GoPro WiFi Mod for Ice Fishing

[jkind]

I have used my GoPro to video me catching fish in my kayak and flyfishing on the river and use a 17+ year old Aqua-Vu for ice fishing. The Aqua-Vu is OK but I wanted to get higher resolution videos for ice fishing.

I mounted my GoPro to the Aqua-Vu camera and let it record until the battery was dead...the video was much clearer and in color (note: you need the dive housing or a flat lense for the GoPro to film underwater).

I wanted more control so I could record shorter clips and make the battery last longer but my GoPro wifi does not work underwater so I wrapped the wifi remote and the waterproof camera housing with wire wrap wire (10 or 12 wraps of the fine blue wire in the photo on the remote and housing) and ran 20' of RG174 antenna cable between the camera and remote.






I tested this setup by filling the my bathtub with water and submerging the GoPro in the tub and running the remote downstairs and it worked perfectly...now to get out on the ice to test it out in real world conditions

[bwackwabbit]

So does the app record video? On the phone end? And do you get a live preview (useable like an aquaview)?

I am very interested in this and want to do this w/the new GoPro Hero Black that has built in wifi.

Let us know how you make out.

Nice work!

[jkind]

I haven't tried it with the app yet...there is a few second delay over wifi so I use the Aqua-Vu for a viewfinder.

[jkind]

Went to Gull today and tested this set up...works like a charm!
http://youtu.be/D35cof6_QII

[BeeGuy]

sweet.

would be awesome somewhere with crystal clear water

[madluk18]

Awesome video!

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

I wanna get one of these thing to attach to my net so as I go to land the fish I get a couple sweet pictures .anyone else do that ?

[Off in the Bushes]

So you where able to control the camera via the remote, just by wrapping wire around the 2 transmitters/ recievers. And this transmitted the signal?

[fish gunner]

Well done jknd. Great vid . Fantastic idea very clever.

[jkind]

Originally Posted by Off in the Bushes

So you where able to control the camera via the remote, just by wrapping wire around the 2 transmitters/ recievers. And this transmitted the signal?

Yes I wrapped the camera and the remote and then joined the wraps with 20' of RG174 Coax cable.

[Willowtrail]

Great looking video.

[Sundancefisher]

Great quality...crisp clear video...with fish to boot. Great job!

[Nova]

Nicely done. If Go-Pro refined the idea a bit they could really kick the competition presently on the market.

[EZM]

That has to be the sharpest video I've seen for a portable set up. Nice job.

[PlayDoh]

I know this thread is old, but I thought I'd add my experiences for others that might find the thread and want to try it.
I first did as jkind did, but although it worked, I found using the wire wrap wire unnecessary. Also by just stripping the end of the RG174 to either 6.25 cm or 12.5 cm and taping or as I did Hot Gluing the one end to the GoPro rear door, and taping the other end to the iphone, ipad or other wifi device, it works a bit better.
Here is another 'how to' I ended up following.
http://paulillsley.com/GoPro_Underwa...tup/index.html

[PlayDoh]

Not to mention the wire wrap wire cost me just under $20, which is ridiculous.

[jkind]

I am going to modify mine like this...that wire wrap wire is a pain!

[PlayDoh]

Ya I never would have guessed it would work that easily, yet when I headed out to the lake I didn't wrap my phone with wire yet, and planned on doing it there. Yet it worked by just holding the wire to the phone.
I've read twice that the length you strip is important. Either 6.25 or 12.5 cm. 6.5 cm is the width of the GoPro but I went across and back with a tight turn. 13 cm is the width of the iPad mini I use. Put the wire just above the bottom of the iPad (above) speakers, and near the top of the GoPro.
I put the GoPro tripod mount onto the bottom of a plastic tobacco can, put 2 small u-bolts on the sides of the can near the top, and filled the can with rocks. Used a small diameter rope to the u-bolts and drop it down.
Once down there I drop a lure in a hole 2-3 feet away and then twist the rope a bit and just lift the can off the bottom so it will spin slowly and drop it down and wait for the delay to let me know if the lure is visible. If not another small lift. Works pretty well.
I probably never would have tried it if not for your post jkind. Thanks for sharing.

