Solar Panel

Not happy with this solar panel. Bought it specifically for the covert ops code black wireless camera, but even under the best of circumstances (full direct sunlight all day) it just doesn't keep my Eneloop batteries charged enough to keep my cam sending pics. Really wish DLC would come out with a good out of the box solar solution to keep my camera functioning remotely. On the plus side, they did send all the correct cords with this to make it work with the cam. Unfortunately, their customer service won't help with any set ups other than their own products, so if you want to try an external rechargeable 6 or 12 volt, you won't get any help from them. Next time I'm trying the bushnell wireless mms camera, it has more solar options.

Panel works okay, but battery bank broke right off the bat. Maybe look at goal zero panel then combine it with another brand battery bank. Lots of other options.

The panel does not fully charge the batteries. The batteries only last for a couple of weeks even if in full sun while using this panel.

horrible....

First off - the panel does not come with instructions. Yes you read that correctly. Not that it is difficult to figure out but the first thing I did was hook it up and try to take a voltage reading coming out of the solar panel (panel charges a cased battery, battery charges the NiMih camera batteries) but there was no reading. After speaking with Covert they advised it was working correctly and that only the output of the solar panel's battery would show a reading. When I finally got a reading in bright sunlight - it was putting out a massive 1.45 V. That didn't seem enough output to keep the onboard NiMih batts charged and that assumption would turn out to be right.I have bought a number of Covert 2G cameras and just bought a 3G. That's what this solar panel was bought for to support a new Covert 3G camera using top of the line NiMih batts. The 3G has a higher milliamp draw at rest then the 2G but uses less power for image taking. And that is part of the problem with this panel. I have it set up in bright sunlight. It is only taking 5-15 pics per day but has run the batts down to 6 already. Even fully charged Sanyo Eneloop (considered among the best NiMih batts) only show an "8" in the Covert 3G camera this panel is designed to work with. Covert now advises that there may be a firmware issue with the camera and that a software update may be available soon. All my other cameras utilize homebuilt 6V-12AH rechargeable batteries charged by American Hunter solar panels and are housed in ammo boxes. And that is probably what I'll have to do with the 3G. Put lithium batts in it and use my own solar charger.This panel comes with a number of different connectors for other applications. To use it you first have to disconnect the battery and charge it with the supplied USB cable. The battery sits in a pouch behind the panel. A flap hangs over the pouch to "protect" the battery and connections. There are 2 connections on each cable (solar panel lead to battery requires a supplied adapter and battery to camera lead requires a supplied adapter) so you have essentially an unprotected connection on each side. I used drip loops and added dielectric grease but so what. It is a less than optimal design if you hunt where we hunt - in a damp environment only 20 miles from the salt water of the Gulf of Mexico. And there is no mounting bracket. Just a carabiner stuck through a grommet at the top. There is no simple way to position the panel so that it is in the optimal sunlight position. You'll have to rig that yourself. I thought this would be great since it was designed for the camera I was using it with. But it is highly lacking in finishing touches and clearly required far more testing before it was brought to market. Not sure that this even deserves a 2. It is really only a 1. I wish I could afford Reconyx.