has anyone experienced anything similar with their cameras?
Thank you!
Where did you run the test? Did the camera send pics where you initially had it setup in the woods? Sounds like you have the settings correct, since the test sent a picture. I can only imagine it's not getting a cellular connection where you have it set up in the woods. May be an antenna issue. ????
I have good cell coverage in the woods and at my house. A "test" on the Reveal basically is a manual code for the camera to take a picture and then transmit it. So when I "force" it to do it, it works - telling me it is not the SD card, batteries, or cell coverage. But more likely a software or interface problem within the camera. I am going to check out the Facebook page. I did not realize they had one.
Thanks much.
I will start off with what card should be in your camera, and why it is important. Signal strength also has an impact on the camera's immediate performance and longterm performance. The SDHC recommended is SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-1 16 or 32 gig. Nothing more. Nothing less. No other brand. No other speed. No other gig. I have a picture of the card. Now mind you, I bought the same brand in 32 gig, but it was not the recommended one. My performance on the Gen 1 was weak. I was basically not getting any feedback on what it was doing, (signal strength, picture amounts, battery life, etc.).
This is where I talked in person to a representative. The first gal suggested I log out or close and re-open my app. The second person discovered I was running a 10 gig with an inferior card. Sent me a link to Amazon, and I saw "SanDisk", and didn't read closely enough, went to Target, bought another, and it worked. I was now running all three (a single Gen 1, and two X's) on those slightly inferior SanDisk 32 gigs. Well, I called one last time due to signal strength, and the send speed to my phone, and this is where I talked to Zach.
Zach was very helpful. He explained a few things a bit more in depth, because of his previous experience with Moultrie. This is where I will testify that I'm only repeating what I was told. The reason they have you use that specific model SDHC, is the write speed. Essentially if the camera is not performing at it's highest level, it will save itself and perform at one of two levels lower, (call it sleep mode), and will hurt the camera over time. It will seem to perform just fine, and slowly start to fail. It can lag, it can take pictures but not send them, it can stop giving you feedback in your tools section, and overall hurt the camera.
Doing a correct reset when pulling or replacing an SDHC card is imperative. The Gen 1 is a bit more complicated, but it goes like this: Turn the camera off, and pull your SDHC card. Turn your camera to setup. Your camera will say searching no disk found. This is where you insert either a new card, or one that has been reformatted. Scroll the top bar to other, scroll down until you get to reset, are you sure? Yes. Now you switch the button to ON. Now you are running a reset camera. I cannot tell you whether the damage has been done or not, and it may have, but all I want from a cell cam, is a picture to be taken, the picture to be copied to my card, the picture to be sent to me, and my feedback to be viewed in my tools section on my app. The write speed is determined by the card, and overall it is what dictates performance and longevity of the camera. I think the Gen 1 is a great camera, and it works now. Yes, you can trade it in and get a new camera at a discounted price, but I'll save that for when it finally breaks lol. Let's face it. Nothing lasts forever, but I sure wish I had started that camera out with the correct card. Resetting the other cameras are as simple as turning the camera off, pull the card, turn on, and it will get signal, and read no card detected. Insert your card and youre running.
One thing to make note of. Zach used to work with Moultrie, and now Tactacam. He clearly states the card is everything to do with performance of all cameras. He strongly suggests not interchanging cards from one camera to another, even those reformatted twice. They carry some static junk on them (his words). So label your cards camera 1a and camera 1b, and when replacing the cards, to make sure they are reformatted and perform a reset every time.
I know I was long-winded, but the details are something I failed to pay attention to, so I thought I'd share. It fixed my issues. Mostly, I'd like to give the team an attaboy for their help. I'm a happy customer. Nothing like getting a notification and seeing what triggered your camera, without having to step foot in the woods. Cellular is less (for me) about instant feedback, than it is about less scent left in the woods. I wear latex gloves, and I promise you. The first day I place the camera or changed the card, is the most activity I have on my cameras, because those deer (in the cover of darkness) are investigating the odor you left behind. That tells you cameras are intrusive, so the less intrusive you can be, the better! I hope that helps.
Also, ours seem to have zero problems using Duracell Coppertops, but with the Energizers we have had problems. And no, I do not work for Duracell, LOL. Hope they are working better now!
