Backup Camera

[Tex_h2]

Does anyone have a Aftermarket Backup Camera?

What Type?

Pro's And Con's??


Thanks

[MDimitri]

I have one that I got set up in the middle marker light.



I setup the monitor on the left hand side of my dash and have a power switch to turn it on or off as I please. I did not want it setup via my nav system because I wanted to keep the fuctions separate. I will be installing in the next month or so a new Pioneer Nav system, two headrest DVD players, visor monitor for the passenger side, detachable roof mount camera along with 500gig hard drive(to record off road adventures) and a 20" flip down monitor for the rear. The purpose of the rear 20" is so that when I play a movie we can all watch I can use the vehicles sound system to play it through and the kids will be able to view it from the rear. Hmmmm that will be a total of 6 monitors in the truck...time for a second battery!.



Cheers.

[H2Finally]

For simple reversing assistance, any $40 bumper mount rear-view camera from eBay will do the job. Get the ones with built-in LED for night-time view. It will be color in daytime, b&w at night.

The middle marker hitch-cam has a huge (& dangerous) blind spot right behind & below the 37" spare on my rear-tire carrier. With 2 small kids and a small dog, this was not acceptable. Not a big deal to drill a hole in the bumper right above the rear hitch for regular bullet-type back-up camera.

For off-roading filming and such, you'd want to get ones with true CCD sensor. CCD = More resolution/better quality than CMOS sensor which is cheaper, crappier & form the majority of cameras on eBay.

I use one of those clip-on rear view mirror with built-in LCD to view image. If you buy the one with the LCD on the left side, you might be able to cut a hole in the clip-on mirror's housing on the top right like I did, so that you can still see the oem mirror's LED temperature/compass. Most comes with 2 Video inputs, one for movies & the second will auto-switch-on when you're reversing.

For interior LCDs, I just installed a pair of 10.4" Headrests with independant built-in DVD players. Driving long distance, they are worth their weight in gold with my kids! The gray leather is not exactly the same as the H2's wheat interior, but close enough not to bug me. These are abt $700 & cheap by headrest monitors standards -- which means both headrests are identical -- which means the passenger-side DVD slot also exits to the right -- right into the passenger seatbelt hump. Hence the spacers in the photo below, to make sure the discs can go in & out above the hump without damage. I need to cut the larger chrome post "sleeves" (that came with the LCDs) shorter to use as a much-better looking spacers.

Image quality is superb & the 10.4" size really blows your mind, and I think large enough for 3rd row passangers to see clearly.

The visor LCD was very difficult to install & not for the faint of heart. But my wife loves it.

I connected all 4 LCDs to 4x4 Wireless AV switcher (by Optiview) for independant viewing (from either of the 2 DVD players inside the headrests). So Switch #1 is Driver LCD, #2 Passanger LCD, #3 Rear-view mirror LCD, #4 Wife's Visor LCD.

For when everyone's watching the same movie, I connected audio out #3 (the one for my rear-view LCD) to input to the oem radio head through a PAC GM interface (from Jason at JPCustoms) so the audio comes thru the H2's oem speakers. You might also need to buy pre-amp signal amplifier as the max audio signal volume from my headrests DVDs were low.

When my kids want to watch different movies, you'd need 2-channels IR wireless headphones or wired earphones (backup for out-of-battery emergency in the middle of nowhere).

[MDimitri]

How did you run the cable through the visor to the Head unit? I am having a real bugger trying to figure that out? Did you have to do alot of cutting? I have 2 spare 10" monitors I would like to mount one in the passenger side visor but the cable is very thick. It's a combo S-Video and Left right audio, 6 prong plug. Any pointers?

Cheers!

[Adam in CO]

No idea what brand. It came with the Eclipse system.

But, I do know the best spot for it.

[Adam in CO]

Totally weather proof and gets a fine picture.

[jdrew]

I have the AudioVox hooked to my D3. I have it mounted just above the hitch.

Camera at BestBuy

[H2Finally]

Originally Posted by MDimitri

How did you run the cable through the visor to the Head unit? I am having a real bugger trying to figure that out? Did you have to do alot of cutting? I have 2 spare 10" monitors I would like to mount one in the passenger side visor but the cable is very thick. It's a combo S-Video and Left right audio, 6 prong plug. Any pointers?

