Falcon Technology
In this month's magazine, there is a double page advert for the above company. There are two items advertised which interest me and I wondered if anyone had any experience of either:
1. TV Soundbar - which I hope would solve the problem of the sound coming out of the back of our flat screen TV, rather than the front.
2. The rear-view digital, wireless camera system that links up to your iPhone. To be fair, they seem to have overcome all the objections I had with similar systems such as not having the drill the van to mount the camera and the camera being rechargeable, negating the need again to drill the van body to connect a power supply.
Since the company says they have been around for 27 years, I am hoping that there are previous customers here and any advice / comments from anyone who has bought either of these items would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Richard
Comments
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I can’t speak for Falcon products, R&R but we have a soundbar for our flatscreen TV at home. I think it gives a much fuller sound than the rear/side facing TV speakers.
In my opinion, there are a couple of things to be aware of. Most soundbars have a separate bass speaker which gives a better sound than the smaller speakers set within some soundbars. Our bar has bass and treble controls which many don't and that obviously helps to personalise the sound.
Tbh, I wouldn’t expect anything very great from a soundbar priced at £50.
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I bought a 16" TV from Falcon at the NEC and had the soundbar thrown in. To my untutored ear, there is little difference but I have found the output from the soundbar adequate for my MH, which is now fitted beneath a locker above the dinette..
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Thanks TW and Cy
TW - I agree re the bass probably not being up to much and my expectations, for that price, aren't that great anyway. We have a home cinema system attached to the TV at home and that's great and I know the Falcon one won't be anything like that. However, in the van, the sound behind the TV (in the fixed bed area) is very loud just to get an adequate sound level in front of it. It was that, that I was wanting to rectify.
Cy - when you say 'there is little difference' - could you clarify please. Surely the soundbar, when plugged into the TV via the audio/headphone jack, will switch off the rear facing TV speakers and therefore all of the sound will come from the front?
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Save your money and connect the TV to the Stereo already fitted to the van, if you have one that is. Just the cost of a cable or perhaps a couple for reach, from Asda. About £12 should do it and no extra weight or something else to carry about or go wrong.
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I would also be interested in any comments about >the camera<. So far I have never bothered with a reversing camera but the lack of any wiring requirements and the fact I use an Android tablet as a sat nav which could also act as the reversing camera screen makes this product look interesting enough to consider it.
peedee
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No experience of Falcon...but we bought a TV recently and although the picture is good the sound is poor, so I looked at buying a sound bar. We only wanted a small one for obvious reasons and saw a suitable one on offer at Currys which we have bought and tried at home but not in the 'van yet. It gives much better sound and doesn't take up much room and is light. It is on offer for £24.99 which we thought was good value (originally priced at £69.99 which we certainly wouldn't have paid.)
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Hi, R & R I'm also interested in the camera but i would like to know how long the battery would last. I have seen this model for sale at GoOutdoor for £199 using their membership card in fact up till the 3rd of April they have an extra 15% off when ordered online.
Steve
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I noticed a slight improvement in sound quality but as for the sound emanating from the back of the TV, I must confess I haven't noticed. It's in the relatively confined space of the front of our MH so the sound level, like a Rolls Royce, is adequate. As I said in may original post "my untutored ear".
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peedee and Steve - just had a look on the Go Outdoors website and although there are only three reviews, they are positive - good picture and secure mounting - so that's two important issues addressed. I have ordered one and will pick it up today, so I will let you know what I think of it in due course. As far as I can see, their discounted price is subject to using their discount card, so no extra discount there, but I will play the C&CC membership bit when I collect it and see how I get on!
Thanks for your clarification re the soundbar, Cy
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Thanks peedee - website already shows discounted price of £199 assuming you have a discount card. However, there is a banner whizzing across the top saying an extra 15% off if bought on-line before 4 April. I will put this to them when I collect it and if they won't give it to me there and then, will do my usual trick of re-ordering on-line in the shop!
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Hi R&R i sit with baited breath and hope everything is OK. I agree with Peedee about the discount card get one before money changes hands. I tried downloading the app yesterday the one to use if you want to use it for reversing (needs a lot of memory) have to clear something off the tablet before i can download it. Although i just want it for rearview that seems to be a program from Falcon that fit on easily then you have to register your camera with the program.
Steve
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Pedee and Steve - I can now report having battled my way through the pre-Bank Holiday traffic to Go Outdoors in Hull - couldn't move on the road for b. caravans!!
I actually paid £169.14 for the camera. Discounted price of £199 (from £225) with their Discount card PLUS and extra 15% off re their special offer of buying before April 4th. All they wanted in the store was the bar code on their website (which takes a bit of finding) and the discount of almost £30 is automatically applied. C&CC membership gives you 10% off (but you can't have both!!) so even if you have to wait until after 4 April, all is not lost.
When I got home and opened the box - no instructions and I telephoned Falcon two hours ago and I was told they would get back to me. I'm still waiting. However, the camera is fairly intuitive and when I did actually find some very basic instructions on their website (and they took some finding as well), it only served to confirm what I had already worked out - namely - download the App -switch camera on - get your phone / tablet to search for the Wifi network - once it's found it, it's up and running. I am using an iPhone 6S Plus which has a big screen and the picture is excellent. I did a temporary fix on the back of our van using double sided tape to attach the metal plate to a convenient flat bit on the back of our Barcelona and the very powerful magnet on the base of the camera really held it securely. (Just have to be careful it doesn't get nicked if we stop somewhere).
