Is this a bad camera or electrical interferance?

[squale 0]

Well I have a Geovision 6.1 system running a GV-800 v3 card. I have 3 bullet cameras all mounted outside my house under the roof overhang. I am running Siamese PVC RG-59 cable. I just replaced all BNC connections because I was getting a lot of video lost errors. Now I put on 3-piece RG59 BNC connectors and I actually Soldered the center pins on instead of crimp them. The connections all seem very strong now on both ends.

 

Anyhow, on one of my cameras the picture is all grainy and snowy. Sometimes the picture goes almost completly white like the sun is shining right into the camera, othertimes it's very dark the image, other times the image is just all snowy. Weird thing is though, the other two cameras the picture is perfect on. And I know all the connections are good this time around.

 

So here are some pictures to compare..

 

1st pic is a GOOD camera, having no problems with this one..

 

2nd pic is the BAD camera picture, not sure whether this is a bad camera, bad connection or electrical interference. This camera has the longest cable run, probably about 75 foot or so. The other two cameras have cable runs of about 40 foot each.

 

any ideas what's going on with this one camera? it used to work fine some months back, then I kept getting video lost because of bad bnc connectors, I just replaced the connectors and now I get this ugly image back from the camera..

 

Thanks everybody!

[VST_Man 1]

distance is not the issue.

 

verify the pic at the camera then the DVR....before connected. you'll find you answer................

[squale 0]

well this one particular camera, the siamese cable lays ontop of some heavy guage power cable running through the attic. I put a piece of carboard over the power cable where the siamese cable crosses it, but I don't know if this could be the problem. I really have no way to test JUST the camera, the only thing I can do is plug the camera into the geovision card like I am doing now..

[rory 0]

Unfortunately, only way to tell is take the camera down and plug it into a TV or CCTV Monitor, powering them in the same spot.

[squale 0]

the other thing I did was take my voltmeter, put it on Mili-volts.. and touch the black probe to the center conductor and touch the red prob to the outside of the bnc connector and read what I was getting. I was getting about 30-70 mili-volts on the bad camera.. the other cameras were about 10-30 mili-volts.

 

don't know if this makes any sort of a difference? but I heard from somebody that this is a good way to detect if you are getting electrical interference?

 

here are more pictures of that weird camera today... you can see how the images just randomly change, and now right at this moment the image is pretty clear... but look at these from earlier today..

 

 

 

[rory 0]

Could also be a bad power board, only way to tell is to take it down and test it by itself on its own Monitor and power supply, if it still looks bad, send it back (or chuck it) and get a new one.

[squale 0]

what's the warranty on these Speco CVC-637EX/W cameras?

 

I've had it for about a little under 3 years... bought them back in Feb. 2005.

 

and how long should these cameras last running 24/7 in my NJ climate?

[rory 0]

No idea, but any bullet camera that has been up for 3 years .. Id bow at it, take a couple deep breaths, and look for a new camera ..

 

Not sure if they would warranty it now since it has already been exposed for a couple years to extreme temps among other things. The boards inside bullet cameras are typically very sensitive, especially in the smaller units, so a brownout could easily knock them out.

 

Got a few of their older BW IR bullets still out there working, they replaced that model with a lesser product though. Anyway, when they go I just chuck them and get a new one. Ofcourse these have all been on AVRs.

[Doug 0]

Swap the "bad" camera with the "good" camera, if the problem follows the camera, then you know its the camera.

 

If the "good" camera now has the problem then you know its a cable/interference/connection problem

 

Doug

[ddogg777 0]

Has the problem been fixed!? I have a similar issue.

[Soundy 1]

Well the same advice applies... the most basic troubleshooting is to swap the suspect camera with a known good camera and see if the problem moves with it. Pretty simple, really, I don't understand why it needs to be repeated so many times.

[trocandio 0]

Indeed basic, but there are so many people without a logical thinking...