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VIDEO4 / VIDEO4WithGPS-QuickInstallationGuide

VIDEO4 with GPS - Quick Installation Guide


This short guide is intended to enable you to install the VIDEO with GPS - synchronised video and data loggoing system in a vehicle. it is not intended as a full set up guide. For more information see other pages under the VIDEO4 section.


Routing the bullet cameras and GPS antenna in the vehicle

To ensure your VIDEO with GPS works reliably it is important to ensure the crucial components of the system (the video cameras and GPS antenna) are not subject to electrical interference from each other. We recommend that the GPS cable and antenna are routed through the opposite side of the vehicle to the bullet cameras and cables,and the cameras are kept at least 60cm (2ft) away from the GPS antenna.

   



Installing the VIDEO4 in the vehicle

Mounting the VIDEO4 in the vehicle

The VIDEO4 should be mounted in the vehicle on a flat horizontal surface. For temporary installation you can just use the Dual-LockTM tape supplied, or for a more permanent installation the stainless steel mounting brackets. The VIDEO4 must be mounted with the button and lights facing either directly towards the back or the front of the car. Avoid any extremes of temperature and vibration for both the VIDEO4 unit and the GPS antenna. In particular, if the VIDEO4 is exposed to high levels of vibration the GPS data may become inaccurate.


Correct Mounting of the GPS Antenna

For correct, accurate operation of the GPS receiver it is absolutely essential that the antenna is mounted correctly. There are several important aspects to consider when mounting the antenna:

  1. The antenna must have a clear view of the sky in all directions. Note that it is NOT enough that the antenna can see vertically upwards towards the sky, it must also be able to see all the horizons as well. The GPS system actually gets very little positional or speed information from the satellites directly above, it gets far more information from satellites on or near the horizon. For Example if the antenna was mounted in the bottom of a "bucket", so it could see upwards but no horizons, then the GPS system would lock and provide positional information - but the accuracy would be very poor. In practice this this all means that the antenna should be mounted on the highest point of the vehicle.
  2. The antenna must be mounted on a horizontal surface and in a horizontal orientation facing directly upwards. The underside of the antenna cannot receive GPS information. Do not mount the antenna on a vertical surface.
  3. The antenna must not be covered in tape, in particular dark coloured tapes. Many tapes absorb the weak GPS radio signal. In general, black tapes are the worst in this respect as they contain carbon - however, to be safe, avoid using any tape at all.
  4. The antenna must not be subjected to high levels of vibration. Although the antenna is physically robust to vibration, it can and does affect GPS reception, so isolate it from vibration as much as possible.
  5. The antenna must be physically remote from sources fo electrical noise. The GPS radio signal is very weak and can easily be blocked out by radio interference, so to get a good signal the antenna must be as far away from radio interference as possible. By far the strongest source of radio interference is a spark ignition engines's ignition system, so keep the antenna away from all parts of it including the engine management system, coil leads, distributor etc.
  6. Avoid trapping, pinching or kinking the antenna cable. The lead from the GPS antenna to the receiver is a special very high frequency cable and it is not normally practical to repair it - so if you do trap, pinch or cut it then the antenna will have to be replaced and this is not covered under warranty.
Do not try to feed the antenna cable through a closure gap that is too small or compress it with a door seal or window seal.
  • If at all possible, mount the antenna on a metal platform. The GPS radio signal is amplified if the antenna is mounted on a metal plate ( termed a ground plane), and the bigger this plate is the better it will be for GPS reception. This is not essential for correct operation, but it is desirable.
  • Allow time for the GPS system to lock on before sampling data. The GPS receiver typically takes one to two minutes to lock on to all the available satellites. The time to lock onto satellites varies significantly with conditions but is minimsed when the vehicle is stationary.


Recommended mounting positions for the GPS antenna

  1. If the vehicle has a roof, this is the ideal place to mount the antenna.
  2. Alternatively, the best mounting position on a car may be the roll over bar or the top of the windscreen frame.
  3. On a motorcycle, mounting is a little more difficult, but the best compromise is on a flat area of the tail unit, behind the rider.
  4. Poor mounting positions on a car include behind the front or rear windscreens.

Note: If you fail to adhere to the guidelines above, the GPS may still perform "adequately" "most" of the time, however when conditions are more challenging ( with tree cover or bad weather etc) the positional accuracy will be significantly reduced.

Page last modified on December 08, 2011, at 10:51 AM