Underwater Camera

Yeah they are. I keep hoping to find a deal on the Walker system but haven't come across anything cheap enough that I want to spend the money for it.

Maybe this winter I will be able to figure out how to make the camera I have work so I can modify my downriggers to work with it. The camera isn't anything special but the cable is. It is a braided stainless cable with 2 small wires inside. It is about the same outside diameter as a 14 gauge single strand jacketed wire so it isn't that much larger than regular downrigger cables. I figure it would be pretty easy to glue some brass rings to the bottom side of the spool and solder the wires to the spool. Then have a spring loaded "Brush" run on the rings as the pickup and mount a plug on the bottom of the downrigger to plug the camera into the monitor. The biggest problem I have right now is finding out how to wire the camera as I can't find a wiring diagram. Also, there are only 2 wires coming off the camera so I have to believe this should be pretty simple.
 
Chivita":rfsm2zew said:
Who knows, might help you find your truck at the launch ramp...

http://www.wftv.com/slideshow/14411405/detail.htmlindex.html?currentSlide=6&taf=orlc
Click to expand...

I'm amazed they used a Class A tow truck to pull that thing out of the water. That was one expensive bill to get it out of the water, plus I'm sure they ended up paying for the "oil spill" as well. OUCH. When I used to drive tow trucks we used to charge $150 to just fire up the Class A, then an additional $150/hour after that.
 
To make it useful to me commercially I need to go down to about 300'.....that rules out all the units that use bilge pump motors for propulsion... my camera is a commercial underwater video camera so it will easily do the depth....I have the parts to build the ballast system....but propulsion motors for that depth are really expensive ($800-$1000 each and ya need 6)....somehow I will figure it out.... (oil filled or magnetic drive)
I dive to 125'.... a shallow water ROV would not benefit me... but if I could hook on to some salvage at 300' I sure could get more jobs....and those are insurance jobs... $$$

Joel
SEA3PO
KEA (the tug)
 
We took of early Saturday morning heading to Yaquina with the new tow rig
half_ton.sized.jpg
It worked great...it's gas, Ford was diesel, it's half ton, Ford was 3/4 -- Steve and I agree we really like this truck. The lifetime warranty on anything that has oil or grease in/on it sounded really good to us after the Ford being in the shop for half of our summer, leaving the boat in the yard.

Anyhow, our first tow trip came off without a problem and the truck's NOT in the shop! We took along the underwater camera and had some fun with that -- in the river, the tides were pretty fast this weekend, so it was fairly ineffective to "fish watch" -- however, at slack, we stopped and drifted for a bit, watching the bottom of the river -- not much life down there -- and Steve's convinced the fishfinder which was beeping all day is a liar :xlol When we got back from dinner last night, we settled in the cockpit, put the crabtrap off the back of the boat and lowered the camera. There were about a kazillion perch and a few sculpin who paid NO attention to the camera, but swam around checking out the pot -- then the crab came right smack up to the camera (those eyes looked HUGE as he bore down on the camera as if it were edible) -- Steve quickly recrieved the camera, thinking he didn't want the cable severed by crab claws :smilep We lowered it back down, but it seemed the crabs were more interested in the camera than the bait in the pot.

We had quite an evening of underwater entertainment...really clear until it got really dark and the water was just a lot of "bubbles."

Fun weekend..can't wait to go sturgeon fishing to see if we can see them! No fish nor crabs to be had over at Yaquina for us this weekend, but sure was good to get the CatyMae on the water again!

Caty
 
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