Tower Cam

[BobOnTheJob]

I want to propose a "Tower Cam" for a station web site....has anyone done this? I'd like to put it at 240', requiring far more cable length than USB can support. If an IP cam is suggested, note that the available computer has one Ethernet port & it's used to feed Internet access to the computer. It should pan 360 degrees & tilt. Very importantly, it should offer sharp views at 10 miles (no pixels visible)...another feature lacking in typical USB cameras...plus, the USB models probably wouldn't survive lightning and sub-zero temperatures. All of this while not exceeding a $1000 budget for materials. I've emailed the local TV stations (who have this figured out pretty well)...none of them answered. The National Park Service has some mountain top cams that have remarkable sharpness as well in excess of 10 miles, but I'd guess that they are indoors...plus, they're prone to fail annually it seems.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Check into exterior security cameras. They are designed with weatherproof enclosures, and can be either wired or wireless. Systems with pan, tilt, & zoom capabilities usually connect to a controller box, which may connect to your computer via USB.

Remember that the optical zoom capabilities of the lens are of paramount importance. Digital zoom just makes pixels bigger - it doesn't give you more pixels. Optical zoom actually gives you a larger analog image to digitize.

Check out this website for an idea of what's out there.

 

[ChiefEngineer]

We used a siemens in Evansville at 400 feet. optical zoom, control cable of 8 wires that terminated at ground level. That could be fed to a computer. via a 100 dollar video input card. This device can be mapped to of all things windows media player.

Expensive camera took regualr lightning hits too. every 6 months or so...

Camera had all the features you required plus had pan and tilt but the enclosure (with wiper) was over 1k then the camera. The surplus sales place in danville has these used from time to time.

Have not seen a usb controllable unit yet.

 

[rcs]

I've been thinking about doing the same thing on our tower. In addition to finding something the a radio station can afford, lightning protection is a must. There isn't much that can protect the camera but you'll want to make sure that the camera control and power cables don't bring damaging voltages into the building!

Two possible solutions come to mind.
1. A wireless camera will eliminate the need to isolate/protect the signal leads. All you would have to do is provide protection for the power supply which most likely would be a wall wart . . . no loss if it gets fried.
2. Fiber for the signal. Again no protection needed other than for the PS. We're running over 400' of inexpensive fiber on one of our security cameras with no picture degredation at all.

I use the GE Cyberdome series of camera for outdoor security work. They are very rugged and weatherproof but not exactly cheap.

The TV stations use extremely expensive cameras because they need to produce broadcast quality pictures. One would think that with the big switch to HD there might be a bunch of analog tower cams showing up but other than Ebay I'm not sure where to look.

Let us know how you make out.