| Author | Message | ||
| Bruce Henderson (Oonrahnjay)
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__. Does anyone have experience with a "rear view" camera? I have excellent rear vision from my bus but it seems to me that one of these cameras mounted along my roofline might be good for spotting clearance. __. Some of you may remember that I have an English double-decker bus which is 13'6" high -- right at the legal limit (in Eastern states) and there may be some clearance issues (low hanging traffic lights, for example). __. I'd like info on your experience with these cameras, as well as supplying companies, costs, etc. Many thanks, Bruce Henderson, Wallace NC | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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first thing you need to know is ALL lights,power lines ,telephone lines...everything...is required to be 13'6" off the ground... | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
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I was in a residential area and although DML was under 12 feet, I ended up dragging some phone lines off the pole and down the road for a couple of miles before I got them unhooked from the rear A/C unit. So required versus actual may be two different things. LOL Richard | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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I did the same thing in N.Y.....phone lines...called the phone company & reported it...they knew they were in violation..no hassel to me........... | ||
| Jim Stewart (H3jim)
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There are plenty of trees along the 2 1/2 miles getting to my place that are low enough I have to take two lanes (oncoming) to miss them. I have been having a batrtle for 8 months with the the county department that has respnsibilty. They come out and trim kind of, but are never really out of hitting range. Additionally the trees grow back. And that just in California. I understand that there are many trees back east that do not respect the 13' 6" limit | ||
| WA David (Wacoastmci)
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The Rand McNalley (sp?) Trucker's Atlas has a list of locations by state where clearance is below 13'6". Low wires and limbs are not listed. There are many of both around, in my experience. Our coach needs 13' to clear the in-motion dome, so always uneasy when away from main roads. | ||
| George Myers
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I think the point got lost here. The rear view camera goes high up on the back of the coach, not on the roof. It should never get near anything scraping along the roof. They are great for many uses. There are closed circuit units, costing less than $100, that can be modified for use on a coach. Modification includes reversing the picture left to right so it is like a mirror image. See my article "Rearview TV" in the July 2003 issue of Bus Conversions. | ||
| Gary Stadler (Boogiethecat)
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It amazes me how quickly the actual question gets ignored and the topic wanders off!! That said, yes, the cameras are great. For going in the forward direction, just a normal camera will be perfect for you. If you'll be using one for backing up, you'll either have to look for a complete package (camera and monitor) so that the image in the monitor is reversed. It is totally un-nerving to use a monitor system that is "normal", be driving around with it on, see someone passing you on the right in the monitor and then they actually pass you on the left! To get a properly reversed system either purchase a complete monitor/camera package that is reversed from the factory... or you'll have to get a normal camera and a CRT based monitor and reverse the horizontal yoke wires yourself to reverse the image. I don't like either of the above options because I like big ugly things like monitors on my bus to have more than one function, like watching TV or DVD's, or viewing my GPS system. With a dedicated "reversed" monitor, you can't do that. SOOO... You can easily find individual cameras that have a reversed output ..OR...(this goes on!) you can find units like "Video Mirror" from Colorado Video that will reverse a video signal from a normal camera (this is what I do). Once you've figured out the "reversing camera" problem, you can find a $50 box called a "UNIVERSAL VGA BOX" that will allow you to use a regular camera to feed a large VGA LCD computer monitor- that's what I do, and then you get an economical large display in color. An advantage of using the VGA box is that you can also add three more cameras and a computer and select them with the push of a button. For your particular appliation, here's a hint that works VERY well for me. I put my camera on the roof of my bus, slightly in from the rear so it sees part of the roof as well as the road below. (I have a curved rear) Then I placed a bunch of 2/4's on the driveway in two lines, positioned so that if I backed straight up they made a little "lane" that was only a few inches wider than my bus, and I wouldn't hit them. A lot of guys will then put marks on their monitor, right over the "lane lines", so when backing up, they can see if there's anything between those lines, it'll get hit. Since I also use my monitor for DVD's and GPS, I didnt want to do that. Instead, I painted two lines on my roof that the camera sees, which create a set of guides in the camera. For you, perhaps you could mount the camera back on your roof a ways, aimed straight ahead so the bottom half of it sees nothing but your roof, so if you saw a bridge for example and no light between the bottom of it and your roof top, it'd be a prudent time to stop. If it were me doing this, here's what I'd recommend: A "normal" camera looking straight ahead; A "reversed" camera looking to the rear A VGA box to select the camera and convert to VGA A 13" to 18" VGA monitor hung about where your rear view mirror would normally be One more thing- for backing up you want a very wide angle camera so you can see everything. Over 100 degrees view angle is desired. But for your application in the forward direction, you really don't want a wide angle camera, because you aren't as worried about running trashcans over as you are hitting low hanging things. A camera that was NOT fisheye or wide ange would be better because it would act more like an early warning for things fairly far away, and the image would be a lot less distorted as well. I'd think maybe a 60 degree or so would be better for the front... check out the supercircuits link below and look at their PC67S-2 camera. (They also sell housings for it) Sources: for good cameras that reverse the image- Look up seller "yanlabonline" on ebay- get the more expensive ones though. (You always want to go with the highest resolution you can get, in any camera) For many high quality non-reversing cameras check www.supercircuits.com (I got mine here) http://207.207.29.130/store/products.asp?dept=12 (most of their cameras don't reverse but they do have a few) For a VGA box, this is the one you want: http://www.whitedog.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=12&products_id=475 although the seller is in the UK. With some searching you can find them in the US though...ebay? Colorado Video, http://www.colorado-video.com/mirror.html these cost over a grand from them- to date I've bought two from ebay, one for $30 and one for $1.99... keep an eye out and you'll find them... | ||
