2012 Voltage 3950 Rear Camera

cewing · 02-09-2013, 09:15 PM

I have a 2012 Voltage 3950 with the Epic package
It can with a Rear Camera wireless
It works fine if you are stopped but if you are moving it loses connection I have had it in twice to look at it but it still does it

Works fine if stoped but if moving it has no picture or if it pops up with a pic it is behind time??

Any thoughts or fixes

seventhfire · 02-10-2013, 06:54 PM

You didn't mention if the engine was running while stopped and the camera works. Wondering if your getting some kind of interference from the tow vehicle. Just a guess.

cewing · 02-10-2013, 08:50 PM

With engine running comes in perfect if not moving very fast if going any speed over 5 or 10 mph it keeps losing signal?

jim · 02-11-2013, 08:03 PM

Dont mess with it make them replace it, same thing with ours went through hell, trying every thing the repair shop wonted to do, if its stil under your warrenty take it back.

Tanman · 02-12-2013, 01:48 AM

I agree with Jim however one simple thing to check is the antenna atop the camera. Is it there.? Mine fell off and wouldnt work right. Yours may be loose or even missing also.

sundancer 87 · 02-12-2013, 03:45 PM

The camera is there primarily for the purpose of seeing what's behind you when you back up.
The camera is intended to be used in a stationary or very slow movement as in backing up. This is not a streaming video type of camera. The frame rate isn't as such to render a video image going 65 mph down the road.
As with any security camera the intention is to monitor movement within a certain area. Trying to see what is coming up behind you on the road is akin to having a security camera mounted at your front door and watching freeway traffic pass by at a high rate of speed.

VoltageGuy · 08-05-2013, 03:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sundancer 87

The camera is there primarily for the purpose of seeing what's behind you when you back up.
The camera is intended to be used in a stationary or very slow movement as in backing up. This is not a streaming video type of camera. The frame rate isn't as such to render a video image going 65 mph down the road.
As with any security camera the intention is to monitor movement within a certain area. Trying to see what is coming up behind you on the road is akin to having a security camera mounted at your front door and watching freeway traffic pass by at a high rate of speed.

Good post. What I glean from this is that the camera is for backup use only, not for watching traffic behind you. Makes sense. Once I get my new rig, I'll report on the camera. I've never understood how it's supposed to work, so this will be educational. It would be nice if it were of the streaming variety, and able to communicate the traffic going by at high speed. Would be very expensive then.

MikeB · 08-05-2013, 09:43 AM

I like the rear camera and screen, it is however one more item mounted to the inside of my windshield. The setup works great in our rig, I can hear my wife when she is back there helping me back into a spot. It is only one way of course, but we have used the little FRS/GMRS radios for years with great results. As for the view, it is quite good, and on ours it does start to get choppy over about 25 mph. I have only used it a few times, but so far the way we use it has been very effective.
I do not leave the screen up on my windshield once I am done using it. I take it down and store it until needed again. Then when we get where we are going, mount it real quick, back into the spot, all good. I was concerned after reading all the issues others were having, if it was even going to be worth the bother, it is pretty handy and we have had no issues with it. Since I have my wife to help me, it isn't something I have to have, but if I was on my own it would be.
You can get a second camera to tie into the system, and other goodies from the maker, but I wouldn't. They are very proud of their stuff, and the prices reflect that. There are many other options if it is something you want to add to your RV and it didn't come with one like our Voltage.
If it something you would like to add, watch out, not all are created equal. I did a ton of research on these looking to add a complete system versus just the one camera. I would like to be able to have more than one view, including inside of the trailer, while we are driving. There are some very nice, reasonably priced kits out there, and some expensive junk. I have my kit picked out, but will be doing other mods first. Probably save this mod for next year since we do have the one that works so well right now. If you are interested, here are some links.

Mike B.

RVS-7707100 / RVS-062710 Quad View cameras | Backup camera System | Rear View Safety

RV Backup Camera System | Motor Homes and RV's | RearViewSafety.com

Backup, Rear View items in Automobile Rear View Camera Systems store on eBay!

Sinecure · 08-05-2013, 05:32 PM

I disagree that these are only supposed to be used when backing. I found the camera extremely useful on the highway when changing lanes.

Let's get technical for a moment. Do radio waves compress when the transmitter is in motion? In other words, are the radio waves shorter in front of the transmitter antenna than behind, similar to the way sound waves compress and decompress with motion?

Tanman · 08-05-2013, 06:59 PM

I would say no on the radio waves since they travel at the speed of light and your traveling at lets say 60 mph. Compared to 186000 miles per SECOND it is negligible.

