didone

I've been jumping the Samsung SC-HMX10C lately. I love it. The quality is good, nice bright colors, 720p with decent optics and sensor. 8 gigs SD memory onboard + SD slot for another 8 gigs, plenty of recording time. 2 button operation (on / record). Minus: the autofocus is on by default. Not a problem on a sunny day but must be turned off every time if it is a little foggy or on a sunset jump. Nice plus: the diameter for the lens is the same as my old Sony PC-105 ;)

the Days Inn in Perris is ok. Don't expect too much but it's quite and very conveniently located just outside of the airpor. I've been there 2 or 3 times, including a few weeks ago for the unConventional boogie.

Thanks again for organizing this, it's a great way of paying a tribute to the memory of our friends Tommy and Cliff Diego

I second that. This weekend I had a close call (well, not *that* close but too close for my safety standards). The wind was constantly changing and the landing pattern was totally screwed up, nevertheless everybody - and I take my part of the blame - insisted to land in the hot spot in front of the packing area. The result was potentially dangerous. My takeway: when the conditions are not ok, landing in the student area is a sign of maturity, not of lack of proficiency in flying the canopy.

Hollister Mayhem Perris Memorial Day Davis American Boogie Perris US Nationals (not competing, hence turned it into a boogie) Byron Boogie

wowow thanks for the pics. Ouch, that's me ... after the third wheel of carnage

nice and ... good job guys at the nationals!

Beth, have you ever been pied for your 100th? We can take care of it in Byron eventually ... I still remember the grin in your face when I got it for my 200th ...

I'm in - see you there guys Ciao, Diego

Ravenna is a good place to jump in Italy www.pullout.it. They have a CASA and every jump is @15k. I was there last April, the weather was so-so and we did several loads on the CASA with only 12 people on each load - the quickest and most comfortable ride to altitude ever! It is also close to the Adriatic coast, which is very nice on summertime. 'hope this helps, Diego

Sometimes I experienced some issues in particular at exit. Long story short, I came to the conclusion that it was due to the thermal shock (it was winter) experienced by the battery. I am not an engineer, but I was told that the sudden change in temperature was creating a drop in the power provided to the camera. I switched from a 9v to a 12v battery, and kept it protected inside the elmet, and it was ok. 'Hope this helps. Diego

it surely does after 100, I swear

To answer your point, I have been testing this setup for 6 months now, with an AV 3x0 video recorder and a Sony bullet cam (21CWS-HRX EXVIEW HAD CCD). To cut it short, I made some great videos but for sure it requires patience and a bit of twicking. The problem is well known, hard drives will fail above 10k, because of the low air pressure. I tried several solutions and I came up with replacing the standard hard drive with a solid state IDE flashdrive. 1 Gb = approx 1 hour of video. I am not using it anymore, too bulky to carry around in freefall. Moving to a different setup. But if you are serious about bullet cam / Mpeg4 recording drop me a PM. Cheers, Diego

try Ravenna, www.pullout.it If you can rent a car it's a matter of two ours going south on the 'romea' higway, along the adriatic coast. By train it will take around 3 hours (you'll have to change in Ferrara). You can check the train timetables at www.trenitalia.com. Call the dropzone in advance, I'm sure they'll be happy to arrange a pick-up at the railway station. 'hope this helps, Diego

I have 85 jumps and I wanted to improve my RW basic skills. I went to Perris and I did one hour (4 blocks of 15 minutes each, two blocks per day in a weekend), all of them with a coach from the PPP team. Here is in a nutshell my experience: - the tunnel rocks! All in all a great experience: for me it was a quantum leap. - the coach was great. IMO well worth the money. Strongly recommended. - 30 min in one day is ok. 60 min in two days is also ok, but don't underestimate the fatigue: keep a couple of hours separation between each 15 min block, or you'll dearch and start flying like a crap - should I go back again (well, I think I will soon), I would bring with me a full face helmet. 'hope this helps

Most of the guys I know from Sicily prefer to jump in Salerno, 1 hour south of Naples (www.skydivesalerno.com). Very nice and professional place BTW. I heard about a dropzone in Palermo (www.skydivepalermo.it) but I've never been there. Ciao, Diego

I showed up last sunday just because I wanted to make my first jumps after moving to the US from Europe. I am not a long time jumper, and I really apreciated when the DZO took care of the safety briefing and followed my first landing. By the second load I had already befriended with other fellow jumpers and I was in for a 2 way. I had a lot of fun. Recommended.

