HCO SG550 User manual

HCO (HuntingCamOnline)
Infrared Digital Scouting Camera
SG550/SG530
User’s Manual
www.HuntingCamOnline.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.
HCO (HuntingCamOnline)
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.huntingcamonline.com
HCO
P.O.Box 258
Gadsden, SC 29052
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
3.1 Loading Batteries ......................................................................................................................4
3.2 Connecting External Power.......................................................................................................5
3.3 Inserting SD-card ......................................................................................................................5
3.4 Power On and Entering Test Mode ...........................................................................................6
3.5 Entering Live Mode ..................................................................................................................6
3.6 Manual Capture.........................................................................................................................6
3.7 Default Settings.........................................................................................................................6
3.8 Reviewing Picture or Video ......................................................................................................6
3.9 Power Off..................................................................................................................................7
Advanced Setting & Operation .......................................................................................................................8
4.1 Parameter Settings.....................................................................................................................8
4.1.1 Camera Mode.................................................................................................................8
4.1.2 Formatting SD Card .......................................................................................................9
4.1.3 Image Resolution .........................................................................................................10
4.1.4 Video Resolution..........................................................................................................10
4.1.5 Date and Time ..............................................................................................................11
4.1.6 Shooting Mode(1, 2, 3 Photos).....................................................................................13
4.1.7 Video Length................................................................................................................14
4.1.8 Trigger Interval Time...................................................................................................15
4.1.9 PIR Sensitivity .............................................................................................................16
4.1.10 Time Stamp ................................................................................................................17
4.1.11 Timer..........................................................................................................................17
4.1.12 Restoring Default Setting...........................................................................................20
4.2 Playback and Editing ..............................................................................................................21
4.2.1 Playback .......................................................................................................................20
4.2.2 Editing..........................................................................................................................21
4.3 Live Monitor ...........................................................................................................................21
4.4 Sensible Angle and Distance Test ...........................................................................................21
4.5 File Format..............................................................................................................................22
4.6 File Name................................................................................................................................22
4.7 Installing Driver for SD Card..................................................................................................22
4.8 Firmware Upgrade ..................................................................................................................22
4.9 Factory Default .......................................................................................................................23
Mounting Camera .........................................................................................................................................25
Technical Specifications ...............................................................................................................................26
Package Contents ..........................................................................................................................................27
Limited Warranty ..........................................................................................................................................28

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
Page 1
General Information
1.1 Features
As other scouting cameras on the market, SG550/SG530 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，and high quality pictures (up to 5 mega
pixels) or video clips are taken consequently upon the trigger. 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 cameras have 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

HCO 1-General Information SG550/SG530
Page 2
Figure 1: Front view of the camera
Figure 2: Buttons on the remote control and icons on the screen

HCO 1-General Information SG550/SG530
Page 3
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 the SD card must be installed before use.
To install the 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.

HCO 3-Quick Start SG550/SG530
Page 4
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.
3.1 Loading Batteries
The first thing to do is to load the batteries. There are two ways to supply the power:
•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.
123 4
(a) Battery slots
(b) Battery bottom-cover
Figure 4: Load batteries
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 follow the below procedure:

HCO 3-Quick Start SG550/SG530
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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) according to the polarity mark on the cover
4. Place back 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
3.2 Connecting External Power
You can connect an external 6 V DC power source to the camera. 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.
3.3 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.
3.4 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.
3.5 Entering Live Mode
After turning on the camera (Power switch at the ON position) while the remote control is not

HCO 3-Quick Start SG550/SG530
Page 6
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 enter 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.
3.6 Manual Capture
Under the Test mode, you can use camera to take pictures as a regular digital camera
by pressing SHOT button.
3.7 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
3.8 Reviewing Picture or Video
There are two ways to review captured picture or video:

HCO 3-Quick Start SG550/SG530
Page 7
•TV monitor (or a SD-card viewer with a TV-in jack)
Connect the camera to a TV monitor by the supplied cable. Then enter the TEST mode.
The last picture will be shown on the TV monitor after pressing the OK key. Press the UP
key to the previous picture and the DOWN key to the next one. The index of the picture
and the total number are shown on the monitor when reviewing. At any time pressing the
OK key again will return to the TEST mode.
•Computer (or a SD-card viewer with a USB port)
Connect the camera to a PC by the supplied USB cable. Then use any image/video viewing
program or image/video browser to view the pictures or videos.
3.9 Power Off
Just put the power switch at OFF position to turn off the camera. Please note that even in the
OFF mode, the camera still consumes certain power at µA level. Therefore, be sure to take the
battery out of the battery cabinet if the camera will not be used for a long time.

