Roof Mounted Cameras

[ericjkelly]

Hey friends,

Got a new chase vehicle this weekend and am beginning to think about how I will set it up.

Instead of running my cell amp antenna out the back I am pondering routing it through the roof. I am wondering what else I would want to route through that roof hole if I head that route. HDMI? USB?

I am thinking I may want a camera out there in time, even if its just a gopro I can hardwire for chasing.

Any ideas/thoughts? Anyone have good stuff up there/??

 

[James Hammett]

That's what I did, ran my cell antenna wire right out the roof through a TNC bulkhead connector:


I may go back to NMO mount antenna(s) though as I'm looking to be lower profile.

I run two cameras on top of the car, one uses wifi for video monitoring and the other I'm using an IPTV encoder through USB. Trouble with IPTV is the latency (H.264). Wifi has lower latency (low-res MJPEG) but not perfect. And I do sometimes get wifi interference if I'm in a dense area. USB 2.0 I just have go out the hatch and up but it's more forgiving of cable distance and crimping than HDMI is. I've considered running HDMI through the roof for zero latency and the ability to have full access to 4k preview and recording inside the cab...maybe an off-season upgrade!

 

[ericjkelly]

That's what I did, ran my cell antenna wire right out the roof through a TNC bulkhead connector:

View attachment 21008
I may go back to NMO mount antenna(s) though as I'm looking to be lower profile.

I run two cameras on top of the car, one uses wifi for video monitoring and the other I'm using an IPTV encoder through USB. Trouble with IPTV is the latency (H.264). Wifi has lower latency (low-res MJPEG) but not perfect. And I do sometimes get wifi interference if I'm in a dense area. USB 2.0 I just have go out the hatch and up but it's more forgiving of cable distance and crimping than HDMI is. I've considered running HDMI through the roof for zero latency and the ability to have full access to 4k preview and recording inside the cab...maybe an off-season upgrade!

LOVE It. Did you do it yourself? I am always nervous drilling into the roof of my new SUV

 

[James Hammett]

Sure did, drill a 1/4" hole then use a step drill bit to size. Makes a nice clean hole, just don't press too hard into the thin sheet metal. And make sure you have clearance on the cabin side for the connector. Silicone grease around the seal to repel moisture.

 

[James Hammett]

Oh and I'm using LMR-240 low loss RF cable on the inside to my Cradlepoint.

 

[ericjkelly]

Sure did, drill a 1/4" hole then use a step drill bit to size. Makes a nice clean hole, just don't press too hard into the thin sheet metal. And make sure you have clearance on the cabin side for the connector. Silicone grease around the seal to repel moisture.

good to hear. I think I am actually more worried about trying to get the headliner down or did you drill through that too???

 

[James Hammett]

I pulled down just the rear half of the headliner using the Roof Trim section of the Crosstrek service manual for guidance (found in BODY->EXTERIOR INTERIOR TRIM). It's a bit of a pain because you have to pull off lower panels then side panels before you can get to the upper panels to pull the headliner down. But since you're not removing the entire headliner - only pulling the part you're working under maybe a foot or so - you don't have to pull off all the panels. Pulling off the panels gives you the opportunity to route the antenna wire wherever you need it, out of sight and away from potential damage.

 

[Drew Terril]

I currently have four NMO holes drilled in the roof of my Nissan Titan. One runs a low profile cellular antenna (for the booster), then a VHF antenna, a UHF antenna, and lastly a tri band scanner antenna. For NMO, I just use a 3/4 hole punch. It's done well for me, and I haven't had issues with water intrusion. As long as you set it up correctly, it's not an issue. I highly recommend a finesse stick or some type of trim removal tool. We had finesse sticks when I worked for Nissan that were effective, if very basic.

 

[James Hammett]

I use these for panel removal...they work great! Trim And Molding Tool Set, 5 Pc.