Cuddeback's Cuddelink

[FredG]

I'd guess one of two things... Either your camera caught some pics of Bill and/or Hillary cavorting with underage wood nymphs and committed Arkancide or the Russians are jamming cell signals to sow the seeds of discord in our country. Either way, you can count on the FBI to get it sorted out.

 

[Bpressley]

I just now received pics from 1 of my 2 "no report" cell units. No report yet.

 

[Bpressley]

I'd guess one of two things... Either your camera caught some pics of Bill and/or Hillary cavorting with underage wood nymphs and committed Arkancide or the Russians are jamming cell signals to sow the seeds of discord in our country. Either way, you can count on the FBI to get it sorted out.

LMAO the rabbit hole goes real deep on that

 

[john volkman]

This morning was the first time I didn’t get a report too. I went out and checked the camera and it was still on and sent a test. I’m not over for the month and even if I was wouldn’t the $5 per 50MB over kick in?

it would as long as you checked the overage box on your cell management page. there are times the report doesnt send because of signal strength weather etc. it sometimes will send later than normal as well.

 

[JLemon]

it would as long as you checked the overage box on your cell management page. there are times the report doesnt send because of signal strength weather etc. it sometimes will send later than normal as well.

I looked at my plan and the overage is checked. Just odd that a couple others haven’t received anything.

 

[RRAB58]

John, the Cuddeback has a built in Battery Load Test. In the Exif Data from the picture it records BL and BP. What do these relate to?

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John, the Cuddeback has a built in Battery Load Test. In the Exif Data from the picture it records BL and BP. What do these relate to?

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I looked at my plan and the overage is checked. Just odd that a couple others haven’t received anything.

Hey.. that’s discriminatory asking me if I’m “over-age”!

But on a more serious note, I didn’t get my report or pics either! 1st time ever. But no big deal, I’m in Ak. 3000+ miles away from my cameras. Talk about some signal issues!

I do not believe it is camera related. Cell companies lower your speeds, swap you to other towers etc. IMO, continuously trying to connect to cell is not good when you are trying to manage power consumption. It waste a lot of power trying to connect. I think it would be better to try to connect a set number of times and stop until next day.

 

[BuffaloBucks]

Hey.. that’s discriminatory asking me if I’m “over-age”!

But on a more serious note, I didn’t get my report or pics either! 1st time ever. But no big deal, I’m in Ak. 3000+ miles away from my cameras. Talk about some signal issues!

I do not believe it is camera related. Cell companies lower your speeds, swap you to other towers etc. IMO, continuously trying to connect to cell is not good when you are trying to manage power consumption. It waste a lot of power trying to connect. I think it would be better to try to connect a set number of times and stop until next day.

I did not get my report this morning either. First time ever as well. No big deal but interesting how many people that has happened to. I did get an email with just pics at 6:22am.

 

[FredG]

John, the Cuddeback has a built in Battery Load Test. In the Exif Data from the picture it records BL and BP. What do these relate to?

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BL is an instantaneous load test of the battery voltage in mV at the moment the picture was taken. In the case of any J camera, a K camera with the dual flash module, or a G camera with the dual flash module the load on the batteries at that point in time is the load of flash plus the smaller load from the normal operating load of the camera. In the case of a G or K camera with a Powerhouse flash the load on the batteries at that point in time is the load of the super capacitors recharging (if any) plus the normal operating load of the camera. It's important to keep in mind that the intermittent load on the batteries due to capacitor recharge with the Powerhouse flash is much more than the load due to the shot to shot continuous pull on the batteries of a standard flash module. The Powerhouse flash makes up for the intermittent big hit on the batteries (as much as 0.4 volts) by going on after recharge with a series of shots that draw no flash power from the batteries... instead using the stored power in the caps to operate the flash. The beauty of the Powerhouse flash modules is that not only do they supply 3X the light over a standard module but they do so in a full and consistent way from the first shot on a set of batteries to the last gasp. This is not so with the standard modules in that they supply power to the LEDs directly from the batteries and will consequently dim somewhat as the batteries deplete. The consequence of this dimming over time is that the camera will have to compensate for less light by lengthening the shutter speed (more motion blur) or upping the ISO value (more noise). You can tell when your flash is beginning to dim by watching the IR% in the comments string of the exif data... the value will show less than 100%. At what value this brownout of the LEDs becomes unacceptable is an issue for each user to determine for himself. The Powerhouse module on the other hand will be absolutely consistent from day one forward on a set of batteries. So in the case of the Powerhouse flash module beware of the temporary heavy drops in the BL readings on an individual picture as they are just indicative of the caps recharging at that one point in time. Take you reading of battery voltage from pictures that show the high values in between the nosedives.

