Advice sought: videoing and recording ATC chatter in-flight

[BayAreaLondoner]

Planning a flight on Sunday. We'll be in a newish C172SP.
My friend will be in the back with a camcorder and we were contemplating how to best go about recording radio communications.
I think this topic may have appeared here before, so I'm really after personal experiences.
One thought is to get a lead with a 1/4" mono jack plug at one end for the intercom and a 3.5mm stereo jack plug at the other end for the camcorder. However, impedances are likely to be different (low impedance for the headset, high for the camcorder), so that is unlikely to work and may damage the intercom.
The other thought is to get one of those suction cup pickups used for telephones. This would be attached to the headset earpiece. Not sure how well this would work though.
The final idea would be to crank the cabin speaker up, but this is the least attractive of the lot <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

Any suggestions before Sunday appreciated!!!

[Cyclic Hotline]

Check out <a href="http://www.pprune.org/cgibin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=46&t=001987&p=" target="_blank">sad git with camcorder!</a>

Right here on PPRuNe!

[Toppers]

Let us know where you'll be and we can all be on the tape with our r/t!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh and by the way, why are you doing it?? <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

[ 11 January 2002: Message edited by: Toppers ]</p>

[Genghis the Engineer]

Tie clip microphone (or better still a compact telephone bug coil) plugged into the recording device, with the business end tucked inside your headset. Works a treat, I use this method a great deal when flight testing.

Be aware that there are all sorts of rules about use of recorded RT, but if it's recorded for your own education, I don't think you're breaking any rules.

G

[Lew Ton]

Yes, what are you going to do with it and do you have the approval of the relevant ATC authorities to do it? As Genghis says, is it is for your own use then probably no one will mind but if you intend to use it commercially or even for demo purposes but semi-public then you may well incur the wraith of people, not least the Radio Communications Agency and the CAA.

[ 11 January 2002: Message edited by: Lew Ton ]</p>

[BayAreaLondoner]

Thanks for the advice everyone.
I have one of the Walkman ear-bud type headsets and will take that along, and will try to stop by a Radio Shack and pick up one of the telephone coil type things. We'll give both a try.
Why am I doing it? Well it was my friend's idea really (i.e. it is all his fault <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> ) Seriously, though, we thought it would be fun. Should be a nice flight down the coast from the Bay Area to Monterey. Get some nice footage and having relevant sound to go with it always makes it interesting. I'll edit it down after the fact to something short and sweet so friends aren't bored senseless watching it.
I'll have to check on the legality here in the US of recording such transmissions. I did spend some time both on the FAA and FCC sites but couldn't really find anything relevant. Anyway, it is for private use and I shan't be seeking to sell it.

[LRRP]

I found the Flightcell unit worthwhile.
I have stuck a couple of examples on a web page in case you are interested.
<a href="http://www.bishopsgateoffice.com/Gary/VideoTestDirectLinks.htm" target="_blank">http://www.bishopsgateoffice.com/Gary/VideoTestDirectLinks.htm</a>

[Lew Ton]

And apologies, BayAreaLondoner, for assuming you meant in the UK. Things obviously may well be different where you are. <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

[BayAreaLondoner]

LRRP - thanks for posting that I'll take a look at those.

Lew - they may be different, but it hadn't actually crossed my mind, so I'll check it out.

[BayAreaLondoner]

Well we ended up using a very low-tech approach: turned up the cabin speaker. It was acceptable, but on another occasion we'll try using the Walkman earpiece method.
We seemed to be having major intercom trouble anyway, which didn't help.