Underwater Camera

[ApS]

Bored in the bobhouse?

The price on this night-viewing underwater camera has dipped below $100 (formally $400+).

It's 12-volt, has a Black & White monitor, and has a camera that can be towed forwards or backwards or extended on a pole down to a maximum of 60-feet.

Maybe FLL will buy one...to drop a worm in front of a record bass.

(And loan it to me, so I can find my mooring in the spring?)

[fatlazyless]

Hi, Cabelas shows ten models from $199.00 to 499.00, so who sells this el cheapo camera or is that a dumb question (Wal-who)?

[Lakegeezer]

I got a camera similar to the picture in the root posting for christmas... have been wanting to stick it down an icehole but just haven't gotten a round tuit. The fin on the camera looks like it will work well when towed behind a boat. Can't wait to check out the salmon and bass. When using it on dry land, the B&W resolution is very sharp. It also has a bunch of LED's around the camera that must give off infrared light, because they don't look like they are on, yet, a picture from inside a box or under the blanket shows up as if there were flood lights. Usage reports to follow, once we get the thaw....

[Misty Blue]

I just got an underwater camera for my B-day! It's got a 5 inch B&W monitor, 12 volt (battery included) and can be hooked up to a recorder. It looks just like the picture above except that it is black.

It was about $135 at THE SPORTSMAN'S GUIDE. They have a website.

I can't say much now except that it works well in the living room!

Misty Blue

[Mee-n-Mac]

I just got an underwater camera for my B-day! It's got a 5 inch B&W monitor, 12 volt (battery included) and can be hooked up to a recorder. It looks just like the picture above except that it is black.

It was about $135 at THE SPORTSMAN'S GUIDE. They have a website.

I can't say much now except that it works well in the living room!

Misty Blue

That's a really good price ( http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=167545 ) and, except for the monitor, looks identical to what appears to be the "Mini Atlantis" cam (cheapest I could find was $200, http://www.boatersworld.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&productId=8441695) above. Medium on my list of fun stuff to build was a "Lunker Cam" (google to find it) since I already have a small B&W 12v monitor. Alas finding the camera part (for <$50) at some place I'd care to give my CC # to, was difficult. I wonder if any sells just the underwater camera part separate from the battery, cable and monitor ? Besides a rock crawling collision avoidance system you could do like some crafty students did (I lost the URL) and make a home built ROV (PVC pipe, camera, bilge pumps for thrusters). Then "we" could "swim around" the Lady of the Lake and check for rock bass and leave Grant alone. :D

[ApS]

Finally located the catalog where I found the underwater camera.

It's available (in yellow) from www.harborfreight.com, item 91309. Some other Harbor Freight catalogs show the same item priced as $129.99. I've always found it easier to telephone-in an order: 800-423-2567.

Say, isn't that Winnipesaukee Diver pictured below -- in the monitor?

:)

[fatlazyless]

All things considered, I think I'll wait till Wal-Mart has one and know that it has passed their high standard of quality, plus their easy return policy, plus an up-close prepurchase look-see, plus their lower price. People from Meredith can only afford Wal-Mart, while Moultonboro, Tuftonboro and Wolfeboro all go to LLBean, (smiley disbelief).

Besides, what is there to see down under the water, except for a lot of rocks and low light visibility and maybe one lost fishing lure if you are lucky.

[KBoater]

Have you forgotten the search for the Winnie Monster?? :confused: :emb:

[ApS]

All things considered, I think I'll wait till Wal-Mart has one and know that it has passed their high standard of quality, plus their easy return policy, plus an up-close prepurchase look-see, plus their lower price. People from Meredith can only afford Wal-Mart, while Moultonboro, Tuftonboro and Wolfeboro all go to LLBean, (smiley disbelief).

Harbor Freight maintains a 30-day (on some items, 180-days) FedEx prepaid-returns policy. Telephone them, repackage the item, leave it on your porch, and FedEx will pick it up the next day and slap a label on it. You don't have to pick up a pencil -- or drive to Meredith.

Me 'n Harbor Freight go back 15 years. :)


Besides, what is there to see down under the water, except for a lot of rocks and low light visibility and maybe one lost fishing lure if you are lucky.

Years ago, I was able to retrieve my own "lost" anchor that slipped between a pyramid of three boulders. It was easy then, simply "eyeballing" it through 25-feet of Winnipesaukee's clear waters. Last year, I couldn't find my mooring through just 15 feet of water. :look:

The cost of this night-vision camera could be recouped recovering one's own anchor -- one time. :D

[fatlazyless]

Hey Acres, maybe Harbor Freight has someone's repossessed time machine with very low miles for sale. You could travel back to when the water was clear all the way to the bottom. Just make sure it works in reverse gear, otherwise you could get stuck in some time warp, somewhere.

[ApS]

The Forum's resident divers should be able to confirm that last season's lake clarity was 'way down. :(

I opined early last spring that a huge windstorm that had just taken place would affect the turbidity of the waters -- and it apparently did. The wind came from the NW, and likely pulled silt from every on-going development into the water.

The construction road at the northwest end of Rattlesnake was certainly a contributor last season. You could see the settled silt being "cleaned" on the bottom by mooring chains around every mooring out there.

It's shameful that developers install the required "silt fences", which are either inadequate and (1) get washed into the lake or inadequate and (2) don't reach the ground. Talk about window-dressing!

As to the historical clarity of the Lake, there are on-going studies every season. I personally contributed to a clarity study in 1970, although the results were never published -- much less that that study was compared to later results.

Lake Erie, was once "cleared" by zebra mussle activity. That's the good news. But the lake ended up with algae growing on the bottom for the first time in recorded history. When Lake Erie's formidable winds dislodged the algae -- and drove the algae into heaps on shore -- people fainted from the gases of decomposition! The point being that: Whatever clarity Lake Winnipesaukee has, it must be OK.

Lake Winnipesaukee seems to be pretty resilient, given its present condition. It is to be hoped that when a problem is identified (like inadequate silt fences), that officials and concerned citizens will fix it.

Last year was the first occasion that I couldn't locate my mooring. This year, The Search starts in April -- even if that means pushing icebergs out of the way. :)