72m Yacht CCTV Refit

The Clients Brief

We were contacted by the chief engineer of a 72m motor yacht to look at upgrading the CCTV system on board. The existing system was an aging proprietary system and the camera units were beginning to fail one by one. Due to high equipment costs the system was becoming uneconomic to repair and needed replacing.

The brief included the need to utilise the existing cabling and maintain the current functionality which includes a keyboard in the crew mess, full control from the ships monitoring systems and video feeds to the televisions via the AV system.

The Proposal

Following a site visit in Italy a proposal was drawn up for a high specification analogue system. An analogue system was chosen due to the cabling restrictions and the existing levels of integration which relied on composite video feeds.

A Pelco CM9700 matrix system was proposed to replace the proprietary control system. The CM9700 would provide reliability and allow integration with the ships systems using the tried and tested ASCII Protocols.

The internal fixed cameras would be replaced with Samsung bullet cameras and the external PTZ units would be replaced with Pelco Spectra 4 cameras. The two mast cameras would also be replaced with stainless steel Bosch MiC-400’s

Preparation

Before the installation started we set up and tested the equipment at our Macclesfield office. This allowed us to check that all the key components were functioning correctly and provided an opportunity to pre configuring the equipment. This helped to identify any potential installation issues which were addressed before the installation starts

Once all the equipment was tested and configured it was securely packed up and shipped out direct on a dedicated shipment.

The Installation

The upgrade was scheduled to take place in Marseille whist the yacht was carrying out a maintenance visit.  Two Sensory engineers were assigned to the project and flew out to Marseille following a full installation brief.

The first stage was to remove the existing control system, taking great care to document the cables.  Once removed, the new equipment was then installed and in to the two racks and connected to the termination panels at the rear.

 

The next stage was to replace the cameras. Most units were a straight forward replacement but some units required modification.

Through experience, Sensory have found installing cameras onto a yacht is never straight forward, especially on a refit. The following shows some examples of the modifications that Sensory undertook to install the cameras on this project.

Stair Cameras:

To replace the stair cameras we had to modify the Samsung housing to mount onto the existing bracket. A junction box was installed to house the connections and was mounted on to the bracket.

Anchor Cameras:

To replace the anchor cameras we again had to modify the housing and existing brackets to install the cameras. In this area we could not mount a junction box so we modified the camera to allow for the transmission device to be installed within the camera housing.

 

 

Bulbous Bow Camera:

A camera had been installed in the bulbous bow so the guests could view the dolphins swimming along with the yacht.

 

 

When it came to replacing this unit we combined the two previous methods and installed the transmission device inside the camera and then modified the housing to fit the bracket.

 

 

PTZ Cameras:

With the aid of the ship yard and crew, custom brackets and bezels were created to house the external PTZ and mast cameras. This allowed the new units to blend into the yachts structure like previous cameras.

 

 

Remaining Cameras:

The remaining cameras only required fitting and cables tidying up as they had previously just been looped into place.

Where possible we used the technique of installing the transmission deice inside the camera to remove the need for a junction box to improve the aesthetics of the installation.

Crew Mess:

The previous system had a control station in the crew mess which was the main control point of the system. We replace the keyboard and connected the screen to the matrix and full operation was achieved.

Integration:

As well as the crew mess and the ships system having full control of the CCTV system, Sensory were able to fully integrate the matrix into the AV system. This allowed full control so a user could select a CCTV image and control the PTZ cameras from the TV remote controls.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we feel the installation went very well. The Captain, Chief Engineer and crew were very happy with the installation and functionality of the system.  The integration with the ships monitoring system and AV was a highlight of the project and showed the skills of all involved, including Vinit Sethi from Vinitmar who was responsible for the ships monitoring integration.

The project was great to work on and this was made easier by the help, support and hospitality of the crew.

 

Testimonal

 

When it came time to upgrade our 10 year old CCTV security system we invited Sensory Secure to visit the boat and supply a quote. After a further follow up meeting at their offices in Macclesfield we were confident we had found the right company and went ahead with the project.

The installation went very well – the Engineers on site were excellent, understanding the extra care needed working to yacht standards, even when working to a very tight time schedule.

We had an unfortunate hardware failure soon after the install – this was resolved quickly and to our satisfaction.

I would have no hesitation in recommending Sensory Secure to anyone looking to install or retrofit a security system.

Chief Engineer