dechowireless 0 Posted June 6, 2012 Ok so im upgrading an camera system at a collision shop i ran upgraded 8 cameras already but i have 3 that run all the way to the back of the shop.. which is 300+ft... my problem is.. i have 3 rg59 w/power cables.. 165ft +100ft+100ft.. the camera location is all the way in the back so i bought F-to-F BNC adapters.. to connect them and run the cable.. well after i ran it.. the video resolution is crap and the picture is B&W!! it too me 3 hrs to run this damn cable through a pin hole and along a 30ft roof! im so pissed... any suggestions? am i losing power to the cameras? why are they B&W? " title="Applause" /> Also the guy that did the install before used a PC Card DVR.. could that effect it any? thanks a lot for any suggestions! Ill get a picture of it soon if i can and upload it.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted June 6, 2012 Sounds like it may be crap cable - either poor construction, or the wrong type of construction. What are the markings on the cable itself, if any? Are you saying you have a 365' run composed of two 100' lengths and one 165' length all spliced together? Being a PC-based DVR card shouldn't be an issue, especially not if the other cameras are all working. Only other thing that would make a color camera show up in B&W is if you're using a PAL camera on and NTSC DVR (or vice-versa)... but if these are all the same camera, that's unlikely. Lowest common denominator is probably the cable itself. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dechowireless 0 Posted June 6, 2012 Sounds like it may be crap cable - either poor construction, or the wrong type of construction. What are the markings on the cable itself, if any? Are you saying you have a 365' run composed of two 100' lengths and one 165' length all spliced together? Being a PC-based DVR card shouldn't be an issue, especially not if the other cameras are all working. Only other thing that would make a color camera show up in B&W is if you're using a PAL camera on and NTSC DVR (or vice-versa)... but if these are all the same camera, that's unlikely. Lowest common denominator is probably the cable itself. i bought them from ep-survellance... they were precut and made already. it didnt splice the power i just connected the ends to ends and ran it also i got a F-to-F BNC adaptor and connected the RG59 cables... do you think my current is not strong enough to power the camera to make it color? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dechowireless 0 Posted June 6, 2012 Sounds like it may be crap cable - either poor construction, or the wrong type of construction. What are the markings on the cable itself, if any? Are you saying you have a 365' run composed of two 100' lengths and one 165' length all spliced together? Being a PC-based DVR card shouldn't be an issue, especially not if the other cameras are all working. Only other thing that would make a color camera show up in B&W is if you're using a PAL camera on and NTSC DVR (or vice-versa)... but if these are all the same camera, that's unlikely. Lowest common denominator is probably the cable itself. i forgot to mention i plug the cameras into the dvr using the 165ft and it was color and the pictures was crisp camera is 650tvl.. but when i add an adapter and connect the power ends it gives me black and white... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Numb-nuts 1 Posted June 6, 2012 Whats your voltage at the camera end? My feeling is that you probably have a voltage issue and crap cable also. Obviously I haven't seen it but from your description it sounds that way. My guess is most likely voltage issues and a mismatch with your connectors. CCTV is not a plug and play technology despite places like Maplin, and the likes of Costco's best efforts to convince the unsuspecting public otherwise. You might be better scrapping what you have and using Cat5 and baluns for the video signal but try using a more local source for your power, obviously there is a small danger of ground loops but it's worth taking the risk. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 187 Posted June 6, 2012 are you running 12v over 365ft ??? (110 meters) and at what amp is your power supply. ...... you should be 5amp or over for that distance Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted June 6, 2012 Erm... if his problem is voltage drop over that distance, it won't matter how many amps his power supply is capable of... Decho, quick test is to power the camera locally (ie. put the power supply close to the camera) and see if the problem clears up. If it does, then your problem is voltage loss over the length of the run. