Smart phone video\range finder sight
 

http://forhuntersbyhunters.blogspot....-of-range.html

By next week I will have a smart phone mounted to my Mathews Drenalin. Why would I want to do this? For a couple of reasons…
First off, I’d like to video my hunts.This will make it really easy. Secondly, I am getting ready to write android code to enable the use of a smartphone as a range finder. Finally, once I have the application built for range finding I intend to mount the camera as my only sight which will eliminate the mechanical sight on my bow and will utilize the range finder capability that the new application will have.I am striving for a range finding sight that can take video. The possibilities are endless with this as a tool. You can see what happens to your arrows as it heads toward the target and so can get a decent idea of POI (Point of Impact) that the arrow had as well as being able to study the deer that you just took a shot at while waiting after the shot.
Unfortunately I will have to learn to program Java. I have no programming skills but I think I can learn it over the next 30 days.
Anyone else done this yet?
I think that there will be a market for this. I already have the mount knocked out and am starting on the OS software.
What do you think?

Sounds like a great plan. I hope it works for you. I would love to beta test it.

this link froze me up, aint sure if it was me or the link.

I also have a Droid (original Moto) and would gladly volunteer to field test / beta test it.

I will buy a smart phone to beta test it!

Thanks for the offers!
 

I have probably 100 requests to Beta test it...
Unfortunately the cost is prohibitive to have everyone test it...
I also had a few hundred requests to purchase the mount so I have it up for sale with more detailed video and pictures:
They are located in 2 different places on this site:
http://forhuntersbyhunters.blogspot....-of-range.html
Check it out!

WOW!!!! That's cool!!!!! I guess I need to get a new phone. But with that being on all the time hunting, you would probably have to have some extra batteries..?

I dont think so unless you do an all day gig in a tree. If you use application killer and run only 1 application and leave the screen off until you need it then you should be good to go.

I turn my phone off when I hunt. I can judge distance on my own. A compound bow is enough technology for me. I won't be buying any Smart Phone in the future. I like to keep it as basic as possible. Good Luck in your Venture.

Sounds like spam to me... of course I don't have a smart phone so it may be me. LOL You're not suppose to advertise on here dude.

There is no way you can learn how to write that program in 30 days.

HAHA!
Sure there is- I am working with the developer who has the code written already- it just needs tweaked- but I have hit a roadblock with it on uneven surfaces - it will onl work on flat ground or steady up\ downhill grades.

Sure, I understand.The crossbow and traditional guys as well as compound folks all have different opinions. I want to record my hunt- the phone can be turned to "airplane" mode to turn off the ringer. Essentially it is a video cam\camera.
You might not want to record your hunt but there are thousands that do.
I also carry my phone with me in the event of an emergency- it works well for that and I highly recommend it.
You can also use trail marking,gps,check the weather,video conference your shot in real time to anyone who has a smartphone or a computer.
My phone is the most important tool for me in the woods- only second to my bow.

FREE STUFF!
We are looking for Beta testers- 3 of them (and a backup)
www.forhuntersbyhunters.blogspot.com

im smelling spam so tell me if its hard to record your shoot with a bow mounted cameras all you se is a sudden jolt the bow shakes and you dont get the arrow hitting how does your setup eliminate this issue

i have purchased a few different bow cams and none give you a clear release picture cant see this working any better as for range finding if you want to for 20 dollars there are accurate sight mounted ranging devices that work well alot cheaper then a smart phone

spam

I record some of my hunts with a high quality video camera attached to a tree arm. You won't get very good viseo off the smart phone, it will be shakey, but if that turns you on go for it.

