General help needed

[drewliebs 0]

Hi my name is Andrew and I just recently started installing CCTV.... I am installing next weekend, and wanted to know what suggestions you all had in terms of buying a wire tester (to check connections of BNC connectors and siamese) . Any brand names, and where should I buy from

 

Also, the client has an old school time lapse VCR with multiplexor.... NO LOOP out. he wants to keep the original system, and split connection from cameras to the DVR.... The run from the splitter should be no more than 4 feet to both the multiplexor and DVR. will a T connector work... Any other low cost solutions, as he is cheap and does not want to pay for any pricy add on equiptment....

 

Thanks so much for your advise.

[scorpion 0]

This will be a tough nut to crack! Anytime a customer is requesting parts and service on the cheap I usuallly run from these customers. Do not get me wrong I love solving issues for someone who will be appreciative of getting them the right solution at the right price. If the customer understands the limitations of what they are asking for and they are willing to make trade offs in the equation then usually there is a way to get the task done.

 

I do not have a tester for siamese coax or the two conductor. If I have a problem a simple multimeter will let me know if it is shorted. It may be the occasional shield that has come in contact with the center conductor that creates the short. If you have a problem it may be that you can cut and recrimp your line, if the video still does not come up then you can spend time on trouble shooting. A multimeter with the audio selection is great so that you do not have to look at the meter, and you can just listen to the beep. I have a device that sends out a tone and you can use a tool to find/trace a wire. This toner has a continuity checker on it. It is only a light but I use it every now and then. I use it more for alarm wires to see if I have a closed circuit (or a short).

 

If I am ordering coax that I have not used before I am more than likely to check it with an ocilliscope. I do not mind cheap but I do not want sloppy.

 

If you need to split the signal from the cameras to the VCR and a DVR read some of the posts here about this subject. I will give you a link that some else has provided from that topic.

 

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103065&cp=&pg=2&sr=1&origkw=video+splitter&kw=video+splitter&parentPage=search

 

You will need one for each camera, and then you can split the signal two ways. Keep the receipt. If you can split the signal with a "T" and the picture looks good on the VCR, and the DVR then you are good to go and you can take these back for a refund. Please record to a tape then look at the recorded video and not live video on the monitor, this goes for the same with the DVR, look at the recorded image. If the customer is satisfied then you have solved his problem, and earned the right to be recommended to other future customers. If he is not going to honor you with a recommendation then you are wasting your time if you solve his problem. I am going to bet that you will have some video issues using a T connection so be prepared for it. If you can pad the bill to cover the cost of the splitters even if you do not use them. I will bet down the road real soon he may call you for a service call and you can fix it very quickly. OK you are right just go ahead a put them on in the first place!

 

I find it interesting that he wants both the VCR and the DVR recording the same cameras! I am curious to know why. Did I miss something?

I am more used to people who buy a packaged video systems with plug and play connectors, and then later want to use these cameras to connect to a new DVR and stop using a VCR. Would he be better having more cameras attached to the DVR, and expanding his view? I assume the VCR still works.

As a suggestion I would try to learn how to clean heads on a VCR. You were the last one to touch his equipment and a month from now it will eat a tape or have some event, and he will want to blame you naturally. As most people know VCR tapes have a residue that is left behind from playing and recording. This will build up over a period of time until the head or wheels become so sticky that they grab the tape and wrap it aroung the wrong parts inside. If someone uses the same tape over, and over, and over it just really magnifies this problem. Then have them purchase new tapes or you will refuse to provide them service. Make sure all of your VCR customers have at least SEVEN TAPES! Mark them Sun, Mon, ...Fri, and Sat. They will put that days tape in for recording. For Fri they put in the Fri tape, if they want to look at past recordings, no problem! They can go back one week!

Hey what about 24 hour recording with a VCR? You can buy 8 hour tapes, but the customer has to realize that 3 times a day he/she will have to put in a tape and hit record.

 

This sound like he has "employees" or something that uses the VCR and the DVR will be "hidden" away for him to review. Maybe they forget to put in a tape, and hit record, OR they are shutting off the recording to hide something they should not be doing.

Can you make an extra buck on the deal by making a wooden box to LOCK the VCR and or the DVR too? Most of us buy metal lock boxes that come with a key for our DVRS.

 

If you are already familiar with most of what I have posted here, just be advised that I threw this in for others who may be reading this post.

 

Good luck! If you have any questions I will be more than glad to help.

