Cuddelink L series Q & A
- Thread starter john volkman
- Start date
I had a couple of 64gb, 1 128mb card on hand when i first started my system, and bought some cheaper 32gb cards to finish filling the rest. After one year of using the system, I realized I didn't need to buy the bigger storage/more expensive cards. Usually have my system set up in the woods around first of August, pull everything out around end of January. That's the only time I pull the cards out, and then sit there for hours and hours going thru each card looking for cool hi-def pics I want to save, then reformat the cards for the next year. Haven't noticed any of my cards full, and I get a crapload of pics. Pretty sure it overwrites if a card gets full anyway. Only real issue would just be the cost of the 128 vs a 32 or 64 card.
Once you start using the system, and reading anything that JohnV posts, you'll quickly figure out how to set up your system the way you like. The learning curve's not too steep, no worries.
Congrats on getting this system, I love mine, I think it's worth every penny!
Once you start using the system, and reading anything that JohnV posts, you'll quickly figure out how to set up your system the way you like. The learning curve's not too steep, no worries.
Congrats on getting this system, I love mine, I think it's worth every penny!
T-Max
5 year old buck +
I appreciate the feedback. I only got 4 cameras to start. At an extra $5 each I wasn't out much and I have never wished I had a smaller memory card. I'm sure these will work fine. I am thinking of a pretty short delay since these aren't on a feeder, mineral site, or other spot where deer stay for long periods. Is 1 minute a reasonable delay?
First of all, I have never owned a trail camera.
I’m kind of holding out for the black flash but maybe those who have used the low glow could help me understand the differences/advantages between the two types of flash? Maybe I even would benefit from a mix?
In reading the other cuddelink thread it sounds like mounting cameras high is not a great idea, but if the L series has a better trigger system, could mounting a low glow high become a good option?
I’m kind of holding out for the black flash but maybe those who have used the low glow could help me understand the differences/advantages between the two types of flash? Maybe I even would benefit from a mix?
In reading the other cuddelink thread it sounds like mounting cameras high is not a great idea, but if the L series has a better trigger system, could mounting a low glow high become a good option?
I have all mine generally at 1 minute. Sometimes activity changes, and I'll change that timing to fit the area or activity. While it may seem to be cool to get hundreds of pics per camera a week, it can clog your network up a bit to transmit that many pics via cell, and takes forever to view. They will get there eventually, but the info is not as timely.
I have 2 main areas that I hunt on my lease, wind depending. I use 4 cams in each area for the intel. Have the 4 cams spread out on trails leading into my hunting area, probably only 2-4 acres spread, so they're all fairly close together.
This set up keeps me from stomping up my main area checking my cams all the time, and possibly disturbing big boy. I just wait for him to show up on one of the cams, and I know he's in my area, and there I go.
Note that I could spread all these cameras way out if I wanted to. There's been times where I've had a cam or two over 900 yds away and still have connectivity in the rolling hills of oklahoma, so the range in my area has been beyond my expectations.
@Westwind--cams provide me some much great intel that I rely on them heavily, and it almost feels like cheating. You can buy those disposable cheapo non cell cams, and for the money, they actually do great. However, disturbing your area to check the cards is a deal breaker for me. This system keeps me out of those prime areas until the time is right. I have a couple of the black flash cams. Got them because I have one area i hunt that if I ever had a trespasser come onto the land, they'd prob certainly hit this trail, and I didn't want them to see the cam flash as night. So yeah, it works, however, the quality and range of the night pics are definetly not as good as the low glow. And, I've still found that deer still notice their pic being taken with these cams, black flash or not. Guess it really depends on how tight the area is where you hang your cam. I prefer the IR.
I have mounted cams high and low, and lower has much better results. I only mounted them high due to possible trespassing and theft, but I got over that eventually and just mounted them low. Hopefully you don't have that theft issue to deal with!
There's a ton of good info on this forum, and John V is the best resource out there. Don't be afraid to ask questions! Use the system, review some of these forums, and it'll all make sense pretty quickly!
Snow Hunter
A good 3 year old buck
I have 4 systems and one of them has 18 cameras on it. I like to set my delay at 5 seconds for any camera on a path, that way if multiple deer are traveling together (as they often do), you catch more than just the first deer. On any camera over a scrape or salt, I set the delay at 15 seconds. On a bait pile or feeder, I set the delay at 1 minute or longer. I also often set up the cameras on advanced mode and set the delays to 2-3x longer at night (deer in my area tend to linger a lot longer in the dark). The other thing is to set your link count appropriately. On my network with a lot of cameras, I set this to 25, which means the maximum amount of pictures the camera will try to send is the last 25 pictures taken. This will help keep the network from getting too bogged down.
