Backup cameras

We are looking for advice for an easy install back up camera. I assume a 12v wireless system would make sense.
All advice is appreciated!

Hey....you've got a 62' Nordland..couldn't you just hire a guy to stand on the back and give directions?

cline said:

We are looking for advice for an easy install back up camera. I assume a 12v wireless system would make sense.
All advice is appreciated!

Click to expand...

Check Ebay.

Two “RuggedCam” units, mounted one on each side of boat just forward of the cockpit. Left and right cameras each display on the left and right Garmin MDFs at the helm. They are wired, not wireless. Super clear pictures!

Cline,
I installed a regular CCTV camera (wide lens) and pulled the Siamese cable from the helm to where I mounted the camera(s). I did not go wireless. The cables end in RCA which I added a BNC adapter to and connected it to the video inputs into my Simrad chartplotter. This gives me the option of having a partial screen of the video image or a full 16" screen if needed.
I do not use the camera for "backing up". When I am in a close quarters situation, it is not the time I want to be looking down at my screens, I want to be looking out the windows. The other issues with cameras, is that I would need one on each rear corner of boat and pointed down. I tried a automotive rear camera mounted on the transom but it's field of view is just not wide enough.
When backing up, I have my wife at the stern of the boat with a Sena headset to guide me. The camera is very good for watching for boats coming up behind me.

I single hand my boat, and or me!have no visibility of the back of the boat while at the helm....this works for me!

I've installed several of these car radios which have a backup camera feature. They seem to work well, but I upgrade the camera for outside mounting.



https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.119.3af9687fRRirng

cline said:

We are looking for advice for an easy install back up camera. I assume a 12v wireless system would make sense.
All advice is appreciated!

Click to expand...

What MFDs do you have?

Almost all support cameras but depends on BNC versus IP

Cameras can be had for cheap on Amazon, eBay, etc

cline said:

We are looking for advice for an easy install back up camera. I assume a 12v wireless system would make sense.
All advice is appreciated!

Click to expand...

I have used Cabcam brand wired cameras and screens before. Cameras are weather resistant and give a quite clear picture, even on a little cheap screen. It is clear enough to use for backing up and to keep an eye on boats behind me. The new Cabcam 7" screen will be even better. Screens come in 3.5, 7 and 9 inch wireless or wired. There is a large selection of cameras for wireless or wired systems, 110 or 150 degree angle. Just one 110 degree camera is plenty wide to see both sides of the boat from about 12 feet away. The last kit I priced was $460 Cdn with 7 inch screen, one or two cameras ?? and mounting hardware and wire. Not the cheapest but good equipment.

When backing, I look out the back window of the pilothouse or take a step onto the deck for a scan.

Do you intend to have a separate display for this? Or do you want to feed it into your existing chartplotters?

If you're going separate, any garden-variety car backup camera add-on would work. If you're going to use your plotter... it gets complicated.

Some plotters have analog camera inputs. Going wireless for this (presumably to avoid running video cable) would require an RF-analog receiver and a matching RF sender on the camera.

Some plotters support IP network cameras. Axis has made several, including gateway boxes to allow using analog cameras (to bring old cameras into a networked setup).

So how do you want to display the picture?

With regard to hooking up a camera to a chart plotter.....
Wouldn't a lot of cameras work with an ethernet cable?
I've got the Simrad Evo 3 and would love to get a backup cam that displayed on it.

Seevee said:

With regard to hooking up a camera to a chart plotter..... Wouldn't a lot of cameras work with an ethernet cable? I've got the Simrad Evo 3 and would love to get a backup cam that displayed on it.

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It's not the cable that's important, it's the format of the video carried on it. There's lots of different ways video can be sent over the network. Some plotters are very specific in what they'll support. It's best to start at the plotter and work your way back out from there. Find out what it can specifically support and see what matches that.

So, no, just having an ethernet connection will not guarantee results.

wkearney99 said:

It's not the cable that's important, it's the format of the video carried on it. There's lots of different ways video can be sent over the network. Some plotters are very specific in what they'll support. It's best to start at the plotter and work your way back out from there. Find out what it can specifically support and see what matches that.

So, no, just having an ethernet connection will not guarantee results.

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Agreed, I've already contacted Simrad to see what they say. Just wondering if someone has already done this with a Simrad unit.

When I back in solo, a camera would be a HUGE improvement as there's a time when I just can't see the dock at all.

Now, another option would be to install a throttle in the helm and that's strong on my list if I do a lot of soloing.

ctjstr said:

Hey....you've got a 62' Nordland..couldn't you just hire a guy to stand on the back and give directions?

Click to expand...

We have a 62 Norland, that's why we can't afford to hire the help!! LOL

Thanks, just trying to avoid running the wires. So far that sounds like the best way to go.

