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Product Review |
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March 3, 2003 |
Are you curious about the structure and habitat of your favorite lake bottom and the fish that cruise in/out of the area that your graph just doesn't quite identify? Ever wonder what's going on underneath your boat? Want to know what is going on along that submerged reef or along the bank/wall of shoreline you're targeting? How about all those ghost fish you keep marking but can't get to bite; want to know their species?
Maybe it's time to consider one of those underwater cameras you've seen displayed at sport shows and are hearing more about all the time. Here's our review of Nature Vision's line of Aqua-VuŽ underwater cameras. It includes their new technology and specs on their different units. Enjoy.
Click on Images to enlarge
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Aqua-Vu cameras are engineered and built to be leak-proof and resilient - absolute requirements for underwater use. In water, for every 33 ft of depth, air is compressed 50% in volume. Imagine the pressure on a camera head 60 or 120 ft deep.
Every camera assembly built since the fall of 2000 employs a military grade of epoxy resin to fully encapsulate the camera. The Kevlar stranding of Aqua-Vu's cable is embedded in the epoxy using a secret process which makes the camera and cable union a super-rugged connection. Any pull stress on the cable is transferred directly into the block of epoxy -not to the crimp connection!
Only Nature Vision, Inc. uses a chrome light deflector ring that spreads light emission into a broad beam for maximum night visibility. Scratch-resistant camera lenses are made of polycarbonate plastic, the toughest material available. Some of us know it by the brand LexanŽ. The laser-etched lens is custom-designed to eliminate hot spots in viewing. The lens is recessed in the rubber housing, creating a rubber bumper to protect the lens.
Aqua-Vu cables have been developed over five years of field trials. The cable provides outstanding mechanical properties that produce high performance in a long-lasting, quality video signal. Cable design incorporates Para-Aramid Kevlar strength members, limiting cable stretch to 1% and enhance cable strength to well over 200 lbs.
The cable is clad in a TPU (polyurethane) jacket to optimize its survival harsh temperatures and abusive environments. The TPU jacket provides the highest level of abrasion and cut-through resistance available in a thermoplastic. It will perform across a temperature range of -400 F. to 1200 F, is designed to retain its super flexibility even in cold water, and the non-slippery textured surface jacket facilitates easy handling and turning.
Only Aqua-Vu offers two unique light sources that maximize viewing distance in a variety of conditions. In 1997, Aqua-Vu introduced underwater viewers to infrared (IR) lights. IR lights provide improved viewing at dawn and dusk, and in deeper water. IR lights will help you observe the increased underwater activity common during prime sunrise and sunset times.
The effectiveness of IR lights at night and in dirty water is minimal. The benefit of infrared lighting underwater at night or in dirty water is limited, since infrared light is absorbed heavily by water.
The next technological breakthrough in underwater lighting came in 2000 when Aqua Vu introduced Multi-Color lights, (MC), offering superior light penetration after dark. MC lights offer from two to 10 times more visibility when compared to infrared lights at night. The blended red and green lights of Aqua-Vu's Multi-Color cameras closely match the frequency or "color" of particles in the water. This minimizes reflection and increases the distance MC light can penetrate. Multi-Color lighting is found on the Aqua-Vu MC2x and SV series models.
Display Innovation - Temp Tech Temp-Tech, available on all models, allow viewers to see bottom terrain and fish activity while receiving continuously updated Fahrenheit water temperature readings displayed on the lower right portion of the monitor. A temperature sensor is built into the camera to provide an on-screen water temperature reading wherever the camera's underwater location might be - near bottom, near surface, or anywhere in the water column.
Temp-Tech innovation enables anglers to explore links between water temperature and fish location patterns. It can be a key element in locating bottom-related and suspended fish in waters with and without thermoclines. Why one spot holds more fish than another, despite all factors seeming equal, can sometimes be traced to water temperature.
Sometimes dramatic water temperature differences occur in the vicinities of feeder streams and springs. Depth, water clarity, and even variations in bottom content may cause water temperature contrasts. The resulting temperature zones may facilitate or discourage the hatching of certain aquatic bugs, establishing food chains in some places while shutting them down in others. An invisible in-rush from an underwater spring may create a high-oxygen plume, creating a comfortable sanctuary for fish in mid-summer. Wind-caused currents and wave action also impact water temperature and help determine fish location and activity. Now, for the first time ever, see fish and their preferred temperature on the same viewing screen. Temp-Tech is available on all models except the Z-60 and Z-120.
Display Innovation - Direct-Tech Direct-Tech technology tells you which direction your camera is "looking", and simplifies the process of focusing on structure or your bait. Direct-Tech is a patent-pending combination of sophisticated directional technology used by automakers, the military, and the marine industry with Nature Vision's On-Screen Display technology. The result is an underwater viewing system that gives the user more information than ever before.
Direct-Tech can indicate direction in two ways: relative and absolute. In the relative mode, an on-screen cursor shows camera direction in relation to the direction the monitor is facing. As camera or monitor moves, so does the arrow on the screen.
The absolute (magnetic) mode displays the compass direction the camera is facing. In addition to compass direction, the compass bearing also appears on the screen. The absolute mode makes it easier to find specific pieces of structure previously viewed. When ice fishing or still fishing, the absolute mode also lets you know the direction of a fish's approach. Direct-Tech is available on SV and DT models.
