TV signals
are transmitted in two planes
relative to the ground. One is
deemed horizontal polarisation,
where the energy waves are
transmitted horizontally, and
the other vertical polarisation
when they are transmitted
vertically. To receive the
signals correctly, the antenna
must be oriented either
horizontally (ie parallel to the
ground) for horizontal polarised
transmissions or vertically for vertical polarised
transmissions.
The easiest way to determine which is in use in a given area
is to look at how the local townsfolk have set up their home antennas and copy
the orientation when erecting your EasyTune antenna, or refer to
the Australian Broadcasting
Directories publication which
lists all stations.
Yes, the EasyTune in its standard position is setup to receive
horizontally polarised signals, and we include a special bracket in the kit to enable the
antenna to be mounted on its side to receive vertically polarised transmissions. If you have
an older model of EasyTune and do not have the vertical mounting bracket with
your kit, one can be purchased for a nominal charge by contacting Aussievan.
To keep noise to a minimum, it is important to use high
quality shielded coaxial cable from the antenna to the caravan. The EasyTune
uses only high quality coaxial
cable from the antenna to the
base station and for the two
cables that connect the TV to
the base station.
The Australian Broadcasting Directories publication
'Television Reception Guide - TV Across Australia' Third Edition 2001 by Robert
R. Haverfield lists all TV transmitters, their channel and frequency, whether
they transmit in vertical or horizontal polarisation and the GPS co-ordinates of
each. It is available from most travel bookshops by request.
In Australia TV is transmitted over the frequency range
45-820 MHz and is divided into 5 bands as per the table below. The Channel
designation is that which has been commonly adopted by the commercial TV stations eg. 9
is
Channel 9 in capital cities.
Analogue and Digital broadcast
channels are distributed
throughout the VHF III
and UHF bands.
|
Channel |
0-2 |
3-5 |
5A-12 |
28-35 |
35-69 |
|
Band |
VHF I |
VHF II |
VHF III |
UHF IV |
UHF V |
|
Freq (MHz) |
45-70 |
85-108 |
137-230 |
526-582 |
582-820 |
Digital Television broadcasting is transmitted using digital
modulation rather than analogue modulation in the channels available in VHFIII,
UHF IV and UHF V. Each service occupies a 7MHz channel, and may contain a High
Definition program, a Standard Definition program or multiple programs, all
available with a 16:9 display format, and associated sound up to '5.1' channels,
together with text and data, closed captions etc.
The quality of digital TV is much better than Analogue, not
only because of the wider picture, but because it doesn't suffer from ghosting
and interference like Analogue TV does. You require a digital tuner to receive
Digital TV broadcasts, this necessitates installing a set-top box with your old
analogue TV, or purchasing a new TV with an in-built digital tuner. Upgrading is
worth the cost in terms of picture and sound quality and therefore enjoyment of
the viewing experience.
Note : Digital TV is only generally available close to major
cities at this time.
Antennas for
use by Caravaners need to be of
a manageable size and they are
often used in poorly serviced
areas, making a masthead
amplifier essential. It is often
said masthead amplifiers are
only there to compensate for the
signal loss caused by the coax cable to the
receiver and because caravaners
are dealing with short cable
lengths, are not needed. However, a
good masthead amplifier such as
the one inside the Aussievan
EasyTune, will increase the gain
of weak signals in remote areas,
and compensate for the compact
dimensions of a portable
antenna, without adding noise to
the signal.
Amplifiers
placed within the caravan
itself - a long way from the
antenna, amplify the noise
generated through the cable run.
So whilst the signal is
amplified, the noise that
affects the quality of the
picture is too and they are not
recommended. To keep noise to a
minimum it is also important to
use high quality shielded
coaxial cable from the antenna
to the caravan. The EasyTune
uses only high quality coaxial
cable from the antenna to the
base station and for the two
cables that connect the TV to
the base station.
The standard EasyTune Antenna is powered by a 240 volt power
supply that plugs into the mains 240v and transforms the voltage to 12v AC out
to power the motor that rotates the antenna and also to provide power to the
signal amplifier. This model, the BD-11a, is our volume seller.
We also have available a model of EasyTune Antenna that
utilises 12v DC power. It plugs into a cigarette lighter socket that operates on
12v DC from a car battery for example. It uses a DC motor in the head unit,
rather than AC as in the standard antenna. The DC motor is more expensive to
produce, hence the DC model BD-11m sells at a price premium over the standard
model.
