mircan

Thanks phree and steve. That`s the kind of tricks I was looking for (and I think the original poster too). Now just to put theory to practice. dudeist skydiver #42

My TI is great and always gives good exit count, but when we exit small plane like Cessna 182 he is sometimes 1/2sec late on launch because of the passenger. Therefore, I go 1/2 sec too soon and miss the good exit shot. Does anyone know some body language "trick" that could help me here? (like watching some part of the passenger/TI body etc...) dudeist skydiver #42

52 weeks = 1 year. If I`m not mistaken. Jeeeesuuus! Did Vector 3 then fly by itself, and you didn`t need airplane or something? dudeist skydiver #42

In my case it`s third/fourth and I have a rig to jump in the meantime, but still, 16-25 weeks... My bad for wanting only their canopy. * But I guess it beats the former East Germany`s car named Trabant which had delivery time of 12 years. dudeist skydiver #42

My dealer is ordering new canopy from Icarus for me soon (in the next days, if he didn`t already). I`m also pissed about the waiting period. I mean, come on, SIX MONTHS! This means I will get it some time in April next year. I could easily forget wtf I ordered. If I weren`t paying for it that is. If I was the owner of the company, I would hire some more people, buy some extra machines... i.e. expand production capacities. Are they not aware that they will make more money if they make faster turnaround? On the flipside, I heard a rumor that they will cut down delivery time to six (6) weeks soon. But it`s just a rumor. blues! dudeist skydiver #42

With solution like that It will happen again for sure. But we`ll think of it some other day. Won`t we? I have noticed you also know the second biggest computer trick: "Tap on the side". I became engineer that way. blues! dudeist skydiver #42

Electra 190 in flight/landing: http://www.sendspace.com/file/dihafn blues! dudeist skydiver #42

Hi, 1. Two years ago at my former DZ there was an AAD fire under fully inflated/steerable canopy (PD Navigator 280). The student did sharp 360 degree turn at approx. 1000ft maybe a bit higher. He was a really big guy (205cm/6ft 9" - 115kg/250lb). AAD fired, he realized reserve is opening, did cutaway and opened reserve (RSL), landed OK. 2. I also saw one AAD fired on the ground, but due to the fact that the data from the AAD differs from what i saw and heard while standing one feet away, and the fact that everybody trusts the machine, i will not write more details about this. On the other hand couple of weeks ago I witnessed two real saves by AAD. blues! dudeist skydiver #42

There is always a DIY-cheap-trashy option that I did. Especially if he has some old digital camera to play with. Cheap and dirty. dudeist skydiver #42

Yes there is a very cheap way to do that, but you must know a little about electronics (soldering and stuff) or know someone who can do stuff like that. You just convert your cheap digital without external switch to cheap digital with one. It is really simple: 1. Take the screws off and open up your camera. 2. Look for the trigger connections. Trigger is supposed to have 3 or 4 wires. One is for focus, one is for triggering, and the 3rd (and if you have 4th) are ground. 3. Then you make small hole on the side of the camera case through you are going to guide the wires. 4. Get some wires (the ones from the standard telephone cable will do just fine) and solder them or connect them with the appropriate trigger connections. 5. Guide the wires to outside of the camera through the hole you made in the case. After that you can do several things, but on my cheap digital the wires are connected on the standard telephone jack (RJ-11). For the whole process so far you only needed camera, couple of thin wires, soldering kit, and a RJ-11 jack. If you are not totally confused so far, i can describe the process of making a tongue switch (which cost me about 2 Euro). Tutorial can be found here if you search the forums. I just made some small modifications. Also, I can make some pics of my "setup" and post here. I wanted to get the stills setup like you, and I could get EOS 300D cheap, but lenses for it are not that cheap (about the same price as the camera). So I decided to make contraption like this for now. Hope this helps. mircan dudeist skydiver #42

OK. I will try Vegas and see the results. Any particular reason why you advise not to use Premiere (apart from this case)? I like the Adobe apps because of the good integration with each other. I can do linking of After Effects files (in which I do titles, effects and stuff) and Premiere files (editing, transitions), Photoshop files... Also I`ve been working in these apps for a couple of years now (can work fast, keyboard shortcuts...) and you know what`s the transition to another program like. Off topic: reading/searching the forums, I tend to notice that a LOT of people choose not to work in Premiere, but do their work (most often) in Vegas. Can anyone comment on that? Personal preference or plain better? Yeah, right. Thanx. dudeist skydiver #42

Hi, one of the camera guys at my DZ that I`m editing tandems for uses NTSC camera. Here TV standard is PAL. Standalone DVD players will play the discs OK on the newer TVs, but not OK on the older ones (which is not so uncommon here). In order to keep viewing compatibility i create PAL DVDs. Result of this NTSC/PAL conversion sometimes is "jerkiness" in output file. Is there any way to avoid this or just make it less noticeable? I`m using Premiere Pro CS3. Thanks. dudeist skydiver #42

