mick53

Hi, If you HAD to buy one of these two monitors which would you buy? 1. Panasonic Color Monitor MODEL CT-1384Y or 2. Sony Trinitron Color Monitor MODEL PVM-1344 Each is used but apperar to be in excellent conditon. It will be used to monitor a little home surveillance system. Thanks, Mike

Hi, The Panasonic MODEL CT-1384Y has 3 video line in connections which is exactly what I need. Does anyone know if this model is suitable for a security monitor? Thank you very much, Mike

Hi guys, I noticed my monitor ceased functioning today. The monitor is an older JVC model TM-A13SU. It has worked fine for me up until today. I have three cameras on it. I have two on A and one on B. They monitor the front door, driveway and backyard respectively. There was a city truck parked directly in fron of my house this morning. The guys told me they were sending a CCTV camera down a storm drain pipe to check for blockage(s). They had a monitor in the truck and we watched the camera do it's thing for a while. I didnt' mention that my equipment at all or that my monitor had gone dark to them. I figured after they broke down their equipment and left, I'd be back up and running. Nope. The green light on the monitor comes on when I turn it on and that's it. When I press the A or B switches they don't light up. Phase doesn't do anything. Can't bring up the menu when I press the button. No chroma, no contrast, no nothing. I have unplugged everything, receivers and monitor power supply and gave them 15 minutes to "rest." No change. The screen is just dark. The only indication of "life" is the green power button comes on, as I said. Anyone know of a way to "reset" and start over? I don't think this malfunction is coincidental to the city's CCTV truck being outside my house this morning monitoring the drainage pipes. Thank you for any help. Mike

Hi, This question concerns setting up an OUTDOOR wireless camera system. I keep reading the best set-up for any wireless system is to have an unobstructed direct line of sight between the camera and the receiver. Is this correct? An outdoor wireless camera is obviously designed to be used outdoors. How is an "unobstructed line of sight" possible with the camera outside and the receiver inside? I mean 99 times out of 100 the signal is going to have to go through a wall or door to get from the outside to the inside, right? I gotta tell yal, i feel stupid asking this question, but I just don't get it. I see outdoor wireless cameras advertised all the time. Why would anybody buy one if they have to have no obstructions between the camera and the receiver which has to connect to a monitor which will have to be in an enclosed structure? Should an outdoor camera be able to transmit its signal just a very short distance? I mean like 6 or 8 feet. It would be a straight line but the signal will have to go through a 2" wooden door. Thanks, Mike

hi, here are some pics from a $22 wireless/IR cam + $40 monitor. i can't tell you why or where those faint squiggley lines come from that show up on the monitor in these pics. they are not there when looking at the monitor with the naked eye. i used a digital camera which for some reason creates them. what shows up on the monitor is clear and crisp. there is only one problem. the camera faces south. when the sun sets in the west, it turns the picture on the monitor reddish for an hour or two. you can still easily see what is outside but there is that reddish tinge. very acceptable for $60, wouldn't you say? i'm doubly glad i set it up! besides working well, it has shown me just how nasty that pot belly looks! time to start exercising again. (sigh) mike

does anyone make a good quality camera with ALL these elements: 1. wireless 2. infrared 3. color hard to find anywhere and i have looked. everyone knocks wireless but that's what i want so PLEASE don't suggest hard wiring a camera. the signal only has to go 10ft max. there should be something out there that can do this. i mean we get audio and video from outer space, right? thanks, mike

pls. allow me to display my ignorance for all to see. what is "rx and tx?' another thought, we have a 75w proch light out there, it's about 5ft above the camera. don't need that light with the IR at all. would a decent low light black and white or color camera without any IR work ok out there? if so, who makes a good wireless, low light cam with an iris? mike

monster, i am tempted to get a better camera, believe me. but hard wiring will be a pain for me. ideally, i would like to find a camera that would give me a sharper picture and eliminate that reddish tinge that occurs at sunset. i read somewhere about cameras that have an iris. would an iris help to eliminate this effect? if so, i guess i'm looking for a good wireless with an iris. the signal only has to travel about 10ft. i had the monitor in the living room about 6ft away from the camera initially, but i moved the monitor to the front hall. there was no noticeable decline in image. speaking of that monitor, the manual says "320 TV lines horizontal. so will a camera that puts out more than this be wasted on a 320 line monitor? if anyone knows of a better wireless cam with infrared pls. let me know. i wanted something i could set up quick, easy and cheap that would show me who was at the door, and i got it. but yes, of course i'd like a sharper picture. thanks, mike

