night situations. I will post additional comments as we use further.

Buy Midland LXT114 22-Channel 18-Mile FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair) Now

This product working very good and sounds very clear for me. For my experience I found these two Midland and Uniden brands are best over all other brands: easy to use, battery last longer, and voice sound better. My battery life last longer on this brand name in compare to AudioVox, Motorola and Cobra brand. I like very much...and I bought a pair and then 2 months later bought another pair of (Midland GXT1050VP4 36-Mile 50-Channel) with higher mile range. So check it out and buy it whenever the price is right low. Thank you for reading.

Read Best Reviews of Midland LXT114 22-Channel 18-Mile FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair) Here

The radios work just fine for a short distance. The vox , auto talk works on voice activation, but be careful what you say and remember it is on, because phone rings , talking on the phone, dog barking or any other slight noise will activate it. Tried these up to 5 miles in the country setting and would not work, but if you are closer they work just fine.

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This radios don't work as good as they're advertise. As a matter of fact they don't even come close.

The manufacturer says that if you are in a flat area with no obstructions, that they can reach up to 18 miles. Well

I live in the country wich is the best place to test these because there's no interference and a quarter of a mile was all

I got from them. I bought these to keep in touch with my kids in a cruise and that was even worse.

If we weren't in the same floor we couldn't copy each other.

I own a smaller theatrical lighting and sound company and find that these radios work great as crew radios. We add the behind the ear boom headset and 3 triple A batteries and we are working the show! Nice strong clip too. And the clip is removable (I carry my radio in a shirt pocket. The keys a lockable (no VOX by mistake) and the batteries last a long time. They have great range indoors in a theatre(lots of concrete and steel) and are better outside. They have GMRS capabilities (I do have a license) but we have found we didn't need the GMRS side (at least not yet). They work out great for crew as they are small and light. They do not have privacy codes but We haven't needed that feature and radios that do are fully compatible. If we are on channel 1 the other radios are on 1 0 (channel 1 privacy code zero ) and all is well. I have also found that with fewer features, the less experienced (with radios) are not intimidated as there's only a couple of things to learn (on-off and push-to-talk) and they are trained users. I have owned numerous pairs of these Midland radios (they used to be at walmart!) and have supplied them to a couple of local performance groups also. (Probaly owned 20 pairs at one point so I guess I like them alot!!)

Contour+ Plus Camera

Contour+ Plus Camera
  • Custom Wide-Angle Lens+ 6 Element Glass Lens, 170 FOV, F2.8HD Video+ 3 Resolutions and 2 frame rates
  • Configurable White Balance; Removable Rechargeable Battery; GPS Enabled
  • Bluetooth Enabled+ Use your iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, and iPod Touch (3rd and 4th Gen) as a viewfinder
  • 5MP still photo mode Configurable+ Manually set white balance, exposure, and sharpness
  • Android connectivity coming soon HDMI Output+ Stream video, audio, and view your videos Microphone Plug+ Connect an external microphone.
  • Bluetooth Enabled+ Use your iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, and iPod Touch (3rd and 4th Gen) as a viewfinder+
  • Bluetooth Enabled+ Use your iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, and iPod Touch (3rd and 4th Gen) as a viewfinder+
  • Configurable White Balance
  • Custom Wide-Angle Lens+ 6 Element Glass Lens, 170 FOV, F2.8HD Video+
  • GPS Enabled
  • Manually set white balance, exposure, and sharpness
  • Removable Rechargeable Battery
  • Stream video, audio, and view your videos Microphone Plug+ Connect an external microphone
  • Android connectivity coming soon HDMI Output+ Stream video, audio, and view your videos Microphone Plug+ Connect an external microphone
  • 3 Resolutions and 2 frame rates or 5MP still photo mode Configurable+ Manually set white balance, exposure, and sharpness

So I picked this Contour + up after buying a GoPro HD, with the intention of returning the GoPro.

I haven't returned it yet, so I've been going out testing the 2 camera's side by side, trying to figure out which I like better.

Here's my initial thoughts.

I like the form factor better on the Contour +. I did a couple of hikes with the GoPro HD and felt like a complete idiot with the camera sitting on top of my hat, using the head mount. It was heavy, and flopped around a bit. The Contour+ on the other hand, sat nicely on the side of my head, and was a lot less goofy looking.

I've taken them both in my car, and had issues with the GoPro, where the mount came loose from vibration, and I had to catch it, and adjust the knob again while driving. Dangerous!

The Windshield mount on the Contour is not that good though, as it shakes, and is not a very tight fit where the Suction cup mounts to the mount...It holds, but the whole thing just wiggles all around, creating shaky video. not cool. But it holds very very well.

Now, to the Camera's...

I find the overall sharpness of the Contour better, with slightly better definition and clarity over the GoPro HD, BUT...I find the color a little green. The GoPro is not as sharp, as I just said, but the colors are more vibrant.

The Fisheye on the GoPro is a little more prominent than the Contour+ but they both have fisheye effect from the wide angles of their cameras.

The Contour + handles light MUCH MUCH better than the GoPro HD, and as I shot side by side comparisons, on one tree lined street, there was a truck parked in the shadows...On the GoPro I did not notice the truck at all! On the Contour, it was very well lit, and showed up clearly!! Very cool!

