Mini DVR build for thermal

A

Alan D

New member
purchased a Hawkeye mini DVR and put it on Hogster R and Armasight 75mm zues works like charm ! smaller than matchbox and easy to use , has built in battery that will last over 2hrs. got mine from Drone Nerds for $39 . no monitor but you can get a Hawkeye iView monitor and it just plugs right in the side of the dvr it is very cheap less than $20 bucks.
 
Petty neat Alan. Thanks for the information. When you get a chance if you could post a video from your Hogster R that would be really cool.

Burn...
 
Alan, let us know how it goes. Looking at the specs, I like that you can supply external power, the size appears nice, And the price is very affordable. The one thing that would concern me potentially is starting the record option. I didn’t see an option for a remote switch, or a rocker switch of any kind. I did see a demo saying you could turn the unit on and have it automatically start recording when power starts but for me, it can be difficult to start a DVR with gloves on at least with a push button switch. Can’t find much for reviews so looking forward to hearing from you.
 

Ditto. Would love to hear more about this DVR. Does it record sound? Be sure to post some videos.
 

My question is also the same as Kirsch, how do you begin recording? Do you have to go into the menu? Or, if you have an external power source connected, will video begin once the power is turned on, and then video stop when power is turned off?

I certainly like the price of this unit and have been wanting another DVR, but just trying to decide if this will suit me in the field.
 
very simple to use once you set up DVR , push center power button to turn unit on , when all leds light up and to top green LED lights up just push center button once to start recording and again to stop .
 
no external power needed for dvr it has built in battery last 2hrs . rigging mic I used a 9v battery. Mic is to sensitive and I need to figure how to ajust . it picks up dogs barking from blocks away but seems fuzzy when I speek
 
Originally Posted By: Alan D no external power needed for dvr it has built in battery last 2hrs . rigging mic I used a 9v battery. Mic is to sensitive and I need to figure how to ajust . it picks up dogs barking from blocks away but seems fuzzy when I speek Alan, 2 hours seems like a long time but when the temps get below freezing, and if the DVR has to be on, the battery goes quick. My other DVRs said they lasted for hours as well, and were dead after a few stands. I believe I read somewhere the unit has an auto-record when turned on feature. If this is the case, a user could wait until they see a coyote, power on the DVR, and hopefully it will start recording. This can save a lot of battery. Even with that, if you have a coyote hold up or you forget to turn off the recording, these small internal batteries don't last long, and it is nice to have an option for an external battery connection, which I believe this has.

For those looking for audio recording, many of the other DVRs have internal mics, so you don't have to worry about connecting an external mic.
 

Yeah, I have the Black Box DVR that I got years ago from Hobby Wireless that has an internal mic. I much prefer that type setup, but also the cost was higher at $115.

Will this Hawkeye DVR use a 5 volt power supply? I have some small ones on hand that I used when I had the X-Sight 2.

Alan, if you find a mic that works well, post your results. It seems like a lot of gadgets to have to attach to make it work well, but I could still see a use for when hunting hogs over feeders. I moved my Black Box to my thermal scope (Apex XQ38) which leaves a need for my hog hunting outfit for the Photon XT.

 
Amazon has small mic $7.95 for 2pc . it has three wires 5v-12v range . you use 9v battery to power mine , but it is to sensitive and fuzzes out on voice recording. Hawkeye mini dvr has built in battery that last 2hrs plus . I will snd video of recoding of the Armasight Zues thermal scope . seems to make the best videos with dvr .
 
Originally Posted By: Alan D I will send video of recoding of the Armasight Zues thermal scope.

Alan D any chance you've posted a video with this mini DVR? Would love to see one.
Brian
 
Well I broke down and spent the $ on the UNV mdvr cause it’s driving me crazy not being able to record video. Now I need to come up with a better way to connect to it. I can use the split power/video cable that the Hogster comes with but would still need an adapter. Or I may look into building my own cable for it?
 
Not trying to hijack this thread but since we’re talking recording video from a thermal, I am wondering if anybody tried to use a GoPro camera as a recording device? Dave
 
I am far from a GoPro expert and I don't own one. I have a different brand. However, I believe most of the GoPros and similar cameras capture video and have a video out option, but not a video in. This allows them to capture their own video and export, but not be used as a DVR to capture the input from a thermal or NV device.

Not sure how else you would use one because they don't see far enough or well enough like a thermal for any other use at night.

If they have a video-in option, then it could be a possible option.
 
Originally Posted By: Alan Dpurchased a Hawkeye mini DVR and put it on Hogster R and Armasight 75mm zues works like charm ! smaller than matchbox and easy to use , has built in battery that will last over 2hrs. got mine from Drone Nerds for $39 . no monitor but you can get a Hawkeye iView monitor and it just plugs right in the side of the dvr it is very cheap less than $20 bucks.

Can you show how you cabled it up? Or what cables you used to connect?
Thanks!
 


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