5 stars for you guys. I watched all of your vids lots of times, and they bring smile to my face every time. You seem to have tons of fun that you manage to share with us every time. Please don`t let the progress in the RW keep you from making videos like this. Enjoy dudeist skydiver #42

1. Maybe you turned ON the "USB" switch on the docking station. (i know it`s stupid, but check anyway). 2. Sometimes the Firewire card or camera Firewire port "get fried" when you hot plug the device to computer. If that is the case, good scenario is to change the Firewire card (~10eur). The other options are not that good. Try the DSE`s tip or, Try it on another computer. Bye dudeist skydiver #42

Can you elaborate on this: What "other accessories"? Just curious. dudeist skydiver #42

I needed manual because of several things: 1. When my 1st battery was about to die, the device started making funny noises. I figured it`s the battery by myself, but was NOT 100% SURE about it. 2. Last weekend Time-Out just stopped working and I didn`t know if i switched it off by mistake somehow or the battery was dead again. And if I switched it off, how can I turn it back on. I was NOT 100% SURE about it too. 3. I didn`t know how to set the altitude correction when jumping somewhere different from take off airport (demo). I was NOT 100% SURE about that either. 4. I was NOT 100% SURE about adjusting the break off altitude while on the ride up. To summarize: on too many issues I was NOT 100% SURE and when I go to jump I don`t want to be unsure about anything. But you are right for one thing, the caveman can adjust the main settings (BOP). Just to add: Time-Out served me good so far and I love it too. dudeist skydiver #42

Hi everyone, I just want to upload User Manual for the Time-Out!! audible altimeter. I got so frustrated in the process of finding one: The company don`t seem to exist anymore and the web site is dead. The only info about using the device I found via dropzone forums (thank you all) on some web-archive-site and who knows how long it`s going to last. So for anybody who has this type of audible and no User Manual, here is the one. (I split it in two parts so it could be uploaded here). (BTW it IS really simple to operate, but just to be sure.) dudeist skydiver #42

Thanks you all. You have been very informative. Remember my face, if we meet sometime I`m buying beer.

So let`s summarize: - ZP (or hybrid) canopy, - ~190sqft, 9-cell I don`t think that there are much used 7-cell ZP-s in this country that I can get my hands on and try before buying (people here began to jump non-accuracy canopies just few years ago). - As for the models: silhouette, spectre, pilot, saphire, sabre, triathlon... (what ever is available to me here). I think that`s about it. If anybody has something to add... dudeist skydiver #42

You got that right . Actually, the first "non accuracy" canopy in Banjaluka DZ was bought last december by one of our men (though he needs to gain more experience to jump with it safely). In Banjaluka we have only bought new student chutes (couple of navigator, skymaster, equinox). I jumped with it, but can`t say that it was much different than parafoil. Slow, low toggle pressure, they glide way better though, and that`s it. Lucky for me, I now live in Belgrade-Serbia where the situation is a little better, so I can actually try out a couple of canopies. Variety of models here isn`t that great, but I can still try to get used to jump with smaller and faster ones. dudeist skydiver #42

Shipping an item such as parachute from US/Canada, or from anywhere in the world, to the south-east Europe is quite expensive - approx 150 to 200+ euro + taxes and that is if I`m lucky (I paid 65 euro just for sending AAD to maintenance). So that is a big issue when buying on a budget. I`ll probably look for it here or in the neighboring countries and smuggle it across border . That is why I asked for some wide-spread-time-proven model, greater chance of finding it. Second option is that one of my friends that lives in US buy it for me and bring it here when he come to visit (but that is so much fuss, don`t you think?). In fact I do ONLY flat pack (without packing tabs) and I haven`t learned PRO pack yet (but I can pack a round canopy in 10 minutes though

I need all-around canopy. By the time i get to swoop i`ll probably buy another. Size around 190 because I figure I`m not getting any lighter. 170sqft is maybe enough for now but two-three years from now when I add few pounds more under my belt... Correct me if I`m wrong. Any idea on ZP/non-ZP and some widespread/popular model? dudeist skydiver #42

Whoa, that was a quick answer.

Hi. I need advice about canopy selection. I have little under 400 jumps, all with big accuracy canopies, para-foil and alike (30 jumps with round one) and want to buy complete rig for myself. I just started camera flying and current gear that i`m using isn`t good enough to bring me back from long spots. I especially need advice regarding canopy size for my experience level. So far I jumped "classic" accuracy with consistent tuffet landings and good accuracy canopy skills, but i don`t want to jump this discipline any longer (at least not on regular basis). Never jumped with faster/smaller canopy. I`m on a budget, buying used rig that must last for couple of years. My exit weight is about 205 lbs. I have searched the forums but was unable to find any similar post, i.e. most of the "canopy choosing" advice are given to beginners or people who are downsizing. mircan dudeist skydiver #42