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A true novice needs help, electronic game trail alert

Hi,

I need electronic help!!! I am a retired Industrial Arts teacher so I know about soldering, basic electric wiring, and mechanical stuff but my formal education came too late to learn any electronics. Electronics and gadgets fascinate me and I am eager to learn. A friend of mine keeps showing me how cheap components are, he has a computer background but nothing in electrons so I decided to see if I can get help and get started. This maybe the wrong place and if so please guide me to a site that might be willing to help.

The project I would like to build is a portable game trail alert system. I am hunter but even more I love to photograph wildlife. The problem is they usually come up on me before I can get my video camcorder ready so I have resorted to using driveway alert systems from Harbor Freight. I put the sensor out some distance on the trail and then use the receiver to tell me when something breaks the beam. I took apart the receiver and in place of the beeper I soldered one of their cheap led flashlight heads in its place. Instead of getting the beep I get a flashing light. The units are different channels which works good so I know what direction to watch. Unfortunately that means I have to have a completely different receiver for each of the four directions. The transmitters are not really small, about 2”x3”x4” and uses a 9v battery. The receiver is the really big and heavy one about, 1.5”x4”x5” and uses 3 batteries c size! I would have to use four of these, which translates to big and heavy.

What I would like to build is four separate transmitters as small as possible with decent range, about 100’-150’ or more, on different channels and one receiver with four different lights, one for each channel.

I don’t have enough knowledge to know if this is possible. I think this would be a great project and I am willing to learn!

Thanks ahead of time, jab.
 
Hi Jab,
Wow, talk about jump in the deep end...
There are already trail cams available. You could use the same frequency for all as only one will be activated at a time (hopefully).
Then you'll also get to see what triggered it and whether to shoot with camera or other:p.
Also needed will be infra red lights for the camera in the dark.

Martin
 
Hi Martin,
Not really what I had in mind, I guess my explanation missed. I already have night vision game cameras and they work pretty good. What I am trying to build is a 4 channel system where a ir sensor about 150' or more away on the trail would signal me with a light on the receiver which off the 4 sensors went off. This would be for day time only use. Does this make better sense? Thanks, jab
 
Hi Jab,
I think that makes more sense.
But you can still use four of the same transmitters and only one receiver.
Each transmitter would be connected via the PIR or whatever sensor and transmit once activated.
The other three would still be off. Unless you got really unlucky and mobbed from all four directions!!

Martin
 
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