BP is a nominal estimation of battery power remaining as a percentage. It is keyed to an alkaline battery chemistry and is directly correlated to the BP reading. On a 6 volt system it would register 75% if the BP is 5599 through 5350 and 50% if the BP is 5349 through 5150, and so on. Since it is keyed to alkaline batteries it will be even less reliable as a percentage with lithium or rechargeable chemistries.

 

[Boone]

When you turn off the k cam, do you have to retest the cell mode? Ever since I switched cards and turned off the camera, no pics sent. Also does Cabelas sell the g cams?

 

[RRAB58]

2 of my 4 cell units didn't send a report this morning as well. It is a rare occurrence but it happens. I'm just a little paranoid about the 1 K cam. I had a bear issue last week and had to swap it out with another that i had on hand. Hopefully it's just a network issue. I also haven't received any pics from those 2 units since 9 pm yesterday.

You should have some good bear pics then huh?

 

[RRAB58]

I did not get my report this morning either. First time ever as well. No big deal but interesting how many people that has happened to. I did get an email with just pics at 6:22am.

This morning report included yesterday’s missed report as well.

 

[RLittle]

Ok guys,
Im a newbie here and was actually sent to this site for this very conversation. Ive spent most of my day (should be working) reading through this thread.
Im currently running 10 regular cameras. Not cell cameras. Just regular cams that I have to pull the cards on. My buddy suggested that I look into the Cuddelink cell system. So here I am.

As I read through the thread. I noticed that quite a bit of this conversation deals with battery life and how to improve it. Im curious, without any type of secondary back up, how many pics (ball park figure) can I expect to get out of a set of batteries? Also approximately how long can I expect a set of batteries to last?
I understand that there are a lot of variables to consider so I guess Ill just throw this out there. Typically on most of our cameras we get between 70-300 pics/ week. But,
on the cameras at the feed stations, that number jumps to 2700-5500/ week.

Another question i have that i didnt see addressed is.....*hypothetical situation*...camera 1 is 300yds from the home camera and can send a signal directly to home. If i place another camera between camera 1 and home. Will it send to the added camera then home? Or will it still continue to send directly to home?

What I have in mind at this time to get started is this.....

4 cameras
1 home that can send pics via cell (i dont want this one to be a camera. Just a recieving and sending unit. Does Cuddeback even make this?
I would also buy battery adapters for all units.

I really dont (cant?) go the solar route as most of my cameras are placed in the timber. I guess that could be an option after all the foliage falls.
Also, the cell service in this area is rather good and I plan on placing the "home" unit about 40' up in a tree.

Im not sure if im on the right track. Any info or input will be helpful.
Thanks,
Rob

 

[RRAB58]

Ok guys,
Im a newbie here and was actually sent to this site for this very conversation. Ive spent most of my day (should be working) reading through this thread.
Im currently running 10 regular cameras. Not cell cameras. Just regular cams that I have to pull the cards on. My buddy suggested that I look into the Cuddelink cell system. So here I am.

As I read through the thread. I noticed that quite a bit of this conversation deals with battery life and how to improve it. Im curious, without any type of secondary back up, how many pics (ball park figure) can I expect to get out of a set of batteries? Also approximately how long can I expect a set of batteries to last?
I understand that there are a lot of variables to consider so I guess Ill just throw this out there. Typically on most of our cameras we get between 70-300 pics/ week. But,
on the cameras at the feed stations, that number jumps to 2700-5500/ week.

Another question i have that i didnt see addressed is.....*hypothetical situation*...camera 1 is 300yds from the home camera and can send a signal directly to home. If i place another camera between camera 1 and home. Will it send to the added camera then home? Or will it still continue to send directly to home?

What I have in mind at this time to get started is this.....

4 cameras
1 home that can send pics via cell (i dont want this one to be a camera. Just a recieving and sending unit. Does Cuddeback even make this?
I would also buy battery adapters for all units.

I really dont (cant?) go the solar route as most of my cameras are placed in the timber. I guess that could be an option after all the foliage falls.
Also, the cell service in this area is rather good and I plan on placing the "home" unit about 40' up in a tree.

Im not sure if im on the right track. Any info or input will be helpful.
Thanks,
Rob

Short answer to all your questions- YES

5000 picture a week! What kind of power source do you have for this set-up? For this many pics you gonna have to go big on batteries!

