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Wedgy- what is the range of that motion detector?

I went out for a peremeter check about 10:30 last night and not 40 yards from the house I could hear them between me and my neighbors house across the the county road. They were getting closer, and then I felt the breeze on the back of my neck. They immediately started moving away. Checked several times during then night but they didn't come back.

Called a friend today so see about getting another trap.
 
Mine works on coyotes to about 30' maybe more but the area drops off after that so maybe a little more, mounted on a stake 14" high. You might be able to get more sensors and cover more area but I'm not sure if they are on the same fequency. One complaint(petty I guess) about the $15 driveway detector is that it takes 3 C-cell batteries and the sensor takes one 9 volt. I was going to get one of the motion detector lights that I put on the front of the house. It has an adjustable sensor that goes out to 100' and cover ~180 degrees. I was going to rig it so it would turn on a light or ring a bell in the house instead of turning on the security light.

http://www.lowes.com/Search=motion+activated?storeId=10151&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&N=0&newSearch=true&Ntt=motion+activated#!&N%5B%5D=0&N%5B%5D=2z8vm

http://www.homedepot.com/Lighting-Fans/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbvn5/Ntk-All/Ntt-motion%2Bsensing/h_d2/Navigation?Ntx=mode+matchall&catalogId=10053&Nu=P_PARENT_ID&langId=-1&storeId=10051&primarySearchOnly=true&omni=c_Lighting & Fans&searchNav=true#/?c=1&customPrice=-50
 
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I use three of the Driveway Patrol units at my coyote bait site. They work great and are cheap, something like $16 each on Ebay. The guy I purchased them from checked the frequencies to make sure all were the same - they were. All three transmitters send a signal to one receiver. My sensors are 60 yards from my cabin.

I position the sensors in a manner that it's hard for anything to enter the bait site area without tripping one of them.

The problem with the receiver is that it is loud when activated, ear-piercing. So, a member on the forums modified it for me by cutting the speaker wire inside, running the wires to the outside and attaching a 3.5mm female plug. That way I can connect a headphone or earbud, but it didn't do anything to lessen the volume, so I found an in-line volume control on Ebay that goes between the receiver and headphones. I can now adjust the volume to something more comfortable. I don't want coyotes to hear the piercing sound of the alarm, thus the headphones / earbud modification.

I have been awakened many nights in my bunk at my small cabin, to the sound of the alarm going off via earbud. Six coyotes have hit the dirt with the aid of the Driveway Patrol.

As to batteries, the receiver does use 3 C-cells as mentioned. When not in use, I take one battery out, which helps with prolonging battery life. I have only changed batteries one time during this past fall and winter, and I hunted quite a bit, so batteries are not an issue. The transmitters (sensors) take 9-volt batteries, and they will easily last two months and maybe a little more in the field if left on all the time, so battery life with them is very good.

By using something like this, you can get a little rest and shut-eye while waiting.

Here is one of the sensors, mounted low to the ground on a stake. I spray-painted them to add a bit of camo,
and placed a piece of black electrician's tape over the red light, since it lights up when tripped.





Here is the receiver. It is also modified with an external antenna which aids in distance it can be from the transmitter.







Inline volume control







Took both of these coyotes the same night while using the Driveway Patrol. Seems this would
work for hogs too. The only issue I see could possibly be the hogs knocking them over, but that
would most likely sound the alarm first.




 
Getting up 2-3 times per night after making a before bed patrol has really hammered me due to short sleep.

I have not seen any sign since Monday night when I heard them last. So, last night I only got up once about 1am to look around, as I was getting up early to go fishing. Got up at 5 am and nothing around. When I got back from fishing I noticed they had rooted in the same spot as the last time, but not as much damage this time.

I guess they came between the 1am look and the the 5 am.

I am headed to town for some drive way alarms this afternoon. I got a sale paper for Harbour Freight today and they have them for $17.
 

I hope the driveway alarms work well for you. Might require a bit of experimenting to get the sensors in the right place, height and angle.

Being awakened throughout the night is par for the course. Seems I have possums, skunks, fox, bobcats and coyotes ringing the bell sometimes. It's interesting and fun, but doesn't allow for much rest sometimes. Many times I'll have a possum at the site, then it will leave only to show up a hour later and after I got settled back into a good sleep. Gets old sometimes. But, it could be worse, I could be home in bed.

As to batteries, you can leave the 9-volts in the transmitters, having them placed in your yard or whereever. They will last a couple of months. The transmitter batteries are a bit of a pain to remove since you have to use a screwdriver to remove the cover where you can get to them. Just leave them in place is the best solution, and replace them every two months or so.

But, with the receiver back in your home / blind, it chews batteries faster, so when not in use, take one out. Just some advice from experience.

Good luck with it. I'm anxious to hear how it works for you.

