Garmin rear view radar, any use in rowing?

[Valgozi]

Anyone got one of these and used it going backwards in a rowing boat?

https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/sports-recreation/cycling/varia-rearview-radar/prod518151.html

"First radar system for bikes that warns of vehicles approaching from behind up to 150 yards (140 meters)."

Would it pick up a rowing boat coming in the other direction?

[I. M. Rowin]

<"Valgozi" wrote in message
news:838f14aa-7a29-403e...@googlegroups.com...

A much better and considerably less expensive solution is to use a head
mounted mirror. I have heard the arguments against them and consider them
stupid and bogus. I have used one mounted on my glasses for nearly 20 years
(over 20K miles in my 1X) and have never had a collision. In fact, I have
saved countless other nearby rowers from disaster by seeing impending
crashes. Even when rowing in a quad and not in bow position, I wear the
mirror and have been able to warn the bow person of possible problems ahead
well before he/she looks around.

I am pleased to say that more scullers are using mirrors here. It does take
a few weeks to become comfortable with them, but then you feel naked without
one. I have campaigned for making them mandatory for all blind boats.

An added benefit, not safety related, is that in head racing you have a
significant advantage setting and maintaining the most efficient line. Much
more relaxing knowing you don't have any surprises ahead.

I.M.

[carl]

I would second your entire argument, but we know that rowers would
rather buy expensive tech than take a short while to learn how to use a
mirror. Yet most rowers have driving licences, which presupposes that
they did once know how to use a mirror when driving.

That said, I would certainly favour a forward-looking collision
avoidance system and if this devices does it then let's see them in use.
My concern would be how well the radar would detect a target with as
small a radar reflection as a human body that is also so close to water
and waves. To splash out on kit that barely does the job would be truly
dangerous, while if having a detection system on board means you choose
not to look over your shoulder, that could be very dangerous.

The point about collisions is that they very often come from boats which
were never dead ahead but are coming at you from way to one side, often
maintaining a constant bearing from your boat. I suspect that this
Garmin device looks for larger, possibly metallic, targets which are
closing up on you from directly behind, for why would it be looking for
objects approaching you from the quarter?

Cheers -
Carl

--
Carl Douglas Racing Shells -
Fine Small-Boats/AeRoWing Low-drag Riggers/Advanced Accessories
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[sander]

I definitely can confirm the advantages of a mirror. The only objects that are hard to see heads of swimmers.

[Kit Davies]

On 07/10/2016 16:43, I. M. Rowin wrote:
>
>

I spent the best part of a season using a mirror, in the hope I would
eventually get the hang of it. Never did though. The view enters only
one eye, takes a second or two to register in the brain, and then moves
with every twitch of the head. That's just me though. If others like
them, more power to the elbow, etc etc. I find knowing one's steering
points astern, keeping one's ears open, and a regular glance over the
shoulder to be sufficient and less distracting.

The low-cost technological solutions aren't there yet, but I am certain
they are on their way.

Kit

[Henry Law]

On 07/10/16 16:43, I. M. Rowin wrote:
> A much better and considerably less expensive solution is to use a head
> mounted mirror. I have heard the arguments against them and consider
> them stupid and bogus.

I would encourage anyone thinking of this solution to give it a try, but
to beware. As a subsequent post suggests, the monocular nature of the
mirror can make it a little difficult to get used to. Also problematic
(for me at least) is the fact that everything is "doubly backwards", if
that makes sense. Even having used mine for several years, and
intending never to do without it, I sometimes find it hard to work out
which blade to pull on to avoid an object (like a river bank) which is
ahead. But that could just be me.

I use my mirror for safety purposes. But if I'm in the least unsure
about what I'm looking at (which way another vessel is heading, for
example, always a problem with rowing crews) I turn round and make sure
I get a naked-eye binocular view.

--

Henry Law Manchester, England

[Brian Chapman]

For the price of the Garmin it would be as easy to use a GoPro in the bows to send video to a phone mounted on the foot stretcher.

