Wireless Backup-Camera

[jzelle]

No I dont think you can use it to pull in another wire or cable, all the wiring runs through small holes in the structural beams and is "gunked" into place at many locations.

[rickandsandi]

There was another thread on this exact subject and camera. Andy at In-Land RV got very involved and I must say that I did not agree with his assesment. I have been trying to get this unit to work properly from the back of our Safari and so far, no mater what we did we would get reception in the truck only when in tunnels, go figure. My opinion is that you get what you pay for and it was a waste of my time and money. As for using it to hook up, there are a lot of better ways to do it with less expensive devises that don't clutter up you dashboard or cockpit!

[Minnie's Mate]

I use my wife's eyes as my "don't let me hit anything while I'm backing up" and just put the trailer where I want it. She does help me back it up onto some LinksLevelers we keep in place at the end of our drive way rather than re-stack them every time we bring the Airstream home. But for the most part, I'd do it by myself if I had a usable back up camera. I guess I'll have to run the cable through the belly pan if I ever get one.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by rickandsandi

There was another thread on this exact subject and camera. Andy at In-Land RV got very involved and I must say that I did not agree with his assesment. I have been trying to get this unit to work properly from the back of our Safari and so far, no mater what we did we would get reception in the truck only when in tunnels, go figure. My opinion is that you get what you pay for and it was a waste of my time and money. As for using it to hook up, there are a lot of better ways to do it with less expensive devises that don't clutter up you dashboard or cockpit!

The key to proper functioning of the camera from a distance, is the length of the plus wire on the camera, since it is the transmitting antenna.

If that wire is cut short, the range becomes very short.

We have also tested it on a 34 foot trailer, with excellent results.

Having the camera on for hours at a time, has been trouble free, without exception.

The camera, is a transmitter, and as such, must have an adequate antenna length.

There is a warning that comes with the camera that states the 12 volt wire must be a certain minimum length.

Andy

[campadk]

On my camera I didn't cut off any wire. I look the length and tried a zillion positions to no avail. I guess if I owned an Austin Mini I would be a happy camper .

I'll have to agree with rickandsandi that you get what you pay for. My camera is still on the back of the Bambi, but I have since relyed on my lovely wife to talking me through backing up with a walkie talkie... now that combo works great every time!

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by campadk

On my camera I didn't cut off any wire. I look the length and tried a zillion positions to no avail. I guess if I owned an Austin Mini I would be a happy camper .

I'll have to agree with rickandsandi that you get what you pay for. My camera is still on the back of the Bambi, but I have since relyed on my lovely wife to talking me through backing up with a walkie talkie... now that combo works great every time!

Perhaps you have a setup that isn't up to par, by not meeting the manufacturers specs. Defects do happen.

We installed the same camera on the "makeover," which is a 29 foot Airstream, and it works great.

Andy

[ROBERT CROSS]

Another thread to check out

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...era-38110.html

[Aage]

FrankS's comments pretty well jive with my experience using this camera ($99 at Canadian Tire) with ONE exception: The range is pretty good in my experience.

We often drive past someone on the road who has one on, and we can see his image on our monitor. Also, I see some folks are using them for security devices: there's a place we usually stop at on our way to Ottawa whose camera we pick up and I can see the camera, about 50' away from where I always park.

I agree with the so-so image thing. You can tell if there is a vehicle or a person, but you won't make out any medium or small details.

Your mileage may vary, of course.

[hshovic]

I also investigated backup cameras. because of others' experiences in poor reception, and irritation with cheap wiring, I bought $1,000 worth of commercial grade cameras. What did I get that $300 didn't?
* heavy duty wiring and enough of it.
* a bright monitor that will switch between truck and trailer camera
* heavy duty waterproof connections and a spiral cable (looks like a real trucker cable between trailer and truck.
* good instructions
* Plenty of signal
* auto heaters in the cameras to prevent fogging (betcha didn't know that could happen)
* ir for night vision (helpful when backing at night)
* pressure-wash proof

I know I paid a lot for it, but it works, and every time. For a year now and
over 10,000 miles.

What I didn't like:
*The first cable that came with it broke. They sent a new one.
* Though you can control contrast and brightness, it is not automatic. If cloudy, you need to adjust. I believe the new models have a day/night mode.
* Fisheye in the back of the trailer could be a bit narrower.
* rain gets on camera occasionally and blurs. I use rain-ex to minimize this. However, mud needs to be wiped off.

[campadk]

I agree.. you get what you pay for. My $99 camera is buried in the basement under a pile of junk. Saw the monitor in another box too the other day. It'll be staying there for good.

[ROBERT CROSS]

I still use the "cheep one"

You can see why

[GatorDave]

back up camera is a dream to hook a Hensley Hitch. it is mounted on the upper part of my license plate bracket on my 05 excursion. also have installed running lights under the rear bumper on a separate switch for extended night time vision. much better than back up lights that only work when truck is in reverse.