However, there aren't as many mounts for the Contour+, compared to the GoPro HD, but there are enough, for my uses, I guess.

I've noticed some stuttering video on both cameras, so I guess they both do it. They are both using totally different codecs, so it made editing them together a little difficult (GoPro is H.264, Contour+ is called Amberella).

I notice a lot of video noise on both camera's, but I am a video professional, used to high end equipment, so I notice all sorts of video artifacts. These artifacts, or noise, are what makes the video look slightly blurry. I ding them both for this, but since the Contour + is already sharper to begin with, I guess it affects the camera less than the GoPro HD.

To the GoPro HD's defense, though, I will remind you that it does indeed look though a plastic case. Who knows, maybe without the plastic case attatched the video would be clearer. But since it is not designed to be used like that, I can't say.

Now, here is where the Contour stands ahead...the iPhone program! I typically had NO idea what I was shooting with the GoPro HD, and could not see it until I got back to my hotel room, on a recent trip hiking in Zion, UT. If I had the GoPro talking to my iphone, it would have made me feel better, knowing what I was shooting. Plus when I first got it, I had no idea what the settings were all about, since they are so archaic, until I got back to my hotel room and spent some time looking at the instruction sheet.

The Contour, was pretty easy to use, right out of the box, and once connected to the iphone, I was able to change settings and such. However, it's not all good.

My first video, I shot upside down, and didn't realize it until I shot my next one, and checked it out on the iphone first.

You can't see anything while you are shooting. You also have to go into your settings on the iphone to connect the bluetooth each and every time you want to use the program. annoying. but at least it's there! Since the lens rotates, you always have to remember what direction it is in, or your video will be slightly skewed...or upside down... Good that it can do it, bad because you always have to check.

Videos also seem a little shakier on the Contour +, and smoother on the GoPro HD. Don't know if there is some motion compensation in there, but it seems that way.

The GPS portion, where it tracks your location, is very very cool, and a major + I can see using to track motorcycle rides I go on. However, outside of the Contour Storytelling application on the computer, I do not know how else you would access this information?

I got the GoPro Hd on sale recently, and paid full price for the Contour +. the cost was about $260 more for the Contour +. This is actually more than I paid for the GoPro HD!

Are the extra features worth the extra cash?

Yes and no.

I haven't returned either yet, and am leading strongly to the Contour +, but for only slightly better video and a bit wider lens, it is worth double the price?

Not sure...

Good luck on your purchases!

Buy Contour+ Plus Camera Now

I bought this for skydiving

Pros

-great picture quality. Significantly better than the gopro hd.

-switch is really easy to use and positive it's easy to flip just before you jump out of the plane

-great size

Cons

-camera crashes. In my case, I have lost several important skydives to this

-bluetooth viewfinder functionality is so unreliable/buggy as to be unuseable

-battery live is really poor (It can't handle 8 skydives in a day without recharging). Each skydive is about 1 minute of freefall, followed by a few minutes of canopy flight.

-although the record on/off switch is easy to use without seeing the camera (when it's mounted on your head), you still have to turn the camera on with a small button on the back. This isn't nearly so positive.

-the video importing is annoying; as soon as you import the files, the contour starts creating file001 again, so you end up with loads of movies with the same filenames

-gps is a nice idea, but not really accurate enough for skydiving. It's frequently significantly off location even on a clear sunny day, and it turns out that many of my skydives actually go upwards

-the bundled video management doesn't contain even the most rudimentary editing capability, so you can't even trim your videos to remove the fluff at the beginning/end

Read Best Reviews of Contour+ Plus Camera Here

As an owner of the older ContourHD 1080p, I looked forward to taking my new Contour+ on a recent snowboarding trip to New Zealand. Although I was keen to make use of the new features, such as the GPS and Bluetooth preview/settings, I was mainly interested in seeing the results of the new lens and super-wide field of view.

Before I cover the new features, I should mention the things that haven't changed:

Form Factor The size, weight and shape of the Contour+ is pretty much the same as previous models. I prefer it to some of the other offerings for both practical and aesthetic reasons. When mounted on a helmet, wrist or leg it doesn't look like I've got some monstrous appendage growing out of me. This may seem like a styling issue but it has very practical implications when getting on, riding and getting off lifts. It doesn't contact safety bars and I'm able to turn my head without it hitting surrounding objects, or people. There are some mounts for other cameras, like chest mounts, that avoid these issues, but chest mounts for snowboarding don't work very well as the direction of travel is generally not where your chest is facing.

On/Off Switch The placement and function of the on/off switch is such that it is reasonably easy to operate, yet it can't be accidentally operated.

Record switch Although the Contour+ record switch is now chunkier due to the GPS antenna, the actual operation remains similar to the ContourHD version. It's well placed and positive in operation and, if anything, it's easier to operate with gloves than the ContourHD, although I never had a problem with the older ContourHD. The familiar beeps used to indicate various states are loud enough to hear without being intrusive.