It is a SAD day for the American Sportsman when your phone is your second best piece of hunting equipment. Hope your battery doesn't die it may ruin your hunt, but you will probably have extras since it is so important. :woot:

he probably has it connected to some sort of solar panel just to be sure it wont go flat lol

The point is that most people carry phones.
The range finder information can be read on the site.
it isn't spam, it is reality.
It often tickles me to hear about how it can't be done when some aren't willing to go see.
I don't want all of that bracketry attached to my tree and I already own a phone. it does a heck of alot more than any camera or camcorder on the market can.
The idea is to enable most people to easily film their hunt.
I don't want to buy a big and bulky camera to lug around with me to my stands either. I often switch from location to location carrying my bow,climber and archery bag. I always have my phone on my person.
Sure there is some vibration at the shot but you still get to film the hunt and the vibration is only a fraction of a second. The camera stay on target when I shoot.
It is a lot lighter and I already have it with me so why not?

Maybe you don't understand what the capability of a smart phone is. Do you own one?
There are literally over 60 thousand applications and a whole slew geared toward hunting.
It has gps (with all kinds of maps) an internet connection and the ability to call someone in an emergency. I can even broadcast my hunt live from the tree all with my little phone.You can check the current weather by radar,search the web and plot what you see (make a database for the land you encounter and where game travel)...It can do so much more than that.
If you carry your big camera and arm, a gps, a cell phone and a pc with you you would be capable of the same thing. I'd rather just bring my phone.
So you see, it is probably the most powerful tool in my arsenal oter than my killing weapon.
There isn't any shake in the video because I don't shake when I shoot. I don't know any archers that do.The only shake is a fraction of a second when the shot is made. I can live with that,maybe you can't. I know I would be shaking from carrying all of that gear I mentioned above but I don't need it. I have it all in my wallet sized phone.I have my google maps property hunting boundaries mapped out and I can see real time where my hunting buddies are in relation to my location.It has a compas and a level to keep my bow level. I could even use it as my site if needed.
I can text,instant message,teleconference,mark way points,find daylight hours,moon phases (if you believe in that stuff) and so on.
I can also film my hunt with a package that weighs very little.
The really sad thing is that it is the future and you don't have to go along with it. I choose to.
Reminds me of the movie Big Jake when his son busts out the scope on his pistol...

Nah,
I dont need a huge battery either- just the phone.
It will last all day.
Maybe you guys have smart phones confused with those old suitcase cell phones from Miami vice.
The camera on the phone is 5 megapixel. I can take a video and upload it to youtube or photobucket or my website from the tree.
I suppose you guys don't use you tube and maybe sell your videos. if you do, I understand.
if you just post them on youtube or photobucket the quality is so poor that it wouldn't compete with my phones video quality.
There are a few nay sayers...do any of you have a smart phone.

About the video quality.
The apple iphone( comparable to the droid phone in video quality) are smart phones.
A tv commercial was made for national television utilizing a smart phone. How much better do you want it to be? Some of the smaller video cameras record in HD. Who needs more than that?

Where were you when we decided to beta test it?
Anyway...goodluck this year...I can't wait for the opener!...and I am sure you can't either...

thanks for the pics now i can make one with my garmin mount and my new iphone

or use one of these with the mount for your cap

it gets clear pics with no shaking because its not attached to your bow and only costs about 40 dollars then add one of these on your bow sight
http://www.deadonrangefinder.com/Demo.aspx for 20 dollars and you got it all for less then sixty dollars and the video quality is excellent

What is that thing?
(my cap?)
I have a pretty cheap mount now available also.
THe phone could actually be used as a sight with the (bracketing technology) but superimposed on the screen. You would look through the phone at your target ( a duplex on the screen also) and illuminated pins etc.
I really didnt want to mount a cam on me when I already have on on my phone.

Some of the guys in this thread are so clueless that it's almost pitiful.

Stick with what you know, and comment where u can apply some help or info, not babble ignorance.

The new iOS 4.1 allows 720p HD uploading to YouTube!!! That means u can literally kill on film, and go home and crop what u want and upload in HD to YouTube in minutes.

I'd love to have/try one of these out for many things, not just hunting(target shooting).

