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Post by wisconsinjoe on Apr 9, 2022 19:41:32 GMT -8
Has anyone rigged up some kind of camera to give a good view to the rear. I'm not so worried about having a back up camera for reversing into a space. I just like to know what is behind me when driving. I can sort of see all the way through the windows with my truck rear view mirror, but of course that is just a postage stamp look.
I've considered back-up cameras mounted on the bumper wired to always on. There are hard wired and Bluetooth versions. With the latter, I've heard that the aluminum skin may interfere with data transmission.
Also, I thought about a dash cam mounted inside looking out the rear window. That would be hard wired somehow, I think.
With any of these choices, how would you control nighttime headlight glare, like in a rear view mirror?
Is this a ridiculous idea? Talk me down.
Anyway, any thoughts?
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Post by Teachndad on Apr 10, 2022 4:55:13 GMT -8
Hi Joe, Well, I scratched my head on this one for several reasons. I would like to scrape you off the ceiling . First, I am getting confused reading your post. Where is the camera supposed to be mounted? Would it be mounted inside the rear window of the truck or inside the trailer, or outside the trailer? You also mention a bumper mount. Maybe you were just throwing out options? I am assuming the camera would be mounted outside the trailer in the rear. The glare issue could be dealt with, I imagine, by adjusting brightness on the screen if that was an option. You could also mount the camera as high as possible and angle it downward. Maybe adjust downward more so for night time driving and adjust upward a tad for daytime driving. The lenses on those are fisheyed anyway. You are asking for a lot, though it's worthy of discussion. It's worth consideration if it's really what you want. As far as the aluminum skin interfering with Bluetooth, I would suggest asking on a trailer forum like TrailerLife. There were some knowledgeable folks there. I used to post there when I got my first trailer over 15 years ago. You could also try posting on an Airstream forum. I would think those folks would have lots of money for gadgets like this. That would save you a lot of time, money and energy. While I want to be encouraging, I have a hard time seeing you reach 100 percent of your goals. It seems like you might have to give something up. Then again, what were the goals of the Wright brothers? Did they reach all of theirs? BUT, hey, see what happens and let us learn from you. You have shown you are persistent, determined and thorough. Cheers, Rod
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Post by wisconsinjoe on Apr 10, 2022 7:28:50 GMT -8
Thanks Rod. I think I'll ask the Airstream folks
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Apr 10, 2022 15:46:21 GMT -8
Thanks Rod. I think I'll ask the Airstream folks I don't understand the question at all... Don't you have side mirrors? You are supposed to if you tow you know. And as far as a back up cam is concerned I would go wireless and put the cam on the license plate of the trailer. They make license plate cams that you don't notice when you walk by. Keeps them from being stolen that way. But what the heck are you asking Joe?
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Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on Apr 11, 2022 7:40:29 GMT -8
The best place to put a rear camera would be in the back window of the trailer. That would keep the camera from being affected by rain, snow or mud. I hadn’t thought of this before, since we just look through to the back window of the trailer. The Tesla has nine cameras and “sonar” positioned around the car, but the rear camera is obscured by the trailer. Elon Musk did some neat stuff with “Trailer Mode,” but didn’t take into consideration that the trailer would block the rear view. I know he’d like to eliminate the need for side mirrors to decrease wind drag, but I don’t think he’ll be able to fix this with a software download!
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Apr 11, 2022 8:09:46 GMT -8
The best place to put a rear camera would be in the back window of the trailer. That way some unruly child can use a rock to break the window and steal the camera. And there are a heck of a lot of unruly children these days. Especially in the cities.
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Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on Apr 11, 2022 14:36:46 GMT -8
The best place to put a rear camera would be in the back window of the trailer. That way some unruly child can use a rock to break the window and steal the camera. And there are a heck of a lot of unruly children these days. Especially in the cities. Trying to figure out a way around this. It would have to be one that we would remove in seconds and place out of sight when the trailer isn’t on the road. Sounds like a lot of work to me.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Apr 11, 2022 15:31:19 GMT -8
That way some unruly child can use a rock to break the window and steal the camera. And there are a heck of a lot of unruly children these days. Especially in the cities. Trying to figure out a way around this. It would have to be one that we would remove in seconds and place out of sight when the trailer isn’t on the road. Sounds like a lot of work to me. Nothing is safe anymore Hamlet. I just try to hide things so they are not in plain sight. One of the reasons I like the license plate cam. You can't see it really.
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Post by bigbill on Apr 14, 2022 10:05:27 GMT -8
A thought would be a small USB camera ($20.00 new) that would feed into a laptop Think Zoom. Then you would have what you want. You would need to build extended USB cables to make the connections. This camera would be so small no one would notice it in the window. The signal could be fed into am old DVR which would make cabling easier. Mobilec if you know any hams that broadcast ATV they could explain what you would need and how to do it. Just food for thought. Also 12 volt small monitors are fairly inexpensive.
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Post by mobiltec on Apr 14, 2022 10:46:18 GMT -8
Mobilec if you know any hams that broadcast ATV they could explain what you would need and how to do it. Just food for thought. Also 12 volt small monitors are fairly inexpensive. I don't know anyone broadcasting TV on ham radio at the moment. I used to know one guy near me at the other place I lived but I believe he went silent key.
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Post by bigbill on Apr 14, 2022 13:35:01 GMT -8
I was looking on amazon and complete kits are fairly cheap.
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Post by turbodaddy on Apr 18, 2022 3:16:44 GMT -8
I am a dinosaur. I had to borrow my sister's car last week while my 16 year old truck was in the shop. Her car is a Honda Fit, it has a back up camera...my first encounter with one. I prefer mirrors. I am considering buying a Ford Lightning pickup when it is time to replace the old GMC Sierra. That will be a technological leap of faith for me.
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Post by wisconsinjoe on Apr 18, 2022 5:25:25 GMT -8
I think I'm heading back to relying on my side mirrors and what I can see all the way through the truck and camper windows. If somebody is stuck behind me on a winding two lane road, that will have to be their problem. And for backing into a campsite, I'll continue arguing with my wife until we get it down.
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Post by mobiltec on Apr 18, 2022 6:20:31 GMT -8
I don't use a back up cam either. I teach the people I sell trailers to how to back up properly by using some cones and finding a vacatn parking lot. Lots of them around now due to large big box stores closing all over the country.
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Post by Hamlet on Apr 18, 2022 8:18:11 GMT -8
I don’t do the trailer backing in our house (or outside either). The back up cam on our car allows my hubby to do it alone. One shot, every single time. What has been really helpful has been the side cameras that give a good view of what’s on either side of the car/trailer. It was especially helpful at a HipCamp spot in eastern Alberta that had a drop on one side and brush on the other with just a few feet to spare on either side. Knowing exactly where the “edges” were was really helpful as I was standing behind. Aside from that, we have a one car garage at home that was built for a Model A. Even with the mirrors folded, there are no more than six inches on either side in which to maneuver on our downhill sloping gravel driveway. There was a learning curve, but it was pretty short and not too steep.
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