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    Solar Powered Cell Game Cam Station

    Going to build another solar powered game cam station for my Muddy cam.

    Pole mounted on an ATV tire filled with cement so it will be portable but not easy to walk away with. Going to use the factory antenna on this one so no need for an extended antenna pole.

    Will run two 12 volt feeder batteries in parallel. Goal is for it to be maintenance free for as long as needed.

    Here’s what we have put together thus far:

    Muddy Cam
    Steel cam box
    Empty feeder control box
    Solar panel
    Accessory power cord




    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    #2
    Looks good! Report back periodically to let us know how it’s going.

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      #3
      Base has been poured.




      Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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        #4









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          #5
          Don’t think I’ve ever built anything light duty in my life, but my choice of metal upright was poor. Steadied her up with a piece of treated 2x4, some screws, and gorilla glue.





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            #6
            Good DIY. Most people just post finished pics for some reason. Thanks for taking the time to post some details!

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              #7
              Nice work and I like the setup. But is that how the Muddy cams have to work? Coverts and others just require some rechargeable AA's and a solar panel. So you could use your same setup without the battery box. Would save the trouble of carrying around a T post and driver like I am constantly doing when I want to move a camera around. Also the TMate mounts are super nice, but with my T Post, it has to be pointed EXACTLY where you want it, if it twists at all it is messed up. Your solution really fixes that.

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                #8
                Was that a piece of galvanized angle iron?

                Why did you go with 2 batteries?

                I had a similar set up for my Spartans, but they are 6V, I had to use a voltage regulator to get down to 6V, 5.8V actually. This was after I burned up two cameras using a 6V battery…

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                  #9
                  I bought an solar powered battery pack for this purpose. It works great. Just attach it to the same pole as the camera, and plug her in.

                  NEW from HME - This compact solar power panel is designed as a sustainable solution for all trail cameras especially wireless/cellular cameras. Mounts to trees and posts. %

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by JES View Post
                    Was that a piece of galvanized angle iron?

                    Why did you go with 2 batteries?

                    I had a similar set up for my Spartans, but they are 6V, I had to use a voltage regulator to get down to 6V, 5.8V actually. This was after I burned up two cameras using a 6V battery…

                    Yes…. Spoiled the last 40 years living just minutes from my dad’s welding shop so always over engineered, but put this together from Home Depot material. Should have selected a heavier material for the upright. Oh well…..the 2x4 has it super stout now. A night that pulls a couple hundred pics was draining the battery to where it wouldn’t keep up on a few cloudy days. This way it should be stable all the time. Even on cloudy weeks.


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                      #11
                      Originally posted by muddyz View Post
                      Nice work and I like the setup. But is that how the Muddy cams have to work? Coverts and others just require some rechargeable AA's and a solar panel. So you could use your same setup without the battery box. Would save the trouble of carrying around a T post and driver like I am constantly doing when I want to move a camera around. Also the TMate mounts are super nice, but with my T Post, it has to be pointed EXACTLY where you want it, if it twists at all it is messed up. Your solution really fixes that.
                      I guess so. The auxiliary power port does not tie into the battery pack so they run independent of each other. They actually say to not use rechargeable AA's in the camera. $15/month for unlimited photos and some days I can get over 300 per camera.

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                        #12
                        What is your total Ah rating with both batteries?

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by kmack View Post
                          What is your total Ah rating with both batteries?
                          I believe it is 15 AH

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                            #14
                            That should work! Once again, that’s a GREAT use for an old ATV/UTV tire!

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                              #15
                              I did something similar. Mine kept getting knocked over by cows and pigs. Put some stakes in the ground and haven’t had anymore issues

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