User Guide: Introduction

Thank you for purchasing RoadHawk

Congratulations on purchasing the RoadHawk vehicle camera system. The RoadHawk is designed to be mounted to the windscreen of your vehicle and to record video, GPS, radio and G-Force data on a constant loop. As soon as the RoadHawk camera is powered up, it will start recording automatically.

This new RoadHawk camera has been designed with the very latest technology available. It provides superior video and audio quality and excels in low light conditions.

To get the most out of your RoadHawk camera, please view the USER VIDEO GUIDE

 

User Guide: Video Guide

Internet connection is required to view this video

 

User Guide: Features

• Full HD 1080p Video Recording.
• High quality sensor providing excellent video quality and tuned for low light sensitivity.
• Gyro balanced image stabilisation
• SD XC compatible (4gb to 64gb)
• External GPS antenna connection
• External Audio input connection
• 5hz GPS Receiver (RoadHawk DC2, 1hz)
• A5s processor for high quality H.264 encoding
• User controlled video bit rate setting
• User controlled G-Force, audio input and Speaker volume settings
• Audio can be disabled
• New vertical mount designed to have the lens of the camera sitting closer to the screen of the vehicle minimising reflection
• 1/4" standard camera mount thread for use with numerous camera mounts and grips.
• Low level algorithm for detecting SD card errors and warning the user of any potential problems.
• Alarm input for remote triggering events and output for communicating with tracking devices (RoadHawk DC2 ONLY)

 

User Guide: How the system works

When the camera receives power from your vehicle it starts operating within a few seconds. Video and Audio starts recording with data from the G-Force Sensors. After a short while the camera will lock on to a GPS signal which provides the camera with vehicle speed and positional data.

If the camera has not been used for some time, it can take up to 5 minutes for a GPS signal to be fully locked on. Vehicles with heated front screens or anti-glare coatings may impede the camera from receiving a suitably strong GPS signal. In this case, an external GPS antenna may be connected to the camera (sold separately).

The camera partitions the SD card by reserving 25% of the available memory for “EVENTS”. When an “EVENT” happens the camera locks a 1 min file as an “EVENT” file. When this portion of the SD card is filled it will start to overwrite these “EVENTS”.

The remaining 75% capacity on the SD card is reserved for “NORMAL” video. Once this is full it will start to overwrite the earliest files.

An “EVENT” can be triggered either manually by pressing the “E” button or when the camera detects an impact with its built-in G-Force sensor. The sensitivity of the G-Force sensor can be adjusted using the settings menu in the supplied software.

The camera will chime to let you know an EVENT has been triggered. These chimes can be disabled using the settings menu in the supplied software.

User Guide: How the video is stored

If you choose to have the G-Force sensor enabled in the settings menu of the supplied software, the camera will reserve 25% of the available memory for EVENTS. The remaining 75% of the SD card is reserved for NORMAL video.

An EVENT will be a 1 minute video clip and is triggered by either the G-Force sensor or if the user presses the E button. During these 1 minute “EVENTS” if the camera detects a further EVENT it will also lock the following 1 min file.

NORMAL video files can be set to last 1, 5, 10 or 15 minutes long.
(see “Camera Settings”)
NORMAL video will start recording as soon as the camera is powered on.

After each segment of video is recorded the RoadHawk saves the file to the SD card and instantly starts recording a new file. These files can be linked together in any normal video editing software without any gaps between the files.

An important note about how the RoadHawk camera stores video.
As you can see from the images above the camera is designed to work on a constant loop so you should not need to erase data from the SD Card. It is recommended though that the SD is formatted on a regular basis. Please click for more info on how to Format your SD Card.

User Guide: Understanding EVENTS

If you are using the RoadHawk camera as an accident black box recorder then you need to understand some important factors.

• If the camera detects an impact and you have the G-Force sensor enabled the camera will create an EVENT file.
• The camera will reserve 25% of the available SD card memory for these EVENT files.
• The amount of EVENT files you can store on your SD card will depend on the size of your SD card and the video quality you have selected.
• Once this 25% reserved for EVENTS becomes FULL the camera will overwrite the earliest EVENTS.
• An EVENT file can easily be created by driving over rough road and will depend on your G-Force sensitivity settings.
• If you have the G-Force setting too high or if the impact of the accident is very light then the camera might NOT create an EVENT file.

Therefore it is possible for you to overwrite an accident if you continue to drive with your camera on after the EVENT has taken place.

When any part of the SD card becomes full the RoadHawk will start to overwrite the earliest files.
The amount of EVENT files and NORMAL video files you can store on the SD card before they start to overwrite will depend on the video quality settings and the size of the SD card you are using.