HCO 5-Advanced Setting SG550/SG530
Page 8
Advanced Settings
After you are familiar with the basic operations of the camera, you are now ready for advanced
operations. The advanced operations in this section are very similar to the basic operations,
only the options and parameters of the camera are explained in more details.
4.1 Parameter Settings
In order to do the parameter settings, you must enter the TEST mode first. Parameter settings
start by pressing the MENU key in the TEST mode.
After you enter the Test mode, some suggestive information will be shown on the LCD. The
effective value will be shown on the LCD after setting except for the date and time. Press the
UP or DOWN key to enter the previous or next menu (the UP key for the previous menu and
DOWN key for the next menu). Press the RIGHT key to change the value of specific
parameter.
4.1.1 Camera Mode
Two ways are available for setting this parameter: one is to use the shortcut key and the other
is through the MENU. By using the shortcut key, you can set the camera to the video mode by
pressing the UP key and setting the Camera Mode to camera mode by pressing the DOWN key
in the TEST mode.
The default camera mode is camera mode. You can change it to video mode by the following
procedure:
1. In MENU, the default setting of the Camera Mode, ‘camera’, is highlighted as
shown in Fig. 5(a) and 5(1).
2. This parameter has two options: ‘camera’ and ‘video’. Pressing the RIGHT key
can switch between these two options as shown in Fig. 5(b) and 5(2).. The selected
option will be highlighted,
3. Press the OK key to save the current setting or the MENU key to cancel the setting
process and exit. You will quit setting process without saving and no parameter
will be changed if you press the MENU key at any time before pressing the OK
key. After pressing the OK key, the information in Fig. 5(c) and 5(3) will be shown.
(a) (1)

HCO 5-Advanced Setting SG550/SG530
Page 9
(b) (2)
(c) (3)
Figure 5: Setting Camera Mode
4.1.2 Formatting SD Card
The system will delete all files stored in the SD card after formatting. You should make sure
that you have made a backup of important data
1In MENU, press the UP or DOWN key until the system enters the format menu, as
shown in Fig. 6(a) and 6(1).
2Press the OK key. The system will ask you to confirm, as shown in Fig. 6(b) and 6(2).
3If you want to proceed the formatting process, press the RIGHT key to change the
value to 『YES』. 『YES』will be highlighted, as shown in Fig. 6(c) and 6(3).
Press the OK key to start formatting the SD card. During formatting, the guide information
will be changed, as shown in Fig. 6(d) and 6(4).
(a) (1)
(b) (2)

HCO 5-Advanced Setting SG550/SG530
Page 10
(c) (3)
(d) (4)
Figure 6: Formatting SD card
4.1.3 Image Resolution
This parameter has two optional values: 5 mega pixels (5M Pixel or 5MP) and 3 mega pixels
(3M Pixel or 3MP). The default value is 3 mega pixels.
1In Menu, Press the UP or DOWN key until the desired Image Size appears, as shown
in Fig. 7(a) and 7(1).
2If the previous setting is 5 mega pixels, press the RIGHT key, the value will be
changed to 3M Pixel, as shown in Fig. 7(b) and 7(2). The value of 3M Pixel will be
highlighted.
3Press the OK key to save or press the MENU key to cancel and exit. After pressing the
OK key, the selected value will no longer be highlighted, as shown in Fig. 7(c) and 7(3).
(a) (1)
(b) (2)
(c) (3)
Figure 7: Setting image resolution
4.1.4 Video Resolution
The video resolution has two values: VGA (640x480) and QVGA (320x240). The default
value is 640x480 (VGA). The following demonstrates how to switch the video size, i.e. video

HCO 5-Advanced Setting SG550/SG530
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resolution, from 640x480 to 320x240:
1In Menu, Press the UP or DOWN key until Video Size appears, as shown in Fig. 8(a)
and 8(1).
2Press the RIGHT key, the value will be changed to 320x240, as shown in Fig. 8(b) and
8(2).
3Press the OK key to save or press the MENU key to cancel and exit. After pressing the
OK key, the selected value will no longer be highlighted, as shown in Fig. 8(c) and 8(3).
(a) (1)
(b) (2)
(c) (3)
Figure 8: Setting video size
4.1.5 Date and Time
You can change the date and time of the device by setting this parameter when necessary, e.g.,
after every battery change. In this setting procedure, the function of some keys is not the same
as the function in other settings: the UP/DOWN keys are used to change the value of date/time
and the RIGHT key is used to jump to the next menu. The format of the date is
Month/Day/Year. The format of time is Hour : Minute : Second. The valid value for year is
between 2006 and 2031.
1Press the UP or DOWN key until Set Clock appears, as shown in Fig. 9(a) and 9(1).
2Press the OK key to start setting the month. The current date and time will be displayed
and the month will be highlighted, as shown in Fig. 9(b) and 9(2).
3Press the UP or DOWN key to change the month to the desired value. And then press
the RIGHT key to set the day. The day will be highlighted, as shown in Fig. 9(c) and
9(3).
4Press the UP or DOWN key until the desired day, as shown in Fig. 9(d) and 9(4).
5Press the RIGHT key to set the year. The year will be highlighted, as shown in Fig. 9(e)
and 9(5).

