Blackbox mode (Spy Mode)

Sadly some of the dataloggers miss out on this important function - to start logging when external power is applied to a sleeping device, and to stop logging when the power runs out.

Not so the V-900. It lists the blackbox mode in its feature list, and it even has a special function that switches the receiver off when the external power is removed. By the way, black box mode is only entered when the device is off while you apply power through the provided USB cable and charger adapter.

If you want to use a third party adapter you will have to try it out - if the receiver doesn't switch on when you apply power then your adapter is not suitable. And don't bother connecting the receiver to a USB port on your computer - depending on the operating system the botched USB device ID can drive the computer bonkers.

If the receiver is already on then plugging and unplugging the USB cable has no effect (apart from charging the receiver of course).

This Blackbox mode is the mode I use the receiver in the most - tucked away in the car's middle console (which has a cigarette lighter socket). I use the V-900 both for the track recording and for saving my brilliant spontaneous ideas for posterity.

I found the positioning of the microphone problematic though. It is located next to the USB cable, and this makes recording awkward when the receiver is tethered. It also makes you look uncool, as if you were talking into a cable.

Another issue here again is the noise-and-light-show. Both wakeup and return to sleep are accompanied by loud beeps and blinking fests.

Reporting module

The computer companion for the V-900 is called TimeAlbum and is a Java program. This makes it usable under Windows, Mac, and Linux OS, however it requires that your machine has a Java Virtual Machine installed.

There is no data visualization included though - for that you'll need to use programs like Google Earth etc.

Import is where you select the files from your MicroSD card. Below is a typical contents of the SD card. You can see the individual track files, as well as a voice memo file.

If you need to combine two or more files into a single trip you can use the Link function. For the statistically inclined the Report function gives you a deep analysis of a trip (this was added recently in the 1.6.1 update of the TimeAlbum program).

The voice memo is tagged by the timestamp and it is also listed in the data - with a different time stamp. The GPS position associated with the voice note is recorded AFTER you release the button - that's a bit inconvenient when you are moving quickly and talking a lot. We were told that the TimeAlbum 1.5.4 or later mitigates the issue in the exported files.

As you can see the data format is not exactly standard but thankfully the TimeAlbum program allows to convert the data into compressed KML or "normal" NMEA" or "GPX''through the Export function. If you know how to use Excel you can also quickly write your own conversion macro...

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