[Tfrazier]

Just finished up a camera/monitor install on the coach this weekend and thought I would share the process with everyone. 
It had been my intent to do this shortly after we bought the coach because the picture quality  was really bad. But you all know how it goes, other things pop up and this became less important. Recently it percolated back to the top of the list as my monitor lost video signal.
I had power at the monitor and a good connection of the cable at the monitor and camera. Upon further investigation I discovered that whoever installed the last system actually ran the cable (from the camera to the monitor) down inside the rear cap and underneath the full length of the coach (I swear) and then up through the floor to the monitor. I have been under my coach a couple times and never noticed it before. It looks like one of the plastic wire ties that was used to secure the cable finally failed, or something snagged it. Either way, it was toast and gave me a good excuse to install a new system.

I have a friend who works for a German company that makes cameras and monitors and he hooked me up with some new high tech equipment. 

10" Full digital touch screen display. Resolution is 1280 x720 (to put that into perspective. my old display resolution was 320 x 234). 
1.2 MP Digital Ethernet Camera

Started off by taking the center console apart to get the old monitor out. I was a little concerned that the 10" monitor was going to be too big. No where on the dash or hanging overhead really made sense. Anywhere on the dash would have blocked too much direct vision and if I hung from the bottom of the overhead cabinets, I would have had the power and camera cables hanging down as well. Finally decided to install it in same place as the current monitor. The challenge was how to mount it since there is no way a 10" display is going to fit in the same hole the 7" was sitting in. Decided to use a dual ball-joint RAM mount (see pic) and mounted it inside the hole. This allowed me to adjust the monitor position so that there was no interference with the center console lid or switches. 

I also decided to run the cable the proper way this time. This required removing the valences and the corner covers to access the harness runs. Had to remove the access panels in the closets and cabinets as well. A little tight every now and then but not overly complicated. This was a first for me and it was a great learning experience. 

Mounting the camera was pretty straight forward. A few minor tweaks and all was done. The end result is awesome. I am posting a bunch of pictures and tried to get some with the picture shown in the monitor.

[Fulltiming]

Looks great Tony!!

[Guy]

Really like the way you mounted the drivers monitor.

[Doug Musick]

Looks good. The pictures were a great help.

[Geekman]

Great post! Thanks for the information.

Does anyone have experience installing a multi camera system, similar to new coaches?
The prices have come down so much that I’m considering installing a system with cameras on the front and rear corners for parking. 

If anyone has performed this modification, any lessons learned are appreciated.

Thanks
Philip
Coach 730

[Wanderman]

I have one sitting on my couch.. As sson as the weather breaks I will begin to install it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/154316815244?ul_noapp=true

Well made, solid metal camera housings. We shall see how it goes. there IS enough cable.

[Tfrazier]

Phillip,

When you say multi camera system, are you referring to the the type that Rick's link takes you to? These are typically called 360 view, bird view, surround view, etc. It will be interesting to see how Rick's install goes with his system. In the past, the calibration of these types of systems was very difficult and required specialized equipment. Look's like Rick's comes with the calibration targets and the software must be built in. The other issue with this type of set up is that you will always have some level of blind spots at the corners, especially on large vehicles. You don't really see this issue with cars because of the size. The software stitches the images together so the blind spots are not so noticeable but they are still there so you still have to be careful. 

The other option (and the one most widely used on motorhomes) is a 3 camera set up, with a back up camera and a Left and Right camera. Most motorhomes have the LH/RH cameras mounted in the side mirrors nowadays, but you can get them with mounts that will install in the side panel of your coach. Just about any display with multi camera functionality will have trigger features that will allow you to tie into your turn signal so that when you engage left or right, your display will show that image.

Good luck,
Tony