Hi guys, My cheapo used monitor and cheap wireless camera came today. I hooked them up after work and asked my wife to take a pic of me standing at the front door. It was dusk, around 7:15 PM in central florida. Wish I could post the pic but I don't meet the 10 post/10 day requirement. I think the pic would surpise you. I'm waiting until dark to see how the IR works. If a moderator feels like letting me post the pic, I'd be happy to. the camera is outside on a windowsill. ran the single wire under the screen inside. big plant in front of window that obscures the camera but not the lens. oh yeah. it has audio too. mic is pretty sensitive. cam is about 6ft from door. conversational speaking voice is picked up well and sound is very clear and comes right through the monitor, no static. PS. it's full dark now and the IR works like a champ! i can only imagine what a good quality camera would look like. i'm tempted. Mike

hey, i posted some pics in a new thread (come to think of it, i should have posted them here - too late now). mike

videobruce, i'd love to post a day pic and a nght/IR pic for you to see. do you know a friendly moderator? if so ask him to allow me to post 2 pics of how this is working. i guess i need 10 posts and 10 days in this forum to "qualify" to post pics. i tried to and got a message stating this is forum policy. mike

securitymonster, i'd love to post a couple of pics to show the results. but unless a mod. or admin. could see his way clear to give me a waiver in the 10 day member requirement, i'll have to wait a while longer. how about it, mods/admins?i promise not to abuse the privilege. by the way, securitymonster, thanks for being happy for me in that i got away with a minimal investment. mike

hi, i'll post a day pic and an IR/night pic after my "10-day make sure he's not a spammer" period is over. i'm very satisfied. the $40 monitor is a JVC TM-A13SU, used, made in the year 2000 from ebay. there hasn't been any scrolling. picture is good. the camera was an ebay job too. i needed one that would transmit a mere 6-8ft. this one does and does it well. if you do an ebay search for "Wireless WaterProof 30LED Infrared Security Spy Camera" just as it's typed here, you will find it. if it lasts a year or more, it was a good deal. mike

Hi, Is it possible to avoid monitor burn in with a fixed camera running 24 hrs a day? (Pls. ignore the phrase "PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) capabilites.">" in the above sentence. I have no idea where it comes from. I didn't write it. it just appeared. Weird). Here are the spes if that will help answer the question: SPECIFICATIONS Type Color video monitor Color system NTSC/PAL, Auto select CRT 13"v (diagonally measured), in-line guns, stripe pitch of 0.64 mm Scanning frequency H: 15.625 kHz (PAL)/15.75 kHz (NTSC) V: 50/60 Hz Horizontal resolution 320 TV lines (NTSC) Power supply AC 120 V, 50/60 Hz Power consumption 0.87 A Color temperature 6,500K Input terminals 1. Input A: Composite video 1.0 V(p-p), 75 ohms, negative sync auto-termination, BNC x 2, bridged-out possible 2. Input B: Composite video 1.0 V (p-p), 75 ohms, negative sync auto-termination, BNC x 2, bridged-out possible Y/C: Y: 1.0 V(p-p), 75 ohms, negative sync. C: 0.3 V(p-p), 75 ohms (PAL) 0.286 V(p-p), 75 ohms (NTSC) Audio terminals RCA pin x 4 for input A and input B channels, bridged-out possible Audio speaker 3" (8 cm) round, 1 W output Dimensions (W x H x D) 14-1/2 x 12-1/4 x 14-11/16 inches 368 x 310 x 371.5 mm Thanks, Mike

Hi, I'm searching for a decent outdoor IR camera. It seems to me that I am finding a lot of very similar, if not identical cameras. Some have "brand" names others have no name whatsoever, but they sure look the same and the specs seem identical. What gives with this stuff? If some of the "no-names" are identical to the name brands, why don't the no-name sellers just say, "This comes from the same factory and is identical to the "NAME CAMERA?" Can anyone suggest a good outdoor IR camera for $100-$150 max? I don't care if it's made in the USA or put together by blind monks in Tibet. Don't care if it has a name or not, just want a little quality. The set up is as simple as can be. The camera will be set up outside my front door (under an overhang). The monitor will be inside the front door on a table. There will be no more than 6-8ft separating the two. Thanks, Mike

Rory, Just want to thank you for sharing of your knowledge. I don't need to read license plates down the block with this set-up. I just need to see who's ringing the bell without sticking my face against the door so I can see out some crappy peephole. sooner or later. I'll come up with an adequate system and post a picture of a day and night image. thanks again, mike

scruit, great name you have and thanks for the reply. Our set-ups are very different. This is just a basic camera outside the front door wired to a monitor that is just inside the front door. The camera is not going to anything else. mike

hi, can a color monitor be used with a b&w camera? thanks, mike

Hi, Trying to set up simple CCTV surveillance by our front door and I'm trying to do it on the cheap (I know, I know, you get what you pay for). This camera has all I want. It sounds Ok and it is relatively inexpensive. Not worried about the 320 line resolution. I have a JVC TM-A13SU monitor that is 320 lines. I just want to see who's outside hitting that bell. This is the only purpose of the set-up. Here's the vendor's description: This brand new wireless waterproof infrared color security camera contains hi-resolution lens & 30 infrared LED light, it can transfer full color image in and lights environment, if it is put in darkness( without any visible), it will automatically turn on IrDA (infrared) LED light and transfer black & white image. All image signals is transferred either via WIRELESS or via standard RCA video connector, that means you can hook up this camera to your VCR or PC with AV connectors or via included wireless receiver and monitor and record any image you need, a perfect tool to protect. Specification: Color 1/3" LEN 30 Infrared (IrDA) LED light (automatically turn on in darkness) NTSC video format Wireless Signal transfer or A/V Standard RCA Video Output Connector Resolution: 320 lines DC Power Input ( Power Supply Adapter Included) Video can be transferred either by WIRELESS or RCA Video Connector - A flexible solution. The camera will only be about 6ft from the monitor so maybe the wireless can work, if not I'll just wire it. What do you guys think? Thanks, Mike