[Stinky Buffalo]

That is so awesome. Now I know what do with all my leftover wire-wrap wire from the Olden Days!

[Brandonkop]

Great idea I missed this thread when it was originally posted I'll have to see if I can do the same thing. I just usually leave it run and change the battery when it runs out. If you have to turn it on and off sometimes miss the good stuff since I don't have a camera and don't look down the hole, just use the Marcum.

[sanjuanworm]

We tried this on the weekend. Works like a charm. Made our own bottom deployment system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...UO1Klv7U#t=112

Still working on the finer details. Vis wasn't the greatest but this is 26 ft deep.

[sanjuanworm]

I also like how you can hear him chomp down on the bait.

[fishcommander]

Originally Posted by PlayDoh

I know this thread is old, but I thought I'd add my experiences for others that might find the thread and want to try it.
I first did as jkind did, but although it worked, I found using the wire wrap wire unnecessary. Also by just stripping the end of the RG174 to either 6.25 cm or 12.5 cm and taping or as I did Hot Gluing the one end to the GoPro rear door, and taping the other end to the iphone, ipad or other wifi device, it works a bit better.
Here is another 'how to' I ended up following.
http://paulillsley.com/GoPro_Underwa...tup/index.html

Thanx a lot for posting this information. Just tried my camera in the water and lost the signal immediately in the water. Rookie! Where did you get the wire?

[jkind]

I bought mine at Kohen Electronics in Red Deer.

[fishcommander]

Originally Posted by PlayDoh

I know this thread is old, but I thought I'd add my experiences for others that might find the thread and want to try it.
I first did as jkind did, but although it worked, I found using the wire wrap wire unnecessary. Also by just stripping the end of the RG174 to either 6.25 cm or 12.5 cm and taping or as I did Hot Gluing the one end to the GoPro rear door, and taping the other end to the iphone, ipad or other wifi device, it works a bit better.
Here is another 'how to' I ended up following.
http://paulillsley.com/GoPro_Underwa...tup/index.html

Does anybody know the siginificance of the 6.25 cm? I REALLY need to learn to read directions more carefully.

[fishcommander]

Originally Posted by jkind

I bought mine at Kohen Electronics in Red Deer.

Thank you! Ordered the wire. Great service at this place.

[PlayDoh]

Originally Posted by fishcommander

Thanx a lot for posting this information. Just tried my camera in the water and lost the signal immediately in the water. Rookie! Where did you get the wire?

Likely too late, but I got the antenna wire at MRO. They specialize in radio and electronics. Their not the cheapest place to buy things, yet I haven’t compared them to anyone else in AB.
https://www.mroelectronics.com

Personally I found my GoPro didn’t do that great underwater with anything but bright light. Not much does, but it’s a bit worse than my B&W Marcum and Aqua-vu.

Yet if you have a GoPro 4 or higher with the ProTune it looks like it’s much better for underwater. There’s tons and tons of videos explaining the best settings, and I recommend watching some. The best resolution and highest frame rate isn’t always the best. Specifically frame rate. Higher frame rates equal shorter capture time and that can often equal lower exposure, meaning less light.

What I found what worked best for using the GoPro, was to attach it to my Marcum camera. I picked it up for $150 I think a couple years ago, and with both cameras pointed the same way, I can record in color, and view in real time, without lag.

Lag is a real issue with wifi. Above or underwater, a GoPro with wifi can delay (lag) the video by a few seconds. That’s not very effective for a fish camera, I found.

I spent quite a bit of money getting hdmi adapters and low profile, right angle USB mini adapters. Then on Glands to install in the dive housing to run the cables through and keep it waterproof. Yet in the end I never bothered trying to make it all work. A Marcum or Aqua-Vu are nice and portable and attaching the GoPro to it was the easiest and cheapest way to go.

[fishcommander]

I got my camera working today! So excited to watch it go down the icy hole and still stay live on my phone! I'll post a link to instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu2ryBxlokC/