HCO 5-Advanced Setting SG550/SG530
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6Press the UP or DOWN key to set the year to the desired year, as shown in Fig. 9(f)
and 9(6).
7Press the RIGHT key to set the hour. The hour will be highlighted, as shown in Fig. 9(g)
and 9(7).
8Press the UP or DOWN key to the desired hour, as shown in Fig. 9(h) and 9(8).
9Press the RIGHT key to set the minute. The minute will be highlighted, as shown in
Fig. 9(i) and 9(9).
10 Press the UP or DOWN key to the desired minute, as shown in Fig. 9(j) and 9(10).
11 Press the RIGHT key to set the second. The second will be highlighted, as shown in
Fig. 9(k) and 9(11).
12 Press the UP or DOWN key to the desired second, as shown in Fig. 9(l) and 9(12).
13 Press the OK key to save or press MENU to cancel and exit.
(a) (1)
(b) (2)
(c) (3)
(d) (4)
(e) (5)

HCO 5-Advanced Setting SG550/SG530
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(f) (6)
(g) (7)
(h) (8)
(i) (9)
(j) (10)
(k) (11)
(l) (12)
Figure 9: Setting date and time
4.1.6 Shooting Mode (1, 2, 3 Photos)
You can let the camera take 1, 2 or 3 Photos after each trigger by setting the shooting mode.

HCO 5-Advanced Setting SG550/SG530
Page 14
This setting is effective only in the Camera mode when the camera is in the Live mode. The
default value is 1 Photo after each trigger.
1In MENU, press the UP or DOWN key until Capture Number appears, as shown in Fig.
10(a) and 10(1).
2Press the RIGHT key to change the value to the desired number. The desired number
will be highlighted, as shown in Fig. 10(b) and 10(2).
3Press the OK key to save or press the MENU key to cancel and exit. After pressing the
OK key, the selected value will no longer be highlighted, as shown in Fig. 10(c) and
10(3).
（a）(1)
（b）(2)
（c）(3)
Figure 10: Setting shooting numbers
4.1.7 Video Length
You can set the video length that the camera will take after each trigger by setting the video
length. This setting is effective only in the Video mode when camera is in the Live mode. The
default value of video length is 10 seconds after each trigger. It can be adjusted from 1 to 60
seconds in the increment of one second. Press the RIGHT key to change the value by one
second or press the RIGHT key and hold for a few seconds, the value will be increased by 5
seconds or 10 seconds.
1. In Menu, Press the UP or DOWN key until Video Length appears, as shown in Fig.
11(a) and 11(1).
2. Press the RIGHT key until the desired value appears, as shown in Fig. 11(b) and
11(2).
3. Press the OK key to save or press the MENU key to cancel and exit. After pressing
the OK key, the selected value will no longer be highlighted, as shown in Fig. 11(c)

HCO 5-Advanced Setting SG550/SG530
Page 15
and 11(3).
（a）(1)
（b）(2)
（c）(3)
Figure 11: Setting video length
4.1.8 Trigger Interval Time
The trigger interval time means that how long the PIR will be disabled after each trigger. This
will only be effective in the LIVE mode. PIR will not react to the motion of human or animal.
This parameter has 120 values, from 0 to 59 seconds (with the increment of 1 second) and
from 1 to 60 minutes (with the increment of 1 minute). The default value is 1 minute (60
seconds). Press the RIGHT key to change the value by one second or press the RIGHT key
and hold for a few seconds, the value will be increased by 5 seconds or 10 seconds.
1In MENU, press the UP or DOWN key until Interval appears, as shown in Fig. 12(a)
and 12(1).
2Press the RIGHT key until the desired value appears, as shown in Fig. 12(b) and 12(2).
3Press the OK key to save or press the MENU key to cancel and exit. After pressing the
OK key, the selected value will no longer be highlighted, as shown in Fig. 12(c) and
12(3).
(a) (1)

HCO 5-Advanced Setting SG550/SG530
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(b) (2)
(c) (3)
Figure 12: Setting trigger interval time
4.1.9 PIR Sensitivity
The PIR sensitivity has three degrees: High, Normal and Low. The default value is Normal.
High means that the camera is easily to be triggered by motion, taking more pictures or
recording more videos. It is recommended to use high sensitivity degree in room or
environment with less interference. Use Low sensitivity for outdoor or environment where
more interference is involved, like hot wind, smoke, near window etc. The sensitivity of the
PIR is closely related to temperature. Under higher temperature, the PIR has lower sensitivity.
It is suggested to set a higher sensitivity for high temperature environment.
1In Menu, press the UP or DOWN key until Sensor Level appears, as shown in Fig.
13(a) and 13(1).
2Press the RIGHT key until the desired value appears, as shown in Fig. 13(b) and 13(2).
3Press the OK key to save or press the MENU key to cancel and exit. After pressing the
OK key, the selected value will no longer be highlighted, as shown in Fig. 13(c) and
13(3).
(a) (1)
(b) (2)