 
Time will tell on he drive way monitor. I picked up two sets at Harbour Frieght today. I was disappointed to find out that the range was only about half the advertised 400 feet. I didn't measure it exactly, but not nearly 400 feet.

The motion detector also did not seem to pick up past about 15 feet. I had hopped that one reciever would work with both motion detector, but apparently, they are on a different frequency. I used 3/4 pvc pipe to mount he motion detector.

After only getting up once in the night Thursday night and having a hog slip in and due some rooting I had more frequent checks last night. I went out before bed at about 11:30, and got back up at 1, 3, 4:30 and 5:30 with not hogs seen or heard. This is a losing battle so far.
 

Well, don't give up just yet. It may seem to be a losing battle, but when you get it all figured out and the sensors to working, things will change. It took me a while and some experimenting with the sensors to get it right.

I think if you put out some corn or other bait and have the hogs coming to that, then you can place the sensors close to the bait to help detect them. If the hogs are just meandering here and there, then the sensors may not work as well. Try to get the hogs where you want them and place the sensors accordingly.

I started out with one sensor, but I had critters like skunks and possums hitting the bait and it not notifying me. I didn't want anything to get through, so I began to add additional sensors, one-by-one. Then, I experimented with height above ground level, and finally began setting them low to the ground, around a foot high. But, that's for small critters and coyotes. Hogs may require them to sit a bit higher.

Also, I noticed that a couple of the sensors seemed to detect from the side more, rather than straight on. One seems to pick up movement / heat better when the target is more left of center. So, I turned it slightly to the right so as to have the detection zone more closely aligned where I wanted it.

I have my sensors set pretty close to the bait site, probably 15 feet or so max. One (the one in the photo above) sits even closer. I also have one sensor higher up on the hillside that is generally the first to detect a coyote coming down the hill to the bait. The prevailing wind blows up hill, so the coyotes approach the bait from the uphill / downwind side. That one sensor generally gets them even before they have a chance to get to the bait site where the other two sensors monitor them from different angles.

As to distance with the Driveway Patrol, I can't say for sure how far mine will work since I've only used it at the 60 yard site. However, DoubleUp on the forums has used his at a 145 yard bait site and it works. But, he modified his (and mine) with external antennas on one transmitter and the receiver, thereby adding range. There is an explanation in the Predator Hunting posts, baiting section, where he explains how to do it. It's probably several pages back, but you may need to ask him if you want to try that. The antenna will most likely give you the added range you may need.

My receiver in the cabin has the antenna, but only one of the three sensors has an antenna. The other two sensors are as they come from the box, with the exceptions of some camo paint, and they work just fine at 60 yards.

All my sensors work on the same frequency, 434 MHz. The paperwork that came with yours should list the frequency. I'm curious what yours operates on.

How far do you need the sensors to work?

Here are some other coyotes that were taken with the Driveway Patrol alert waking me during the night.










This is the sensor DoubleUP modified for me, by adding an antenna and placing it in a sterilite box.








Here's the bait site setup I currently have.






 
Looks like a very effective setup.

Plus not having to sit in the weather or vehicle
laugh.gif
 
Originally Posted By: the impactzone6mm06,
James Bond couldn't get to your bait station and live to tell about it!

thanks for the good info

+1 -> that is a dedicated setup for sure!
thumbup1.gif
 
In the picture at the beginning of this thread you can see the rooting in the yard and my house to the right of the picture. My bed room is on that end of the house and the monitor is in the bathroom window near the air conditioner unit you can see in the picture.

They work fine with the window open, but close the window and the range is cut substantially.

I also had to raise them to about 4.5 feet to get them to work. The max I can get them to consistantly work is about60-70 yards.
 

Originally Posted By: the impactzone6mm06,
James Bond couldn't get to your bait station and live to tell about it!

thanks for the good info

LOL. Yea, I don't think Bond could belly crawl through that "minefield."

I have been using / working on this setup for the last two seasons. It's been a work in progress, but I finally have it just right.
When I first began, I would look through the NV scope and watch possums and skunks walk all around and not be detected
by the sensors. I think I had them set too high.

One of the sensors is mounted on a short stake with a trail camera, up close to where I place the bait. It's probably no more
than 8-10 feet from the bait. As a result, the camera gets some very good video clips, and of course the sensor
works well too.

Here's a male coyote on the night of May 29. He looks pretty good for this time of year.

This photo was taken from the video clip.






Not trying to steal a hog thread, but just showing how things work for me. Like SkyPup suggested,
you may have to hog-proof your sensors (and cameras if you use them) since no doubt hogs will
turn them over and maybe trample them.

This shows how close I get coyotes, bobcats etc, so they are generally right on top of the sensors practically.

Click on the photos to view the videos.