[drewliebs 0]

Thanks for the advise.... The reason he wants to keep his original VCR and multiplexor is b/c the origianl system has (4) video outs from the multiplexor which allows him to view his video on (4) spot monitors. He wants to keep the monitors, and the NETPROMAX DVR that I am using only has a (1) channel composite out. His only reason for keeping the old system is so that he can see those monitors..... Most likely i will be disconnecting the DVR.

 

Thansk again, and let me know if you can think of any other solutions...

[scorpion 0]

Take those devices and split the camera signal two ways, one to the monitors, and the second one to the DVR Camera input.

 

Now you have 4 individual monitors, and you have your 4 inputs to the DVR! Now you can take the VCR out of the circuit!

 

You can try the "T"s to see if you can split the signal between the monitors, and the DVR. I doubt that it will work but you can give it a try.

 

Do the monitors have loop out? You can connect the Cameras to the monitors and use the loop out to go to the DVR!

 

Keep me posted!

[Closeoutcctv 0]

Check Home Depot for a CAT cable tester.

[SPYSHOP2000 0]

Thanks for the advise.... The reason he wants to keep his original VCR and multiplexor is b/c the origianl system has (4) video outs from the multiplexor which allows him to view his video on (4) spot monitors. He wants to keep the monitors, and the NETPROMAX DVR that I am using only has a (1) channel composite out. His only reason for keeping the old system is so that he can see those monitors..... Most likely i will be disconnecting the DVR.

 

Thansk again, and let me know if you can think of any other solutions...

 

Hi There,

 

Well, if you didn't have your heart set on that NETPROMAX and you went with a more economical DVR like the JPEG2000 stand alone DVMR then you would have a loop out for each camera, and much higher recorded resolution. Is there a specific reason that you are using the NETPROMAX or is it just the one your familiar with? Do a google on JPEG2000 DVR and look for me name. Look at the pictures of the back of the DVR. It has the loop outs for each channel.

 

SS2K..

[normicgander 0]

Hey Scorpion

 

 

You will need one for each camera, and then you can split the signal two ways. Keep the receipt. If you can split the signal with a "T" and the picture looks good on the VCR, and the DVR then you are good to go and you can take these back for a refund. Please record to a tape then look at the recorded video and not live video on the monitor, this goes for the same with the DVR, look at the recorded image. If the customer is satisfied then you have solved his problem, and earned the right to be recommended to other future customers. If he is not going to honor you with a recommendation then you are wasting your time if you solve his problem. I am going to bet that you will have some video issues using a T connection so be prepared for it. If you can pad the bill to cover the cost of the splitters even if you do not use them. I will bet down the road real soon he may call you for a service call and you can fix it very quickly. OK you are right just go ahead a put them on in the first place!

 

 

Are you recommending that it's ok to double terminate a 75 ohm power matched video cable? Won' you will lose 6db of signal (50IRE) of signal, not to mention that the sync signals will be half of the specified value?

[SPYSHOP2000 0]

Hey Scorpion

 

 

You will need one for each camera, and then you can split the signal two ways. Keep the receipt. If you can split the signal with a "T" and the picture looks good on the VCR, and the DVR then you are good to go and you can take these back for a refund. Please record to a tape then look at the recorded video and not live video on the monitor, this goes for the same with the DVR, look at the recorded image. If the customer is satisfied then you have solved his problem, and earned the right to be recommended to other future customers. If he is not going to honor you with a recommendation then you are wasting your time if you solve his problem. I am going to bet that you will have some video issues using a T connection so be prepared for it. If you can pad the bill to cover the cost of the splitters even if you do not use them. I will bet down the road real soon he may call you for a service call and you can fix it very quickly. OK you are right just go ahead a put them on in the first place!

 

 

Are you recommending that it's ok to double terminate a 75 ohm power matched video cable? Won' you will lose 6db of signal (50IRE) of signal, not to mention that the sync signals will be half of the specified value?

 

The loss will depend on the devices providing the video signals.

 

Yes, you will probably lose at least 6db of signal and yes you will degrade the sync single.

 

While I personally wouldn't recommend this configuration I have seen it work without problem...

 

More often then not though it won't so don't do this unless you are ready for the problems that will come with it.

 

Problems like making unnecessary trips to the customer that you could have avoided by doing it right in the first place.

 

It will cost a few (45 to 80) dollars more then a .50 cent T connector but it's well worth it considering the cost of gas and and customer satisfaction that you are putting on the line to save a few bucks.

 

Do it right and do it right the first time. At least that's the way I would see / do it...

 

If your customer doesn't agree then give him a link to someone that thinks otherwise and save yourself several of hours explaining what I just said...

 

SS2K..