OK, now to the new (for me) stuff:

Video This is the thing that pleased me the most. There is a significant and noticeable increase in quality over the ContourHD. I assume this is due to the new lens design and materials. The video seems "crisper" and there seems to be much less of an issue with contrast. I ended up adding a polarising lens to the ContourHD to get over a contrast issue with snow, whereas I used the Contour+ without a polarising lens, on default settings, and achieved better quality video than I was able to get from the ContourHD. Note: Just about all my video was recorded in the "action" mode 720p 60fps.

Field of View I liked the greater Field of View, but there is a down-side. The issue is that it is more difficult to mount the Contour+ in such a way that you don't get surround objects (helmet, goggles, etc.) in the frame. I ended up modifying the rails on the camera so that it would sit further forward (about and inch) in the rotating surface mount. Personally, I'd like a additional video setting that mimicked the older 135° Field of View.

GPS The GPS worked well and, in my opinion, was a great feature to add to the camera. I had no locking issues and it was accurate. When snowboarding you generally have a good view of the sky, so I can't report on it's effectiveness in more challenging terrain, such as built up areas.

Bluetooth The Bluetooth connectivity worked well, 90% of the time. There were occasions where I was unable to establish a connection, but I was able to eventually connect by either re-pairing or turning my iPhone off and then on again. This feature could use some work to make it bullet-proof. In terms of the Bluetooth functions, the ability to change the settings on the fly is invaluable, as is the ability to line the camera up out in the field.

Audio In comparison to the ContourHD the audio is a big improvement. I'm not sure if it's the new location of the inbuilt mic, or the design of the mic enclosure, but it is less affected by wind noise than the ContourHD 1080p. You still get wind noise, but you have to be either travelling faster or be hit by a good gust of wind at a particular angle.

That pretty much wraps up the pros, now for the cons, which pretty much comes down to the video importing and editing software Storyteller.

Storyteller is Contour's video importing, editing and uploading software. It's editing features are limited to basically trimming the video, so if you want to do anything more adventurous you will have to use some other video editing tool, like iMovie. It also allows you to change the settings on the camera. While the editing, uploading and camera settings functionality works, if in a fairly simple way, the file handling leaves a lot to be desired, particularly if you have more than one camera.

When videos are recorded they are given sequentially numbered filenames on the camera, i.e. FILE0001.MOV, FILE0002.MOV, etc. OK, that seems like a good approach, until you import and delete the videos from the camera, at which point the file numbering is reset and new videos are saved with numbers starting at "0001" again. See the problem? You end up with duplicate filenames.

Well Storyteller gets over this by appending a "-1", "-2", etc. suffix to avoid duplicates. However this approach ends up being confusing. It's bad enough with one camera, but imagine having two cameras and trying to work out which video was recorded by which camera when. Storyteller dumps all the videos in the one folder so you end up with a confusing list of files like "FILE0001-1.MOV", "FILE0001-2.MOV", "FILE0002-1.MOV", etc. A similar issue arises if you don't use Storyteller to import the videos. You need to separate them into different folders or rename the files as you copy them.

Not such a big issue? Maybe, but it leads on to the the second issue I have with file handling timestamps. The Contour+ uses the time received from the GPS to timestamp the files (great idea), but there is no ability to add a time offset for local time. This may be manageable if you live closer to the Prime Meridian, but for those of us 1/2 way around the world it's a nightmare because videos from one day can be timestamped with two different dates and confusing times. Manually applying a time offset to calculate the local time and date is not an easy process as a result. Not impossible, but so easily avoided with a relatively simple change to the software/firmware. Because of the timestamping even using something like Lightroom to import the videos ends up with videos in incorrect folders.

Various suggestions have been made on the Contour support forums to improve the file handling, so I live in hope that at least some of them will be incorporated in future releases of Storyteller and the camera firmware soon.

Conclusion:

Rating the Contour+ was difficult for me. Looking purely at the camera and it's features I would give it 5 stars; however, because the supplied software is integral to the overall package I could only give it 4 stars. Storyteller itself barely rates 3 stars. It does what it needs to do, but it could be so much better. Unfortunately, because of the file numbering and timestamping issues it's not even an easy process to ditch Storyteller and use another tool, and then you would also have to forego the moving map display available on the videos uploaded to the Contour community site.

The Contour+ is a significant and easily worthwhile step up from the ContourHD 1080p. More good features, better video and better audio all make it a great upgrade.

In my opinion the Contour+ is so good that I would recommend it to anyone, unfortunately that recommendation has to be in spite of the current state of the supplied software rather than including it. Roll on software and firmware updates ...

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I have researched POV cameras, and this seemed to be the best out there. Yet, I'll describe both pros and cons so that buyers beware.

Pros:

Great form factor with several mounting options, unlike the other POV cameras out there.

Wide angle

Full 1080p HD @ 30 Hz is great

Support known to be great, and my experience confirms that.

Cons:

High price

GPS accuracy is a disaster. It is a joke that they market this camera for sports applications, and they show videos of people skiing, skydiving, doing motorsports, when the camera can't measure speed with any acceptable accuracy. At 4Hz GPS sampling rate, which is barely acceptable for high speed action, the speed captured by the GPS hardware of this camera can be up to 25 Mph off!!! Clearly this is garbage! Even worse, Contour can't do anything about it, and they gave me the answer that the camera is "operating within specifications". What kind of a lousy specification is that exactly, and who in their right mind told them that this was adequate for the all the applications they are pushing this camera for?! They asked me to lower the sampling rate for better accuracy. 2 Hz gives me a 12 Mph error, still nonsense. And 1 Hz is a ridiculous sampling rate that I don't even care to use it!