| George Myers
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Another way to reverse the image is to mount a mirror at a 45 deg angle in front of the camera. You will have to play with the mounting angles to get the image you want. | ||
| Michael Lewis (Puffbus)
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I think that if my coach were that high, I would look into one of the easily obtained laser measuring devices. Kind of the ultimate curb feeler. This could be mounted at the highest point on the bus to shoot straight forward. Perhaps on a swivel base.If the LCD readout was remounted in the drivers area, with an audible alarm, it would pick up solid objects. It beeps...you got a problem. Of course a constant forward facing red laser might excite some law enforcement folks. My opinion is that the simpler you keep this, the better, but the acronym FFOD appeals to me (forward facing object detector). Michael | ||
| Bruce Henderson (Oonrahnjay)
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Gary Stadler said: <<>> __. Thank you, Gary, this is exactly the kind of useful and helpful information that I was seeking. Many thanks! __. Actually, the rear view system on my bus (there is a central rear view mirror that looks down the center isle through the rear window, in addition to a pair of large outside mirrows) is very good. The only thing that I'll need the camera for is overhead clearance so I anticipate only a forward-looking one. But your information and especially the weblinks will be very helpful. __. Thanks again for the kind and helpful reply. Bruce Henderson, Wallace NC (And I'm aware that the legal clearance is 13'6" but it seems to be a fact that you will occasionally meet an overhead road sign or traffic light or phone line that's loose or hanging from a heat-stretched cable. Say you only run into that kind of problem once a year -- I don't want to be spending money and time repairing scratched paint and windows; even once a year. Much better to have a system that gives me a full picture of what's happening up there.) | ||
| ChuckMC9 (Chucks)
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Tagging along on this question, does anyone know where to get those slick RV housings for bucams? My situation clearly won't last long in sun/wind/rain.  Somewhat tangental, a great tip I got here awhile back for an unusual monitor solution was to use your driver's rearview mirror to view your normal TV, which is swiveled around to point frontwards while driving. So the image then becomes reversed. I will be getting a slicker TFT-LCD later, but it's a great temp solution. (Seems like everything I do is a temp solution)  | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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Chuck....3" or 4" pvc pipe coupling | ||
| Jim Stewart (H3jim)
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R&M fiberglass near Salem Oregon sells the camera pods. they are expensive, $150 or so. Bigger than you need it looks like. | ||
| Barrett
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You can bend Lexan with a regular sheet metal brake. Just bend up a small piece into a guard for it, either clear or tinted will work, depending on just what you wan to do. Much cheaper than a premade anything most of the time and you have exactly what YOU want. | ||
| SkipEagle20
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Another option on multiple camera's is what is used in security installations. It is a multiplexor which allows all camera outputs on the monitor at the same time or the option to select one of interest to go full screen. usually they can show four camera's , or multiple's (like eight,sixteen,etc.) depending on the multiplexor purchaced. More camera's the higher the cost of the unit. | ||
| John that newguy Rating: N/A |
Yikes. By the time you see it in the monitor at normal speeds, it'd be a bit too late, won't it? And lasers with alarms? wow. I had a few (ham) antennas on the roof of the RV. The one at the front-most section was about 6" higher than anything else on the roof. If I thought an overpass, tree limb, or wire at some obscure park was lower than I could navigate, the noise from the antenna hitting would tell me faster than I could ever re-focus my eyes to some monitor screen. It's simple, cheap and as effective as those "curb feelers" of days gone by. | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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wow....had not thought of curb feelers for years isn't it strange how times change...remember smudge pots..........for MILES down the highway | ||
| busone Rating: N/A |
I saw a bunch of sumdge pots on Ebay a few months ago. The state of Oregon was selling them as surplus. I like them on the patio to keep the bugs away. | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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curb feelers were when everybody had their windows down & you could hear them............... wonder how long before mfg. stop makeing windows to go up & down | ||
| Bruce Henderson (Oonrahnjay)
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__. Wow! Anybody know where I can get some smudge pots? That would really help me, wouldn't it?!?!?!? __. Sheeesh. BH | ||
| Don/TX
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Since we have wandered so far off the original topic, you know Camping World sells a cute item, it is a short antenna sort of thing, with a trigger inside so when you start thru a low overpass, it deflects enough to make a buzzer sound off. I used a pair of carefully positioned CB antennas off the front corners of the bus, arranged at a height that you could actually see the tips of the antenna passing thru (or not) the low clearance area. | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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Brucie.. ease up a little...we don't know that much about double deckers...that was YOUR decision.. | ||
| VetteZ07
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An easy way to modify the camera monitor for use as a TV is to simply use a DPDT rocker switch and wire it to the yoke "straight" for a regular TV and reverse the leads on the other side for a mirrored effect. That's what I did and it works fine. -Barrett |