Anybody Ever Use a Harbor Freight $99 Underwater Camera w/Monitor?

[Prairiegoat]

Just wondering if they work or not and if anyone ever owned one. My ice fishing is generally in very clear 10 to 20 feet of water and thought my six year old partner would get a kick out of seeing the fish, but we don't want to shell out the extra $$$ for a higher priced system just now.

[Travis]

If you do a search on harbor freight I think you'll find some info.  I remember seeing some info about them.  Some say you get what you pay for, others like them.

Marcum VS250 only sells for around 160$ i think.  Trusted Name.

[Prairiegoat]

I'll have a look at it. Still would like to hear from anyone who owns a Harbor Freight model.

[boatnik13]

I see they changed things with the advetizments at harbour frieght. Now they advertize the underwater cam as a tool for checking clogged pipes. They gone from fish to sh-t checking !
Don't think your going to see a $300-$500 cam from aqua go down the tiolet. Guess you would need two diffrent probes or > whats all the seagulls flying around the boat?

[RLWagner]

Dude,
Buy the cam from Harbor Freight! I bought one last year, had to take it back after using it for a couple weeks cause one of the knobs was causing it to act up since I had dropped it on the ice. They replaced it free of charge without my receipt.
The cam comes with 60' of cable and works great!
Shows a very wide angle and is effective with infared lights at night.
I run the battery cables under the foam in the fantastic carrying bag, and attach the camera cable from behind the foam too. Now I do not even have to revove the camera or accessories from the bag. You will need a strong rubber band to adjust the camera position if you want to down view. It has connections for video taping and for extra monitors. The sun shield is very good too.
It is the best 99$ deal you will find!
Get it! You can allways up-grade to a four way model later in life. The Viewing screen is larger than manyon the market too!

Happy Viewing!

[gordify]

That, or you can get a scout for 125 after rebate. They exteded the rebate for a while longer. I printed this add and took it to Dicks and they matched the deal.
http://franksgreatoutdoors.com/item.asp?id=155223

[waterbeater]

This is my second season with my HF camera and it is still working great. With clear water, the picture is so clear it is hard to believe. It has a knob right on the monitor for turning the infrared lights on and off, and you can also adjust their brightness right from the monitor.It has the hookups for a second camera with a switch to toggle between the 2 cameras right there on front as well. It also has a jack to record the video. I know it isn't a name brand but I seriously can't come up with a single complaint.

[doggbiter]

I see they changed things with the advetizments at harbour frieght. Now they advertize the underwater cam as a tool for checking clogged pipes. They gone from fish to sh-t checking !
Don't think your going to see a $300-$500 cam from aqua go down the tiolet. Guess you would need two diffrent probes or > whats all the seagulls flying around the boat?

 That made like the fourth time in my life I have sprayed beer through my nose

 Certainly not discounting the cam, but that was just funny

[Prairiegoat]

RL and Waterbeater,

Thanks for the info. I'm going to get one.

[RLWagner]

That made like the fourth time in my life I have sprayed beer through my nose

 Certainly not discounting the cam, but that was just funny

You do not have to look very close to see that the toilet cam is a very different set-up from the Underwater Viewing System of which both are offered from Harbor Freight.

[bighillbilly]

I have had mine for 3 seasons and it works well - I really like a lot of the features and the controls.  Easy to set up - comes in a nice carrying bag.  A lot of guys have had problems with them not working, but even so - take it to an electronics shop to get repairs and you would still come put ahead.  My best advice - treat it like the electronic device it is and it will work well for a long time.

[RLWagner]

I have had mine for 3 seasons and it works well - I really like a lot of the features and the controls.  Easy to set up - comes in a nice carrying bag.  A lot of guys have had problems with them not working, but even so - take it to an electronics shop to get repairs and you would still come put ahead.  My best advice - treat it like the electronic device it is and it will work well for a long time.

bIGhILLbILLY,
IF YOU DO NOT DO SO ALL READY, RUN THE CABLES FROM THE BATTERY AND CAMERA UNDER THE FOAM INTO THE BACK OF THE MONITOR THAT YOU CAN SLIDE INTO ITS BAG SLOT WITH THE SCREEN FACING UP. Dam caps lock!
Anyway, this will allow you to just set the bag where you want it, slide out the cam and view without removing the battery, monitor or cable winding.
Also, if you use a stiff rubber band on the cam you can easily convert to down viewing mode.

[Fishin Fireman]

A guy south of Grand Forks in ND is selling them on ebay for whatever price people bid and will also sell them for around $100.00 plus shipping. I found a quite a few of them by doing a search for fishing cameras in the ice fishing section. Looks like a good deal and he warranties them for 90 days just pay freight. They look just like the ones in Harbor Freight.

[panfishpounder]

I just purchased one on SAT.  Now I have to wait for ice for the official test.  I placed it in my cabinets and all the other completely dark places I could find and I works like a champ.   I gave them the extra $20 for the 2 your no questions asked replacement.  I can't Wait of some ice here in Cantrell pa, to try it out.

[capt.shay]

Well,
Thanks to you guys, my bank account is now $99.00 plus shipping lighter.  I hope it works correct out of the box because I had to do mail order from Harbor Freight HQ out in Cali. We don't have any around my area.  Would hate to have to pay freight back if they need to make repairs.  Will report back in a week or two on it's performance in a week or so.