Highway2Hell

I've been searching through the forum and wonder if anyone has come up with a combo mount for dash camera and radar detector. I've looked through the blendmount post and see that most dash camera have been mounted via the adhesive tape to the window. Id like a setup where nothing is attached to the windsheild. Of course I'm also concerned having too much weight on the mirror too. Has anyone found a better mousetrap for having both a radar detector and dash camera not attached to the windshield?
At this time I still have not decided which radar detector (Uniden R3, Escort Max 360/c) or dash Camera ( BlackVue, ..still educating myself on other models) front, rear and interior.

Would like recommendations or pictures of what others may have come up with as lessons learned so I don't make mistakes in my consideration. Thanks.
If you want to post pros/cons of radar detectors and/or cameras I'm all ears. I just have no desire for laser jammers at this point. For the most part I drive the speed limit, just some times I want to put the hammer down to pass or get a thrill. Short burst is what I like to think. Ha ha!

vodkag

Dont have a combo mount...but i do have both a V1 and a Vanture N2 hard wired

i have the V1 on the top left corner of the windshield, doesnt bother me at all and is easy to reach to press for mute.

the Vanture N2 is small enough that i just have it mounted below the rear view mirror

whacky

Definitely interested in the same.

I initially didn't want anything stuck to the inside glass.
The look from the outside seems less than clean.

However, I think I would prefer the look of the dash cam hiding behind the rear view mirror from the viewpoint of the driver. Out of sight, not disrupting the field of view.
I'd think a double Blendmount option may be difficult to achieve that look.

Either way, definitely following if anyone has done the double mount.

StormRune

I've purposely positioned my dash cam so it is almost totally behind the mirror from my point of view just to improve visibility on the road. It also gives the camera an almost centered point of view. My radar detector is up as high as it will go to the left of the mirror, again as far out of the way of my sight lines as possible.

I don't do a mirror mount because the mirror already occludes my field of view in that area some and I wouldn't want to make it worse. I'm tall enough I have to bend to peek under it to look for other cars in certain situations. Putting two things up there seems like it would create a full blockage at just about the point you'd be looking for other cars at a four-way stop.

I understand it violates your wish not to have stuff stuck to the windshield, but I think it is the safer way to go.

If you look closely in this photo you can see the dash cam lens (dark spot on the silver housing) just to the left of corner of the darkened mirror area and the detector sticky cup to the right, way high so that I can see well underneath them.

Chris - 97C2

@StormRune - any chance for an interior view? Would love to see what they look like from the driving position. Thanks!

Luvwine

StormRune

I went out and took a couple. I confused vehicles a little in my first post.... in my truck (second photo) the dash cam is behind the mirror. In the Porsche, the toll tag is behind the mirror and the dashcam is to the right up high (first photo). I took both photos from my eye point. The camera in my case is a Thinkware F800. Both are hardwired to the driver's side fuse box with wiring concealed in the A-pillar and headliner like many others here.



Just the lens "tube" is visible from behind the mirror on the truck.

Wujohn

Interesting thread for me as I am looking for a radar detector now - Uniden R3 seems to get consistent good reviews (plus blend mount) but a lot of folks here seem to use Valentine.

Just curious, is the point of the camera for accidents or something else. Perhaps I am a Luddite but I've never considered a camera in my car. I'd hate to have video evidence of me driving fast (not reckless). Can you share your reasoning?

Chris - 97C2

Thanks, much appreciated! I will probably do the same. Don't like the Blendmount install under the mirror as it looks to block too much of the view.

StormRune

So far I've mostly gotten amusing videos to show family and friends of horrible drivers doing stupid things. I also use it to record my autocross runs (I have some of them on YouTube).

But the real thought is since I figure I am less likely to be at fault than another driver in an accident (I may also drive fast in the right place and time but not recklessly), many might assume the guy in the fast sports car is at fault and blame me... or I might end up in one of those shared-blame situations when the police can't determine fault and my insurance still takes a hit. I like having the ability to prove I wasn't at fault.

I also try to point the car when parked out away from home with the camera pointing towards other moving cars in case someone dings or scrapes my car while parked. My pickup truck's camera also stays on in parking mode and is parked outside. It recorded some "kids" stealing stuff out of the neighbors' unlocked cars. I was able to share it with those people.

Just for grins, here is one of the YouTube autocross ones from a dash cam. By the way this is my prior camera that I replaced due to its repeated problems recording video reliably, although its audio was better. While the video features on my new ThinkWare F800 are great, the audio is pretty poor when running with the windows down. The mike can't handle the wind movement in the cockpit at all and sounds terrible. The windshield mount you see beneath it is for my phone which is running Harry's Lap Timer in autocross mode.

Luvwine

Wujohn

Sound reasoning so I guess I have another $500 toy to add to the car. Thanks!

Highway2Hell

For me I'm looking for a nice clean install kind of hidden by the mirror. The camera behind it..
My main reasoning for the camera is protection from other idiot drivers. I've seen too many distracted drivers just rear ending people. I guess secondly I'm looking for a little security, those times I park it on the street or some event where I'm not able to keep an eye on it. Maybe even an over night hotel stay. I guess more to ease my paranoid mind! ha ha.

mwlmd

I have blendmount with escort 360c. Previously had uniden r3. I would rec the Uniden over the escort for anyone concerned with visibility. It has a much smaller footprint with equal efficacy. I have never had a dashcam. They seem to be very popular in Russia! Do folks worry about battery drain if they are always on?

StormRune

The higher-end ThinkWare models have automatic shutoff built right into the dash cam. You set a max parking-mode time and a minimum battery level and the camera will shut off once either of those is met. You manage those settings on your smart phone app that connects via WiFi.

The BlackVue cameras have an external device that can do a time and voltage cut off as well, but you have to control it with toggle switches on the box.

Both require a ground plus two hardwired positive connections, one to always-on power and one to switched power. Both are available in our fuse boxes. In both cases you have to set the cutoff voltage fairly low, around 12 volts, to keep them on a while. It doesn't seen to case any significant drainage/lifetime problems in my experience over the last few years though. My batteries have lasted as long as most do here. I should point out that I only use parking mode on the car when its out in the real world, at home I usually disconnect the camera and move it back over to my truck since I'm two cheap to buy two cameras (the F800 mount makes this easy).