HCO SG550 User Manual

HCO Outdoor Products

Infrared Digital Scouting Camera

SG550

User’s Manual

www.HCOoutdoors.com

Thank you for choosing HCO digital scouting cameras. To experience the best results of these cameras, please
read this user’s manual carefully before you use the camera and keep it as a handy reference.

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

Web: http://www.HCOoutdoors.com

HCO

6050 Peachtree Pkwy

Suite 240-353

Norcross, GA, 30092

U.S.A.

Content

General Information ............................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Features ..................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Application ................................................................................................................ 1

1.3 Standard Components ................................................................................................ 1

1.4 Memory .................................................................................................................... 3

Quick Start ............................................................................................................................. 4

2.1 Loading Batteries ...................................................................................................... 4

2.2 Connecting External Power ....................................................................................... 5

2.3 Inserting SD-card ...................................................................................................... 5

2.4 Power On and Entering Test Mode............................................................................. 5

2.5 Entering Live Mode ................................................................................................... 6

2.6 Manual Capture ......................................................................................................... 6

2.7 Default Settings ......................................................................................................... 6

2.8 Reviewing Picture or Video ....................................................................................... 7

2.9 Shut Down ................................................................................................................ 7

Advanced Setting & Operation ............................................................................................... 8

3.1 Parameter Settings ..................................................................................................... 8

3.1.1 Camera Mode .................................................................................................. 8

3.1.2 Formatting SD Card ........................................................................................ 9

3.1.3 Image Resolution .......................................................................................... 10

3.1.4 Video Resolution ........................................................................................... 10

3.1.5 Date and Time ............................................................................................... 11

3.1.6 Shooting Mode(1, 2, 3 Photos) ...................................................................... 13

3.1.7 Video Length ................................................................................................ 14

3.1.8 Trigger Interval Time Between Two Triggering ............................................. 15

3.1.9 PIR Sensitivity .............................................................................................. 16

3.1.10 Time Stamp ................................................................................................. 16

3.1.11 Timer .......................................................................................................... 17

3.1.12 Restoring Default Setting............................................................................. 19

3.2 Playback and Editing ............................................................................................... 20

3.2.1 Playback ....................................................................................................... 20

3.2.2 Editing .......................................................................................................... 20

3.3 Live Monitor ........................................................................................................... 21

3.4 Sensible Angle and Distance Test............................................................................. 21

3.5 File Format .............................................................................................................. 21

3.6 File Name................................................................................................................ 21

3.7 Installing Driver for SD Card ................................................................................... 22

3.8 Firmware Upgrade ................................................................................................... 22

3.9 Factory Default Setting ............................................................................................ 22

Mounting Camera ................................................................................................................. 23

Technical Specifications ....................................................................................................... 24

Limited Warranty..................................................................................................... back cover

Important Tips

• The working voltage of the camera is 6 V. You can either use 4 or 8 AA batteries, or use an

external 6 V DC power supply (inside + and outside -)

• Please load the batteries according to the indicated polarity on the cover of the battery cabinet

• Please disable the write-protect on the card before inserting SD card

• The camera has no internal memory for images or videos. Please insert a SD card before testing

the camera. Otherwise, the camera will not save images and videos. If no SD-card is inserted or
the write-protect of the card is not disabled, the camera will shut down automatically after a
long beep

• It is recommended to format the SD-card by the camera when used for the first time

• Do not insert or take out the SD-card when the power switch is at the ON position

• Please set the TV in the AV IN mode when connecting a TV

• The camera will be in the USB mode when connected to a USB port of computer. In this case

the SD card functions as a removable disk no matter the power switch of the device is ON or
OFF

• When the remote control is connected to the camera, turning the power ON will force the

camera into the test mode. Otherwise the camera enters the live mode automatically

• In the test mode, the camera will shut down automatically after 3.5 minutes if no key is pressed.

Please turn on the power again if you want to continue to work with the remote control

•

Please be sure that no power interruption occurs during firmware upgrade. Otherwise the
upgrade process may be interrupted or finished incorrectly. This may cause the camera to stop
functioning properly.

HCO 1-General Information SG550/SG530

General Information

1.1 Features

The ScoutGuard SG550/SG530 digital scouting cameras are automatic working surveillance devices.
The cameras can be trigged by any movement of human (or animals) in a certain region of interest

(ROI) monitored by a highly sensitive Passive Infra-Red (PIR) motion sensor，even in the total
darkness thanks to the build-in infrared LED flash. High quality pictures (up to 5 mega pixels) or video
clips are taken consequently upon the triggering. Comparing with other similar cameras on the market,
SG550/SG530 feature:

• Real 5/3 Mega Pixels CMOS sensor, NO interpolation, high quality picture

• Auto LED IR-Cut-Remove

• Compact size, well designed digital scouting camera (5-1/2x3-1/4x2 inches)

• Ultra low stand-by power consumption (< 0.2 Ah/month), extreme durable and convenient with

AA batteries (> 80 days)

• Quick trigger time (< 1.3 s)

• Lockable with mounting strap, nail/screw and cable lock

• Innovative remote control, easy to operate

• Suitable for both hunting and security use

1.2 Application

• Game camera, for hunting and animal observation

• Motion-triggered security camera, for home, office and community

• All other indoor and outdoor surveillance where invasion evidence needed

1.3 Standard Components

The camera has the following ports/jacks: USB port, SD card slot, TV out jack, external DC power
input jack and remote control jack.

• Fig. 1 shows the front view of the camera

• Fig. 2 shows the remote control

• Fig. 3 shows how the remote control connects to the camera.

The remote control is an input device of the camera and is primarily used for setting. As shown in Fig.
2, there are five keys: UP, DOWN, RIGHT, MENU (in place of LEFT) and OK.

