Adding hinges to an antenna tower.

[Bill]

I don't know anything about cell cameras. My phone barely works at the farm so I think one would just frustrate me.

My only complaint about the buckeye cameras is the price. The X7D came out in 2012 and I have some of those running still today. I did return them for the X80 PC board upgrade. But these cameras have been churning out pics 24/7/365 since I've owned them. They never get a break and keep running.

They do need periodic maintainence. In the beginning I sent them in. Now that the warranty is up they sell me parts and I work on them myself. The plastic covers over the lenses start to get cloudy after a year or so. Plexiglass in the elements.

I've also replaced the internal antenna cable and LED array on a few. Very reasonably priced parts IMO.

I'm happy with the system and would go that route again. If theft is a concern ??? With external batteries and solar chargers their not easy to hide.

If you're serious about them I'd call buckeye and ask them directly if a new model is in the works. The system is a few years old and technology changes fast. I'd hate to get a setup only to have the latest and greatest model introduced a few months later.

 

[yoderjac]

With all the time and money invested in setting up your cameras, are you satisfied or would you consider a few cheaper MMS cameras on the market?
I've gone through more cameras then I care to admit
Something like this always peaked my interest but was terrified of the potential issues, adverse weather, theft etc.
Pretty much have knocked back most trespassing currently. I had 35 cameras I'm down to 6 and the refurbished ones to replace broken ones aren't great either.

From my perspective it really depends on your purpose. The cheap Chinese cameras take great pics and are fine just to see what is out there. If you are conducting a research project or doing anything like using them for QDM decisions where loss of data is an important factor, reliability, quality control, and lifespan become dominating factors. With the BECs, you don't really need to worry about reliability. I when through a lot of other cameras and even taught a trail cam class for the game department. Typically the public network cameras (cell) dumb down resolution for transmission. If you need the high resolution for zooming in to evaluate antler configurations and such, you need to use the SD card on the camera.

I've got the old Orion series an they are all well over 5 years old now with no camera failures. I've recently sent most back for minor refurbishment and they are still running strong. It was the right approach for me and my application but it is not for everyone.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[LuckyIL]

Thanks for the above advice