Digital voice recorder n journaling

[SunnyWalker]

I am picking up a new digital voice recorder tomorrow. Plan to start journaling now and then when I start cdt (June/July 2013) I'll be in real good practice. I've looked thru WB for a couple of days on the subject of journals and see that general consensus is paper. It kind of surprises me with our love affair w/tech and elec gadgets. I have used many recorders over the years. From micro cassette recorders I used when I did a short stint as a reporter, school, college etc. I use an inexpensive one (digital recorder) now to track certain things in my life. When I rode w/my son from Amarillo to Oregon coast by bicycle I used a a small cassette recorder w/the usual size cassette. There were extenuating circumstances to why I did not use a micro-cassette recorder. This tech has come so far that of course these recorders are digital. On the bike trip I did my recording in the day and also to talk to certain people. It was a great way to capture many events, memories etc. I had a laugh when we got home, my wife asked me to listen to one of her favorite entries. It's a night when I am in the bag and I talk slower n slower until you hear a long pause n then a snore. So you can capture some neat moments.
So, anyone doing this w/success? I am going to use a Sony ICDUX523. Uses 1 AAA bat. This is a long way from the cheapie recorders. Nowdays when you look at the recording time, storage capacity n then some w/SD cards, USB port, its really something. Will be either swapping out SD cards or emailing portions home. This is why I am doing this now to work the wrinkles out. Will use Dragon Naturally Speaking software for transcribing the recordings. All in all I think its a good plan. Anyone else doing this w/success?

[kayak karl]

i use this recorder. i just use it for kayaking and GPSing trails. works good. i keep mine in a waterproof sleeve. i swap out cards.

[kayak karl]

i use it WITH gps to remember landmarks, turns and water etc.

[rocketsocks]

I have over the years used an old mini tape recorder,that I bought a long time ago,after talking to a writer in my family that recommended it to me.I had,at a Thanksgiving dinner one year,said that I had very bad penmanship,and writing skills,and suck spelling(not that any of that has improved over the years) and therefore shied away from writing,She asked why I wanted to write,to which I replied,"Cause I just might have something to say"It was a good investment,and yes, if I were to ever do a trail journal in the traditional sense,I'd get a new digital recorder,as to avoid all those little tapes.Great topic.

[rocketsocks]

I have over the years used an old mini tape recorder,that I bought a long time ago,after talking to a writer in my family that recommended it to me.I had,at a Thanksgiving dinner one year,said that I had very bad penmanship,and writing skills,and suck spelling(not that any of that has improved over the years) and therefore shied away from writing,She asked why I wanted to write,to which I replied,"Cause I just might have something to say"It was a good investment,and yes, if I were to ever do a trail journal in the traditional sense,I'd get a new digital recorder,as to avoid all those little tapes.Great topic.

Incidentally,"spell check" is my friend to which without,I would be lost!

[Spokes]

I like paper myself. Let's me unwind as I write while laying warm inside my sleeping bag.
I realize your use of the digital recorder is different but I found on my thru hike folks following along liked listening to audio updates. Smartphones make it easy.

Some suggestions to achieve this are:
- set up a free www.trailphone.net account and post an audio update
- get the AudioBoo app (free) and post and audio update via your twitter account
- set up a free WordPress account and use the "post by voice" feature or use AudioBoo app to link your adio Tweets to your WP blog.

Cheers!

[SunnyWalker]

Dear Spokes: Thankyou for all these suggestions. I will use at least two separate folders on the recorder. ONE for "public consumption" of which I will post on something like that or WB or Postholer. These comments will be just pretty factual and not a whole lot of personal info/stories. Reason being I feel I loose control of anything posted. The goal of the project is to produce something in writing 'bout the trip and experience. -The other folder will be all my notes, etc.

[rocketsocks]

I like paper myself. Let's me unwind as I write while laying warm inside my sleeping bag.
I realize your use of the digital recorder is different but I found on my thru hike folks following along liked listening to audio updates. Smartphones make it easy.

