GoatCam!

Yes, thats right. It says GoatCam!

I went to a Hamfest (its a flea market for ham radio stuff) and whilst I was looking around I saw a kid goat with a red bag on its back. You'll never believe what was in its bag! It was only a TV camera and a transmitter. The goats owner could then see what the goat could see by watching the picture. I have no idea what possesed the goats owner to do such a thing but it appealed to my warped sense of humour all the same. I took a few pictures as I didn't think anyone would believe me.

Mvc-006s.jpg (72192 bytes) In the left picture we can see some children petting the goat. The red bags on either side of it hold the TV equipment. The white plate on the top is the support for the camera and antenna. As you can see, the goat seems to be quite happy wearing the GoatCam.

 

 

Here's another look at the goat. In the picture on the right you can just make out the camera on its mast and the antenna in the midle of the goats back.

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The picture on the left shows the camera and antenna more clearly. I asked the goats owner how he made it. He says its based on a colour camera available from RadioShack and a low power ATV transmitter he built. The power is supplied by a battery in one of the pockets and the resulting transmission is then pushed through a 'rubber duck' type antenna. The camera also has a microphone so that he can hear whats going on around the goat.

The goats owner told me that the next phase in the GoatCam was to put a GPS receiver in the bag too so that he could see just where the goat had gone when it was roaming around his farm at home.

 

© & ® Mark A Phillips, G7LTT 1997-2008