Bluetooth is unstable and will frustrate you! They never got it right from the first day they released that bluetooth card. It is a great feature that gives you a view finder to adjust your camera before you use it -when it works. However, the instability can disappoint you. You just have to figure out a way to deal with it. This is just another example of an area where Contour just cut corners for the sake of releasing a product way before it was fully ready for production. It is as if someone there said hell with it, we're releasing anyway! Or may be they don't have enough know how in-house to develop and properly test such a thing.

Manuals are crap! Written by people who either shouldn't be doing any technical writing at all, or may be never touched the product that they were writing about. The manual will MISLEAD you, so take what's in it with a grain of salt, and expect deviations. For instance, if the manual tells you to keep the bluetooth button pressed until you hear a beep, that's wrong! Under the current firmware, the camera will never beep while the button is pressed. You just have to hold it down for 1s then release it, then it will beep to signal the activation of bluetooth. There is a lot of mistakes like that.

Bottomline, these 2 flaws have completely reduced the value of the camera to me. It is so NOT worth $500, probably not even half of that! To me, Contour doesn't seem to have the engineering know how in-house to venture into GPS and bluetooth territories, yet they did it anyway just to beat the competition on paper specs only, and dared to slap a high price tag on product that falls short in these two areas. Had I known this in advance, may I would have bought the entry level Contour camera and saved my money; I don't know. :-(

Last, for all the people who struggle with bluetooth out there, here is the procedure that yields the best chances of having a stable connection -so that you don't pull your hair ;-). This applies to Contour+ and an iPhone 4. I assume here that you paired it with your iPhone already:

(You don't need to ever remove the pairing and then redo it again, like some posters suggested. You do that only if things go really bad and the two devices can no longer talk.)

Turn on your camera

Wake up your phone and enable bluetooth. You'll see that it still remembers Contour+ and shows its status as not connected.

Exit the settings app on the iphone. You DO NOT need to do anything else on the iPhone!

Hold the bluetooth button on the camera for 1s, then release. You should hear a beep followed by the front LED blinking blue.

During this, pay close attention to your iPhone, you'll see the bluetooth icon at the top flashing, which means it is establishing a connection with the camera.

Again, DO NOT do anything, it might only confuse the whole process, you should be observing only! Once the connection is established, the phone automatically launches the view finder app! Enjoy!

If the bluetooth connection breaks before you finish your adjustments, turn off the camera. Then turn it on again, and restart the process. Sorry, the bluetooth implementation is flaky, and this is what worked for me with the highest probability of success.

-----------

Update 2011-10-12:

GPS error for speed measurement:

@4 Hz: -25 Mph

@2 Hz: -12 Mph

@1 Hz: -8 Mph

(Minus sign means it consistently underestimates your speed up to that value.)

-----------

Update 2011-10-26:

For comparison, GPS speed measurement error on iPhone 4, sampling at 1Hz: 0.5 1 Mph.

Puts the Contour+ GPS to shame! The Contour engineers should be embarrassed!

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I honestly wanted to like this product. I really did. From the moment I read about the Contour+, I just knew it would be the solution to my video recording needs. Sadly, the Contour+ disappointed me from the moment I opened the box.

I originally purchased the Contour+ to use during High Performance Driver Education events hosted in my area. The Contour+ was my video recorder of choice since it provided an external microphone solution, external video and settings capabilities (via Bluetooth), and GPS data tracking inherited from its older brother, the ContourGPS. Here is how each of these features fell short of my expectations.

External Microphone Solution

The product page on the Contour website describes the external mic functionality as a new feature that was added based on community feedback. Many owners of previous Contour models complain of wind noise issues using the built-in microphone and attempts to provide DIY shielding have mostly failed. On the product page Contour pictures an external microphone which implies the device is included. This is not the case. What you get is a 2.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable adapter which is used to connect to an external microphone that you need to purchase separately. While I admit I could have done more research into this particular item, the photos on the website are misleading. I am certain that this is not an intentional slight on the part of Contour, but it still was a point of frustration worth noting.

Searching for a compatible external microphone was another issue. Contour doesn't provide a list of compatible microphones so I pretty much had to figure it out on my own. I did reach out to the community for advise but I received very little feedback. What I did learn, via Contour support, is that whichever type of microphone is chosen, it must have its own power source. This information was not readily available in the user manual nor on the packaging. Thankfully, I took the time to ask.

I ultimately took a leap of faith and purchased an Audio Technica ATR3350 at a local brick and mortar store. (In hindsight, I should have purchased it through Amazon because I would have saved 50%!) This microphone works well enough and has a very long cable to allow easy placement of the microphone wherever you want it. Sadly, since the microphone had its own power source, one must turn it on separately from the camera. While this makes total sense, it quickly becomes something you'll forget to do if you are distracted or focused on other things (HPDE driving is a high concentration, high stress, event and is therefore very demanding of your concentration.) The Contour line is designed to be a "one button" solution and unfortunately using an external microphone changes this dynamic considerably. It would have been nice if the Contour could provide power to the external microphone, therefore maintaining the Contour's ease of use.

