dawgenstein

You are correct---I moved a new TV set near the DVR and confirmed it is a composite video signal (RCA jack plugin to TV). Now I just need to find a tunable RF modulator to use with my Home Director system. I already am feeding a signal on Channel 3 so I need to find an RF modulator that will allow the selection of a higher channel. I tested with a cheap Ch3/Ch4 modulator later today but on Ch4 it interferes with the existing Ch3 signal I'm already sending down the line.

I have a Q-See QSD2316L 16-channel DVR security system that offers a Spot-video out. The connection requires a BNC Cable. The manual gives little description other than "SPOT OUT--Connect to monitor as an AUX output channel for one channel. Only displays video, not menu". I have connected a Coax cable to this output jack and plugged it into the back of a small TV set but only get a garbled picture. Do I just need to buy an RF modulator and plug this signal into it to broadcast out to a "channel 3 or channel 4 VHF" signal? Or will this only work plugged into the RCA video jack on a newer TV set? Note that the DVR also has a VGA output which I already have working by plugging a computer monitor. I'd just like to broadcast the Spot video signal to a downlink on my IBM Home Director panel so that I can watch it in other rooms in my house.

Soundy and Shoreviewsecurity, You guys were so helpful. I have it all working now! Drumroll,,,,,,,it was a faulty power wire. I backfed video from the camera end of the coaxial to prove that the coaxial for video was fine at both ends. I then honed in on the power side again. While my multimeter kept showing +12V DC outside, I moved the main power supply to the outside and connected the camera straight into the power unit. Voila. The camera came on and worked right away. Then, as I was jiggling the wires it went back off. I inspected the power wire cabling a little more and noticed some nicks on the outside casing. I'm guessing when the house was built and they rolled up the extra wire they must have nicked it somehow. There was a lot of extra wire so I was able to cut behind the section which I believe was causing a short circuit on the power and re-soldered all the connections. Now it works just fine. I have another question about this system that I will post now as a separate thread. Thanks guys.

Soundy and Shoreviewsecurity, Thank you so much for the replies. These are good next steps. You have not offended me at all--actually this level of detail is spot on. Although I got my undergrad in engineering I am not a practicing engineer--this sort of stuff is just a hobby from time to time and this is a DIY project for me. I was hoping for practical experience in real-world installation projects--so this advice is exactly the level I need. I will do some more tests today and see if I can get resolution.

Hi I am new to the forum and looking for some advice on troubleshooting some custom wiring to use with my new Q-See QSD2316L 16-channel DVR security system. A bit of background: The QSD2316L system comes with 8 QD28414 cameras (1/4" Sony Super HAD CCD that are PAL/NTSC compatible) and cables. I have successfully installed 3 cameras so far with the kit's wiring. The kit wiring is 60 foot long coaxial with BNC and power connection. My house was prewired with RG6 coaxial and power wiring to 2 front door locations. I have successfully connected a 4th camera to one of the prewired locations by crimping my own BNC connectors to the coaxial cable and soldering the power connections. Now my problem is the 2nd house pre-wired location. The Q-See DVR system keeps giving me a "video loss" error after all the connections are made. Here is what I have tested: 1) power: using a multimeter I have verified that my power wiring to this location is the correct 12 VDC from the Q-See power supply along with the correct polarity on the inside connector. 2) coaxial wiring: to verify the custom-crimped BNC connections on both end of the cable, I connected my IBM Home Director video distribution system to the wiring at the end that goes to the DVR--to backfeed a private signal in the wiring. I have this private signal already fed to 2 other locations in my house (feeds an analog channel from elsewhere in my home entertainment system). I connected a TV to the end outside where the camera would be connected and verified that the signal transmitted as I was able to watch/hear the private signal. So, to me this proves that the BNC connectors and the coaxial cable is good enough at least to transmit an analog TV audio/video signal. 3) Q-See camera--I have tested with 3 separate cameras. All 3 work when hooked into the Q-See DVR with their wiring. None of these 3 work when connected to the wiring here. So, power is good, the cable seems good in the opposite direction, but the DVR complains of signal loss. I am assuming that if the coaxial's center conductor was compromised in some way that it wouldn't transmit the private signal that I'm able to prove out. What should I do next? I have chopped off 1 full set of BNC connectors already and gone back through all the tests above with no difference. Is this a case of signal attenuation? How can I know? The wiring was done by the builder of my house and it is hidden behind the walls--I would estimate the cable run to be between 45 - 65 feet based upon the mounting length of one of the other cameras I mounted myself.