Synapse

Anyone have any information on the release date for the Icon Sport with the Skyhook modification? I've read "mid-summer 2008" in some older posts, but I was hoping for something more definite. Anyone got a bead on this one? -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

Thanks for the info man. I've got a Sony HC42 on the way from butterflyphoto.com in hopes that it will do the job (and I really wanted a new toy). I still may, umm, "borrow" one of those VHS DVDR combo deals from a local store like best buy or wal-mart though. It sounds quite a bit less time consuming and I've got several hours of stuff to convert. -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

No problem man. Let me know if you still can't get it to work, I know I've got to have some application around here that will ignore the errors. If the DVD player can read it, then by god so should the computer! -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

You could give DVD Shrink a try. Its a tool used to extract and shrink all of the data on a DVD disk for the purpose of backing it up/copying it. If the data on the disk isn't over 4.7GB then it won't perform any unnecessary compression on the video. Once you have the .VOB files extracted from the disk you can use any DVD burning software (nero) to make a new disk. DVD Shrink doesn't have the option to "ignore CRC errors", but it is most likely to be a little less picky about that than the software you are trying to view the disk with. If that doesn't work though, you could probably use something like nero to do a DVD to DVD copy of the disk and I'm pretty sure that you can specify that you want it to ignore CRC errors. The disk would have to be copyright protection free though since Nero won't copy it otherwise. Hence the need for DVD Shrink. I'm not positive on the nero CRC stuff though and I'm not at home where I can check. *shrug* Its worth a try. One of those disk scratch removal kits may not be a bad idea either. -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

haha, thanks for the info man... I'm trying to talk damn circuit city into giving it to me at a decent price so I won't have to order it online. Its $599 in circuit city and $499 online... I can't pay 100 bucks more just to get it local. -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

Anyone have any experience or thoughts on this cam? I'm not looking to use it specifically for skydiving, its going to be used as more of a general use kind of thing, so I don't want to spend a fortune on it. On the other hand, I don't want to be stuck with an extremely limited cam that doesn't provide any kind of decent quality video. I was hoping this model would be a good "middle ground" between the HC21 and HC90 or PC350. -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

Ok, so I've got one more question... Anyone got a suggestion for a good (and small) MiniDV camera? I'm a fan of Sony, so getting one of those would be nice. Any suggestions on a particular model? Also, if there is some other brand that would be a better choice I'm up for that as well. I'm clay in your videographer hands. -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

Thanks much for the info guys, looks like I'll be hitting up Best Buy this afternoon to "borrow" a camera from them or a while. -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

Ok I'm about fed up with looking around on my own trying to find some hardware to capture VHS output into a digital format with any decent quality, so I'm asking for help. I've got several hours of VHS movies (tunnel time mostly) that I'd like to get into a digital format so that I can make some DVDs. So far I have tried two devices in an attempt to get some good quality on this: 1) hauppauge's WinTV PVR-250 - internal PCI card with TV tuner 2) Pinnacle Systems external USB 2.0 capture card Both suck. The quality is shotty at best, but worse with the Pinnacle USB device than with the internal card. I even bought a new VCR to make sure that the signal I'm inputting is a good clean one, but that didn't help at all. Composite and standard TV out have both been used with little to no difference between the two. I can play these VHS tapes on the TV and they look great, but as soon as I capture them, the quality goes south and lines appear in everything. Just FYI, I'm capturing the video using the "DVD Standard Play" profile in the Pinnacle software suite. Basically, I just want a card that will reproduce the quality I get to the TV screen without costing a complete fortune. Anyone got any suggestions? -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

I too have been unable to jump for almost a year due to my work schedule, but now I'm looking to get back in it. Just so happens that work has me staying near Perris for a couple weeks, so I'm working on getting my currency there. They required me to retake the AFF first jump course before doing a level 4 style jump. I believe the first jump course was required because I never got my A (I was slack on getting stuff signed), but even if you don't have to take it, it may be a good idea. I surely feel better about that first jump back having just reviewed the basic safety issues. Like the others said, do what it takes to make yourself comfortable. For me it was the first jump course, but if a tandem is what you feel you need then go for it. :) Also, keep in mind that I'm in your same shoes, so take this advice with a grain of salt... I'm far from qualified to give real anyone safety information. -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

Yea this is part of AFF, but maybe this guy went through some other program... *shrug*. Never the less they are pretty easy. Just do what you would do any other time you wanna do a front flip... bring your arms into your chest and tuck in towards your stomach. Once you see green again bring your arms back out. I'm sure there are much more efficient ways of flipping, but hey this works. The best way to get it down would be to get a coached jump and have the instructor help you out with it. Anyway, what you are really doing is just causing an imbalance. You drastically reduce the resistance to the wind on your upper body, so at that point you don't have a choice but to flip forward. Same goes for barrel rolls, take away resistance on one side of your body by pulling an arm all the way into your chest and ur gonna roll. Its all about balance.