Bluetooth Video/Settings management

This functionality, to me, was icing on the cake. Previously, I had a very frustrating experience with a ContourHD that ran out of disk space halfway through an HPDE event. I did not have access to a laptop or other computerized device at the time and was unable to diagnose the issue. The Bluetooth functionality would have resolved all of that.

Out of the box, my Contour unit would not connect to either my iPhone 4 or my HTC Thunderbolt. I turned to the support forums and quickly learned that a firmware upgrade was available that specifically addressed this issue. Furthermore, updated iPhone and Android apps (which I already had) were released to coincide with the firmware upgrade. I was easily able to follow the firmware upgrade instructions. Sadly, this did not fix my issue completely. Neither of my devices would connect to the Contour+ for more than 20 seconds. Typically, connectivity lasted no more than 5 seconds. Ultimately, I gave up on this.

GPS Tracking/Playback

Naturally, anyone who records a day at the track would appreciate knowing some basic GPS statistics about their day, right? After viewing countless ContourGPS videos on the community website I figured this functionality was also a must have. Yet again I was disappointed by the GPS data and its playback capabilities within the included software.

My first issue with the GPS data resulted in the form of jittery playback within the Storyteller software provided by Contour. The Contour+ has the ability to sample GPS data at 4Hz (4 times per second), yet for some reason the video playback within Storyteller only updated the GPS location once per second. I tested this several times with several different videos with the same results. Contour support helped verify the camera was indeed configured to sample at the correct rate, yet my issue persisted. It wasn't until I uploaded one of my videos to the Contour community website that my videos exhibited smooth GPS playback. While I can appreciate the social nature of the website, not everyone wants to utilize this web functionality.

My second issue came with the exporting of the GPS data itself. Since Storyteller was not providing me with local playback that met my expectations, I decided to try a software called Dashware which was recommended as an alternative by someone on the community forums. Dashware can interpret data from the ContourGPS/Countour+ and export your video and display your GPS data on a nice overlay, similar to what you would see in a racing video game. I quickly learned that Storyteller was exporting my GPS data with erroneous speed information. For some reason, Speed was being exported in meters per second rather than miles per hour. I verified that the Contour+ was correctly configured to measure MPH. Furthermore, Storyteller properly displayed the MPH detected by the GPS unit. This issue simply baffled me. I wasn't able to resolve this problem either.

Other points of contention

One lesser issue I encountered was battery life. The Contour+ battery died after about 90 minutes of use (recording and standby). I thought the complaints from other Amazon reviewers were an exaggeration. I was wrong. I ended up not being able to record my best HPDE session because I didn't know the battery had died until it was too late. While I did prepare for this possibility (I recharged the battery shortly thereafter), losing that footage was a huge disappointment. Later on I investigated whether turning off some of the features (Bluetooth for example) would help improve battery life (iPhone4 anyone?). Sadly, I could not find such a setting in the configuration software.

Also, I can think of no reason why the Contour+ doesn't include a non-adhesive style mount or at the very least the Universal Mount Adapter. After all, who in their right mind is going to use an adhesive based mount on a $499 product?

Lastly, the documentation included with the Contour+ is reminiscent of an Apple product. Yet, the Contour+ is anything but an Apple product. There is far too much user intervention required in order to get this device working to one's expectations. As such, the documentation needs to be much more elaborate and accessible. I found the included manual to be useless and the community/support websites to be lackluster.

The good stuff

Now, I can't say everything is bad on the Contour+. The extra viewing angle provided by the 170 degree lens is really nice. Being able to see my side view mirrors in the videos was extremely helpful in determining my awareness of my surroundings while on track. Also, being able to rotate the lens 180 degrees allows plenty of flexibility when mounting the camera. In addition, the Contour is a sexy device which is something the GoPro cannot claim in its current form factor.

That being said...

Summary assessment

I simply cannot recommend the Contour+. This device is ultimately a marginal upgrade to its predecessor, the ContourGPS. I am certain Contour will get the bugs ironed out eventually. Until then, anyone who buys this device is paying a lot of money to be a beta tester of an incomplete product. Even if the bugs are fixed, I do not feel the Contour+ is a worthwhile purchase at the current MSRP. When compared to the ContourGPS, the price difference of the Contour+ is far too steep and the extra features are far too shallow.

As for the rating, I would have given the Contour+ only one star except I don't actually hate the product. I believe there is room for improvement, both in features and price point. I guess you could say the second star is me giving Contour the benefit of the doubt. They are trying to make a great product. Unfortunately, the Contour+ is mediocre at best in its current form.