All series include the following Specs:
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Aqua-VuŽ DT Depth Tech Series - New for 2003 Nature Vision's new and most advanced model for 2003
When viewing in open water, "drag" due to water resistance increases the amount of cable needed to reach a target depth. The deeper or faster you go, there's more "drag" on the camera and cable, pulling it away from the boat. In many situations, the camera and viewing depth may significantly differ from the sonar's depth reading. For example, while the boat is over 20 ft of water, the camera might drag back over a drop-off and be "viewing" in 30 ft. Thus, neither cable length nor sonar readings pinpoint the accurate depth of the camera and what it sees.
Depth-Tech measures actual camera depth by calculating water pressure. The key is an incredibly accurate pressure sensor that is easily calibrated for freshwater or saltwater use. The advantages of Depth-Tech are obvious. Anglers targeting sonar-detected suspended fish can now drop the camera to precisely the same level as the fish. View fish or other targets at any level and you instantly know their depth, even without sonar along. Any uncertainty about the camera's actual depth, or depth of what's seen onscreen, vanishes with Depth-Tech! Depth-Tech is the most technologically advanced feature ever developed for an underwater camera - the ultimate for anglers seeking maximum information and camera control. Depth-Tech is available with the new-for 2003 Aqua-Vu DT-Series, which also includes on-screen directional and temperature displays.
DT Direct Tech Series ● Depth-Tech on-screen display of camera depth ● Direct-Tech on-screen camera direction indicator display ● Temp-Tech on-screen water temperature display ● Eleven Multi-Color lights with on/off ● Includes carrying case
DT Series w/60 ft cable - About $660 DT Series w/120 ft cable - About $715
218-825-0733
www.aquavu.com jpzernov@naturevisioninc.com
Aqua-Vu continues to blaze new trails with technology.
Found in Aqua-Vu's Smart-Vu and DT series, Direct-Tech is a combination of sophisticated directional technology used by automakers, the military, and the marine industry with Nature Vision's On-Screen Display technology. The result is an underwater viewing system that gives the user more information than ever before.
Direct-Tech can indicate direction in two ways: relative and absolute. In the relative mode, an on-screen cursor shows camera direction in relation to the direction the monitor is facing. As camera or monitor moves, so does the arrow on the screen.
The absolute (magnetic) mode displays the compass direction the camera is facing. In addition to compass direction, the compass bearing also appears on the screen. The absolute mode makes it easier to find specific pieces of structure previously viewed. When ice fishing or still fishing, the absolute mode also lets you know the direction of a fish's approach.
SV Smart-Vu Series ● Direct-Tech on-screen camera direction indicator display ● Temp-Tech on-screen water temperature display ● Eleven Multi-Color lights with on/off ● Includes carrying case
SV w/60 ft cable Temp Tech & Direct Tech - About $550 SV w/120 ft cable Temp Tech & Direct Tech - About $605
218-825-0733 www.aquavu.com jpzernov@naturevisioninc.com
● Temp-Tech on-screen water temperature display ● Eleven Multi-Color lights with on/off ● Includes carrying case ● Built-in cable storage
MC2x-Series w/60 ft cable - About $440 MC2x-Series w/120 ft cable - About $495
218-825-0733
www.aquavu.com jpzernov@naturevisioninc.com
● Temp-Tech on-screen water temperature display ● Nine infrared lights with on/off ● Built-in cable storage
ZT-Series w/60 ft cable - About $385 ZT-Series w/120 ft cable - About $440
218-825-0733
www.aquavu.com jpzernov@naturevisioninc.com
● Nine infrared lights with on/off ● Weather-proof monitor with 420-line resolution ● Locking video connector ● Built-in cable storage
Z-Series w/60 ft cable - About $330 Z-Series w/120 ft cable - About $385
218-825-733
www.aquavu.com/ jpzernov@naturevisioninc.com
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About Nature Vision the company
The history of Aqua-Vu viewing systems began long before video cameras were invented! In 1975, Al Lindner, Ron Lindner, and Aqua-Vu's inventor Jeff Zernov founded the In-Fisherman magazine. In the very first issue of this famous pace setting anglers bible, the prospect of viewing fish in their underwater environment was introduced in a futuristic and legendary article proposing an underwater observation tower.
Thus, the Lindners and Jeff Zernov were formulating the innovative concept of below the-surface observation and seeing things through the fish's eye (so very out-front!) a quarter century ago! They understood how the angling experience - set forth in the now-familiar In-Fisherman formula: F (know your Fish) + L (Location) + P (Presentation) = Success - could be enhanced by the ability to learn through first hand underwater observation and viewing. the Lindners assigned to Jeff Zernov the task of implementing that pioneering "observation tower" idea. Although financial and engineering limitations prevented the development of the sub-surface observation tower, the need for a convenient tool to conduct underwater study remained.
Zernov left In-Fisherman in the early 1980s to found an electronics company called Zercom Corporation. While CEO of Zercom, Zernov started a subsidiary company called Intercon One, which designed and manufactured precision video products and cables for the medical industry and Zercom Marine, manufacturer of sonar and marine electronics. Using his experience from the precision video field and marine electronics industry, Zernov founded Nature Vision, Inc.
Twenty-three years after the In-Fisherman "observation tower" article first appeared, Jeff Zernov introduced Aqua-Vu, the first underwater viewing system.
Currently Nature Vision sells viewing products in four markets: sport fishing, hunting, industrial, and wild bird watching. Nature Vision, Inc. is headquartered in a modern 35,000 square-foot facility which houses all corporate departments including engineering, manufacturing, purchasing, sales, distribution, and accounting. Nature Vision invented the product category known as underwater viewing systems, leads the field in patented technology and is the world's largest producer.
Nature Vision has been awarded 8 U.S. patents and has numerous others pending.
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