New York Harbors Surveillance

Dec 1, 2003 12:00 PM

The Barnegat Light Station on Long Beach Island, N.J., marks one of the primary approaches to New York harbor. Manned by the U.S. Coast Guard, the station has been equipped with a video surveillance system from North American Video, Brick, N.J.

The camera system is mounted atop the station's radio antenna tower, thus providing the Coast Guard with a clear view of the seaway approach to New York harbor for several miles.

Known as “Ole Barney,” the station was founded in 1835, and was upgraded in 1859 in an attempt to lessen the frequency of shipwrecks along the treacherous New Jersey coast.

To install the Pelco waterproof camera system with long-range telephoto lens on top of the antenna, a 200-foot cherry picker was used.

“This can be a very hostile environment when storms hit,” says Cynthia Freschi of North American Video. “We wanted to make sure the unit was positively secure.”

The camera system is connected to the Coast Guard's base station using an American Fibertek fiber-optic transmission system designed to carry video and control signals to and from the camera system. The fiber-optic transmission system also provides lightning isolation, protection from ground loops and immunity to electrical noise that might affect the tower.

The camera system is controlled by a Pelco camera control unit (CCU) that allows a user to remotely pan, tilt and zoom the camera. The video images are recorded using a recorder from Sony.

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