I use a 21CWS-HRX. It's a Sony EXVIEW HAD CCD High resolution 480 TVL - 438k real pixels in the PAL version. The quality is somewhat similar to the early DCR-PCx serie of camcorders. I paid 150 GBP for it. I pierced an oval hole on top of my helmet to accomodate it, and used 2 clamps to mount it. The leads run inside the helmet. I connect the camera to a camcorder through a 4-pin connector (V+, V-, audio, video). Some soldering is required. I use a 2.9 mm lens, which gives 130 degrees of viewing angle (the maximum I was able to find, but IMH ok to do nice shots). So far, I am very happy with the quality. The problems are: - cables running from the helmet to the camcorder (I carry it in the pocket). To do base I suggest you might even think about a small 2.4 Ghz radio A/V transmitter. - batteries: a 9v alkaline lasts 10 mins max. I am working to fit a 12V flat Li-ion battery inside the helmet. 'hope this helps Diego

That's a long story. To cut it short, there are many products around and many new just about to tap the market. Search for the archos AV 3x0 or for the RCA Lyra AV to get a sample. You can get 320x240 full frame (25 fps PAL or 30 fps NTSC) @ 2 Mbps max, in Mpeg4 (Divx). Most people will not tell the difference from a mini-DV tape watching it on TV. The next generation should get to 640x480. The good: those toys can weight much less than a traditional camcorder and fit nicely into a pocket The bad: 1. none of those is still capable to record directly on solid state media (SD card, compact flash, ...). Those, anyhow, would carry only about 15 mins on an expensive 256 MB card. An hard disk is still the only solutions, and 2. hard drives - being mechanical disks - work only up to 10,000 feet. That's a well known problem due to the too low air density pressure above. My first videos were simply missing the first part of the jump... Coming to your point, I am currently experimenting a modified AV3x0 (just modified it, not yet tested), but you reeeeally have to enjoy DIY in electronic to get into it now. Or you'd better wait until a suitable product come into the market. A final remark: don't waist your time on the many gadgets around. The video quality they provide is too poor (without getting in the details, if they claim you can squeeze 1 hour of video into a 128 MB card then the quality is very poor) 'hope it was not too technical ... Cheers, Diego

I got mine from RfConcepts as well. All in all I am very happy with the quality so far. A basic set up can be easily made with some velcro straps. I went a bit farther and I pierced an oval hole on top of my helmet to accomodate the camera. As for the operation, just make sure your camcorder accepts analogue-in. Mine did not. Instead of buying another camcorder I decided to switching to an Mpeg4 hard disk based portable VCR, but that's another story Cheers, Diego.

yes I know, and I'd like to thank all the guys here that gave me sound advice (even in pm - thanks dgskydive). I now realize that I'd better think about it well down the road ... and demo something before BTW: I would not be allowed to jump it anyway Thanks, Diego

... that also seems a good idea

As a matter of facts I am not downsizing, I am only considering buying a new 150 main. I will jump it only when my instructors will clear me and when I will feel confident with it For the time being yes, my plans are to stick to a 170 for a while.

approx 200 lb out the door. No, I never tried a Sabre2 150. I jumped several times a sabre 170. I am looking for something not *too* aggressive but still fun to fly: givin' it a try before buying might be a good idea. Thanks, Diego

I have 45 jumps now and I am currently jumping a Sabre 170 rented from my local DZ. I recently purchased a used Vector III Micron w/ Cypress and PDR 143 fitted in, but no main. Upon advice from my instructor I am about to order a Sabre2 150, but as I am not very experienced I am fairly puzzled by the options: Should I choose Slinks, #3.5 Mini-links or #5 stainless steel links? And also 525 lb dacron, 550 lb microline or 825 lb microline? What is the *real* difference between the various options? Thanks in advance for your help, Diego