I've got about 42 minutes in the tunnel so far, but I can't really help you decipher what camp would be appropriate for tuning your RW skills since I've never actually attended one. Of my 42 minutes, 20 were part of the AFF training I got through Skydive University and the rest went directly through Skyventure. Out of the additional 22 minutes I got in the tunnel, only 10 of those were really coached. For that I just purchased a 10 minute coaching package through skyventure. I'm not sure how much you are looking to get out of this or how advanced your flying is, but from my point of view the instructors with skyventure were more than qualified to help me improve my skills and you can pretty much make your own schedule for training rather than being forced to come when a specific camp is offered. Don't get me wrong or anything, I'm absolutely positive that the camps would be an awesome benefit to anyone who attends, but I just wanted to point out that you don't have to go to one to get some good training. -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

Haha, looks like I'll be there alone then... FINE! Be that way. -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

I've signed up for the camp coming up at the end of this month and was just wondering if anyone else on here was going to be there. Also what skill level are you/what skills do you want to work on while you are there. I personally am very new to the sport and am interested in sharpening my canopy skills on a basic level and getting some guidance on how to best learn all of the flight characteristics of my canopy. I figure any money I spend on training to help prevent me from killing myself under a good canopy is money well spent! *Edited to correct grammer* -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

For whatever reason the root servers are pointing DNS queries for the relativeworkshop.com domain to ns9 and ns10.worldnic.com instead of the nameservers that are listed for the domain in the WHOIS database (a, b, and c.ns.interland.net). The worldnic.com servers are responding with an IP of 216.168.224.63, which forwards you to network solution's "in construction" page. The nameservers listed in the WHOIS database are still responding to queries with the correct IP (64.227.184.114) for the domain though. Maybe someone is in the process of changing nameservers around or switching register services. *shrug* Anyway, this is prolly way more info than you wanted, but maybe it will be useful to someone.

Hmmm, I can't help much, but I know that MLW stands for main lift web. To the best of my knowledge that is the section of the harness where the cutaway and reserve handles are attached. I would "assume" the 17.5 is the length of that webbing. Hope this helps... *Edit* heh... just read the post that got in before mine. -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

I didn't mean for it to sound like I never intended on pulling that low in future... just not now with my experience level. "time == altitude" and I want as much time as possible.

No words of wisdom from me... sorry. I'm just about as new as you are. What I do have is a question that seemed like it would fit well in this thread... While working on my A a few weeks back I asked someone at the DZ about the hop and pop from 3500 that is listed as a requirement on the A card. I had already done a hop and pop from 5000 during AFF and the thought of exiting significantly lower than I *ever* pull didn't really appeal to me. If I have to do it in an emergency thats one thing, but doing it just for the hell of it, so to speak, didn't give me that warm fuzzy feeling. From what several of the guys at the DZ told me the jump from 5000 would count for that requirement b/c the goal of the requirement was for the student to do a hop and pop for the experience and that the altitude wasn't critical. Does this sound right to everyone or is it mandatory for it to be from 3500? If it does have to be from that altitude its no big deal... I'd just rather not do it if I don't have to. -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

Wow, sounds like you worked on the exact same stuff I did in the tunnel last weekend (not in the camp though, just a coached session). Only difference is that I never did any "intentional" side to side stuff.

Ok, during AFF I was trained to cut away as soon as I realized a I had a line over mal, but I have read in a few threads on here of people trying to clear them. No one ever really gave any specifics so I'm wondering what the "accepted" procedure for doing that is and what everyone's feelings are on this. In other words do you try to clear it or go straight to EPs? As always, I know the best place for advice on this is my instructor and the next time I see one of them I will ask, but since they are in a different state it may be a while.

I'm a 25 jump wonder, so take this with a grain of salt. I have a bonehead boomerang that came with a bottle of anti-fog solution. I tried the helmet on before using the solution and, as expected, it fogged up like a mofo. Once I put the solution on its not a problem during pre-exit or after deploying. The factory recommends applying the solution at the beginning of the jump day, which I do. Separate from curing the fog problem, I personally practiced getting the damn thing off my head in case it does ever fog up at an inopportune time.

Can I go ahead and book some time? I for one would surely be there and I'm sure that a lot of others, as someone has already mentioned, on the east coast would love its location too. -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

OMG, I used to love making paper airplanes too. A friend and I made all kinds of funky shaped ones for a science project once when I was in like 6th grade. I don't remember the little balsa glider, my fav was the big styrofoam glider that was shaped like a passenger jet. I do have one little balsa rubberband powered plane I got as a gift for christmas this year though, so it may be close. Sounds funny saying that at 22 years old, but hey people know little things can still make me happy!

So would you recommend the Jack The Ripper knife or is there another brand that you prefer since you said you would go for a JTR at a minimum? I'm asking because I'm fresh out of AFF and looking to get a hook knife for my first rig. Speaking of AFF, why don't instructors discuss the use of hook knives during AFF training? -syn They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

Ditto. If anyone EVER wants to check my gear, feel free. Hell even if I'm not jumping... if my rig is just sitting on the bench next to me at the dz and you want to check it well then have at it. Nothing about trying to save my life is going to offend me.