Expectations While Using Alkaline Batteries with Tactacam Reveal Cell Camera

[vrosa12]

Hi All,

Simple Questions - How long would I expect a Tactcam Reveal Cell Camera to run on new Alkaline batteries? They are currently 1/8 the price of lithiums so I'd like to have some idea of what others have experienced. I only need to get 3-5 months out of the camera to make it worth it for me. I will also be testing to see how far a camera goes in the upcoming months.

NOTE - this is under moderate temp, strong cell service, and conservative battery life settings.

Just to give everyone an idea of pricing - 7 Cell Cams in my arsenal.

7 cams x 12 batteries - 84 total

84 x .26 cents (Alkaline - Amazon) = $21.84 for the year
84 x 2 dollars (Lithium at Sam's Club) = $168

I'd be fine with running the fleet for $22 a year if I got 3-5 months out of the batteries.

Thoughts?

 

[NATHAN]

I don't have reveals. I cannot get 3 months out of alkaline. I am using alkaline until Sept. then biting the bullet. Alkalines fail when it freezes here.

 

[GreginPA]

It will depend on how many pics/videos you take and send.

Mine sent <200 pics a month - I cannot get 3 months out of alkaline batteries.

I purchased their lithium cartridge and solar panels and couldn't be happier. I charge/change them twice a year, they could probably go longer but I skimp on the data plan sometimes so I need to pull pics/videos off the SD card and just do it all together.

 

[sokraski]

Hi All,

Simple Questions - How long would I expect a Tactcam Reveal Cell Camera to run on new Alkaline batteries? They are currently 1/8 the price of lithiums so I'd like to have some idea of what others have experienced. I only need to get 3-5 months out of the camera to make it worth it for me. I will also be testing to see how far a camera goes in the upcoming months.

NOTE - this is under moderate temp, strong cell service, and conservative battery life settings.

Just to give everyone an idea of pricing - 7 Cell Cams in my arsenal.

7 cams x 12 batteries - 84 total

84 x .26 cents (Alkaline - Amazon) = $21.84 for the year
84 x 2 dollars (Lithium at Sam's Club) = $168

I'd be fine with running the fleet for $22 a year if I got 3-5 months out of the batteries.

Thoughts?

Last year I put out 2 reveals, both with fresh alkaline batteries end of August. Both sent less than 200/month. One lasted almost three months, the other lasted until last month. Middle if hellinois so everything from hot to freezing.

 

[Rutman]

Alkalines are fine if you can get to the camera easily and it’s nearby. They may last 4-8 weeks, depending on how active it is. The lithium battery packs are the best option between buying alkalines and regular lithiums. I get nearly as long out of the battery packs than I do lithium batteries.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[John 35]

I would 100% recommend using a solar panel or external battery setup unless you plan on having a camera out short term. I like using external batteries so I don’t have to worry about sun light. I would buy a rechargeable battery pack for inside the camera before I would spend the money aa lithiums.

 

[Bigterp]

2-3 months I found the fancy Duracell ones lasted less than cheap ol rayovac

 

[7mmremmag]

2-3 months I found the fancy Duracell ones lasted less than cheap ol rayovac

I've noticed the same. The dollar general branded ones are pretty good as well.

 

[bowhuntr09]

I have 10 Reveals I run all year. I quit the lithium’s when the price got crazy. I now run mine on a $25 12v external battery off Amazon in a battery box from herd360. I have cams that have been untouched for over a year and that battery still shows 100%. When the battery goes dead I just recharge it.

I have run alkalines some. I can get anywhere from a week to about 2 months out of them depending on pic volume.

I highly recommend making the investment in a battery box and external battery.

Battery I use

Box I use

 

[Bigterp]

I have 10 Reveals I run all year. I quit the lithium’s when the price got crazy. I now run mine on a $25 12v external battery off Amazon in a battery box from herd360. I have cams that have been untouched for over a year and that battery still shows 100%. When the battery goes dead I just recharge it.

I have run alkalines some. I can get anywhere from a week to about 2 months out of them depending on pic volume.

I highly recommend making the investment in a battery box and external battery.

Battery I use

Box I use

Ok I’m curious only bc that’s more than I have in each camera ( and I’m cheap). You have a pic of that setup in a tree???

 

[bowhuntr09]

Ok I’m curious only bc that’s more than I have in each camera ( and I’m cheap). You have a pic of that setup in a tree???

I don’t have a pic in the tree. They do make cheaper boxes. The one I listed is ready to use.

The chew resistant cable is long so you can leave the box on the ground and cover with leaves, sticks etc. When I run my cams a stick or two high I just take the box up with it and either tie it in from the handle with paracord or use a screw in hook. You can hide that as well with a branch or something.

It’s a little cost up front, but at that point you are done buying batteries. It pretty quickly pays for itself.

 

[vrosa12]

I don’t have a pic in the tree. They do make cheaper boxes. The one I listed is ready to use.

The chew resistant cable is long so you can leave the box on the ground and cover with leaves, sticks etc. When I run my cams a stick or two high I just take the box up with it and either tie it in from the handle with paracord or use a screw in hook. You can hide that as well with a branch or something.