• MENU key: enter and exit menu

• UP key: up/video mode

• DOWN key: down/camera mode

• RIGHT key: shutter

• OK key: playback mode

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HCO 1-General Information SG550/SG530

Figure 1: Front view of the camera

Figure 2: Buttons on the remote control and icons on the screen

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HCO 1-General Information SG550/SG530

Figure 3: Connecting

camera

with remote control

1.4 Memory

The camera uses a SD card to save images (in .jpg format) and videos (in .avi format). Before inserting
the SD card into the card, please make sure that the write-protect on the card is disabled so that it is
writable. The supported card capacity is between 8 MB and 2 GB. Some card may not be compatible
with this camera.

The camera doesn’t have an internal memory, so a SD card must be installed before use.

To install a SD card, please open the bottom cover by pushing it to the indicated direction on the cover,
and then slide the SD card into the card slot with unmarked side upwards. A slight snapping sound
indicates that the card is connected successfully. To take out the SD card, just push the card in gently.
The card will be released from the slot when you hear a slight snapping sound.

Please switch the camera to OFF mode
before you insert/move away the batteries
or the SD card. Otherwise the SD card

!!! Warning !!!

may suffer irreversible damages.

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HCO 2-Quick Start SG550/SG530

Quick Start

If you are not familiar with the operation of this camera, the following instructions will help you get a
quick overview. Before doing any operation, please make sure you have loaded batteries and plugged
the SD card correctly. If the SD card is not inserted correctly or its write-protect is enabled, the device
will give you a long beep and turn off automatically.

2.1 Loading Batteries

The first thing to do is to load the batteries. There are two ways to supply the power:

• 4 or 8 AA batteries

• External DC power supply

When you use 8 AA batteries, they are divided into two paralleled groups. Each group contains 4
batteries and can supply power to the camera alone (8 batteries will provide longer battery life time).
The power unit has four battery slots, as shown in Fig. 4(a). The bottom-cover of the battery cabinet is
shown in Fig. 4(b). Slot 1 and 2 makes one group and slot 3 and 4 makes the other group.

1

(b) Battery bottom-cover

Figure 4: Loading the batteries

2

(a) Battery slots

3 4

Please make sure that the battery polarity matches the mark on the battery cover. Ni-MH rechargeable
batteries can also be used, but they might have shorter life time. So it is recommended to use high
performance alkaline AA batteries or lead-acid secondary cell with 6V output.

To load the batteries please do the following:

1. Open the bottom cover by pushing it along the indicated direction

2. Open the battery cover by sliding the protruded locker towards the inner direction

3. Load batteries (4 or 8 batteries of the same capacity) according to the polarity mark on the

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HCO 2-Quick Start SG550/SG530

cover

4. Close the battery cover and lock it. The battery cover is designed to prevent wrong polarity

installation of the batteries

The following batteries can be used:

• High-density alkaline batteries

• Rechargeable alkaline batteries with 1.5 V output

• Rechargeable Ni-MH batteries with 1.2 V output

• AA sized Li-ion batteries with 1.5 V output

2.2 Connecting External Power

Alternatively you can connect an external 6 V DC power source to the camera if no batteries are
aavailable. It is recommended to use a power source with a current capability bigger than 1000 mA.
However, under sufficient daylight, the camera can work under much less current (> 400 mA). Please
use the power cable (supplied with the camera) to connect the external DC power. If external power
and batteries are both connected, the camera will be powered by the external power. The low-battery
indicator (blue LED) will light up when the power is low. This is the time to change the batteries.

2.3 Inserting SD card

The camera will not work without a SD card. Please insert the SD card into the card slot by referring to

1.4 for detailed instructions.

2.4 Power On and Entering Test Mode

The camera has three basic operation modes:

• OFF mode: the Power switch at the OFF position

• LIVE mode: the Power switch at the ON position and the remote control is NOT connected

• TEST mode: the Power switch at the ON position and the remote control is connected

The OFF mode is the safe mode when you put in or take out the SD card, change the batteries and
transport the camera.

Turn on (Power switch at the ON position) the camera while the remote control is connected, the Test
mode will be activated. Under the Test mode, you can take over the control of the camera and make all
the settings.

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HCO 2-Quick Start SG550/SG530

2.5 Entering Live Mode

After turning on the camera (Power switch at the ON position) while the remote control is not
connected, the camera will enter the Live mode. The indicator LED (red) will blink for about 10 s.
This period is for you to make the camera ready for the working condition: close the bottom cover and
lock it, mount the camera on a tree and walk away. After entering the Live mode, the camera will
begin to take picture or video according to the previous programmed setting when human or animal
enters monitor area.

If the device is previously in the Test mode, you just need to disconnect the remote control to let the
camera enter the Live mode.

Before entering the Live mode please pay attention to the following:

• The polarity of the power is correct and the power is sufficient

• The SD card has sufficient space and its write-protection is disabled

• The Power switch is at the ON position

• The remote control is disconnected

• Avoiding temperature and motion disturbances in front of the device such as big leaf, curtain,

air-conditioner, air outlet of the chimney and other heat sources to prevent false trigger.

2.6 Manual Capture

Under the Test mode, you can use camera to take pictures as a regular digital camera by
pressing SHOT button.

2.7 Default Settings

When the camera leaves the factory, most parameters are set as default. Please refer to Table 1.

Parameter name Default Other sets

Camera Mode Camera Video

Image Size 3M pixel 5M pixel
Video Size 640x480 320x240

Capture Number 1 photo 2 photos, 3 photos

Video Length Avi 10 Second 1-60 seconds

Interval 1 minute 0-59 seconds, 1-60 minutes
Sense Level Normal High, Low
Time Stamp On Off

Timer Switch Off On (00:00 – 23:59)

Table 1: Default settings of the

camera

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