Nature Power 40060 72-Watt Mini Solar Power Farm Includes 4 18-Watt Panels

Nature Power 40060 72-Watt Mini Solar Power Farm Includes 4 18-Watt PanelsYES I DECIDED TO TRY IT KNOWING NOTHING ABOUT SOLOR. IFOUND THAT IT WORKS EX. AS DISCRIBED. IT KEEPS 2 12V BATTERYS CHARGED ALL DAY TIED INTO AN INVERTER TO 110V AC FOR LIGHTING. HAVE HAD 0 PROBLEMS WITH IT TOOK ABOUT 1 HR TO READ AND INSTALL.WILL BE BUYING ANOTHER IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO ADD TO FOR RUNNING SMALL 110V POWER TOOL'S DURING THE DAY AND LIGHTS AT NIGHT FROM BATTERYS.LATER ON WITH ENOUGH PANELS I PLAN TO TIE TO GRID.IF I KNOW IT WAS SO EASY I WOULD HAVE DONE IT A LONG TIME AGO. HAS ALL THE INFORMATION HOW TO DO. EDPAS.

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New Potato Technologies TuneLink Auto Bluetooth in Car Stereo Wireless Adapter for Android (Black) -

New Potato Technologies TuneLink Auto Bluetooth in Car Stereo Wireless Adapter for Android - 1001-01002DThis is a great product and worked out of the box. I tried it with a Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket and an Asus Transformer prime. We have Apple and Droid devices in our family, but I found that I could not pair an Apple iTouch with this device. On contacting New Potato support, I was told:

"If you want to use TuneLink for both Android and Apple devices, you need to be using the Apple version of TuneLink. From a hardware standpoint, these 2 are virtually identical, but the Android version is missing some parts that allow it to communicate with Apple devices."

So now I have to return this and buy the other version which is annoying.

Hopefully this will help others choose the correct version.

I have used TuneLink Android with both the AUX out and the FM Transmitter, and I think both sound excellent. The AUX obviously is more clear and the way to go if you have an input in your car, but the FM is great as well. In response to the other reviews on here that talk about a "lisp" sound or distorted "S" sounds, all you have to do if this is happening is turn the phone's volume down a few clicks. The FM volume is a bit boosted when the phone is turned all the way up, and for loud material, I noticed the same thing until I turned it down. The little boost is great though when listening to audiobooks or spoken word that is quiter though...

All in all, great product!

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I read reviews before purchasing this unit and they indicated this is the best quality FM transmitter to produce almost broadcast quality sound. I did not find that to be the case. I have returned it. I'm also surprised by the written return policy of the vendor. It states a refund will be subject to fees if the product is not returned unopened. How the blazes can you know if it works properly and is worth the money, unless you do open and try it? It was the most expensive unit of the ones I was considering, so I expected it to be at least satisfactory in sound quality, but it wasn't. It produced a static "lisp" type of sound on all high frequency sounds such as a cymbal strike or anything with an "S" sound in a word.

Update. Even though my package was returned and it was obviously opened, since I returned it for reasons of dissatisfaction, I did get a full refund.

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I really, really want to like this device. And when it works, it's fantastic. I use the line-out (not the FM transmitter) and the sound quality is great.

But that's only part of the story. I've been through three of these since I bought mine. The first two had a thermal issue that would cause them to stop working, which is a problem considering this thing is going to sit outside in your car. New Potato did replace them, but it cost me about $10 to ship it back every time.

The real problem, though, is that for some reason my Galaxy Nexus and this thing don't play nice. They will connect every time, but eventually the A2DP will break down and the audio won't work. Sometimes it's enough to unplug the Tunelink and plug it back in, sometimes I have to turn Bluetooth off and back on on the phone, and sometimes I have to do both. Then other times I have to unplug the Tunelink and turn the phone off and on. I have no idea who's fault it is, but it basically makes the device useless.

New Potato spent time helping me, but the last email I got from them was "hey, we have no idea. There's another guy with a Galaxy Nexus but he says it's fine". I was hoping the update to Android 4.0.4 would help, but it didn't.

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Automatic Bluetooth connecting and Audio Quality...

The first pairing was simple and setup was done in less than 2 minutes. Note: Be sure that when you plug the receiver device in to the power adapter of your truck you make sure you pick one that that cycles the power with the key on/off. Turning the key on and giving it power is what tells it to start looking for the paired phone. In my Nissan this is in the Arm console. When I start the truck it powers the device, the device automatically looks for the phone and connects within 10 seconds all without any user input (VERY NICE!!!). When I turn off the truck it automatically pauses the MP3 playback. With the receiver device being in the arm console I was worried that I might have reception issues or audio quality loss. However being in the console I had no issues with the wireless connection or quality. Audio quality is as good as a direction wire connection. I use the AUX jack on my stereo to connect the receiver to my stereo. As such I did not test the FM transmitter.

Automatic Media Playback...

Using the latest version of their TuneLink app from the Google Playstore Market the app allows you to pick a default MP3 or Music playback program. If you install this app and pick a default music app the phone will still do all of the above Bluetooth connecting automatically, PLUS it will automatically start/resume playback of the last MP3 you were playing, right where you left off. For me this worked perfectly the first time. However after it resumed, my phone displayed an error that the TuneLink app has stopped working. After that crash the auto playback resume feature no longer worked without manual help from me. This could be that the app is not playing nicely with my Samsung Note II. The auto pause when turning the truck off works with or without the app on my phone.

Overview...