IMO, these Cuddelinks, or any similar cameras use more power. Go big on batteries and you’ll be fine. A little bit of a learning curve, but there’s some great knowledge on this site to steer you.

Cuddelink is a great system. I have no problems or regrets!!

 

[swat1018]

If a camera can reach home, it links straight to the home. It only links through other cams as needed. I had a J cam go 170 days on a set of D batteries, the exception. Seems most go 70 days on a set of D's. I have some J's in full sun with solar, that have been running longer and are still good, not sure how long they will go. All I have tried are the J series, which aren't as good as the G's for battery life, I'm told.

 

[JLemon]

Ok guys,
Im a newbie here and was actually sent to this site for this very conversation. Ive spent most of my day (should be working) reading through this thread.
Im currently running 10 regular cameras. Not cell cameras. Just regular cams that I have to pull the cards on. My buddy suggested that I look into the Cuddelink cell system. So here I am.

As I read through the thread. I noticed that quite a bit of this conversation deals with battery life and how to improve it. Im curious, without any type of secondary back up, how many pics (ball park figure) can I expect to get out of a set of batteries? Also approximately how long can I expect a set of batteries to last?
I understand that there are a lot of variables to consider so I guess Ill just throw this out there. Typically on most of our cameras we get between 70-300 pics/ week. But,
on the cameras at the feed stations, that number jumps to 2700-5500/ week.

Another question i have that i didnt see addressed is.....*hypothetical situation*...camera 1 is 300yds from the home camera and can send a signal directly to home. If i place another camera between camera 1 and home. Will it send to the added camera then home? Or will it still continue to send directly to home?

What I have in mind at this time to get started is this.....

4 cameras
1 home that can send pics via cell (i dont want this one to be a camera. Just a recieving and sending unit. Does Cuddeback even make this?
I would also buy battery adapters for all units.

I really dont (cant?) go the solar route as most of my cameras are placed in the timber. I guess that could be an option after all the foliage falls.
Also, the cell service in this area is rather good and I plan on placing the "home" unit about 40' up in a tree.

Im not sure if im on the right track. Any info or input will be helpful.
Thanks,
Rob

On you camera at the feed station how many pictures per trigger and what is the delay?

 

[RRAB58]

On you camera at the feed station how many pictures per trigger and what is the delay?

Wow! 5500pics/wk= 33pics/hr!!

 

[spaniel]

I've had more missed sends the past week...they are set to come 4-6am and again at 6pm. I missed yesterday evening and this morning, but it came this afternoon with the missing morning report.

What I have picked up on and confirmed today is that when this happens I'm not getting all the pics. For example the pic count on the system went up 12 since the last report, but there were only 6 pics sent. It did this the a few days ago when a send was missed as well. Somehow it must think a message went but it never made it into the email system.

It probably goes with the territory when dealing with less than ideal cell coverage but anyone else noticed this? Given the battery life I'm getting on the home unit as my location isn't pic heavy...462 pics across 6 cameras in 82 days...I may bite the bullet and take a taller ladder and boost it higher up.

 

[RRAB58]

I've had more missed sends the past week...they are set to come 4-6am and again at 6pm. I missed yesterday evening and this morning, but it came this afternoon with the missing morning report.

What I have picked up on and confirmed today is that when this happens I'm not getting all the pics. For example the pic count on the system went up 12 since the last report, but there were only 6 pics sent. It did this the a few days ago when a send was missed as well. Somehow it must think a message went but it never made it into the email system.

It probably goes with the territory when dealing with less than ideal cell coverage but anyone else noticed this? Given the battery life I'm getting on the home unit as my location isn't pic heavy...462 pics across 6 cameras in 82 days...I may bite the bullet and take a taller ladder and boost it higher up.

Mine did same way.

My cell signal is normally excellent.

 

[RLittle]

On you camera at the feed station how many pictures per trigger and what is the delay?

The

I have them set on a 3 shot burst with a 10 second delay. I know its overkill but at any second a buck can come in and blow 10 does off of a feed station. Im trying to not miss that if it happens. The problem is when a group of 10 does and fawns come in and just dont leave!!!! And that happened A LOT last year.
If a group of does stays on the feed for 45 mins....thats 810 pics of does with thier faces in the dirt.

 

[RLittle]

Wow! 5500pics/wk= 33pics/hr!!

I have the cams set on a 3 shot burst every 10 seconds. When a pile of does decide to camp on the feed for a couple of hours....the number of pics adds up....FAST!!!