Some suggestions to achieve this are:
- set up a free www.trailphone.net account and post an audio update
- get the AudioBoo app (free) and post and audio update via your twitter account
- set up a free WordPress account and use the "post by voice" feature or use AudioBoo app to link your adio Tweets to your WP blog.

Cheers!

Thanks for the advise Spokes,And for those of you that have not seen "Spokes video journals",check em out at "Trail journals",they are awesome and took me about 4 hours to see em all,and well worth the time,very rich and just plain fun,again,nice job Spokes!

[kayak karl]

i got DRAGON for my laptop. i just plug the recorder's speaker into to computers mic. and it types it up for me. if you learn the commands you can start sentences, punctuation, new line, caps and paragraphs.

[rocketsocks]

i got DRAGON for my laptop. i just plug the recorder's speaker into to computers mic. and it types it up for me. if you learn the commands you can start sentences, punctuation, new line, caps and paragraphs.

What a great piece of hardware/software,allowing so many that may otherwise might be excluded from typing,for what ever reason.

[SunnyWalker]

Yeah, that Dragon softwre is something.

Thanks Kayak Karl n Spokes n Rocketsocks for the suggesstions n fine n encouraging words. Now off to watch Spokes' videos!

[JJJ]

Thanks for the advise Spokes,And for those of you that have not seen "Spokes video journals",check em out at "Trail journals",they are awesome and took me about 4 hours to see em all,and well worth the time,very rich and just plain fun,again,nice job Spokes!

I could not find it at http://www.trailjournals.com/journals.cfm

[rocketsocks]

I could not find it at http://www.trailjournals.com/journals.cfm

oh,man,Hope I did give out mis info.I thought thats where it was,let me poke around a bit,sorry.And it really is very good to view.

[rocketsocks]

oh,man,Hope I did give out mis info.I thought thats where it was,let me poke around a bit,sorry.And it really is very good to view.

Yep jj it's there,are you sure you spelled Spokes right.give it another shot...it also on you-tube.

[LeeAllure]

I'm planning on bringing my audio recorder along, mailing /swapping out the SD cards.
I suppose some people would like to hear the audio, but I'd only put them up after copious editing,
and it's a lot easier to get my audio transcribed.

[leaftye]

Good ideas. I've had some of the same ideas after I found that I wouldn't journal sufficiently on my hikes. Sometimes that was because my fingers were too cold at the end of the day, or I didn't want to break my pace to write down the name of the hikers I had just met, or because it was just too much writing. My thoughts only got as far as using a recorder, Dragon and trying to find a way to upload the journals to the trailphone site...and preferably have someone at home convert it with Dragon. There are other great ideas here too.

[SunnyWalker]

It's pretty easy to use a recorder. I salute all those who do a real journal on devices like a smartphone, Palm, Pocketmail(thing of the past?). To me to try to peck it out on one of them , well the thought of it is kind of mentally stifling. This method is not the cure-all-end-all but I think it'll wk for me. Lot more creativity, inspiration, imagination, sound, emotion can go into a record of this type. OK, I need to stop!

[rocketsocks]

It's pretty easy to use a recorder. I salute all those who do a real journal on devices like a smartphone, Palm, Pocketmail(thing of the past?). To me to try to peck it out on one of them , well the thought of it is kind of mentally stifling. This method is not the cure-all-end-all but I think it'll wk for me. Lot more creativity, inspiration, imagination, sound, emotion can go into a record of this type. OK, I need to stop!

Ah yes,the creativity,unhindered and with continuity of thought.

[kayak karl]

if your a writer it will help, but for me my journaling went from a paragraph each day to "this week we walked and it rained Tuesday"

[SunnyWalker]

Ha ha, yes it can take some attention n work. Kayak, it sure is worth it though.
LLallure: what type/brand/model of device are you using? Please tell us how this has worked for you.