I've tested the range as best I could given that the van is parked nose up to the house on the drive - so went into the hall to simulate the distance from back of the van to dashboard and all works fine.
One thing I've noticed is that, with my iPhone, it is set to switch the screen off if unused after so many seconds and then eventually phone goes to standby. I'm going to have to alter that to get a continuous picture, so there will be some inevitable heavy battery drain.
In summary, the unit is substantial and well made - no flimsy cheap plastic. It also has a plate on the back fixed by two small screws which says to me that you can probably change the rechargeable batteries once they are worn out - but I haven't pushed my luck and taken it off.
Hope this helps you both to make a decision. I think it looks good value and if it does nothing else other than allow me to see those idiots who insist on sitting right behind the van, out of my mirror's view, it will have been worth it.
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Just this moment put one on order for collection from the Scunthorpe branch tomorrow, following your impressive summary R&R. It will give me peace of mind when we go to Spain in Sept, as you have said not to be left in place when on site ( or that high you need a ladder to remove).Think i will get some spare batteries to have a fully charged one on standby? Thank you
Steve
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Just picked mine up got it working using the SaftyEye program no reversing bars. Just got to try it on van but not till the 10th taking van for service.
Steve
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Just an after thought R&R i got a user guide with mine.If you need anything copying i can do it when i get home.The main point is the camera takes 4.5 hrs to charge up but does turn off when full. Other than that everything is straight forward?
Steve
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Something strange happened with mine - using the RoadVue App - no reversing bars on iPhone but they are there on the iPad with the same App??
Thanks for the offer re user guide. Managed to find one on their website but it didn't tell me anything I hadn't already worked out.
I am hoping that the fact that it takes 4+ hours to charge is indicative of a good battery life - I think the capacity is 2100 maH but don't know what consumption is. As long as it gives me about 3 hours use, that will cover most eventualities. I rarely tow for much longer than that.
One quirk I noticed yesterday is that under certain light conditions, there is a slight colour bias towards red - blue appears purple-ish and greens tend towards blue. Most CCTV cameras have a way of altering the colour balance but this doesn't. Not a real issue, however.
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Just done a full battery test and picture was maintained for around 8hrs. Infact the I- pad battery ran out first had to carry on using my LG smartphone. I did notice that the picture on the i-pad was a little clearer than on Android, may have something to do with screen size.
Steve
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Thanks Steve - that's reassuring. Even on our longest trip - with two or three stops - we wouldn't be using it for more than 4.5 to 5 hours at the most. Another consideration - which actually - much to my surprise, Ros pointed out - and she's right... the flat bit at the back of our van where I was going to mount it gets covered in road spray when it's wet so it probably wouldn't be the best place to mount if, after all. So I think I will stick the plate higher up on the back of the van so as to avoid the lens getting obscured.
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Hi,peedee in answer to your question the camera has it's own on/off switch when on the picture is broadcast till switched off or the battery discharges. The tablet you use links via a wi-fi connection,which can not turn the camera off so when you finish your trip you have to remember to turn the camera off. On the test i never saw any indication of battery drain on the tablet for the camera during the 8 hrs (no i didn't drive around for 8hrs) hope this helps.
Steve
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I agree with Steve's assessment. Not the most sophisticated of set-ups, but it works and given that there's no wiring or drilling involved, I think it's a good piece of kit. Interestingly, I did come across this self-same camera for sale in the States - at $44!! - but they don't ship overseas.
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R&R don't know if you have had a chance to do a test of the camera on a run out in the van, you may already know. I've fixed the metal plate to our van and tried the camera out, one problem i have found is that although the camera holds well to the plate. I'm sorry to say that Gravity takes over and it starts to slide off! So i have put a frame around the bottom and sides, bit Heath Robinson at the moment but does the trick. Have checked with Falcon to see if they sell new plates which they do £7 including P&P so if you ever change van at a later date you can leave it in place.
Steve
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Steve - I have to say I am both surprised and disappointed because that negates the main advantage of this model - i.e. not having to drill the van. I haven't tried it 'in anger' yet, but thanks for the info. Because the Barcelona has that flat bit on the rear moulding, I will mount it there, despite it being prone to getting hit by road spray. I doubt that it will move from there but I will tie a thin piece of cord to the camera and attach it to one of the window catches, just in case! It sounds to me that, if used on a vertical surface, the plate needs re-designing with a lip around the bottom and the sides to stop it sliding down. Given the strength of the magnet, though - I really am surprised that this has happened.
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Yes, i was surprised, we have a Swift Elegance which does have a reversing camera (Rubbish) plus bike rack fixing points at the back so the camera has to go above these. Where I've positioned it is just above the high-level brake light, when i was trying it the plate had been fixed to the van placed the camera on the plate and went to the car to view the picture everything looked fine then the picture moved rushed to the rear of the van and it had slid down the plate and nearly fell off without any movement of the van. Not sure but it could be to do with the paint on the plate being gloss if that was roughed up it might hold better. I agree with what you have said regarding the plate should have a lip on it.Lee from Falcon Tech is phoning me on Tuesday i will see if they could get the plates altered, i will let you know.
Steve
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