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turk123 · 08-19-2019, 04:02 PM

Every Voyager camera I've had exhibits disconnects as we travel. Our Classic 30 really has a lot of disconnects.

I called the company and had a nice discussion with one of their techs. He said the system is Bluetooth. He said it will work better in city traffic with buildings than in rural areas for nothing to bounce the signal off of to get to the TV. He pretty much said that the disconnects are common with their product.

I said to him "That's no excuse for it not working?? Why isn't it designed properly? "

He was quick to say, "Oh, don't worry, we have a fix for that!" huh?

He is sending me an extension cable to run across the roof with a mount he said can be installed in 5 minutes. He said to just plug the cable into the antenna port on the camera, run the wire forward as far as it will go, and screw on the camera's antenna. Fasten it to the roof. He said it will solve the issue.

Nice. Now don't all call him at once!

mikeinca · 08-19-2019, 04:26 PM

That's interesting. In 4 years with the Voyager system AS uses, on two different AS trailers, I've never experienced a disconnect unless I inadvertently turn off the truck light switch which controls power to the system. But it's good to know there is a fix if the problem ever crops up!

Wayne&Sam · 08-19-2019, 04:31 PM

On a 25’ I’ve never had a dropout.

ghaynes755 · 08-19-2019, 04:41 PM

Turk moving the antenna will help. Keep in mind that it is operating on 2.4 ghz range along with your BR1, Wireless Router, Cell Phone wifi, door openers, radar detectors, store sliding door openers and the list goes on and on and on. Particularly troublesome in an urban area.

I seldom see all the signal bars lit up on my new 33 but haven't seen but a few dropouts. Also watch as you pass something on the highway the latency time of the signal. At times it can approach 6 seconds.

turk123 · 08-19-2019, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne&Sam

On a 25’ I’ve never had a dropout.

My 27' international would get dropouts but not as often as the 31' Classic. My truck is a little longer also. I would say it disconnects about once or twice a minute. Sometimes more. When backing up it does not disconnect at all. Less info to transmit when moving slow.

thiel · 08-20-2019, 09:51 PM

I only see drops if I place another bluetooth device (e.g. TPMS) right next to the Voyager screen. Otherwise I've seen no hiccups whatsoever with years on the road...

Ephraim · 08-21-2019, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turk123

Every Voyager camera I've had exhibits disconnects as we travel. Our Classic 30 really has a lot of disconnects.

I called the company and had a nice discussion with one of their techs. He said the system is Bluetooth. He said it will work better in city traffic with buildings than in rural areas for nothing to bounce the signal off of to get to the TV. He pretty much said that the disconnects are common with their product.

I said to him "That's no excuse for it not working?? Why isn't it designed properly? "

He was quick to say, "Oh, don't worry, we have a fix for that!" huh?

He is sending me an extension cable to run across the roof with a mount he said can be installed in 5 minutes. He said to just plug the cable into the antenna port on the camera, run the wire forward as far as it will go, and screw on the camera's antenna. Fasten it to the roof. He said it will solve the issue.

Nice. Now don't all call him at once!

I thought I was the only one having this issue. And it's not just disconnects. As the signal gets low, the display does not update as often making for a very jerky view that is not real time. I was going to make an extension cable and re-route the antenna to the front of the trailer when I started on my solar upgrade project. It's nice to know they already thought of that. Perhaps I'll just buy their extension.

I wasn't surprised to see the dropouts. We are, after all, dealing with a metal trailer and a metal car. 2.4GHz doesn't like to travel through that and it's a simple fix. Given that the backup camera is mounted on the downslope of the back curve, there is a lot of metal between the transmitter and the receiver and it's not the fault of the camera manufacturer. No sense in complaining. You can't break physics that easily.

turk123 · 08-21-2019, 06:51 AM

Call the company like I did, the upgrade is free.

Ephraim · 08-21-2019, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turk123

Call the company like I did, the upgrade is free.

I called the company and the only extension they were offering was a 10' extension. However, they recommended a company called rvcams.com that had exactly what I needed. I got a WVOSAPANTEXT external antenna kit and a WVOSANT-EXT35 which is a 35' cable that will bring the antenna up to the front of the trailer where it belongs. I should have smooth video from the camera at that point. I did have to pay, but it was less expensive/easier than making the cable myself.

nryn · 08-21-2019, 08:48 AM

My big issue with the Voyager camera is moisture inside the camera body. I’ve had it replaced and the same thing happened with the replacement.

I do get dropouts as well. Maybe one a day on a long day of driving. But it doesn’t bug me—with the moisture in the lens most of the time I can barely see anything with it anyway

Pubtym · 08-29-2019, 01:57 PM

Moisture in the lens is a valid warranty claim. If, your rig is under warranty. ASA just sent me a replacement. I recommend find and AS dealer to replace it. Dealer replaced mine. Now working great.

kpm · 08-29-2019, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne&Sam

On a 25’ I’ve never had a dropout.

