Of microphones and digital sound recording that works with Steam Engines

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wanted to appeal to your experience and oppinion. I own a JVC 2.2MegaPixel Hard Drive Video camera. This is not yet professional quality but yields very good results and is easily editable with the new programs these days like Magix.

Unfortunetly, it only has a built in stereo mic in front and no axialiary input. Now the the built in microphones for the average family vacation just get blown away by steam whistles and cylinder cocks or leaky piston packings...and I want to hear good, deep base, good stack.

Now I've been able to make some great slow action close ups of "the monkey motion" here on our tourist, meter gauge railroad ABPF in Campinas, Brazil. I have the opportunity to do things like mount my camera under the running board or stuff. I've been thinking about mounting my 9 MPix camera in its diving case in the frame to film the only baldwin 3-cylinder pacific running that I know of.

The problem with this all is the sound. The Magix program aloughs you to easily add a multiple sound tracks, so I think I could blend between 2 microphones if they where synched to a whistle or other event.

But which type of microphone works best for steam? I've been reading about a USB-FlashMicDRM85 from www.hhb.co.uk that uses a microdrive to store audio without a cable. It maybe had in a "Ball,360°" or "Kidney, Front weighted" recording form. Unfortunetly, it costs 40% more as the camera. But seems very versital for the long run.

What do you expert railfans think is there a cheaper way to get digital sound for something that lends itself to mounting on an engine? How about parabolic microphones, do they pick up wind noise while moving?

I'm really looking forward to using the freedom here in Brazil without OSHA or the FRA to do some closeups. I'd love to get footage like the 1932 Movie "Pacific" that I've only seen once and would love to get on DVD.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions.

Thor