There are also cows in the area, so sometimes I have to clear a camera que, or change the delay if the cows decide they like hanging out in front of one of my cameras.
I love my cuddelink systems and they have been a game changer for me!
Snow Hunter
A good 3 year old buck
The J and G cameras are limited to 32GB cards, but the L cameras are good to 256GB (as noted above). I have been using Cuddelink cameras for 4 years now and I mostly use 16 and 32GB cards with no issues. I have only had a card fill up once (I replace the cards in January or pull the cameras) and it was on a feeder that with a 32 GB card and it took about 20,000 pictures to fill it. It should never be an issue on a trail or a location with bait in one year to use a 16 or 32GB card. That said it is nice to have a larger card on a feeder, but I need to go there every month or two to fill the feeder anyway, so replacing that card during season isn’t an issue.
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Snow Hunter
A good 3 year old buck
Another item to consider is battery life. I have every camera on a solar panel and/or a powerbank. Since I don’t like to touch the cameras during season, battery life is key. If you are not running backup power, set your delay longer to conserve vattery life (until you break down and buy solar panels
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). I have some cameras with solar panels that have been running without switching batteries for more than two years!yeah, with that many systems and cams, you could end up on a gov't watch list due to battery purchases!Another item to consider is battery life. I have every camera on a solar panel and/or a powerbank. Since I don’t like to touch the cameras during season, battery life is key. If you are not running backup power, set your delay longer to conserve vattery life (until you break down and buy solar panels
Snow Hunter
A good 3 year old buck
probably! I buy my Rayovac D batteries in bulk! https://www.ebay.com/itm/3256456040...boi07vEQyS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY@Adam Goins Thanks for the response! Really good info there. I’m on a 57 acre property I live on so I really try to stay out of there as much as possible too.
Snow Hunter
A good 3 year old buck
Two of the networks I have are on properties between 40-80 acres. On these I have 3-5 cameras, and for me, that is enough. As previously stated, you will be fine with 16 or 32GB cards. You can probably set your link count higher, at 100 or higher if these aren’t over bait/feeders. I recommend Solar panels so you don’t have to touch the cameras during season. I also set my cameras low, about waist high, in lock boxes, mostly so the deer and cows don’t rub on them and push them out of position, but also to slow down or prevent a trespasser from stealing the card or camera. I do use genius mounts on a few cameras and have them set higher and pointed down, but they really have a very small capture window where they will take a picture.
I have new L series IR cameras and G series black flash cameras right now. I plan to get some L Black Flash cameras when they are released, but the L, IR cameras are great! Definitely an upgrade from the J series IR cameras. The transmitted pictures from any L series camera are superior to the J and G series cameras.
T-Max
5 year old buck +
Another item to consider is battery life. I have every camera on a solar panel and/or a powerbank. Since I don’t like to touch the cameras during season, battery life is key. If you are not running backup power, set your delay longer to conserve vattery life (until you break down and buy solar panels). I have some cameras with solar panels that have been running without switching batteries for more than two years!
). I have some cameras with solar panels that have been running without switching batteries for more than two years!
I got a group with 4 cameras and 4 solar panels. After taking them to the woods yesterday it is clear I will need to mount them on t posts of something further from the edge. There is too much limb cover for good sunlight. I saw a picture of the mounts attached to a t post with a little pipe clamp. Anyone have experience with t post mounting?
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Snow Hunter
A good 3 year old buck
The t-post clamps are ok. I usually just make a post out of a big limb or branch and dig it in the a posthole digger and mount to those. There is also a genius mount that is already on a post. This is a good i option if you are not worried about theft and don’t have cows in the area.
Cuddeback Genius™ Post Mount
No tree. No problem.<br>Food plot and fields, logged over areas and even in the thick forest, it seems trees are never where you need them. SCHEELS
Snow Hunter
A good 3 year old buck
You can also use the big solar panels that are good for shady areas.
www.scheels.com
Cuddeback Battery Power Bank
CuddePower Battery Booster extends battery life on your Cuddeback cameras. Compatible with Cuddeback cameras E series, C series, J series, K SCHEELS
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And if you are using internal batteries, which ones?
Different batteries do different things well, as an example I switched to lithium batteries for smoke detectors in my homes “wired in” system. It was much better than the Duracells I was using. (Lithium batteries are heat/cold sensitive so I AM NOT saying they would be better for cameras. Just using it as an example.)
T-Max
5 year old buck +
I’m pretty sure everyone swears by the Rayovac High Energy. I have been reading for a while and that’s far and away the most common recommendation.
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