If you choose to disable the G-Force sensor using the settings in the supplied software then the camera will NOT create EVENT files. In this mode the camera will reserve 100% of the available space on the SD card for NORMAL recordings. When the camera receives power it will start recording video until the SD card is full. Once the SD card is full the RoadHawk will start to overwrite the earliest files and continue to LOOP record until the power to the camera is stopped.

In the event of an accident you should remove power from the camera and wait for the tone to let you know the file has been closed and it is safe to remove the SD card.

 

 

User Guide: Installing the RoadHawk

The RoadHawk camera is fitted with a very wide angled lens. This is to capture as much as what is happening in front of you as possible.

10 EASY INSTALL STEPS...

1: Choose an area towards the top of the windscreen behind the rear view mirror
for the camera to sit.

2: Clean the screen with some glass cleaner and allow drying time.

3: Peel the adhesive backing away from the camera mount and place firmly on the screen.

4: Leave the mount to bond for a few minutes.

5: Use the supplied adhesive cable clips to route the power cable neatly around the windscreen. In some vehicles you might be able to push the cable in to the gap between the rubber and the screen to completely hide the cable.

6: Run the cable around the side of the dashboard and underneath towards the cigarette lighter socket. Use the cable ties to hide any remaining cable behind the dash.

7: Attach the camera to the mount and face it forwards. Keep the camera as level as possible.
(in a Truck or Bus, aim the camera slight down).

8: Plug the power cable in to the camera.

9: Plug in the cigarette lighter plug.

10: Start driving with RoadHawk total video and data protection.
 
 Now you have the RoadHawk camera installed, it will start to work when you next start driving.
If you have installed the RoadHawk camera correctly then it should be quite well hidden.

View from behind with the RoadHawk camera hidden behind the rear view mirror.

NOTE: It is possible for the RoadHawk camera to be hardwired to your vehicle. RoadHawk supply an optional “Hard Wiring Kit” to allow for this. It is recommended to have an authorised vehicle electrician carry out this work.

We recommend connecting the camera to an ignition LIVE circuit so the camera only operates when the vehicle is running. Connecting to a permanent LIVE will make the camera run 24/7 and this will reduce the life expectancy of the SD Card.

Some vehicles have “always on” accessory sockets. We recommend unplugging the camera from these sockets when not in use.

 

User Guide: Video playback

The RoadHawk makes standard .MP4 video files that can be viewed on most modern computers without using the supplied software. Simply insert the SD card in to your computer, locate the file you wish to play and double click to open it.

Windows media player, VLC or Quicktime will be able to play the video and audio files for you but to see the G-Force, Speed, GPS and mapping details then you need to install the supplied software.

The G-Force and GPS data is embedded within the .MP4 video file. To view your position on a map and to see the speed and G-Force data you will need to install the RoadHawk playing software included on a CD-ROM in the box.

User Guide: Using this software

IMPORTANT NOTE

When you run the RoadHawk software it will look for the SD card from the RoadHawk camera.
If the SD card is blank, the software will NOT see the SD Card. You MUST use the SD card in the camera BEFORE using this software.

Once you insert the SD card from the camera in to your computer it will list all the video files on that card on the right hand side of the screen. A USB card reader is supplied with the RoadHawk camera.

Just above the list of files you will see three buttons. EVENT, NORMAL and ALL.

EVENT: will list only the files that have been created by the camera because of an EVENT. This could be a collision, a pothole or a manual event created by pressing the E button on the camera.

NORMAL: Will display only NORMAL video files created by the camera, this should be your normal everyday driving. Depending on the size of the SD card you are using and also depending on the quality settings, you should expect to see your most recent journeys here.

ALL: This will display all files on the card in the order they were created. Please note that the earliest files will normally be EVENT files as these stay on the card longer than NORMAL video files.
At this point, you might be seeing a video recorded several days or weeks ago at the top of the list. Towards the bottom of the list you will start to see your normal everyday driving videos. It is normal to have gaps in these files because of the way the camera overwrites the earliest files recorded.

User Guide: View the latest version of the RoadHawk user guide online and watch video guides to get the most from your camera.

Format SD Card: Clicking this will wipe all of the data on your SD card. It is recommended to do this frequently to keep the file structure of your SD card healthy.
Once you click the button, choose the size of your SD card and wait for the software to complete the format process. WARNING: This process will delete ALL files on your SD card. Make sure you backup any files you wish to keep BEFORE formatting the SD card. Once files have been deleted, they are impossible to recover.

Saving a file: To transfer a video file from the SD card to your computer click the disk icon next to the file you wish to save: