{"id":90147,"date":"2020-10-07T05:48:56","date_gmt":"2020-10-07T11:48:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=90147"},"modified":"2020-10-07T10:15:48","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T16:15:48","slug":"the-tikit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/07\/the-tikit\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tikit"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’re ever annoyed by those highly irritating audible seat belt alarms in your vehicle this little piece of hardware is your ticket to some blessed relief. It’s literally saving this bird photographers ass (explanation to follow). And if you ever haul groceries or pets in your pressure-sensitive passenger seat it may be the perfect solution to a huge annoyance.<\/p>\n

I despise seat belt alarms that can’t be turned completely, and I do mean completely<\/em>, off. Typically I photograph birds on country roads with little or no traffic and I’m usually driving not much faster than walking speed while looking for them. It goes without saying that I can’t have my seat belt on when twisting in my seat to aim my lens out the window. When I have to micro-maneuver my pickup for a better shooting angle or better light that damn alarm going off has scared off countless birds in the past.<\/p>\n

With my previous pickups I’ve partially solved the problem by fastening the seat belt behind me which bypasses the alarm. It was inconvenient but it worked. But it doesn’t work with my new pickup because the buckles of the fastened seat belt poke me sharply in the butt to the point of great discomfort and even significant pain over the course of the morning.<\/p>\n

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That red seat belt indicator on the left means I’m hearing the alarm or I’m about to hear it. That alarm is so incredibly loud and annoying I did some research and found a convoluted strategy that was supposed to turn the alarm off but it only did so partially – the alarm would still go off four times when I first started my engine although it wouldn’t come on again after that.<\/p>\n

So that didn’t solve my problem because it scared birds off when I started the engine for a micro-maneuver. The engine is surprisingly quiet but that damn alarm sure isn’t. It’s meant to be annoying to the point of distraction and it is..<\/p>\n

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This little piece of stamped steel was my salvation. It’s called a Tikit and it’s available online<\/a><\/span><\/span> for $5.99. It’s universal for any car or truck and in a pinch it even doubles as a bottle opener (no, I don’t have a connection to the company – none at all).<\/p>\n

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Here it is installed on my driver’s side seat belt receptacle next to my lens caddy which is secured in place by my middle seat belt. It bypasses the alarm so the only sound to be heard is yours truly blessing the quiet. And it never pokes me in the ass.<\/p>\n

Most of the time I keep it in a storage depression on my dash but I can grab it and click it into place in less than three seconds. It works perfectly and I don’t have to be a contortionist to fasten the real seat belt behind me.<\/p>\n

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I’m prone to losing things so when I saw that these little miracles were available I ordered four of them. They’re so light they were mailed as a letter requiring only 95 cents postage – no shipping costs and they arrived four days after I ordered them.<\/p>\n

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So whether you’re a bird photographer, a dog owner, someone who regularly hauls groceries or a rancher checking fences maybe the Tikit is just the ticket for you. Thousands have also been sold to hunters, off-roaders, police officers and EMT’s.<\/p>\n

Ron<\/p>\n

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Notes:<\/em><\/p>\n