Treadwheeler · 08-07-2013, 09:31 PM

noticed the same things on our unit while driving - broken or scattered video feed while driving at highway speeds. Perfect signal at slower speeds.
I'm not a techy geek, so in laymens terms - it is the wireless aspect that impacts the signal consistency... The back up camera on my truck (hard wire unit) works perfectly at any speed. I did pick up an "extra" wireless antena extender recently when I bought a TPMS kit for the trailer - I am thinking about trying it either on the camera side or on the reciever side to see if it helps. I know it helps with the TPMS unit (expirience from the last unit)

VoltageGuy · 08-08-2013, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinecure

I disagree that these are only supposed to be used when backing. I found the camera extremely useful on the highway when changing lanes.

Let's get technical for a moment. Do radio waves compress when the transmitter is in motion? In other words, are the radio waves shorter in front of the transmitter antenna than behind, similar to the way sound waves compress and decompress with motion?

Okay, let me think about this. It's not the radio transmission that's the issue, because your truck is a fixed distance from the video camera and is travelling at the same speed. So there's no issue there. It doesn't matter if you're traveling 10 mph or 10,000 mph. So the issue lies elsewhere. And herein lies the answer.

The camera itself is the culprit. Its ability to resolve moving images is minimal. It has a cheap lens, a cheap image chip, cheap everything. Works fine when the world around it is moving slowly or is still. But when things are moving fast, the image is broken up, distorted, pixelated, choppy. A more expensive camera would solve the issue.

VoltageGuy · 08-08-2013, 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Treadwheeler

noticed the same things on our unit while driving - broken or scattered video feed while driving at highway speeds. Perfect signal at slower speeds.
I'm not a techy geek, so in laymens terms - it is the wireless aspect that impacts the signal consistency... The back up camera on my truck (hard wire unit) works perfectly at any speed. I did pick up an "extra" wireless antena extender recently when I bought a TPMS kit for the trailer - I am thinking about trying it either on the camera side or on the reciever side to see if it helps. I know it helps with the TPMS unit (expirience from the last unit)

NIce try, but it's not the wireless aspect. The camera is a fixed distance from your truck, and it moves at the same speed as your truck, so as far as the signal is concerned, there is not movement at all. The issue is with the camera itself. It cannot resolve moving images as well as more expensive units. I believe the backup camera on your truck is higher quality unit.

Treadwheeler · 08-08-2013, 01:55 PM

I will agree with VoltageGuy as I think about it more as well.
The camera can not process what it see's fast enough.

And the issue with the TPMS that the wireless antenna extender address happened at all speeds including standing still - the transmitters were not strong enough to send the signal all the way to the receiver antenna in the cab of the truck – problem solved when I relocated the antenna to the inside of the rear bumper of the truck.

VoltageGuy · 08-09-2013, 04:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Treadwheeler

I will agree with VoltageGuy as I think about it more as well.
The camera can not process what it see's fast enough.

And the issue with the TPMS that the wireless antenna extender address happened at all speeds including standing still - the transmitters were not strong enough to send the signal all the way to the receiver antenna in the cab of the truck – problem solved when I relocated the antenna to the inside of the rear bumper of the truck.

Sorry, what does TPMS stand for? Tire Pressure Monitoring System?

Seriously, it must be something else.

So mounting the antenna about 8 feet closer solved your problem? That's interesting. I'll let you know what I find out when I get mine Saturday.

Treadwheeler · 08-09-2013, 02:37 PM

No, you are correct - Tire Pressue Monitor System. The system is from Dill Air controls and one of the best systems I have found, used the same system on our last 2 Toy haulers.
Designed especially for trailers, available in kits for single, double and triple axel units - up to 10 sensors. Last two kits I did the 10 sensor unit and installed them on the tow vehicle as well.
http://www.trailertpms.com/home.html
Best part is in addition to air pressure it also provides temperature as well, so you monitor for other potential issues even if air pressure doesn’t drop.
Unit has a small flex antenna (about 4”) on it (looks like the one on our rear view cameras), but comes with an extension / external antenna with about 20’ feet of cable – depending on length of trailer or potential reception interference from other items in tow vehicle, you can use it to ensure good signal from the sensors. I placed mine inside the rear bumper on the frame (magnetic base) and ran the cable along the frame rail into the cab through an existing wire entry point and it simply screws into the back of the received in-place of short flex antenna. Completely out of sight.
Mine actually worked without the extension antenna – just sometimes took a while to get a consistent reading from all 6 sensors.
Even some OE TPMS units on some vehicles have external antenna's to ensure signal integrity.

orangecrush · 12-11-2013, 01:51 AM

My last trailer I had mounted a camera (hardwired) to my dually. The new 3950 came with a wireless and as someone mentioned, the frame rate is not up to par to get an accurate picture of what's going on. (better than nothing)

Since my truck is already wired to use the Nav screen for my cameras, I called my dealer yesterday to see if he's interested in trading cameras. (my hardwired camera isn't going to do the new owners of my old trailer any good unless they've got the same setup)

Mark

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