Installing Furrion Camera Without Sharkfin Mount / Adzel Wall

[nutdriver]

Originally Posted by CincyGus

Another vote for Haloview MC7108 7'' 720P HD Digital Wireless Rear View Camera System!

https://www.haloview.com/haloview-mc...ra-system.html

I too hesitated to jump in the conversation since you were speaking directly to the Furrion but Now that you've broken the topic open, I'll tell you why I went with the Haloview.

Price was significantly cheaper.
Reviews on YouTube were very positive.
The range is significantly better as quoted by the manufacture AND on YouTube by users and as tested by me personally.
Furrion doesn't have the best name on RV forums in some of their other products (Stereo's, TV's, etc.) so that scares me a little on their camera's also.

Lastly and MOST IMPORTANTLY was the warranty. While they both have a 1 year warranty, if something happens with the Furrion after that time period, your option is to buy a new system at a possible discount.

The Haloview sells all the parts individually (Monitor, Camera or additional camera's, kits, antenna's, wiring, etc.) With the already more expensive price, I didn't want to have to fork it out twice to get a working camera if one goes bad. $90 for a new camera sounds like a better outcome from a tree branch crushing my camera and buying a new complete system. Or if I decide I want to add a second camera for a bumper angle for backing later on, I can cheaply.

Thanks for the Haloview endorsement. I actually checked those out last evening and planned to call them today with some questions. Camera does not look as finished as the Furrion but all the review I have heard are very positive.

[nutdriver]

Originally Posted by Jimandchris

If you order thru Forest River Electronics, they send the shark fin, gasket, and everything, for $250 + shipping....
Installed mine a couple of weeks ago.

I do like the looks of the Furrion better. Debating now between Furrion and the Haloview. As CincyGus shared I too have not really viewed Furrion as being the highest quality in electronics and that does concern me some.

[Jimandchris]

Originally Posted by nutdriver

I do like the looks of the Furrion better. Debating now between Furrion and the Haloview. As CincyGus shared I too have not really viewed Furrion as being the highest quality in electronics and that does concern me some.

I went with the Furrion because it was already prewired with the shark fin attached. Thought I would give the Furrion a try only because of that and the better price thru FR electronics, otherwise I'd probably go with the halo view...
Works great so far, have long trip coming up to east coast, so we'll see.

[nutdriver]

As the original poster for this discussion thread, I thought I would post an update of what I ended up doing.

I purchased the Haloview MC7108 Camera off Amazon. The camera installation actually went very well on the back of my Coachmen UltraLight 192RBS using power from the top center marker light. I found some help by watching a Youtube video showing construction details on the Coachmen Freedom Express UltraLight which gave me a good idea of where the studs were located. Actually, once I took out the screws holding the marker light, I was able to probe down into the hollow wall to confirm the horizontal stud location. After that fishing out the wires and installation was a breeze.

Using the included bracket on the back of my trailer, I did feel that the camera was pointing down a bit too much and did not give me the view of the traffic behind me I was hoping for. More of that later...

I decided to use the original bracket for a bit and completed a 4000 mile trip in late August. Overall, I am really happy with the Haloview system. The camera itself consistently produced a very clear picture of the view behind on the monitor. I am a solo traveler and it was really helpful several times, backing into sites and monitoring traffic behind me. The monitor is fairly big so do your due diligence as to how you feel about that.

Now back to the mount... I contacted the Haloview tech support through the Amazon.com email link provided and the response was literally within a couple minutes. They reported that the rotation of the camera was indeed limited somewhat by the bracket and the antenna hitting the vertical surface. They shared that a new bracket was now available that resolved this. That is item number UB001. That was a great upgrade and allowed me to move the field of view further back behind the trailer. I am still experimenting with where I will leave the camera angle of view but it is nice to know I have that flexibility now. Whether this would be important is probably dependent on the surface you are mounting to and how vertical that is. Before the change, my field of view limit behind me was probably around 20 feet. It is now out to the horizon which is probably too much.

I would be interested in hearing from others as to how far back you are watching.

[bikendan]

nutdriver, can you post a pic of this new bracket or a link to it?
Thanks!

[nutdriver]

Originally Posted by bikendan

nutdriver, can you post a pic of this new bracket or a link to it?
Thanks!

Here you go:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R6N38GY...roduct_details

[gastan]

Originally Posted by nutdriver

I contacted the Haloview tech support....They reported that the rotation of the camera was indeed limited somewhat by the bracket and the antenna hitting the vertical surface. They shared that a new bracket was now available that resolved this. That is item number UB001.

I would be interested in hearing from others as to how far back you are watching.

That bracket gave me conniption fits when I installed my Haloview. I don't know how long the new one has been available or if I have it or not. The one included in the kit I bought last spring wasn't deep enough to give enough clearance to attach the antenna. I wish I had known an upgraded one was available. I ended up grabbing a small block of HDPE poly I had laying around and using it to extend the bracket away from the trailer wall.

I have my camera adjusted so that on the monitor anything at the very bottom of the screen is 8 feet behind the trailer. In other words, when I'm backing up and an object disappears at the bottom of the screen, it just came to within 8 feet of me. Alerts me to the fact that it is time to start going very slow and to get out and eyeball things. This setup gives me a field of view to the horizon - - - the horizon line is somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the way from the screen bottom. I think this mimics the view of most glass rear view mirrors and I love it.

The issue I have now is that the top cover that "protects" the camera from the elements is too small. Rain still gets to the lens and blurs the image. I'll have to make and install some sort of extension to keep the lens dry. Believe me, in western Oregon that is a consideration.

[nutdriver]

Originally Posted by gastan

That bracket gave me conniption fits when I installed my Haloview. I don't know how long the new one has been available or if I have it or not. The one included in the kit I bought last spring wasn't deep enough to give enough clearance to attach the antenna. I wish I had known an upgraded one was available. I ended up grabbing a small block of HDPE poly I had laying around and using it to extend the bracket away from the trailer wall.

I have my camera adjusted so that on the monitor anything at the very bottom of the screen is 8 feet behind the trailer. In other words, when I'm backing up and an object disappears at the bottom of the screen, it just came to within 8 feet of me. Alerts me to the fact that it is time to start going very slow and to get out and eyeball things. This setup gives me a field of view to the horizon - - - the horizon line is somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the way from the screen bottom. I think this mimics the view of most glass rear view mirrors and I love it.

The issue I have now is that the top cover that "protects" the camera from the elements is too small. Rain still gets to the lens and blurs the image. I'll have to make and install some sort of extension to keep the lens dry. Believe me, in western Oregon that is a consideration.

It appears to me that you have the mount that is less deep ie the standard mount. The alternative design that I posted earlier will hold the camera further away from the mounting surface preventing the antenna from hitting that wall. I think it had just come out when I inquired with their tech support. It will not change the rain protective shield which remains the same.

Thanks for the tips about aiming your camera. That is about what I think I am trying next.