I think this is cool and can certainly appreciate someone making things that are cutting edge for the guys who live the "modern" life as well as the good ol' outdoors one. I'm posting every bit of this from a "smartphone". Pretty cool huh???;)

I'm honestly ashamed to think that Americans are actually letting electronics become involved in such a old, historic, sport like this...maybe in a couple years we'll have the bows sighting/shooting for us...

Maybe some people will like that but my phone is definitely not the second most important piece of hunting equipment. and plus i dont want all that crap on my bow anyway. I think ill just stick to judging yardage myself and also a actual video camera can get better video than phones can. Yea maybe some can record in hd or whatever but they aint gone work as good in low light or be as good on audio quality or reducing wind noise. Thats just how i feel about it.

that thing is an epic cam it is about three inches long and very light and it uploads straight to youtube as well
and explain to me if my phone is on my bow mounted in the stabliser hole how will i see through it to use it for aiming with marks superimposed on the screen REALLY ????
to much to bother with if i need to record it that little cam is great and it is light gets good video and works well to much tecnology will ruin the hunt andbelive me the pics are more stable then any i have ever taken on a bow mount and it gets the shot on video stable no bow shake and you see the arrow leave the bow as well as hit the target

i know plenty about the new phones and guess what mine makes calls as well

oh and when is the date for the wedding i want to be there to see your first dance with your phone at least it wont complain when you go hunting you get to take it with you

nice hope the two of you are happy together lol lol

Amen brother. I think that most people just aren't getting it. The ones that do are out filming now with their bows with light weight equipment that is nothing more than a stabilizer. It isn't just a "bunch of junk on your bow".
I broadcasted a clay shoot yesterday live with just my little phone.
Many people are going out and buyig the expensive cameras and carrying all of this equipment out into their spot and recording their hunts then uploading it online on poor resolution.It cracks me up.
I also realize that most people just don't realize what is out there today and how simple it is to use.They can stay in the dark ages, I choose not to like you.

You must have a trad bow to make a statement like that.
You may not want to film your hunt to remember it forever. I wish that I could have filmed my first doe and could watch it today. It is a memory in my mind.
I rely on my phone for safety and many other reasons. Phones today are like mini computers.
Sure years ago people didn't use safety harnesses or compound bows.They didn't even have a cell phone. Today people have phones and so you really can't make them not take them into the woods. It is actually foolish not to bring a phone with you in the event that you fell out of your tree or whatever.So, if you have your phone with you why not use its capabilities to film your hunt without lugging a ton of equipment with you?
I can post to hunting.net while I am out there in my tree, Why wouldn't I? I enjoy the outdoors as much as the next guy and I have a mobile phone.I don't need to take the game reg book with me either since I can look it up anytime I want in the field. I can mark locations for rub lines etc. What is different about writing it donw on paper or remembering it? It is a sad day when people choose to live in the dark ages. Heck, I can record Pawn Stars from my tree while in the field so when I get home I can watch it. I can pay my bills etc which allows me more time in the field. Honestly who wouldn't want to spend more time outdoors?

What?
I don't know what kind of phone you have but I can record in high res and my sound quality is unbelievable.
If you watch my broadcast from my tree on 10/2 you will see that the sound quality is superb. I mount my phone to my rubicons dash and video offroading and broadcast it live and the quality is as good as television.

See through it?
If you ever looked at the new phones that have been out for about a year you would see a large screen and very little border around the screen.Almost like having nothing in front of you at all.
Imagine putting that screen in place of your bowsite. Now you have a 3.25 x 2" display(that will have magnification). There are programs out now like smart measure that have a duplex right on the screen. If code was written to super impose (whatever you want- a naked girl ,bow pins whatever) on the screen you have a digital site.
Mark my words it is coming. Do whatever you want to do. Your only real arguement is not seeing the arrow hit the deer (then use a luminock). Stick with your old technology- it works fine but why not use what is in your pocket already( your cell phone). I bet soon there will be digital sights that will replace the current mechanical ones.
There will also be infra red displays as well as light enhancement.
You guys from AU have made all kinds of internet software and you don't understand this?

