Has anybody tried mounting anything extra on the dash or somewhere in the field of view? I purchased a Garmin catalyst to use in my track car before deciding to get the SR3. I’d like to mount it and try to use it with noise cancelling AirPods. Thoughts?
I have my Catalyst mounted on the passenger side stay. We steal power from cabling running to the dash. The camera is mounted on the bottom of the hoop. All in all I'm pretty happy with the setup. Keep in mind the Catalyst and it's mounting equipment are not meant to get wet, so you'll want to be able to remove it in the case of rain.
Awesome thanks for the pics. If you happen to have a link or pics of the wiring harness and mount that would be great too. I assume you used Garmins camera?
@cirrusdriver You don't need a special wiring harness - the Catalyst comes with everything you need. You have to use the supplied camera with the Catalyst as well or it will not work properly. For the mount we are just using a RAM mount for whatever diameter the stay is - I believe it's 1 1/2".
Garrett,
Have you tried using earbuds for the coaching aspect of the catalyst or do you use it only for data analysis.
Ben
I use earbuds. I don't have audio in my helmet, so I'm using a Lexin bluetooth motorcycle unit and a corded set of moldable ear buds from FUZE Racing. It works pretty well and removes the need for ear plugs since the intake is so loud.
Hey Garrett,
I successfully mounted and hardwired the Catalyst in a good spot. I’m struggling with mounting the camera to the hoop bar. It really is only setup to mount on a windshield. How did you mount yours? Any close up pics would be great.
Ben
I will take some pictures later today or tomorrow and post them. I have the camera mounted on the bottom of the roll hoop. You cannot mount it on the top using the supplied sticky mount. I haven't yet found a third party supplier like RAM that has a ball acceptor of the correct size so I could mount it to the stay instead.
Did you just use the double sided tape that came with the camera? I would have liked to mount it horizontally to keep it out of the wind but it appears that the camera is not self leveling so it can only be mounted vertically. I’m just not sure if the tape will hold at 130 mph.
I have it mounted just like that. As long as you prepped the surface with some alcohol before hand you should have no issues. I run a VIRB on the top of the hoop using nothing but the tape and that holds just fine as well.
I 3D printed a simple bracket, and attached it with velcro just in front of the cockpit. This gives it a clear view of the road, and I can quickly remove it if needed so it doesn't get wet.
For the Catalyst users, how useful are you finding the device?
I'm biased a bit because I know some of the guys on the Catalyst team, but I have really enjoyed using it. There are three main bits I get get out of it:
- Voice coaching
- Green/red during the lap to know if I'm improving
- Post session review
The voice coaching is helpful in triggering the memory of what I planned to work on going into a corner. The phrase the unit uses isn't always the important part, just that it talks to me coming into a corner reminding me what my best path through has been.
The green/red on the display is much easier to check than the predictive on the AIM so I know if I'm beating my previous time. It takes me time to warm up to the speed of the Radical and my best laps are usually towards the end of the session. Keeping the screen green keeps me pushing forward.
My workflow pre-Catalyst was to pull the AIM data and footage at lunch/dinner each day and review. This gave me the chance to identify things I need to work on and those I had improved. The biggest issue here is time. This takes ~30 minutes between getting the data off the AIM, getting the video loaded, and finding the right spots in the video and the data to inspect. The Catalyst has made it super simple to do this immediately after every session in less than 5 minutes. I still pull the AIM data and footage at each night so I can review after I leave the track, but the Catalyst gets me through the day and is much easier to use for quick review.
Thanks Garrett. The post session review seems really useful. I don't review my data until I get home and it's a chore to remember what was happening, take mental or physical notes, and recall them again the next time I go to the track. I have gotten into the bad habit of looking at my predictive time on the MXL screen throughout the lap, so I'm already getting the instant feedback (probably relying on this too much). The live coaching aspect, maybe that would be helpful, I'm not sure. I saw some reviews online and the catalyst would say "brake later in this corner". Is there a list of voice prompts it can say?
The mounting options in the Radical seem less than optimal. Mounting low on the right side of the cockpit, is it distracting to look down there while driving?
I agree that AIM, while useful, needs to work on ease-of-use for quick review post session. They were promising an IOS app ever since the new SOLO 2 debuted 3 years ago. I looked recently and it looks like they gave up on it because there is no mention of it on their website anymore. Seems like they are the only ones without an app now, which is pretty ridiculous.
BTW, have you tried Apex Pro? I'm curious if it provides many of the benefits of the Catalyst for quick post session review.
I believe there is a list of the phrases somewhere. They are always on topic but aren't memorable. It says things like brake earlier, brake later, apex earlier, etc. The key is that you review what the unit shows you before you go back out.
As far as mounting goes, I can see it in my peripheral when I look at my AIM which is more than enough for on track. The text on screen is much larger and easier to read than the AIM, so I'm not turning my head any more than I would to look at the AIM (and much less than to check mirrors). The Catalyst isn't made for an open wheel car, but I haven't had any trouble with it so far.
I tried an Apex once. I think it's similar, but the Catalyst is an Apex on steroids. I really enjoy the video review possible with the Catalyst. You can inspect a section, watch the video, quickly see what the "best" line you took through a corner was, and attempt to repeat it. The tying together of data plus video in something I can hold in my hand, review in less than 5 minutes, and then slap back in the car is what makes the Catalyst so great. I don't need my phone, I don't need to connect to anything, it's all self contained.
It's also important to keep in mind what the Catalyst is and isn't. It is measuring what you do on track and showing you the best version of what you have actually done. It's not a theoretical that is unachievable like in AIM nor is it measuring "potential grip" like the Apex (which I'm skeptical of anyway). It will help you reduce variation in your laps and become very consistent at doing the same lap. Catalyst helps you get consistent, then you go experiment, and then fold those experiments that made you faster into your consistent lap.
It isn't going to "coach" you into fixing your line if it is terrible and you never deviate from it. If you are extremely consistent, but always take a bad line through a corner/brake too early/get on the throttle too soon, it will never help you fix that.
Long story short I would buy one. And a second one. I pay for a coach for a weekend occasionally, and even with that having the Catalyst makes our discussions much easier and more productive.
