I was involved in testing and using Sennheiser MKE600 microphones and the Tascam DR-60DMKII portable recorder to capture eruptions on Stromboli in Italy, as part of the VFF Mare Nostrum eV World of Volcanoes project.
The compactness and robustness of the microphones and the portable recorder were excellent and proved extremely reliable in their operation in such extreme environmental conditions.
Both products were not affected by volcanic ash nor by the higher temperatures in the crater area, and they delivered in combination highest recording quality.
We conducted thorough tests on both devices which can be accessed here: Sennheiser MKE600 Case Study and Tascam DR-60DMKII Case Study.
During the a.m. mission to Stromboli volcano, I had also the opportunity to conduct aerial surveys using a Yuneec Typhoon Q500+ quadrocopter.
Next to capturing scenic aerial footage of Stromboli, I conducted several flights in the crater region to test the behaviour of professional compact quadrocopters during volcanic eruptions.
In collaboration with VFF Mare Nostrum eV, we produced a video depicting the beauty of Stromboli island.
A detailed review and functionality test can be accessed directly here: Yuneec Typhoon Q500+ quadrocopter.
I had the opportunity to test the reliability, durability and quality of melanin eyewear products made by Photoprotective Technologies during volcanological fieldwork in New Zealand.
The fit and seal was perfect, avoiding eye exposure to volcanic ash due to wind or rock splinters while collecting samples. The reception of the colours was top-notch. Complete test report can be accessed here: Photoprotective Technologies
I have been on the hunt for a durable and highly functional backpack for a long time and found the perfect solution with Gregory Packs. The high-quality Baltoro 65 backpack allows carrying scientific equipment and outdoor gear into the field without compromise.
It proved perfectly adapt to safely store and transport any compact-sized UAV in rugged volcanic terrain.
The aim was to assemble and customise commercial drone systems to be deployed for environmental monitoring of natural disasters and remote sensing applications.
This project was carried out as part of the RAMSAL program led by VFF Mare Nostrum eV and my role as technical advisor was to partake in the assemblage and testing phases.
Stop-motion videos of the assemblage of both a GAUI MRT 540H hexa and 850H octa drone systems were created and published. Enjoy the little audio-visual easter eggs!
Nikon GmbH (Austria): Nikon D750 FX DSLR
Atomos (Australia): Atomos Ninja Blade
IDS GmbH (Germany): IDS UI1581-LE-C
Anglebird GmbH (Austria): AVpro-MKII 500GB SSD
Beachtek Inc. (Canada): Beachtek DXA-SLR Ultra
AJA Video Systems Inc (USA): AJA Ki-Mini Pro
Onni-Tec GmbH (Germany): Onni-tec Digibuddy 5401 Charge Battery
© Ermanno Brosch 2024. All rights reserved.