 
The owner's manual from both units say it is 433 mghz, but when I tried to use both transmitters with the same unit, it didn't work. I am not sure why that is if they both use the same frequency.

I wish I could get a true 100 yards with them and the receiver be in the house. It just does not seem to be a very reliable set up.

This is the sytem I have.

http://www.harborfreight.com/wireless-driveway-alert-system-93068.html

On the box and in the manual, it clearly states 400 foot range. If you go to the link above, on one side of the page is says 400 foot range. On the other it says 200 foot range.

I guess there is no truth in advertising, especially when you can say 2 different things at the same time.

200 feet seems to be more like what I am getting.
 

Your system appears to be a different one than mine. Yous says Driveway Alert. Mine is the Driveway Patrol. Not sure if they are the same or not, but they don't look the same, and the frequencies are different. Still, it seems that yours should both work since they say the same frequency. I don't understand that.

I got two of my Driveway Patrols on Ebay. I contacted the guy and told him of my needs, that they all work on the same frequency. I had purchased my first one from Amazon and it operated at 434 MHz, so I told the guy I need the two units to be the same. He opened the boxes and checked for me. Both were 434 MHz, so I got them. They all three work with one receiver.

As to range, as I mentioned earlier, DoubleUp uses his at 145 yards with no problem, but he did add an antenna to both transmitter and receiver. Possums trigger his pretty often, as does raccoons and coyotes.

Sorry to hear of the issues you are having with the sensors. Can you return them for a refund?

I tried three other sensors, all costing more than the Driveway Patrol, and none worked well for me. One of them was the much more costly Spypoint alert. I also use a Chamberlain and another cheaper alert. None of them worked. I had fox walking all over the place over and over and no alert. The Driveway Patrols work great for me.


 
Originally Posted By: YellowhammerThey work fine with the window open, but close the window and the range is cut substantially.
Is there any way you can modify the receivers so they can be outside and an added speaker inside? That way you would only have to run a wire through the window and I think you would have a marked range increase.
 

Just a thought - You might try adding the external 3.5mm plug like in the earlier photo I attached. Mount the receiver on the wall outside your window and run a line into the house, with a speaker of some sort attached. You might want to cover the receiver to protect it from rain, or else just bring it inside the house when not in use. The sensors can be left in the field if you want, but the receiver might need to be kept dry. My sensors stay in the field year around.

My system works well even though I am inside the cabin. The cabin is insulated and paneled, but it still works at 60 yards.

DoubleUp has the receiver inside his house too, and his bait site is 145 yards away. If I recall correctly, distance was an issue for him in the beginning. That's why he added the antennas.


 
I use the Driveway Patrol at about 200' from the sensor and I had to have my girlfriend inside positioning the receiver to make sure it would work. We got on our cell phones because she was in the house while I was out on the hill tripping the sensor. For some reason it wouldn't work when the speaker was pointing towards the house....but it worked when it was pointing towards the sensor, so it is a little finicky. Yes it is loud, even on the low setting. great idea with the volume adjustment and the external antenna. Give it a little work, it really is a great system for cheap. I'll see if I can get one of my coyote videos to upload....it will inspire you !!
 
I got the sensors in place, mounted on 1 inch pvc pipe. But, when it is windy, the the poles move just enought to set it off every once in a while. The wind fell off at dark and turned them on, but went ahead and set my alarm to get up at 1:30 am.

I woke up before the alarm went off and got dressed and slipped out side. As I slipped toward the area that has been getting rooted, I heard a grunt, and saw a dark shape. I clicked on the xlr 100 with the barrel pointed up to so as not to illuminate it until the bead was on him. It was a good sized sow as it turned out, and the pigs scattered as the blast of #4 buckshot buckled the squealing sow. Since she was angling away, the blast only buckled the back end, and I gave here a second round, and a third as she was dragging herself into the bushes. I was hoping to get a shot at a pig but the only one I saw after she was down was to brief to fire on.

I could hear them in the bushes, but never could see them before they left. She was still thrashing around in the brush so I went back to the house for my .22 to finish her off with a head shot and save my $1 a shot buckshot, and be a little more quite.

I took a picture and drug her in front of the motion detector so that if any of the pigs came back to her in the night (as they are prone to do) they would set off the alarm. I got back up at 3:30 and 5am but nothing was around and the sensor never went off.

shotgunhog6-3-13_zpsaf3f62a2.jpg


The hogs had rooted a little, but apparently were far enough away from the sensor that it did not go off. If I had been able to set it where I had wanted too, I would have worked I think, but the reduced range backed me to far way from where they happened to be last night.

Getting another trap this afternoon and setting it up across the road where they are coming from. Maybe with the sow gone, they will either not come back, get eaten by coyotes, or bemore apt to get in a trap.
 
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