Questions on switch from RG59 to baluns

[FarmerCharlie 0]

I've done a fair amount of reading here on what I need to do to switch over to using baluns with my existing analog cameras. My application uses three cameras located on a pond about 500 feet from my house. Two of the cameras (in wood duck boxes) have built-in microphones. Last year I installed a conduit for future wiring to a covered gazebo that is located between the house and the three cameras. My plan would be to run a Cat5 cable to the gazebo, and use a balun such as this at the gazebo and at the house.

http://www.active-vision.com/4-Camera-Video-Balun-p/abl-4p04-c.htm

I assume I could connect three video signals plus one audio to one balun and then run the Cat5 to the house, where I would separate the signals with another balun

The three cameras would be connected to the balun in the gazebo using RG59 runs of a few feet to as much as 200 feet.

 

Does this look like a plan?

 

Also, since the gazebo is covered and has electrical power, I assume I could provide the 12 volt supplies from there. Or I understand I could use half the wires in a second Cat5 cable to provide the power supply and still have two spare pairs. Is that correct?

 

These are examples of the videos I am trying to catch:

 

Thanks,

Charles

[dustmop 0]

That balun should work. You can wait for more opinions to chime in here.

 

As for the power, do it locally if you can; Cat5 isn't going to be enough for 12vdc over that distance. 18/2 or 16/2 would be fine at around 250 feet (you did say half way).

[Soundy 1]

Not sure how that balun would work for audio; the audio baluns I'm used to using in a live or studio situation are wired and function a little differently than passive video baluns. Then again, it might work fine... look at it this way, you can try it, and worst case, if the audio doesn't work, you can just split off that pair and run it through baluns specifically designed for audio.

 

What I might actually do in this case, is run a Cat5 from the gazebo to each camera, power them from the gazebo, and simply splice the Cat5 runs together in the gazebo as well.

 

For example: my standard wiring scheme for this is blue pair for video (blue for +, blue-white for -), orange pair for power + or "hot", green pair for power ground or "neutral", and brown pair left for a spare. So figure for the gazebo-house run, you assign blue for camera 1, orange for camera 2, green for camera 3, and brown for audio... the blue pair running to camera 1 would then connect in the gazebo to the blue pair on the house run; blue pair to camera 2 would connect to the orange pair on the house run; blue pair for camera 3 would connect to the green pair.

[FarmerCharlie 0]

Not sure how that balun would work for audio; the audio baluns I'm used to using in a live or studio situation are wired and function a little differently than passive video baluns. Then again, it might work fine... look at it this way, you can try it, and worst case, if the audio doesn't work, you can just split off that pair and run it through baluns specifically designed for audio.

Would these work for the audio?

http://www.myscshop.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_40_11_50&products_id=500&zenid=a0fd71cc2d2b388c89b0cc68fe5c3bda

What I might actually do in this case, is run a Cat5 from the gazebo to each camera, power them from the gazebo, and simply splice the Cat5 runs together in the gazebo as well.

 

For example: my standard wiring scheme for this is blue pair for video (blue for +, blue-white for -), orange pair for power + or "hot", green pair for power ground or "neutral", and brown pair left for a spare. So figure for the gazebo-house run, you assign blue for camera 1, orange for camera 2, green for camera 3, and brown for audio... the blue pair running to camera 1 would then connect in the gazebo to the blue pair on the house run; blue pair to camera 2 would connect to the orange pair on the house run; blue pair for camera 3 would connect to the green pair.

I'm a little confused. In your example where would the video balun go? Wouldn't I need to use the existing rg59 to go from the cameras to the balun?

[Soundy 1]

I'm a little confused. In your example where would the video balun go? Wouldn't I need to use the existing rg59 to go from the cameras to the balun?

Balun goes at the camera; video and power run over the Cat5 from the gazebo to the camera. Then you just use a single Cat5 to run all three video feeds and one audio feed back from the gazebo to the house, where you have the second balun for each run. The video and audio pairs just splice straight together at the gazebo.

 

If there's existing coax and power from the gazebo to the camera locations though, just go ahead and use that - if it ain't broke, don't fix it

[FarmerCharlie 0]

I'm a little confused. In your example where would the video balun go? Wouldn't I need to use the existing rg59 to go from the cameras to the balun?

Balun goes at the camera; video and power run over the Cat5 from the gazebo to the camera. Then you just use a single Cat5 to run all three video feeds and one audio feed back from the gazebo to the house, where you have the second balun for each run. The video and audio pairs just splice straight together at the gazebo.

I think I understand. I would use separate single baluns at each camera instead of the 4-channel balun in the gazebo. I guess they would also need to be weatherproof.

If there's existing coax and power from the gazebo to the camera locations though, just go ahead and use that - if it ain't broke, don't fix it

That makes sense. I'll check the old Siamese power lines to make sure they are still intact.

 

Thanks

[FarmerCharlie 0]

This conversion is almost done. I used the 4-channel video balun and a 4-channe power supply in the gazebo with Siamese RG59 going appx 200 feet from the two nest box cameras to the balun. Appx. 300 feet of Cat6 then goes from the balun to the balun at the computer in the house. For audio I used audio baluns at each of the cameras in the two nest boxes with Cat6 going to the gazebo and spliced to the second Cat6 going to the house. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DPUSPS/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

I was hoping that the switch to audio baluns might eliminate the slight 60Hz hum from the camera microphones, but it is still there. The next step will be to switch the two cameras with the 200 foot RG59 runs to use video baluns directly at the cameras and using the Cat6 that I already ran for the audio. That will then be much as what Soundy suggested. I'll probably keep using the power supply in the Siamese cable, since it seems to be working OK.

Here is a link to the monitor from the Avermedia NV6240E card.

http://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz159/FarmerCharlie/web/VideoSurveillance/20120508Overview.jpg

The two upper panels show a female wood duck entering the box to set on her eggs.

 

Thanks to all for the suggestions on this conversion.

[FarmerCharlie 0]

Excuse me for bumping a really old thread, but I stumbled onto an answer to a question that was posed, and thought some might be interested. The thread was about converting over from RG59 to Cat5 for some wildlife cameras about 300 feet from the house. I went ahead and used video baluns for the video and audio baluns for the audio, and it worked fine. But today I wanted to add another audio channel, and I could not find the extra audio baluns I had ordered. I thought it worth a try to see if regular passive video baluns would work, and THEY DID!.

The quality may not be up to the standards of most folks on this forum, but it did at least work.