Advice on Car Mounting

[Chris Diehl]

Hi Everyone, 

I'm going to be driving across the northern stretches of Arizona and New Mexico next week visiting various abandoned uranium mining sites and waste disposal sites. I was doing a quick search of the archives looking for advice on mounting. It looks like the suggestion is to mount it outside of the car window toward the top of the window. Any preference on placement of the sensor - driver side or passenger side? Any other tips I should follow?

Another question about the Safecast Drive app: I assume recording doesn't require a cell signal? Without a doubt where I'll be traveling, a cell signal is not a given. Can I record data and then upload it in batch later on?

Thanks for your assistance! Looking forward to contributing data!

Chris

[Mat Schaffer]

Hi Chris, I do the same typical top-of-the-window mounting. 

For a little added stability, I keep the strap taught with my hand while rolling up the window. This causes the device to get wedged into the rain guard a bit so it doesn’t flop around in windy or high speed conditions. 

If you expect a source of radiation, pointing it toward the source could yield better measurements but which side shouldn’t be too big an issue when dealing with basic environmental radiation.

I did a quick check of the iOS drive app with my iPhone's cell antenna turned off and it seems to record fine, just can't upload of course.

I also like to keep the bGeigie in log mode anyway so you have another copy on the SD. If you make folders on the card, you can use it as an archive/backup of basically everything you've ever recorded (got the idea from Joe, good warm fuzzies there :) ).

[Edouard Lafargue]

Hi Chris,

The Android app doesn't need signal either. Maps won't display properly without signal of course, unless you start the app when you still have mobile signal.

Mounting-wise, I usually put the bGeigie on the rear passenger side window: away from driver visually to avoid distractions, and facing toward the side of the road. 1000's of km of logging and no issues!

Looking forward to seeing your drives on the map,

Ed

[Chris Diehl]

Hi Mat and Ed, 

Appreciate the suggestions! I'll mount it high on the rear passenger side window and leave it in logging mode to keep a backup on the SD card. 

More to come!

Chris

[Lugul banda]

u dont need a mobile signal, u only need the nano, switsch on position log and a working GPS Signal, when return home

take the date from the micro SD Card and upload it manualy over the api Page, add some info height direction name city aso.... save and subbmit the drive....

[Wood]

Have a  Mapping good time!  The US data is scarce in a lot of places, I hope to fill in some blanks myself.

If using the Cell Phone App
IT uses the GPS location from the phone to initialize, make sure GPS is on before starting it. I think this is to load the correct map fast.  After the app starts and connects I turn my cell phone GPS off as it is a battery hog and the program keeps working.  The application logs the bGeige record including location just as the device writes it on the memory card. It does not read the bgeige log file.
*Remember, the files on the bGeige memory card may be larger and have more data than the phone app, the app does not copy the bGeige file itself.   I compare these files to see which to post, but I do not know what happens if you post both files?

The app can be useful if you want to create a record but leave out certain time frames and locations buy pausing or stopping it. The bGeige still logs to it's own file. Seeing your work realtime is interesting.

Only problem I've had with the bGeige driving is the little rubber feet move.

[Lugul banda]

i prefer to upload the sd card data, cuz it contains more information, also i had lot of measurments lost cuz my iphone and my bgeige lost theyr bluetooth connection, and after that the GPS data went amok, so i stopped using the app and have no GPS problems anymore, like i had in the past, were ~5000 measuringpoints turned into 380 cuz of gps problems... i still have one of thoses uploads hanging around not accepted... https://api.safecast.org/en-US/bgeigie_imports/36063

every time i use the app i get some strange errors like flagged measurings in my bgeige data... so i stopped working with the app,

yesterday i used it also for a short look were to move, and forgot, that i didnt wanted to use it togehter on a running drive.... and bam 1000 flagged measurings...

and i have seen much more wors if app and nano gets sepearted after handshake and meet again...