It’s a little cost up front, but at that point you are done buying batteries. It pretty quickly pays for itself.

Thanks for the idea @bowhuntr09 ! Something to keep in mind for some of my cam setups on private, however, I do like to try to put the cam higher up in the tree to avoid being seen by hunters/deer.

 

[vrosa12]

2-3 months I found the fancy Duracell ones lasted less than cheap ol rayovac

That's not too bad - Looks like I'm not going to be able to throw them out in August and expect them to last into the important months with Alkalines.... might be an in-season strategy at best.

 

[vrosa12]

Alkalines are fine if you can get to the camera easily and it’s nearby. They may last 4-8 weeks, depending on how active it is. The lithium battery packs are the best option between buying alkalines and regular lithiums. I get nearly as long out of the battery packs than I do lithium batteries.


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This is probably the best option for what I am looking for. I would assume that the packs would last 3-5 months, are concealed (compared to other options like solar panels/external batteries), and are cost-effective after the first couple of years.

It's funny, the more I dive deeper into cell cams costs, the less I want to move forward with them as this is going to be my first year trying them out. Hell, if it gives me a slight edge in specific locations where I can take advantage of real-time data, I'm sure it will be worth it

 

[bigmike23]

There's so many factors that go into battery life.

The mode you set the cam to as in Instant mode or set time mode is the biggest factor on battery life other than how many pics it takes. If its set to instant, as in a buck walks by and you immediately get sent the picture, that will MURDER your battery life.

Another thing instant mode does is you will lose a ton of great pictures because of how the camera operates. Once it takes the picture it then connects to the modem to send it. During this process, it won't allow the camera to take any more pictures. So a doe walks by, snaps the pic, and turns off the cam to send the pic. Big buck walks behind her so you never see him. Try to stay out of instant mode when possible.

Whether the camera is over a food plot or a random trail is going to have a huge toll on life as well. Make sure you set a hefty delay over a plot so you don't get 50 pictures of the same deer all night.

To the battery question. I only run my cams Sept to early December. On trails mainly in big woods. Each camera roughly gets 4-20 pics a day. Thats the reality of big woods. On Energizer alkys, Even my most heavily used camera with lots of videos had 50% when I pulled it in December. They even performed great in 20 degree weather.

The solar panel is the best and longest-lasting option, but every bear in my area looks at the solar panel like this

 

[Praddle]

I would 100% recommend using a solar panel or external battery setup unless you plan on having a camera out short term. I like using external batteries so I don’t have to worry about sun light. I would buy a rechargeable battery pack for inside the camera before I would spend the money aa lithiums.

Absolutely recommend the solar panel. It has already paid for itself in 6 mos. Haven't noticed any spooking of animals by the panel profile. As saddle hunter you have the sticks to climb and place in location above the camera to make less obvious and get better sun exposure as the cord that comes with it is quite long.

 

[avgjoe]

I switched from Energizer lithium to Rayovac alkaline last season in my first generation Reveals. Put ‘em out early September and three out of four lasted until January. The other died in December. I think a lot depends on the camera settings and activity level, but I was very happy with that. I looked into the battery boxes, but I remembered them being a lot more expensive. Might have to re-evaluate this year.

 

[BA-IV]

I just bit the bullet and bought the solar panel. It’s saved me a pile of money on my exodus camera, I don’t see why it won’t do the same on my tact and, especially with the price of lithium.

 

[Blinginpse]

There's so many factors that go into battery life.

The mode you set the cam to as in Instant mode or set time mode is the biggest factor on battery life other than how many pics it takes. If its set to instant, as in a buck walks by and you immediately get sent the picture, that will MURDER your battery life.

Another thing instant mode does is you will lose a ton of great pictures because of how the camera operates. Once it takes the picture it then connects to the modem to send it. During this process, it won't allow the camera to take any more pictures. So a doe walks by, snaps the pic, and turns off the cam to send the pic. Big buck walks behind her so you never see him. Try to stay out of instant mode when possible.

Whether the camera is over a food plot or a random trail is going to have a huge toll on life as well. Make sure you set a hefty delay over a plot so you don't get 50 pictures of the same deer all night.

To the battery question. I only run my cams Sept to early December. On trails mainly in big woods. Each camera roughly gets 4-20 pics a day. Thats the reality of big woods. On Energizer alkys, Even my most heavily used camera with lots of videos had 50% when I pulled it in December. They even performed great in 20 degree weather.

The solar panel is the best and longest-lasting option, but every bear in my area looks at the solar panel like this View attachment 103618

We got so many bears here. I feel your pain. They used to beat my reconyxs up and down the trees literally. No way I'd ever use a solar panel

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[vrosa12]

I switched from Energizer lithium to Rayovac alkaline last season in my first generation Reveals. Put ‘em out early September and three out of four lasted until January. The other died in December. I think a lot depends on the camera settings and activity level, but I was very happy with that. I looked into the battery boxes, but I remembered them being a lot more expensive. Might have to re-evaluate this year.

Thanks! That's what I am looking to get out of them. What settings were you using? I'm assuming Daily photos sent back (not instant) and not videos?