# Moultrie a-5 problem



## oaktree4444 (Aug 27, 2014)

Has been in the woods since feb. All of a sudden the night time pics from about every other night are soild black. Just changed the batteries . Anyone else have this problem? Any fixes? 


thanks in advance


----------



## gatorboy (Aug 27, 2014)

mine did that as well, called them and got the standard change batteries & SD card.  All of a sudden it worked at the house, soon as I put in the woods it's hit or miss if it'll take a picture.  Bought from Moultrie last year & all I can do is buy a new one.  Going to make the change to another manufacturer


----------



## S-Balentine (Aug 27, 2014)

I bought one this weekend and put it out Saturday. I checked it Sunday on my way out and had 12 black pics. I did the battery thing so hopefully it has some good pics when we go back opening weekend.


----------



## buckshed (Aug 27, 2014)

That's funny same thing happened to my a5 today when i pulled it from the woods...I checked their website and the response from them was to change batteries to a high quality battery...only Duracell or energizer.use correct SD card...card speed of 2...no ultra,high speed,optima or micro cards...don't use a SD card that is too big for camera...and don't erase all your pics on your PC...this could lock up the camera...oh and don't use SD card that has been in another camera...once you have put in new batteries and correct SD card, hold down on/off button for five seconds...I did this with mine today and now it seems to work fine...took a pic in dark closet to verify night pics were now working...lol


----------



## Kentuckykeith (Aug 27, 2014)

Springs can get corrosion on them & mess up voltage  / battery contact , I clean mine with a small wire brush & always reset it with a new SD card & fresh batteries & never had an issue.


----------



## littlenorth (Aug 27, 2014)

As a little added information to what "Kentuckykeith" mentioned, I spray the contacts, springs etc. with electrical contact cleaner, wipe dry, then add a thin coat of Lithium grease. Both of these can be purchased at either an electronics store or automotive store. As a word of caution, use the contact cleaner in a well ventilated area.
As for not using SD cards in other cameras, there is no problem there. I just format mine in my computer after saving whatever pictures or videos I wish to keep. If installing these cards in my 2009 model Bushnell Trophy camera, the cards are again formatted in those cameras. My cards get used in various cameras, with the only restriction being not to use a larger SD card than what the camera will recognize.
I test my batteries with a digital meter, even new ones. In the older model cameras, if the voltage in any one battery dropped to 1.0 to 1.2 volt the camera would not function properly or not at all. In the newer model cameras, they will start to fail around 1.3 to 1.38 volt. I am using Duracell Copper Top which test 1.6 volt and Ultimate Lithium which test 1.79 to 1.83 volt. Lithium are excellent for cold weather use because of the higher voltage. The majority of my cameras use AA batteries.


----------



## hawghntr21 (Aug 28, 2014)

My moultrie A-5 will work the first day i put it out, then the IR sensor will stop detecting motion. I can flip the switch to IRAIM and the red light will not come on when i walk in front of camera. I can power the unit off and back on and it will start working. I leave the camera for a week or so and when i check it, it only has 10+/- picstures from the day i put it out and thats it. i recently bought a stealth cam p12 and love it. The night time pictures arent quite as clear as the A-5 but it hasnt failed me yet.


----------



## C.J. (Aug 28, 2014)

buckshed said:


> That's funny same thing happened to my a5 today when i pulled it from the woods...I checked their website and the response from them was to change batteries to a high quality battery...only Duracell or energizer.use correct SD card...card speed of 2...no ultra,high speed,optima or micro cards...don't use a SD card that is too big for camera...and don't erase all your pics on your PC...this could lock up the camera...oh and don't use SD card that has been in another camera...once you have put in new batteries and correct SD card, hold down on/off button for five seconds...I did this with mine today and now it seems to work fine...took a pic in dark closet to verify night pics were now working...lol


what do you mean don't erase all your pics on the PC?


----------



## buckshed (Aug 29, 2014)

According to moultrie"never erase your SD card with anything but the camera that took the pics....ex: your PC,another camera, Or a card reader as doing so could cause the camera to lock up


----------



## bobby07 (Aug 30, 2014)

Bought one this year and hopefully it takes pics on the same setting it did last week but usually doesnt. Not happy with it. I'll take my 3 Tasco's all day with no problem at $10 a piece cheaper.


----------



## Hooksandhooves (Sep 3, 2014)

I have 6 A-5 Moultries and have had them running constant for 1 to 2 years. Use Ray-O-Vac batteries from WalMart. Switch cards from camera to camera and clear them off of a Moultrie card reader. I haven't had any problems with any of them yet. (knock on wood)


----------



## Trigabby (Sep 3, 2014)

I've found that the best use for the A-5 is to put it up next to my gate.  That way it "looks" like I have a cameras watching the entrance and second, if someone takes it, I won't have to be so mad. 

I'll never buy another Moultrie A-5.  Worst camera I've ever used.


----------