Cheers!

Most LCDs have a short pigtail S-Video connecter. Tie that end to a small wire to feed through the visor opening right below the metal hinge.

The actual combo cable will be routed from behind the glove compartment, up the passenger grab handle trim, into the headliner, out at the corner to the visor and the pig tail mate. Plug together, tape real good, tuck it back into the visor. If the short portion of the cable that's exposed (from visor hinge to corner of headliner) bugs you, paint it tan..

The visor is not too thick. To do all over, I'll look for LCD that's super thin. As is now, half of the LCD's thickness protrude above the visor surface. To finish the cut fabric around the LCD, I needed to dremmel the entire back half of the LCD trim/bezel housing, and keep just the top/surface trim portion. So bezel is halfway the thickness of the LCD.

You'd also want to mount the LCD as low (to the bottom of the visor) as possible, as the top part (where the metal hinge is) requires certain amount of rigidity to maintain the stiffness to keep the visor at an angle.

The plastic insert/sun shade extension in the visor needs to be chopped in half. The protruding end piece is re-inserted back into the visor to maintain aesthetic.

My wife does lament the loss of the mirror. I think I'll get one of those mirrored glass film to stick onto the LCD.

Final result is certainly not oem like the Vizualogic, but very functional and cost only $80 for LCD + $50 spare visor off eBay = $130, instead of a thousand.

[MDimitri]

Great thanks for the notes. I hope to get this done as soon as possible before we take off for the lake this summer. I did find the monitors you have in your H2, why did you get two with the DVD insert to the right of the headrest? were they the only ones available? here is an auction on Ebay with the units you have for $369.95: CLick Me

Here is an image of the monitors:



Are they the same as yours? I will do the hook ups for the rear units but with the Pioneer AvicZ2 soon to be installed I will get me mechanic to do the job.

Thanks for the help!

Cheers!

[H2Finally]

2 DVD players = 2 different movies (we like to encourage individuality in the kids -- especially when they're tired & cranky at the end of a really long day...). Also, they can actually both watch one movie, with the 2nd DVD unit playing a different movie for my wife through her headphones.

I considered mounting 2 half-din DVD players where the on-star is, but decided my kids are old enough to change & set their own DVDs, and they can reach the headrests while still being seat-belted on during long highway driving.

I got mine from here $540 shipped (you'd also need to buy the 2-channels IR headphones & 4x4 AV Switcher ~ $700 total. No point to get 2 DVD players if you're not hooking it up to a multi-AV switcher). Very popular item, often sold out.

The one feature lacking was last position memory. If you have very young kids, that means YOU must search & continue the last scene played manually after every gas/food/potty stop, for each kid. Or, you can hook them up to be always-on instead of RAP power.

[finall]

AVOID the Hithcam H-cam pictured above on the yellow H2 I have one. I can not get it serviced by them. They make promises but never deliver. Been trying for 6 months to get them to honor their warranty.

AVOID Hitchcam at any cost!!

The entire thing is corroding very badly, and even though under warranty, they will not fix it. They supply no installation info, so you are on your own also. It cost me over $1000 for it plus installation. What a ripoff!

[Tex_h2]

Originally Posted by Adam in CO

No idea what brand. It came with the Eclipse system.

But, I do know the best spot for it.

Adam, Do you know the make of this cam. I really like how you've mounted it in the inside...cool. Is it possible for you to take a pic of the cam in motion say from the monitor??


Thanks

[H2bill]

I had a Pioneer camera (don't recall the model #) installed along with my Z1 nav system when I bought my H2 ('06). It has worked awesome with no problems. The Z1 allows you to have a split screen (half map and half rear view) which is useful if you want to keep tabs on something you are towing. I was going to mount mine in the marker light location, but then I noticed in the H2 manual they showed it mounted on the bumper right above the receiver hitch (lower portion of the bumper). That's where I had it put and it gives a great view with no blind spots (the spare doesn't even show in the view). It is actually pretty well protected in this location and it has never been bumped of otherwise damaged.

[Tex_h2]

Thanks....all this info will surely help when I buy and install my camera, thanks everyone.