[Kit Davies]

I've tried that, but a screen mounted at the feet simply doesn't have
the resolution to make out objects dead ahead. In addition, you & it are
constantly moving apart and together again, and it frequently gets
obscured by screen glare.

Head-mounted versions would be better but the products are not there
yet, or if they are, they are either impractical or prohibitively expensive.

Kit

[thomas....@googlemail.com]

I think the suggestions to use videos/mirrors etc is missing the point a little – the idea of the Garmin is to flash up a warning light that there is something solid infront of you so that you do check, so I would argue it’s something you would use as well as a mirror or perhaps looking over your shoulder since often we come across things in the river that we might not notice in those quick glances across your shoulder, especially when it’s a sizable branch that’s brown in a brown river for example.I do agree it’s a little expensive at the moment however, perhaps only worth it if you were getting one for cycling and could repurpose it for rowing as well.

On that note, its nice to see more devices come out that include rowing as an option (for example the newer garmin watches now recognise the rowing stroke and log spm when you wear it erging/rowing), it helps to reduce the costs involved in the sport if tech made for a much more popular sport like cycling can be repurposed for rowing

[Valgozi]

> the idea of the Garmin is to flash up a warning light that there is something
> solid infront of you so that you do check, so I would argue it’s something
> you would use as well as a mirror or perhaps looking over your shoulder

Yes a backup warning system if looking fails because of distraction, concentration waning or a blind spot on the waterway. This could possibly be a digital coach shouting to take another look.

It says the range is 140m which would actually be a good distance to just let you know that there is definitely something to look for.

Like Carl says would the radar signal be big enough from the back of a person? Not sure what it would think of trees etc on a river bank. That's why I was hoping someone on here (or a Googling visitor) might cycle and so have given it a go in a boat.

[gsl...@gmail.com]

On Friday, October 7, 2016 at 8:07:47 AM UTC-7, Valgozi wrote:


Anybody try the Hyndsight?
http://www.hyndsightvision.com/rowing

I sometimes use a mirror. It took a while to get used to. After the first year I gave it up after having a few close calls with the mirror. I've since gone back to it but rely on it much less. I turn around often and mostly use it so I know when I have to turn around again.

At a race a few years ago, I watched someone who very experienced and very expert with a mirror steer a perfect course around a buoy--but since he didn't turn around he didn't realize the buoy was on the other side of the course.

[carl]

I did my usual thuddy blunderbird trick of pressing the wrong button &
posting not to RSR but back to Henry Law. (Why would Thunderbird
suppose that the first priority when responding to a news group would be
to reply solely to the author of a post. But, then, why do the software
writers feel the need to keep moving the goalposts, forcing dummies
Here, FWIW, is what I then wrote:

"Some may be able to navigate with a mirror, many others may not. But
many users tell me that their mirror is not for navigation but to warn
that it's time to take a proper look - if it shows something not
necessarily defined or identifiable but unexpected, it could be vital to
take a quick look."

[wicher...@gmail.com]

Op vrijdag 7 oktober 2016 17:07:47 UTC+2 schreef Valgozi:

Now that the price of this gadget has dropped to about 80 euro's i am more interested.
Has anybody tried this radar system on his rowing boat? Does it recognise other rowers when approaching directly (as would be the case in our straight canal)?

[carl]

> ---
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>

Another bonus would be if it could also tell you that another boat (or
object) was closing with you on any constant bearing to your own path -
a firm indicator of your being on a collision course.

Better than having to rely on that 6th sense - that it is vital to look
round now - which has saved some of us from nasty impacts.

[RS]

Mirrors - I'd always been proponent of the "look around " method for knowing where I'm going but getting older makes that less easy. I've tried mirrors several times and couldn't get on with them then someone said I was doing it wrong.
My thinking was to get the thing on a long stick several inches from my eye, what I needed to do was get it as close to my eye a reasonable (say 2 inches) and ignore it, eventually your brain starts to use it. That seemed to have worked, after about a dozen outings I could use the mirror.

Anything that increases your ability to avoid collisions is good, anything that just becomes a crutch providing a false sense of security is bad, rear view cameras and radar, to be decided.