[NLRS] Tower Mounted Video Camera Immune to the sun.

[Steve N4PZ]

Hello All
I put the camera inside a piece of PVC pipe abt 2 inche diameter and cap up both ends. On one end glue (RTV, smells like vinigar) a piece of glass on a hole cut in the cap. Put the glass on OUTSIDE of the cap or snow will build up on the edge outside and cut off part of your camera view. The relay goes inside the PVC pipe also obviously. Make sure to drill a small hole or two on the lowest part of the PVC pipe for drainage but not big enough for wasps to get inside, Remember, if you skip the relay inside the PVC pipe to isolate the camera when it is turned off you WILL, GUARANTEED, very soon buy a new camera as the first wild thunder storm passes. Hi Hi.
Once you have cameras on all your antennas like I have you will feel blind if one fails. Even on my tropo antennas. I can see trees blocking certain paths that I never suspected. On microwave dishes I have vertical adjust on my tropo dishes. You would be amazed how easily you can find your dish pointing into the ground or way up above the actual horizon. A level can lie. Trust me. Point your dish at the setting sun and with a vertical adjustment I’ll bet 50% of all microwave dishes aren’t on the horizon. Also on a 300 mile path on 5760 I found peak signal not on the horizon but several degrees above it. Try a camera. You will wonder how you ever did without it.
73
Steve N4PZ 

From: Andy Furlong 
Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 9:31 AM
To: n4pz at live.com 
Subject: Tower Mounted Video Camera Immune to the sun.

Hi Steve.....PLEASE SEE my questions in blue below and THANKS 
for any additional info.
Andy   WA2FGK

At 12:08 AM 9/20/2013, you wrote:

  Hello All
  www.mpja.com Marlin P.Jones 1-800-652-6733 offers the best camera for an array. It is immune to being pointed at the sun and is NOT sensitive to IR light. Those that are,
  are blind and will not tolerate the sun. They also sell cables cheap up to 150 feet long for the cameras. The camera has an adjustable lens, not a pinhole. It is the only one that will work. Try anything else as I did and you will spend hundreds of dollars learning an expensive lesson.
  The camera is model number 14248 ST for $49.95 and cables 15460-WI 25 ft $6.95, 15461-WI 50 ft  $9.95, 15462-WI 100 ft. $17.95, 15463-WI 150 ft $$22.95.
  This camera is the result of having spent hundreds of dollars only to have the sun destroy them or they are blind at night in  the case of the color one or almost blind at night in  the case of the one that has infrared LEDs and is used for surveillance.  The camera must be isolated completely from the cable when shut off by means of a 12 volt relay(coax relay?) which disconnects the camera from the downlead (RF Coax relay or DC leads????)and grounds it back to itself. If you don’t do that I promise lightening will blow it during the first thunder storm.  DOES THE CAMERA NEED TO BE IN AN ENCLOSURE?
  My camera has been on my polar mounted dish for 3 years and the sun passes it daily. It still works fine believe it or not!
  73
  Steve N4PZ