Same here. Maybe the Classic 30' length is just too much without the antenna extension turk123 posted about.

nryn · 08-29-2019, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pubtym

Moisture in the lens is a valid warranty claim. If, your rig is under warranty. ASA just sent me a replacement. I recommend find and AS dealer to replace it. Dealer replaced mine. Now working great.

Yes. I’ve already had the camera replaced once for this issue

Ephraim · 08-29-2019, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kpm

Same here. Maybe the Classic 30' length is just too much without the antenna extension turk123 posted about.

It probably has more to do with camera placement and the terrain you are driving through. On a 30' Classic, there are at least 4 aluminum skins that have to be penetrated plus whatever is in the TV. The antenna orientation of the head unit seems to have a significant impact.

The system is designed to bounce the signal off of surrounding terrain to get around that signal penetration issue. Indeed, I get a good signal with smooth video when traveling through a wooded area or buildings - even heavy traffic. However, living in the southwest, there are many places where there is virtually nothing as far as the eye can see in terms of terrain anomalies. This last trip from the Grand Canyon to Albuquerque, there were long swaths of the road where there was no signal at all an no video. When the occasional vehicle would pass, I would get a picture as the signal bounced off of the vehicle, but that was about it.

I have a 35' extension cable waiting for me when we get home and I'm moving the antenna to the front of the trailer where it will do some good.

turk123 · 08-30-2019, 06:11 AM

I took your advice Ephraim and bought another cable 30 feet long from Amazon ($12.79) to add to the kit that was sent me. The kit indeed was only 10 feet. If I am going to climb up on the roof to install this thing, may as well run it to the front of the trailer.

I may be doing this today if the rain holds off.

ROBERT CROSS · 08-31-2019, 04:54 AM

Pretty much the same with our TPMS, E-Ztire sends 4 sensors and the monitor.
Ten trips, not one without loosing at least one sender. 👎

Tech..."Oh you need a booster, we will send you one no charge but we need a CC #, if it works you will be charged $54, if not send it back." 🥴

Me..."Why not build them with enough tech to work properly?

Tech..."You might not have purchased it if it had cost more"

Bob
🇺🇸

turk123 · 08-31-2019, 06:17 AM

Yesterday I added the thirty-foot extension cable to the camera and ran it to the front of the trailer. After running the wire to the front, the first comment from the wife was, "Do I have to look at that cable?". I explained it has to run from the camera to the top of the roof to work and that I am not putting up with the disconnects anymore. She's OK with it.

Here are the pads I used to keep the wire good and snug as it runs to the front. They are UV resistant (only the black ones are) and the cable ties are also the same. All can be bought at Home Depot for $15 and $4.99 respectively. The pads have a holding power that is impressive. They are also 1" square, larger than the 3/4" pads that most companies make.

turk123 · 08-31-2019, 06:22 AM

I followed the top curbside of the roof and eventually used existing roof hooks that Airstream installed for the solar panels. At the end I formed a loop with the extra wire and used a tie and pad to keep tension on the run across the roof. I installed the bracket on the front solar panel frame. I had to drill another hole in the bracket as to allow clearance for the two holes I had to drill in the solar panel. You don't want to hit the glass with that drill bit!

turk123 · 08-31-2019, 06:30 AM

The camera antenna connection no longer gets shielded from the rain and elements so I used dialectic grease inside and outside the screw-on connection.

Also, I ran the wire close enough to the edge of the roof in case I have to replace pads. I used a pad about every 2 feet. They have a rating of -40f to 185F. That is why they are more expensive than most on Amazon.

Also, I used alcohol in the installation. After having a few beers, I used alcohol to wipe down the roof surface where each pad rested. The pads seem very secure.

So how does it work? Works fine in the driveway. I will let you know on our next trip to the Hershey RV show coming up Sept 11.

Ephraim · 08-31-2019, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turk123

Yesterday I added the thirty-foot extension cable to the camera and ran it to the front of the trailer. After running the wire to the front, the first comment from the wife was, "Do I have to look at that cable?". I explained it has to run from the camera to the top of the roof to work and that I am not putting up with the disconnects anymore. She's OK with it.

Here are the pads I used to keep the wire good and snug as it runs to the front. They are UV resistant (only the black ones are) and the cable ties are also the same. All can be bought at Home Depot for $15 and $4.99 respectively. The pads have a holding power that is impressive. They are also 1" square, larger than the 3/4" pads that most companies make.

I use those zip-tie pads in my business. you may want to put a sealant around the edges because the weather/sun will degrade the edges of the foam and they will eventually release leaving icky glue residue. The glue is good, but the foam is not.