Yes, you can use a 12 volt to 240 volt power inverter into
which you would plug the standard EasyTune Antenna's 240 volt power supply. This
enables you to operate the standard BD-11a antenna effectively from your caravan batteries
when you are not plugged into the mains power at a caravan park. There are many
'can' sized inverters (Waeco make a good one) that are small and
convenient to use with the EasyTune.
Aussievan's kits are different to our competitors because
unlike our competitors, we don't just source the standard 'off the shelf'
components from China and repackage them. We have closely evaluated and field
tested all of the 'off the shelf' components and have then gone back to only the
best manufacturers with our own specifications and had the components made
especially for us, incorporating our ideas to enhance performance and
durability.
For example, our wiring harness and cable connectors are
unique to Aussievan - none of our competitors offer the same quality, ease of
installation, neatness of design and durability. Also, our flexible boom mount
is unique to us, as is the pivoting system for the monitor, the monitor itself
and both of our cameras. If you see a product that looks similar to ours on the
outside, don't be fooled into thinking its the same on the inside - where it
counts.
Our products are also fully C-Tick certified and tested against emitting any electromagnetic interference which can interfere with your vehicles electrical system. We are also continually improving the kits to enhance them. For example - with the recent edition of the 12/24 volt regulator to provide clean 12v power to the monitor and camera.
Our efforts in research and development ensure the product
you buy works perfectly in its intended application, first time, every time, and
they will offer many years of trouble free service. Just ask our competitors how
many of them have a full time electrical engineer on staff, and how many of them
actually own a 4WD and Caravan and use their own products daily? We do!
There are two kits available, the Easy RearView kit BD-21 for
Caravans, Campers and Motorhomes, and the BD-22 kit for Cars, SUVs and 4WDs.
The differences between the two kits come down to the camera
included and the length of cable provided in the kit effectively. We have found
that the Colour Infrared Night and Day camera is most suitable for use with a
Caravan, Camper or Motorhome due to its exceptional night vision, 90 degree
field of view and adjustability. This camera works well where you mount it up
high on the back of a Caravan, Camper or Motorhome and it will allow you to have
a wide view of the what is behind the vehicle (due to its mounting position up
high) and road without any distortion or 'fisheye effect' in the image.
It is not advisable to use a camera of greater than 90 degrees on the back of the
van, because cars following the caravan will appear to be far away, when in fact they
are right up behind you! A 110 degree angle camera, that many of our competitors use,
will not give you a true perspective of the road behind.
We include the Colour Miniature Number Plate Mounted Camera
in the Car, SUV and 4WD kit because it is easy to mount on the number plate without
drilling any additional holes in the car (it utilises the existing number plate
bolts), and it provides a 150 degree field of view which means you can see out
to both sides of the vehicle and down to the bumper bar at very close range.
This is important to make sure you see a child or object standing immediately
behind the car. They are much more likely to be seen using this camera, as
opposed to using the Infrared camera with its narrower field of view, when
attached near the number plate.
Yes, we source many different cameras from various
manufacturers and then stringently test them for quality and reliability. The
cameras we have chosen to include in our kits are the best of those available
and are tested for their water tightness, shock resistance and general
durability in the field. Only once they pass our tests will they be included in
our kits, so you are assured of buying a top quality product.
No, we don't use a "Woza" trailer cable connector kit that
some of our competitors use. We believe it just adds unnecessary complexity to
the design and means there are more holes to be drilled in the vehicle and
trailer to mount the connection brackets. Also, because the curly connector
cable used is a separate cable in itself that plugs into a bracket on the rear of
the vehicle, and then to a bracket on the trailer, you have two connections
that could potentially fail.
With the Aussievan kit, we provide two cables - a 6m one that
goes from the monitor to the rear of the vehicle, and a 10m or 20m one that goes from
the trailer hitch to the camera on the rear of the caravan. These cables screw
together with a bayonet type fitting, and are therefore secure when travelling.
They are easy to position out of the way when not in use, yet still be on hand
to connect together without having to install any brackets to terminate them. We
also include aluminium dust caps that screw onto the ends of the cable to
protect the pins when the caravan is not in use and the cables are disconnected.
Aussievan developed the flexible boom mount to make Reversing Camera
systems safer and more universal for all different types of vehicles. Using the
boom mount means that the Monitor does NOT sit on the dash board.
Placing a monitor on the dash board or windscreen in Cars,
SUVs and 4WDs is dangerous because it will be in the direct line of sight of the
driver, interrupting their vision of the road. A dash mounted monitor is also
affected by heat through the windscreen (shortening its life) and the image
displayed is more difficult to
view because of reflected ambient light.