This product is exactly what I was looking for: Get in to my truck and have the phone automatically connect to the audio system. I am very pleased with this device and find it worth the few extra bucks you might pay over some similar devices that don't offer the automatic connect feature. NOTE: The above auto connect assumes you have bluetooth turned on, on your phone.

One final note...

This unit is NOT for people looking to create an option for Bluetooth hands-free phone conversations. Unlike some similar devices this product only supports media over Bluetooth. My truck already has a Bluetooth hands-free option for talking on the phone, so that is not something I need. If you already have hands-free in your car this device works perfectly in conjunction with you current hands-free and will even pause the music while you take a call through your cars hands-free system. But if hands-free phone calls is something that you are looking to get from this device, then you need to look for a different product such as the Belkin Bluetooth Truck Hands-Free Kit which offers both Media and Phone calls over Bluetooth but does not support the automatic connection like this device does.

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Rothco Multi-functional Solar Charger Panel

Rothco Multi-functional Solar Charger PanelThe solar panel itself is fine and works acceptably for charging some devices directly, but for me the battery device it connects to is the weak point. The solar panel has a USB out that connects to the battery pack, and that pack has, oddly, a proprietary output with tips that allow it to charge devices. One thing to be aware of, the included tips don't include micro-usb, which has become the defacto standard for most new smart phones. The kindle keyboard I have uses micro-usb, and connected directly to the panel, there is not enough current to charge the kindle. The included battery does charge my old HTC T-mobile MyTouch android phone, but only has enough capacity to charge the battery about 40%, which is pretty disappointing to me considering the panel was in a window on a sunny day, aimed at the sun throughout the day. I had hoped to attach this to a pack and let it charge the battery throughout the day, but the performance just isn't there. The panel itself is fairly light and compact, the holder it is in is relatively heavy and bulky (something to note for lightweight hikers), and has a clear plastic film that covers the panel, making me wonder how much it affects performance. I may try pairing this panel with a 5,000 mAh battery and seeing if that works better, but as a package, I can't recommend this as is.

the charger worked flawlessly for the first 3 days at scout camp then it got cloudy no sun no charging for 2 days by the 5th day plenty of sun with the charger in direct sun dead smart phone plugged into battery pack, solar panel charging both battery & phone got 1/2 charge in 3hrs then finished charging battery pack to fully charge phone I feel this is a must for a hiker, boyscout, pack packer or just anyone want to get off the grid

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Cobra MicroTalk PR 3500-2 DX VP 10-Mile 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-way (Pair)

Cobra MicroTalk PR 3500-2 DX VP 10-Mile 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-way
  • microTALK 10-Mile 2-Way Radios with Charger

we have used them for over 1 year had no problem with them...when u buy new batterys you need to make sure they can ground on neg end..had to cut 1/2 inch off wraper of battery to make new batterys work

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works like a charm!

great sound quality, long distance, holds charge for a while too.

Unique Gomadic Car and Wall AC/DC Charger for the Motorola MOTONAV TN30 - Two Critical Functions, On

Unique Gomadic Car and Wall AC/DC Charger for the Motorola MOTONAV TN30 - Two Critical Functions, One Great Charger
  • Intelligent circuit tailors precise output voltage (including resistor configuration) specific to the Motorola MOTONAV TN30. This ensures battery is safely and efficiently charged.
  • State of the art, advanced circuitry prevents the Motorola MOTONAV TN30 from being damaged by power surges, overcharging and/or short-circuiting.
  • Broad input voltage range of 12-24VDC and 100-240VAC respectively. Permits charging via vehicle and home outlets worldwide!
  • Non-coiled, straight cable design allows for easy routing around your vehicle trim for a more professionally installed look. Durable construction is built to last.
  • Charger provides a full 1 AMP of available charging current. Flexible, straight cable measures an ample 42 inches in total length.

It works the way it's supposed to. My only criticism is that the GPS give me a warning message every time I charge it using this. It says I have plugged in a 'non-standard charger so charging time may be extended.' It still works though

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HQRP 425W (5 x 85 Watt) Monocrystalline Solar Panel 12V DC w/ Solid Aluminum Frame for RV Marine Yac

HQRP 425W Monocrystalline Solar Panel 12V DC w/ Solid Aluminum Frame for RV Marine Yacht Boat Car Trailer Caravan Bus plus HQRP UV TesterThese units are made with aluminum frame and tempered glass. seem to have about 85 watts of power. my other 20 watt panels had 1.25 amp short circuit. these are over 5 amps. good value if you want to go cheap.

HD 720P 2.5-inch LCD Monitor CAR Dash Dashboard CAMERA Cam VEHICLE VIDEO Accident RECORDER DVR Suppo

HD 720P 2.5-inch LCD Monitor CAR Dash Dashboard CAMERA Cam VEHICLE VIDEO Accident RECORDER DVR Support SD/MMC Memory Card : Up to 64GB
  • HD 720P 2.5" LCD Monitor CAR Dash Dashboard CAMERA Cam VEHICLE VIDEO Accident RECORDER DVR Support SD/MMC Memory Card : Up to 64GB
  • HD720P Portable DVR-007 Car Camera is another "eye" in you car.
  • It can capture high definition(1280 x 720P) pictures & display it on its 2.5 inch TFT LCD Screen
  • WXGA: 1280 x 720 Pixels, 30fps ( can set 1280*960,but it is not Full HD.Recommend 640*480)
  • Support SD/MMC Cards: Up to 64GB (Note: SD Card is not included in the package !)
  • At the same time, this DVR007 car camera will record automatically &save the video files in the SD/MMC memory card.(memory card not included).
  • Files can be saved per 2 minutes/ 10 minutes/ 15minutes- with recyle recording.
  • With the camera holde/ mount, you can fix it on the car dashboard or car windshield very easily.

