No See It!

Our new motorhome is somewhat wider, taller and longer than my old motorhome. So much so that it does not come with a rear view mirror. It does have two good size functional rear view mirrors located on the outside, however I still cannot see my towed vehicle when it is attached to the motorhome. Not a comfortable feeling! What if something not good is going on back there?…Like getting a flat on the towed vehicle.

To counter that feeling, I recently ordered and installed a CB Radio. The thought being that a good Samaritan trucker or RVer will radio about a problem. But what if there is no trucker or RVer behind which happens frequently when not on an Interstate Highway? The answer…a rear view camera system. Some newer and larger RV’s come with such a system, however ours did not. So…order one and install it was the answer. It arrived yesterday.

Even though it shows a truck, the system is for use on all large vehicles.

First job yesterday was to re-seal the caulking on the roof. That took about 1.5 hours. Fortunately I got a somewhat cloudy morning which helped with the heat factor. Then to Ace Hardware to get some parts for my jury-rigged WiFi antenna system which I will install soon. By time I arrived back to Mary’s home, my rear view camera system had arrived. I had spent several hours on the Internet researching these devices. The prices start at around $60 up to $2,000 plus with a whole bunch of them in the $60 to $160 range. Unfortunately the customer reviews were a mixed bag…some saying great and others saying junk. Most had only 2.5 or 3.5 inch black and white monitors. It felt like a hassle I wanted to avoid.

I finally found the unit I purchased…taxes and shipping total $300.30. Their website had lots of information and pictures of typical installations. In addition it has a Sony Camera (which means good quality) and a 7″ color monitor…and it’s wireless! That means not having to figure out how to run about 50 feet of wire from the camera to the monitor. I spent about a half-hour reading the instructions and went to work about noon since the temperature was only 83 degrees at that time.

I got the monitor installed and checked out the system it seems to work fine. I quit at 2:30 PM when the temperature got to 87 degrees. All that remains is to install the camera at the rear of the motorhome. That’s a somewhat more complicated procedure which I hope to complete today. Hopefully by tomorrow morning I can report mission accomplished!

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2009
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