survtech

We are running A-B tests between the videobaluns.com BL3265 passive baluns versus GVI and Vigitron passive baluns and Pelco TW3001AR active receivers for long runs (1000' plus) from a parking structure. We can not see any difference in performance between the three passive baluns. And neither works as well in that application as the Pelco active receivers. This is with cameras with containing internal baluns (Pelco Spectra IV PTZ's with their own built-in balun and Ganz ZCD-2550NHAT and ZCDN-3039NHAT, which contain NVT passive baluns). We typically pay $25 to $30 each for passive baluns. Also, I don't see how any balun can contain useful surge protection. In order to provide that function, there should be a direct path to ground and I have not seen a balun with an attachment point for #8 ground wire. Just incorporating an MOV or other protection circuit across the 2 legs of the twisted-pair serves little purpose since lightning will travel down both wires of a pair with devastating effect.

One thing you didn't mention is that active anything - tx or rx - often requires calibration to supply the correct signal level to the monitoring / recording equipment. Adjusting that level is a Royal PITA on active receivers and is best done with an oscilloscope or a high-quality meter. The adjustments become far more complex if you are adjusting the transmitter, since the measuring equipment has to be located at the receiving end. Some active receivers have AGC and can automatically compensate for cable length and condition. That is impossible with active transmitters since they have no way of measuring the signal at the other end.

So you have said . I have used passive-passive up to nearly 1000 ft. with no major problems except a slight color "fringing" on bright white objects. But even I recommend active for runs longer than 750 ft.

That's correct. However, there are a couple of others, specifically for "chip" cameras. Those won't apply if you get a "standard mount" camera, which usually use CS, but beware when buying cheap cameras with integral fixed focus lenses.

Oh come on; do a simple web search: http://www.divisdvr.com/sources/pd_mpg240.htm If I only had the spare time It took me all of 10 seconds!

Although there are some advantages to using active transmitters rather than active receivers for hybrid needs, there are also some huge disadvantages. Two key considerations for this are space and power. Active units, either receivers or transmitters, require much more physical space than passive. They also require a power source. Passive units require no power and far less physical space. In many installations, the space required for active transmitters is just not there without adding a separate enclosure. Also, the power requirements for active transmitters can require beefing up power supplies and running either heavier power cable or separate cables for the camera and the active transmitter. That is why it is usually more cost effective to put the active unit at the receive end, where power is usually easily available and space is far less of a problem. Since passive-active is usually capable of sending signals up to 2000', active transmitters only become necessary for greater distances; up to 4000'.

Oh come on; do a simple web search: http://www.divisdvr.com/sources/pd_mpg240.htm

http://napoleon.xidus.net/findmonkey/

If you also lose the dog, you can retrieve him by dangling a cat up there .

This discussion brings to mind some web pages I have read. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Cable+Monkey: "1) Pulling cable doesn't take much intelligence... a monkey could do it." "2) We need some cable monkeys to add some more cable drops. Joe, you get to breathe some asbestos!" http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=815056: "Through selective breeding, cloning, and other advanced genetic engineering techniques, a new breed of monkey could be created. The monkey would have excellent colour and shape matching abilities, giving it the requisite skill to wire up a PC in seconds. Due to it's small size and flexible body, crawling around under desks would be no problem." and, relating back to my previous post: Slingshot Flying Monkey With Scream Sound "The Slingshot Flying Monkey is nothing short of outrageous! The monkey can be shot long distances using his elastic arms. Put two fingers in the hand pockets, pull back and let go. The soft, furry monkey is pretty funny with his cape and mask, like some sort of super hero monkey. As an added bonus, every time you shoot him, he let's out two loud monkey calls. We don't know why he does this, he just does. If your office needs some seriously funny props, you have to get the Slingshot Flying Monkey."

You have stolen my idea, sir . For years I was thinking either a monkey or a small dog!

I have had some success in the past with narrowing the beam from a remote control so that it doesn't "spread". To do this, I used a piece of heat shrink around the LED. The heat shrink has to almost completely cover the LED with just a narrow tube of it past the LED allowing the IR light through. It makes aiming critical and you still have to watch out for reflections bouncing the IR around to multiple receivers but it does work. We used this method in our casino to change VCR settings for one unit at a time back when we used VCR's.