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IseeYou 0 Posted June 6, 2012 Soundy - the OP states this: i forgot to mention i plug the cameras into the dvr using the 165ft and it was color and the pictures was crisp camera is 650tvl.. but when i add an adapter and connect the power ends it gives me black and white... Which I read as I have connected the camera close using only the 165ft cable. But once I add the adapter and more cable it goes b/w Just my two cents Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dechowireless 0 Posted June 6, 2012 i totally forgot about using baluns.. i should try those.. im still a amateur compared to all you guys only been doing this since 2010.. and i just got into digital ip.. hopefully those are more fun and a headache to deal with... haha numb- i didnt bring my voltmeter yesterday so i didnt have a reading unfortunetly..but i have to assume its a power issue.. it would work on a single cable running straight from the DVR.. ty for your help tom- again no meter didnt get a reading at the camera end.. but my powersupply was a 19ch powersupply box.. dont know where the box was from cause it was there when i came to upgrade the system.. ty for your help soundy- i will do the local test soon.. but i think im going to buy video baluns and run cat5... itll be less of a headache i think.. haha i have 3 cameras left to run to that side of the building.. ty for your help I have never ran baluns before.. but they look easy enough to use.. any advice or tips using them? i bought a box of 1000ft cat5e for my ip cams i got but i might just pick up another box.. any recommendations on what type of baluns i should buy guys? thanks for all your help Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted June 6, 2012 One thing to keep in mind: if the problem is power loss, baluns WILL NOT solve it. In fact, running the power over Cat5 may make the problem worse: three pairs Cat5's 24 AWG is about equivalent to one pair of 18 AWG wire, so if you're getting enough voltage drop over 18/2 to cause an issue, you'll see the same loss over 3x24... if you only use two pair for power, the camera will probably drop out completely. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 187 Posted June 6, 2012 hi something to always carry around is a verible power supply. we use these good for 12v over long runs 1.500ft Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pcuser 0 Posted June 7, 2012 SRY cannot get the parameters to line up for ease of use....looks great in preview but holy crap what a mess once posted. wiring distance while achieving desired power at end use. Voltage (AWG) American Wire Gauges (minimum) AC or DC 10 12 14 16 18 20 ----------------------------------------------- .250A 12V 3000 2000 1200 750 450 300 24V 6000 4000 2400 1500 900 600 .500A 12V 1500 1000 600 375 225 150 24V 3000 2000 1200 750 450 300 .750A 12V 1000 600 375 250 150 100 24V 2000 1200 750 500 300 200 1.00A 12V 800 500 300 200 100 75 24V 1600 1000 600 400 200 150 1.25A 12V 600 380 240 150 90 60 24V 1200 760 480 300 180 120 1.50A 12V 500 300 200 125 80 50 24V 1000 600 400 250 160 100 1.75A 12V 460 275 170 100 70 40 24V 920 550 340 200 140 80 2.00A 12V 400 240 150 90 60 35 24V 800 480 300 180 120 70 ____________________________________________________________ wire guage 10 12 14 16 18 20 2.25A 12V 350 200 130 80 50 24V 700 400 260 160 100 2.50A 12V 300 190 120 75 24V 600 380 240 150 2.75A 12V 280 170 100 70 24V 560 340 200 140 3.00A 12V 260 160 100 60 24V 520 320 200 120 Copyright © 2009 Costar Video, LLC Terms of Use Privacy Statement Home Products Support News Company Contact 6/6/2012http://www.costarvideo.com/support/support.aspx?id=8 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dahomes555 0 Posted June 7, 2012 The cable is definitely your problem. EP Surveillance cables use 22 ga wire for power. You wouldn't want that cable for anything longer than maybe 50 feet. Get a good quality with 18 ga power wire and run one consecutive piece without any splices and you should be fine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Numb-nuts 1 Posted June 7, 2012 This is fairly basic electrical theory, you don't have to memorize the maths, (I don't) but at least you should be aware of the issue and could work it out using an online voltage drop calculator. Do this at your planning stage before you even start installation. The principle is simple, the electricity runs along cable, cable has resistance, over a distance the voltage is affected by the resistance of the cable so voltage drops off. Solution= heavier cable (lower resistance) or higher voltage to start with, or both. Result= suitable voltage at the point of delivery. It's not rocket science, (well maybe to some it is ) Like I said before CCTV is NOT a plug and play technology like Costco would have you believeso they can offload their Chinese low end junk. But this is REALLY basic stuff Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dechowireless 0 Posted June 7, 2012 thanks everyone im going to find a local power source and try to fig reroute power... cause i rather do that and use the already installed BNC cables rather than run 3 more cables and get torched in this houston heat.. im learning more and more everyday thanks buds for your time! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