The various windscreen suction mounts now available are also difficult to use and to keep stuck to the windscreen on a hot day. They work great in the shop, but in real life situations can be a real source of frustration! That's why we have come up with our flexible boom mount that positions the monitor over the center console. Its reliable, and a universal fit for virtually any vehicle, with the added advantages of not obstructing the view out the windscreen, and keeping the monitor out of the bright ambient light so the image is more easily viewed.
In many large Motorhomes the use of the boom mount
isn't ideal because of the
distance between the front seats
-
meaning the monitor ends up
being too far away from the
driver. A dash stand is
optionally available
to mount the monitor on the dash
board in conjunction with the the BD-21 Caravan,
Camper and Motorhome kit to
overcome this limitation.
In a Motorhome, dash mounting the monitor is not a safety
issue because of their high seating positions and large dash. This is why we
provide a dash stand as an alternate to the boom mount for use with the BD-21 kit for
Caravans, Campers and Motorhomes. It is really the most practical way to mount a
monitor in a bus or large Motorhome with a wide dash board.
The Infrared Night and Day camera we supply with the BD-21
Caravan, Camper and Motorhome kit has a row of LEDs that emit Infrared at night
so that the camera can detect and display a 'night view' image. Contrary to
popular belief, the LEDs on all of these types of cameras do NOT emit visible
light to illuminate the area in front of the camera - they emit Infrared only. The Infrared capability is very effective at showing an image
in darkness with little rearward illumination - as you would experience when
travelling forwards at night when the monitor is mounted on the rear of the
caravan or motorhome.
We also find that our Miniature Number Plate Camera as used
in the BD-22 Car, SUV and 4WD kit also provides an excellent image at night as
it is low light sensitive. When reversing, the reversing lights on the vehicle
are on which illuminates the path behind the vehicle and provides more than
enough light for an effective image to be displayed. As you can see, each camera
is very effective at night in its intended application.
In the BD-21 Caravan, Camper and Motorhome Kit we include a
6m and 10m cable. The 6m one is used from the Monitor to the rear of the
vehicle, and the 10m one from the front of the trailer to the camera on the rear
of the Caravan. For use in Motorhomes or Buses, these cables can be joined
together permanently to provide a long 16m length. Also, installation into a Motorhome
is made much simpler if there are two separate cables rather than one long
one, as its easier to route the two separate cables individually then join them
where appropriate.
In the BD-22 Car, SUV and 4WD kit, we include a 6m cable, plus an additional 4m thin cable on the numberplate camera end that allows you to lead it through the various nooks and crannies of the vehicle tailgate easily. This is more than enough to reach the rear tailgate of most vehicles.
Additional cables are available should you require them however - just call us.
Many manufacturers are now fitting flush bumper mounted
cameras to their new cars. We have tested several of these and have found that
the field of view is insufficient to see out to both sides of the vehicle, which
means potentially a child standing immediately behind the bumper out to the side
would not be seen by the driver. A much safer option is our 150 degree field of
view Miniature Number Plate camera, which allows the widest view rearwards of
any camera on the market.
No, our Easy RearView monitor does not have in-built speakers due to size
limitations within the monitor body itself. We find that having sound in a
reversing camera is of little practical use in any case, as the quality and
volume is usually not sufficient to alert the driver.
The cameras do contain a microphone and our cables do provide
the required RCA connection for sound if you wanted to connect this to your car
stereo system however. We would suggest you do this only with vehicle camera
that are activated when reversing (not with Caravan systems that are on
permanently), otherwise you will have sounds from outside the cabin always
audible inside the vehicle which could be distracting when driving.
A 12/24v regulator is a device that takes 12 or 24 volt input from the car's electrical
system, and outputs a constant 12 volts to the Easy Rear View system. The regulator effectively absorbs any power spikes
which occur as the vehicle's engine is started and provides a clean 12 volt power source to the Easy Rear View kit to enhance its reliability.
The regulator also allows the kits to be used in 24 volt applications. None of our competitors go to the trouble to include a regulator with their kits
and therefore none can offer the reliability that an Aussievan kit has in the long term. The regulator is just another example of the value we engineer into each of our products.
We don't find that we need to put a shade on our monitor, as keeping the monitor off the dash by mounting it on our flexible gooseneck down by the console
keeps it out of the direct ambient light conditions of the dash board. A shade is only effective when light is coming from precisely the right angle in any case, and we believe the small shades being moulded into the case
of some monitors on the market now are of little practical value.
