StealthCam 12V battery pack question
 

I have several 12V battery packs for my Wildview cams. They are starting to fail (I guess that is normal?). Can I purchase another rechargeable (less expensive) battery to put in the box?? Are there any other options???

shop around some

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002PICZCG

any 7ah 12 volt sealed lead acid battery will work...

Hi;
I am using the earlier verson Wildview EZ Cam that normally uses 4 "C"
batteries. Colder weather, they lose power. As an example, leave a flashlight
in a vehicle over night when the night is cold. In the morning the flashlight
may turn on, but is very dim.
I cut the transformer off an old game. Make sure it either has a single
barrel plug or the cross combination with a barrel plug. Usually one of the twin
wires has a white or grey tracer. This is the positive wire. If not sure, use
a meter. Separate the wires for about six inches and carefully bare about
an inch on each end of the wires. Insert one end into the barrel plug. With
the meter set to check continuity touch the bare end of one of the wires.
The one that make continuity is positive. Now, mark this wire with white tape,
or masking tape and mark it "+". Caution: do not reverse these wires when hooking
up to the battery as you will burn out part of the camera. The external part will not work again. To hook up to the battery, I use a 1/4 inch by 1 inch coarse thread bolt, putting a flat washer on each side of the battery lug and a wing nut. Place the wire between the flat washer and the battery lug. This way when tightening the wing nut, the wire won't be damaged. These wires are very small. Also make sure the camera is in the off position when hooking up the battery or changing out the sd cards.
I am using a 12 volt battery suitable for a ride on lawnmower. I am using the 300 series purchased from Wal mart.The battery lasts a long time in cold weather without discharging. I check my cameras about once a week so as not to leave scent by going too often. I use a meter to test the batteries each time. Only one has lost charge, for whatever reason. I just swapped it out with a good spare. Took the bad one home and recharged it on medium for 20 to 30 minutes. I check periodically when on charge. Just turn off the charger and disconnect the ground before testing. The test reading may read higher than normal when tested immediately after being charged. Using a digital meter you will observe the reading slowly dropping, but very little. If this is the case, leave the battery sit for 10 or 15 minutes to stabilize. This will give a true reading. A good fully charged battery should read 12.75 to well over 13 volt.
The only down fault of using an external battery is the extra size and weight to pack it in or out if walking very far. Also if there are squirrels in the area, they sometimes like
to chew the wires. Cutting little branches to put around the wire helps to discourage them.
I live in southern Canada. When the temperature gets around 32 degrees F. or 0 degrees C, this is when this battery set shines. At present I have nine of these cameras
set up at two major sights 100 miles apart. I just carry extra 2GB Sandisk or Lexar cards to swap out. There are several other better cameras out there as per forums and reviews. Some have faster trigger speed and better viewing. The Wildview cameras are cheap for anyone one on a limited buget, or requires a fair number of cameras. I started using these cameras last year and have bought more this fall. In total, I have 14. I found by reading some of the reviews, using my own learning experience, the cameras are not set up properly: example, facing rising or setting sun, to close to trails. Facing south for me at this time of year is poor due to the suns travel from east to west. The travel arc is much lower in the sky as compared to summer. In summer the arc is pretty well over head.
I hope this helps. Good luck.