It depends on the court. As far as I know, no digital video evidence has ever been thrown out of court... yet. A good defense lawyer could challenge any video evidence and it is always possible that they would be successful under any circumstance. Also, as far as I know, there are no specific evidence criteria in the U.S. regarding format, frame rates, time stamps, resolution or any other variable. Common sense seems to apply here. The images need to be able to show what happened without ambiguity. All of the above factors then come into play. Watermarking itself is not a necessity; there are other methods of proving that the digital recording has not been tampered with. But it is good practice to have some method of proving that the video has not been tampered with, just in case.

You can, but you don't have to. We often use only one pair of a CAT-5 4-pair for video. Sometimes we use more; it depends on the location of the cameras. If we have multiple cameras using UTP that are close together, we will use multiple pairs - one for each camera. For video, you can just splice wires together using "beans". You just have to make sure to leave the twists in as much as possible.

My personal favorite (although we don't use it often) is..... The Original Sling-A-Lineâ„¢ - Span Caster For ultimate accuracy and leverage, shoot the yoke horizontally. The Sling-a-Lineâ„¢ is the original span caster first introduced in 1982 by Labor Saving Devices Inc. Other manufacturers have tried to imitate it, but none offer the versatility in range and the retro feel of the original. The Sling-A-Line has a beautiful birch wood yoke with 10lb. test fish line to accommodate most wire pulls. Simply depress the caster reel, pull back the surgical tubing strap with the lead weight and shoot. The sling-shot action allows you to vary your range from 10ft. to over 100ft. Attach your wire or a pull cord and pull it back to you. Product Hi-Lite Eliminates multiple ceiling tiles & ladder movements!

You didn't say you had a specific camera in mind.... Although mounting the camera upside down in a standard enclosure would work for orienting the image properly, a major issue would be that most housings aren't made for that. The sun shroud, if any, would be on the bottom and many enclosures have drain holes that would wind up on the top and be an avenue for water entry. Most housings rely on gravity to keep water away from the electronics. If you do find a way to reverse gravity, let me know because I'm looking for a good investment . Pelco used to have one but it was huge. I think a dome enclosure may be your best bet.

What Cat-5 cable? He said CATV cable - as in Cable TV cable. You know, RG-59 or RG-6 with copper-clad steel center conductor and aluminum shield.

You can use a bullet camera. Some of them can mount either way.

Although it is not the best practice to use CATV cable for composite video, you should get acceptable results up to at least 100ft. per run. And if the CATV cable is RG-6 (which it usually is), the larger center conductor would also help. Plenty of manufacturers make BNC's for RG-6 so that would not be a problem although you would need a crimper capable of handling the thicker wire. They also make twist-on BNC's for RG-6 so you could use them, although I personally don't like them. With twist-on's, make certain the shield makes good contact with the connector by leaving some wrapped around the center conductor's insulation and take care to tighten them enough that they don't pull loose from the cable. Here is a link describing the proper method to strip cable and install twist-on BNC connectors: http://www.pelikancam.com/coaxbnc.htm

It sounds like you have a "T" in the video feed or have 2 terminations. Is anything else fed off the same camera? If so, disconnect it and see if the problem goes away (leave the connection to the DVD Recorder connected). If that takes care of the problem, remove all "T"'s in the line and install a distribution amp in their place. You should be able to use the Pelco for recording ceremonies but its video quality will probably not be as good as the camcorder's. The Pelco mini PTZ's suffer from a somewhat grainy picture in low lighting and pixellated video when zooming in on a distant subject. A better bet would have been a full-size Spectra IV SE.

So that's an improvement? Try to get specs on GE CCTV equipment - their website sucks, things aren't where you would expect and they often have very few or no specs. A case in point: The technical specs on their KLC-20HS monitor are pretty well documented - http://www.gesecurity.com/portal/site/GESecurity/template.TECHNICALSPECIFICATION?arrID=9336 while their KLC-19HS says almost nothing - http://www.gesecurity.com/portal/site/GESecurity/template.TECHNICALSPECIFICATION?arrID=85111 "Security monitors have never been so clear, so compact, and so easy to view. The KLC-19HS 19-inch color LCD monitor from GE Security incorporates high resolution, a flat panel that can fit anywhere, and built-in speakers for even more space savings. " That's it! No specs at all!

That assumes he has manual control over the shutter speed. Many cameras don't.

Do you live near a cemetary or an old Indian Burial Ground? You could be picking up "spirit motion".

Likewise!