HAHA...Nah I take my wife bow hunting. She is going to record her hunts also. We can talk to each other in our stands while in the field without any noise.

She is a tack driver. I will take my wife and both of our phones.
Good luck Crocodile Dundee...while you are throwing a shrimp on the barbi I will be hunting with my wife who is a Barbie. Lol.

I have a low cost mount (35$)

another for $39 and a multi adjustable one for 65$

well sh!t, sounds like you go into the woods to do other things in your life. I personally go into the woods to hunt, not to do my bills, record TV shows, play games, and not really hunt. Seems like you're kind of there for the kill, but you don't enjoy just the hunt? Oh, and by the way, I'm very into eletronics and my phone. Average about 7000 texts a month....not bad eh? But i just set time aside to hunt because i enjoy it, i don't get bored and have to do other things to keep me occupied while in the woods. Maybe you should put a fence around your property, put up cameras, tracking devices and other new non"darkage" technologies if you're so into it, captain new age.

It might sound like that but I hunt primarily public land. So does my wife and my stepson. We don't have the luxury to hunt private land and I am unemployed(laid of project manager).Sounds like to me that you are another one of those people that just don't get it.
It is good to hear that you text a lot but really SMS is dead- it is for those that dont get the technology. I haven't sent a SMS text in 2 years,. I strictly IM via VOIP or go through google. You should really get with the times.Only high school kids text today.
Technology changes fater than the idiots can make comments and so the gentleman who was making fun of people like you has cemented his comment.
SMS is dead.Only retards use it today. Ever heard of IM? SMS is a way that phone companies make money off of people like you.
Get with the program. Heck, I dont even get charged for minutes. <y last cell phone bill had 0 minutes used.
Why would you even comment. Obviously you don;t get it either.
I go into the woods to enjoy it really. I don;t use a slate board and chalk to communicate with people like you do.
Again the man that made the comment earlier was on spot.Stupid is as stupid does and you fit the bill. 7000 texts? Who does this anyway? Ever heard of Google? Ever seen a smart phone? Who in their right mind would even make a comment like this?
Let me start you off on new technology and help you out with your phone bill. My family doesn't even have SMS because it is only used by people who really don't get it.
Can anyone else rally and help this person? This must be a joke and I will brush it under the rug and forget about it because you need to catch up.I can help you with that...
By the way, this is a site for bow hunting, please don't throw stones at your target- that would be "stone throwing" which doesn't fit in very well here.
I forgive you for your ignorance,Just read CNN or Mashable everyday and you wouldn't make comments like that anymore.

its impossible. obviously you dont know anything about programing and or the technology your holding in your hand. im not on here everyday to here your response but. good luck, yet impossible with what you have. perhapps in a few years. def a cool idea. just not reality. also smells like spam...

I read this again and it really scared me/
7000 texts a month = 22.5 texts a day. You realyy type that many texts a month? Besides the fact that this equates to a text an hour and you have to type that many letters in a month...dude you need to get with the program...it makes me tired thinking about what you actually do.get a smart phone,use a reguler keypad and forget about being a superstar text fool.
Condense this down and quit ragging on me because you don't understand today's technology. I could really help you out. I bet you even pay for those texts...I wouldn't be proud of that at all.
I guess the reason I con't get people to realize what I am doing is because people are really this lost...
Again, thank you brother (I can't remember the posters name) people are really this stupid that they have not a clue what-so-ever and make comments like this and think they know something...pathetic. Someday they will get it and hopefully it won't pass them by. WHAT A JOKE.
This is scary. There hasn't been an article on how uneducated people utilize our available airwaves on cluttered bullshot because they don't know any better. I guess it is great for telecom companies to capitalize on ignorance.Pathetic.