Bullseye target camera system?

[BATattack]

has anyone had any experience with the bullseye target camera system at long range? http://www.bullseyecamera.com/

I do a fair bit of my testing at long range and usually need to rope someone in to pull targets for me but I was thinking one of these would be good if they work as described.

[Brad Y]

Adam

We have one at our club. On targets with black backgrounds its useless as it cant see the hole. You would have to have a solid black X ring and everything else white for it to be most effective.

[williada]

Geez Brad, I might have made a blue as mine's in the air right now. I was hoping to scare Tony with it. Sure thought it would make plotting easier and assist with allocating a velocity to each shot as they pass over my chronograph. Well Adam, I suppose I will have to come up with a way of illuminating the holes or just use it as a security camera. Certainly going by the salesman, "Gary Williamson", I thought he would know what he's talking about Anyway if we can sort it out, because the camera must focus I will let you know if I am successful. David.

[ShaneG]

Hi David
I was interested in these as well.
Then I read a few reviews where they said the resolution was poor quality.
Talked to a USA F classes and he had similar experience.
They may have improved them since then - about 2 years ago?
Look forward to your feedback on them now?
Cheers
Shane
PS Talked to Rod last night and he said you guys were in touch now.

[BATattack]

haha yeah silver tongue "Garry Williamson" made it sound too good to be true! just waiting for the free set of steak knives!

I would mainly use it for testing where I usually use brown cardboard pallet slips but it would be nice if it could locate holes on a standard black target if needed.

have you used it much otherwise Brad? Does the 1000yd model work at 1000yds and any issues with brown or white backgrounds?

[Brad Y]

I think ours was the shorter range model. I might go and grab it actually as I can try use it for testing too- just need an aiming mark and wind a minute or so higher or lower and look at vert. We got it for our service rifle shooters who werent happy that all the club money was being spent on ET's. They only shoot 100-300m normally and occasionally 600m. They wanted this so they could zero their guns at shorter range without having someone pulling an extra target during a match. Only one person I know of has used it for that. Its been sitting in the clubroom for gawd knows how long.

[williada]

Just thinking out loud, and yes I have the long range model to shoot at extreme distance. If there is an issue, I don’t think it will be with the software but maybe more with the quality of the camera. I might have to lay my hands on a better camera and adapt that.

I am also thinking my short range testing targets will be suitable because they have a tiny aiming mark and a grid to register the fall of the shots on plain paper, so hopefully test work will assist others who go down that path Shane. I noticed when I checked for dealers in Aus, Grenfell Armouring Services were agents. Perhaps they could share their experiences?

Adam, I will try different backgrounds as well.

Brad, if you can do this in advance with your machine, it would save a bit of time while I wait for mine to arrive. David.

[Brad Y]

If I get the chance I will get out to the clubroom and grab it. I do want to do some 300m testing for a 6BR

[BATattack]

Apparently it will work on near dark with the night vision camera but in reality it might depend a lot on the lighting angle and matte vs gloss black and what kind or area you expect it to find a bullet hole in.

It might work well identifying holes on black in a 1ft square but may not do so well finding the same hole on a 4ft black aiming mark.

If you wanted to shoot at standard icfra aiming marks for practice it might be possible to draw the rings on the back of the target and set the camera up behind the target and invert the image to provide better contrast?

[6.5x55ai]

Currently building my own using bits off Ebay.
Same as this but his costs are not quite valid any more, also not sure about his reference to 3k yards....
The 3watt units have a claimed effective range of 1km line of sight.
http://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co.nz/f ... cam-20703/
Trying to get decent monitoring for longer range ladder testing.

Mate ordered and paid for one of the types listed at the start of this thread whilst he was at the F Class Worlds.
The unit never turned up and in the end he requested a refund. Not sure what the issue was.

[Brad Y]

I wonder if it's possible for hex or one of the Aussie ET companies to make a 1m x 1m et kit for people to use on their private property and run off a laptop? If something was available and under 3k I would look long and hard at it that's for sure!

[BRETT B]

Brad , Mahlon has 1 Kongsberg electronic target at Boddington which he runs of a laptop and the target is on an old 6x4 trailer that he tows up to the Butts . Works very well but not sure of cost....

[williada]

Brad you can make a long range camera system for your farm by creating a hot spot with a long range router/modem and having your camera(s) feed into it, then tap into it using your laptop wifi. Kind of what the Bullseye system does. The Bullseye system will enable more than one camera as does any security system. I am certainly going to rig mine that way when not in use for testing and was another reason for buying the system to enable the neighbours to view as well. Spot lighters have shot three of my cattle this year and neighbours sheep and in the cases of both neighbours, deer in front of their houses. Their arses are toast in the future.

In the case of the Bullseye set up, it enables you to shoot different ranges from the same spot and record your groups. The software takes a lot of hassle out of numbering shots etc which you could create if you had patience configure your own system.

With regard to long range transmission, there are plenty of Yagi aerial designs on the net if you wanted to go that way to. Good ideas also flow from our mates across the ditch.

[Tim L]

I hunt on a property out at Clermont that has all the water points under a camera. It's line of sight via microwave, the furthest one would be over 5km. There's a screen set up in the kitchen that scrolls through the incoming images. Crystal clear TV image

As for home made, I picked up some stuff designed for the unmanned RC choppers. Camera, transmitter and battery for that end was about $200, all waterproof. I got a set of goggles with a receiver in them so I can use them for hunting, but a receiver, screen and battery for this end would be around the $100 mark.

It's a very small, lightweight, versatile system and if you remove the IR filter from the camera it's a damned effective night vision system. That does reduce the quality of the daytime image though.

[BullseyeCamera]

Adam

We have one at our club. On targets with black backgrounds its useless as it cant see the hole. You would have to have a solid black X ring and everything else white for it to be most effective.

Adam - Nick Skrepetos here, inventor of the Bullseye Camera System. As you know the camera can't see anything a "naked eye" couldn't see. What we have found most effective with the black targets is to put a piece of white butcher/wrapping paper behind the target, or have it on a background that allows some light to come though. The camera picks up differences in the image, and the white backing seems to give it the contrast so you can spot the bullet holes.

We have done extensive testing, research, etc. and tried to find a better solution. We are also working with some target manufacturers to create a more reactive type black center so that the camera can be used to it's full potential and benefit on those black targets. The issue lies in the fact they are typically very thin paper, and recycled paper, so there is not much contrast on the whole edges that go through it.