Re: Long range wireless or other solution?

[Joe Bramblett <kd5nrh@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, 29 Nov 2006 11:43:33 -0500, Bob Worthy wrote:

> What is your budget and do you realize that even with the best equipment the
> catch rate is only guaranteed at about 70-80%?

The budget is somewhat variable, and partially based on how irritated the
landlord is when I approach him with something.  (He lives next door, and
they usually hit his harder than ours.)  If I can catch him the day after
one gets trashed, he may be willing to split the cost of something fairly
nice.  (Of course, the problem then would be getting him to agree to take
it to the Sheriff, rather than forming a lynch mob.)

> With mediocre equipment, the
> rate drops drastically with moving vehicles (even at 25 miles per hour). You
> may want to consider something that gives you a negative image of the plate
> to eliminate any light from washing out your picture at night ie tail and
> brake lights. This could get relatively expensive to do it properly. You
> could still spend alot of money and not get the result your looking for if
> you cheap out. You could buy alot of mailboxes for what this could cost you.

I've been playing with the camera system at work to figure out what it's
capable of, and it seems to me that, with having the pertinent info inside
a 15' wide area at the relevant time, it could be done.  The lights are an
issue, but I've been able to read plates even with some of the older
cameras in that system.  My main issue in this case is the desire to
avoid running a 500+ foot cable, or have to remember to go swap/clear a
memory card in one of the wildlife cameras every day.

> Did you piss someone off or is this through out the neighborhood?

Bad placement is my main guess; they hit several boxes most times, but if
anybody's gets hit, ours will every time.