Night video leaving a gas station. Not too great quality wise but I guess if you were involved in an accident, I guess it would be better than nothing. As you can see in the video, unless you're close to light sources or other cars, you'll just get blobs of light, can't really tell what's what.

Pros:

*Suction cup mount for windshield holds pretty tight (better than my GPS mount, which would fall often), even tugging at it wouldn't budge it.

*The actual camera screws into the mount, like a digital camera does onto a mount.

*Once memory is full, it overwrites older data.

*Car charger cord is pretty long; I can probably run it through my headliner into the dash so its not in the way.

*3 recording options: 2 minutes/5 minutes/15 minutes

Cons:

*Not true HD on highest setting.

*Highest setting results in choppy recording\playback.

*Night time recording not very good, unless you're close to other cars or in well lit areas.

*Not too many options (Just video size, light frequency, audio record, timestamp).

*All video resolutions can't record little details such as license plate number, car make\model badging.

Overall, the camera is decent. Daytime is alright. You can't really see license plate numbers or signs during the day, even on the highest quality setting. Those little details get blurred out. Even when behind a vehicle at a stoplight, I found it hard to make out the license plate number from the LCD and video. Zooming in would further worsen the quality and made the license plate impossible to read.

The highest setting isn't true HD (everything is still blurred\pixelated, just a bigger picture size), and playback is slow while on the setting which makes it pretty useless. Every other second, you see the lag while it records, and it shows when you play it back.

Another issue is the lens; there is too much fisheye effect at times. It might be my placement, but I will try different configurations and edit the review as necessary. But in a nutshell, cars\bikes that have been dangerously close look like they're much farther away.

The microphone is a bit sensitive; it catches many noises as you can hear in the video. The video is with the windows up, and with the A/C on low setting. Much worse with the windows down. I don't think it can record a conversation without being obscured by background noises very well.

The seller I got the camera from included an SD card reader with my order. It did not work very well on my laptop (Windows 7) but it worked better on my XP. I instead, plugged in the camera through the USB to my Windows 7 laptop and was able to view\upload videos from the SD card that way without hassling with the SD card reader.

Overall, its a neat little gadget. Its not the best, but the quality for daytime recording is acceptable. I plan to keep it and use it daily until I can find a suitable replacement.

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I watch a lot of video on similar products before purchase, most of the video are good, but I can not find any video of camera facing sun, so here is the one for you.

The video is acceptable for the price, but I don't think is in real HD mode. the 2 minutes video clip is about 80 MB, 4 GB SD card can do the job.

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i took a chance on this camera, both based on the reviews and the fact that i have other chinese security cameras that work well. first let me say, all of these chinese cameras have horrible directions. they are often wrong and hard to read, so you basically have to figure it out yourself. however, after i got the camera set up, the video is pretty good. it gets a little choppy at times but i like the camera and may buy another. you can also set the mode to be a camera, up to 15 mega pixels and it will take still photos. the camera says it has audio with a built in microphone, i tinkered with this only a few minutes then decided to turn off the audio. i couldnt hear anything in my test videos, so the audio may or may not work. i have only had the camera a day so i will update my review if i find any issues. here are some helpful tips for you to set up the camera:

1) first, change the language to english, it is in chinese by default. hit the buttons in this order:

menu > mode > down > down > menu > then up/down to find english. hit the menu to save.

2) the mode button switches between video, picture and playback.

3) also, the resolution in the manual is wrong. the camera lets you pick vga, qvga and sxga resolution, in that order. one would think that vga is the best or least, and then qvga is the middle. however, upon my testing, here is how i believe the order is, and their resolutions:

qvga 320x240, smallest and less choppy

vga 640x480, medium and more choppy

sxga 1280x1024, highest and very choppy

i have my camera set to qvga and the videos seem small but very watchable to me.

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Video & Audio Quality is pretty decent. However, the unit stopped working after 4 months. One day, I noticed smoke coming out of the case, touched the camera and it was very hot, that was the end of the camera. Cheap electronics.

I got my camera today, i was very excided, but when i open the box, i knew this was a return item, some of the cables were not inside the plastic bag, the suction cup was dirty and the camera had some marks outside. When i turn on the camera the menu was in chinese, Them i try to go thru the menu and see if i could change it to english but the rec/snap button didn't work and the down button either. Of course i can't say this is a crappy product 100% because the image on the screen look good, and the accessories looks good too, but the camera itself is crappy. The price said it all, but it does what it supposed to do. Maybe if the product were brand new i wouldn't have any problem. I already print a return label to send it back, i don't if i would get the same camera again.