That makes perfect sense. The detail needed for effective back up camera would require multiple cameras. My wife has been preaching about the wireless headsets, but at the same time it was her idea for the back up cameras. She quite smart, I see her advice as her saying why weren't you looking at the cameras when I screw up.

Lol. Thanks for great info!

Thanks! Appreciate the link. We will look into it.

I wish my wife had that confidence in me.
Lol
As I mentioned she's smart.

Thanks! We will look into.

Gosh, I wish I had a back window! I'm jealous. Even steering from the fly bridge I can't see the back in very tight quarters.

We have plenty of space so a separate display would work fine. Our chart plotter is an older Netnav system with the infamous iPad backup. I guess we could run the cameras thru one or the other but the screens get busy.
Thank you!

We just replaced our wired back up camera on a tanker at work with a new wireless unit. The old wired camera was from the same company and work great for over 12 years until the outside wire connectors actually fell off from corrosion(nasty stuff in the tanker). So far the operators of the tanker love the new camera and monitor, although the suction cup mount for the monitor is a little to weak for my liking and I would go with their other mount option in the future. The camera seems very heavy and well made and comes with night vision. This new 7" monitor even allows for two side view cameras to hook up to it, although the side cameras would be wired and you would need to change screens to view them. The company does have larger quad view monitors. We purchased it on line at


rearviewsafety.com

Maybe you should invest in this:

https://www.passagemaker.com/trawle...Ppbx07qimT8Bs1RH9yk9tDkmmFky1A&_hsmi=70175670

When I was in China about a year and half ago I rode in a Buick minivan that apparently used cameras to provide a synthesized top down 360 view all around the vehicle. On the screen in the dash (also used for the backup view) there was this top down view full time that showed all the things going on around the vehicle. The view had to have been from multiple wide angle cameras. The image was combined and the distortions corrected such that it looked like the camera was mounted about 10' directly above the vehicle looking straight down. If it is cheap and easy enough to put in a minivan, it should be able to be used on a boat. Certainly might be handy.

ssobol,

Many newer cars have them here (sadly mine is too old). They can be bought on Amazon and retro fitted. From what I understand it is often good but not perfect and calibration is key. I keep looking at them, but thinking that (on my car) it isn't worth the install.

I'm not sure if they are set up to work with something the size of a large boat, i.e. if the cameras can get enough of a view and if the algorithms will be able to knit the images together.

Some examples from Amazon (there are many more):
-- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F9508Z2
-- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FK3M266
-- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076X2W2QR
-- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZR65O2G
-- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HSWKP19

gkesden said:

ssobol,

Many newer cars have them here (sadly mine is too old). They can be bought on Amazon and retro fitted. From what I understand it is often good but not perfect and calibration is key. I keep looking at them, but thinking that (on my car) it isn't worth the install.

I'm not sure if they are set up to work with something the size of a large boat, i.e. if the cameras can get enough of a view and if the algorithms will be able to knit the images together.

Some examples from Amazon (there are many more):
-- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F9508Z2
-- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FK3M266
-- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076X2W2QR
-- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZR65O2G
-- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HSWKP19

Click to expand...

Interesting technology.....

Would be just great to have a two camera system, one on each rear corner.

Bill & Stella said:

I've installed several of these car radios which have a backup camera feature. They seem to work well, but I upgrade the camera for outside mounting.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.119.3af9687fRRirng

Click to expand...

In the boat or in the car?

If in the boat i'd love to see pics of the install.

I have a car with the 360º overhead view functionality. It's handy in a few situations, like getting centered in a tight parking space, or a not too close to a curb. It's really clever to see the lines arc when the wheel angle is changed in the backup view, nice integration with the rest of the vehicle network to get that.

But honestly it's a bit more of a distraction than an actual aid. There's too many mental spatial transitions you need to go through to keep tabs on just what it is you're seeing in the display. I'm sure some folks handle this better than others but I've found it's better to park without it, and now mainly use it to just check for final alignment.

Still, it'd be a clever experiment to see how well one of those would work on a boat. There's a few examples online.


The music is annoying, but this shows the calibrating:

I'd think you'd have to calibrate it while on the hard with the calibration boxes and lines set up at the waterline.

The hard part would be placement of the rear camera. Most automotive systems are going to have the camera at the very rear of the vehicle. That's not always going to be practical with a boat with swim platforms and such. I know it wouldn't work on mine. I don't know how well the calibration would deal with being in a more forward position. I'm sure it "could be" overcome but probably not with the generic kinds of systems intended for cars.

I'm guessing a system intended for a bus or truck might be at least a little more amenable to working on a boat.

3D 1080P 360 Around view car camera system for bus

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H5KJ8L4/

Seeing hardware devices doing the interpolation from spherical to flat in real time is impressive, especially for such low price points.

It's pretty neat what 360 or spherical view cameras can do. I've got a small Ricoh Theta that's great at taking 360 videos. The hard part is posting or sharing them as few systems out there will re-play the 360 videos.