I have the color Sony backup cam with 3 inputs on my Adventurer. Noticed RVCams has the side cameras for $225 each. They also sell a switcher for $139 to work with the turn signals. Sooo, for $590+, I think I can have a complete system (have not called RVCams yet to verify if that is all I need.)
Is it worth it? Is it easy to install? Sounds a little scary drilling a hole in the doors. Are there any wires pre-run??
Also noticed a few posts about blurred cameras-having to replace them frequently. Comments?
I have the color Sony backup cam with 3 inputs on my Adventurer. Noticed RVCams has the side cameras for $225 each. They also sell a switcher for $139 to work with the turn signals. Sooo, for $590+, I think I can have a complete system (have not called RVCams yet to verify if that is all I need.)
Is it worth it? Is it easy to install? Sounds a little scary drilling a hole in the doors. Are there any wires pre-run??
Also noticed a few posts about blurred cameras-having to replace them frequently. Comments?
Worth it? Humm good question. I have them on my Sightseer, but if I didn't I'd have to think hard about dropping $600 for them. For the most part the mirrors provide excellent coverage, and the rear camera provides me a good feeling where traffic is. However my wife just said that its well worth the $600 in fact she said she'd do it in a heartbeat.
Then there was the night I was heading through the Tejon pass in heavy wind when the right side mirror folded and I lost all visibility, except for the camera. Saved my cookies that night..
I have them on my '07 Adventurer 38T and really like the extra view for lane chnages. My last motor home did'nt have them and they do give a better view than the mirrors. Good luck!
__________________ Marilyn & Bob Johnson Pound Pups: Petey & Sweety Pie '07 39'Winny Adventurer: 2010 Colorado
We have them on ours, and I believe they are fairly gimmicky....it's cool to show others when they look at your motorhome, but I use my mirrors more when driving.
As a newbie to Class A driving I found them very usefull. It was a differentiation for me when looking for used MHs. I drove numerous Class As and found the side cameras eliminate blind spots as mentioned above. The mirrors are definitely clearer and not sure how the monitor would be for night driving. Mine is B/W, color might be better.
The first car I bought with GPS I thought it was a gimick but after buying the first one, I now think it is a necessity as is cruise control. We become reliant on these new technologies.
JMHO -- Frank O.
Properly adjusted and clean mirrors work well about 95% of the time - the other 5% of the time is where the side cams are invaluable like when you leave a 15 lane toll plaza. In a situation like that, the cam gives you the big picture of how many cars are racing to get in front of you . I also switch to the side cam (I have only one side cam that I manually switch) at truck stops when there is a large area to keep an eye on.
There are photos of my side cam install on our RV pages.
Thanks all for the responses. Seems that everyone likes them. Just spoke with Tim at RVCams (nice guy btw), one issue with the 'switcher' is you cannot manually tune in the side cameras. I guess this is how the factory installed systems work as well. I could omit the switcher and plug them into the screen then manually switch them---but that seems like a pain.
Well, I am not sure what I will do. I am also contemplating purchasing a handheld GPS like a nuvi660 or something. I am tired of using a laptop for navigation & the laptop is a pain in a regular vehicle. I know there are lots and lots of posts about GPS-so I will keep reading.
These accessories sure can get expensive-but most I think are worth it.