I just got a 2nd Covert Code Black camera. It is the 2013 model but set up is very similar to the previous model. The set up was just as difficult as the first one, but ALL because of AT&T. The Covert instructions clearly say "get a SIM card with text only service" but when AT&T gets the IMEI number off the device, they insist on setting it up differently. My advice is don't give them the IMEI number and don't even take the device in to get the SIM card. It uses the regular size SIM card. The AT&T nomenclature for the set up on the SIM card is "Basic Quick Messaging"

Oh, and be sure and register for warranty service with Covert. My first one worked like a champ for almost a year and then most likely to an error on my part trying to connect a solar panel, it would not power back up. They told me to send it in for service and a week later I had a brand new camera back. Based on this and how well it works, I decided to go ahead and get a 2nd one.

Does anyone have experience with the new bushnell wireless? Advantage to it is the data plan is managed by bushnell thru att but you pay bushnell. Also has iPhone app you can look at the pics through as well as receive texts/email...but the pics come thru as thumbnails and not full sized pics. I just wonder how big the pics actually are...

On the wireless camera topic, as I understand it... most of the current wireless trail cameras today use 2G cellular technology for their transmission. AT&T for example plans to kill 2G service by 2017. There is supposed to be a new crop of 3G/LTE capable cameras coming out early Summer.

I looked at the Bushnell cameras, but the service cost vs doing the AT&T Go Phone SIM makes it pretty expensive if you like seeing alot of your trail cam pics. In trying to figure out some way of using an IP camera, the bandwidth cost would make that expensive as well given it's a data used charge, regardless of how transmitted. The cheapest route seems to be an unlimited text plan like the Go Phone SIM where the pics are sent as text messages vs email. I'm planning to sit tight for a bit and see what comes out this summer before purchasing a wireless camera.

Charlie

That's my problem. If you draw a triangle from Abilene to Wichita Falls to Weatherford there is a huge dead spot in cell coverage. My lease is smack dab in the middle of that hole.

Ok, honest question....

I'd like to do this on one lease, but if the batteries only last - let's say- 6 weeks, aren't you having to make an onsite visit every 6 weeks anyway?

My cams get lots of activity - dozens of deer per day. Typically have anywhere from 1500-3000 pics in 6-8 weeks - and that's all my batteries last.

Actually I see this having more utility if you live CLOSE by - so you can sneak out when something interesting shows up - otherwise I don't see the advantage to getting pics immediately unless you have a problem with poachers or cows knocking over cams.

I like it more for the far away leases. Mainly because I know whether or not to make a trip out to hunt a particular weekend. If nothing worth shooting is showing up I might save my money and go when something worth shooting does show up. Obviously you could have a shooter show up at any time but for making long trips to the lease it's nice to have an idea of what to expect.

You can tie a solar cell and battery pack into the covert and never have to change the batteries. In fact
I don't even have any AA batteries in the unit.

sorry if this was already covered but what if your camera takes say 1000 pictures over the course of a month or so - those pics are transmitted, as I understand it, either to your phone or PC. With that many pictures is it difficult to view them? Do they come to your PC as an email? If so you could have 1000's of emails

That is correct, it sends them as a text message or an email. So if you have it set to email and you get 1000 pictures per month you will receive 1000 emails. I have mine set to email because I get emails on my phone and I can also view them on my PC if I want to. If I get a picture I want to see better on my phone I just walk over to my pc and pull it up on it.

I guess that is why I have not jumped in yet. We run 14 cameras at a time - our lease is 3.5 hours away so it ultimately would save money. But we can have up to 12-14,000 pictures over the span of 6-8 weeks so it seems to me it would be really difficult to have to open and view that many individual emails. As you know the bulk of the pictures are does, birds, etc. - just doesn't seem feasible for our situation

Any chance there is a good alternative that uses WIFI or Bluetooth?

I really would love to have it send via WIFI or bluetooth

Russ

These transmit to a base station but I don't know much else about them. http://www.buckeyecam.com/site/products.html

man... gotta be a less expensive way.. lol

They sure do sound nice though!

TY!

Russ

I agree, they are ridiculously priced. That's why I'm using Coverts.

I manage all 4 of our coverts at our lease and my email resends the pics to the other 3 guys. We don't do this year round.. just after putting protein out(June) til Jan the next year. It can be a big pain to go thru all the pics..we get about 30 pics per camera per day. Don't know how you have your cams set up but I can adjust my coverts to take a pic from 1 to 60 minutes. Mine are set at 4 minutes. For us....the thumbing thru 7000 pics in a month is worth not driving 5 hours back and forth. I don't have to go out every 6-8 weeks cuz I have solar hookups on my cams.

I hear ya, just not sure I have good enough cell phone coverage where I would want the cameras, or I would add them in a heartbeat.

I get good cell coverage up the hill, just not down below.

I have about 12 standard cameras and get like 20k pictures a month.. heh

Russ

I like mine just getting tired of buy 30 dollar antennas ever time a coon decides to chew the cable into. I have mine set on every 5 minutes and get enough picture to have a good idea what is going on. Mine go to a email account that I set up just for the camera's. Some weeks I’m a long ways from the ranch but I can still see what’s going on and who is there doing what. I have several thru out the ranch and one at the house. It’s worth the 10.00 per camera a month to me. I keep them going year round to watch the progress.

For the first year it's about break even for me on one camera vs gas, but since I have a couple of nice cameras already and my time away from the house to check the cameras is called "me time" I can't say it's worth right now. Plus I keep thinking if I'm not out in the woods doing something that doesn't cost much money I'll probably be back in town spending a lot more money on other crap (Shopping, Food, Wife, Kids, and Etc.)

GAS
Miles MPG $ Per Gallon $ Per Trip Trips per Month $ Per Month Per year
Trip 84 22 $3.30 $12.60 3 $37.80 $453.60


Camera
Upfront $ $ Per Month $ Per Year Total 1st Year
Covert $350.00 $10 $120 $470.00

I use PVC pipe to enclose the antenna wire and then flex conduit where it goes in the camera. If I can find the pics I'll post them.

thanks for the info - guess would have to set pics at every 5 minutes and see how it works - we have 12 hunters so I would be forwarding all emails to all those guys to go through. Maybe I need to try one cameras to get a feel for how it works - still am concerned about having to open and look at thousands of emails

I think someone else mentioned this, but I set up a gmail account just to send these photos to it so they don't fill up a regular email account. Anyone that you want to share them with can just log into that email account. If you are concerned that someone else might delete your photos, you could set up two email accounts and share one and then keep the other one for your use. I actually set up 2 email accounts, one for each of my two cameras, but ended up only using one account since it is easier to look at photos from both cameras at once.

Here is what I did to elevate the extended range antenna and to protect both antenna and battery cables

That is a covert black ops correct? Looking hard at the newer 3G model coming out this year. Do you have a solar panel hooked to a 12v battery plugged into the camera or do you have the solar panel hooked right to the camera with rechargeables (not sure the coverts can do that configuration).

Curious what your take on the camera and how it works for you...opened up some space on my cell plan recently which makes this model look a lot more attractive to me with text pics.

That is the 2013 Black Ops. Works great! Yes.. I have a solar cell charging a 6 volt battery which powers the covert.