Backup Camera and towing?

Vt Rv wrote:
Are they only on while backing or can they be on all the time to keep track of what your trailer is doing behind you.

This may depend on the make and model but.. on most models I believe the answer is "BOTH"

By default they will turn on, input "A" when you put the Motor Home in Reverse.

However on mine there is a column of buttons (on some it is a row) and the top one is marked with the universal symbol for power (Look at the power button on your computer) This one will turn it on until one of two things happens: 1: Turn off ignition or 2: Push it again.

The next one is marked A/B on mine.. This one selects a 2nd camera I installed... This rig is a Gasser, it's like 20-25 feet from where I sit to the gas cap, Lining up on a fuel hose is not all that easy when you are using the other side of the RV rear view mirror.

So I put a camera under the fuel filler... (This is a "Bolt" style camera, looks like a hotel door peephole from the outside, mounts in the wall with a single nut (as though it were a bolt) leads come out the inside end) When the pump is centered on the Screen.. Good to fuel.

Putting in REVERSE will switch back to the "A" input though till I fo foreward again.. Then it switches back to whatever I have selected (Remains on A or switches to B) Very useful.

I change my wiring and connected the camera power wire to the hot wire on one of the parking lights that are at the top edge of the RV. This was easier than getting into the ignition wiring. Now I can turn the camera on anytime by just turning on the parking lights.

Jerry

The rear camera on my coach is on all of the time and I can use the control on the monitor to tilt it to look at the hitch or to see what is going on behind the toad. The tilt feature comes in handy.

On my challenger, if the monitor is OFF, it will turn On when the coach is placed in reverse. If I turn it ON, the camera and monitor acts like a rearview mirror. JM2¢...

Mine used the display on the radio and that made the radio too busy so I put in a dedicated monitor and leave it on all of the time to watch traffic. It was aimed to low so I modified the mounting bracket to allow it to aim higher. Now I cannot see the trailer ball when hitching up without re-aiming the camera. It is not hard to adjust the camera but it is so high and far from the ball I may put in another camera much closer to the ball for a better view.

I also have the side cameras on their own monitors too.

The camera's all have an off/on switch. But why turn the camera off while driving, you want to see how the toad is doing back there. But I believe all camera's all have the controls for night driving or day driving, adjust the contrast on it, brighten or dim it. Mine even has a microphone that picks up the sound if somebody is backing you up and wants to talk to the driver. But once you start rolling you better turn the sound down or else you can here the motor on a pusher.

Depends ... On my winnebago it is set to come on in reverse and off otherwise or you can press a button on the monitor and it will stay on all the time .. This is the way it's worked an all the ones I've seen/ driven but that's not to say that's the way yours is/ will be as others seem to have a different system .. I never knew !

In my Winnebago the back up camera is only constantly when, I turn the camera switch on! Going down the road or parked it stays on until I shut it off!

The camera is suppose to stay on all the time.

Ours comes on automatically in reverse or can be turned on manually anytime. Your view is dependent on the camera and how it is mounted. Ours shows from the bumper of the MH to almost the back of the toad, does not help with view of traffic behind you.

Beverley and Ken